Previous Session: The Devil May Care
She's in Hell again. Lilith's triumphant voice tells her that she's coming back and that the erstwhile Infernal can't escape her forever. She's pulled away from that and in a weirdly realistic setting she sees dead and horribly mutilated bodies lying across the ground. It's freaking her out, and then she hears a growling monster behind her...
that wakes her up. Chloe the Vampire picks up her phone from the bedside locker. She needs some way to stop these dreams and she texts Sidney
~Hey ~I need a way of getting rid of these bad dreams I've been having
A few minutes later
~Try Xanax? ~Do you know what time it is?
~Oh, sorry ~I'll catch you tomorrow
Chloe spots the time, it's 3:47
The door opens into her bedroom. It's her mom, who heard her shout out in her sleep. Trying to figure out what she might have gathered from it, Chloe asks; and Miranda admits that she heard "Lilith!". When Chloe tells her that Lilith is trying to escape and she's been dreaming of her for a while, Miranda's really worried. She didn't think that would be possible. She offers to make her some hot cocoa, and Chloe wonders if she can make it with some O+. That kind of surprises her mom, but she does have a few bags squirrelled away (she still has contacts and sources apparently).
Wayne the Werewolf wakes up alongside Sidney as he hears the texting.
-Who was that?
-Just Chloe
He starts to dig a bit deeper, but Sidney tells him that she's asleep so he lets it go.
Aster the Chosen rushes his breakfast. barely saying "hi" to Miranda and Chloe. He texts Charley that they need to meet up before school, and they agree to miss their first homeroom slot and have coffee around the corner from school.
Miranda remarks to Chloe that he seems busy and pre-occupied this morning as the front door closes.
-You know, he's got...lions and tigers and bears to handle
-Oh my!
Victor the Minotaur sits on the only real piece of furniture in his otherwise empty single-room apartment. He leaves for school, but as soon as he gets outside he gets hit with a thrown brick. Behind him the leader of the monsters gang laughs
-Found ya punk!
-Oh man, and I haven't even had coffee yet!
Victor turns to see the rest of the gang there too and he wonders
-So, now what?
-I figure out how many ways I can kill you!
He lunges at Victor to capture him, but Victor runs for it and gets away from them after a short chase.
When they arrive in school, a surly Luke starts to join Omar and the rest of the nerd (well, werewolf) crowd. Chloe grabs him and tells him to sit with the 5x5s (the last remnant of non-supernatural in their homeroom). He's not impressed and joins them anyway. Chloe takes a deep breath
-I'll come visit you with a big vase of I-Told-You-So's
Aster's at the coffee shop well before Charley, he orders her a mocha (her usual) and starts drinking his cappuccino. She arrives and joins him
-There are way too many monsters at school. Frankly the humans are outnumbered in our class. We need to do something or else they'll be food bags. Let's start recruiting and group together. I think you're the person to lead them.
-Human boot camp?
-We don't want to see them become victims. Secrecy isn't going to work anymore.
-Just to play Devil's advocate for a moment, you could cause a panic
-If we just ignore the problem, it's only get worse
-You might be right.
Charley sighs
-I'll need you to do something for me. I'm concerned about what happened the other night with Victor, and also about Lucy...
-Pretty sure Lucy is not part of the humans only team
-I don't want to say anything against her, cause Lucy is so helpful...
Miss Yates is running them through Hamlet in AP English. She asks Chloe where Aster is and she tells the nervous teacher that Aster had an errand to run, but he said he would be in class. She's disapproving of this, but Aster and Charley arrive just then. Next time they'll be marked as tardy!
After class, Chloe and Wayne argue about Luke and what he did to the rest of them. Wayne dismisses her concerns
-You can't turn him into a werewolf, I can barely believe you've turned the others!
Wayne doesn't show any surprise at her knowledge of this
-They made their own decisions. If Luke wants to join us that's up to him, not you
-He's fifteen! Nothing's up to him
-Well he didn't appear to take your orders this morning
 |
| Leroy, fresh werewolf |
She asks Chloe what happened, and she turns away from Wayne to wonder
-Does it look like anything happened?
(There may be some kind of eternal disagreement between werewolves and vampires, but she's not snitching to teachers!)
Liz breaks it up
-Leroy. You're going to have to see me after school. Go to the principal's office right now.
As he walks past Wayne, his pack-mate says supportively
-Remember, you didn't start that
and Leroy goes to Principal Washington with his head held high.
Victor spots Charley talking to Mia, who appears to be in full snooty mode.
-C'mon, you're not blind! You know there's a lot of shit going on
-Oh my god! Just keep me out of this!
and Mia starts to walk away
Victor grins at her hungrily
-She's right you know. A lot of people would eat you up, given a chance.
Like he's going to eat her, and not in some kind of metaphorical sense.
-You're a freak!
Maria is looking at Mia as she storms away, sure that the girl would be the easiest of prey.
Charley turns on Victor
-Really? God Victor! You ruined that!
-Fear is a strong motivator
-What happened after that bar-fight anyway?
-You got knocked out during the fight, and they dragged you off to their lair. I followed, got killed there and then Lucy saved the day. We got in over our heads, it happens.
He turns on a dime
-So, you on for tonight?
-I'm not so sure that's a good idea
-You and good ideas may not be a natural fit!
She smiles at that
-We're on, maybe tomorrow night though. But hold off on threatening people?
-If I don't threaten, then someone else will eat them
***
Aster is mustering the normals. The 5x5 table (Laura, Milton, Arthur, Hope & Thomas) along with Jordan and Ian. He's going to catch Luke after school, away from the watchful eye of the pack. Detective Mills has arranged to speak with him in a classroom Principal Washington has set aside for them. In the otherwise empty room, she opens a file for him.
He looks at the photos of dead bodies
-This is a problem. We've had them dropping like flies. Not just vampires, this is something else.
Aster fills a bowl of water, explaining to Mills that he can get some extra meaning through his divination. They have a pattern, symbols carved into them, by Abel and a few others who are dressed in robes and chanting for whatever bizarre ritual they are undertaking.
Asking what religion she is (Roman Catholic), he explains, drawing on the story of Cain and Abel.
-These five were killed as revenge for what happened to Abel thousands of years ago. He's the one in charge and he cam back from hell to exact revenge on his brother, who was cursed to live forever on this mortal plane. I'm trying to gather the remaining humans here so that they can protect themselves. Maybe you could join our meeting as an inspirational figure?
-I'll be there
Wayne is sitting with the rest of the pack. They're going to go out hunting tonight, even though some of them might not be able to turn fully. They're all super excited. Alice is caught up in that and wants to become one of them tonight as well. They're talking in code, not excluding Luke physically from them, but he doesn't really understand the import of what he's hearing. Wayne tells him
-You can come out with us, don't have to do what your sister tell you to. She's trying to keep you on a very short leash.
-I don't know why she doesn't like you
 |
| Alice, uber math nerd |
-That's bullshit!
Alice is thinking seriously about the whole thing again
-I don't know about all this violence
-Well, Jordan got what he asked for
-You're right, I guess
And when she asks him for assurances that they're not going to attack anyone he gives it without any second thoughts.
Chloe sits down next to Sidney, apologising for the bad timing of her text in the middle of the night.
-I woke up from a terrible dream, and I just needed someone who I thought could stop them...Lilith has been sending me these nightmares from Hell and it's too much. I had thought that ignoring them might be enough, but we need to stop them entirely.
Chloe tells her the details of her dream, and Sidney shivers a little.
-I'll help, but how is she able to connect with you from where she is?
-Well, she had her claws pretty deep into me back then
-I'll think of some way to break that connection
Chloe thanks her and heads home
Victor and Charley have been flirting, and Liz Macintosh interrupts them to invite him for another session with her later
-Maybe tomorrow?
-OK so, see you tomorrow
He's a bit confused and catched up with her; she's not usually so easy to fob off
-Did you see Miss Carter yesterday?
-Oh yes. She's lovely, isn't she!
He'll get to the bottom of that another time.
**
At home, Aster talks to Luke before he heads out to meet up with Wayne.
-I'm going to tell you some things that'll surprise you. Just don't overreact?
-Sounds ominous
-Promise?
-Yeah sure. I won't freak out
-You know I'm your half brother, Mom had me with someone else before Chloe and you. But we're a lot more different that just that. The fairy tales are true, well at least they're based on reality. All those mythical things exist. I'm Fae, you mom used to be Fae. She was banished to this mortal realm. Chloe is a vampire, and so is Maria. Wayne and your buddies are werewolves. Things are pretty messed up
-You're insane!
Aster's casting around for something concrete to show Luke
-Like, when's the last time you saw me dye my hair? You haven't, because that's my true hair colour.
-You need to be locked up, cause that's crazy!
 |
| Luke, Chloe and Aster's no-longer clueless brother |
-Now, why does your sister have Mr. Robert Paulson's blood under her bed?
-Chloe?
It's starting to dawn on him, and he's more than a little shocked
-You wonder why she's sleeping in. All those stares Maria gives you
-Holy shit!
-Sit down. Take a deep breath. We can do something about it, get you all together so you won't be feasted on one-by-one
-Leroy!
Leroy and Luke are pretty good friends.
Chloe arrives home and as she gets to the top of the stairs, she's bowled over by Luke.
-What's up with you?
-You died!
Chloe's confused, but it becomes clear what's happened when she sees Aster step out from her bedroom. Luke's looking at her fiercely, and on the edge of tears
-Why didn't you tell me!
Clambering to her feet she tries to explain
-I didn't tell you Wayne is a werewolf because I thought you'd see the prospect of getting turned into one as a good thing. Strong and fast and afraid of nothing. I didn't trust you.
-And mom's a Fae?
-Yeah, but I wouldn't bring it up. It's kind of painful to her that's she's pretty much just a normal mortal woman now. You know, like we don't bring up exactly how old she is.
Aster grins
-Though that might be because who really knows how old she was before she was banished here!
-Are there any more Fae around? Do we have more relatives out there?
-We kind of like to keep out heads down, especially after last year. I got banished here after I put my sister on the throne.
-Come one Luke, you must've noticed all the strangeness going on in the old school?
-Sure, but I didn't think it was anything like this.
Then a moment's pause
-Wait! Maria's a vampire too?
-Yeah. Like when I said she'd eat you up, I wasn't being metaphorical in a sexy way. Don't tell mom; she's already entirely down on Maria
Aster is helpful-ish
-And Mia's their blood bag
-That was just me, and that was only one time!
-Oh sis! Score!
-It's not like that either. Anyway, she's way outta my league!
Aster tells Luke about the group he's helping organise with Charley and Chloe looks surprised.
-Human coalition? I guess I'm on your side
-You're so cool Chloe, you're like Angel!
Chloe's not really comfortable with this level of admiration from her brother. Aster adds one more piece of advice, before Luke's completely overwhelmed
-Don't let Sidney take anything personal of yours. She's a witch
Chloe needs to tell Aster something important, and she fills him in about the dreams and Lilith's intention to escape using these freakily murdered bodies. Aster is surprised, this is a level above what he thought was going on
-That's Abel
Victor hangs out with Charley for a while. Not back to his place, she has to stick around for this meeting with the others. But as he considers his options, she tells him that she'll need some kind of distraction away from all the seriousness. She pulls him into the janitor's closet.
Wayne leads the pack to hunt in the park, and they spread out to cover a wide area; he hears howls and growling as he quickly loses control. There's another werewolf in the park, this one is powerful and mature. It's feeding on someone it's just killed, and when Wayne lays eyes on it, it turns to menace him.
He howls to call in the rest of the pack (Alice is nearby, but having just been bitten, won't be able to join in yet). The big wolf lunges at Wayne and bites down hard. Despite his grounding, Leroy has joined them and rushes in to help Wayne out. The big wolf grabs Leroy and snaps his neck with one savage motion. The others are horrified as Leroy's death yelp rings in their ears, and Alice screams (she and Leroy were dating).
Wayne considers the bigger wolf, it's bloodied and he can't allow a bigger wolf to dominate the territory he's claiming. They all rush in, tearing him apart. Eddy loses it and rushes off. After catching his breath, Wayne leads the others off to track Eddy down before he gets in even more trouble. Soon, Eddy comes across Principal Washington on her way home and he charges her. Wayne catches up just in time to intervene, trying to get in between them. Eddy is too far gone and isn't paying attention to the pack dynamics at all. He tears out her throat...
*
Aster and Victor talk before the meeting; and Victor doesn't appear to be happy with the way things are going
-What the hell is going on?
-Things are getting worse. We need to gather allies. I want to support them, but Charley should be in charge. I'd like you to give a demo of what they're dealing with
-But you're going to get even more killed this way, people like us and mortals! You're war-mongering
-No, I want to show them that they can't kill easily. That if they try, or do what Leroy and the others did they can get killed
-They made that choice. If you're thinking of going public with this, then someone's got to speak for us
-I can't let humans get picked off anymore.
-I've seen too many people die. I don't want any more bloodshed. But there's a part of me that wants all that bloodshed anyway. Now, I guess I have to have my head chopped off.
Inside Aster starts the meeting, telling them that there are bad things out there that they might have gotten an inkling of previously. Introducing Detective Mills, she assures the, that the NYPD is looking out for humans in the city...
Horrified at Eddy's killing of Principal Washington, Wayne doesn't notice the SWAT team closing in until it's too late. Eddy goes down with a couple of tranquiliser darts in him, and Wayne gets in their way, in between them and the rest of the pack: Amanda Kelly and Omar have a chance to escape and he goes down in a haze as the SWAT team restrain him...
Aster asked Chloe to get Mia onside for the big meeting, so she heads over to Mia's place. She's around the corner when she thinks that just arriving at the front door might not be the best approach. So she texts her
~Can we meet up? ~Just to talk
~Are you going to bite me?
~Not even if you want me to ~How about that cafe near your place?
~Nowhere public!
~Your house?
 |
| Mia, class queen |
-You know, Vampiric super speed.
-OK. Come on in
-I know Charley talked to you about this gathering, and I really think you should consider going. Obviously you've got vampires figured out, but not werewolves and demons and zombies and other weirder stuff
Mia's a bit frightened by the sound of all that
-So I think you need people to help you stay out of that kind of trouble, people who'll back you up when weird stuff goes down
Mia's not entirely convinced, but needs Chloe to promise that she's protect her as well. She'll go along to the meeting, and they have a few hours to kill beforehand. Chloe's surprised when Mia asks her to stick around for a few of the latest Housewives episodes. She just watched them with her mom, but Chloe sits on the couch and enjoys the company. Laughing ahead of all the funny bits she knows are coming, she gets a lot of popcorn thrown at her from Mia's end of the couch.
Chloe walks her to the meeting, and sits outside on a wall to wait for it to finish up.
She gets a text from Maria, wondering what she's up to
~I'm so bored!
~Busy tonight ~Catch you tomorrow?
~Busy with who?
~Mia
~Ooh! *wink*
In the meeting, Charley takes centre stage. Drawing a sword, she tells them that crucifixes and stakes will only get them so far. When you absolutely, positively gotta kill a monster; accept no substitutes. She decapitates Victor, and if the gathered crowd were horrified at that, it's nothing to what they feel when Victor stands back up, picks up his head and sets it on the table to address them.
-What my friends are trying to tell you is that while you're standing around horrified, I could have ripped into you by now. I'd be eating you alive. So try to stay on our good side.
Victor wonders about Liz Macintosh's sudden turnaround. The Abyss consumes his senses and he sees her visiting Emma, all smiles and greetings. Then the vision cuts out and he feels like something is watching him. Pain shoots through his body and he hears a voice in his head, laughing at him...
Wandering away after the meeting has broken up, he's not heading home, but in a dark alleyway somewhere the biker gang are waiting for him...
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