#* 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 / 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥

[cavernovs]

LOCATION: Dynasty’s Playground; Theatre: Art of Betrayal, Act III. TIME: Late, idk. CLOSED FOR: @hokuspocus​​

Avoiding people only works for so long, because then come the time when something as mundane as needing to use the lavatory begins to crawl up on a person and invoke the inevitable.

For fucks sake.

Into the crowd Atemu went – skipped the fucking queue. Threatened electrocution to anyone who’d argue it. In return, had a few dangerous threats thrown back with equal vigour. He was pissed off as it was, so anything with enough danger to concern Atemu probably didn’t ever need to use the bathroom anyhow; he wasn’t sure if the dead pissed, nor did he care to ask; the odds were stacked on his side on the who’s more powerful war of fists.

But he’d believe that even if he weren’t. And really, if Valdana wasn’t within some kind of eye range to warn him off bringing the sky down on the roof of the theatre, he might have lost his temper and blown a gasket already.

The sorcerer almost slipped back undetected and scored a pointer when not dragged into some pointless conversation as he left the washroom, shoved his way towards the rear aisle only to find himself double glancing at a head of hair – automated, like his brain locked onto a target that needed his entire body twisting to address the woman. One of the few who in the back of his mind he’d attended purely to be witness ( and executioner ) to any and all carnage that joined the bracket of inevitabilities that he’d chalked the night down to.

Haylee. Alive. Great.

Fucking move past, job accomplished. Not damn dead. Should have kept walking after that. But he didn’t, instead  –  best, how the fuck are you Elmasry could muster came out as:

“Dubois, you’re always in the fucking way,”

[cavernovs]

Atemu  📲 Ayfanura

Atemu: Is it more, or less full of fuckery your end?

Evanora:far less then on yours

Evanora: how are you?

Atemu: Noted.

Evanora: atemu, you guys have to figure this out.

Evanora: friend a fae, have them read the minds of the humans, maybe one of them is privy to his game

Atemu: That involves conversing with people.

Atemu: And I'd really rather not.

Evanora: then don't do it for yourself

Evanora: do it for the people there we both know you'd rather not die

Atemu: They're not going to die.

Atemu: The fucker might be insane, but I don't think he's quite reached martyr yet.

Evanora: regardless, if i were there i might be willing to bargain my life but certainly not yours.

Atemu: There will be no bargaining.

Atemu: Stay with your fanger, enjoy your night. Keep it uneventful.

Evanora: enjoy my night, right

Evanora: be safe, atemu

Atemu: I’m not going to die because some fool wants a power trip.

Atemu: Be safe, I guess it’s too much to comment that you stay bite free too.

Evanora: some being so big headed

Evanora: he has plenty of offers, so that may not be an impossible ask

Atemu: You won’t want to hear what I have to say about that, Ev.

Evanora: atemu, please

Evanora: i'm sure i've heard it all before

Atemu: Likely. You don’t need to hear it again then.

Atemu: Though, you had the right idea with avoiding theatre.

Evanora: can we maybe skip the part where you shame me for my relationship choices and instead focus on you being safe?

Evanora: do you have eyes on reina too?

Evanora: it wasn't my intention. i had planned to be there with you all, but he asked and so you. . . you know the rest

Atemu: I’m not shaming you. I am telling you to be safe too. Reina’s around, I’ve seen her.

Atemu: For once, I am glad the fanger kept you out of this madman’s puzzle games.

Evanora: there may not be many things i can count on but i do know for certain he wouldn't ever let another hurt me

Evanora: i'm safe and that makes one of us

Atemu: And I would?

Evanora: of course not

Atemu: I’m not there. I get it.

Evanora: you would never come to a thing like this

Atemu: I’ll get out. Might even bring your vamp a present from here afterwards.

Atemu: I wouldn’t without fucking good reason.

Evanora: i'm sure he'll enjoy it. he's been spoiled.

Atemu: Nor am I into theatre, but here I am — with a questionable reason.

Evanora: well, not sure you'll ever be given one of those

Atemu: You’re enough.

Evanora: questionable or not, it's a reason

Evanora: that's sweet, thank you

Atemu: You better be safe. Okay.

Evanora: your not going anywhere

Atemu: Nor are you.

Evanora: i do wish you were here

Atemu: And I wish I were anywhere but here.

Evanora:i wish that too

Evanora: but you'll be fine

Atemu: Always am. 🥱

Evanora: 🙄 your cockiness better really show up to play tonight

Evanora: because if something happens to you, in red queen fashion, heads will roll

Atemu: I’m still here, aren’t I? Gets me somewhere.

Atemu: I wouldn’t mind seeing heads roll by your hand, it’d be a sight.

Evanora: now you sound like him.

Atemu: Great. 👍🏽

Evanora: anyways

Evanora: it's not often i feel that kind of anger come over me

Atemu: I usually beat you to any punches.

Evanora: lucky me

Evanora: surrounded by murderers so that i don't have to be one

Evanora: but you know, your not anger and death

Atemu: Theres a reason you’re holding on to your light, Ev.

Evanora: despite what you may like to pretend

Evanora: we need access to both

Evanora: there is power in both

Atemu: I’m not going to debate magic with you. We’ve done this dance before.

Atemu: I’ve never denied there isn’t.

Evanora: atemu, i'm not fighting with you.

Atemu: We’re not fighting.

Evanora: i'm just preparing you for what is to come.

Atemu: I’m telling you to be safe and I’m not bringing the theatre roof down.

Evanora: i'm fascinated by the dark, you know this but there is still need for the light.

Evanora: don't you dare

Atemu: We’ve talked about balance. I know.

Atemu: You are light.

Evanora: i am now, yes.

Evanora: but your darkness is still beautiful and magnificent

Evanora: and we will need it

Atemu: It’ll be brutal if he hurts you.

Evanora: he would kill anyone who did

Evanora:and i wouldn't let him

Evanora: no matter the cost

Atemu: Take care.

Atemu: I’ll survive just to make sure you did.

Evanora: that's a promise?

Atemu: We’re not passing over anytime soon.

Evanora: forever, atemu

Atemu: Don’t.

Evanora: deal with it

Atemu: I won’t let you go, ayfanura

Evanora: i'm counting on that

[cavernovs]

Jack 📲Azagi

Jack: I need something, little demon.

Azagi: Oh you do? Are you not watching the live feed? I’m trying not to get dead.

Azagi: what do you need and what do I get out of it?

Jack: I saw, sweetcheeks. 😉

Jack: That's the most demon demand I've ever heard you say, are you feeling well?

Jack: Besides impending death.

Azagi: oh I’m just peachy, pumpkin. now get on with asking your favour, and make sure to use your p’s & q’s

Jack: Should have come play here, sugar.

Azagi: hm, perhaps. though you seemed to be having enough fun with lan

Jack: In the party spirit of pixie and blood, name your price, I need you to keep a vamp occupied til the end of your shit run.

Azagi: we’re not on good terms right now, and i knew he’d be going to your party so i came here. blame him for that, babe

Azagi: hah, you’re funny. Tell me which vampire before I name my price.

Jack: Domestic already? Aren't you honeymooning or something

Azagi: he’s a prick, and he can go fuck himself. though he doesn’t need to, seems he has his own personal loyalist from out of town to do that. he leaves for all that time all the time for fucking loyalists.

Azagi: but whatever, which vamp, jack?

Jack: Well isn't that cute.

Jack: Is that the weird little curly brat skulking around my drawing room bleeding everywhere like dinner?

Jack: The vamp most likely to antagonise the madman on the stage.

Azagi: blonde, sullen and an attitude like he owns the place and lan? sounds like him.

Azagi: you act like I’m friendly with any vamps besides you. i’m gonna need a name. though I’m surprised you’re not worried about your better half, instead. she doesn’t seem like an antagoniser. your overlord isn’t here so…

Azagi: oh is it the moody one? face looks like you told him you killed his favourite feeder?

Jack: She can handle one human waving a death rag over her head.

Jack: Sounds like him. Just don't bloody die, I like some pretty faces.

Azagi: oh I don’t plan on it, love. are there plenty of humans at your party? Worst comes to worst I can dissipate from here but I’m gonna need souls to replenish myself very quickly. Last time I did that around Nephs it didn’t end so well.

Azagi: so you want me to stop him doing anything stupid? Do I say you asked or will that make things worse?

Jack: Enough, for now. 😛

Jack: Be discreet, i'm sure you can be subtle for once. What do you want it for?

Azagi: hmmm, considering it’s the grumpy one i think that’s worth a couple things. i want another night with you, with chaos as the main focus, and i want the promise of one favour to be fulfilled whenever i decide i need a favour from you.

Jack: A night with me?

Jack: This sounds like two things, little demon.

Azagi: the knife fight was fun, more than this shitty state has seen in decades. i’m sure we can one up that, don’t you think?

Azagi: it is two things, and that’s because it’s the grumpy one you want me to keep an eye on and help. If you’re asking me for help he’s gotta mean something to you or you just think he’s a really fucking stupid person who is a threat to all. Either way, I’m sure you’ll say yes to both

Jack: he owes me something.

Jack: i'm rather sceptical about handing out unnamed favours, azagi 😉

Jack: but a night of blood and metal, perhaps.

Azagi: come on, doll, you know me. i won’t ask something unreasonable from you, especially if i want to keep you around 😉

Jack: go off, pumpkin.

Jack: i'm sad to miss your fly on the wall behaviour though

Azagi: keep an eye on your phone in case i need an emergency exit. keep a good handful of humans on hand and i might just be able to bring jessie with me if things go tits up.

Azagi: fly on a wall isn’t my usual forte but for you? i suppose i can at least try

Jack: it's rather covered in pix right now, but sure az. i trust jessie is aware of the situation and is dealing with it.

Jack: hence why it'd be a sight i'm sad to miss

Azagi: dealing with it? i don’t think any of us can do anything to deal with it but yes, I’m sure she’s keeping a cool head

Jack: axel is one man.

Jack: a small, mortal little man with an ugly hat.

Azagi: he has many mortal men and many nephilim helping him and some random bioweapon, jakoris, don’t be foolish now. enjoy your party, i’ll drop by if we get out of this before party’s over.

[cavernovs]

LOCATION: Dynasty’s Playground; Theatre: Art of Betrayal, Act III. TIME: Late Ig. CLOSED FOR: @oftragxdy​

He’s lost his mind.

Every new revelation had Kit wondering where the man she’d once known had gone; what had once eaten away all the sweet and good of her ex-fiancé and left a rotting lunatic shell of a being. Each time the answer came back to, this world. A toxic, parasitical wasteland where nothing lived to stay whole forever.

And yet she’d still dredged through to see the performance with her friends for the very reason she shouldn’t have.

It was all fucking because of him.

She’d no explanation for the treehouse, why she still lived and breathed when Axel had promised otherwise if they ever crossed paths again. Thought dead. She’d assumed – an untrained wolf left to go rogue in a world she’d been on the other side of til her exile. Back in the clutches of what she once knew like home.

Now, simply, a memory.

She’d fall for every lie whispered from the same maniac still, she was certain. And she hated that. Even loathed that she was worried about the entity on the stage as he carelessly left balls rolling into the audience with little consideration for how enraging his actions were.

Target audience, Ax. If he was intending to rile, she would bet he were successful – and she was upset enough at his poor depiction of the wolves given she were bracketed there now. ( for over half a decade ); a part of her that had taken so long to embrace and accept. Thrown into question by Reyes scheming. Now she were afraid that he were putting together something sickeningly diabolical for his finale.

The most painful part remained to be how out of character he was being; she couldn’t predict what this Axel was capable of.

Who the hell are you now? Izara dug deep to blame him – for everything, for anything; for existing – whatever made it easier to hate him. To look at his face and feel nothing, she wished it were like that. Just for him to be another madman in Calamity like it were simply that.

It never could be.

Swallowing, she stared at the texts, a trick – she had to believe that. Had to. If not because if it were real it would be like ripping open the stitches of her heart. Not again, please. An agony she never wanted to go through for a second time; more painful than the bite that left such vivid scarring on her shoulder. A heart never healed; forever broken.

Yet, each careful step she took towards the edge of the auditorium had her senses alert for anyone noticing her diversion; her disinterest to solve Axel’s next riddle. And he’d been right – the idle few hovering a little too on edge at the doors let her through – she wasn’t sure she even knew half of those who remained under Axel’s guide anymore. But they seemed to be aware of her.

The treehouse had been different; unplanned; accidental; a moment of weakness for the both of them.

This here. now, was voluntary, she’d abided his request to meet with him after Act III and despite her wariness – and his promises, she was fool enough to trust that it would be worth it. Even if she didn’t get answers for the obscene play, she might get closure for everything he never said to her and that was something she’d get nowhere else.

The play didn’t even matter. 

Backstage was dark, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge – an eerie kind of silence that didn’t reflect the tens of actors Axel had put onto the front, this was a a corner of solitude – murmured into the abyss of decrepit theatre:

“Axel – ?” 

Kit felt stupid, chasing a ghost of her past with no reason or rhyme besides matters of the heart. She’d thought herself better – he’d forgotten her for so long that to simply dive right back into his attention had her turning on her heel to leave.

But she couldn’t be free of the theatre until it were over – he’d told her that too.

Izara paused. Looked at the same door she’d creeped in from, and shook her head – What if he hurts people out there? And she wasn’t there to help?

Her heart leapt when she heard something at her rear, and then – aged wood, burnt and an odd afternote of unwashed leather tickled her nose. Familiar. She found her voice before her heart interfered with her mind:

“Why am I here, Ax?”

[cavernovs]

LOCATION: Dynasty’s Playground; Theatre: Art of Betrayal, Act II. TIME: Fuck knows tbh. Still Late? CLOSED FOR: @calcmityys​ 

It was unnecessary – as had the first act of Axel’s play. Dare it be called a piece of theatre, and not a long dragged out opportunity for him to push his distaste for them all into a tangible manifestation. Kit felt like he was as blind as she had once been – but she’d been less of a fanatic in acting out lewd theatre for shits and fucking giggles. She didn’t know what this was, or what was happening – just that she were worried, and carrying her fear in a tiny little box and burying it beneath humour and faux smiles.

“I don’t know what he’s playing at,” she murmured – troubled, a sideways look thrown at the woman to her left. Kit was perched on the backrest of a chair in the auditorium, feet on the seat so she had a slightly better position to stay aware of her surroundings. A habit she’d always had; never quite switched off. ( not without some secondary help at least. ) A constant alert that spanned from years of surviving as a mortal in a world chasing such beings, to another kind of subsistence as a wolf.

An entire rewrite of her playbook – and Axel needed a better playbill to convince them all that he’d changed his.

No target of the play seemed simply content with the lackluster scenes that painted Reyes as raving madman.

She didn’t need the extra senses to read the damn room. It would explode if they didn’t solve the puzzle given, and tragically there’d be no Act III if no creature were alive ( or civilly seated ) to watch it. Kit were already impressed enough that he’d reached the halfway mark and no scent of blood or death had stained the worn seats of the auditorium.

What a low bar that was.

She surveyed the room – found herself biting her own agitation back and continued to entertain the woman beside her: “They shouldn’t let this stir them, it’s ignorant – on both sides of the stage,”