[ARPC] Same Old Song And Dance (Open)

[Alexandrea]

Madison's remark concerning things Doctor Who might put in his mouth didn't get the reaction that it normally would. Alexandrea's apathy had deepened beyond the point where she actually cared about much of anything. In an almost absentminded sort of way, she corrected her friend on one minor point that the Whovian couldn't let pass by without comment.

"Pretty sure Daleks don't have dicks."

Kira's innocent question about planning for later, after they returned from the Shadow Realm, went unanswered by the Allurist. She still hadn't decided if she was going back yet but was reluctant to tell that to either of her two best friends. Her attention on the dark and shapeless place wavered, as Alexandrea's focus shifted to that her Thrall, Harry.

At some point, Alex wasn't sure when or how, the Vampire had started to be able to actually see though her thrall's eyes. "Looks like your Dave's stuck in the line at the Wickbridge Bank again, Kira." She stated in a monotone, not really interested in starting a conversation and more just thinking out loud.

She drifted away from the others slightly and played a bit with changing some of the shapes around her. There wasn't a lot of variations possible but the artistic streak in Alexandrea kept toying around with misty shadows that were all around them.

[Madison]

If Madison had a brow to furrow, it would have been deeply so. For being the one who'd asked the question and started the joke in the first place, she had expected Alexandrea to have given her something more as a response. Something was amiss with her friend but seeing as that they were all dead and stuck in the shadow realm, it could be any number of possibilities. It never crossed her mind at all that her best friend would consider not returning.

Returning was the only thing that Madison did care about. There was no way in hell she was going to let anyone think they'd gotten the best of her and broken her spirit. She did that quite well all on her own but she would cut her right arm off repeatedly if it meant not giving Tytonidae that credit. So when Kira asked what she did, Madison gave a look around and deemed it safe for them to talk. She didn't think anyone here would repeat what was spoken about.

"I plan on going back to laying low for awhile. Ty decimated a year's worth of my work so it's going to take awhile to get that all back. But I think that all of us should get together and start getting organized. I have some ideas and goals, but I want to bounce them off of people I trust, like you and Alex, before really trying to make a push for it all. I think that's a talk for somewhere a bit more private though. No offense to anyone here."

Looking to Alex, Madison waited for her friend to chime in with her own plans. When she started talking about thralls though, she realized that something was really bugging the allurist. Alex never spoke in such a manner. Part of the reason Madison loved her was because the woman was so vibrant and artistic. This person here was not the Alexandrea that she had grown up with. Again she reminded herself that everyone dealt with the Shadow Realm differently and that she had also been a bit off kilter. She still needed to apologize to Alex too. So when her high school best friend started playing with the shadows of the realm, shaping them to her whim, Madison moved up alongside her and pushed her apology into the mind of her friend, "I'm sorry if I upset you before. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. Ripper just bothers me is all and half the time, he's just trying to instigate **** to see if he can get away with something while someone else takes the fall."

[Kira]

Kira still had no idea what was being talked about. She sighed softly, did Lexy just change the subject? There were plenty of things she wanted to do when she got out of here. The animals get clingy when she was gone a long time. She most likely spend the first couple of nights not doing much but spending time with them, and Reggie. Maybe work on some music.

"Hopefully Dave is making some money for me while I'm away.." Kira said, not that she really cared. She nodded to Madison, what traps Kira had were gone, not that she had as many as Madison, not by a long shot. Kira needed to work on so many things, trap making, she needed to get stronger, she still needed to complete the home bound ritual.

"Sounds like a plan." Kira said, true, talking here about any plans that had to do with the owl turds shouldn't be done here. Who knows who could overhear. She frowned, not that it could be seen as Lexy wasn't acting like herself. Then again, this place had to drain the cheery people just as it did anyone else, but it had to be worse for the cheery ones. Kira did have to worry about not losing her mind here.

'See where friends get you. Dead, dead, dead.' Warrior's voice chimed in her head.

Kira rolled her eyes, same old, same old. Warrior never changed in her views on people. 'Shut up or I'll get Reggie to say he loves you.' she thought. Warrior didn't like that at all.

'*****..'

Kira smirked, now she knew Warrior's weakness. If she got out of hand, she could just pull Reggie into her dreams again and let him go mushy on her. Not that she knew how the hell that worked, pulling people into one's dreams sounded like an odd talent but with all the changes she had gone through, she suppose it didn't surprise her any. She just wished she knew how it worked.

She looked off at the other blondes, not that there was any color here. Maybe Madison could figure out what was going on with Lexy, trying to get people to open up with what was going on wasn't something she was good at, considering she didn't open up herself.

[Alexandrea]

"I'm sorry if I upset you before. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. Ripper just bothers me is all and half the time, he's just trying to instigate **** to see if he can get away with something while someone else takes the fall."

"Before....?"

Alexandrea paused halfway through altering a a shape around herself. The darkest of blackness surrounded her one moment and after a minute's hesitation, the shadow of a burned building seemed to loom up out of nowhere. She tired to focus on what her friend had said but didn't remember being snapped at by Madison. Or much of anything else by that point.

"What happened before? What about Ripper? Was he here too?"

Not waiting for an answer, Alexandrea started to drift away from the others. The only think she was thinking about was seeing how many different ways she could shape the shadowy nothingness that made up the realm around them.

For awhile Alexandrea seemed to forget she wasn't alone and seemed unaware of anyone else around her but after a few minutes, the Allurist remembered her friends and willed herself back in their direction, calling to the spirits that moved around the shadow realm to come to them.

"Dinner time. Eat up, everyone. More coming soon."

Alex didn't touch any of them herself, however. Instead she just watched the line at Wickbridge Bank as it moved as slowly as ever, though the eyes of her thrall.

[Madison]

How could Alexandrea not remember? At least Kira seemed to have most of her wits about her and was able to respond to a conversation. Madison glanced at the other allurist she was finally learning to somewhat like and appreciate even though guilt and shame ate up at her insides over it. Kira's faceless form seemed to be aimed in her direction and the telepath got the vibe that the other wanted her to deal with the situation.

Moving towards Alex, Madison tried to answer the questions she had asked, "He was here awhile ago, I don't know twelve hours maybe. A day at most? Remember? He wanted us to try and make Velveteen paranoid but it was pretty much a sure fire way to send us back here for a week?"

It didn't seem like her words were being heard as Alexandrea didn't respond and instead began to move away from her as though she hadn't said a single word. Madison watched, feeling rather confused on what the hell was going on with her friend. She had never seen Alex act like this, ever. After a few minutes had passed of Alex not doing much of anything, suddenly dozens of spirits started appearing one by one. The allurist announced that it was dinner time and then seemed to hole up back into herself again.

Thoroughly annoyed that Alex had seemingly straight up ignored her, Madison moved past the spirits she no longer needed, leaving them for Kira and the others. She was going to figure out what the hell was going on with Alex, even if it meant that she needed to slap the **** out of her friend to snap her out of whatever funk or rut she seemed to have fallen in.

"Alex! What the hell is your issue?"

[Kira]

Kira was trying to focus on the conversation going on nearby but Warrior's voice wasn't the only voice she was hearing, she saw figures moving around in the shadows. She held her head, they weren't real. This was just what made the realm hell. She shook her head and got up, moving away from the figures and the voices. Trying to focus on what was going on with her friend.

She tilted her head, looking to the spirits to Lexy again. This seemed worse than the funk she was in around the holidays, and she had managed to find out what that was and help out. She took the chance to get a couple of spirits, as much as she needed and left the rest to the group that had gathered here.

She had missed the little meeting with Ripper but had asked him about it later, she wouldn't put her wraith in danger of being banished here, she didn't want any other one no matter if half of the wraith was annoying at times.

Kira moved closer to Lexy, on the other side that Madison wasn't. Maybe they could keep her from wondering off again. "Lexy, what's the deal? Has the realm gotten to you?" she said, and she thought she would be the first to lose her mind to this place.

[Alexandrea]

Harry was behind this kid, Mike Barone that he knew Blondie was fond of. He thought about using he connection as an edge, to cut in front of the kid. He knew his job wouldn't matter. But the older man just sighed and 'banked' on the old age card, figuring the young man would notice an old man if he acted fragile enough. With a deeper and more dramatic sigh, Harry leaned his frame against the pole that held the rope and grumbled. "No one cares about their elders these days..."




Back in the Shadow Realm Alexandrea, who had been watching through Harry's gaze, broke out in laughter. "Oh, Harry! You are such a ham-bone!" The Allurist said in a ghostly voice and sent into her thrall's mind as well. A faint buzzing distracted her and if she still had eyelids they would have blinked as she 'turned' to face Madison. Her friend had said something but Alex had no idea what.

Kira spoke to her, from Alex's other side and the blonde seemed to shrink away from both of her friends, even though one voice had just been fuzzy and the other almost softly spoken. Alex's vision back in her own mind, the glimmer of unclaimed spirits caught her attention and all Alexandrea could think of to say to either of her friends was; "Why aren't you eating? I can get more you know."

[Madison]

When Alex broke out into laughter, talking out loud to her thrall that wasn't there, Madison looked over to Kira. She wished that her face had features she could use to silently portray her dismay and worry for their friend. Sure there was mind speak but it didn't occur to her and it more than likely wasn't necessary. The telepath was sure that Kira, who supposedly knew Alex as well as Madison did, would be feeling quite similarly as she was.

It was like Alexandrea hadn't heard a single god damned word that Madison had said to her. Instead all she seemed to care about, if one could even call it caring in the robotic monotone tone she was using, was why they weren't eating the spirits she had summoned to them. Madison didn't give a flying **** about the spirits. The only thing that mattered was what the hell was wrong with her friend.

Moving closer to Alex, Madison raised her voice, "Alex what the **** is wrong with you? You start a damn conversation and just to decide to check out of it? Did Ty shoot a hole in your head and your brains didn't bother falling out til now? What the hell is going on with you!?"

Once again the words were harsher than Madison intended. But that was part of the price she paid when she was dead. Her mind to mouth filter didn't work as properly and her frustration and irritation levels skyrocketed quickly.

[Kira]

Dave rolled his eyes at the old man, but he knew Mike would be far too nice for his own good. He sighed and leaned against the wall. He wasn't in any hurry to bank his money. He had all the time in the world, he wouldn't have to deal with Kira for some time and frankly she had mellowed out a bit which was good for him for sure.

---

Kira raised an eyebrow, not that anyone could tell that. She can see someone in the living? Lexy wasn't saying anything related to what Madison or herself said. Kira growled, "We're leaving those for the others." she said. "We're worried about you!" she snapped.

She had already been killed before Lexy and Madison was, she wasn't sure what kinds of wounds Lexy had gotten. She would say it was a head wound but she had been acting just fine before so what the hell was going on now. She reached out like she was going to grab Lexy but of course that was useless which made her growl more. She was lucky she didn't have a body right now, she wanted to shake her. There had to be a way to snap her out of this.

[Alexandrea]

As Harry finished at the bank and headed home, His wife Sally was busy dialing the phone to call him. "She's missing! I can't find Snow anywhere!" Came the woman's frantic voice as soon as the man answered. "Calm down Sally. She's fine I'll explain when I get home." Harry quickly lied to his wife and had his driver pull over. As the other man waited, Harry got out of the car and lit one of his hardly ever actually smoked cigars and acted like he was just taking a stroll. It was something he did often enough that his driver would think nothing of it.

He knew that Blondie could see what he could see. It really pissed him off when he first caught on but now he was grateful for it. He knew what Snow and Alexandrea both were, it was what had led to his being under the pushy blonde's thumb. He hoped she was paying attention now as he wrote out a note in huge letters in the dirt. WHERE IS MY GRANDDAUGHTER???

Alexandrea wasn't really watching what Harry was up to just then but the man stood looking down at the message on the ground as he continued to smoke. The cigar had nearly all burned down by the time she thought to check in on her thrall. The Allurist's froze for a moment as soon as she read the words, then went to Crownet to check the obituaries. She had known the child had made a few mistakes, but she was so young... and had never been on the list before. Certainly she wouldn't have been hunted down and killed... would she?

Harry stared at message on the ground at a loss for words until he heard Alexandrea's voice in his head: *You know she can't die, really, Harry. I am looking for her now. Just stay calm and make up an excuse for Sally until I can get her home.*

The man swore a thousand curses at the blonde but stubbed out his cigar, taking the butt with him as he returned to his car and continued on his way home. His wife pounced on him the second he was in the door, and Harry spoke softly to her as he gave her a warm embrace. "It's okay sweetheart, she's at a new doctor's right now. I thought I left you one of those text messages...."

There was a humming sound around her, and Alex realized her friends were still talking to her but she didn't catch a word of what they said. It was like someone had filled her head with cotton, if she had still had a head that was. All she knew was that it had really happened. That someone had actually killed that little girl.

"You need to eat!" Alexandrea almost screamed at her friends, as she started trying to track Ishani-Snow."I have to find Snow, she'll be scared!" The blonde called out to the others, before she called for a few more spirits and then left, blocking her friends in. "I can't believe they would kill her, stay here where you'll be safe!"