middaeg | Intro Log: July, Overflow

[ It will inevitably come out when he has to own up where his share of the money went, but that's an issue that she will not be involved in. But he will absolutely take the out for now. ]

Yeah, just you, the stall guy, and everyone who walked by.

[ Nero shrugs. If this is the biggest ass of himself that he'll make today then that'll be an accomplishment.

When she says that she's new too, he raises his brows. ]

Oh, yeah? Me too. It's pretty crazy, right?

[ He's getting a little tired of the people telling him he'll need to get used to things. Nope, he'd rather just talk shit about it. ]

It...yeah, I guess.

[ He casts an suspicious glance over the crowds. ]

They maybe used to having random people dumped on their doorstep, but as a dumpee, I'm not exactly rearing to party it up, you know? If there's really a reason we're here, why don't we get on with it?

Whatever it's worth, my lips are sealed.

[Some of her cheer does manage to fade as the topic turns to the reality of their situation, however. She's hardly about to argue with him— as much as she had welcomed the distraction, the truth is that it's not much of one, it's just all they have.

Her smile softens into something a little more wistful, and she gives a small but decisive nod of agreement, her own gaze turning towards the crowds.]

I know what you mean. It's... a lot.

[And that all on its own is a vast, vast understatement.]

I would rather know what we're meant to be doing sooner rather than later, but nobody seems able to answer that.

Thanks.

[ He'll take what little reprieve that offers, his pride needs it.

Truthfully, it's hard for Nero not to focus on the negative here, even if just redirecting that frustration onto some stupid game like a little kid helped just a bit. (Just a bit.) ]

Nope.

[ He frowns, nose wrinkling in a grimace. ]

I keep hearin' talk about these shade creatures or whatever but where's the sense of urgency, here? And where do they get the idea that zapping people of their juice is gonna get the ball rolling in the first place? Sounds like a load of bull.

Zapping people of— oh!

[She cuts herself off midway as she realizes what he means, and the sentiment is one she quite agrees with.]

You mean stripping people of their powers? I'm not so sure that's intentional, but if it is, you're right that it doesn't make sense. We'd be more useful if we had them, didn't we?

[Not that she has many, but enough. She's had to give up enough that she's frustrated about what she needs to re-learn here, and she frowns as her grip on that stuffed wolf tightens just a little bit, her knuckles going white.]

Then again, I'm not inclined to trust most of what we're being told. The Shades, at least, are something we can see for ourselves. Have you run into any yet?

You don't think so?

[ Nero finds it a little too suspect for it not to be. Take what you don't want and remake them into something that fits their purposes, maybe? He's known enough shitty people that are happy to do so. How would this place be any different?

Carnivals aside. (Though that's clearly proven to be suspect too.)

He shakes his head to her question, scratching the side of his nose. ]

Nah. What people have been telling me is that you're only gonna find them outside of the city. So I guess that mean's a field trip's in order, huh?

[She nods— yes, a field trip might be a good idea.]

I've seen a few. Fought one, with someone else's help— I wanted to see what the Cwyld did up close, with my own eyes. Thought it might help me wrap my head around things a bit more.

[She's still not sure if it did that, but... the experience was one worth having. She smiles thinly before offering a shrug.]

I really don't know what to believe, to be honest— about our powers, or how we came here. I don't like that there's so many unknowns, and as much as the Coven seems to welcome the Mirrorbound, they don't have that many answers. So I figure I should find as many for myself as I can.

You saw one?

[ Well, shit. That's better than rumors and whispers or whatever. He's taking pretty much everything that's flowing out of the Coven with a heavy grain of salt. Not to say that they don't hold some credibility. ]

So, what are they then? Shadow creatures or demons or what?

[ Then again some demons look pretty shadowy, so that doesn't give much to go on. ]

Well, yeah. They're saying they've got nothing to do with this but it's pretty suspicious to have a room full of mirror portals. What exactly would they be doing with that normally?

Neither of those, although I wouldn't be surprised if there was something like that out there.

[She's learned to expect the worst, at this point, regardless of tirelessly hoping for the best. Monsters and demons seem to plague a number of worlds other than her own, and there are already plenty of stories here about wildlife gone rogue and, of course, monsters with a lowercase 'm' that need to be dealt with from time to time. Why not demons, too?]

It's like the Cwyld eats away at whatever it gets hold of. It was just a bear, but it had been so badly infected that it was almost unrecognizable, and wildly aggressive. It must have been in so much pain... we were protecting ourselves, but honestly, I think that killing it was doing it a kindness.

[It seems... awful. Her expression grows somber.]

It can take people, too.

So no one really knows?

[ As long as it's something he can hit, then that's what matters. He can deal with whatever.

Wait a sec--he definitely spoke too soon. Nero frowns. ]

...It's a sickness? Or, something that can take over other things? Well that's great. Are we talking The Exorcist style?

A disease, though I don't think it's strictly biological.

[They probably would have found a cure to it by now if it were, although maybe not? These things are... complex at best.]

There's something arcane in nature about it, I'm pretty sure. I don't know if it actually controls people, but... whether it's a person or animal, they're not themselves anymore once it runs deep enough.

[She pauses, just for a beat.]

Do you have a lot of experience with exorcists?

[Just, like, out of curiosity— the fact that it's a movie is beyond her.]

[ Sounds like a bitch and a half either way, and definitely starting to ebb out of his realm of experience. He's seen some weird shit, sure, but they generally fall back on the demonic. But he's kind of okay to stick with punching rather than detective duty.

To her question, he opens his mouth, pauses, then-- ]

I've got a lot of experience with wackos.

[ Very helpful. ]

Deals with a devil aren't exactly the way the media shows it.

Intro Log: July, Overflow

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