middaeg | (catch-all) (open & closed) the foundation is cracked

( it's started out in whispers. little rumours of people going missing, whisked away in the night, and admittedly aziraphale has not thought much of it. it does seem to be a common occurrence for individuals to leave here just as abruptly as they had arrived, but—

the individuals who have been going missing were natives. the natives weren't supposed to leave. he's talked about it a little here and there with some of the other part-timers at the bakery and a few patrons, but no one seems to know much about it. they had plenty of opinions, of course, but nothing aziraphale would think of as reliable. he's also, admittedly, not trying all that hard to look into it.

then the young lady who occasionally works in the bakery with him, the one who always makes lunch for him as well, never shows up to her shift. her family comes by some time later searching for her, but no one there had seen her since the last time she worked.

it's her disappearance that bothers him, leading him to express his complete distress to crowley. he insists that they should get involved, they should help look for her, and they should figure out a way to help.

then he seeks out soren. the both of them weren't particularly close to one another, but soren is both reliable and knowledgeable in a way that feels necessary for their success. it didn't exactly hurt that he had a reasonable social status as a dragon either. he sends a letter to soren well before he actually turns up at his door, explaining both his interest in the situation as well as the dire need to help resolve it quickly. )

What do you make of all of this? Do you think we might find her?

( looking at soren hopefully. )

Edited (messed up w/ icon picker) 2021-02-03 01:17 (UTC)

( soren steps back, holding the door open in a silent gesture for him to come in from the cold. it has been a while since he's seen him, so his eyes linger upon the mane of fur and the top of his head, which comes up noticeably higher to an observant young man who stands at shy over five feet tall, his draconic changes stingy in the height department. he, too, immediately gets right to discussing the issue at hand without any bothersome nor unnecessary small talk to warm up from. as ever, he retains a stern expression, albeit perhaps a touch graver than usual. )

I don't know what we'll find. But in order to get to the bottom of that, we need to gather more information on their activities.

( from the foyer he takes an immediate turn into the parlor, where the hearth crackles and there are chairs and sofas to sit upon. as far as decorations go, it's worth noting that compared to the norm, it's... wanting of decorations or other such ornamentations on the walls, shelves, or atop the hearth, the only examples being those of a more practical or unassuming nature, such as a clock or candelabrum, as bookshelves and stacks of books left here and there, most orienting toward magical studies and history. some are very old to this world's standards. )

It is my understanding that ever since the Coven issued their request to us, other Mirrorbound like us have been doing the same thing. However, it has come to my attention that something even more insidious is brewing behind those doors. Have you noticed any instances of troubling or unusual behavior from those who attend these meetings?

[ Crowley is not, in truth, a virtuous person.

People going missing does not automatically worry him.

You see, humans go missing all the time! Just the way it is! They run away, make stupid plans, get kidnapped, kill each other -- just a part of life really. Could be any reason why people had gone missing! It isn't automatically an interesting reason.

However, Aziraphale was worried about his bakery friends so fine, fine, Crowley is here!

Crowley is, however, slightly behind. His face scrunches, uncertain, as he weighs up if he should admit this. Request from the coven? Oh he probably ignored that. Maybe he can prompt this person into explaining the insidious brewing that's going on?

Only now he's being asked a question.

Unusual... behaviour? He stands, mouth open, and lingers over thinking about it slightly too long. ]

Can't say I did, no. Tell us more about this... brewing?

[ Presumably not the beer kind? ]

( soren eyes the other visitor with his slit-eyed reptilian gaze for an extended pause, a brief appraisal of character with what limited he's being presented. he's gotten a few samples of aziraphale's personality and behaviors, but not the witch in tow. he'll have to be careful while discussing these sensitive matters, given what non-alcoholic matter he's about to explain has been brewing. already, he finds him slightly grating from the get-go, and submits a quick and quiet sigh. )

Very well. I will debrief you on the reports. Numerous citizens have been documented missing, but a handful of them have started to show up again as Shades, too corrupted by the Cwyld to be saved. One notable survivor wasn't too far gone, enough to be saved, but how odd that he couldn't remember a thing before he vanished. Not even where he got the tattoo associated with the Evergreen Circle.

( the diminutive dragon stops by the fire. )

But that's not all. Personal encounters have given me reason to believe that the Mirrorbound who sit in on the meetings are being... influenced. It's bad enough that we're being made targets for capture, too. I have my suspicions about this group's operations, but the longer this goes on, the more serious it becomes. Aefenglom may be in for an outbreak that the Bright Wall won't be able to protect them from. And your young lady friend? ( here he casts his attention upon aziraphale, not even trying to soften the blow of his delivery. ) If the Evergreen Circle is to blame for her sudden disappearance, we only have so much time to act until she becomes a Shade, too.

( it had been well within aziraphale's expectations for soren to be more than reasonably informed about the current going-ons and the rather wretched situation at hand, but he finds it a little dizzying to experience just how well informed he actually is. or perhaps, rather, aziraphale was just this out of the loop about what was happening in aefenglom. he had hardly noticed prior to this, comfortable in his own bubble. he's heard already about the cwyld at least, bits and pieces here and there, but it's the mention of an evergreen circle that he's unfamiliar with.

whoever they are, they are clearly sinister and cowardly.

oh! to do such a thing to people! )

I see.

( he presses his fingers to his lip, thinking. he doesn't sound too alarmed about what he's being told, but it's clear by the way his face scrunches up that he is. it's so worrisome. she was such a sweet individual and now she'd been whisked away with little hope for coming out the other end of it alive. it barely manages to be any sort of relief to know that they had been at least one survivor thus far.

he'd already heard as much from a co-worker, but hearing it from soren makes it feel somewhat more real.

he glances back towards crowley as if he might be magically more informed about this aspect of it. )

Did you hear of this? About this Evergreen Circle?

( then back to soren. )

What sort of organisation would do this sort of thing? Have they no heart?

[ Did he hear about this?

Crowley makes a noncommittal sound in reply. He might have? Really, this place seems to love a good crisis. How is he meant to know which one is worth paying attention to?

Anyway, kidnappings and shades feels a little bit like a Tuesday in this place. Crowley scrunches up his nose, looking between Soren and Aziraphale. ]

Presumably not.

[ He suspects they either don't care about people, or care very passionately about some goal or other that they plan to achieve via all this nonsense. ]

Anyway, presumably this circle place has your baker. We'll just go get 'em then?

[ He glances to Soren, in case there is some extra information he's about to divulge that rules out 'just go get the baker, problem solved'. ]

( for soren's part, he maintains little interest in the single victim aziraphale frets over, and less interest in alleviating his troubles. yes, he accepted to help him, but not out of any concern or obligation to. his aims are a little more self-interested, and his goals only happen to align with anybody's sense of justice, with saving helpless victims or dissolving a band of potentially dangerous aristocrats. even knowing that other mirrorbound are looking into them, soren has always felt it imperative that he obtains information firsthand when he can get it. what he sees and senses for himself is the most reliable source.

but he would rather not do it without some form of backup. he has other potential allies he can depend upon to work with, such as his bonds. however, his current anxieties (and, perhaps, a little bit of his instincts) dictate that he would prefer to avoid endangering them if he can. these possible partners who turned up at his doorstep with aziraphale's more personal agenda? he's beginning to wonder just how reliable they are, and if they aren't, how he can work around their... quirks and put them to their best use. )

If we knew where they were keeping her in the first place, we could make a move. Our primary objective at this stage is gathering intelligence. Do either of you have any skills in that department?

( ohhhhh boy )

( it's a very appropriate question to ask of them. aziraphale understands quite well that he has not cast the very best of impressions in terms of his knowledge of current events by seeking answers from soren, but he doesn't want to explain to him the actual reasoning behind it. he supposes it might sound far too cold.

instead he smiles, folding his hands over his vest. )

Oh, well, yes. The both of us are really quite capable.

( when they want to be. )

We could certainly work together to get this resolved!

Aziraphale's even done a little spy work before.

[ Said in a mild enough way, but the look he shoots the angel adds something unspoken.

The unspoken thought is and remember how well that went? ]

Getting matching tattoos is ominous, though. Cults are always a pain -- they get so enthusiastic about it all.

[ Enthusiasm: the worst thing about cults, officially. ]

Sense of belonging, I suppose. Always recruiting, though. Just need to find some shady tattooed folk and tell them we're interested.

[ "Can't be that hard', the final thoughts of so many people right before they made a mistake. ]

( soren looks between the two as they speak, satisfied by the content of their collective reply but slightly unsettled by the delivery of it. not to mention, this crowley seems too dismissive for his tastes, shrugging off the cult as a mere 'pain'. it's not like he isn't used to dealing with those types of personalities, though. sometimes, the people who shrug or complain the most do the best jobs. )

Joining is the easy part. If you can don a sincere and convincing zealot portrayal once you have pretended to see their light, that would serve us well. My main concern here is their potential to use other means of recruiting avid followers, so we must remain on guard when it comes to magic that controls the mind. The last thing we need is one of us turning into a lunatic and ruining everything. The two of you are Bonded, correct?

( unrelated sidenote: crowley's sunglasses keep bothering him. )

( if there was anything that aziraphale felt confident about, it was that crowley could successfully navigate the whole cult aspect of it without much trouble. this is exactly the sort of thing that his lot had plenty of experience with and he would be more than adept at blending in. he's all too happy to practically praise him towards soren. )

I really don't imagine that playing the part will present much of a problem at all. You see, that sort of thing is Crowley's bread and butter—

( wait. he pauses mid-sentence, brow furrowing. had he heard him right? )

Excuse me?

( said almost reflexively as he mentally rewinds back over soren's words. no, no, he had heard him just fine. aziraphale just hadn't been expected to be asked so outright about it. he smiles, although his face is a little too tight, attempting to appear casual about it and he tries to answer a little too quickly. )

Oh, yes. Yes, we are marri—Bonded.

( stumbling over himself, but he soldiers on in hopes that he's in polite enough company for it not to be mentioned. )

We're partners, yes. Is that relevant?

( it shouldn't be, should it? bit beside the point. )

[ Oh, now this is interesting! Crowley's attention is only half on Aziraphale as he talks him up, equally interested in how Soren feels about things, when Aziraphale trails off to address the question.

The hesitation and correction, then correction again is fascinating. He wonders, distantly, if he should be bothered by it. The words don't really matter, in truth, the ritual they went through was mostly a means to an end and he understands that.

Still, though. There's a niggling feeling as if maybe he should be bothered. He'll dwell on it later. ]

Few months, now?

[ He thinks it was. Crowley scrunches up his face, counting, then blinks in surprise. ]

Six months, 'spose.

( it becomes apparent to soren that he'd overstepped the bounds of politeness and into touchy territory. married, huh? he doesn't need to be told that to suspect there are some sensitive feelings pulsing behind their bond; otherwise, aziraphale would have maintained more composure. none of this ultimately matters to soren and his reasons for asking, though a stronger bond is better. he can't claim to know much about their true feelings toward each other. the cagey reaction might have more to do with concern for how they must look from an outsider's perspective, and why the question was popped in what was... yes, an abrupt manner. bad habits never completely fade. )

It isn't necessary to this operation... but I was asking because having this sort of close connection with your partner should help alert the other party in cases where something goes wrong. That is all.

( soren's face remains undisturbed by this new information, though the hard tranquility of his expressions leaves the current of his emotions flickering in the firelight somewhat difficult to read. )

Depending on our approach, it might serve us better if I could be connected to one or both of you, too. Temporarily, that is. And as a practical measure.

( added because please don't mistake his intentions for like, wanting to enthusiastically hop on board the married couple express or something ridiculous and sentimental like that... not that anyone would actually expect that, but boundaries and expectations are important to him! )

( it really is nothing short of a small blessing that soren doesn't have much of a reaction to aziraphale's verbal misstep. it is a larger blessing that crowley doesn't either despite the fact that aziraphale's face feels a little hot. it is better for all parties involved to continue to move on with the conversation—!

—which was strangely about the concept of soren forming a bond temporarily with one or both of them. it's certainly something that would have never crossed his mind and he attempts to try to keep some of the surprise out of his face at the suggestion. except, of course, he does largely fail. )

Oh, I see. That's very. . . practical!

( an attempt to sound neutral. a large part of him wants to decline outright, but he does imagine that soren is suggesting it for a perfectly reasonable reason. he also doesn't want to appear unsightly by showing a less than generous side of himself.

he glances over at crowley, unsure, then back to soren. he will give it proper consideration nonetheless. )

What sort of approach do you believe would be benefited by forging a temporary bond? I believe, due to the urgency of the situation, it might be best to forgo it?

[ Err.

Crowley looks between Soren and Aziraphale, hesitant. A temporary bond? He supposes given how essential they are here, it is easy to think of them in a purely... practical way... but still. His one with Aziraphale... isn't. Neither does he want to see Aziraphale put out.

Hmmm. ]

We were thinking infiltration, right? Join up, learn what's going on, find out where the missing people are.

[ A mild enough prompt, something to get Soren talking about his idea. The more Crowley knows about it, the better he can potentially talking him out of it if it turns out to be something Aziraphale doesn't want. Or, equally, something he doesn't. ]

( ah. they're being weird about it. every outlander's feelings toward bonds is different, and the discomfort thick in the air tells soren that they are reluctant to proceed in that direction. there isn't much he can do to force them otherwise (barring pouncing on one of them and forcing the silvery fluid down their throats, but that's out of the question), and nothing hinges upon it. )

Yes, that is a brief overview of what we are doing. I already explained the major benefit of temporarily Bonding to me. The fact that the two of you are close could help attune you to when someone has tried mind control on your partner. But no matter; it's not necessary. There are other ways of detecting when something has gone amiss, and other ways of keeping in touch.

( he pulls out the pocket watch that mirrorbound use to communicate with each other. )

One approach I was considering would involve splitting up to cover more ground. While attending the meeting and pretending to be inspired is important, that is only the face of their operations. There must be more to uncover by snooping around in more restricted areas. I believe I would be the most ideal candidate... especially if I take on my smallest form.

( with his hands, he demonstrates about the size he is thinking of, which looks to be roughly house cat or iguana. )

( unfortunately, aziraphale cannot help but be weird and prickly about this particular topic. he doesn't want to reveal his hand any more obviously than he has already, but he really didn't like the idea of sharing something that he felt to be special between crowley and himself with anyone else. however, soren already seems to be moving on, and aziraphale isn't going to swing the conversation back that way any.

if the watches are good enough, that is fine enough.

he taps a finger to his chin, considering. )

How impressive! You can shift into something that small?

( that is wonderful news, honestly. it opens up a whole new world of possibility in terms of areas they could potentially reach or hide. aziraphale couldn't do anything like that. the form that he shifts into is always much larger than he already is. he has a second one, as well, but that one couldn't be called small by any stretch of the imagination either. )

It might be worth considering the idea that I might sneak you in? If you're capable of becoming that small, you ought to fit in a bag or even underneath my coat?

[ Sneak him in? As a little animal in a bag or coat?

Crowley is 100% behind that idea. ]

Oh, I have to see this.

[ Honestly. Just the mental image of Aziraphale smuggling a rat or something -- incredible. Best thing he's heard all day! Will it help them save this missing baker person? Absolutely no idea honestly but it will be deeply entertaining regardless. Which is, obviously, his main priority. ]

( soren frowns a little more than his standard. he understands full well the source of amusement in all of this, and though he takes minor offense, he keeps it to himself and soldiers on. )

Yes. I will fit nicely in either of those compartments. Your bag is my preference as long as I can slip in and out at my own convenience.

( not that he doesn't like the idea of a turnskin's body heat surrounding him while it's cool outside and unforgiving to a reptile, but everything else about it is a pass. )

Depending on the level of security, we might also need to come up with a distraction to make it easier for me to slip into the places they feel the need to station guards before.

( the delightful part of this is that it really seems like everything is starting to come together. they have the workings of a real plan starting to take form and they might even manage to be somewhat successful at it! )

I don't believe either of those will present a problem.

( there were plenty of bags that he could reasonably borrow from the bakery. with a well placed box at the bottom, he could also keep it from being too noticeable when soren is and isn't present inside the bag.

probably just not the most comfortable. )

Crowley is excellent at creating a distraction.

( gesturing to him. he shouldn't have any issue drawing attention to himself if needed so aziraphale could carry soren off somewhere. )

I'm very distracting.

[ Crowley says this with a tone that suggests he finds this entertaining, but let's not worry about that. ]

We thinking small distraction or big distraction?

[ Crowley can do both, for better or worse. ]

( soren is inclined to believe the both of them regarding crowley's purported penchant for causing a sufficient distraction. he has very little experience with the antics of him, but anyone amused by the idea of creating diversions probably makes a habit of them. )

That depends on your definition of big and small. It has to be good enough to distract the sentinels away from their job, but not so big that it causes the entire venue to evacuate. It also can't be an obvious attempt at a distraction, or else that might arouse suspicion and work against us. Depending on what you have in your arsenal of spells, we could also make use of those.

( enchantments, status afflictions, illusions... there are many magical ways to distract and influence people! )

I've got some ideas.

[ Crowley looks thoughtful but...

Doesn't enlarge. Oh? Is that it? He's just not going to explain his ideas?

Yes. It'll be no fun if they tell him to stick to the boring options. Some people just hate fun, but Crowley doesn't! ]

[Soren, on the other hand, is the scourge of fun and anyone who enjoys it. After a few beats pass and no ideas are expanded upon, he takes it upon himself to ask.]

Such as?

[ Details are unimportant, Soren. Just accept it. ]

Some illusions maybe, some shape changing might be fun. Little bit of interreference maybe, doors and windows opening and closing.

[ These are all suitably distracting options! ]

(catch-all) (open & closed) the foundation is cracked

CROWLEY & SOREN

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Tagging over bc these questions are for Crowley

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