~ Tнє Pαяα∂σχ Hσυѕє ~ now back to regularly scheduled chaos

A large, white feathered creature blinked into the house settling into a cold crevice which merely vanished upon her presentation. Poise curled up in that of a nesting bird now plopped down in the heart of the lodge, her chest rising and falling here and there. Noise drizzled in with a side of chaos caused the gentle giant to stir yet not awake amidst of the flurry of activity.

HᥲꙆƒꙆɩɠᖾt ((Classes haven't started yet, but I am already prepping for the credentials application deadline. Apologies, for the late post.))



The mention of Lucifer, did catch him off guard, but it wasn't a bad sign, thankfully. Just unexpected to say the least-aside from cases that involve religion. He nearly shuttered at the thought, religion in cases often brought complications.

His bright green gaze scrolled around, grasping at their surroundings. Everyone had gone ahead, and left them be. Which meant there was some rationality in the room, but how far? Anyways

"I wouldn't say it's familiar like casual. But I have heard a variety of interpretations. When lecturing, especially in religious studies, curiosity surfaces the topic. It's always fascinating to read the concept based on different cultures, and perspectives." It's also an obstacle when we have to deal with religious believers, as the source of the issues... "To hear you mention your relation, brings the papers to life."

Rowlin kept walking carelessly along. He couldn't help but bend forward, more so dip forward at the thought, "Yea, you can say that. But, honestly, I think Educataros are often placed far below the government system." He briefly looked away with an awkward laugh, "And underpaid." He twitched an eye at the thought. He returned his attention fully back to the Primarch. "But yes, I do in some way work with the government."

Not to mention annoying the government

Causing them headaches

Backstabbing them

and manipulation

Rowlin smiled now, to keep himself on the positive side. Last thing he wanted was to well-upset himself with his own salt. He continued walking in the air, every step he took becoming a light ripple, like water but also not water. It was magic, minimal, but elegant in its own sense.


One thing that did fascinate him, and it was all over his face, was Sandalphon's wings. I'd love to try that someday, or maybe even recreate that! His gaze illuminated with fascination.

training wheels?

"Too interesting." Rowlin laughed now, it was like this man was completely relating to him. It's almost like i'm looking in a mirror...

don't forget about the mirror, it gets lonely sometimes...

"I have one hell of a best friend." He chuckled a bit. "We tend to tackle the world together, and sometimes, we get over our heads. But, thankfully, we have others, a great team." He reflected on all of his peers. "My wife though, she.." His expression softened, it was the mushy kind, the kind where everything is great, with a side of embarrassment. "She... well... um...." He was suddenly flustered, and unable to speak at all.

Oh no.... cat caught your tongue?

"Helps me.... a ton."

No? Yes?

"Temper...sure...."

Oops... was that me?

"...S-She's an amazing person. As is my friend!" He felt a rather grim icy hand along his back. So help me

then stop...

"T-Thanks.." Rowlin was still slightly flustered but aimed to regain his words. last time I checked, it wasn't visiting hours

Still need a guardian...

Consent

Rowlin stiffened, taking another step, an aggressive one. This time the graceful illuminating ripple, was sporadic. It was as though someone had tossed a giant rock into a pool of water, and the liquid splashed everywhere. Tiny, and easy to miss, within the aggressive splash, there was an ominous yellow eye, that reflected within the liquid. The bright warming colors with each light ripple were dark and lusterless colors.
learn your place, boy...
The sounds of commotion, caught him off guard. it was too timely. It could be said that the commotion, forced his graceful steps to become a stomp.

"D-Detour?!" Rowlin called out instantly. He wasn't expecting what happened next. His pupils dilated. His heart raced, he was suddenly moved.No time to think, or address what had happened. He yelped, only to appear where there was others. Someone was injured, there was blood in the air. He hadn't noted it earlier-no he zoned out entirely.

It was the fresh scent of blood, that nearly forced him to take a step forward. Instead he took a forceful step back. He looked away, there was a lot of people, a lot of noise, commotion, and movement. It was overstimulating him. He was caught off guard. W-When did this happen?

Smells good...

Sandalphon called out to the group, he was getting involved. Another young lady rushed out and claimed to be a healer. That should have been a sigh of relief, and instead the scent was lingering. W-Wait... why am I?

Hungry?

N-No.... I -I shouldn't be... Rowlin's gaze briefly flustered. He shook his head, S-Stop it...

What happens if my feet move on their own?

St-Stop it... He took another silent step back. Adding to the problem was the last thing he wanted to do.

what is this.... sensation?

Rowlin silently looked away. He grassped his wrists, locking himself. His eyes were dilated. He looked away, wondering if anyone else was injured. This false sensation... There was another man alongside the injured individual. TYert was there anyone else? Did it happen here? Did it happen elsewhere?

wake up and smell the punishment

Rowlin slid his feet together. He could feel his knees tapping one another. He continued locking his wrists. He pushed his shoulders back, and stiffened. It felt eternal, like the moment was never going to end.
And yet it did...
The scent still longered, but the man who was injured was gone. Just like that. He could only hope the indivdiual would get much needed help. And yet, he still foundself locked in place. O-One, F-Favor

Zange Natsume | Lodge -- The Start of a Plot | ~∂єѕтιиу @shadepelt Lark ®Hawkpath® Iceclaw zeph! Razzle Dazzle HᥲꙆƒꙆɩɠᖾt Auransky --cato phoenix Cloverleaf and anyone I may be forgetting

Snow gently fell outside. It drifted against the window, billowing against the lines of the glass and rattled against the inside of the fireplace. There was nothing too particularly interesting about it, but it almost seemed to pick up as someone else blinked in.
The room grew darker almost at once. Even outside, on the snow, in the pale grey of a cloudy morning, grew dim. Every shadow cast - from those created by the trees outside to the ones under the blinkers themselves - grew deeper, darker, and more menacing.
The blinker stood by the doorway, her red hair blowing around her in a wind that she seemed to be creating herself, cast away from her many eyes in a red river. The shadows were thickest around her, clinging to her like a cloak, dancing in ever widening circles.
Her arms were bare, a black tank top and blue jeans the only thing she was wearing. Her feet were bare, her posture stiff. Everything around her seemed tense, dark and empty.
Up and down her arms were eyes, all looking in different directions and complete with red irises. Most of her exposed skin was peppered with them like the mythical Greek figure of Argus. Her red hair was swept back, showing two normal eyes placed where they should have been on a human, as well as a third one just above her brow. Her eyes were wide, scared, and her skin was pale. Sickly, with beads of sweat here and there. The blink didn't seem to surprise her - even though no one in the House would have recognized her (apart from, perhaps, Arlo).
Her own problems - whatever they may be - seemed more pressing.
She spun slowly, stepping out of the doorway and into the snow without apparently realizing her feet were exposed. Her mouth kept shifting expressions ever so slight, the terror slowly morphing into an almost sad smile. The snow crunched under her feet. The shadows followed her. She looked from person to person to blinker as if memorizing their faces. Or maybe something more.
"My last blink," she breathed.
Then she shook her head, pressing a hand (one which also included eyes, just like her arms did) to her face, as if holding in something. Her body shuddered for a second - a muffled cough. Her eyes were just as red as her hair - when she pulled her hand away from her mouth some of the fingers were spotted with red as well. She dropped it to her side, almost trying to hide her hand by her leg, as if to spare the blinkers from the sight. Her legs - no, her whole body - were shaking a little. The shadows darkened and a couple ghostly outlines of eyes shifted in them. The woman looked a bit desperate now, glancing around at the blinkers as if trying to pick a certain one out.
Her eyes, a majority of them at any rate, fell on the snow and then shifted to look across it. At Sherlock. She half opened her mouth, almost burst out coughing again, and then swallowed. Then the smile stretched across her lips again. The sad smile.
"Sherlock cough Holmes." The shadows shifted and wavered. She wavered with it, nearly falling over. She spread her feet a bit more, just to attempt to keep her balance. "I am ... so sorry."
She used the back of her hand to brush aside her hair. Both of her, for lack of a better word, 'main' eyes blinked several times. "I can't find any way ..." She ended up coughing again. Blood ended up on the snow.
She looked up again, swiping at the corner of her mouth. Then she blinked several times with just her main set of eyes. "You need to be prepared in your world. Things aren't like they seem." She looked around. Her eyes find Myrnin's, back inside the House. Then she looked back at Sherlock. "You need to open up to ... cough ... or everything will be much, much worse than it's already going to be."

Spinel frowned anxiously, but didn't say anything- that is, until Sandalphon fell over. She gave a little yelp, eyes wide, as he began to offer the sword, only to go completely silent. Before she could fully begin to freak out, however, he began to snore. Okay. He was asleep then. She'd done that a couple of times, right?
She looked at him, fully unsure of what to do for a moment. She was going to try and shake him or something, only for the gem to flash, and suddenly, there were two people there, too.
Her eyes immediately caught on one of them, who was staring with narrow, spiraling magenta eyes. She looked sort of like her, in a weird, eerie way. She had a darker color scheme, with pointed sleeves and shoes like a jester and jagged pigtails. The first most poignant thing about the figure were the streaks of black running down her cheeks, like she had just been crying or something- had she chose that? As her form? Why? The second thing, however, was what made Spinel really stare. An upside-down heart took pride on her chest, one that looked remarkably like hers. Another Spinel? No, why would there be; Pink was the only one who needed a best friend, as far as she knew. Anyways, that cut was way too similar.
Before she could process any of this, the other person began to walk forward- who looked like Sandalphon? This was getting very, very confusing. She went to move forward. "Uh- hey- he's sleeping..."
And then the other Spinel was there. She looked down at the best friend gem with a sardonic smile, before patting her head with a little broken chuckle. "Psh. I forgot how stupid I looked." She smiled, almost sickly sweet this time, hand outstretched to the real Spinel's nose. "Boop!"
Whatever the real Spinel was expecting, it wasn't a punch, thrown from the gem's other hand. And yet, that's what she got. She stumbled backwards, staring, and letting out a small, shaky, and startled protest of: "Hey!"
Another small laugh, as the real Spinel edged backward, towards where Sandalphon was still sleeping.
Okay. Maybe it was becoming evident why Sandalphon said the rooms could be dangerous.

(I used her form in the future, I hope that was okay <3)

HᥲꙆƒꙆɩɠᖾt

Archie | Winter Hell | mintedstar/fur  x2 ~∂єѕтιиу and ... others

Something in his bones(yeah hes got em) quivered when a new presence overtook the scene. Something dark, something ominous. Something that left him not exactly terrified, but perplexed, intrigued, and with a very desperate want to dissect whatever was causing the sensation. He looked at Myrnin, then at Vincent, as if expecting that one of them might be the culprit. Then he looked at those within the lodge, eyeing them with a hint of hostility now. But, no. With his back turned to the outdoors, it then became apparent where the energy was radiating from when the skin on his back crawled like the scraping scuttling of many small crabs or mice.

He turned around, looking at the woman who had just appeared and watched as she sputtered out and began to speak. The darkness, the odd eyes... It was not something he was unfamiliar with and from an experience level was not so alarming. He'd been desensitized to it. Mostly. In the house, however, it felt more dangerous. Like when you put too many mentos in a cola or whatever. Baking powder in a bottle of vinegar and laughing it like a rocket. Yikes. But this cryptic visitor... He realized Myrnin was pretty intently fixed on her and his eyes narrowed subtly. "Hey, do you know who that is? Who is that?" he repeated, almost anxiously. He looked over again. "Who are you?" he asked. Hastily trying to mask whatever vaguely human feelings he might be experiencing, he pouted and added, "The bad vibes are giving me bad vibes and thats not cool, ma'am..." Man, what a nasty old goat he was, interrogating the poor blinker and not even trying to heal whatever was bugging them. Whatever, he thought.

ougi - lodge - sam, spinel, vincent, cham, zange, sherlock

She closed her eyes and endured Spinel's comments about friends, but when she opened them the room was already different. Ougi's gaze flitted to Chamomile when the dragon blinked in. The lodge suddenly seemed smaller, and more cramped, just with the presence of that blinker. The student flipped a coin in her mind to decide whether to be nice to her today, or to be malicious. When she leaned down to place her mug of hot chocolate on the hearth, her head turned up, and she cast an interrogative glance at Vincent. She wanted to know why Kid had disappeared; she didn't even know that he was healed before doing so.
The next person who blinked in, she didn't recognize at all. That is, she didn't recognize their physical form. The shadows surpassed familiarity. Something like instinct took over Ougi and she followed after Zange, abandoning her drink. Her skirt flapped in the sudden wind and her legs turned into sticks in tights; there was no more moving once she reached the door. More blood. A faint aura of her own shadow prickled around Ougi, a rare moment of its visibility. She didn't know what Zange was, but for her, this experience was like a pup spotting a full-grown wolf--no matter if the wolf was injured. Her instincts persisted in their desire to intervene, but her legs stayed grounded. She only looked on to see what would become of the interaction between Zange and Sherlock.

(That's pretty much what I did too, except a past version instead lol. So it's fine.)

"Mm?" The false Sandalphon actually came to a stop when he heard Spinel speak up, as if only now realizing that she was actually there. He slowly glared over at the gem with uncaring eyes, gaze momentarily leaving his original target, of which she partially blocked his path to.

"And?" The facsimile angel retorted simply, tilting his head to the side. As he continued, a small look of innocent confusion teased at his features. "He has something that belongs to me, and I'm going to get them back. Is that so wrong of me?" Both his expression and his words seemed eeriely genuine, like he'd simply left something of his sitting on the ground and someone else had picked it up, which he was now walking over to retrieve from them.

Of course it was all an extremely convincing sham. His tone was purposefully honeyed, face only a mask. The intent behind his motivations was nowhere as honest as he made it out to be.

The false Primarch remained where he was when Spinel's fake arrived on the scene, doing nothing besides standing back and watching her torment her real version. After all, it was none of his business. The punch she threw at the gem did get a flinch out of him, but there was no empathy behind it.

Anyways...

He continued on his way, brushing past Spinel once he got to her with no second thought. In his mind, as long as she didn't actively get in his way, she was nothing but an obstacle to be stepped around.

"Finally..." He hummed, peering down at his own real version with disgusted scowl, excitement at the same time flaring in his red irises. The actual Sandalphon still had yet to stir from his magically induced slumber, looking quite peaceful despite his impromptu resting spot against a hard stone wall.

In the blink of an eye, one of the fake's hands flew down and found itself around his throat. He then lifted the sleeping Primarch up against the wall until he was eye level with his chest, pinning him there. The fake's free hand swung back, and without hesitation, plunged into Sandalphon's torso, his mouth splitting wide in a cruel grin.

The act didn't go like one might expect it to. The copy wasn't actually reaching into the physical body of his opposite so to speak, he was reaching through it. To the archangel's core. From an outside point of view, it looked like the fake's hand was phasing through it's target, as if he were reaching into a portal of light.

Despite the fact his body wasn't being harmed, the action was still painful, enough to break through the strong curse putting him to sleep and stir a spark of awareness back into the Primarch. Letting out a anguished grunt, he weakly grabbed at the limb keeping him pressed against the wall, face twisted into a pained grimace.

In the end, the false archangel got what he wanted. The wings of the Tetra-Elements.

Allowing himself to absorb their magic into his own body, he pulled his arm away again once done.

Finally. They were his. Now his power matched that of even the Supreme Primarch.

Which meant he no longer had use of this... vessel, that had been storing them.

Like a child discarding a broken toy, he backed up from the wall with the other archangel still in his grip, before carelessly throwing his counterpart off to the side with newfound strength.

Sandalphon's form went flying through the air, roughly colliding with the floor and sliding a short distance across the stone until he came to a slow stop. His body was completely still, besides the very subtle rising of his sides in strained breathing. Already weakened thanks to the room putting a seal on all but two of his wings, the Primarch was now out cold from outright having half his power completely torn away, no longer simply asleep.

Meanwhile, the triumphant laugh of his copy echoed around the room. The fake eagerly turned his head so he was looking upon his back. Experimentally, he tried summoning his new appendages. In a flash of light, sure enough, six mismatched wings sprouted fourth, all emitting a strong magical glow.

Perfect. Now he just had to get out of here...

-Forgotten Temple
zeph!

ougi - lodge - zange, sherlock, others around

Ougi was frozen in place, even when Zange addressed her. It was some kind of prophecy, this blinker was spouting. No... More likely, there was somehow time travel at play. Although if it were time travel, what were the chances this stranger would know all of them in the future? Her instincts completely glazed over what had actually been said to her; once it was all over, she would recall the words, but not now. The typically composed blinker could not seem to relax, even when Zange had collapsed and gone quiet. Ougi bristled, the air around her containing the only shadows left now. Even her hair seemed to be raised, yet more slowly than it should have been in the wind.
The student had been ready to fight, or at least bluff, merely on instinct. It was more because she recognized an aura similar to her own, rather than just because she sensed power in Zange. After the briefest moment of stillness, in which her eyes were uncharacteristically round and intense, her legs managed to bend and she marched out of the doorway of the lodge straight at Sherlock. As if revoking any of his plans to move forward, she grabbed him by the collar and shot a menacing look up at him. Her shadows began to creep over to his body when the connection was made.
"...Hey..." A strangely serious mumble, "They were talking to you... Are you gonna tell us what that was about?" She dropped even her usual feigned niceties and spoke like he was the kid here--one who should be punished at that.

Juuzou | Winter Lodge - Hawk forgot about this poor soul | anyone

Suddenly, the door of the winter lodge burst open and a white-haired, red-eyed streak flew out, arms flying out behind it and flapping like limp windmills. It sped across the snow towards the commotion and skidded to a halt near Sandalphon and Rowlin, panting from its - his - sprint, staring at the limp body in the snow.
“Who is she?” Juuzou demanded, looking first at the two blinker’s he was next to, them Arlo, who was also nearby. “Is she dead?”
Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the body, snow catching in his hair and on his clothes as he struggled through the tall drifts. When he reached her, he knelt down and placed his fingers on her neck.
“She’s dead.” He announced flatly, but didn’t straighten up. He knew what he’d seen, after all.
This was not a human.
This was a monster.

Wait... So these two weren't acquainted then? Sherlock didn't return the red haired entity's familiarity towards him.

What she said next, however, was directed towards all of them, not just the singular man this time.

"Hmph. Is that so?" Sandalphon stated bluntly, speaking up for the first time since Zange had blinked in. His skepticism was blatant thanks to the contradictories he was hearing. "How about you tell us what you're on about then, instead of this vague, ominous nonsense? I think we can judge for ourselves if we're ready or not." His words were harsh, straight to the point. If there was any grain of truth behind this 'warning', he wanted to know specifics, in case the group's safety was actually at risk.

Everything else she proclaimed besides meant nothing to the Primarch, her chatter devolving into meaningless babble after she insisted she knew all those around her too, not just Sherlock. Wrong again, on his end anyway. He certainly wasn't familiar with her either.

Hmm. She really was sounding like a Otherworld entity, spouting the things she did. Maybe he was right in guessing that's what she was...

Well, it looked like none of them would be getting answers... The life left the dark being's failing body finally escaped her and she toppled to the ground. Her power over the shadows vanished along with it, allowing the darkness tainting the world around them all to dissapate.

Taking a breath, Sandalphon forced some of the built up tension to leave his body. Yes, the main cause of it was gone, but he couldn't shake a leftover feeling of unease that now clung to him like a shroud. The white feathers of the six wings at his back quietly rustled as the extremities fluttered momentarily, their owner's red eyes still staring at Zange's fallen body.

Damn it. If she really was trying to warn us of something, now we have no idea what.

The archangel closed his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts, floating there with crossed arms. As per usual when he went into deep thought, he blocked the outside world out to better sort things out.

An emissary maybe? But if that's the case, why send a wounded one? Or one at all? A poor attempt at scare tactics to cause disarray?

He was so occupied that he didn't notice Juuzou bolting right towards both he and Rowlin.

Or perhaps I'm overthinking all this and it was nothing but-

The human's sudden demand of a question right off to his side tore Sandalphon out of his musings with a start, the force enough to dislodge a few feathers from his wings like a surprised chicken. "H-how should I know?" He unintentionally squawked, only for the other blinker to take off towards Zange's body.

The Primarch let out a sigh, reaching a hand up to rub his neck. Alright... He needed a break. Too many things had happened in the relatively short stay he'd had here, and he was in serious need of downtime to clear his head. There was a lull in the drama right now, as far as he could tell, so some quick respite wouldn't hurt anything, right?

He glanced back at Rowlin, who apparently hadn't moved this entire time, because he was still planted in the exact same spot. He used his head to gesture towards the lodge, indicating the other blinker that was where he was going, and could tag along if so wished.

Sandalphon's wings switched back to his elemental sets, and after channeling their magic once more, he vanished from the scene altogether.

With that, he finally made it to his original destination, the Lodge's interior. Appearing next to the hearth, his wings receded into his back and he dropped to the floor, content to be on stable ground again. There were a few others in here too, but the archangel passed them by. He was on a mission now, gaze scanning around the area for something.

And, as if detecting it with some otherworldly sixth sense, he instinctively turned to look in the direction of a small nook off to the side of the main room.

There it was, just like he'd been hoping.

Sitting on a counter in the corner next to the wall was a coffee maker. It was smaller and simpler then the one back in the glass house, but that mattered not. No less then a second later, Sandalphon was right next to it, scrounging up ingredients and blissfully getting to work. Soon, the bitter scent of brewing caffeine had joined that of the other sweet smells drifting through the Lodge.

-Winter Lodge
Auransky mintedstar/fur ®Hawkpath®

ougi - lodge, outside - sherlock, arlo, and others around zange

She remained still, standing straight up except for a slightly hunched head as she listened to Sherlock's excuses. There seemed to be no relief from her grip, at least until she heard the likes of Myrnin and Arlo talking in her peripheral. At Arlo's answer, Ougi's gloved hand released his collar and her aura flared before dissipating. Snow was finally allowed to land on her shoulders again. The detective's responses were all deflections of various caliber, she recognized, so instead of paying them mind she was busy assessing what his secret could be. It was clear that the other blinkers had noticed his special attention, too; even though everyone was technically mentioned, Zange had singled out Sherlock.
Her shallow, charcoal eyes turned to the ground in a moment of calculation. More snow dashed itself into her hair.
"What is supposed to happen when someone dies here?" she asked Arlo. She had been around long enough to have an idea, but she wanted to hear it from a veteran.