The Mortal Instruments

Corvo sat there for a few minutes until the Healing Rune Iratze had healed his wounds properly, then went for his suitcase. Inside, he unpacked a second wooden case, this one smaller. He opened it, and inside there was a mirror. He tapped it and it rippled like water with a pebble dropped in. On the other side, he saw Yorick's face. The Inquisitor had a highly displeased look on his face, though the ire was not directed at Yorick. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Yorick we have a situation. The entire New York Institute are traitors. They allied with the Ifrit, Clarity and likely Aethelrick to kidnap Cyrus or 'Hendrick' as he calls himself now. They've also allied with a Werewolf and appear to have handed the Institute over to her pack. I require backup. Or more... Specialised equipment. As far as I'm concerned, every Nephilim here is part of this." Corvo reported. "All of them happen to be missing when this attack happened. How coincidental? And where was Brianne when I got outside? Nowhere to be seen. I have had no word from any of them. They all must be purged." There was a sound from the door, and Corvo paused as he paced around the room explaining everything to the other Nephilim, He threw the mirror on the bed and swept up his gun.
"It looks like I'm under attack. I'll send word as soon as I can. Remember my words Yorick. These people are bold enough to rebel against the Clave. They must have a plan." With that, the Inquisitor terminated the call. He checked the people at the door. "That's... Damn it." Sighing, he unlocked the door and leaped back. It swung open, revealing five Seelie Knights. They all pointed their weapons at him, and the centre one spoke.
"You are the Inquisitor. The Seelie Queen wishes to see you. You should be honoured, Shadow Hunter." He lowered the weapon, holstering it in his coat. There wasn't much refusing this invitation.
"Fine, but I will go willingly Fae." He stepped out of his room and locked it behind him. He was lead through the strange route that led to the location of the Seelie Queen's Court, standing in between the five knights. He allowed himself to be led, but he was not happy about it. Today was going from bad to worse. The Queen was famously deceptive. After an hour, they arrived and he was admitted into the room.
"The Queen will see you. Be on your best behaviour Nephilim." He was warned, and then he was faced with the infamous Seelie Queen herself. He appraised her before they spoke. Truly, rumours of her beauty were not exaggerated. Lesser beings would easily fall sway to that appearance, bewitched by it, but he was no normal being. He was Corvo Eismauer, Inquisitor of the Clave and it would take more than the mere appearance of a Queen to sway him.
"I suppose I would be expected to bow." Corvo remarked. "However, you are not my Queen. I am honoured though, and surprised, that you would seek to speak with me. Centuries of Inquisitors and Nephilim, and you choose to speak to Corvo Eismauer. What is it that you wish of me, O' Titania, Queen of the Seelie Court? I presume that you have not brought me here to attend to my execution?"​

 

​

"That's, um, impressive." Creed said in response to what Rhett had told him. In truth he didn't really have much else to say regarding what he was told for he didn't know just who the 'meanest alpha to walk this side of the pond' was to begin with. That was probably a good thing to be honest though.

Creed thought about what Brianne had asked him and was drawing a blank. Rhett did have a point that there were strength in numbers, but was it a good idea to involve anyone else in this mess. "Aren't there any spells or runes that could make for useful traps?" Knowing next to little on runes and other such things, he was really taking a shot in the dark here.

​

Sien gave Alarick a nod. "Sticking with you sounds like it would be a good idea." Of course there wasn't many other options that he could think of that fell under the 'good idea' category. If he tried to survive this mess on his own, he'd probably last for a good bit and hopefully not get caught. That said, he had no idea just what exactly they were up against so going off alone wasn't the most appealing of idea with that in mind.

Following Alarick's nod, Sien brief turned his attention towards Valister, who to notice of this and simply waved at them nonchalantly. That was a bit too relaxed for what was going on right now, that was for certain. "He hasn't tried anything so far, so hopefully we can trust him."

 

"Oh I love Italian!" Nick responded "And, uh, I don't want to be any trouble, I can get there myself. So yeah, just give me the address please. Shall we meet there in, say, an hour?"

 

​

"You are more eloquent then most Shadowhunters I have had the...pleasure of meeting." Titania remarked, resting her hands on the sides of her chairs. Her green eyes didn't move from Corvo's face, studying his every movement. "But no, I have not brought you here to die. Not yet." She raised one hand, resting her chin on it.

"I find myself embroiled in the middle of a civil war. Not a place that I care to be, but here we are." She sighed. "I also find myself curious if your skills are going to be useful to me. So, let us kill two birds with one stone."

She stood, her dress swirling around her feet, the plants from her chair reaching out as if to hold her back. They stopped just inches away from her skin, wavering as though uncertain.
"To my knowledge, you are charged with bringing the rebel Shadowhunters of New York to justice." Stepping towards the small bowl of water one of her knights had placed on the table, she motioned for Corvo to step closer. "It appears your hunt has not been going as well as you might have hoped." Her fingers brushed against the water, rippling the surface.

"For here, is one of your prey. Skipping about the city as though nothing was wrong. And look how alone she is." She smiled, a feral grin. "Show me what you can do with this information. Use the best of your knowledge. Impress me." She let the image fade, turning back to Corvo. "May the odds be in your favor."

​

Yorick stared out the window, waiting. Always waiting. He had spent his whole life doing such, and now he hoped to see the culmination of such patience. The photo he had given to the Seelie Queen, giving her all she needed to track down Roxanne, would surely be enough to start Corvo on the path to his most righteous task. May the Angel guide you. He prayed, furrowing his brow. It was almost certain that Alarick had betrayed him now. A shame, to have someone with so much promise fall off the wagon at the last moment, when they were almost to their destination, but life was filled with such disappointments.

He wouldn't let one little worry stop him. "Soon." He whispered to the night air. "Soon."

​

"To be fair, Ash, I didn't get into this mess. I took a job, called in a favor from a previous job, and then suddenly this man's pointing a gun in my face." She would have asked where Ash was taking her, but it seemed like a waste of breath. Someplace safe was good enough for her. "Oh be still my beating heart, an extra f*cking minute." She rolled her eyes for effect. "Do you realize what the Inquisitor did to me? I thought my muscles were being burned, torn apart and twisted for hours. Probably took all of five minutes." She cleared her throat, resting her voice for a moment.

"I'm glad too. I wouldn't have wanted to face Da. Or Mum. I don't think she'd appreciate my blue. And Da, well...I can't imagine he'd be pleased to find out he's a da." She sighed. But he'll find out one day. I'll make him pay for everything he's done, to all those poor humans. Including Mum. "Gods know it's not my looks you'd miss." She responded, hissing as her body was jolted by Ash's movement. How is it possible that everything hurts?

​

Alarick nodded, though he was still frowning. "And now Nick and Roxanne have disappeared." he sighed in exasperation. "Since the portal needs time to be set up, that leaves us with a few hours." He watched Hendrick cut through the room to disappear into the backroom, and Aethelrick collapsed into a chair. Because that's what we need. More drama. "Meet me outside in five." He told Sien. "We're going to go back to the Institute."

He walked up to Aethelrick, not bothering to be polite as he nudged the man's foot with his own. "I'm going to go take back the Institute. Come if you can follow commands this time." he turned to address those left in the room, which was basically Valister, Creed, Rhett, and his sister. "I'm going to the Institute. I expect we'll see you there later?" He addressed Brianne, who nodded, her eyes meeting his own for a moment.

"You can either stay here, go with Brianne, or come with me. Your choice." With that he walked out of the room, stopping by Sien. "Let's go. Better be ready with those spells of yours."

​

Morrigan blinked. He apologized. She hadn't expected it, but she was grateful for it. "If you would show me, I will look at them." She replied cautiously, refusing to give an inch. The last time she had been unwary around the warlock, she had been injected with Angel knew what kind of poison, which she had only just recovered from. "That you show you are sorry for what you have done, speaks greater volumes then your previous actions." She murmured, trying to show the warlock that she didn't just want to give up on him. She couldn't be sure why, but she saw something in Masque.

She wanted to know what it was.

​

Brianne watched her brother leave before turning to Rhett and Creed. "That sounds like a good idea. My brother and I will need all the help we can get if the Inquisitor is there." She replied, her mouth twisting slightly as she felt a twinge of worry for Alarick. "Creed, you're welcome to go with him, or stay with me. Rhett can lead the way there." She glanced at Aethelrick, not completely unaware of what had happened. "I'll be right behind you guys in a minute." She passed by, giving the strange Shadowhunter a wide berth as she circled around to the smaller back garden where Hendrick was.

"I'm going to go with Rhett, and get some back up. Then we're going to take back the Institute so Alarick and the others can get properly armed before they leave." She hesitated. "We'll send word when we get back. I've got a new phone now."

 

Aethel already saw Alarick come towards him, half-expecting a sermon on his presence here and the entire fiasco with the exfiltration and his clearly disruptive presence among the Nephilim. However that never came, much to Aethel's relief, after that argument with Cyrus he really didn't want to have another one, then again he couldn't care less about Alarick's opinion of him. "Son, I can count the times I haven't followed someone's orders on a single hand. I think you are only aware of two of those instances." Aethel retorted as he got up to join Alarick, after the argument with Cyrus he could use a good fight to clear his mind

Hendrick was controlling his breathing to calm down, when Brianne decided to join him. He highly doubted she had missed the argument between him and Aethelrick. At first he didn't look at her "I'll be fine." Was all he said. After several moments of silence when her words had finally sunk in, he looked at her. "I won't be joining you, wish I could, but I can't keep going on like this an aweful lot longer, I'll have to get my rest." He wanted to give her his Seraphim blade only to realise he left it upstairs. "I got one favour to ask of you, I left my Seraphim blade upstairs I want you to take it with you, if you run into the Inquisitor, send him my regards... for Clarity...it'll be of more use with you than it'll be with me seeing I'll be here, holding the fort, trying to get that rest I spoke of before this all went straight to hell... good luck out there and Brianne, trust your instincts." Hendrick said, his voice deadly serious, lacking the friendly tone he would normally use. Today had been too long of a day and the headache, his wounds and the exhaustion were taking their toll, not to mention the dirt that Aethel's return had swept up within his mind.

 

Corvo listened to what the Seelie Queen was saying. She wasn't planning to kill him, which was good. Outmanoeuvring her was difficult at the best of times and without strong allies here, evading her would be difficult. It was clear therefore, that he was going to have to make an alliance with her. He believed that she had similar intentions as well, although he was not pleased by the idea that she was testing him for something. However, there was no going against her here. If he had to prove himself, then there weren't many other options. Outside of the Shadow Hunters there were few people that he respected, Titania was one of them. After all, for her to have maintained her rule in the treacherous world of the Fae she must be a dangerous and cunning woman. One that he did not, under any circumstances, want to cross. Not out in the field like this, with Alicante far from here.
"I see. I believe that this is the one known as Roxanne. Brianne claimed that she did not know her location, which leads me to believe that this must be her." It was the only logical conclusion to come to. The knights returned after that and he was escorted out. Before he left, he parted with a final comment. "And to you, that you may continue to hold your throne." Gears turned in his head as he considered the meeting gone by. He assumed that she would be looking to talk to him after Roxanne was dealt with, which meant that there was a high possibility of them coming to an arrangement. That was good. That meant that he could potentially use her resources to make the acquisitions that he needed.

It wasn't as long of a journey as it was from the hotel, and it was time to hunt. Corvo drew his Stele and started inscribing Runes of Acceleration on to his bullets. A bullet was fast, but clearly people were able to dodge them. Let them dodge an even faster one. He made his way to the park with deadly purpose. The traitors were going to see who they were dealing with tonight. It would be a message. ​

 

​

Titania watched Corvo leave, then returned to her chair, twirling her finger around a poison ivy stem. A small smile played along her lips as she considered the Inquisitor's words and reactions, long after he left. She snapped her fingers, and a small druid appeared at her side, holding a cup of water. Titania took it without so much as a glance towards the tiny creature, staring into the depths of the wooden chalice, which began to grow tiny roses.

Usually, bringing life out of death reminded her too much of her mother, who liked to cause wood to suddenly spurt growths of moss and flowers. Today however, she was decidedly uncaring as to whether a small action caused her to think or look like the woman who had birthed her. This night, she had bigger plans and larger things to consider then a simple reminder.

She watched Corvo prepare for his attack, setting off into the night. Her finger curved along the edge of the cup as the smile returned to her face. "Let us see your skills, Inquisitor." she murmured.

​

Brianne sighed, shaking her head. "I'll leave it for you, should he find his way here. You'll need it more then I. And I'll have friends with me." She didn't think she could ever feel safe from the presence of the Inquisitor, but Rhett and Creed were definitely a good start. "Don't worry about Clarity. She's been through tighter spots then this and she always manages to come out." The words weren't just to comfort Hendrick, but herself as well. She knew Clarity would be okay, The ifrit's penchant for trouble was only matched by her incredible luck at getting out of said trouble alive.

She reached up and kissed Hendrick on the cheek, squeezing his shoulder before turning and leaving. "Get some rest. Next time I see you, we'll have taken our home back." she said with determination, the same emotion glinting in her eyes. She stepped through the house, and back to Rhett and Creed. "Ready to go?" She asked them, her hand on the seraphim blade stuck in her belt. "Rhett, you should probably led the way. I've got a feeling we're in for a long night."

 

When Corvo reached the park, he saw his prey still sitting there. How they were so foolish as to go on alone was beyond him. He readied his pistol and raised it. He took aim and considered his shot. He could eliminate her now, but that would be a problem for later. If she was dead, she couldn't give him any information. Corpses did not speak, after all. That, and she could be of use to the Queen. As grim an idea as it was, handing her over to the Fae might be a better way of dealing with her. That way the two of them could make use of Roxanne for information. It was not likely that she'd be totally ignorant of what was going on in the plot. Surely Brianne would have tried to help her fellow Shadow Hunter, even if she did not know her location. He holstered the pistol and decided to cross the park instead. There was fairly low light, and he kept to the shadowy patches that weren't lit by street lights. He circled behind Roxanne, expecting that she'd be distracted by her food. He stepped on the grass, masking his footsteps. He got in arms' reach of her, and then struck. The Inquisitor clamped his arms around her neck, choking the breath from her. He made sure to watch out. After the Clarity incident, he wasn't going to risk getting caught out.
"Don't do anything Roxanne. I am a Shadow Hunter, and we'll talk soon." He spoke. It was good that nobody was really around, otherwise it could have been hard to explain why he was choking a young woman in public. It was all for a good cause though. It pained him to have to resort to such measures with fellow Shadow Hunters, but whatever furthered the cause. It was worth it. Perhaps he'd be able to negotiate a way out for her with the Seelie Queen once their objectives were complete. First however, he needed to use the Rune of Judgement on her to check her loyalty. If she had gone against the Accords, then she deserved no mercy. ​

 

"Cool! I'll... uh... see you then!" Nick ended the call and put the phone away, A giddy grin was across his face, he was excited for this date. Quickly, he drove back to his apartment to get ready. Well first he'd need a shower, and a change of clothes. Bloodstains were generally not called for in a romantic situation. He was halfway through undressing when suddenly the phone rang. Confused, he checked who it was. As soon he saw the symbol that blared up he sighed and clicked decline. He stood for a moment in the shower letting the water drip down him and cleanse the blood and dirt. As soon as he got out the phone rang again. With an angry sigh Nick picked it up "What?... oh... oh really? I see. Well I already saw... yeah... yeah I won't forget" Nick hung up the phone again. Covered with only a towel, Nick looked at himself in the bathroom mirror with a thoughtful expression. He picked up the stele from his pile of clothes, a moment later two runes glowed on his upper arm, where it wouldn't be seen. A few minutes of deciding on clothes later, Nick left the apartment.

"Hi, sorry I'm later I couldn't decide on clothes... uh.. I don't have much experience of this" Nick smiled lopsidedly, "White wine? Very classy" he took a sip.

Masque didn't smile, he simply frowned less, as he listened to Morrigan. "Words can't bring back lives..." masque muttered bitterly, before taking out his paper. He showed her some of his sketches modestly, various pictures of people mostly, just random people who caught his eye and whose visage stuck in his mind. "Uh... this one's you... it's not very good" Masque hesitantly showed her a beautiful pencil drawing of herself, it had quite some artistic liberties taken, her dress was made from thousands of intricately detailed flowers and vines spiraled up her body. "Oh... and this one's me, uh..." Masque trailed off as he looked at the picture he'd drawn of himself, a grotesque dark image with exaggerated horns and a mouth of horrific, sharp teeth. The image was drawn angrily, the pencil lines hard and dark, whereas the lines for Morrigan has been light and gentle. He turned the page onto the sketch he'd started off his captors, but remembered it had been ruined when he'd been jogged in the car and quickly hid it "Oh that one's ruined, it's not worth seeing"

Two guns
check
Loaded
check
Body armour
check
Classy demeanor?
check
"The eagle has landed, let's go"

 

Her hands clawed at his arms to no avail. He was no stranger to kidnapping people like this. He saw her going for a knife and wrenched his arms, depriving her of oxygen faster. Luckily, she passed out there and then. Her body slumped on the bench and he vaulted the seat so he faced her. Immediately, he took the knife from the ground and the strap that she kept it on and rolled up one of his sleeves. He tied it to his left arm. He now had a concealed melee weapon if he needed it. He drew his Stele and drew the Rune of Binding into her skin, locking her up so that she wouldn't escape. He also did a quick search of her, finding her phone and pocketing it. He picked Roxanne up and slung her over his shoulder and began to walk out of the park. As if by magic, the same five Seelie Knights appeared. He wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"You have done as the Queen asked, and in good time. Impressive, Inquisitor. Now come. Our lady awaits." The Shadow Hunter needed no further encouragement. It was back along the path to the Queen again, but this time it was with a sense of triumph. He was going to make himself an ally in the Seelie Queen. He knew it was a dangerous game that he played now, as the Fae were notoriously deceptive and he was dicing with the most dangerous of them all. He reminded himself that though the alliance could be beneficial, she was going to have plans and a lot of the power in the situation unfortunately rested on her. He was playing a dangerous game. The Inquisitor could not afford to be lost from the Clave, led astray by the Seelie Queen. The plot against the Clave was bad, but this was infinitely more dangerous than traitors. There was a reason that it was advised not to make dealings with the Seelie Queen. He was admitted once again to see her and he placed the body of Roxanne on a nearby clear surface, flipping out his Stele.
"One moment, there is something that I need to do with her quickly." Corvo drew another Rune, the Rune of Judgement upon her skin. And as he expected, he felt it. The damning word. Guilty. He smiled grimly. "I see. She has broken the Accords. Truly, she is a criminal worthy of punishment. Oh Roxanne, how did a Shadow Hunter become so misguided?" He looked at Titania.
"I need to speak to her. I believe that she will have information pertaining to these rebels. I need to interrogate her, and search her phone." The Inquisitor showed her the phone. "I suppose I should ask, what will you do with her?" ​

 

​

"I hope I am too." Sien muttered under his breath, following behind Alarick. He hadn't used any of his spells for some time now, which given that he only did so when he really needed could be see as a good thing. It didn't really help with his confidence in his abilities though. Guess he'll see then.

​

Creed didn't need long to think about what he was going to do. "I'll join you." He placed his hands into his pocket and moved towards her. There wasn't much else for him to say on the topic right now, plus Mok was running out of things to say so yeah. *insert fade to black*

 

​

Titania glided over to where Corvo stood over Roxanne. "You have far more claim to her then I do. However, I find myself....intrigued." One fingernail drifted over Roxanne's skin. "How does one descended from such strong beings become so broken? Is this the human element of a Nephilim, I wonder?" Her gaze shifted to Corvo, and a smile graced her face. "I wonder what it would take to break you, Inquisitor."

"What I plan to do with the girl remains none of your concern. Rest assured she will not be able to leave this place without my permission. You will be free to pursue your next mission free of worry for her...safety."

​

Alarick led Sien and Aethelrick back across the city they seemed to have traipsed over multiple times. They arrived on the perimeter of the Institute, Alarick proceeding cautiously. There was obvious structural damage to the outside, over which he could only shake his head. He could see werewolves too, and gritted his teeth. He had expected to see the Inquisitor here, not Downworlders. "Any ideas?" he asked Aethelrick and Sien behind him, his mind working quickly. This could be a little harder then he first thought. But only a little."

​

Is that how you see me? Morrigan's eyes lingered on the picture of herself, wishing she could have touched the page. It had taken Ash to show her she wasn't just property to be bought and sold, but it seemed he was not the only one who had seen her that way. She looked beautiful in Masque's sketch, not how she saw herself at all.

Her heart twinged a little as she gazed upon Masque's picture of himself. There was clear contrast between the way he had drawn her, and the way he had portrayed himself. "Please." She said as he tried to pull the sketchbook away. "I'd like to see, if you'll allow me." It was some sort of tragedy, that such beautiful artistry had been twisted by madness. Had Masque's story been different, he could have been quite successful in life.

 

"I trust your judgement then." Hendrick stated, regarding his trusty blade, Azrael, leaving out the remark that by the time he'd need it it'd be too late for him. After hearing the gunshots, he doubted the Inquisitor would think twice about outright shooting him. She was trying to comfort him, she was right though and he knew that, he recalled another instance where he had been sure Clarity wouldn't have gotten away, but 15 minutes later he'd get a text, saying she was on her way home. He hadn't met anyone as lucky as Clarity, when it came to sometimes litteraly dodging a bullet.

What happened next confused Hendrick to no end, as Brianne reached up and kissed him on the cheek,the squeeze on his shoulder sent a jolt through the wounded shoulder, making him grit his teeth. She told him to get rest and that the next time they'd see each other they'd have the Institute back. He looked at her, the confusion clear on his face. Had he been blind-sided again? Missed all the signs? Today just wasn't his day now was it? "Bri..." Was all he said for a moment, looking her in the eyes seeing that determination was there as had been in her words. "Bri... does this mean..." He stammered, not at all sure what it meant, there were several options and he just wasn't sure which one it was, was he reading into it too much? "I-I don't.. understand..." He had missed something again, he was certain of it... maybe later this could be figured out as Brianne was already on her way, back inside. "B-be safe out there... and good luck..May the Angel watch over you..." He said, not even sure if she had heard him. Hendrick remained outside trying to figure out what just had happened, but coming to no final conclusion as he went back upstairs and crawled into the same bed Aethel had put him in, trying to get to sleep as questions swirled through his head.

Aethelrick followed Alarick and Sien through the city, remaining wary of his surroundings, looking over his shoulders a few times, just to be sure they wouldn't get a surprise visit from the Inquisitor or more of the Seelie knights that had been killed within the safehouse, when they neared the Institute he saw the damage he had done to the building and some wolves outside. "Well, assuming they're part of the pack that helped Clarity and I out to get Cyrus out, they shouldn't attack us, alternatively. It's simple, Werewolves are strong in packs, we draw them out, divide and conquer. Take them out one, two or three at a time, bleed them dry through a thousand cuts. Alternatively..." He said as he took out his P90 and once more swapped the magazine around for one filled with silver bullets, holding up the gun, looking at Alarick to see if he caught on.

 

"NO!" he hissed angrily and hugged the sketchbook to himself... then he suddenly realised what he was doing and slumped "Sorry... I just... it's ruined. It's not very good anyway..." He sighed "For the record... what I did to you... it looked beautiful, but I understand how you might not see it that way... all I ever wanted was for the world to live up to my expectations"

Nick tried it "Mmm! Tasty, you know a lot about food then?" Nick asked as he ate the appetizer. Ryan seemed a nice enough guy "So... uh... do you like movies? I like movies... I saw Star Wars VII the other day, some people say it's just episode 4 done all over again but I still liked it"

Black Pawn and White Pawn ran over the rooftops stealthily, following the tracking device the led them to their destination. Paragon flew overhead, watching carefully.

 

​

"Maybe you should scope out my work for me, since you're so interested in what I do all of a sudden." Clarity ignored Ash's second comment, turning her eyes away as they entered his home. She immersed herself in studying the decor, the lighting, the wallpaper, whatever. It was much nicer then her apartment, that was for sure.

She gritted her teeth when he set her down on the table, staring up at the ceiling with a grimace as he slowly examined her wounds. "I should have worn my nice lingerie today." She muttered, sucking in her breath as Ash began to clean the gunshot and the stab wound. "I would have dressed myself up if I had known someone would be interested."

The worst was when he dressed the bullet wound. She muffled her sounds of pain with her uninjured arm, pressing her lips against the blue skin and shutting her eyes to mask the weakness. When it was done, her body relaxed once more, the nerves occasionally sending small darts of pain from various places on her body. Probably a side effect of whatever Rune the Inquisitor used on me. She had heard tell of such things, and took the concoction from Ash, swirling it a little as she stared into the blue depths.

"You've clearly never gotten drunk on werewolf whiskey. They make that stuff just to try and kill the buyers, I swear." She choked down the medicine, grimacing at the taste. "Just like I swear you do that on purpose to try and keep me from getting into any more trouble." Letting her feet dangle over the side of the table, she fumbled the glass bottle in her hands, gaze turned downwards. "I've heard tell of Runes safe to use on Downworlders, but I'd never thought I'd experience one." She muttered, hands clenching around the glass nearly tight enough to shatter it. She could hear the fragile substance cracking underneath her grip.

​

Morrigan jumped back a step as Masque hissed, her nerves on high alert. She hadn't yet reached for her sword, but it was easily in her grasp should he attack when...he seemed to slump over, defeated. Morrigan relaxed her body, but not her mind as she watched the warlock a little more warily. She had nearly forgotten what he had done, what he had tried to do to her, in the midst of examining his artwork, examining him.

"I've never been able to want that. I've never been free to choose my own desires." She replied, her hand unconsciously going to her side, where she had been stabbed by his needle. "Ironically, your actions were the first to set me on my own path, one of my choosing, and not guided by the hands of others." Her thoughts flickered to Ash as her dark eyes rested upon the warlock in front of her.

She could have told him why she had been so angry; not for the selfless reason she proclaimed, but for that which he had wrested from her. Control over the one thing she had chosen for herself. Until now, anyways. Instead, she stood a little closer to Masque, cautious, but not unfriendly. "That is beautiful." She pointed towards his sketchbook. "You should fill the world with more of that, and not more of.." She glanced at Cin's workers, who had arrived unobtrusively and were now scrubbing the blood away from the floors and walls. "Not more death. There's already too much of it. We only get this one life, to do everything we can. Might as well try to make the world a brighter place, right?"

​

Brianne saluted Rhett, a little mockingly, before dropping her hand. "No fights, no talking. I think I can handle that. Although if one of those alpha wanna be's puts his hands on me, I can't promise I won't retaliate." She warned Rhett, her hand drifting to the Seraphim blade at her side. "And don't drink the liquor." She warned Creed with a lop sided smile. "You'll get knocked on your ass faster then you could swallow your first shot."

"Hopefully someone will agree to help us. If we don't all band together, the Clave is going to tear us apart." She murmured, worry returning in light of the jokes she had made as she hurried after Rhett, running her hands through her hair.