On Wed, May 20, 2020 at 8:41 PM, Barbara Edmiston via groups.io

<babs_me72@...> wrote:

(Devi)

Devi had given Jordie one last warm smile before he has left. She let out a small sigh as she went put ice in her glass and added more whiskey. She moved to her sofa and looked at the card Jordie had given her. Taking out her phone she typed in the number then wrote Devi and her phone number. Then sent it. She sat back on her sofa sipping her whiskey to hear back.

(Mara)

"Quite, though I am glad to be back myself," Mara answered, running her hand through her sand colored hair, its ends dipped in the same copper as her outfit.? "As much as I love the dunes, I must say this garden has very much grown on me.? I missed this greenery.? You've outdone yourself this season, Keira.? It seems I have arrived in time; the blooms are absolutely beautiful."? Mara walked over to the patch of poppies of various colors, fire red, neon orange, pinks and purples are mixing together and creating a beautiful display.? Keira's garden had more than that, but the colors of these gentle looking flowers seemed to attract her the most.

"I can be ready to go as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.? This will give me a much needed moment of respite and time to go over the blueprints.? Where are those so that I can get started?" Mara asked, turning around to face Keira.? Her tongue flitted out, tasting the air, making sure that there was no one else around to disturb them.? "Also, Photon, where is that boy anyway?? Shouldn't he have reported to you by now?? Maybe his leash needs to be tightened."

(Keira/Aurora)

As she listened to Mara, Keira’s phone buzzed in her pocket. “The blueprints are on the computer in the mansion.? As for Photon, true he should have by now, but maybe he is still learning things.” She said with a smile as she pulled out her phone and saw the text.? “Well, looks like Jordie finally made contact with Ms. Shellito.”? She looked back to Mara, “tomorrow is fine.? Please take some rest.? And if you feel up to it, join us all for dinner tonight.? I plan to have the Benders of Light filled in on what we have learned so far, and hopefully Photon will be back by then.”

She dialed the number for Ms. Shellito, knowing that Mara would like to listen in on the conversation.? The two of them had been together since before Aurora created the Benders of Light and she was always privy to conversations of new candidates when she was around.? Photon was her second, because Mara wasn’t one to be in the light, but she never left her colleague out.? She waited for the woman to answer.

Tag: Devi, Mara

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(Kitty)

Kitty skipped down the street feeling the night come alive.? She was hungry and in the mood to dance.? She knew just were to go, Sabbat.? Would Cho be working tonight, she wondered?? Of course, he would be.? He worked just about every night there.? She was dressed in a mismatched outfit; green and white striped knee highs, a dark purple miniskirt, a hot pink tank top, topped off with a blue jean short jacket.? On her feet were black patent penny loafers.? Her purple hair and violet eyes and ruby red lipstick.

?

She skipped up to the bouncer, Billy.? “Hey there, Billy the kid.? Is our boyfriend working tonight?” She asked with a smile as she stood on her tiptoes to give the man a kiss on the cheek.? She had skipped right past the line of people waiting to get in, because she knew she would be allowed in.

?

With a smile and a gentle hug back to the girl, “Oh yes he is.? And he said I could have my kiss if he got drunk enough.”? He patted her rear end as she scooted through the open ropes.? She giggled and gave him a wink as she headed inside.

?

She danced across the floor to the bar where Melissa, the redheaded waitress of the night was talking with Cho.? She scooted onto the bar stool next to them, “I will have my Special, Mr. Cho,” she said with a wink as she gave a smile to Melissa, “hello there, Lissa.? Going to be a great night, I can feel it.”? She has always called Melissa, Lissa and the girl never seemed to mind.

?

(Scarlett MacAleister)

?

With the bass thumping from a blaring pop song and lights strobing around her, Scarlett MacAleister strode through the doors to the Glass Menagerie and scanned the place with her keen eyesight. The club was full, mostly young college kids enjoying a night out on the town in the French Quarter. Among those innocent kids were the occasional vampire, demon or other supernatural.

There was no getting around that in New Orleans. The average person wouldn’t notice them, but Scarlett was not a typical woman. The hole-in-the wall nightclub in New Orleans was hopping as Scarlett entered, sauntered through the place and began to take account of potential threats.

She was dressed in a skintight black leather outfit, a one-piece bodysuit, with spiked-heel boots and a black leather duster. Tucked under each armpit in a double shoulder holster rig were two MK23 MOD 0 45-caliber offensive handguns with extended magazines. The bullets in each weapon, as well as the additional magazines inside compartments built into the coat, were silver hollow points filled with liquid garlic extract. The rounds would kill a human, likely kill a vampire or werewolf and would at the very least piss off a demon. There was also a wakizashi short sword under her coat and a couple of silver throwing knives in her boots.

Her red hair flowed behind her as she walked through the club, navigating with almost choreographed precision around the surging crowd on the dance floor. Her eyes were trained on a table toward the back of the club where a group of men and women were congregating. Scarlett saw at least two bodyguards materialize from the crowd and move in a direction to intercept her and she just grinned. Looks like this wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d expected.

The first thug came between her and her objective. He was a burly human, Japanese, maybe six-foot-two and bulked up with muscles that bulged under his fancy suit. Scarlett had already assessed him and determined he was human – what she’d expected from Nakamura. These were typical yakuza soldiers. No surprises here.

“Where do you think you are going?” the thug managed to exclaim over the throbbing music and loud voices filling the club.

“To see Mr. Nakamura,” she said with a sweet smile, just before Scarlett struck the soldier in the face with her right palm, smashing his nose. As he staggered back, reaching under his jacket for a gun, she finished him with a blow to his throat, dropping him to the floor in a gasping, convulsing heap.

The redhead continued uninterrupted toward Nakamura’s table. She saw the yakuza sitting on the other side of the table, his eyes locked on her as she approached. He drew casually on a vaping pen in his left hand, his right undoubtably under the table grasping the butt of a pistol.

The other thug on the floor lunged at Scarlett when she came within range and he grabbed her by the left arm. She yanked him off his feet with one sweeping motion of her arm and drove a powerful punch into his solar plexus. The yakuza exhaled sharply and fought to catch his breath as Scarlett flipped him, landing him hard on his back.

Leaving him behind, she continued to almost float across the club and came to Nakamura’s table. Three more bodyguards were up, all had drawn swords similar to Scarlett’s. That was good. She preferred fighting with swords – guns were so clumsy and caused too much collateral damage. There was more risk for her though, if one of these fools got lucky and took her head off…there’d be no coming back from that.

The first yakuza who came in range was dispensed with haste. He didn’t even see her wakizashi clear the sheath and come streaking at him, propelled by Scarlett’s enhanced strength and speed. Before he could even attempt to block, she had lopped his head off with the flash of her blade.

Suddenly, panic erupted all around them. The first two yakuza she’d dispatched had drawn little attention in the crowded nightclub, the music and lights keeping notice of the incident to just a few surrounding people. But when the yakuza’s head flew in the air, the screams that went up from the people sent a panic through the club.

Scarlett swung around and blocked another incoming blade, then attacked that sword wielding thug who did a good job blocking her advancing attacks. She sensed the other yakuza coming from behind and she pivoted, blocking his blow, before launching a kick at his midsection, which connected and drove him back.

She came up out of the kick in time to parry another strike by the yakuza who was still standing. After a series of strikes and parries, she managed to run him through with her sword and pulled the blade back out, leaving him to slide off onto the floor. Scarlett came back from dispatching that yakuza, to face the remaining bodyguard who was nearly on her.

He swung his blade viciously and the tip of the wakizashi sliced through the shoulder of her outfit and cut into her flesh. Scarlett barely flinched from the injury, returning the gesture by slashing the goon across the chest, opening a serious wound from his right shoulder to the bottom of his left ribcage.

Goro Nakamura was now standing, the rest of his party fleeing for their lives with the rest of the patrons, as the yakuza boss joining his bodyguard and attacked the redhaired vampire. Scarlett took turns fending off attacks by both men, her body a whirl of motion, until she finally managed to swing her sword and took off the head of the remaining bodyguard. As the headless corpse hit the floor, she pivoted and faced Nakamura.

“You are a dead woman,” he muttered, squaring off in a fighting stance. “Who sent you?”

“Does that really matter?” she hissed. “I want to know about the kid found dead on Bergen Street a few days back. Heard he was an associate of yours?”

Nakamura smirked, “Lucas Rhames? That punk? Who cares about him?”

“His parents,” she said. “He was dealing for you. You had him strung out to keep him loyal. Someone butchered him and I want to know why?” Scarlett said.

“I heard you were asking questions around town about him,” Nakamura growled low. “I know what you are. I’ve heard of you. I have a treaty with your people. You can’t touch me.”

Scarlett came at him and he fended off several blows from her sword as she circled him. “Then I guess you haven’t heard of me, because I don’t give a shit about treaties. Tell me who killed the boy.”

“There are worse things in this world than vampires,” he said dryly. “The kid is dead. Just another junkie. Forget about him and move on.”

Scarlett shook her head and he came at her low, trying to drive the blade into her gut, but she sidestepped his attack and fed him an elbow to the face. As he staggered back, she swung, slicing his left cheek, and he blurted out profanity.

“You are the Outcast?” Nakamura gasped. “Your death will gain me great favors among your people.”

Scarlett parried another attack and then came at him aggressively, challenging his ability to keep her at bay. As their swords clanged off one another, he faulted in his defense and Scarlett ran him through, the sword piercing his shoulder and pinning him to the wall.

“Looks like your ass is writing checks it can’t cash, Goro,” she said with disgust.

Nakamura stared at her in disbelief as he felt the sword pierce his flesh. He dropped his sword and stood there, his entire left side stuck to the wall behind him..

“You stupid…bitch…I didn’t kill him!” Goro groaned, looking at the sword buried in his shoulder. “It was something else…not human…I don’t know what…it wasn’t worth me…getting involved.”

Scarlett considered him a moment, then leaned closer to his face. The smell of the blood was getting to her quickly, so she knew she’d have to make this fast.

“A name. Someone who knows who or what killed Lucas!” she demanded.

“It had an associate,” Goro said through clenched teeth. “A human…a handler of some kind. He said the boy owed a debt and his master was collecting. I was advised to stay out if it…after seeing what it did to Lucas I wasn’t about to get involved.”

Scarlett stared at him a moment, gauging his reactions, then she pulled the blade from his shoulder and Nakamura slid down the wall to the floor.

The redhead flicked the blood from her sword and then she turned and looked around the club. It was mostly empty, save for a few patrons huddled in corners and under tables, seeking refuge from the battle.

Scarlett turned and headed toward the door. As she approached, another bodyguard, Nakamura’s driver, stepped inside with a pistol in hand and fired off several shots at her. She evaded the shots with lightning speed and when she reached the man, she knocked the gun from his grasp before slamming him against the wall and baring her fangs.

“Sorry, but I seem to have worked up a hunger,” Scarlett hissed, before sinking her suddenly extended fangs into the driver’s neck. She drank quickly, knowing the police or reinforcements from the yakuza, would soon be coming through the door. When she’d finished, she drew the sword and ran it through his neck, severing the head and making sure the yakuza would not turn.

Scarlett dropped the driver to the floor and headed out the door. Parked in the alley behind the club was her motorcycle, which she mounted and fired up. As she drove off into the night she pondered where this case was ultimately going to lead…but so far it didn’t sound good.

(Pyp)

Pyp was actually having quite a good time when he felt the tell-tale tingling in the air.? Someone was doing a summoning, someone not too far away.? The spell was archaic and almost certainly not meant for him, but hey, beggars could not be choosers and his time was running out.? Besides, the thought of intercepting a summoning intended for another demon appealed to his anarchic sense of humor.

"Sorry everyone," he sighed, looking to the crowd of enticingly-clad mortals he'd gathered in his luxury suite, a tempting assortment of male and female and those in-between.? He had fully planned to fuck each and every one of them at least once before dawn.? But as the man said, the best-laid plans of mice and men and all that.? "It seems that I'm being called away." Cries of disappointment filled the room, but he waved them down so he could continue.? "But that doesn't mean the party has to stop.? You all go on without me.? I'll pop back in if I can.? But if I can't..." he grinned devilishly "...just remember who made it all possible." ?

With that, he blew kisses to one and all and then left the suite.? The pull was growing stronger and Pyp knew that other demons might start picking up on it if he didn't act quickly.? "And a-way we go!" he snickered, turning about with a flourish and then vanishing from view.? The world around him flickered into darkness as he felt himself being drawn through the ether that normally existed between the spirit worlds and the mortal world, but in this case he was merely being taken from one place in the mortal world to another.? Somewhere very close by, judging by how quickly the world suddenly came back into focus...

...and he was in a room.? A room turned into a make-shift summoning platform, furniture obviously shoved to the sides to make space for the portal circle.? The demon glanced around at the various ceremonial arrangements, the arcane symbols drawn on the floor, the appointed enticements placed at the points of the pentagram. His boyish face scrunched up with disdain.? "You gotta be fucking kidding me," Pyp muttered.? "Even that quack Nostradamus wasn't _this_ bad." ?

As he finished his look around his surroundings, his gleaming ruby eyes finally settled on the figure of his summoner.? "I say again, you gotta be fucking _kidding_ me!? _You_ are my summoner?" The demon, still looking like a Korean pop-star flower boy except for his glowing red eyes, walked up to the edge of the summoning circle to where he was facing the white-haired youth dressed like a grunge singer directly.? "Are you even old enough to shave?" he asked incredulously.? "And what is this place?" he went on, gesturing with both arms at the surrounding room.? "Your mom's basement?"

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(Cho)

He smirked winking at Kitty.? “惭谤.?? All formal and things now?”? He teased as he greeted her and moved back to his area to make her drink that he was now after seeing her a few times knew how to make it exactly to her liking.? He was enjoying this job more than his IT one this was purely fun in a lot of different ways, the people, the interaction and the scenery were all things that kept bring him back.? The tips were good too.?

“So lovely how are you doing tonight?? What have you been up too?”? He really was wanting to get to know her, what it wrong that he truly wanted to taste those lips she really did look good and he was full so he wouldn’t have to worry about her knowing who and what he was he could just enjoy the moment…if it ever came up.? Now Kitty he did have to catch himself from licking his lips cause her, he did look like she was on the menu for sure.?

He served her drink, moved on down the bar only to come back to get his answers.

[Kutsuki]

The air crackled around Kutsuki, the demonic circle pulsating as it came to life.? Soon, arcs of neon red lightning began to spurt forth from what appeared to be a miniature black hole as it started to grow, violently mutating until it started to take on a more humanoid shape and then the darkness that hid the demon's visage started to melt away as Kutsuki floated back down.? His crimson orbs returned to their normal, dull glow as he came to, lowering his head until he was met face to face with the demon that now stood within the confines of the pentagram circle, his pupils immediately shrinking into snake-like slits.

Before him stood not the "reviler of tongues, desecrator of the commonwealth, ruiner of prosperity" that he been waiting for all his life.? No, instead he was greeted by a young, beautiful looking boy, like one of those dime-a-dozen K-pop idols who so often appeared on TV and various news sites across the web.? His hair was stylishly made up, sporting an attractive hairstyle that was sure to make most girls, and women, swoon, provocatively dressed, as if he was just performing or perhaps attending a quite outrageous party.? With the amount of skin that he was showing, it was quite clear this was not a shy one, and had it been anybody else, they'd think they've just been tricked and visited by a well-known celebrity, but Kutsuki was not fooled in the slightest.? If nothing else, this demon's eyes were a dead give away - his rubies matching Kutsuki's own, if not much brighter.? While he stood frozen in place, however, this unwanted guest started cursing, gesturing around himself at the setting in which he was summoned, complaining about his own circumstances.? Once Kutsuki recovered, the first that he did was scream in rage.

"No, no...nononononononono!" he roared, his voice reverberating within the confines of his room.? His hands flew up to his head, fingers entwining in his hair as he shook it in disbelief.? How could this have happened?? He kept pacing in front of the circle, back and forth, back and forth as he mumbled to himself in disbelief.? All the efforts he expended in procuring the most expensive of ingredients...all the years spent on research, research, and more research till all the texts began to meld together and he sat brain-dead before his computer screen.? All the running around he did to make sure that not a single soul could disturb him, not even his parents, all of it wasted on this cretin who did nothing else but whine.? He whirled around to face the demon, snatching the book out of the air and furiously flipping through it, scanning every page, looking for something, anything that would tell him if he made a mistake but there was nothing.? He had conducted the ritual perfectly which meant someone interfered.? That someone was more than likely this flower looking piece of shit..

"Useless...absolutely useless," he angrily lamented, stopping his pacing to face the demon head on, eyes boring holes into the others face.? Without looking away, Kutsuki tossed the summoning book over his shoulders, caring not where the damned thing landed.? It could burn for all he cared.? The more he looked at the damned imp, the more he felt his blood boil.? He would've decked the asshole, had he not had a severe aversion to touch.? Crossing his arms, he scowled at the demon's pointing out that he was now its master.

"Yes, _I_ am your master, unfortunately for me," Kutsuki spat out, sighing out in exasperation.? He glanced at the candles, their flames returning to life, flcikering to and from, the inscription that he made glowing from the inside.? They were obviously working since the imp wasn't able to take a step outside the pentagram.? "But you're not the one I wanted.? Do you have any idea what the fuck you just did, you piece of shit filth?? Who the fuck are you and how were you able to interfere with the ritual?? Speak.? I command you."? Kutsuki impatiently tapped his naked food against the wooden floor, brows furrowed into the most angry face that he could make, clearly unsatisfied with the results.

Tag:? Kitty, Scarlett, Pyp, Cho, Kutsuki, Luke