Samhain

Cracks began to appear in the outer calm she was projecting. the very edges of dread, and, if he had to take a guess, embarrassment as well as she admitted to him that she wasn't a particularly good dancer. To this he only shrugged, weaving his way around an oncoming group of Sidhe, before turning back and glancing over at Chise. "Then you will have to learn." He said simply. "There are worse teachers you could have," He mused turning out to gaze across the crowd, "I atleast would not find insult in you stepping on my toes. " While others might just from mere rejection. The last words he kept to himself though he knew well enough what these beings surrounding them were like.

His gaze was inevitably turned back inevitably towards the defenders again, and despite himself, he frowned. Their presence here would not help matters, with tensions already so high as they were. A single wrong step and...The Raven King shook his head, tearing his gaze away, before in the next moment looking back again. Setting off the sparks of confrontation was the last thing he wanted, but already he could see the edges of something coming together. He reached out his hand towards the border-space between the two groups. There was a flash for an instant, like a black screen between the two, a rain of iridescent feathers that seemed tempest tossed, there and then gone. There was a sudden blaze of silver light next, like lightning without thunder. There and then gone. A line carved it's way in the undergrowth and across the pavement between the revelers and the defenders. (The wind picked up, just at that moment, blowing dry leaves over the line from the Misty Hollow side. As soon as they crossed over towards the Sidhe they withered and blackened, glowing for a moment as though they were being burned in a fire, before crumbling to ash.)

John shook himself as he turned his attention back to Chise. He ran a hand up over his face and through his hair, his breath came in shaking and shallow and his limbs suddenly felt like hanging weights. But it was done. If either side did anything to cause trouble...well they would see what fate awaited them. "Come," He murmured, nodding back into the crows as he took those first stumbling steps. A sound of frustration escaped him-- That last spell was powerful enough to tire him, and he hated to show it -- and he forced himself to push on. Walking became easier soon enough, and he'd managed to regain his usual pace just as he caught a familiar voice on the air.

"...I hope ye weren't abducted?"

"She was invited." John said, stopping before Mad Sweeney and Nancy. Not that the words meant much, considering who the guests at this party were. All had been 'invited' for a particular definition of the word. A brief twist of humor appeared on John's lips and he nodded a greeting to the both of them. "Nancy, Sweeny, You both are well?"

@Chise Hatori @Nancy Whitman @Mad Sweeney

((Hope this was okay and y'all don't mind me butting in here ;D. Also @Chief Jim Hopper, @Fandral the Dashing, and @Haldir of Lorien feel free to have the defenders completely misinterpret John's intent and take that last bit of magic as some kind of threat. Maybe even have an NPC or someone start something over it! 8D))

 

"Ooh, Menolly! Yeah, she's super cool. I got the egg from her, actually. I was probably the youngest of the ones who got one, but since I'm more mature than others my age, apparently, she wanted me to have it." Nancy had been proud to receive one of the eggs, getting the opportunity to bond with and raise one of these small dragon-like creatures. "And I heard her singing - both Menolly and Beauty, her golden lizard. I'm in her Music For Beginners class." Felix had told her, the Advanced class was way more packed; it appeared more students came here possessing music skills already. "Alone," she added, chuckling. "But it's fun, if you and your teacher both have a fire lizard, you know?"

She tilted her head a moment later: "You're a musician too? What do you play?" There was genuine interest in her eyes, as she seemed to be one of the few in her inner circle not already skilled in the arts.

John's spell had escaped her attention, as occupied her mind had been with dancing.

As Nancy wanted to assure Sweeney that nobody took her unwillingly, John suddenly replied for her, standing next to them with another person close by. The ghostly girl blinked at both of them, slightly surprised, but then nodded. "He's right. I came here willingly." A part of her was almost sure, Sweeney would've not been utterly amused, if John had abducted her against her will.

In reply to the girl, Nancy herself smiled brightly. "Why thank you! You look cool as well though. The staff looks fascinating!" There was not the slightest sign in her voice, that she didn't mean what she just said. For her, Chise looked just as great as many others here, no matter her choice of clothes; the aura she was giving off, was way more important. And while she might seemed slightly scared, there was warm honesty in her voice, which Nancy liked a lot.

"A lizard. A fire lizard, yes. He can't breathe fire, but he's practically a miniature dragon. Right, Minu?" Again, the lizard barely raised his head to take in the new approachers and made a tiny sound to signal attention. Nancy petted his head softly.

"I'm Nancy, by the way," she then told Chise with a nod. If she was a fae too, or a human like her, she couldn't tell, and tonight, it probably didn't matter anyway.

 

Tatsuya wove his way through the party, not hiding his intent to save time as he cut the closest path possible. At one point two fae had intercepted him, the first offering him some sort of drink in a flask, the other dancing seductively trying to reach for his hand. He tried to ignore them first, but when the pair persisted he met their eyes one by one and they backed away wordlessly- as if witnessing some silent threat.

The red-jacketed youth wasted no time as he continued toward the scared girl and the mysterious gentleman accompanying her. The noise of party caused him to miss Carrie's plea's but he could see her near panicked by the event. He stopped shy of six feet away.

"Miss, whoever you are, you need to calm down."

He then eyed the girls mysterious "suitor". Everything tonight was strange as this man was, but Tatsuya couldn't get a solid read on him. Checking his surroundings a moment, he happened to notice the commotion near the line of defenders for a moment, distracting him.

"What?!"

@Carrie White @The Gentleman

 

There was so much swirling around and the Gentleman was fond of it all, it was beautiful chaos. He turned to his companion for the evening, projecting soothing words. "This is a party, I picked you to accompany me." A slight frown at the corners of the fae's mouth gave way when he noticed she was not pleased with his election of her, and it tugged even further down as she asked to be taken away. The Gentleman's attention was attracted by someone in a red jacket approaching them, the Gentleman gave him a cursory glance before turning back to her, he did sense something inside her swelling, to maintain the composure and gentleness of the night he should calm her, but he was also curious as to what she could do.

He flowed like silk to be behind her, noting some commotion going on around them. "Don't be afraid to be who you are." He whispered, it was becoming clear that she had very little control of the magic inside her, and that something needed to push her, fear, anxiety, any testing emotion might bring forth that magic. The Gentleman was consumed with a need to see her powers and how far she would be willing to take it. Looking to the edges the fae noticed a rather unassuming man, he seemed to be a part of a group that was of an annoyance to the sidhe. Working his enchantment, the man took a couple of halting steps toward him and the girl, he was trying to fight it but it was of little use, the Gentleman watched as he struggled, more mentally than physically and he smiled when he saw the man break, his eyes dancing with madness. The man was laughing as he came forward, straight for the girl, as he lunged the fae stepped back, eagerly anticipating to see what would happen.

@Carrie White

 

The man frowned at her outburst as he explained her situation. If her eyes had widened any further they’d have popped out of her head. This stranger…he had no business dragging her places! Infuriated, she didn’t meet the boy’s gaze as he approached, more concerned by the man’s casual tone of voice and additionally feeling dumb for thinking that pleading would get her anywhere. Carrie had hoped if she just concentrated on getting the man to send her back to where she’d come from, it would work and there’d be no other interaction she’d have to be forced into.

Fortunately, the boy didn’t get too close, but warned her that she needed to calm down, before focusing on the man next to her. Calm down? The girl felt her anger rise more as the man moved, telling her not to be afraid of ‘being who she was.’ What was wrong with everyone here, that they were just so calm about everything and so sure? None of them knew her!

The boy was suddenly distracted, and out of the corner of her eyes she could see a bright flash, but didn’t care to know what it was. She didn’t want anything to do with this place. Her head bowed, she didn’t notice the man’s focus on a group nearby, or the person he picked out of it. It was only when the laughing started; a horrible, mad sound, did Carrie look up, just in time to see another man jump towards her, as though he was going to attack.

She didn’t realise they were under a spell; all the girl focused on was the anger she’d had for a few minutes, which was brimming. As the man lunged, Carrie let out a short scream and without any gesturing, flung them into the air like a ragdoll. It wasn’t just the attacker that got the blast of her power, as the outskirts of the group he had been stood with all fell backwards, despite being further away. The direction the man flew in meant that he barely missed falling into the fire.

 

Well, he’d been to merrier soirées, and no mistake. But in fairness, it was difficult to truly appreciate a party you weren’t actually participating in. Needs of the service, and all that. That, and his distant memories of English folklore were still fresh enough to ensure even Fandral wasn’t about to involve himself in a Fae gala on purpose.


He had, of course, brought along a wine skin, but that was purely a matter of principle. He wasn’t about to let these creatures have the satisfaction of rubbing their fun in his face while he had to remain stoically on guard against their mischief, so he’d brought a bit of merriment with him. Just enough to keep his spirits high, of course, until he could return to his lodgings where a recently acquired barrel of something called ryncol awaited him. What world it came from, he wasn’t sure, but it was strong as a horse kick to the head, and since it treated human insides about as kindly as a live grenade, he felt no compulsion to share. Now THAT was the groundwork for a proper party.


Such optimism was short-lived, of course. The cork was replaced and the skin set aside when his diligent eye spotted the first signs of hostility...perhaps. The gesture in their direction from the one with the long black hair and the hawkish nose meant nothing on its own, and it was true that even the display of magic had harmed none. But the militia had given no provocation to merit such a rebuke, and as such, he was but one of many immediately on guard for what may follow.


He didn’t need to wait long for things to go utterly to shit. The deranged laughter from the Defender off to his right drew many an eye, but Fandral did not require even the man’s suicidal move toward the wall of lightning and fire to make a guess what was going on. He came from a land where magic was judged no stranger than an early snow, and while he was no mage himself, he knew black magic at work when he saw it. In other words, they WERE under attack! As became even clearer a moment later, when he barely managed to stay standing as the group was assaulted by an invisible wave of ethereal force. It could have been worse, though; the mortals around him had fared more poorly.


It WAS worse. He also knew well the sound of a sword leaving its sheath, which preceded the sound of running feet and the sight of another Defender rushing past him.


“It’s a damn sneak attack! Cover me!”


Sadly, there was no time to try and guess whether this over-eager guardsman was the victim of more sorcery, or just mundane idiocy. Fandral took off after the man immediately, but he was too late. The Fae conjured wall stopped his valiant charge cold, replacing bravado with an agonized scream as human flesh began to burn. Clearly, he’d need to endure the same in order to remove his ally, and while he could reasonably hope to ensure it BETTER, it seemed best to keep his exposure brief. No better way coming to mind in the time he had, he leaped forward in a flying tackle.


As anticipated, the result was...unpleasant, in much the same way he’d not much enjoyed being caught within a plasma grenade’s blast radius once. He became aware of the smell of cooking flesh, and could only hope it wasn’t him! But the important part was that the plan had worked. The harsh impact against cracked pavement signaled that his momentum had carried him through, and knowing that meant he was alive and conscious.


As for his reckless friend...yes, alive as well. His burns were ghastly, and his breathing was shallow, but if they could get him back to the Infirmary in time...yes, he had a chance. Provided he ended this now.


“You!” Rising slowly, but gathering steam with the urgency of his purpose, he drew his sword and advanced on John with genuine fury. “You summoned that wall of spite. I presume removing your head from your neck will dismiss it again. We’ll call that the last resort, shall we? Yield. Now.”

 

Before her discussion with King could continue, Cynthia's attention was grabbed by Lucario's sudden tenseness at her side. While she wasn't in tune with aura as her Pokémon, she was able to recognize when each of them were concerned about something, and it soon became clear what he was picking up on.

Without warning, one of the defenders seemed to throw himself at a young girl, and that girl responded by flinging him away, along with several other defenders. Lucario could sense the small tension before reaching a boiling point.

Up in the air, Togekiss saw a human suddenly in pain, and just had to help. He lowered his altitude until he was circling above the two who were hurt, crying at them in an attempt to ascertain if they were hurt very badly. Cynthia was able to recognize that things could end badly on all sides and started pushing through the crowd to get closer to her teammate.

 

The magic in the air was lingering and Sweeney was too focused on dancing to pay any attention to John's little magic trick.
And to be fair, he didn't really want to bother with it either. All he wanted to do was enjoy himself, and make sure Nancy had a good time, too. Preferably without ending up in some kind of trouble.
You're a musician too? What do you play?

"Wouldn't quite say musician, I just picked up on it again recently. But it's the fiddle."
Yes yes, of course. All the stereotypes just had to fit together, right? What a fucking shame he wasn't a tiny green man in a shamrock-printed suit.
Before Sweeney had a chance to dwell on that disgusting thought though, they were joined by the raven king himself - and a girl the leprechaun hadn't seen before, though something about her was.... strange.
The dance came to an end but Sweeney left his arm around Nancy's waist - it was a subtle sign of protection but he would rather know her close in this place.
"Uskglass"
His greeting nod edged on a subtle half-bow though the man's words didn't exactly reassure him at all.
Invited? They both knew just how vague that word was.
But eventually it was Nancy who confirmed her independent decision regarding joining the festivities, and Sweeney chose to believe her, which didn't mean he'd let his guard down though.

And apparently he had good reason not to.
Before this little chat had any chance to develop into something proper, a lot of very chaotic things happened.
Sweeney didn't catch sight of it all. He heard the utterly maniac scream and saw a guard run towards a girl, then there was an invisible force out of goddamn fucking nowhere and Sweeney was one of the few not to be knocked off his feet. He caught Nancy in his arms before the girl could hit the ground, too, just barely so managing to ask her, concerned: "Are ye alright?"
But apparently this whole mess wasn't over yet.
The smell of burnt flesh and sudden noise breaking through distant, gentle music.
It was like watching a fucking horror movie, just that this was way more chaotic.

Before Sweeney could even bother to puzzle together what exactly had happened, a man showed up, pointing a sword at John and the leprechaun subconsciously pulled Nancy closer.
"Put your stupid toothpick away, nobody will remove anybody's head!"
Was this even real? Could he not even enjoy his first samhain in ages without having it end in a bloodbath? Well, he sure as hell wasn't going to let some dickhead slice off Uskglass' head with his stupid fucking sword.

 

Tatsuya's sight had been drawn toward where Johns spell had drawn the line. That was when he picked out a defender acting bizarrely, before lunging forward, cackling like a man possessed. The defender lunged forward at the Carrie, though Tatsuya knew not the girls name. His eyes jumped to her as she screamed, and saw the man flung back like a discarded toy from the corner of his vision. Alarmed, he stepped back into a defensive stance while reflexively reaching for the missing sword he had left behind to remain inconspicuous. "Tch..."

A telekinetic. The girl he had rushed over to help was probably more dangerous than lesser fae who danced nearby. The same girl he clearly had made a bad impression on thanks to his directness. He felt a slight impression emanating from her now, but it was unlike a Persona. Still, the feeling made Tatsuya's neck hair stand on end.

The situation around them worsened as Defenders began scrambling. He didn't clearly see what was happening with all the commotion, and no doubt the fae would soon react as well.

Who was this girl? Who was the man who had danced around her? The strange man who smiled to himself as she launched the crazed defender backwards. His strange way of dressing already made Tatsuya wary, but it was the way he acted now that made the boy sure that this man was more than just a dressed-up party-goer.

What to do? His eyes shifted between the man and the girl. This girl was clearly dangerous, but her anger may be steeped in the panic he saw on her face just moments ago. What would she do in such a mindset? "However..." Tatsuya's eyes rested on The Gentleman. This person was clearly an instigator, and if he was something akin to a greater fae he could have manipulated that defender into attacking.

He was the threat.

Tatsuya's eye's were sharp as daggers as they bore into The Gentleman, his gaze falling past the girl. "Back off. I don't know why you're stirring things up but I'm stopping you here."

Tatsuya felt Apollo welling up angrily in his own mind, but he held the Persona back. Tatsuya wanted to keep his Persona hidden a little bit longer as a sort of trump card. Still, he worried that how active Apollo was getting might make him detectable, even with all the 'supernatural interference' that was on the air tonight.

@Carrie White @The Gentleman

 

One moment Hopper had at least some semblance of control. Then some jackass decided to break formation and all hell had broken loose. Cursing in his head, he knew that the Defenders needed to gain control of the situation. If they didn't, this could escalate into more blood shed. After watching his fellow defender get hit with the magic, Hopper couldn't help but feel furious. What the hell had that guy been thinking? Then he realized it hadn't been his fault. It must have been a trick. Every one of the defenders knew the stakes. Something must have happened.

Fandraal went off to deal with the most obvious suspects, leaving Hopper behind to handle everyone else. "Alright party's over!" Hopper shouted to his fellow Defenders. "Get the other guests away from the girl." The best option was to isolate the threat. Already as the line of defenders came in and started rounding the other guests away, protests were coming from the crowd. Hopper wanted to smack some of the people and shout at them we're protecting your asses stupid! but that wouldn't go over any better than what was already happening.

Hopper faced the crowd of fae with his arms out stretched, moving them all towards the other side of the area so there was enough space for the people confronting the conflict to do their work. Hopper glanced over his shoulder at Fandraal, preparing in case a shotgun blast to the head kind of back up was necessary.

"Please stay calm. We want to keep people safe," Hopper tried reassuring people but the guests were only spitting insults at him. He hoped the others had some luck with getting the girl out of the way and deescalate an already problematic situation.

 

The Gentleman could hardly contain the glee he felt, this girl he had picked to accompany him had been what he had been expecting. She had a raw power and the fae could sense her potential and was intrigued, he smiled at the scene around him, he was done here as he watched the 'defenders' begin to file into rank to bring some order. One directly threatened John and the Gentleman smirked, the bravado was astonishing, especially because the man had to know that it would be very unlikely he would be able to lay a scratch on his head. The chaos was radiating out and the sidhe had no wish to stay, not when he had seen what he needed to see. Before he could leave the boy from earlier approached, issuing some warning, of stopping him. Using his magic here was different than it was at home and so he picked a relatively easy curse that wouldn't draw attention to himself or the recipient of said curse. The fae closed his eyes for a brief second and in that moment the boy had a flash of yellow and pink surround him. The Gentleman thought he was of a rather serious sort and could use more elation in his life. He would be bursting with joy and not a moment too soon, given what was happening around them.

The fae looked to John for a moment, briefly meeting his gaze and nodding his head before placing a hand on Carrie's shoulder. The next second they were gone.

 

Tatsuya scowled as he saw The Gentleman place his hand on Carrie, realizing what would happen. What always seemed to happen... teleportation. It was always teleporters. Every single damn time. He was furious. He dashed forward the moment he suspected foul play, but was no where fast enough. He saw the pair vanish just as he was enveloped in dazzling lights.

Whoever the strange man was, it was clear to Tatsuya how he was looking at that girl. Like she was some kind of toy. Tatsuya knew exactly what that situation felt like. It pissed him off to no end. Inhuman Bastards. Burning with anger, Tatsuya clutched his sides.

It. Was. Hilarious!

A chuckle worked its way out of his chest as the light enveloped him. He had intentionally worked so hard to hold Apollo back that the Persona couldn't lend its normal defenses to mind altering. The thought of his foolishness had Tatsuya bursting with laughter. He nearly doubled over from how raucous it was. His spirit welled up inside- and the fae took notice.

The panic had already spread to the fae standing near Tatsuya. As for anyone beyond he couldn't tell nor did he care. He also didn't know why they now dashed menacingly about him. Was it the fact that the nearby panic enveloped them? Was it that they were just a bloodthirsty lot by nature? Could it be the way his own emotions were twisted from anger to joy that was whipping them into a frenzy? He would admit he didn't know, but he also didn't care for this too.

Their myriad forms were both pleasing and shocking. A satyr leaped from the gathered ranks into the air toward the boy. The crazed look the goat man gave the youth nearly had him crying with laughter. Tatsuya's levelheadedness was shattered, his anger none-existent. Only crazed jubilant mirth remained as Tatsuya finally let his alter ego loose. A blue circle erupted around him. Emerging from both Tatsuya and the ring of light was a masked figure, cloaked in red. Its metal fist delivered a sickening cracking noise into the air as it connected with the beastman, sending it soaring back.

"Such bad luck, running into me!" Tatsuya grinned wildly, as more prepared to attack him. He didn't start this fight, but he'd still enjoy it. He couldn't do anything but enjoy it.


The red figure of Apollo, his persona, floated in the air behind him both mirthful and menacing. Masked and cloaked in red and white, it looked to be a fusion of a matador, an orchestra conductor, and the Red member of a Super Sentai team. Such a bizarre thing, a persona- Fusion of myth and the human subconscious made manifest. There was nothing incorporeal about it this evening. The fell night of Samhain caused the barriers between the normal world and fell places to be weakened. Apollo this eve was fully visible to mortal man and spirit alike.

More fey and other like beings began to leap out of the crowd towards the youth. With a mad laugh Tatsuya and Apollo let loose a torrent of fire as the Persona called upon one of its elemental powers.

 

Everything happened at once.

A man rushed past, laughter of a kind with that of madmen ringing through the air after him as he charged towards a girl. And then the air shifted, changed. Not in the subtle way of magic, that almost imperceptible feeling, like the air stirring with the changing of seasons or the sensation as though all of the shadows had turned in the opposite direction. No this was like a pulse through the air, a great hand suddenly flinging everyone down. Even John slipped backwards, though he remained far enough to the edge of it that he remained standing, his feet digging into the earth.

That was when a dying man's scream reached his ears, torn from his throat and twisted into a moan as the scent of charred flesh followed, and then all of hell (and likely a few of the countries on her borderlands as well) truely broke loose. A cocophany of shouted insults and complaints crackled through the air and more of the defenders -- The damage was done and with a muttered word the barrier fell, lest things become somehow the worse -- rushed through . People jostled and pushed to get out of the way...

And now he was standing on the wrong end of a sword. John's gaze flickered to the swordsman who's voice and posture were laced through with a tense fury, and despite himself, a wounded pride took hold. Wall of spite? The line he'd quite literally drawn in the dirt -- it glowed like dying embers as the magic drained away-- would have been just as effective against any on his own side as it had against theirs! John's nails bit into the meat of his palms, his lips pressed into a hard line as his eyes flickered back up, brown raising, from the sword to meet the swordsman's gaze.

Sweeney was the one to speak first. John nodded back towards the Leprechaun in agreement, adding in cooly, "You could try, certainly." He stepped away from Chise and the others --it was he the man had called out, after all -- and the air almost seemed to crackle with those words, every tree, every vine, even several of the stones amidst the rubble and ruins suddenly seemed to gain a new life, as though soldiers standing to attention. The look in the young man's eyes seemed almost a challenge, as though he doubted the defender's weapon would leave a mark. He had slipped through John's spell easily enough certainly, but steel was still steel and it's will could be coaxed as easily as anything else. "Don't bite me" he could tell it, as he'd told many a blade in the past, and as had worked against most of them, save for one.

Out of the corner of his eye then there was another flash of light, and John's gaze flickered towards it. He was met by the figure of a very familiar Sidhe, suddenly nodding towards him, as if conspiratorially, and then vanishing along with the girl who had started all of this. Or rather...John's eyes flashed. She was no more the one who'd broken this tenuous peace any more than John had -- though now it was the Raven King who was left to deal with the fall out. A snarl began to curl at the corner of his lips. He was beginning to grow tired of these sudden disappearances.

But John would deal with him later.

For now, he had the looming threat of a sword to deal with, and asside from that...An eruption of light and the appearance of a figure cloaked in red, mirthful to the point of madness as it became embroiled with the burbling chaos of a violence that suddenly began sweeping through all of the fae.

In the back of his mind, the Raven King cursed.

 

Holding onto Sweeney as the wave of magic tried to sweep them off their feet, Nancy felt her lizard suddenly wake up from his slumber. He rose to his feet on her shoulder and stretched his limbs and wings, hissing at the unwanted disruption of his sleep. Nancy stabilized herself with the help of the leprechaun's arm. She knew she had to keep control of her emotions. Minu relied heavily on that. If she was to get angry, he would attack anyone she would yell at; if fear seeped through their bond, the lizard would try and defend her - both had to be avoided, for the lizard was completely overestimating his powers, and his sturdiness. Nancy could not allow someone to hurt her tiny dragon, or she would suffer too.

And nobody needed a suffering, panicking ghost girl with raw death magic in the tips of her fingers, which she couldn't control yet.

Especially not now, when chaos seemed to take over and panic was spreading everywhere. Where one misunderstood gesture could mean having a sword sticking out of one's chest, or a curse taking up one's heart.

A sword was wielded at John. It upset the teenage girl, and she was glad that Sweeney was the first to say something. She also felt the slight tug towards his side, letting her know that nobody would touch her if they valued their life enough.

Now, Nancy wasn't someone to threaten. To yell or curse or anything of that nature. The only time she was, was when she had a corpse crying for her help lying next to her, but that was a whole different situation altogether. Sweeney knew this side of her too. And she wasn't sure if he was proud of it, or afraid of it.

Despite that, however, she did say something now, and Kade would've been shocked, had he seen her doing so. Nancy normally, back in her world, had never picked a fight. She had stayed calm, in the back of her group, not saying anything, unless she was asked, or unless something upset her - which, was rare, all things considered. "If you try, you'll have a lot more than just an angry fae coming at you," she hissed, containing the anger just enough to not alert her lizard. "Really, John tried to keep the harmony. Not to break it."

 

Shit. No, holy shit.

Everything had been going on behind Hopper, but just the noises he was hearing was enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck. This was far out of their league and Hopper hoped Haldir and the others would be able to step in and gain control again. While a shotgun was a shotgun, Hopper had never tried using it on a magic user and had no idea what it would do. He could only assume nothing, leaving him helpless in a situation like this. Right now, his best weapon was his brain and he would need to rely on it if he was getting himself and anyone else out alive. He could only hope Fandraal could hold his own for now as Hopper's immediate concern was protecting the other guests.

However, the fae seemed to have a different idea. Fae had broken through the line of defenders and tried attacking the boy with the large, red, whatever -Hopper was tired of describing things he didn't understand. This was turning into chaos and the defenders were losing the battle of control. Hopper glanced around as magic and people were swirling around, thinking fast.

He noticed a gap in the nearby overgrown forest, no doubt a path many had taken to enter the gathering initially. If Hopper could get people to evacuate through there, then hopefully there wouldn't be any bloodshed tonight.

Shouting over the din, Hopper called out to defenders, "Get the fae through that exit to safety. We need this place cleared. NOW!"

 

The rage in her swirled, and the girl seemed to revel in her state. The former shrinking and shy Carrie was gone, replaced by someone completely different in that moment. She wanted to do more, show them all exactly who she was. They wouldn’t be so quick to target her then, would they? Chaos began to break out all around her, with various shouts and an acrid smell coming from near the fire.

The boy who had told her to calm down stepped back, alarmed at her sudden outburst. Something in Carrie leapt at his reaction; it wasn’t unfamiliar to the looks of the prom goers that fateful night. She then continued to watch the scene that was unfolding around her, and didn’t react to the boy’s and the man’s confrontation with each other.

It was only when she felt a hand upon her shoulder did her attention shift. In a moment, the trees disappeared and were replaced with a street like the one she’d been pulled from before. Disorientated, but still angry, it didn’t take her long to round on the cause of all this. “Why did you do that?!” She shouted, her normally soft voice loud and piercing. Whether the question was about the mad man from before (who she was beginning to realise had been deliberately provoked), or, why yet again, she was transported against her will, was unclear.

 

The sudden outburst from his charge made the fae raise his brow, it was unexpected, but not unwelcome. She needed to acquaint herself with her emotions, feel them all to a degree so she could grasp and handle them better when situations called for it. He smiled at her. "Do what? You were the explosion, I simply provided a means for that happen, but it was all you. You have a gift, magic between realms is so different, I feel something familiar in you, but it is not magic per se, it is not something you have been taught, but rather something in you." The Gentleman paused for a moment, deciding how best to continue. "I want to help you understand it better, to guide it so it doesn't control you. It makes you special. It is something to be embraced."

 

Perhaps Fandral had been hasty in his judgement here. This party might have a chance of being fun after all!

The change of mind didn't come about immediately, or all at once. Indeed, his mood and his intent only darkened as some lout challenged him, made demands of him. The only response he deigned to offer was the same sort of sneer he might ordinarily reserve for the pile of horse shit he'd accidentally stepped in with his good boots. As if it was some trifling thing for him to draw his blade in anger! A Defender had been mentally assaulted without cause, and now another lay dying. If this thug thought his response would be blunted by harsh words with no authority behind them, then he was welcome to see for himself the efficacy of Fandral's "toothpick".

But the target himself? His response got Fandral's attention. The calm and imperious authority he refused to yield, the way the air crackled with power, and especially the lack of advertised concern over Fandral's threat...these things spoke volumes about the battle to come. An Asgardian's skill, his steel and his prowess arrayed against a potential infinity of eldritch tricks. This was the sort of real struggle that yielded real ballads. And while it was true that Fandral the Dashing valued wit and charm over the inborn ferocity of a Thor or a Hogun, he was not the wilting dandy that some made the mistake of seeing. And every now and then, there was something truly intoxicating about a fight you didn't know if you could win. That the threats continued pouring in from the Fae's allies...so much the better!

His lips curled back away from his teeth in what was swiftly becoming an almost feral grin, even as his free hand tensed over his dagger's home on his belt. A surprise throw into the Fae's chest, before he had time to conjure anything properly, that was the way to begin it. And then...

And then the cursed fucking voice of reason had to go and ring out. There was a healer here, offering her services. Yes...yes, that was a far faster and more promising prospect for the dying man than his present course. And getting help HAD ultimately been the whole point of his challenge, had it not? There would be a price to it of course, in the form of humiliation, in the form of having to back down and make his words toothless. And he could not lie; the prospect gave him pause. But he was representing more than just Misty Hollow here. Wherever a warrior of Asgard went, Asgard went with them, its quality on display for all to see. He could no more forswear his duty than forswear his obligation to breathe.

"The threat is rescinded," he forced out slowly, his sword returning to its sheath. "With apologies. But there WILL be questions. Fly from this place if you wish, but know that you would do so as a fugitive. Healer, do what you can."

Turning on his heel, he stopped short a moment before charging off to join the chaos of the figure in red.

"Oh, and Uskglass? The only thing that display of yours accomplished was causing everyone on the far side of it to brace for an attack. Make no mistake; whether this was your intent or not, you had a hand in it all the same. If you believe it was either wisdom or temperance on your part that got us here, the kindest possible assessment is that you are simply an idiot. And these the greater fools who have fallen into your decaying orbit."