Magic Returns (IC)

[Lepixi]

(OOC)

A blank screen. That was how the video ended, and Taylor felt there should've been much more. It had been out for only minutes, but the noise of shouting and yelling outside the shop was escalating. Taylor could see people leaving their homes, though she figured the ones on the street would be the ones who didn't know what was coming. Within minutes, the floods of people leaving their homes would prompt the police into action. Of course, they'd have no chance of standing up to that many people, and soon the police would be useless to stop the people from attempting to flee the city. The looting could begin within hours, and not many people would be able to get very far with all the traffic that would soon be flooding the streets.

Taylor instinctively walked downstairs to where her father should be, sleeping closer to the wares in case of potential thieves, when she remembered he was out of town on an exhibition.

The best timing ever, as usual, Taylor thought, and allowed herself an inward chuckle that she knew was completely inappropriate for the situation. The city wouldn't be safe, and yet she couldn't just drive out. By the time the police were in a state where they wouldn't stop her, driving around with a car full of supplies and whatever of her father's merchandise she could carry would be a prime target for anyone with the smarts to know they'd need supplies and the lack of morals to hurt her to get them.

Plan B.

Taylor's dad was smart enough to know that, should something catastrophic ever happen, a store labeled Weapons, Armors, and Material Goods would be one of the first places to be looted, whether he was occupying it or not. He kept most of his valuable tools and the swords he would never sell in a camper's backpack behind the counter, along with food and water for a couple days.

Taylor grabbed the pack and hoisted it onto her shoulders. It was heavier than she expected, but she couldn't waste time trying to lighten it. The sounds of shattering glass had already begun, and the whine of police sirens made it clear there wouldn't be much time before everything went crazy. She took the back exit to the street and started on her way to the subway tunnels, where she would get as close as possible to the edge of the city while being as far from the danger as possible.

This is gonna suck.

 

[Spirit Raven]

Formatting mighta screwed up, typed it on a doc then copy pasted on phone

Complete silence. Neither he nor she moved, not even breathed. They sat there for not even a minute before a loud smash could be heard followed by a small T.V. with a broken screen fell down the view of their window. Someone didn't want to believe it obviously, but then again, a lot of people probably wouldn't.

"M-Magic...has returned?" His mother whispered, wideeyed after having just watched such an event.
...
"WHAT THE HELL!?!" Luke shouted as he launches the biscuit in his hand at the television. If it was a spatula or a fruit cake or whatever it would have done some damage. But it was a biscuit, a soft one at that.

"LIKE HELL THAT'S REAL! Whatever sick mind thought this up better pay!" but as he said this, he knew, this WAS real. No government would show something like this unless it wasn't supposed to happen, not with how crazy everything was at the moment with those damn crystals.

If I had that power... that Magic...I would be able to beat anyone right? Whoa...scary thought, cutting that now.

His mind was already racing, eyes darting around the room looking for something, he didn't know what but he was looking. "LuLuke...ccalm down honey." She said with a shaky voice. By now they could hear the entire block, and then some, sounding as if there was a very angry and scary parade circling.

How does every endoftheworld movie go? Looters rush to stockpile without a care for others."Mom, we still have your old hiking pack?" Luke questioned, eerily calm once he accepted that this was real. He was walking, practically running to the front entrance, locking the door and pulling down a metal shutter similar to what you would see at a mall.

"Yes but why do we need that?" she replied, shocked at the tone he used. Still more shocked by...well, magic.
"Surely you don't want all your bread to be stolen by random people right? They love your bread!" Luke answered with a grin on his face, albeit a shaky one. He was going around the nearby rooms grabbing various things such as blankets, large kitchen knives, you know, survival stuff from around the house. All the while loudly stating reasons as to why such as "Gotta stay warm!" and "We'll need something to cut them. I mean bread of course!"

In a few minutes Luke and his mother had a full backpack each, with Luke carrying his favorite baseball bat, used typically on the shorthaters of the world. He may not be physically violent in losing, but mention his height? Yeah. Luke lifted one of the shutters a little bit to see that fortunately no one focused on their bakery. He heard sirens in all directions, and a ton of windows breaking and people shouting and screaming. "Ready for an adventure Mom?" he asks as he unlocks the many locks on the door, and steps out into the streets.
Just another challenge to win, but the stakes are high.

 

[Lepixi]

The darkness in the subway tunnels was only slightly surprising considering they weren't in use. Luckily Taylor was carrying a flashlight, which she turned on as she began plodding her way down the dark passageway. By the compass on her phone, she's heading in the right direction to reach the closest edge of the city, and she's made it about a mile when the floor literally drops off into an enormous pit.

This... is new.

Taylor takes the subway every day, and just a few weeks back there was definitely no gigantic chasm in the middle of the tunnel. No, it must've been new, though Taylor could only guess it was caused by the appearance of the crystals. It's a pretty manageable-looking slope, though, and Taylor figures she can make it all the way down, so she starts making her way down the side of the chasm. It's deeper than she expected, though she couldn't see the other end when she was at the top.

Taylor's made it down far enough that she can't even see the top when she trips, landing hard on her arms in the gravel and stone and sending her flashlight flying off into the darkness.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Taylor carefully pulls herself up. She decides to keep following the path, considering she can't see at all and her flashlight should be at the bottom of the chasm, hopefully still functioning, though she saw the light turn off after the first or second tumble. Unfortunately, the slope quickly steepens until Taylor has to climb down it backwards.

For once I'm grateful Dad always has me do the heavy lifting, Taylor says to herself. Without all that time carrying literal sacks of iron, there would be no way she could climb with a heavy pack on her back.

The climbing soon dissolves into a rhythm of Taylor instinctively placing her hands where they need to go and her feet where the rock can support them. Her thoughts run rampant, pangs of sadness and worry running through her otherwise silent mind.

Is Dad ok? What about the shop? I didn't even make sure the front door was locked. How am I gonna know when I can come back?


Taylor is still thinking when she finds there's no more space for her to go down, and the pack is wedged against something. She slips her shoulders free of the pack and turns around, her hands already reaching in front of her to feel for whatever it is in the dark.

Her eyes register the unexpected too late for her to cancel the signal she's sent to her arms; she can see what it is, and it most certainly is not rock she touches, but a gigantic blue-grey spear of crystal filled with brilliant swirling colors. She tries to pull her hand away, but it's far too late. The colors are already draining into her hand from that point of contact, bringing with it shock and a sensation she can't describe.

It's like smell, but it's not, and even in this fractional second of panic and overwhelming sensation Taylor has the time to realize it's an entirely new sense. The beginnings of it feel like an expansion of awareness, but then there's more to it: There's power flowing around her, power that she feels touching the edges of her consciousness even as it expands outwards from her body. It's not in her, not yet, but she could draw it in so easily that it takes self-control not to. Another moment passes, and her mind realizes she can use it, too, though what for even the instinctual part of her brain is not yet aware. The color is all but gone from the crystal when the symbols enter her brain in a flurry of images and memories that cannot be her own, yet there they are, burning themselves into her brain with the calculated precision of a download but all the emotion of a confession.

Taylor falls back when the connection is no longer binding her, and wouldn't move except that her flashlight is there, digging into her back. She rolls over, staring into the dirt and panting, mind reeling as if trying to comprehend itself. In this moment of new power and possibility, everything Taylor knows is thrown off into the darkness. No science, no reason, no logic can explain this. The government never will, and nor will religion. This is a force, a force thought to be false that is now so real even in the confines of her existence.

This is magic.

 

[ℜyder]

Alex
Momentary silence met the room as the video cut off, leaving Alex to stare at a blank screen. "Awww," a sigh of playful disappointment left him, "the show was just getting good!" Relaxing, as always, Alex outstretched his arms, resting them along the back of the couch whilst he upturned his head to stare at the ceiling. Surely it was quite a tease to put something so interesting before him, only to immediately leave him to the boredom of being alone in the apartment. But suddenly, he shot forward, and idea stricken into his head as to what could alleviate his sudden boredom. Taking up his phone, Alex quickly searched through his contacts before calling a single individual, and that was his friend Scott, a rather dependable who he could always trust to cure moments like this. "Hey-lo Hey-lo!" His voice rang, only to be answered by the voice box stating that his friend was not currently available. His eyes casually stared at the phone as it rested on his right ear.

A brief moment later, another call had already been placed, his expression of renewed hope once again resting on his face as if the previous failure never occurred. "Hey hey!" His voice cheered to the phone, this time actually getting a response, however despite it being his mother's phone it sounded as if the youngest brother answered. "Would you mind telling mom I might be come by to visit? A wizard showed up here and is causing a ruckus!" His voice carried the casual playfulness he was known for, making the situation seem little more than a silly excuse.
"Don't you have work tomorrow?" The other voice spoke, quite plainly as if pushing away Alex's 'excuse'.
"Don't be that way! Your brother just wants to bring you love and squeeze you tight! "
"I'm hanging up.."
"I'll get you a video game." It seemed that offer hit the mark, seeing as the voice on the other side fell relatively silent for a moment before muttering 'fine'.

With all said and done, Alex left his apartment, only to stand outside the door to look off into the streets. Luckily, due to his room being on the second floor, he had a decent little vantage point. The people had been in an uproar, the convenience store across the street even falling to looting, whilst police cars flew past in response to something else. It was a bit more than Alex expected to see, however for some reason or another it didn't even really phase him. Rather, the man even came to laugh, "It's like we are in the movies!"

---

Bolt

Glass was breaking, screams could be heard, those who were now in control yelled along the streets, perhaps they would have been amongst those individuals if it were not for the internal debate. It was a retarded debate, that never should have even occurred, one that made Bolt wish that she could break every one of their damned noses. "Can you blasted idiots just shut the hell up already? You're trying to bite more crap than you can chew and the pitiful thing is not a single one of you can even see that. " She spoke loudly, purposefully talking down to them as to demand attention. "Oh, and here's Mittens! If you think you're so smart, what the hell do you have planned?" The back talking individual was known as Ditch, probably because that is were they found him. "Nothing like Slim's 'brilliant' plan of trying to gain magic by touching a stupid rock. ", she spoke back, this time pinning another individual, "I mean, for half a second did you even considered that crazy bastard might still be over there? Let alone the heavy amount of police activity, you think you would get close enough to that? No, screw y'all, I am ditching your stupid selves before we all get killed. "

With that, Bolt removed herself from the group in the middle of the room, walking over to the door to lean on the wall beside it. "Well if you are leaving, why are you just standing there. Go on, get out! Whatcha waiting for? You scared or something?" She grinned at the response from Slim, knowing that he would not keep his trap shut after an assault. "Nope, just waiting for your small brain to go out there and get shot, so I can get away while they are distracted." Another retort was about to be spoken, but Zeta grabbed his shoulder, pulling Slim back to his senses. "Just ignore her man, if Bolt chooses to leave, that's on her."

And so the room fell peaceful, Zeta finally taking up the lead as he created a plan for the group. Following the other's interest, he arranged for the party to split into two groups, gather supplies, and then meet up by the old bar that had been closed for about six years now, down on the southern edge of town. Of course, the group agreed, Zeta was not only the oldest, but the most respected member of this bunch of misfits. He is the one who bought this rundown apartment merely so they could have a roof over their heads. With the gang ready, they began marching out the door, Zeta being the last, stopping in the doorway to look at Bolt. "You know it's a suicide mission. The more you gather, the more likely it is someone will take you all out." Zeta merely smiled, giving a rather solemn reply, "But this is our family, someone has to watch the idiots. Get out while you can Bolt, forget supplies, and just run. What's more, stay safe, alright?" A gentle smile met her face as she looked to Zeta, "You too, and try and keep at least some of the idiots alive."

 

[WanderingSpirit]

[Markus & Dante]
​

The two brothers where awoken disturbingly and at the same time two two awoken. Dante, was covered in a layer of crimson frost that fell of like sprinkles when he got up, while Markus himself had a papery shell around him that too had the color of red stained onto it. It was hard for them to remember anything but the pain of bullets was something no one could easily forget, and checking himself Dante noticed no bullet or wound from them. All signs of such a thing happening was simply like erased as if they didn't happen at all. He had sighed to himself sadly as he approached his brother and checked him as well. It wasn't awkward as Dante was always the one taking care of the two when they had gotten in trouble, mostly by Markus. Either way he didn't mind that he was helping his brother now considering what a strange day they were having...

Aftering checking his brother to make sure he was okay, he was relieved fomsee that his wounds had too disappeared mysteriously as well. How it had happen he didn't know but as long they were okay he didn't care how they were fine. But now he was concerned about mormore pressing issues, as be took out his phone and looked before noticing it was almost dead, it was full the last time he remembered. It started to dawn on him that they might of been gone for several days now, but he pushed that thought aside and began look through his 25% phone. He checked the new before he found a interesting video, and upon watching it he remembered now that they needed to go. His parents should be fine on their own as he texted him that they were fine and was going to escape the city and to go without them

He sighed as he began to slowly walk in the dark with his phone being his light. Beckoning his brother to follow as the two went down a dark tunnel.​

 

[Quiet Souris]

Leto, #BCED91

At first, he blamed it on the alcohol. He was fairly sober but who knew what was in vodka these days, especially when it came from Terry's Secret Stock. But in the dingy bar, crowded with the gangs of the area, everyone had the same look. A meaningful silence befell them, as no words could portray such confusion. But Leto was already in action. If this thing was real, it would cause a panic beyond all disaster panics before this. In the movies, they showed the looters. And in their twisted, deadly world- he knew that humanity's true nature was to be revealed. He'd known it all along, the twisted nature of humanity brewed under the greenery and grew rot on the roots of it's stronghold of society.

He moved across the room and out of the dingy bar as others began to shout and outside, screams filled the air and the occasional cry of pain as individual's were crushed in the onset of the mass of people trying to find out what was happening. He went through the alleyways he had grown to know so well and carefully avoided most anyone he met. He made it to the dark one room apartment he called home and dragged an old hiking pack out, quickly packing everything he needed, dashing around the small room and digging through piles of old things to find what he needed. He was working on autopilot only now, not allowing any shock to take over his mind and working as efficiently as possible.

He packed his knife sets, one most definitely for skinning and hunting- and one most definitely an offensive set. He'd compiled both over the years, with the hunting knives being a gift from a friend a long time ago. He packed his medical kit into the side pockets, along with water purification tablets and a hell of a lot of preserved foods, consisting mainly of dried meat jerky and processed foods. These were staples of his diet anyway, so he had a lot lying around.

He started out soon enough, a picture tucked tenderly into his chest pocked under his vest and he made his way once again through the darkened alleyways, thankful for the shadowy routes he could use. He's into the countryside outside the city soon after, for it was never far away in the first place. He was alone, at least to the obvious eye but it wouldn't stay that way for long. He had to get out of here and fast. Drawing his phone out of his pocket, he dialled a number and hastily tore out a tangled series of questions.
"A? You there? Are you safe? Is it hectic where you are? Can you get out? Is Bia okay?" A few seconds passed and the seventeen year old sighed in relief as he got his answers. "Geez, don't be such a drama queen...king...whatever. Get your ass over to the Willow Creek crossing near George's bar."

 

[Kathrine]

♦Fern♦
​

Frankly, she didn't know how to react tto what she had just seen.Her father was down for the night as she was up all alone watching this video play out on her screen. "T-This Can't be....what does he mean magic had returned..." though she was thinking out lloud to herself she was still curious as her light blue eyes looked at the darkness of the screen as her head tried to come up with many explanations to what that guy may have ment.After five minutes not thinking, she had gotten hungry and made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then after another five minutes, she decided she needed to take a shower to help her think. Where she took twenty minutes until she got out and she still hasn't come up with a logically explanation. "Okay maybe its just some prank that the station decided to play to get a huge hype out of people." She had went to bes on that notion, just to try and make herself feel better as she drifted of to sleep.

Waking up she had heard a sudden noose and smelled the heavenly smell of breakfast. Even though Fern was a very skinny person, she ate like nobody's business, if she looked the way she ate she wouldn't be huge. Getting dressed in a pair of hard washed skinny jeans, a chibi batman T-shirt, and a pair of black high tops she went into the kitchen greeted her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek goodbye as she hoisted her bag on her shoulders holding a picture of her mom in her hand.​

 

[Lepixi]

Taylor took a while to get over the shock of touching the crystal. The potential and symbols were both too much for her to handle at first, though eventually she managed to sort her brain out by naming the metals she knew in her head.

Iron. Nickel. Copper. Rose Gold. Sterling Silver. Black Steel...

Taylor reached around and found the flashlight, clicking it on with one hand and pulling the pack back out of the nook with another. The other side of the chasm was thankfully smoother, and as Taylor climbed her way back out she decided to leave the tunnels as soon as she could, if only for a moment. She needed some sunlight, and she had practically no clue what time it was. She'd been silly and left her phone at the house, and she had no clue where she'd last put her watch.

When Taylor made it to the level section of the tunnels, she found she was at another subway station sooner than she thought she'd been. It was indeed daytime out when she stepped into the sunlight and the eerily empty street.

That would explain why I'm so hungry. The video had come out around midnight, and Taylor hadn't eaten since a couple hours before then. It was about breakfast time now. Taylor had emergency food in the pack, but if she could find some food otherwise she'd rather save those rations for later.

Taylor took off down the street in search of food, clutching her stomach every time it growled.

 

[Kathrine]

She ended up taking a break at a local park by the church her caretaker worked at. It was so nice outside as she sat on a nearby bend and just breathed in the air and held the ice cream cone that she had in her hand taking a small lick. Fern had been looking for her mom for a couple of years now, ever since she found out that she was adopted and her father wasn't her real father she was curious to know kiust why her mom didn't stay with her and John. Sighing out loudly she looked around to see all the children playing on the playground. They were either with their mom, their dad, or both parents she always felt a pang of jealousy in her heart when she saw the children but she learned to get over it, even though the feelings were still there.

She had sighed once more taking another lick of her ice cream cone then she saw something that piqued her curiousity, it was a red fox. The fox had titled its head left then right as it stared into her blue eyes then pointed its body towards the woods like it wanted her to follow him or her into the woods.

After about five minutes of following the fox she almost gave up and turned around until she saw it, it was the crystal from last night that she has seen on her television. Looking at it she gasped and looked down at the fox "Is this what you wanted me to see?"she had asked the fox like it was actually going to respond. But all it did was point its head to the crystal and then sat down as if waiting on her. Fern slowly and cautiously walked towards the crystal last nights broadcast fresh on her mind as she stuck her hand out biting her lip as she touched it.

Nothing had happened at first then it all came at once. Fern had fell to the ground of the forest holding her ears as she heard so many voices at once. Her long black hair had fallen off around her as each strand had become a color as white as snow. She had felt like her head was going to burst and she just saw everything around her differently, everyrhing looked like it had a life. Fern had felt that pain for another two minutes as she stood up wobbling slightly as she felt her legs buckle under her. She felt like crying, she had looked up to see the fox and saw her reflection in its eyes.

Her hair was now a short white Bob that was short in the back and long in the front. And her eyes had changed from a light crystal blue to a dark and glowing pink. The fox had titled its head looking at her, then she heard a voice "Did it work? Did something happen?" her eyes darted all around the forset as she heard the voice "I-I-is someone there?!" her voice was frantic as her eyes landed right back on the fox and it looked...surprised. "Can you hear me Miss...?" Fer had tried to piece together why she could hear the animals voice as she thought hard and it came to her mind, the crystal. All she did was nod her head since she didn't feel like speaking and it seemed llike the fox was smiling at her. "Finally you can hear me....I've been watching you for a while now...Fern"

 

[Lepixi]

Taylor had practically no clue where she was- she'd rarely gone out of the little section of the city she lived in, and this was new. She found herself going up and down the same few streets and realized she'd pretty much gone in circles for a good few minutes. She finally came across a park, where she decided to look around and see if someone had left a hot dog cart out or something. Instead of a hot dog cart, she saw a black-haired girl and a fox trotting into the woods. Taylor instinctively hid herself behind a bench, then realized how ridiculous that was.

Yes, Taylor, a bench will totally hide you. Perfect.

The girl didn't seem to notice her anyway, and Taylor followed them at a distance. She lost them in the trees for a moment, but after retracing her steps she found the girl and the fox, the girl barely managing to stay upright and surrounded by a halo of black hair on the ground. She almost didn't recognize it was the same person, but the face was the same, though now its features were contorted by obvious pain.

"I-Is someone there?" the girl said, and Taylor considered hiding herself, but if she'd already been heard turning around wouldn't mean much. Instead, Taylor stepped out of the trees, palms open to show she was empty-handed.

"I'm here. I saw you go into the woods, so I followed you. What happened to your hair?" Taylor slowly approached the girl, intending to help her stand more solidly (though Taylor was already feeling a bit unsteady herself, she was so hungry), and spoke as calmly as she could manage.

 

[Kathrine]

Fern was trying to piece together why the fox had known her name, but she was interrupted when she heard the voice. She had taken another quick glance at the fox who had shaken its head and then pointed its snout to the girl behind her. "I'm here. I saw you go into the woods, so I followed you. What happened to you're hair?" She hasn't known how to react someone had seen her and had probably seen everything that just happened.

"O-oh....I-I touched that crystal thing...." her voice was still fragile but at least she could respond to the girl. Trying to stand up again she had rrecieved help from the fox who slid its body under her arm as she wobbled a little but caught herself. "I...I actually don't know why my hair is like this now..."
"Yes you do....Fern we need to talk, I need to speak with you..." she had ignored the animals voice and walked slowly to the girlgirl as she put a weak smile on her face.

"Metal....This girl smells of metal"​

"Why was she following Fern?"​

"Are they friends?"​

​

​

Fern had heard all of these voices in her head but she tried to pretend like she didn't. But so many questions entered her mind as she heard them, 'How do these voices know my name...?'​

​

 

[Lepixi]

Taylor was glad to finally set the pack down, as exhausting as carrying it had been. As she slid it off her shoulders, she felt dizzy and lightheaded. She holds the other girl's hand once she's close enough, hoping to steady them both.

"I know the feeling," Taylor said in response to the girl's statement about the crystal. "It looked just like the video when it happened, but I haven't tried to do anything yet... I'm too hungry and tired from walking. Where is everyone? When I left last night there were riots and stuff going on."

 

[Kathrine]

"Oh the riots stopped early in the morning....but there are some people picketing, just not that many..." The fox had ended up right beside Fern's leg looking up at her and keeping its dominant stance while lookin at the other girl. "Oh if you're hungry theres a littlke hot dog stand on the left side of the park you were just in..I could show you if you want"
Though the fox still had its dominant stance it ended up warmiung up and lowering its self as it stared to quiet down its growling.

Fern was grateful though, that thus girl had followed her. Though it sounds weird this girl was helping her stand up and not complete fall over from the weakness she felt.

 

[Lepixi]

"Whew, thanks." Taylor allows the other girl to lead her toward the hot dog stand. She catches their reflection in a puddle, and finds it a bit comedic how much taller she is than the petite girl with the white hair. It finally occurs to Taylor that she doesn't know the other girl's name, either.

"So, did you see any... symbols, when you were touching the crystal? After the first part, I mean. I'm Taylor, by the way."

 

[Kathrine]

"Actually I had....but during the first part I had sseen symbols and heartbeats....heartbeats and things like veins on the trees and animals....just the woods in general"
Fern stopped quickly realizing just how crazy she sounded as she looked down at the ground. She had bitten her lip out of nervousness like she had always done but then she was surprised by what the girl had said next.
"Oh....I'm Fern....its nice to meet you Taylor" she held her other hand out as she had given the girl an actual smile.

 

[Lepixi]

Taylor shakes Fern's hand and returns the smile. "Nice to meet you, Fern." Taylor looks back to the path and finally sees the hot dog stand. She sprints over to it, leaving Fern in the dust despite her fatigue, and practically tears the cart open, quickly grabbing buns and hot dogs and chomping them down. She's eaten almost three when she pauses to talk. "So, what are we doing? I don't think the city's gonna be safe, especially if there are crystals here too. And I don't know how to use magic at all, especially not the way that guy did in the video. Not that I'd wanna kill people like that, but... should we stay here and practice, or... I just realized I never asked you if you wanted to leave. Sorry." Taylor realizes she's been talking way too fast and not really giving Fern a chance to respond, and she shuts herself up with another hot dog.

 

[Kathrine]

"I actually haven thought about what I'm going to do yet....I have so many things that need to be done before I just up and pack my stuff to leave...." Fern had sighed looking down to see the fox was still following her as she smiled rubbing the animal behind the ears. Fern still had to find her mother and ask her why she left her on the steps of that church or why she even left her at all. Feeling an overwhelming sadness come over her she saw the animal sense her feelings as he had ducked his heard down his ears falling down as she laid beside her feet. "But maybe we should wait, to see if we find any other people that you know...have touched the crystal, then we could ddecide what to do from there, as a group hopefully "
Though Fern hadn't really figured out what her 'magic' was just yet she was still curious and a little excited to find out just exactly what she could do.

 

[Lepixi]

"That's what I'm worried about," Taylor said, mostly to herself. If they found others, there'd be no guarantee those others would be nice. Or even humane.

Taylor leaned against the cart and absentmindedly touched the ring she had in her pocket. It was her father's engagement ring that he'd given her mother once upon a time. He didn't talk about the story much, but Taylor knew most of it from her mother's journal that the woman had inexplicably left behind. It was a diamond ring, though, which wasn't a factor that was important to Taylor until her fingers grazed the gem. The new sense she'd had for only hours tingled and spiked when she touched it, which at first caused her to pull her hand away like she'd been stung. Then she reached back into her pocket and put the ring on.

A new instinct stirred in her, and she let her consciousness swing outward again. The effect was dizzying, but Taylor forced herself to stay in control, somewhat aware of what it'd look like if she just fainted in the middle of a conversation.

Probably should've, like, warned Fern first. Dummy.

Taylor could feel the magic swirling around her, lines of it where the tree roots were, pockets of it around every flower. It wasn't in the plants and animals, necessarily, but it was coming from them, as best Taylor could tell. Taylor reached out and touched the energy, the magic, that was flowing through the air around her. She tried to draw it back into herself, but felt it flowing more naturally toward the gemstone on the ring. Taylor couldn't force it to move the way she wanted, and she was barely maintaining her composure; she'd closed her eyes and was swaying dangerously. The energy did disappear into the ring, though, and formed a new bubble of magic there. The magic of the plants was all green and brown and lively and earthen, but the colors of the swirling brilliance that formed inside the ring were greys and silvers and golds, the colors of metals and stone. Taylor let her senses collapse back into her body, and she opened her eyes and gasped with the shock and the small feeling of loss that came with putting down the magic.

The ring still looked ordinary, but Taylor knew it wasn't. There was magic in it now, and it felt so much closer to her in the ring than the magic in the air that she felt she may be able to use it.

 

[Spirit Raven]

Chaos. The streets were filled with complete chaos. Some people were yelling back
and forth, trying to discern just what the hell is going on. Others were simply running in various directions in their panic. If one were to look closely they would have seen a few people in similar positions to Luke, pack on their back, some kind of weapon in their hand. The differences between these groups came from their expressions, some in shock, some calm in stature but dead in expression, and then there were the odd bunch with such a malicious grin at the turn of events. "God save us." He heard his mother, and turned to see her quite shocked.

"Come on, I want to get away from all these people soon as we can." He stood there outside his home for a minute, confused as to where to go. I don't even know where these people are going, out of town maybe? But where will WE go...there's a park nearby right? Hell, why not? I don't see why anyone else would go there.

"I've got an idea, follow me." He grabbed her hand so as to not lose each other. They began to head towards the park, the direction most people were going away from coincidentally.

They had gotten only a few houses down before someone else slammed into him, sending both to the ground with Luke's bat . "Get the hell off of me!" Luke struggled to get up, finally succeeding as the idiot that ran into him ran off with a quick "Sorry dude!"

"Ow, that hurt a little. Impatient jerk." He turned back to where he thought his mother was so that they could continue, only to not see her. He spun around quickly but couldn't see her at all, no thanks to his short stature. Shouting out for her brought nothing but a few glances by others running by. Surrounded by people, he was suddenly felt alone. Luke quickly decides to wait back home, thinking that if his mother were to go anywhere she'd go back there.

When he gets back, the doors are still locked, but that doesn't necessarily mean she isn't there so he took out his own key and inserted it into the lock, twisting it open. All the lights are still off and he doesn't hear anyone inside, which worries him a bit. She just isn't here yet that's all. Without any other obvious plan of action, Luke sets down his pack and bat next to the sofa and lies down to wait. About an hour of struggling to stay awake, he couldn't keep it up and ends up asleep.