Old Gods Crusade [ic]

[Achilles]

ooc || reference

CURRENT CAST

@sing o muse (GM):
Joseph Lemke || Alexander the Great

@Kat (Co-GM):
Alexandra Vasilakis || Cleopatra VII

@KasaiVictoriano :
Cassidy Capone || Diogenes
Surko Huo || Sappho

@TheDevil'sGame :
Arthur Nicholson || Augustus Caesar/Octavian
Giovanna Mascen || Queen Gorgo

@The Dapper Mog :
Liam Russo || Pericles

@Rook :
Lenora Volkova || Hypatia of Alexandria
Lance Nocton || Mark Antony

 

[Achilles]

​

In Fortuna, New York...

Something stirs. For the past several months, a select few members of the community have been plagued by strange dreams. These dreams, they say, feel more like memories -- memories of an ancient world they could not know. While they differ wildly from person to person, each dreamer's unique vision has returned to them night after night, always exactly the same.
​

THE FIRST DREAMS

ALEXANDRA VASILAKIS

You're crying – howling, really; a deeply pained sound – and you feel a profound, unbearable hollowness in your chest. Your eyes are blurred with tears, but you see the shape of a man lying on the ground in front of you. You are kneeling at his side, your hands resting flat on his stomach. When you blink your eyes clear, you notice the blood – so much of it that you can hardly stomach to look at it – and the gaping wound beneath your stained fingers. "Marcus," you sob, followed by a string of frantic words that you do not understand, though they come from your own voice. The man chokes out few equally indecipherable words, and the unexpected feebleness of his voice makes you cry out again. He hushes you, reaching up to touch your cheek with a bloodied hand. He starts to speak; you still do not know the words, but you feel you can understand that he is comforting you.

JOSEPH LEMKE

There's shouting. Your understanding is choppy (everyone speaks too quick for you to translate), but you can comprehend the word "father", and then your blood is boiling. You curse at the offending man in Greek, grabbing a shiny red apple from the table in front of you and flinging it at his head in one swift motion. "My dagger!" you hear yourself shout to the men beside you, and then they're rushing to your side, holding you back despite your protests. You hear the man let out another string of insults, and the anger is enough for you to break free from the grasps of the men beside you. You quickly steal a javelin from one of them and fling it across the room before you can be stopped. There's a collective gasp, and then a moment of eerie silence. You realize he's on the floor, already dead, the javelin sticking out of his chest – right where his heart would be. You break into hysterics, collapsing onto your knees. The rest of the room erupts, too. You feel a warm, firm hand on your shoulder, and a man's voice in your ear. He speaks slowly enough for you to understand. "Oh, my sweet Achilles, what have you done?"

CASSIDY CAPONE

There's a naked chicken in your hands. Not a feather in sight. It looks so strange that it takes you moment to realize that it is, in fact, a chicken. People all down the sides of the busy street point and giggle as you walk by, and you notice, but you do not react. You are not smiling; you walk with determination, your grip tight on the chicken as it struggles to free itself from your arms. It is strangely difficult to hold onto a naked chicken, with no feathers for traction, but you persevere. Eventually, you get to a set of doors, and you storm through them, triumphantly holding the chicken up in front of you by its neck. You shout something completely incomprehensible, and the entire room full of people all turn to look at once. A bearded man at the front looks especially irritated. You smile – just a bit – at that and drop the chicken; it runs immediately out the door.

ARTHUR NICHOLSON

A woman sits before you. She has a strange sort of beauty to her, and an imposing presence despite her small stature. You do not feel intimidated, however; she looks exhausted, her eyes red and puffy, and for whatever reason that observation makes you feel triumphant. She begins to speak; you do not understand the words, but you do understand the desperation in her voice and the fact that she is pleading. You remain carefully straight-faced as the anguish in her voice heightens and something in her breaks. She's crying now as she speaks, her hands clasped together as she asks for whatever it is she so desperately wants from you. That stroke of triumphant pride in your heart grows just a fraction stronger, and you smile – kindly, you hope, but somehow you doubt she is receiving it that way. When you finally respond, your voice comes out calm and unaffected – neither gentle nor firm, you give her your answer. She breaks again, angry this time, and stands suddenly from her chair. She is shouting now, horribly venomous in a way you do not think you've ever heard before. Her companions hold her back as you turn and exit the room – still calm as ever, and still holding that proud little feeling in your chest. As you get further away, you can still hear her screaming.

LIAM RUSSO

You are being led by an incredibly excitable man up to a beautiful, elaborate temple. It's decorated with fine sculptures and lovely painted details of blue and gold. You feel dwarfed next to its tall columns as you approach, and you immediately feel an overwhelming sense of pride; you cannot help the grin that forces itself onto your lips. The man is grinning, too, and as you pass into the temple, he gestures dramatically in front of you. There, standing triumphantly at the far end of the temple's interior, is the most sublime thing you think you have ever seen – a magnificent statue of ivory and gold, sculpted in the image of a woman who stands at least eleven meters high, with a massive shield beside her and a helmet decorated with griffins. You feel your jaw drop, and the man laughs, exclaiming something you cannot understand. You turn to a woman beside you, who smiles brightly and takes your hand in her own.

LENORA VOLKOVA

You are riding in a carriage when it stops abruptly, suddenly surrounded by a gang of angry men and you understand immediately that this is very, very wrong. They rip you from the carriage roughly, and there are so many of them holding and pulling and pushing you that you cannot move nearly enough to fight back. The streets are crowded, and you can make out a few horrified faces, but no one makes a move to help you. You feel terribly helpless as they pull you along, eventually dropping you on the floor of what looks to be a temple. You begin to cry out, begging in a language you do not understand, but none of the men seem to think twice. They tear your cloak and dress from your body, tossing them on the floor beside you. As you stand there, naked and humiliated, a man approaches from the back of the group, brandishing a broken pottery shard. You do not have time to guess his intentions before you feel a sharp, terrible pain in your chest. You were afraid, but now you feel mostly shocked, as if you thought yourself untouchable. The screams that come now are not out of desperation to catch someone's attention and be rescued – they are simply coming from a place of agony. It is only a moment later that the rest of the crowd descends, and the pain envelops you.

LANCE NOCTON

You are seated, a cup of wine in your hand, and your foot is tapping out a fast rhythm against the floor – an anxious tick. You sigh deeply, lifting the cup to your lips and downing half the glass in a few swift gulps. Just then, you make out some kind of movement over the top of your cup, and you almost spit your wine across the room. You slam the cup down, standing tall as a woman enters the room. She is pretty, dressed quite elaborately in colorful silks and pearls, and your heart seems to want to climb out of your throat. You do not notice the small children beside her until she kneels down to address them. They're young, three or four years old – a boy and a girl, both with beautiful dark curls and big brown eyes. She is saying something to them, in a sweet voice, but you cannot understand. You pick up one word – pater. They smile brightly at that. So do you, as they stumble towards you on their clumsy little legs. You kneel down, holding out your hands to them.

GIOVANNA MASCEN

You are standing in a pitch-dark room. You're shivering – you rub your arms in an attempt to warm yourself, though you doubt that it's the cold making you shake. You sigh, and reach a hand up to your head, running your fingers through your hair carefully. It's short – very short – and this upsets you. Before you can allow yourself to wallow, you hear the door open. You stand up straighter, though you are sure they cannot see you anymore than you can see them. There are footsteps, and then a firm hand on each of your shoulders. You stiffen at first, but the hands are warm, and you relax quickly. You feel a gentle, hesitant kiss to the top of your head, and you lean into it. The person says nothing; all you can hear are their soft, even breaths as they lightly push you backwards until you feel the back of your knees hit something soft – a bed? You fall back onto it willingly, and the silent figure follows close behind.

SURKO HUO

Your eyes are shut, and you are strumming some sort of harp, your fingers dancing gracefully across its strings with ease. The music that follows is heavenly – it is soft and rhythmic, keeping pace with the music that also falls from your lips. You are singing, high and sweet, and it sounds how you think flying must feel. It is strange – you do not understand the words, but you sing them with such clarity, and you feel them. They are words of love, of beauty, and of longing; somehow, you know this. When you open your eyes, you see a woman sitting across from you, smiling prettily. She is youthful, bright-eyed, with her hair braided neatly over her shoulder. The song comes to an end and she stands, cheering. She makes her way over to you, and you immediately move your harp to the ground, clearing your lap. She grins and sits softly on your knee, wrapping a delicate arm around your shoulders.

@Kat @KasaiVictoriano @The Dapper Mog @Rook @TheDevil'sGame​

 

[Achilles]

PART 1

Along with your letter from the mysterious "Emperor Julian", you received an address and a specific date and time to arrive. The location takes you well out of town -- in the middle of nowhere, really -- to an impressively large cabin-esque home just on the outskirts of the nearby forest. It looks just cozy enough to offset some of the sketchiness.

Tacked on the front door is a note, which reads:

My sincerest apologies that I could not be here to greet you today, but I assure you it is not necessary. Make yourself at home. Everything you might need is provided inside, so please do try not to leave until further notice.
Please come in and get comfortable. Just ahead in the living room, you will find a well-stocked liquor cabinet, and perhaps your new friends. Try to get to know each other -- once all becomes known, you may find it harder to make friends. For now, these are your allies. They are all experiencing what you are experiencing. Try to find understanding in each other.
I will see you all soon,
Julian

 

[Achilles]

JOEY LEMKE​

Joey had been prone to night terrors as a child. It had been a real dilemma for awhile; he remembered being six or seven and seeing his mother exhausted during the day because she'd been up for hours in the dead of night, holding him to her chest and wiping his tears after he'd woken up screaming like he thought he was about to die. In the morning, he could never remember what the dream had been about. It had taken him years to grow out of it. Now, as he was journeying towards his 30s, it seemed it was coming back. Only he could remember them in the morning. And it was the same damn dream, every single night. And it was always so vivid and real that he often woke up incredibly confused as to where he was. And it was beginning to affect his day-to-day -- horrifically so, actually. He was feeling foggy -- depressed, even -- and he could hardly eat, let alone focus on his research. On a few occasions, he would call his mom sobbing, telling her he wanted to drop out and come home, that he was lonely and scared and sick to his stomach everyday; it was as if he was a child again. He couldn't stop thinking about it. The look on that man's face when the javelin had pierced his heart -- the feeling of deep, aching dread in his own heart. Sometimes, when he woke up, it was the feeling of that comforting hand on his shoulder and the gentle voice in his ear that lingered with him, rather than the death at his own hands -- he'd think of the way he'd felt himself instantly relax, and he'd think of the words, spoken softly in fluent ancient Greek. Oh, my sweet Achilles.

But...whatever. It had to be the same thing as the night terrors, right? Just a bit weird because of how much time he was spending reading fucking Homer lately. And learning Greek was a unique sort of mindfuck -- it wouldn't be entirely surprising that it was doing shit to his brain. Yeah, that was it. It had to be.

The letter had hardly been a comfort. As much as this was bothering him, he was content to believe that it didn't really mean anything. Joey knew, deep down, that if it meant something, it had to mean something terrible. Something he could not handle. The letter (from some Imperator Caesar Flavius Claudius Julianus Augustus... whatever the hell that meant) confirmed his worst fears, which he had not even truly admitted to himself. The fear that he was something very, very different. Some part of him might have known this as long as he could remember, but it was undeniable now. And now that those floodgates were opened, he needed to know more. If he could not hide from it any longer, then he would damn well understand it.

He had asked his thesis adviser for some time off, and luckily, she had accepted. She'd told him to take care of himself in the most condescendingly motherly of tones he'd ever heard in his adult life -- clearly, he looked how he felt. With her approval, he decided to dedicate at least the next week or so to whatever the hell this Imperator dude had going on. The war mentioned in the letter, he assumed, was a metaphor of some sort, but that didn't make him any less curious. And the gods? Plural? Christ.

It was shady, but he went. What was there to lose, at this point (besides...everything, but whatever)? And it was a nice-ass place, admittedly.

"Damn, Flavius Julianus Whatever-the-fuck. Sexy murder house you got there." Well, that was something he hadn't considered. Maybe it was a weird elaborate sex thing? That thought went out the window, however, when he approached the door and read the note. The idea of meeting people who knew what he was going through... It was appealing, to say the least. Even if this Julian fellow was not going to have answers for him yet, maybe they could all come to some sort of understanding together. Maybe he could find some comfort in that. Or, at the very least, maybe it would be a weird sex thing. He would take anything, at this point. He wasn't too keen on the fact that he apparently wasn't supposed to leave, but he'd deal with that later. Whatever.

Upon entering, though, the house was clearly empty. That, or his new friends were going out of their way to be silent. Maybe he was just a tad early. He sighed, letting the door shut behind him, and stalking forward to the living room and its promise of liquor. Alcohol was a particularly reliable assistant in most distressing situations, he had come to find out in his adulthood. It really was just a straight shot ahead -- he found the said room in seconds and made a beeline for the liquor cabinet, pulling a full bottle of Patron and a glass out.

Thank you, Julian, whoever the hell you are, he thought as he settled down on the cushy couch in the center of the room with a glass way too full of tequila, and waited.

 

[Dusk]

"Mama it's fine," the young woman replied into the phone. Lenora heard a frantic garble of Russian which clearly indicated the old woman thought it was anything but fine. "I have my phone," Lenora soothed as if the device would protect her from any harm. Her mother continued to ramble on the other end. Lenora sighed loudly to herself and continued down the path. Scratchiness cut into her mother's protesting and the girl cast a downward glance at the phone. The last of her bars flickered ominously.

"You're breaking up," she told her mother as she came to a stop soothed by the sound of pine needles crunching beneath her boots. Exasperated cries fought with crackling to become a half-distinguishable cacophony. Even if Lenora had wanted to listen to her mother's admonishing lecture, it was hopeless because of the signal. "I'll call you back." The girl replied softly as she pressed the red end call button. Lenora tucked the phone into her back pocket and cast another cautious glance at her surroundings. Her mother was right – this was terribly sketch.

But she couldn't ignore the dream any longer. Always the same dream, always leaving her in a cold sweat as she woke from her slumber. It was so real. She could feel the way the pottery pierced her flesh. The force with which she was pulled from her carriage. The mob that surrounded her as they brought death upon her. It made her want to cry. Some nights she did. She'd wake from her slumber with tears welled in her eyes or sob quietly to herself as dawn reached over the horizon. Even just remembering their vitriolic faces left her feeling a deep churn in her stomach. They hated her so much.

Lenora inhaled sharply to let the cool air fill her lungs as she ran her sleeve across her eyes. She could feel the moisture through the thin fabric. This was all so strange. Abnormal didn't begin to describe it. With a second sigh, the woman started up the path again. She pushed her thoughts away from her horrific dream and focused on her current situation. Which in itself was a little horrific. Unable to stand the dreams any longer, Lenora had accepted the strange invitation to meet with a man styling himself as a deceased Emperor. This Imperator claimed a great many things, many of which drew her curiosity, but Lenora wanted the dream to stop more than anything. She wasn't sure how to cope with being murdered every night.

Her feet stumbled to a stop as the exquisite cabin came into view. She didn't know what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Lenora stepped cautiously toward the building, a touch of her unease erased by the fine state of the house.

"Hello?" She called out, receiving no response. Her hand went back to her pocket where she retrieved her phone and clutched it tightly to her chest as she approached the front door. There was a note tacked to the door. Lenora gave it a quick read over. She cocked her head to the side and hesitated. There were others? Were they also experiencing vivid nightmares? Her iron grip loosened and she let her arm fall beside her. With another deep inhale she pulled the door open and stepped across the threshold. Slowly, the woman made her way through the house. It didn't take her long to find the only occupied room.

A man who appeared around her age lounged comfortably on the couch with a glass of indistinguishable liquid in his hand. Lenora didn't have to guess at what he was drinking, however, as the thick scent of alcohol greeted her nostrils. She briefly eyed the liquor cabinet – obviously the one mentioned in the note – but her attention focused on the young man. He looked normal enough and she wasn't getting any creepy vibes from him. This man was undoubtedly one of the allies the note mentioned. Although she wouldn't wish her dream on anyone, she did like the idea of having someone in a similar boat to talk to about it. Lenora flashed a smile and took a few steps into the room.

"Hey," she announced. "I'm Lenora. Are you one of the others Julian mentioned?"

 

[junebug]

Alex Vasilakis

Sweat ran down Alex's forehead as she stayed light on her feet, moving constantly from side to side. She took a jab with her right hand and an upper hook with her left. She swooped down to the left side and threw a few more punches, stood up, and ended her forty five minute practice with a vigorous roundhouse kick to the punching bag that shook the chains hanging from the ceiling. Alex did a few dynamic stretches for the next five minutes and took off her fast wraps following the last stretch. She gulped down some refreshing, lemon infused water and got ready for the day. Grocery shopping was on the list and binge watching the third season of Fortuna's Worst Criminals In History documentary.

She turned on some techno dance music high and prepped her daily "green" shake. Chloë came into the kitchen a moment later and grabbed a couple of waffles from the freezer.

"Good morning, Mommy!"

"Hey, lovebug, snacks and sandwiches are in the fridge for your lunch. What's going to happen today?"

"I'm going to have a great day at school, make a lot of friends, and enjoy learning," Chloë grinned, stood up on a stool nearby, and popped her waffles in the toaster oven.

"That's right, everyday is an awesome day and today, I've decided to surprise you today by driving you to school so you don't have to take the bus," Alex smiled. "I'm going to take a shower, you finish up your breakfast, and preparing lunch. I'll be right out, okay? Oh, and don't forget that book you want to read a chapter of everyday for this month."

"I won't forget," Chloë held up the novel in her hands. "I've got it and the chapters are getting easier since you've been teaching me how to say the different words and what they mean."

"Good, lovebug. When you're done with your meal, clean up your plate and put it in the dishwasher please," Alex finished her shake– a complete concoction of greens, pineapple, hemp protein powder, and turmeric– and drank half of it before placing the rest in the fridge. She noticed the U.S. Postal Service stop by her mailbox and headed back to her bedroom. She would grab the mail on the way out.

Alex closed her bedroom door behind her and took a deep breath. That memory, dream, whatever it was. It felt so real and even now, it still plagued her, as if she had his own blood on her hands, every single night. She shook her head and went to take a shower. It would pass; usually all of her dreams did... At least, she hoped this one did. It'd been going on for weeks now. As the hot water passed down on her hair, neck, and shoulders, she closed her eyes and tried to visualize what'd happened, if the dream was trying to tell her something.

Marcus…

That bloody scene. Alex felt her throat tighten and she opened her eyes again, grief overwhelming her for a moment before she brought herself back to the present. She shivered, even under the hot water that hit her skin. It was a creepy, terrifying dream, if she had anything to say about it, but the ending was bittersweet in a way, it broke her heart and left her in silent tears the moment she'd woken up at the stroke of her six o'clock alarm. Usually, a dream with that much blood– if any of her dreams before had been remotely like that– she wouldn't feel anything comparable to the death scene of a man with curly hair, especially if he was a stranger.

By now, after eleven years in law enforcement, she was desensitized to the trauma of seeing pools of blood. Her first few years being a patrol officer and sometimes getting caught in unsavory situations hadn't been great, but now, she was a well-oiled machine, ready to take on any crime scene head first with logic in mind. The dream shook her to the core regardless and she didn't understand why it felt like such a big deal when it wasn't even remotely real.

Alex stepped out of the shower and finished getting ready for the day. She threw her clothes on, brushed her teeth, and grabbed her purse with the car keys and a gun for safety located inside. Gladiator sandals donned her feet, and a nice pedicure to follow. She made sure her shopping bags were in the car ahead of time, so that she could head straight to the grocery store after she dropped off her daughter at Thomas Milton Elementary School.

"Baby, you almost ready?"

Alex turned off the music with a wireless remote on the wall in the living room.

"Yes, Mommy!"

Chloë appeared around the corner from the kitchen with a goofy grin on her face. She was all set, lunch box in hand, book in hand, and backpack loaded with school material.

"Do you have your homework in your homework folder from the night before?"

Chloë pulled a pink folder out from her backpack, "Right here!"

"Wonderful, let's go before you're late," Alex placed the folder back in Chloë's backpack and ushered her out the door. She locked the front door and unlocked the van so Chloë could get in and buckle up while Alex grabbed her mail. The first envelope Alex noticed wasn't her bills like usual, but the strange, cursive writing on a rather small invitation-style envelope. She raised a brow and flipped it over— probably just some spam talking about how a lady in Nigeria wanted to gift her a million dollars in exchange for her bank account information.

She hopped in her van and tossed the mail aside on the passenger seat. She would get to it later.

---

Alex exited the vehicle and closed the van door where Chloë was when she got out. Alex walked her daughter to the curb and leaned down, hands grasping her daughter's and a smile on her face. She pulled a strand of hair back behind Chloë's ear.

"What's going to happen today, lovebug?"

"Today is going to be a great day!"

"That's right, sweetheart," Alex gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and pulled back, immediately noticing the change in Chloë's mood.

"Mommy, what if those boys bully me again and call me names?" Chloë questioned, a pout on her face.

"Chlo, I need you to remember something for me," Alex squeezed her daughter's hands. "You bow down to no one, not even those stupid boys. Keep your chin up, tell them to stop. If they don't, tell the teacher, and if the teacher doesn't do anything about it, tell her I'm going to come in and do something about it. You've got your whole life ahead of you, honey, and the best revenge you can have against those mean boys?"

Alex looked into Chloë's eyes, "Smile and continue with your day, go so far as to throw a witty comment their way. They hate it when the other kids aren't affected by their words and actions. They live in insecurity and their insecurity plays off on you and others because they're scared. You are a strong, powerful lady and letting those boys ruin your day is only going to give them more power. You've got this and remember, you've got a Mommy who's a cop. I'll kick their asses if they hurt you, understand?"

"Yes, Mommy," Her speech brightened a little.

"What are we going to have?"

"A great day," Chloë responded, though her tone was not vibrant.

"Say it with more vigor. I want to feel your excitement," Alex grinned.

"A great day," Chloë tried again with a small smile.

"Again," Alex repeated, a profound mischief twinkling in her eyes.

"A great day- Ah!" Chloë bursted into laughter as Alex began tickling her. "Mommy! Stop it! That tickles! Mommy!"

"We're going to have a great day, yes?!" Alex laughed and embraced her child. Chloë grinned and nodded, arms wrapping tightly around her neck. Chloë buried her face in Alex's neck and Alex in Chloë's neck. The embrace lasted for a couple minutes.

"I love you, lovebug. I won't let anyone harm you, okay? You're my world."

"I love you too, Mommy."

"Have a great day. Do you want me to walk you to the front of the school?"

"Nah, I've got it," Chloë grinned. "I love you, Mommy. Have a great day."

"You too, Love."

Alex parted ways with her daughter and stood up, waving goodbye as her little girl approached the building of Thomas Milton. When Chloë disappeared from her line of vision, she got back into her van and took a deep breath. Her vision followed her back to the mail and she grabbed the strange invitation on top. Whether this was worse than the dream she had or not, she was certain it wasn't any better than getting a spam call. Alex opened the letter, mostly from skepticism, but also part curiosity about what an extravagant letter could mean.

It had a specific time and date, even a location to meet other strangers and some weird talk about how a war was coming… Hardly what she'd call civil means. She called her department and asked them to keep an eye on this address she was invited to. She would contact them immediately for backup, if necessary, as it might be a location lead to the case she'd been working on with a few other men and women. In the meantime, she would go reluctantly, but willingly, to see who else would arrive at this strange location she'd never heard of before.

Her co-workers informed her that the cabin was in a rural area… quite literally out in the middle of nowhere… but there was a forest nearby and it didn't appear that anyone had tampered with the appearance for a while. Perhaps it was abandoned. In regards to whoever might've been there, that would be up to Alex to find out. They could be a threat or they could simply be a well-meaning stranger. It all depended on how the situation played out.

Two hours later, she arrived in a red truck. The area was eerily silent, save for the cars that seemed to be somewhat promising of people inside, whoever they were. She hid her gun inside the left side of her jacket, prepared for whatever threat or act of violence these people may exude on her. She could assume Julius meant well, of course, but when she didn't know who this Julian Flavius Caesar person was, the person who'd driven the blue car to this cabin was considered an enemy by default and someone who lied about themselves.

She shut the door to her truck silently and walked slowly to the front door, where she noticed along the way, two pairs of shoes marking the dirt and stopping when they lead to the pathway towards the front door. Alex had made a mental note of her surroundings and to leave most, if not all of her personal belongings at home, save for her driver's license, which she left in a small, locked compartment underneath the passenger seat, and her police ID and badge located in a deep pocket inside her jacket. Alex made certain everything was in order, with her phone on her and some chapstick. She eyed the note on the front door and read it.

My sincerest apologies that I could not be here to greet you today, but I assure you it is not necessary. Make yourself at home. Everything you might need is provided inside, so please do try not to leave until further notice.

Please come in and get comfortable. Just ahead in the living room, you will find a well-stocked liquor cabinet, and perhaps your new friends. Try to get to know each other -- once all becomes known, you may find it harder to make friends. For now, these are your allies. They are all experiencing what you are experiencing. Try to find understanding in each other.

I will see you all soon,
Julian

So, whoever was here… wasn't Julian, as she'd expected. Suspicious. A picture was taken of the note and Alex knocked on the door to see if the people inside would answer.

---

@Rook @sing o muse

 

[Achilles]

JOEY LEMKE​

Joey was not alone for long, and he was glad for that. The longer he sat there, the dumber this all seemed. A few minutes in, and his mind had wandered to So, I'm definitely gonna die today, aren't I? He recalled his mother, upon hearing her son was enrolling in a PhD program, fretting over him getting too caught up in his books. She'd told him that those with the most book-smarts often severely lacked street-smarts, and, well... he understood her believing that was applicable to him. Had he been the parent of a seventeen-year-old child who decided to sleep with a grown-ass married man, he would probably be concerned, too -- but it wasn't at all what it seemed, and he still maintained that a decade later. She would never understand, but he was an excellent judge of character.

Except, well... now. He was definitely gonna die. Maybe his mother was right.

It probably wasn't a fair assumption, but the footsteps he eventually heard did not seem harsh or loud enough for the person they belonged to to be a threat. He was eager to see who it was, but he was careful to play it off, leaning his elbow on the arm of the couch and crossing his legs. He gave the woman what was probably an unsubtle once-over as she entered the room, casually swirling the liquid in his glass, and determined that she was pretty, but extremely nonthreatening. Physically, at least.

He returned her polite smile, finally resting his drink on the coffee table in front of him and hopping to his feet after a few quiet moments. Charm mode activated.

"Hello, there," he greeted her, holding out his hand for a shake. "That's a beautiful name. I'm Joey." Her question seemed like it should have been a quick and easy thing to answer, but it made him hesitate, for whatever reason. While he no longer truly suspected he had been lured to his own death, he still had a steadily increasing uneasiness about this whole situation, and this was the first time he was required to acknowledge aloud that there was something major going on. His smile faded out ever-so-slightly.

"I... guess so? I have to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what that means. But, yeah." He wanted to confirm his suspicions that this was all about the damn dreams, but he didn't. He would let this Lenora bring that up, first.

Or someone else, he thought as he heard a knock at the door. "Oh, that must be another one. I'll get it!" he offered without hesitation. He needed the stimulation of meeting new people to keep him from overthinking.

He stuck his hands in his sweater pockets and headed to the front door with a spring in his step. Again, he caught himself thinking that if someone was there to commit a murder or two, they probably weren't going to knock. He turned the knob and swung the door wide open in one swift motion.

Another pretty girl. It was safe to say, Joey thought, that his weird-sex-thing theory had gone out the window. Ah, well. That wasn't really his scene, anyway.

He smiled warmly, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter. "Hello," he greeted her simply. He had no idea who belonged here or not, but he would have to just assume that it wasn't very likely that some random was going to find themselves at this door. "I'm Joey. And, no, I don't know what's going on either." After closing the door behind her, he gestured for her to follow and headed back towards the living room. He wanted another drink.

@Rook @Kat

 

[Queen_Asmodeus]

Cassidy never really had any noticable dreams in her life, her life was crazy enough without them. Her younger years spent learning how to fight, Surku teaching her how to kill without a second thought, how to use a gun, danger and unimaginable crazy things happened to her every day. It was until they received the letters that Cassiday and Surku wondered about them. Looking down at the two letters, both almost identical, a bottle of tequila with two freshly emptied shit glasses between them. The old bar was closed and empty for the night, only Cassidy and her adopted sister sat together as they looked from letter to each other.

"So, should we go? Would father even allow us to go to some crazy random place that I can guarentee is more than likely a trap?" Surku asked, pouring them another round of shots as her black eyes glistened with questioning, but finding no answers in Cassidy's face.

"Maybe? I know I can sweet talk dad into anything," Cas smiled, holding her hand up to show that she had already talked her way out of title as mafia boss, settling for the hard long nights of running a bar. "I am sure we can go. I just have to get Orion and the Triplets to run the place while we are gone. So, what was this dream about out again?"

"I was seducing a girl, well I sung to her on this harp thing. It seemed liked it worked cuase she sat on my lap. Wish the dream didn't have to end so early." Surku told her, handing a glass to her sister and clicking it agaisnt the other as she tossed her head back along with her glass, drinking the alcohol easily. The two wouldn't say that they were alcoholic, but they knew their drinks and how to handle them."So all you dreamed about was walking around with a plucked chicken and taking it to some kind of school?"

"Yeah," Kasai sighed, coping her sister and giving of a small giggle as she slammed the glass on the old wooden bar. "Which seems weirdly hilarious."

"Here is the next question. When you gonna do your 'Daddy's Favorite Little Girl' act?" Surku questioned, cocking an eyebrow as the Japanese woman leaned back against the bar, watching Cassidy as she stood, pulling a simple black flip phone from her pocket as she dialed a number.

"Hey Dad! It's Cas. No, I'm not in trouble! I was calling to ask a question. Can me and Sodoku take a vacation? No, it's actually to a cabin, somewhere remote and somewhere we can't get into a trouble, I promise," Cassidy walked around, weaving through tables and smiling as she spoke, her voice a little higher than normal as she spoke, looking over at her sister before sporting a thumbs up to the other as she had gotten her approval. "Thanks Daddy! I love you! Told you! Time to pack our bags and have a little fun!"
________________

The sisters had arrived after a long plane flight and hastled over when trying to rent vehicles, Cassidy was able to secure herself a motorcycle, a Harley Davidson 2018 Softtail Slim S, olive green with an antique look to it. The young woman clad in leather, shivers of excitement running down her back as she pulled her helmet off to look at the cabin after she had parked, her curls tumbling out as she smiled. A solid black mustang pulled up alongside her as the tinted window rolled down.

"You have it on you still right?" She asked as she revved her engine, trying to cover the sound of her words as she didn't want anyone to hear her. The two had a small pistol on themselves, hidden in the small of Surku's back as her shirt hid it from view, Cas had the weapon on a garderbelt around her thigh as she wore a long black dress that hugged her body, but remained loose enough around her legs to hide the weapon. "Suprised you could drive that in that."

"Takes skill and luck, how do I look?" She asked as she pulled the jacket off, kicking her boots that seemed dusty as they started to the door, Surku shaking her head as she knocked on the door politely before Cassidy grabbed the handle and yanked it opened to yell. "Who is ready to party!"

"Fuc- Damnit! You can't just go around-" Surku had started to scold the younger woman before noticing the other two and quickly becoming quiet, her dark eyes staring down at the two with curiosity and question, looking to see if they were a threat before turning her attention back to her sister. Cassidy simply giggling to herself as she looked around a bit.

"Well, hello there." She spoke, her words sounding like honey laced with poison as she knew that she could definitely cuase trouble her, her eyes instantly settled on the open cabinet. A hand grabbed Cassidy's arm as she looked back at Surku, the smaller woman glaring daggers at her as Cas only gave her a frown before she stopped herself, remembering that they don't know what was really going on or happening here. She turned back to the others before talking. "I'm Cassidy, and this is my sister, Surku."

 

[TheDevil'sGame]

Arthur Nicholson

"I'm sorry Arthur but they need you to stand aside for now. Releasing that woman has led to many of our allies questioning your decisions. We understand your motives and you obviously have our support. Just let our diplomats do their jobs and this situation should quiet down. Luckily, the world doesn't know about this and you ought to remain the hero. You've done good work for our country and our men so I suggest you see this as a short vacation. Once I obtain any new information I shall get back to you. See you again Arthur."

"Thank you Mason.." The words left his mouth as he pulled the phone from his ear. Carefully ending the call as he slipped the device back within his pocket. The sound of his truck still grumbling resembled the feelings he felt about his removal. The woman was not a danger to them, if anything she was certainly a cure for the region. He sighed as he opened the glove compartment beside him as he pulled two magazines that accompanied it. Placing them all within his jacket as he looked up at the lonely road that led to this mysterious cabin that he was beckoned to.

The strange letter he had receive was odd. Letters often didn't come directly to him as he had people who sorted through to answer for him. And yet, this was laying upon his desk once he arrived at home.

He had been a part of strange things like the Bohemian Grove and the Skull and Bones society at Yale. The children of rich individuals who created such spaces to defend their wealth and create connections. Pretending to be more important than they actually were as they committed silly things to rid themselves of stress. These people often took bribes and worked with one another to further their own goals and these places were often far removed from the normalcy of the average person.

He absolutely despised these places but he likely got another invitation by some madman who considered himself an emperor. Much of the same ridiculous things he had seen before though it was the mention of dreams that he was curious about. It could simply have been another one of these odd events he was going to. Though, having strange dreams was nothing he hadn't seen before. Suffering from PTSD and severe trauma often had him reliving events or scenarios he had lived through before. An odd form of hell as he vividly remembered friends dying, terrorists erupting or civilians crying for help. One could never get used to such things and his current dream was nothing too troubling.

It only reminded him of that woman. The one he released. She was certainly not the person in the dream but it was after then that he started having all these same nightmares.

Before he noticed it, he had already arrived at the cabin as he parked his truck alongside the far side of the area. He checked his suit before pulling himself out of the vehicle and proceeding towards the well constructed deck house. He skimmed through the note before pushing the door open to allow himself in as he noticed the much younger inhabitants.

"... I swear, if this is some stupid arrangement..." He muttered as he began to think this was likely for the sons and daughters of the wealthy. Maybe it was mailed to him by accident but it did have his name on it as he tried to remember the letter without retrieving it from his coat pocket. His family had died almost two decades ago now, during one of the largest terrorist attacks in the countries history. He didn't wish to remember such things and as he moved over towards the bar. He began to inspect the bottles of alcohol as he ignored the others in the room.

 

[TheDevil'sGame]

Giovanni Mascen

​

"I'm into some weird shit." The murmurs of these unhappy words filled her small room. As she rolled over her bed. Pulling her fingers through her hair as she made certain it wasn't shaved like her recent dreams continued to portray. Pulling her arms close as she hugged them near her body as she did feel cold though. She eventually looked over on her dresser drawer as she looked at the strange letter she had received. She chalked it up to coincidence and whatever madman thought them self to be an emperor must have taken some great drugs her family had likely sold them. She moved around her room as she looked at the mess that was around her. Her room was the tiniest in the manor and she had to get construction workers to make it even smaller to ascertain to her taste. She felt vulnerable in large open spaces, and she couldn't sleep in such a large spacious room. She began to struggle at sleeping at all at this point.

She kicked off her pajamas as she entered her bathroom. Not caring for all the decorative or luxurious things strewn about to make the place appear more elegant. She often detested such things as it wasn't reminiscent of what cruel things were dictated by the people who owned them. The rich were just as criminal as she was. It didn't matter if her family sold illicit drugs as the pharmaceutical companies did the same with the opiods they were letting loose on the market. Yet, that was seen as okay in comparison to whatever her family was involved in. Health care companies allowing thousands of innocent people to die every year to make a better profit. At least some of the people they killed were for reason and were not so innocent. She sighed as she began to remove the last bits of her clothing as she entered the warm steam of her shower room.

'I'm not so different than the people who already have all this... Then why do I still feel so awful?'

===

"You shouldn't be out here alone Miss. You know we are supposed to keep an eye on you." A large man responded as he parked the vehicle outside of the cabin. The other vehicles giving them pause as it seemed like a variety of people had already shown to this event. "Why do you even want to come here? It's just some loon. If you want, we can just kidnap him and deliver him sometime later so you can have a persona session."

"Shut it Marro. It'll be fine. We have done this for ages and she is clearly capable. We didn't raise no idiot and she should enjoy herself once in a while. We should be celebrating that she has finally gone out of her own choice." A woman responded as she leaned over her leather seat as she handed the girl a 9mm Luger pistol. "Eighteen shots should be enough to make anyone unhappy and here is an extra magazine. Keep it close, if someone deserves it, let them have it."

"Thank you, Civ. Don't tell my father and I promise to keep in touch. You two don't have to worry. I honestly don't expect much to come from this but I am curious. Everything you checked shows this place is nothing but normal. If something comes up I will immediately alert you both." She responded as she pulled herself out of the car. The two waived her off before pulling out of the area and driving away.

Her clothes were pristine and beautiful as she decided to choose something formal in case this was something more serious. If not, she hoped it would give her some space from her family for a while. She didn't expect more than a cult and as she pulled her coat over herself she made her way towards the door.

The note on the door gave her pause. As she looked at the building. The vehicle she was once in already disappearing as she wondered if she should commit to this. She wasn't known and even then she should have been able to live a relatively normal life. Though, as she tried to reach for the door she began to remember the short moment that had always stained her mind.

Screams... Yells accompanied by the sounds of violence and sex... The angry voices threatening that they would do all the same to her... Once that woman no longer gave breaths... She desperately closed her eyes and tried to cover her ears as she simply wanted nothing but silence to come... Gunshots rang out instead.

The thoughts ended quickly as she felt herself return to this strange place. Trying desperately to push those thoughts aside as she pulled herself through the door. Noticing an older man as he made his way towards the bar. He seemed silent and ignoring the others as he seemed to focus on other things. She suddenly realized that she was among Joey and Alex as she looked at the two in surprise. The boy seemed remarkably pale though handsome she would say. While Alex seemed like a diligent and hardworking person. She grew suspicious as what was going on as she wondered if some strange sexual thing was being planned.

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Gio. Gio Dana. I wouldn't say that you both are having odd dreams as well? Would you?" She was wondering now if she had been slipped some strange drug or something to cause this. And debating if she should call back her guards immediately to handle this as she awaited an answer.

 

[Dusk]

Stirred by the light of the early morning, Lance rolled from his bed with the taste of foreign wine on his tongue. Consciousness slowly brought a change to the air as the world of his dream rescinded into memory. He soon became aware of the world around him, but his thoughts still lingered on the dream. Lance found himself thinking more and more about the strange realm he visited in his sleep. The first night he had shrugged it off as nothing but an odd dream. But that changed when he had the same dream the next night. And the night after that. Two weeks after the first occurrence and the dream continued to present itself every night. A reoccurring dream was odd enough to Lance, but this was more than just that. Immaculate details and lingering sensory perceptions followed him into the waking world. Something inside him told him that this was different.

The letter suggested the same thing. Lance slipped from his silken sheets into the cool of the apartment air. Even in the morning sunlight, the room was far from warm. He pulled his rich purple robe from the bedpost and slipped it around his shoulders, allowing the bulk of it to fall freely along the length of his body. In short, the letter was an invitation. An invitation across the country to a town Lance had never heard of from a man with too many names. The man strolled into the kitchen and started himself a pot of coffee. The smell immediately beginning to fill his nostrils as he considered the fancy notice. It sat abandoned on the counter where he had tossed it after reading it the night previously. Logically, he'd think it a hoax if not for the plane ticket (which he'd already verified). Most people don't spend that much money on a joke.

There was also the promise of something greater in the letter. The enticing bit which suggested Lance was significant and special without providing any insight except vaguely. How could he resist a call like that? Be it hoax or madman at least whatever waited for Lance in Fortuna would be interesting. And because of that, he decided he would go. Realistically, the worst that would happen was a weekend spent in New York.

Black coffee in hand, Lance called into the office to take the day off. He then called up a couple of friends to let them know he was leaving – just in case this was more nefarious than it appeared. Come evening, Lance had made all his calls and packed himself a light luggage. He then cracked himself a bottle of wine and invited over one of his lovely friends.

---
​

Departing the yellow taxi, Lance left the driver $100 as he slipped into the cool air. The smell of damp wood and pine immediately assaulting his nose. The man pulled his phone from his chest pocket and clicked it to life, checking the signal in the corner. Three bars. At least if he was going to be murdered he'd be able to call for help first. Turning back to the car, Lance waved the young driver onward with a friendly smile. The youth nodded and drove off the scene without another word. Lance had attempted to probe him about the location, but the kid had known nothing.

The dark-haired man stretched as he stood where the car had dropped him. He could see the building peeking over the trees, but he was in no hurry. Leisurely, Lance started toward the cabin. He enjoyed each step. An hour in the car and over five on the plane left his body exhausted with sitting. He had spent the flight crammed into a tiny seat with little to do for most of the flight. At first, he'd enjoyed a pleasant conversation with his neighbor, but it had been short-lived. The other man seemed to quickly tire of socializing and left Lance to stare out the window as the world passed beneath him. This left him with a lot of time to think about his dream. Again.

The image of himself reaching out to his children stuck firmly in his mind. And he knew they were supposed to be his children. He had known from the first time he had seen them but a quick search of the word pater had confirmed his suspicion. It was the Latin word for father. Knowing that left him with a strange uncertainty. Lance was inexperienced at handling children, especially young ones, and the idea of offspring of his own preoccupied a very small portion of his mind. But there was something about those small delicate figures with dark eyes that stirred something inside him.

Gravel crunched beneath his feet as Lance passed by several cars. It seemed he was far from the first to arrive at the party. He grinned to himself when he spotted the motorcycle among the regular vehicles. Someone was making a statement. Someone else was making a statement with this cabin. In was far finer than the average retreat. Lance wasn't a woodsy sort of guy, but he could get used to this.

Sauntering up the path and porch, Lance stopped to find a small note tacked to the door. All that and Julian wasn't even present. At least the man had done them the courtesy of a well-stocked liquor cabinet. He couldn't be that bad, could he? Lance smiled to himself as he pulled the door open. There was nothing quite like bonding while intoxicated.

Quite the collection of people had gathered in the living room by the time Lance got there. Seven heads total, with five of them being exceptionally fine young women. There was also one handsome youth and an older man, grayed in the hair. Overall quite an attractive bunch. If Lance was about to be murdered, he couldn't complain about his last sights. His eyes lingered longest on the pale blonde with striking blue eyes. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but there was something else about her. Something just enough to make his confident persona falter for a minute.

He wondered if he'd met her before.

Nevertheless, Lance shrugged it off and leaned himself against the door frame, a crooked grin spread across his face.

"Hello, hello. What are we drinking?" He asked the room, eyes falling on the liquor cabinet and the older man who occupied it. "Something dark with a burn, I hope."

 

[Achilles]

JOEY LEMKE​

The tiniest bit of a tequila buzz was starting to kick in, and combined with the underlying current of nervous energy already running a low-burning fire through his veins, it was making Joey feel increasingly chaotic. A small part of him expected to see someone he, at the very least, somewhat recognized, but it was becoming quite clear that that was not going to happen.

He wondered when someone would bring up the elephant in the room. He certainly would not. It was not something he was looking forward to talking about, at all, however much he knew it would help. He sauntered back over to the liquor cabinet, snatching the same bottle he had taken from before. This time, he simply brought it back to his seat with him, sitting down before refilling his already quarter-full glass. A bad choice, of course, and he knew that as he was doing it, but somehow he just didn't think he could stop himself at this point. Drinking had always been the one very glaring weakness of his.

While Joey's chaos focused inward, the next arrivals seemed to have a more obvious storm going on. Or, one of them, at least. He heard them well before he saw them, and snorted out a laugh. "Not much of a party yet!" he shouted back. He watched them finally come in over the lip of his glass before setting it down, giving them a proper look. They seemed... more fun, perhaps? Though, he was not sure yet if that was a good thing.

"Hi," he started with a grin. Sisters. They... certainly did not look alike, so he supposed there might be a story there. Not that he would ask. "Nice to meet you ladies. Name's Joey." He was already beginning to tire of introducing himself. He wondered when the wave of arrivals would stop.

As if on cue, another man -- noticeably older -- made his grand entrance into the room, which involved... complete and utter silence, apparently. Joey observed him quietly for a moment, bemused, with a single eyebrow quirked. This was the first person that had entered that had given Joey a moment of hesitation to consider that, perhaps, they weren't one of the people that belonged here -- but that would almost make it stranger that he was ignoring them. He could understand making a beeline for the booze, though. A man after his own heart. When he still said nothing, though, Joey huffed out a laugh. If he was dying tonight, he was sure it would be this guy.

The next arrival was friendlier -- too friendly, in fact. Her initial greeting earned her one of Joey's signature charming grins, but it slowly faded as she moved into questioning them about their reason for being there already. Jesus. Strange dreams? That didn't seem like the correct description. Horrifying, nauseating, genuinely traumatizing, perhaps. Strange dreams didn't usually cause him to wake up sobbing or physically ill, or leave him with the very distinct feeling that he was missing someone desperately that he could not even name or picture. But perhaps this Gio girl's was different. Maybe she was dreaming of kittens.

"I... yeah. Strange dreams. I suppose you could say that." Joey managed to maintain a little bit of confidence in his tone, but he was noticeably shakier in demeanor. Just the prospect of talking about the dream out loud, even though he had not been asked to describe it in detail by any means, was filling him with the most immense anxiety. The aforementioned nervous energy no longer seemed an adequate descriptor of the feeling emanating from the pit of his stomach. "But it's..."

He was interrupted by the sound of movement in the doorway, and oh thank God for that. Joey's gaze snapped speedily to the door, happy for an excuse to put off talking about the stupid murder dream. A cute excuse, even! Very nice, indeed.

"Well, hello to you too." He grinned, taking a healthy sip of his drink before continuing. Good, someone else who saw the drinking as what it was -- the obvious highlight of this entire strange encounter. "I like you already. Here, I'll get you something." He realized he was possibly coming off as way too enthusiastic the moment he bounced up out of his seat and practically ran towards the cabinet, but he was simply eager to change the subject. Honestly. And he really wished he could clarify that, but that would certainly defeat the purpose.

In his haste, Joey brushed past the older gentleman still standing there with a little too much speed and bumped right into his side, almost sending the cup still in his hand flying across the room. Luckily, just a splash sloshed onto the floor. Joey froze, steadying himself before letting out a genuinely amused but embarrassed laugh.

"Or... help yourself. Might be easier."

 

[junebug]

Alex Vasilakis

To say everything had suddenly become overwhelming, was an understatement. Alex was horrified, for lack of a better word. Lenora and Joey seemed relaxed for the most part, however, once others began to file in, Alex's sense of false security vaporized quicker than water. How on Earth could she share her dream with these strangers? Alex took a large gulp of water, alcohol sounding more tempting now, though she didn't give in. She had a child to pick up after she shared what'd happened here with her coworkers. Names and general personalities imprinted on her mind like hot glue.

Alex shook her head at Gio's words, hardly interested in even saying she'd had an odd dream… It wasn't even an odd dream. It was petrifying. A man she didn't know, some man named Marcus… dying in her arms, and she, sobbing while her heart was stuck in her throat. That was not odd at all, that was some voodoo magic someone had casted to make her feel afraid of what was going on. She'd only felt temporary relief when a handsome man entered the area and gazed at her, perhaps longer than she would've expected. The tiny bit of hope she'd had faltered when he'd joined in the party.

This was far too much. She couldn't deal with the masses acting as if what was going on was just something to celebrate. How could she celebrate someone's blood covering her hands? Someone she apparently had cared about very much? The worst part was that Joey had hopped right on in to say hello to the attractive man. Alex was going to be sick, and as such, she stood up without another word and left the premises to make her way towards the balcony upstairs, overlooking the forest surrounding the backyard.

Her throat was dry and she was thirsty. She'd refilled her water on the way up and drank some more. Alex was also quite certain she had a headache from all of the noise and for a few minutes, it felt nice to be out in nature, away from them. She could hardly consider getting to know anyone while drinking alcohol, much less become friends quickly. The situation was far too dire, in her opinion, at least… The dream was. It wasn't real and all of this was a hoax. She called her coworkers, letting them know of the "party" some stranger named Julian decided to host. None of party goers were threatening, which was good at least, and she would follow up later with her partner in crime about how the party went— possibly with some drunkards.

For now, she really needed a breather from the chaos that'd seemingly popped out of nowhere.

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Liam Russo

Dreams. Liam could still remember when that word meant something to him. The days before life's harsh realities bore into him like shrapnel through flesh. Most nights, he didn't dream. Liam was thankful for this, however. Because the nights he did were painful. Often, he would dream of war. Of a conflict he didn't agree with but fought anyway, believing it was still the right thing to do. When he came home, however, witnessing what it had meant and done, he could no longer stomach it. Last night, his dreams were unusual. They began much as they often did, with an explosion and cries of anguish. The sounds of gunfire and screams, and a rending of his body from an enemy assault. This time, though, it shifted into an unfamilar scene, one that seemed alien, and yet, the opposite. The sense of pride he felt, and that woman's smile...it was a comfort he had never expected to find in sleep.

Liam's eyes opened, taking in the sights of his surroundings. The familiar walls and furniture layout of his bedroom brought a sense of relief to him. Beside him, a lovely young brunette woman lies awake, looking at him with a smile.

"You know you gotta get up, Mr. Russo. Public office waits for no man."

Her voice was sweet like lavender, and floated through the air like petals in the wind. Liam audibly sighed as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The sheet loosely feel from his shoulders onto his lap, exposing the bear skin of his torso.

"Come on, Joan, don't call me that outside of the office. It's too, I don't know. Formal."

The woman chuckled as she rose from the bed, already dressed. "You know you like it. Now, come on. Get dressed. You still have to hit the gym before that mysterious meeting you told us about."

Liam himself chuckled briefly in response to her teasing. "No, seriously. You make it sound like I have a boss/secretary fetish or something."

He laughed briefly, a hearty but soft sound escaping his lips as he rose from the bed, pulling his pants on before starting to move around the bed to the closet. The gym was obvious. Every day. It was stability and repetition that kept his mind functioning properly. Every day a work out and twenty minutes on the heavy bag to keep his hands quick and his mind sharp. But, the other part, the meeting she mentioned, it unsettled him. Liam pulled a shirt on as he glanced back at her, nodding.

"Yeah, I got it. I'll see you at the office tomorrow, okay?"

The woman smiled and nodded, getting up as she offered him a wave before exiting the room to leave. Liam's gaze turned to his desk. The top of the wooden desk was well maintained and neat, as he liked it. Aside from a singular item, an envelope containing a mysterious letter and invitation to an estate today. Considering the position he was attempting to reach, he had to nip this in the bud now. Whatever this craziness is, it needed to be dealt with before someone found a way to use it against him in the race. He sighed soflty, moving to grab his gym bag before departing.

---------------------

The gym visit today was therapeutic. So many thoughts were whirling around in Liam's head that making sense of anything was proving to be a daunting task. Especially in regards to this strange letter, invitation, and of course, the dreams. Thankfully, working out always helped clear his head, especially when he was on the heavy bag or sparring. This gym had been a home away from home for years, ever since he left the service, really. A place to escape. A place where, for once, life was simple. All too soon, it was over, and Liam found himself dressing into his business shirt and pants, tightening his tie around his neck as he looked over the reflection in the mirror. Well, here went his mind, right down the rabbit hole.

------------------

The drive was surprisingly short, or, at least it seemed so. The building was beautiful from the outside, in a lovely wooded area, giving it a very rustic feel. This was the kind of place Liam always imagined himself living in one day. Nature and wilderness always appealed to him more than cities of light and buildings of steel. His door swung closed as he acknowledged the variety of vehicles that were already here. They covered a wide spectrum of make and model, indicating that the other guests were just as varied. He wondered just how many were here and how many more were coming.

Liam crinkled his nose and his face twisted into a grimace as he adjusted his tie. This was going to be unpleasant, wasn't it? Not wanting to waste any more time, making his way to the building. Even at the front door, he could hear voices and movement. It seemed that people were just going ahead and entering, so, not wanting to wait, he entered. The door opened easily enough, swinging open and shut to allow Liam to enter. The entry way was straightforward, and finding the room where the others were was easy. The group was motley, to be sure. As varied as he'd expected. Men and women of varied age and ethnic background. Though, all of the women were fairly beautiful, and a couple of the men very handsome. Liam wondered if their appearances had anything to do with this, especially considering their age groups. Letting the thoughts go, Liam entered the room, noting that a few of them, at least, were drinking. A faint smile crossed his lips, his natural air of awkward politeness returning. These last few years of public speaking had done wonders, yet, times like this his old days came crashing back.

"Well, anyone seen the guy that invited us all here? I'm afraid I have a fairly full schedule, and I would like to keep my crazy neatly scheduled before work."​

 

[Dusk]

What started as a slow and silent morning quickly descended into a flurry of activity. Firstly, there was the man on the couch – Joey. While Lenora did her best to be subtle about examining her new companion, he seemed to follow a different set of standards, obviously looking her over. She didn't mind. And he appeared friendly enough, returning her greeting with pleasantries of his own. His compliment even caused her to smile graciously and she bowed her head. She wasn't unused to compliments, but it was still nice to receive them. Although she hoped he wouldn't be just another boy determined to get in her pants. Lenora couldn't resist a small frown at his response to her question. For some reason, she had expected him to have some kind of answer. Instead, Lenora was still in the dark, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Thank you," she added softly before a sound at the door caught her attention. Joey had heard it, too, and he was quicker to react than her. He was already on his feet and making his way down the hall when she swiveled around to face the door. Lenora chose to follow a few paces behind him. She stopped as he pulled open the door. A gorgeous woman with blonde hair and a commanding presence stood there. She introduced herself as Alex. Lenora thought the name didn't fit her. Alex always seemed like more of a man's name to the girl, and such a woman didn't fit the muscled mustachioed figures she imagined. For obvious reasons, Lenora didn't voice this opinion.

"And I'm Lenora," the girl said, trailing off of Joey's introduction as she once again followed the boy back into the sitting room. Without even a moment to settle, two additional girls entered the room. One came like thunder and the other trailed behind her. Sisters, apparently. Cassidy and Surku. Cassidy seemed vibrant while the other girl sort of sulked nearby. Another man arrived shortly thereafter. He was far older than the rest of those gathered, he looked around the same age as her parents. Lenora expected an introduction, but he said nothing as he made his way to the liquor cabinet. Maybe he was shy. She was considering approaching him when the sound of the door opening again caught her attention.

The woman named Gio introduced herself and brought up the dreams for the first time. Odd felt like an understatement, however. Lenora wanted to talk about them, but when the opportunity presented itself she suddenly found herself nervous. How could she explain her dream to a room full of strangers? Especially when it was such a horrible personal thing. Lenora shifted and let the comment pass. Joey responded, but before he could say much another man entered the house. Lenora used the distraction to slip over toward the liquor cabinet and the older gentleman. She hesitated a couple of feet away. Lenora wasn't much of a drinker, but she wondered if a small cup of something might soothe her budding nerves.

"Hey," she addressed the older man with a small polite smile, "do you mind if I get around you, sir?" Lenora didn't even know what she should try. Her experience with liquor was so minimal she had no idea what to expect from most varieties. "Do you recommend anything specific?" She asked, hoping he was just shy and not antisocial. Before he replied, however, a final man entered the household. He was a handsome dark-haired individual with a highly polished look about him. She would let someone else answer his question, though. Someone louder. She turned to once again face the older man and waited expectantly.

 

[TheDevil'sGame]

Arthur Nicholson

As Joey sprinted towards the older man he quickly reached out. Clasping onto the younger man's hand as he prevented the drink from spilling even further. Feeling him suddenly bump into his side as he shook his head before smiling softly.

"Careful kid, your lucky none of these bottles look tampered. I don't know how many parties you have been invited too but I would have thought someone like you to at least be aware to not trust the drinks." He responded as he patted the kid on the shoulder and decided to walk around the bar to inspect the bottles further. He seemed at least to have settled down as he took the job of bartender as he began to place glasses before him. Choosing what bottles he best believed suited the people there. A bottle of Canadian Club whiskey, Plymouth Gin, Woody Creek Vodka, Don Julio Real Tequila and finishing it with Kotsuzumi Sake.

He returned his gaze towards Joey as he reached over and took the glass from his hand. He proceeded to open a window as he tossed its contents outside before closing and returning behind the bar. He pulled open the bottle of Don Julio as he poured the tequila back into his glass and handed it back to the young man. "I had a good friend who was Mexican. They always preferred this to that. Let me know if he was right."

He turned his head as he noticed another man calling for a dark burning drink. Pulling the Canadian whiskey as he poured it within the lips of the glass. Filling it with a dark amber color as he placed it off to the side for the man to collect.

He then reached for a final glass as he retrieved the bottle of sake. Pouring its ivory white contents into the cup as he offered it to Lenora. "I hope you can forgive me for being in your way. Though, I believe you'll enjoy this one. I once had it in Japan long ago." He responded as it smelled of chocolate and vanilla.

This was not certainly what he had expected and seeing the numerous others that were entering made him wonder what was necessarily going on. The young woman who referred to herself as Gio was the first to talk about the dreams. He seemed partly surprised but as he looked on the others he could see the uneasiness in their eyes. Liam's entrance simply adding more to the home as he wondered about how many more had been invited.

He didn't enjoy the tension and as he looked upon each of them he began to speak as he allowed them all to hear. As his voice commanded the room. Turning towards Gio as she was the first to speak of it.

"Each and every night I see the same damn thing. A beautiful woman who is desperate and pleading with me. Whatever answer I give, only brings out hatred. As she is pulled from the room and I don't see her again... I am a person who has experienced many things. Fighting in wars across the middle east. Losing family through acts of terrorism. And eventually, becoming someone that people must rely on. I've suffered through PTSD and flashbacks haunt me on occasion but whatever I am seeing here is nothing I've ever done." He awaited to see the others reactions as looked over each one of then carefully. Before continuing on and finishing his words.

"I'm suspicious of this place but so far, l see people of all walks of life here. I don't know what brought you all but I'm certain the reasons aren't simply for the alcohol." He began to pour himself a bit of vodka as he looked over to Lenora. "Does not mean you shouldn't enjoy a drink though." He responded as he brought the cup towards his mouth as he wondered what the rest of them would choose to do.

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Liam Russo

Liam was unsure of what to make of this situation already, but it only grew more confusing with each passing moment. It wasn't the least bit surprising that the eyes in the room migrated to the door when he entered. It was undoubtedly the same when each and every person in this room entered. Well, aside from the first, obviously. His confident, albeit curious, smile didn't falter when the older man spoke. The mention of the dream resonated with him. It was more dire than his dream, much more so. In fact, his dream seemed happy. Even down to the smile from beautiful woman holding his hand. Maybe it was best not to share his right yet.

The older man continued, speaking of his varied experiences, including his time with the military. Liam wasn't surprised by this. In his experience, people who had served could be picked out of a crowd fairly easily. They carried themselves differently, even just the way they stood or spoke could give it away. Especially those who had seen war. Liam himself was a marine for several years, having served multiple terms in the Middle East. He understood war, and much like with this gentleman, it haunted him. This dream was so different, there simply was no understanding it. Liam swallowed hard, attempting to shove the growing uncertainty and nervousness back down to his core, where it would distract him the least.

"Whatever is going on here, it's all connected somehow. Surely we haven't all just been drinking the same spiked punch, right?"

Liam's signature smile broadened slightly, chuckling softly as he looked over the men and women sharing the room with him, sweeping his hand gently in an expressive fashion to accentuate his words. Public speaking had caused him to develop a more physically expressive way of speaking, which he hadn't even realized until he was told. His hand returning to his side to rest in his pocket, he glanced from one person to the next.

"Look, I'm not saying this is some shared delusion necessarily. Stranger things have happened. But, I am rather busy with this election, and that letter made this sound quite important. I wouldn't want to miss something of great importance, but, I also can't really afford to stop everything and do...this."

Liam again gestured to the room upon the last word before crossing his arms across his chest, attempting to shift to a more comfortable posture. He found himself wondering about the dreams all of these people had, and even more so, what the deal was with this Julian.


​

 

[TheDevil'sGame]

Giovanna Mascen

Gio didn't imagine this reaction from such slight words. She had been partly joking but seeing the seriousness in the older man caused her pause. Her curiosity began prodding at her mind as she began to quickly dance her eyes over each and every individual present.

'What is truly going on here?'

Her questions beginning to circulate as her mind began to wonder what dreams they potentially held. Alongside the wretched nightmares that may he trapped within those skulls. Her thoughts lasting for only a moment as the professionally dressed man was the first to respond to the situation.

His presentation was flawless and he exuded confidence as he began to speak. Becoming the new focal point as he commanded attention. She could feel a disgusting feeling forming within the confines of her throat as she stared at him. The uncomfortable feeling only growing larger as she was familiar with this sensation.

The suave portrayal simply a facade as she could feel her teeth digging into the softness of her lip. Something that no real person was and a disguise worshiper by many politicians. She despised such ugly characteristics and as her eyes began to narrow. She listened to his words as nothing more than potential offense.

She could partly recognize him, not certain from where, but as he spoke the last of his words she began to clearly remember. The words that followed from her mouth were not potentially her own as she cut through the air as he finished.

"Elections are bought and paid for. I'm certain you're not missing much lying to your constituents. The donors are always willing to pay their whores instead of the working people. Just tell them you'll cut taxes on the wealthy and remove health care coverage for the poor. I'm certain they'll swarm you like a bunch of starving rats." The vitriol and anger that came from her voice filled the room. Quieting the others as she kept her gaze upon the man.

"No one is forcing you to stay. I'm certain your masters will want you to keep their laps warm until they find another dog to replace you with."

She pulled herself away from the door as she allowed him clear passage to go. Allowing any others the chance to leave if they so chose. Crossing her arms herself as she began to question why they all came. Though, their summoning was certainly not a waste of time. She was sure of that.

 

[Achilles]

THE ARRIVAL OF EMPEROR JULIAN

The front door slams open, so loudly and suddenly that it interrupts any and all conversation. They can hear the newest arrival walk briskly and confidently towards them before he finally appears in the doorway. A handsome man -- young, in his late 20s, perhaps -- but his dress is the most striking thing. He is dressed mostly plainly, in an all-white linen shirt and pants -- on top, however, is a purple toga, wrapped meticulously around him, like a statue come to life. Atop his head sits a crown of golden laurel leaves, nestled in his thick brown hair as if they'd grown there. He grins and claps his hands together above his head, as if he did not already have the room's attention.


"Salvete amici!"

He glances around the room, hands still clasped together. "What an attractive bunch. The gods did not disappoint." He speaks with a thick and undetermined accent (almost Italian... but not quite), though his English is perfect. "There are a few who were not prepared to accept their invitation yet, but do not despair. They will find their way soon. It is the will of the gods. Although..." He glances around again. A quirk of his eyebrows indicates that he senses the air of tension he has just walked into.

"We are missing one now, yes? One who did come? Oh, I told you all to make friends!" He begins to sound genuinely upset -- dramatic, even. "We have not lost one already, have we?! The gods have plans for you all, you cannot just..." He pauses his borderline hysterics. "Unless you have simply chased her off? Where is she?"

He pauses again, and seems to calm down suddenly. "Ah, but I am forgetting my manners! Emperor Julian," he says, pointing at himself, as if there was any confusion. "I am sure you have many questions. First, you must bring me the missing girl! This is unacceptable! We have much to discuss. Bring her to me. I will not explain this all twice. Until then, I believe you all have something to share with me! I would like to hear it. What has brought all of you beautiful people here?"

Julian strides the rest of the way into the room and takes a seat in an armchair at the front, looking at the group expectantly.

"Well?"

 

[junebug]

The Royal Fanfare
collab between @sing o muse & @Kat

The last forty five minutes had been ones of peace and quiet. Alex was grateful for the wind in the trees because it'd given her mind space to let go. As far as she knew, no one had noticed her leave the living room earlier and given that guy Julian hadn't shown up since then, this was all a hoax. Halfway through her period of being alone, Alex wanted to be certain she wasn't crazy and began to search the master bedroom for any signs of tampering, loose walls, or hidden objects that would clue her in on what Julian was up to. Alex was thorough, as best as she could be without her equipment on her.

She was almost done, her last search following the bed, and underneath it. The floorboards weren't loose on any ends— whoever built this house knew what they were doing— and the trim on the wall wasn't scratched. In fact, it was quite smooth. Alex wondered about the value of the house– it was rich in color and quality, well-coordinated at every corner even. She stared up at the bottom of the bed where the wooden slabs laid across and the mattress on top. She felt along the mattress, praying to find something strange and lifted the mattress up an inch underneath to cautiously feel the top of the wood for anything sharp. There was nothing so far, just the wood collecting dust.

At this point, Joey was here for the ride. He had no idea what he had expected from this Julian, but it was not… that. If anything, though, it only gave him more cause to stay and see what happened next. Any man walking around referring to himself as an emperor and dressing like an emperor and behaving like a badly-acted Shakespeare character was bound to be anything but boring, and a little bit of strangeness never hurt. And as strange as he was, seeing him allowed Joey to release whatever worries he had over his safety. The man was probably about his age, and just as soft and fragile looking. Whatever his intentions, they could easily take him down. As a group, anyway.

So when he requested that someone retrieve the girl who had walked off, Joey did not hesitate – although, he had to wonder when she had left the room and how he knew about it. But whatever. Questions for later. It sounded like he was bringing up the dreams again and Joey wanted no part of that. This was the perfect excuse. He bounced up the stairs – upstairs seemed like a logical place to hide – calling out periodically. "Hey! The dude's here!" He didn't remember her name (had she not offered it or was he that self-involved that he hadn't been paying attention?), but he assumed she would know she was the one being screamed at.

He peeked into a number of rooms, all empty apart from the seemingly untouched furnishings – until one wasn't. Joey jumped when he noticed, by chance, a pair of legs hanging out the side of the plush bed in what had seemed like an uninhabited room. "Jesus, what the hell are you doing?" He hissed, lowering his voice, suddenly paranoid that Julian could hear. Okay, so maybe he was still a little scared of him. He knelt down beside her, peering under the bed. "Hello? What the fuck is going on? Come on, the Julian guy's here. He wants to talk to everyone."

Alex almost hit her head on the underside of the bed when she glanced out to the side and saw Joey's face, greeting her as he peered under the bed. She immediately left her spot under the bed without so much as a word and stood up.

"Joey," she said. "So, Julian finally decided to show up at what?"

Alex glanced at her watch.

"Almost an hour later. He's lucky I didn't leave earlier. What does he want?"

Joey snorted at the question. Where to begin? "He wants to explain everything, I guess. And he asked specifically for you to be brought to him. And like… I wouldn't fuck with him. He's weird as fuck. You never know."

He paused before continuing. "And I think he's asking about…like, 'what brought us here', is what he said. So… the dreams, I assume." He shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, okay, so some strange guy wants me to share my dreams with him? I see," Alex nodded, pretending to understand. "Too bad he's never going to hear about them. Have you shared your dream yet?"

"Uhh...no," he replied, immediately uncomfortable. "I don't… really wanna talk about it, either. But that doesn't matter. Don't you want to know what all of this shit is about?"

Alex pressed her lips together in a thin line and ran her hand through her hair, "It's tempting, however, I'm suspicious of this Julian person. I'm pretty sure it's all a hoax in the long run."

Joey sighed. "Maybe? I mean, you'll probably be more certain of that once you see him," he said with a laugh. "Like, he's definitely suspicious. I'll give you that. I don't think any of us are going to deny that. Who cares, though? Come on, he sounded pissed that you weren't there. Let's just see what's going on."

Alex raised a brow and shoved her hands in her coat, thumbs sticking out, "He's pissed I'm not there? Oh, I'll give him something to be pissed about."

She left the room, reluctant. She'd agreed to Joey's pleas, but Julian wasn't getting any information out of her, not even a sliver of what her dream was.

"Oh, Jesus," Joey muttered, following closely behind her. "He hasn't actually done anything bad – yet. Chill." He quickly skipped ahead of her, heading quickly down the steps.

"Got her, she's coming!" he called ahead of them, as if to warn everyone. Well, mostly Julian.

As they entered the room, Julian stood from his seat. "How kind of you to join us, dear! Were my accommodations not sufficient? Did your new friends bore you? I did not expect to lose one so soon! Quickly, quickly, have a seat."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Alex groaned. The moment she saw the purple and white dress on his person and the golden leaf crown, she threw her hands up in the air and faced Julian. "You think this is just some ridiculous fanfare, don't you? Coming in here, parading around with your purple dress and golden crown. I want answers, not some boy acting like he's king of the Earth. Start talking or I'll give you something to talk about."

The pleasant, if slightly frenzied, expression on Julian's face melted immediately, turning instead to one of steely anger – the expression of someone who had authority and meant to use it. "Quell your arrogance, girl. You want answers, yet walk in here behaving as if you already know all? Sit down."

He was not talking to Joey, but Joey sat down anyways. Immediately.

"I am not parading around or acting in any sort of way, and you would do well to remember to walk into a room with an open mind and a willingness to listen because I may do no more than humiliate you, but I cannot say the same for the others in this room and who they become in the weeks to come. Do not be stupid."

He paused, glancing around the room… and then smiled. "But let us move on. There is much to discuss."

There was certainly much to discuss, especially if Julian thought he would humiliate her. She would do more than humiliate him and was beyond angry that he thought her arrogant. Alex believed she had every right to be frustrated with him. He spoke in tongues and wore a stupid purple dress, for god's sake. How on Earth could she not be suspicious of him?

She crossed her arms over her chest, ready to walk out at any given moment he tried to pull a move.