Solstice War - Gathering

[willysilver]

The Solstice was upon them. When the sun went down the magic began to swell, the veil between this world and the Other Side thin as vapor. Mortals could sense it, even, though they may not have a name for it. They gathered together, not realizing the animal instinct of safety in numbers.

But all around the city, from the dark parts, fae began to come together as well. Unseelie filled the city- boggarts and Red Caps and things unseen for many a year with bright eyes and sharp teeth. But they were tricksy, dangerous and malicious but no worse than they ever were. The real threat, the ever present danger this year, were the Milesian that crawled out of the sewers and tube tunnels to prowl they city. They were hunting tonight. They had eyes black and soulless, eyes too wide for their white, gaunt faces. Larger than their eyes were their mouth. The smile of needle fangs glinted in the street lights. Long arms ending with spidery, spindly fingers reached and clawed at passers by from the shadows.

There was a war in the city tonight and the nature of the foe, the Milesian, meant no bound mortal needed to be near any battle. Death would come to one or the other if a killing blow came down.

But there was hope. Seelie fae prowled the city as well, fighting for Light and Air. Even the Queen had seen fit to step through with her sword and shield. Such was the threat to the Fae way of life that the Milesian presented.

The longest day of the year dawned but the sunlight did nothing to frighten off the dark forces. The longest day of the year simply meant the things that went bump in the night were attacking in the light.




(Tag in, tag around! Open all week so check back. Have fun with your adventures. If you don't want any Milesian, there are plenty of Unseelie, too. Day or night, whichever works for you.)

Comments

[whispersoflove]

"There is no wheel," Anael answered, failing to see the humour in the Titan's words the way he usually would have. "I was nearby, and these dark creatures were about to attack passers-by."

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[thenorthman]

Eric bared his fangs at the creatures when they snarled, and moved with vampire speed when one of them tried to jump him. He'd reached another one of them and ripped its head off, too, black blood arcing across him. Unlike regular Fae blood, this one wasn't at all appealing. He didn't have the time to move again than the nearest creatures jumped onto his side and they rolled on the ground together, fighting to end up on top.

This sort of fight was part of what life was all about.

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[thenorthman]

Dawn was not far, and Eric's face and clothes were painted with the black blood of the creatures he had just exterminated. His own wounds were healing, and soon enough only the tears in his clothes would testify that they had existed at all. Fighting was meant to be a mess, and he felt as if some of the tension had gone out of him, at least. Fighting was as much a part of him as fucking.

And then that tug, that tug he would always recognize. He did not try to fight it, but went with it, flying across London at impossible speed and landing on one knee in front of Godric, on the edge of a park. There was someone with Godric, a Fae, his smell told him, but Eric remained where he was for now, head bent, paying respect to his Maker.

[pecked_by_birds]

"A hat then?" the titan quipped, something playfully devilish in his eyes. The old trickster was much more alive in this form, it seemed. More present and in control.

"As for those things, they have many names. Who knows what they're called now- But they are the darkest of fae. Fae boiled down to their most primal and base state of being. Though presently they seem to be a plague on their own, as much as mankind. ...Nature has its way of culling the herd when it must., perhaps the fae have become too plentiful here?"

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[winter_wisp]

The moment a sound of fear escaped him, Winter knew it had been a mistake to linger. One of the creatures turned towards him, bounding across the ground, feral and wild as it leapt at the pixie.

"No! I'm not fighting you!" Winter insisted, struggling to keep the creature at arm's length once it had him on the ground. It was all teeth and anger, and the pixie trembled as it reached for his little dagger and plunged it hard into the Milesian. "Get off me!" the fair-haired creature shouted.

[whispersoflove]

"There is nothing natural about this," Anael replied somberly. He tended to seem so carefree, usually, but now he was the very opposite.

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[thenorthman]

The smell of the creatures' blood was too overwhelming for Eric to have picked up Winter's scent, but he heard him shout, and that was enough. He managed to work a leg in between himself and the creature on top of him, then kicked hard, sending it flying across the air. Eric was on his feet and rushing the wounded beast on top of Winter the next second, ramming it against the tree before tearing its head off, dark blood spattering across both of them.

"Get to safety," he barely had time to tell the pixie on the ground before another creature rushed them, and Eric moved to intercept it.

[pecked_by_birds]

"To you, perhaps. To the fae a fight like this is like breathing," the titan pointed out with a little shrug, taking another drag and then holding the pack out in offering, purely out of habit.

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[winter_wisp]

Winter wanted to hide, he did, and being given permission to made it so it would have been easy to vanish into a tree or something. ...But pixie were born to aid in battle. The fae had dragged them into fight after fight since the dawn of time, to the point it was ingrained in them.

Winter didn't want to fight, but his dagger was already stained and the creatures were coming from everywhere. He had to stay and persevere. His blood would allow nothing else. Working on instinct, the pixie froze one as it charged towards him, then another, before a third charged towards him, forcing him to dip out of the way. he wasn't fierce, wasn't even that effective, but he didn't cower and he made sure not to be in the way.

A good pixie, selfless despite a looming threat.

[whispersoflove]

Anael did smoke, once in a while; it wasn't as if it would harm his lungs. But right then he did not feel like it, and shook his head to turn down the offer. The gesture would have felt too inconsequential, while lives were at risk.

"Then I'd rather they were breathing in their own plane," he muttered.

[pecked_by_birds]

Shrugging, Prometheus tucked the cigarettes away, but continued to smoke his.

"Agreed. Sadly, there's no controlling the fae though. They'll do as they please, where they please, when they choose to. All we can do is stand aside and keep mortal casualties low. I mean, they really don't need more than one being raining down fire and brimstone, do they?"

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[thenorthman]

Well, that was a neat trick, Eric thought to himself as his gaze landed on one of the frozen beasts. He glanced at Winter, impressed, and that second's distraction allowed another of the creatures to jump on him. A burst of vampire speed later and its head was rolling to the ground, for all that Eric sported a few more bites and scratches.

Just in case the freezing was temporary, he made a point to throw his next couple of assailants into their frozen colleagues, watching them shatter with a satisfied smile.

All in all, the fight was over quickly, the street littered with dead creatures. Eric's wounds were in the process of healing, but most of the blood on him was black rather than red as he turned to the pixie.

"I told you to get to safety," he remarked, but it didn't sound like an admonishment. It sounded almost like approval.

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[winter_wisp]

Eric's words weren't unkind, but Winter still looked a touch scolded, even as he shrugged one slim shoulder and rolled his eyes in that infuriatingly teenage fashion. It didn't matter how grown the pixie was, there would always be parts of him that were stunted and youthful.

"I was safe, you were here, weren't you? Elsewhere I might have been alone," Winter pointed out, looking a bit shaken, but offering up his usual pixie logic.

[whispersoflove]

"They're lucky none of my brethren seem to have noticed, or care to make a point," Anael stated. It was tempting, asking Aziraphale to let them know, emphasise the need for action. Bringing this war here was proof of their disregard for human life, and part of Anael wanted them to pay for it.

But he could still decide to choose love, even when it became increasingly difficult to feel it.

Re: OTA

[thenorthman]

Eric really wasn't looking to get into an argument on the matter, far from it. So he moved straight on. "So. What the fuck are these things?"

[pecked_by_birds]

"Mmm, to their credit though, I've seen several patrolling. It seems the Seelie are at least somewhat invested in protecting the mortals," the titan pointed out, a bit surprised by how cross the angel seemed. ...Or, if not cross, somewhat perturbed anyway, which was still a curious development.

[willysilver]

"There are many doorways in the palace. We can use one to get back to the city," Will replied quietly. Ioan walked away now that Will was on his feet, bidding his farewell in a strange, ancient language. The prince waved a hand goodbye.

"Come. I know one near here," he said, sounding much more confident than he was. He was a bit confused, and he felt wobbly, but he was determined to get home.

[phouka]

Phouka smiled at him and pulled him close with one arm.

"I have promised you I will not die in this war tonight. The simplest way to keep my promise is to not fight, Winter," he said. He looked down at the pixie with such love in his gaze. "I will lay down my sword without hesitation if it means easing your fears."

[whispersoflove]

"Pushing this back will take more than patrolling," Anael stated. "I pray they're doing what they have to on their end to put a stop to this. Do the Unseelie care so little?" He had rarely met any, and his last brush with one of them... Well, it was best not to think about that, especially now.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin followed, but hung back slightly, tense and shaken as he wandered along behind the other fae. He couldn't explain it, but he just wasn't ready to be close yet.

"How do you feel? Are you in pain?" he asked.

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[winter_wisp]

"Milesian, rotten fae, the darkest of dark," Winter said softly. "It's the season of war, and the Unseelie have called them to battle, I think."

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[thenorthman]

"And they decided to fight it out here?" Eric asked, a note of incredulity creeping into his voice.

[pecked_by_birds]

"I don't know, I'm not a fae historian," the titan shrugged, head tilting as he saw another creeping nearby.

[winter_wisp]

"But... Ballads and..."

Winter trailed off, thoroughly perplexed by Phouka's sudden shift.

"...Okay, home it is then."

Re: OTA

[winter_wisp]

"Decided is a strong word," Winter replied, wrinkling his nose a bit at it. "I think it just happened. "I wouldn't know though, I'm a pacifist. ...Mostly. Well, except when I'm not."