The ruins of what was once the Public Works building of Rhy'din....Which had not seen much activity since a certain armored person's 'visit' so to speak. The twilight had given way to a rather starless eve, as clouds settled lowly over the area, and for all purposes, this place seemed as vacant of people, as the sky was of stars...But likened to the sky, looks can be deceiving on the ground indeed, and in this case, they were just that...As he slipped from the shadows to stand before the wreck of a place...
The demon never slept. There were times that he rested, not because he was tired, but because it was good to rest, sometimes. There was no time for that now, however. Tailing a man like Ravenlock - the real Ravenlock, as the demon thought of him - demanded constant vigilance. The man had not earned his reputation for naught, the demon had discovered over the past weeks. If you took your eyes from him for a moment, the man could vanish into shadows, and his trail was difficult at best to follow, even for one of two millenia worth of experience in tracking such individuals. It was a lesson the demon had learned many times since he started following the man.
Now, as he came to pause in shadows some distance away, he looked over the ruins that his self-appointed ward had stopped before. He knew this place, had been here before it became the pile of rubble it was now. He had heard of the conflict that had caused this calamity, an event that some referred to as 'Scarred'. Would that he could have been here to come to their aid...but some otherworldly force had carried him to another place, the first home he had ever known. No time to reflect on that now, however...his self-imposed assignment demanded his complete attention.
She should be in bed after the Beltane. Her body about gave out during the ball and she spent the start of the week sleeping the days away. But..Come Wednesday morning she was damned determined to search the city for where the new Bon Bon might be.
It was only by luck that she happened by the Public Works. Her chin rose when she realized where she was. This was one of the places that was in the report. It looked....well..like the ruins of the Bon Bon. A complete and utter wreck! Frowning she tilted her chin down and tucked her notebook into her bag. "What a mess.."
The girl was a stranger to him, but her scent spoke of kindred, of a kind. Like, and yet not like. How odd. But there were many such in this city who walked about, dressed in the skin of man and yet hiding beneath the surface a monster. After all, was the demon not one of them' He kept his place, using the shadows as his cloak and cowl to keep watch. He was tempted to summon Angelis, but stayed his hand for the moment. She was not friend to the demon, but nor was she foe. Not yet.
Slowly steps were taken towards what would have been the entrance. A knee was taken slowly, as a hand stretched downward, allowing fingers to trace charred stone. A slow shake of head, coupled with a soft sigh, as he did so.
It wasn't the sigh she heard but rather the movement among the bend of shadows that pulled her attention. Shoulders squared when she saw the figure moving about. Crap. Pulling on the lip of the hood down she called out, "Hey! Shouldn't be around here. Get on home now before I call the Watch."
"You made it...I knew you would." The words said without him, having to look up. "You slept too long though, what kept you?" Slowly he lifted to that full height of his, pulling down that half mask he used to be so fond of wearing at one time.
The first words shattered her attempt to be hidden about who she was in an instant but her guard flew up at top speed. Edward is going to kill me... It was her first thought but something said made her blink slowly. "So ..meeting you in the between really did happen.." Her hands shifted but remained in sight. "It wasn't exactly easy for me to return. There was a lot of damage done." Both to body and spirit.
With more than two thousand years of experience in the field of conflict, he had no trouble seeing the girl's guard come up. There was an instant where he moved forward, perhaps half a step, to the edge of the shadows. Were he going to summon the immortal blade, he might have done so then, but for her posture - defensive, rather than poised for attack. That and the way Ravenlock spoke to her - easy, familiar patterns in his speech. These two were friends, then. He relaxed once more, easing back deeper into shadow.
Her chin dipped and she glanced over shoulder before looking to him. "You..are really him. Brian.."
"Damage has been rampant for a long time, dear...As to who or what I really am, I admit to having some trouble with that, especially recently...It's been very difficult, then again you know that first hand, hmm' So yes, I believe I am him. I want to be him, but then again...The other possibility exists as well. So I figured while the heroes were busied in the city, I could retrace a tad, and try to figure some things out."
"The Heroes.." He meant the Avengers. Many of her friends and loved ones were part of that group. Her eyes swept the ground slowly before turning up to the man before her. "What happened to you? What happened that ..pulled you back into the living?"
"The heroes...It's good to see them active again...Always thought the city felt we weren't needed—-they weren't needed...Until, all of this...Now they cry for them, they beg for them...Much different when we took such losses in WestEnd, those years back." Turning, he faced her more so...A hint of light catching that face...The face looked quite likened to Raven, yet—was more weathered...Streaks of soft silver lined that darkened hair that was cut shorter now. That head of his shook softly, as he answered. "Brought me back" I've no idea...But I did change along the way, and you—- feels like you have too, dear" I felt death before, you know...I've even a covenant with the Valkyrie Lenneth, and carry her plume. Something few I am told have done. This was from a far off place though, Darkenwood...When I was taken from here. I should not have been able to come back. So either someone circumvented the rules, or I may not be who or what we think I am."
She shifted just a bit when he turned to her, feet settling to keep herself in a guarded stance. Her chin rose up just faintly when he asked if she changed. She didn't want to answer that! "I am me. I will always be me." Didn't matter if she changed or not. Her brows dipped low and she glanced to the building past him. "So you are here..trying to figure out who you are.." Her eyes turned back to the man. She was so tired of being see-sawed when it came to him..To Brian. She watched him, his movements, and the way he acted. Trying to figure him out probably just as much as he was attempting to. "What do you mean..not be who or what you ...we..think you are?"
The demon listened form the shadows to the pair as they talked, taking it all in. He knew Death, was on...intimate terms, one could say, though he had never tasted of it himself, just dealt it out when necessary. The heroes they talked about, he knew of. He might not be a part of the social strata in this place - he never had been on any world, really - but he still listened, and they made their presence known. His task, in truth, was simpler than the heroes Ravenlock and the girl spoke of. He was content with being the faceless watchman, the nameless guardian who swept in to help the helpless, only to be gone just as quickly when he was no longer needed.
He was certain of one thing - this man, whom the demon kept watch over like a guardian angel, was the genuine article, or so close that it did not make a difference. He knew what his senses - so keenly honed with practice and experience - told him...but more importantly, his instincts assured him that this was the man the old demon had once so respected.
"Hold on to that thought dear, and keep it close. Because you are of two worlds now, same as me.." He shifted stance, and took a step towards an opening that lead into what was left of the main warehouse...As he did so, that left hand lifted towards the darkness within, as fingers extended. Soft runes of ice came forth, illuminating the path within that was still riddled with weapons, armor and the like...It looks as if many of the bodies that were once there, had been taken care of, yet the evidence of their presence remained in the most obvious of ways. A frown took form, as he spoke..."There was no chance here...I sent them to their deaths you know. Trav's forces, had such an advantage and I was blinded to it...But this place had to be held, it had to...Because of what I foolishly kept here, below. And they all died, because of it."
Of two worlds now. Her mouth opened and slowly closed, swallowing down the question she wasn't sure she was ready to have an answer for. Cautioned but she still followed after the figure. Her head tilted to the remains, her lips parted faintly. "What is kept here?" As if she totally expected him to tell her. Assumptions were such a horrible thing. And yet..she was trying to still keep an open mind.
He knew..He knew of what happened in the between. She had so many questions that suddenly came to surface that she clung onto and waited for her answer.
"What was kept here, was an artifact...Well a piece of one, the last known piece— of Darkin's Gauntlet...A terrible piece of work, that lead to a great deal of suffering for many, including those closest to me, since the day I 'took' it...My sister, Jewell had sealed what we thought was the last of it away...Until I found a talisman around the neck of Katharine DeMerwood, and took it when she began to show signs of turning. I hid it here, under lock and key, hoping to keep it here."
She had remembered hearing about Jewell. Lips pursed as she inched closer but still keeping a cautioned distance. "Is it still here" And turn" Turn into what?" She was already formulating thoughts on this information. Hands shook and slowly began to crawl way into the pockets of her hoodie.
"No, it was taken it seems. Wielded by the other, I am guessing. From the talk of what he's been able to do, it fits." He moved deeper, into the room, looking at the make shift barricade, and extensive damage.
"Such a waste...What the hell was I thinking.."
Silently, he nodded. Were the demon to talk to Ravenlock, he would have told him that this was the way of battle - that mistakes were made, and people were lost. He had led men in battle, once, long ago - in a time that men only remembered in legends, a dream of a dream now - and had known that his men would die when he led them. Even now, after over two thousand years, he remembered their faces, their cries as they charged...their screams as they died. He had made that stand with men of legend, had believed they could prevail...but it had been for naught. That age had died in the thunder of battle and blood, and now the only remnant of that legendary time was an old demon who carried on the traditions of an age long since past. The demon, and five stone amulets, one of which was around the demon's neck. Yes...he understood how Ravenlock felt, all too well.
"The one that calls himself..Raven?" She blinked and her head jerked up. "The Gauntlet' Is it like the one that Renna wears.." Wore.." Something along those lines.
"A gift, if you will...Something she and I shared, and she kept enough of to write her own chapter. I also lead to our daughter, Lucy. Ren and I were the last two, to wield it. That is until Raven...Save in the case of Ren and I, the older bearer did not die...You see, the Gauntlet— was passed, by taking it from the wearer, by ending them. As was the case, when I took it."
"Wait..so if it is what I am thinking.." She moved closer and tilted her head. Okay ..yeah..she reached out to poke at his arm to make sure he wasn't some ghost. "Why does Raven look like you? Is he..a twin brother or something?"
"Raven is— or was me...In the field, that is what Jenai called me, and few others. Was my Avenger Code name as well. And it fit, because— well because he and I are one in the same, I am guessing." Moving past the barricade, he came to the next room, and moved inside. It was the same place that Ranger had seen...The place where Brian Ravenlock, seemingly died. And yet, there he is, and there Raven was somewhere else.
She'd poke him all day long so long as it meant that she knew he was alive. She followed, a surprised look given. "You..You were an ..Avenger?" Her brows dipped and she raised a hand in order to reach out, trying to stop him. "Were you split in two' Is that..Is that why ..I ..Is that why I seem to have some effect on him' Why he didn't want to hurt me at first?"
"Stop that.." He paused, and surveyed the area...A kneel was taken next to the pile of debris, that had collapsed on him, so many months ago. His hand, the wrapped hand reached out, fingers caressing the rock, as he answered. "Yes, I was. One of the first, no less." A cant of head, as he looked about the room, "Split' I don't know— Who's to say what happened. All I know is I am playing catch up, and have half the city wanting me captured or dead, and that doesn't include the Government. I am so far behind, I can barely keep my head above water...Not hurt you? I dunno...He seemed to want to hurt Jenai and the others, so I've no idea."
She sighed and slipped her hands back in her pocket. Turning her head she stared off to the side. "What..am I suppose to do' If..If he is you..and you are him.." Her brows dipped. "Does he know we are talking right now?"
"I don't even know how the hell to answer that...Save, he is coming here, somehow...And needs to be stopped."
Her eyes dipped to him. "The Avengers are already on the move. He will be stopped." She knew everyone was out doing their thing. Something ..she wasn't apart of. Frowning she stared down to the rubble and kicked a small piece of wood to the side.
As the girl looked in his direction, he kept very still, doing his best to remain a shadow among shadows. For a moment, he thought she had somehow sensed his presence, or seen him. He had been very careful not to use any of the powers granted to him by his amulet - doing so caused it to glimmer with that curious amethystine light, and would give him away as readily as if he had sparked a fire. But, no - it seemed she had not, because she turned her gaze back to Ravenlock without so much as a hint of tension in her small frame. He did not want Brian to know he was being followed - it was odd, but he thought that the man might welcome having an ally...but at the same time, he suspected that Ravenlock would be displeased, perhaps even feel insulted, to find he had a guardian demon standing watch over him.
Rising once more, he looked to her more so..."He isn't done here, I promise that. I know if I wanted to take this city, there'd be a million ways to do it, and I gave the Avengers the obvious ones, but there are others as well, that still need to be looked into."
"He is using what I had...Or have. That much is obvious. Until he is handled, this will never end."
She sighed and lifted her head. "They will take care of him.."
"I've said that, and heard that before."
"Heh.." Her eyes trailed to him. "Where ..would be the less obvious ones?"
"He was right though, about the Red Hand, the traitors...They were, real. I intended to have them hunted down, and brought back for trial...It seems he was faster.."
"Less— Well to start, Town Hall...If I were honestly going to hit this city, the statement would have to be so grand, that no one would miss it...Town Hall was a mess to begin with, but with everyone all over the city, it could be hit...Another spot, would be Ravensheart...Loads of collateral damage...Lots of Children...And the bridge that divides the city, too.."
"Town Hall. You mean..after the Gov..After Fio?" She chewed on her inner cheek. These places he mentioned were not on the 'list' that Raven warned of.
"It's simple tactics. Cut off the head, and publicly no less.."
...and the body falls. A simple, deadly effective strategy. The old demon knew from experience - he had been an assassin for many decades before assuming the mantle of guardian. Of course, such a move had been known to have the opposite effect, as well - a push, so to speak, when a beloved figure fell and became a rallying cry that could bring an unexpected strength and ferocity to those fighting for their cause.
Her head jerked to the side and she frowned. She needed to make sure Edward heard this. The Avengers..."I won't let him hurt her.." Her brows dipped and she looked over to him. "Is..there a way to stop the gauntlet' Stop him?"
"Yeah, kill him." That said he turned from her, "I'll see you before this is over. Till then, stay alive and whole."
Steps were taken away from her, into that darkness once more. "Two bodies, one mind and one soul. Got it?"
"I.." She clenched her teeth. Didn't he say that the gauntlet passed on to whoever killed the owner" So if she did..didn't that mean she would end up with the damned thing" "If I kill him...I would be killing you..wouldn't I?" She blinked as the darkness started to take him.
"I dunno, with any luck I'll do the killing. In any event, stay you...Literally." And he was no more...
Her head tilted and she sighed. "Right.." Combing back her hair she turned, flicking her eyes to something or another before moving out of the rubble. Now..yes..she was going to be shadowing Fio.
As the girl left, he moved from shadow to shadow to the place Ravenlock had been standing when he vanished into the darkness. He had to be swift to stay on the man's trail, and by the time the girl had gotten far enough away that it was safe to follow, the trace was almost gone. One hand went to the amulet as he focused, and with a flicker of deep violet light, he too was gone.
((The above post is based on live RP between Brian Ravenlock and Katt. Many thanks!))
