multiversallogs | The City at Large & Mission Alpha

Who: OPEN to all residents.
What: The ant-situation is changing!
Where: Throughout the city.
When: NOW. This thread will likely cover a few days.
Warnings: To be updated.

Dear Mission Alpha,

It is your undeniable privilege to bring back as many of the so-called 'crow pearls' as possible to the Temple. Any temple. No one important cares how you do it, just get it done. Try to be substantial about it, let's say more than 50, hmm? The actual task here is to deprive our deranged ant-friends of as many pearls as possible, but no one is going to be rewarded for stories like 'oh we absolutely threw two tons of pearls down the whirlpool, we swear on our broodmother's grave', okay? Okay. Peachy. Bring me the pearls, chop chop.

Your totally sweet gods have decided to lend you some ...boons I guess, however that goes, to aid you in your quest. Useful objects. For you, my gifted pilferers and negotiators:

A Skeleton Key - it will open any unwarded lock. It will not open warded locks. That means magical locks. No magical locks will be opened with this key. Unless the magic is broken first. Good luck with that.

Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card - I realize no one has bothered to build proper jail cells in Our City yet so it's more of a Fend-off-The-Local-Authorities-Free Card but that's not as catchy. Think of it as An Official Voucher From the Gods that says you're on Official Twelve Point Business and can't be arrested right now. Keep it for the Sheriffs as it might not have the desired effect the Militia.

Privacy Ward or App For Your CiD - Well you don't want to get caught leaking signals and communication everywhere, do you.

It is a week and some change after the ants first noticeably began their labour and it seems they have finished rebuilding their houses. It's hard to see exactly what is going on from the ground, but the brave few who have ventured into and up the hives or climbed neighbouring buildings get a good enough view. The rooftops are now crowned with organic spires, much like malformed and undernourished termite nests reaching for the heavens. They are not the best constructs, some of them have broken off or imploded, but the majority of the spires stand.

Then one morning, individual ants are seen climbing to the very top of their towers. They then sit still, mandibles locked and antennae arched. It's hours before any change becomes noticeable, and by then it's too late. The ants have sprouted strange fleshy fungal tentacles, all filled to the bursting with spores.

Soon there after, reports come in from all across the city about people acting out of character; some have become catatonic or violent after brief a period of sickness. Individuals have been seen entering the ant-occupied buildings to help defend the ants against intruders, others have attempted to climb high points in the city or thrown themselves in the rivers.

Once again the City is under siege, but this time the enemy is invisible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well. All things considered, given the pair of them, that's damned near to civil and Narcissa, philosophically, refrains from getting herself in the midst of that straight away. They've got more important things to do than get sidetracked into bickering that might result in someone getting hexed.

"I knew you couldn't be far away," she says to Lucius, instead, holding her hands out to him. "What the devil is going on in this city? I saw- I don't quite know precisely what I saw, Lucius."

"If he were here, he'd be here." There's an unspoken he knows better there, somewhere, but... it needn't really be said. She doesn't look particularly agitated by the news of his presence (or lack thereof, as it stands); it's what it is and nothing more.

Far from favouring the happy reunion that's at risk of playing out before her, Bellatrix keeps her eyes trained on Lucius. Her sister's put forth a valid query, after all, and she's just as curious as to the answer - and aware of the fact that she's the more likely of them to get an honest one.

He takes one of Narcissa's hands and squeezes it. "We should get off the streets. One component is a contagion, and as there's no cure yet, it wouldn't do for any of us to be infected."

Bellatrix is spared much in the way of demonstrative affection, partly because of the seriousness of everything else and partly because Narcissa simply isn't the type; she clasps her husband's hand, thumb against his knuckles, and leaves it at that. "I hope you've some idea of where, then," she says, a bit tartly, as she glances back behind her. "But what are the other components, if this is only one?"

Bellatrix is glad for the restraint, though it doesn't show in her expression. More than anything, she's beginning to look impatient. Lucius's response - however valid - doesn't address any of her personal concerns, which, as always, makes it irrelevant to her.

"There is much to discuss, beyond this chaos." Her free hand drifts across her robes, over the weight of the mask still hidden within them, and something else, something far more important. "Be quick with it, if you intend to lead us elsewhere."

"I've a flat," he says, "not far. It's barely acceptable, but it's warded, at least." What had done for him alone doubtless wouldn't do for Narcissa in time, but that could be dealt with later.

"Follow me." They couldn't risk apparating when neither woman knew where they were going, so he walked briskly, clearly not relishing being out on the street. "I'll explain more once we're there."

Habit makes falling in step with Lucius easy and so she does, keeping a hold of his hand as they go. The flat will have to suffice as far as getting out of the chaos long enough to get an explanation, if he's not going to cough it up immediately; at least it isn't going to be a long walk.

They're beginning to make a new habit of showing up weeks apart in these bizarre situations. Narcissa doesn't much care for it.

"That's hardly a surprise, coming from you." It's not in her not to comment. She strides behind them - saunters, really, in that unbalanced way of hers, not intentionally giving them space, but the few straggling ants in their path tempt her so, and they're an easy outlet for her irritation.

...irritation that abruptly subsides in a pitched fit of giggles as one of the ants, limbs working desperately, skitters right on ahead of them before standing upright, moving in some disconnected mockery of a human gait.

"These are the creatures causing such trouble?

"Not individually. But there are many of them." He keeps his pace quick, trusting Bellatrix will keep up. (Or not.) "We suspect they may have some sort of collective sentience."

"Are they spreading this contagion of yours?" Narcissa asks, glancing briefly between Bellatrix, Lucius and the helpless creature at the end of her sister's spell - her free hand is at her mouth, still, wary, but now it's half-hiding amusement that's a fainter echo of Bellatrix's laughter behind them. Well. It's a little funny.

"We think so." Nothing had been confirmed yet, but it seemed very likely. "Spores, we suspect. Groups of them have taken over certain structures - they're building something as well."

Well, then, Bellatrix is all but doing a public service. (This is the sort of interesting perspective that perhaps you have to be a Black to have.)

"What's being done about it? What are you doing here, for that matter?" The latter is frankly of more immediate concern to her, but if they're stuck here (again-) then she'd like to know a bit more about the structure of the place.

"I came much the same as the other time, though this is... marginally better." In some ways, at least. "You remember Hellsing? They're here as well, and I've continued cultivating those connections. I was helping set wards against the things."

Bellatrix is blessedly silent for once, aside from the occasional hiss of a curse to aid in said public service. She hasn't fallen far behind, though, and that means she's still listening, which is - well. In some ways it's almost worse. She has her questions, but she'll save them for when they're someplace more private, away from the milling populace that serve as little more than the insects themselves, in her eyes.

The City at Large & Mission Alpha

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