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Post by DanteMGalileo on Apr 13, 2018 15:16:27 GMT -5
"I like your guts, human, but not enough to reveal myself completely." The red eyes narrowed slightly. "Step one, infiltration. As the most obvious method of doing so was barred to me, I had to use an... alternate method." Imago made a weird hissing sound, as if the memory or action disgusted him. "No, no, it wasn't anything the most disgusting of your kind would do. The thought of that fills me with rage, and you don't want to get on my bad side."
Finally, the demon who called himself Imago seemed to acknowledge Kelsey's questions. "Why do I have to involve the landlord? Kind of hard to get shit done when you don't have a body of your own anymore. Oh, he's aware of my existence. I just prefer to keep some secrets to myself... I answer only to Captain Salsu and Queen Malebolge. So, tough titty for you, dragon man, Antsy, crazy Aicarmean cop, and chucklenuts."
"Before you ask, yes, he's always been like this." William noted that Imago seemed a bit occupied with Kelsey. "And yeah. Welcome to this fine web of batshit insanity... And that's coming from me. ... Oh, yeah. I'm William Lowe. The... colourful individual is Imago. And Imago is... uh, controlling my friend Percy right now."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Apr 21, 2018 17:24:18 GMT -5
"I guess that makes sense," Kelsey muttered in regards to Imago's lack of a body. When a demon was incapable of existing on the material plane, using a human as a vessel seemed to be the go-to option, if the invisible man hovering next to her was any indication. What Kelsey really wanted to know was whether or not Percy was conscious whenever Imago assumed control, but she opted not ask this aloud for fear that trying to pry more answers out of him would just irritate him, and he seemed irritable enough already.
Besides, she was used to demons keeping secrets from her...
"Look, Scott, maybe we should discuss personal matters later?" Paul awkwardly suggested. "You know, when we're not stuck in a dark alley being stared down by a demon while a monster and God knows what else is lurking around?"
Scott took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, that's fair." Then he turned in the general direction of William's voice, his eyes having not quite adjusted to the darkness. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lowe. Sorry about jumping you back there. I have admittedly been on edge since arriving here... On a more pressing matter, you seem familiar enough with this demon. How well would you say we can trust his word?"
"You know, his dragon bro I was pretty okay with, but somehow I get the feeling I'm gonna hate this guy," Tri mused as he leaned on Kelsey's shoulder.
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Post by ColArana on Apr 22, 2018 19:59:07 GMT -5
So it was a case of routine possession it sounded like? Long term possession, but still possession. Such things weren't entirely unknown to Ranuen, though they were far outside his area of expertise. He took some short time to ponder if there was anything he could do to help Percy, but decided that, for the time being, there was not.
On a more positive note, it seemed Scott's own efforts had been directed towards a positive outcome for the group at the time being. Imago's trustworthiness was definitely a sticking point, but Ranuen tried to add his two cents as well. "The important thing is we've at least found Percy's... body. I'm going to assume that some time or another his roommate is going to go to sleep or something. I'm guessing this isn't the first time Danny Phantom has been in control of his body, and he was still Percy when we met him. So I'm going to assume you're only going to be out as long as it benefits you. Is that accurate enough?" He suggested.
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Apr 23, 2018 17:24:14 GMT -5
"I'm also out whenever this moron tries to get himself killed, Antsy." The red-eyed man's gaze fell on Raunen now. "Seeing as my life is now tied to the landlord, I suppose you could say that, yes, I'm only out so long as it benefits me."
Imago began to walk in the direction he assumed the hotel was, his lower torso seeming to melt away as a pair of grotesque wings started to grow on his back. "You don't have to trust me, nutski." That line seemed to be directed at Scott. "After all, what reason do I have to trust you? Let this be a warning to all... Get on my bad side, and you can say bye-bye to your liver."
He folded the wings against himself, and unfurled them, kicking up a slight gust. "I'm going to retrieve our stuff, then I'm going to find a quiet place to rest. You young ones are trying his old demon's nerves." After that, Imago took flight, visible by the glowing red markings as he ascended into the sky.
"... Okay, I get to keep my dick tonight." William sighed in relief. "Before you ask, yes. He's always been like that. And this isn't the first time Imago's bodyjacked Percy. And, well... I dunno. He hasn't tried to kill us yet. The worst he's done to me so far, aside from threatening to castrate me, is put bugs on my face when I'm trying to sleep..." The blonde groaned. "Not funny."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 4, 2018 19:08:14 GMT -5
Kelsey took in a deep breath through her nose, watching with narrow eyes of indifference as Imago took flight. As he disappeared into the night, she simply couldn't find it in her to fret about his intentions, let alone whatever was currently going on in his head. After fighting that monster in the plaza, she had all but exhausted any craps she could've given.
Something told her their paths would cross again. And when they did, she somehow doubted it would lead to animosity.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Scott reaching for his gun, clearly aimed and ready to take off in Imago's direction. In a deadpan drone, she spoke up, "I think it would be ill-advised to follow him."
Scott turned and raised an eyebrow at Kelsey, then William, then Kelsey again. "What, you're insisting we let a potentially-hostile demon run free?"
"Not all demons have ill intentions, you know. Short tempers are not the same as malice."
"I realize that, but he practically admitted he's up to something, and I'd like to know what it is."
"Sir, you're in another dimension. I don't think this is your jurisdiction."
As Kelsey and Scott exchanged glares, Paul just gritted his teeth and awkwardly glanced between them. Knowing both of their histories, he could only see this interaction ending badly.
"I suppose." Scott fully turned to face Kelsey, crossing his arms and lowering his chin. "Kelsey, was it? Paul tells me you know about demons. Care to share your opinion on this guy?"
"Look, Mr. Sellers..." Kelsey grumbled, taking a few steps closer to the officer, her scowl tightening by the second. "All I can say on the matter is that this Imago guy might seem like a dick, but nothing about him screams death to all mankind, and yes, I can tell the difference. Everything else I just don't have the capacity to analyze right now. In just one night, I've been in a bar fight, I've travelled to another universe, I met psychos and weirdos and freaks of all kinds, and I fought a giant hellspawn with my bare hands. I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and I'm covered in blood, sweat, slime and spinal fluid. I wanna go the f*** to bed."
Scott didn't seem to realize just how far back he was leaning. Paul simply let out the breath he had been holding and sadly averted his gaze, finally coming to terms with just how awfully this date had gone.
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Post by ColArana on May 6, 2018 18:13:22 GMT -5
"I mean that's not inherently a BAD thing, and it sounds like Percy isn't dead because of you, tonight." Ranuen answered, considering that Percy had tried to get a run in with that monster earlier. So far, he hadn't seen Percy show off anything that would have let him survive that encounter if he'd gotten too close. Then watched as Imago took to the skies, and grumbled. "Well, that..... happened." He glanced over to William as he spoke up. "So you knew about this guy? How long does this usually last?" He inquired, before addressing the situation with Scott, Kelsey and Paul.
....Which seemed to be going sour very quickly.
Ranuen let the silence after Kelsey's final statement echo for a few moments for emphasis and then politely cleared his throat. "Well then.... err... If that's the case.... Paul, maybe we should go back to the apartment so Kelsey can "go the f*** to bed?" He suggested meekly, and in what he hoped to be a helpful tone of voice.
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Post by DanteMGalileo on May 7, 2018 15:58:33 GMT -5
"Okay, as this conversation is going downhill really really fast, this... can last for just minutes or several days. It depends... No, I never asked how long these episodes usually last." William winced at the thought. "Imago gets pissed off easily as it is, and I rather like having my dick and my liver intact."
Hello, my little mice. From atop a building, unnoticed and blending in, a purple-cat like creature stood.
"Listen, Paul, yeah? I'm just gonna find a place to crash tonight. I doubt your room's gonna have room for one more person," the blonde simply stated. "Besides, you guys have gotten wrangled into too much of our crap for one night... The least I can do is give you and Kelsey some space. Y'know, let you guys go the fuck to bed, as she put it?" He seemed to have dropped his usual comical demeanor, too. He barely suppressed a shudder, whether from the cold night air or something else. "'Sides... I get the feeling that we're being watched. Meet you at the plaza or something tomorrow?"
There will be more.
I can see my rat.
One who fell from grace,
But not as day breaks.
William turned to Kelsey, sighing sadly. "I'm really sorry about this. Somehow, I doubt this wasn't your idea of a good night... But I also get the feeling that this wasn't completely unusual for you." And with that, he put his hands in his pockets, and began to leave the back alleyway...
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on May 9, 2018 19:19:46 GMT -5
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea..." Paul sighed, nodding to Ranuen. "I gotta make sure Kenny's okay anyway. K-Kelsey, I can walk you back... if you want..."
When he didn't receive a response from Kelsey, Paul turned to William and continued, "Y-You sure you'll be okay, Will? Yeah, things were crazy tonight, but you don't have to pin that all on yourself." After William suggested they meet in the Plaza tomorrow, Paul shrugged and replied, "Yeah... that sounds good... Just stay safe tonight, alright?"
Scott scowled at Kelsey for a moment, then he let out a deep breath, turned around and pulled his flashlight back out. "You go on ahead. I'm gonna keep looking around."
Paul did a quick double-take at his brother's words. "Scott, are you sure about that?? This island isn't exactly the safest place at night. Or during the day. Especially now. Look, my place is small, but I have a couch. You can come back with us and-"
"Paul." Scott turned to his younger brother with a hard frown, but a noticeable amount of warmth behind his eyes. More so than Paul could ever remember seeing before. "Thanks... but there are still demons on the loose and questions I want answers to. You guys are exhausted. I have energy to spare. I can take care of myself. You just worry about your friends."
Paul anxiously stared back at Scott, then he turned to Kelsey, then Ranuen, then back to Scott. He wanted to argue with him. He wanted to stand up for his brother's wellbeing. But he just couldn't. Maybe it was the hope that Scott's police training could keep him safe... but it honestly felt more like a general inability to stand up to his former bully. Nonetheless... "Okay. But... maybe join us in the Plaza tomorrow? I still feel like we oughta help each other."
"I'll try," Scott mumbled before promptly turning around and disappearing into the city.
With a deep sigh, Paul warily stepped closer to Kelsey, taking in her tired, emotionally exhausted expression before softly speaking up, "What say we get you to bed?"
Kelsey finally looked up from the nondescript patch of dirt she had been frowning at. She stared into Paul's bright yellow eyes, uncertain, frustrated... a little sad... a little scared.
She turned to Tri. He was shooting a death glare at... something. She really didn't feel like asking what. Too much drama in one night. Too much she just wanted to be over.
She leaned against Paul. "Thank you."
Paul tensed up a little, gazing down at Kelsey with a subdued look of surprise. He quickly relaxed, though, wrapping his arm around hers, finding himself wanting nothing more than to somehow ease her troubled nerves. "D... Don't mention it..."
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Post by ColArana on May 13, 2018 7:11:31 GMT -5
Ranuen looked at William and gave a sigh. "I mean... if he's using Percy's body, isn't he limited to what Percy can do? Can't be THAT bad, aside from the attitude, right?" He asked William. It seemed though, that one way or the other the party was breaking up for now.
"If we're heading out, that's fair. I'm sure I can find some place to take shelter tonight. Give you and Kelsey some space to yourself." Ranuen offered. Guess we'll meet up in the plaza sometime tomorrow. I'll stay in the area, so I don't get lost." He suggested, starting to look for a way out, and beginning to walk off. Slowly, as at his size he wasn't exactly covering a lot of ground quickly. He paused briefly, as some deep, primordial sixth sense caused a chill to run down his spine. He felt like he was being watched, but after a quick glance around did not see anything, and continued on his way, hoping to remain unimpeded.
"Goodnight everyone."
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