westwhere | time doesn't love you anymore

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time doesn't love you anymore

WHO: Five and OPEN (with one closed starter)
WHEN: Early-to-mid September
WHERE: All Around Taravast
WHAT: September Catch-All: Obsessions, Curses and Family Meetings
WARNINGS: Language and... whatever Five-related things come up

i. Southern (Artist ) Areas (open)

It's been a while since Five took a walk to get some fresh air. Tensions have been escalating again, and despite his best efforts to claim otherwise, his thoughts have been too erratic to feel like he has anything under control any more. It's an incredibly inconvenient time to be staving off the effects of a curse that he's stubbornly against prioritizing, and refuses to think about now. He's well accustomed to dealing with anguish; acknowledging it just makes it more insufferable and he has too many other things to worry about.

He needs a clear head if he's going to avoid another gaffe like they had at the masquerade. Hence the outing. He gives himself an errand or two — find a more secluded meeting location, procure more coffee — if only to get away from all of them before he snaps and murders someone else just because he's frustrated and running on fumes. As he makes his way through the streets, he thinks bitterly that his thirteen-year-old body could probably use the exercise.

When they first arrived in Taravast, he had been vaguely insulted by the identity he'd been assigned. That was before he'd learned it could be much worse. He's largely left alone, and when he's approached by anyone who seemed to have gotten his description from who-knows-where, he can make them disappear in relatively few words. Just drop a comment about their staggering irrelevance and they walk away shocked and offended. Temperamental artists are apparently common enough to play on assumptions. He barely cares.

All this time he hasn't actually bothered to look at any of the actual art in the city, because why would he? It's all useless decoration that doesn't serve any purpose, and mostly makes him think of the Academy and those terrible portraits his father had done of them as kids. That was his closest point of reference; nothing really survived in the apocalypse and he certainly didn't spend any time looking at it during his years at the Commission. — So it's strange that in the middle of his hike through the citadel, he finds himself facing an unfamiliar statue in the middle of an alcove. It's only half-finished, the form just starting to emerge from the stone, and he stares for full ten minutes before he realizes where he is. They have plenty of paintings on display and jewelry stands stretched along the alleyway, but not a single one of them sells coffee.

Fuck, he's tired. He nearly blinks away instead of walking back to where he made a wrong turn, but it's quiet here and all he really wanted was somewhere to think. So he wedges himself into the small space between the stone and the wall while he tries to do the math to get him to where he meant to go.

Moments later he's fast asleep where the statue's feet would be.

ii. Necromancer District (open)

Five went back to that same location where they'd picked up a cure for the poison a few days later. So far they hadn't heard any grief about what they did to obtain the blood; no one so much as questioned any recent murders, but he does think enough to stay away from certain incriminating areas to avoid the hassle. He wanted to see if he could find this particular house again by memory, and he feels some satisfaction that he manages to, even if it had been an entirely different time of day.

It seemed strange to him back then, and he said as much, that the necromancers had a cure for the poison almost before they asked. Not until later did he find out that Lady Vannozza has ties here. There's an almost too-obvious link between her and the attempt on their lives, and looking into it actually feels useful in a way he hasn't been lately. It's straightforward enough to investigate, and something productive he can share with his family later if he gets any leads.

A shorter route would have been to ask Allison to rumor Vannozza to tell them exactly what her involvement was, but he knows his sister will want more than his paranoia to go on. The other solution involves having them conjure the man responsible for delivering the poison, but Lan Wangji was acting strange about it after he was the one who suggested it. Five still doesn't understand his great moral objection, but he rarely does, and spends far too much time trying to. Several of the necromancers here could do it, if he really wants to pursue the idea.

That doesn't mean he won't also try and get more information about how the necromancers work while he's poking around. He pays careful attention whenever he spots their customers coming and going, and if his timing is good enough, he might teleport in to see what their healing rituals entail. For curiosity's sake.

Today it seems noticeably less crowded in the district, which is... not ideal and throws off his plan slightly. If he stands out too much they might start to recognize him as a kid who keeps hanging around here, and he'll have to put more effort into hiding in the shadows. It also might mean he's missing something again, which just makes him feel more out of sorts. He doesn't abandon the methods, but he keeps an extra eye out for anyone he recognizes that might fill him in.

iii. Academies (open)

Five comes around eventually. He really hadn't needed any magic curse to break his fragile grip on sanity. But when he keeps confusing the anguish he's stubbornly holding onto with memories of the apocalypse, he knows that pretty soon people will start noticing what's wrong with him. At some point he's going to need to make it stop. The unfortunate truth is that there's no way in hell he can trust that the easiest solutions available to get rid of it, and his other idea isn't any guarantee.

Under normal circumstances, he would have learned enough about magic to handle his own problems, but there's just so many different types and languages that he doesn't know where to begin. The research he left to Fox came to a halt after the masquerade, because of course they try to murder the one person he had chosen to tell about his problem, which left him largely on his own. (While Fox presumably recovers. He's sure he would have heard from Mingyu otherwise.)

The academies are easy enough to break into for someone like him, but without a guide, he's less sure of which books to disappear with that might have something worthwhile in them. He ends up with one that looks questionably promising, and others he grabbed simply because they were near it on the shelf. While he's waiting for his personal translator, he flips through the pages and tries to make sense of them.

Almost immediately he starts to write notes in the margins, which quickly devolve into something more familiar to him. Soon he's sitting in the courtyard working the equations he hasn't touched in weeks, trying to work backward to the earliest he could alter the timeline without jeopardizing his family, what events he could change by eliminating various people, and ways to predict where and when they might find his remaining siblings. The mask they insist that he carry around is beside him and he seems intensely focused and oblivious to anyone who might have noticed that he isn't a student.

In hindsight, he should have brought a different notebook with him, but it helps him for a time to slip into the world of time travel and probability equations to remember that he's actually smart about some things. Eventually he'll return to the palace and try to track Fox down to explain what he was originally trying to do. When he does finally hand off these books to him, he's sure he might even have the math worked out and not need him any more.

iv. Undisclosed Location (closed to Hargreeves)

The meeting is, frankly, long overdue. Playing political games for the sake of the group at large has only left them out of touch and ill prepared. They weren't ready for the attempted murder at the masquerade, and he was blindsided by Allison's trip to see the necromancers, purely because he hadn't kept a close enough eye on his family. They need a better system.

Fortunately, securing a suitably discrete location wasn't all that difficult once he started looking, and his ability makes it easy to get around any onlookers who might catch on that he's in cahoots with his family. Before arriving, Five had made at least some effort to splash water on his face and put on a less rumpled set of clothes to disguise the exhaustion that makes him feel every bit of his actual age. He does a passable job. He won't admit that the nap he had earlier might have done some good.

They haven't been together in the same space since the masquerade, and he takes time to assess all of them as he paces around the room. The wolves are still hanging around, apparently. Five takes a moment to look at each one of them before narrowing his eyes at Diego. He's already made it clear what he thinks about his new coping mechanism, but that doesn't mean he won't bring it up again. The only one of them to stay out of trouble is Vanya, and thank god for that.

"Alright. To start with, great job all around at not getting stabbed or poisoned." Really, it's a low bar, but they've managed to cross it. As far as he knows, he's the only one who screwed up anything major, and he's fine with delaying that news until the end. "We don't have a lot of time, but I thought we should get on the same page."

v.

Wildcard for whatever else. Additional starters available on request.

Action spam or prose idc/will match format/~~I swear I will use less words one day (I will forget I said this)~~.

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Emilia owes them more, as far as he's concerned, for getting his sister involved to start with. But he seems to think that's fair enough, so he nods in agreement.

"Good." True, this means he's asking a demon to hover around them, but with the way he's been lately it seems like a matter of time before he slips up and one of them dies again. Which brings up the question: "Have you met the others?"

He had been surprised about Allison's request to help him, so he doesn't know what else they're keeping from him. If he already has their names, he'll bring it up the next time he sees them.

"No. I heard your brother on the... stone, but I have only met Allison."

Technology like this is still new to him - magical technology though it may be. Wrath imagines that the other sibling of his that is here would be Vanya simply based on the conversation he had with Allison. She spoke as if she was presently here.

"Are you planning on telling them about this?"

Wrath will attempt to be discrete nonetheless as he hovers around them within the group, but it would be good to know how surprised they might be by his presence.

Apparently his word that he hasn't spoken to them is good enough for him, because Five accepts it with another nod. As far as telling them he made this kind of deal, that's a good question and he goes quiet while he thinks about it.

"No. If they know they've got a safety net, they might take advantage." That's the reasoning he's going with. "I'll tell them if they ask, but otherwise they probably won't notice. — The others here are Diego and Vanya. I'm still looking for Luther and Klaus."

He's been very public with looking for his family, so he has no hesitation dropping their names. With that out of the way, he crosses his arms and gets back to what he meant to start with.

"Now if we can get back to our earlier conversation. Did you have something else for me?"

Wrath merely nods in response. If they would not likely notice him, they must not be as guarded (paranoid) as Five happens to be. Granted, Wrath can be supernaturally stealthy if he so chooses.

He leans forward so his elbows are on his knees. His eyebrow raises at the way Five phrases the question, but he needs people who he can share information with who would then share it back. They are playing a dangerous game in this city being caught up in its politics, and he means to not be caught off guard by it again.

Damned human dessert and its betrayal.

"I've heard Vannozza is looking for a Necromancer for a special ritual- exorcism or summoning. She's seen several already."

There are times when even Five can admit that he needs to make arrangements to stay informed. He knows there's a limit to how much he can get without giving in return, especially where Wrath is concerned, but he hasn't finished testing how far those limits can stretch.

"That could be one reason why the streets aren't crowded." He considers something for a moment, then shrugs. There's probably no harm in telling him what he was planning. "As far as the poisoning goes, I thought about getting someone to conjure the spirit of the man who was accused, see what he had to say about Vannozza."

Which wasn't his idea, but since Wangji was difficult about it, he's not going to mention his name.

Edited 2021-09-19 20:41 (UTC)

Wrath's expression shifts quiet, thoughtful. He has a great deal of experience with death, with souls after they have been deceased. The type of magic though to bring a spirit back to speak to it is-

"A smart idea if you can find someone to do so. You may want to ask him about Macaluso as well. After his 'offer', it appears he had something to gain by those being poisoned as well." There's a long pause. "I trust neither, and if Vannozza did indeed do the poisoning, it was rather obvious of her."

He has spoken to neither of the two cousins, but they both wish to claim the throne. Speaking to Vannozza may give him better insight into what she is after, into what sort of person she is.

Easier said than done, but he just nods and goes back to staring at the walls while he thinks. If he could have gotten ahold of the body it would have made a difference, he was told, but he's not keen on trying to track that down after this much time has passed. Especially when he wasn't given any guarantees that it would work.

Still. It would almost seem like he's asking for his opinion on this. Five doesn't have a whole lot of experience handling the dead, and few other options on who might have something worthwhile to add. It helps that Wrath has more of a personal investment in looking into who was really behind the plot to murder half of them.

"I might know someone," he says offhandedly. "If we can get him to talk. I don't know a lot about coercing ghosts."

Wrath lifts his head again at the offhanded remark, and he tilts his head to the side after a brief thoughtful moment. He has little experience with actual ghosts, but when it comes to souls, he is well familiar with them. They often get caught in a prison of their own making in Hell.

"I imagine it would depend greatly on the ghost. Clearly, the man had an objective of some kind to go from protestor to... suspected poisoner. He is unlikely to be happy about being killed, which may mean he would be more than happy to talk without any incentive at all in hopes justice may be given."

There's a pause.

"Or if being a ghost is as terrible as I imagine it must be, you could use the simple incentive of someone helping him to 'move on' as reason to talk. ...hopefully, the afterlife in this world is appealing." But he's yet to hear anyone mention any version of Hell. It's hard to imagine he could be barred from it if it existed here.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter if we can't follow through with our promise." His expression turns somber at the mention of moving on, because it's impossible not to think of his brother, and how his spirit lingered around for seventeen years after he died. But in another moment he schools it and returns to the conversation at hand.

"If he does accuse one of them, I suppose you'll want to hear about it." He's offering, if only to keep that arrangement going for as long as it's mutually beneficial. As he studies Wrath for a reaction, he's suddenly curious. "What would you do? Get revenge?"

Wrath notes the shift in expression, feels the shift in emotion at the mention of a spirit moving on. It's telling though he does not ask. He isn't certain how it works here, and spirits rarely linger in his own world. He has transported many souls before. He has watched them get stuck in a prison of their own making in Hell.

"I would appreciate hearing what he has to say at the very least." The question gives him pause before he finally shakes his head. "I would want justice served. I would want to know why the poisoning happened at all. Taking the word of a dead man without further evidence may not be enough for even that." Especially if the ghost had reason to speak falsely. "If one of the cousins was responsible for the poisoning, they shouldn't have the position they're vying for."

And they should be appropriately punished, but this isn't his House so that seems unlikely.

Five doesn't really know what he'll do with that information once he gets it, but he's not opposed to either cousin dying for it. If he decides one of those responsible was still a threat to his family, he won't hesitate to be the one who kills them. Obviously preserving the timeline isn't a factor here, so his primary purpose is to keep them safe. He would have thought Wrath would have a similar thought to anyone threatening his life, but instead he gives another interesting reply that makes him regard him a little more closely.

"What's justice to you?" Losing their political aspirations? From what he can tell of their supporters, it might not hold as much sway as they expect if it gets out.

"Death can be an appropriate sentence, especially for attempted murder of so many people," Wrath says, but he suspects whoever did the poisoning would be more useful alive than dead. If it was one of the cousins, their reputation would be destroyed by such information getting out. It is unlikely they would gain the position they want. "But it is important to face the crime from a point of justice more so than vengeance. Vengeance alone tends to cloud one's judgement and obscure the truth."

It's an emotion that needs to be wielded. While Wrath experience his namesake emotion often, he does not allow himself to be ruled by it (for the most part).

Five thinks of his own bloody history when he looks away. It was never about vengeance when he was an assassin, but it also wasn't about justice. Some of them probably deserved to die, but others were just unlucky and their choices made too much of a disruption on the timeline. He has the same pragmatic approach to anyone who meets their death here if it means saving his family. He may look younger than he did a few months ago, but he's still a killer.

"Well, we'll see if we get that far." He can never guess what people are thinking. He's watched others here kill, but those same people refuse to do what needs to be done when there's too much of a spotlight on them. Always interesting to get a demon's perspective. "I doubt we've seen the last of it. If they're planning another event, someone might make another attempt and I'll find someone living to question."

Wrath is never against killing to protect oneself or those one cares about. Defense is an important reason to kill, but he tries to never allow vengeance to cloud his judgement. It easily can. He could easily be ruled by his own fury- sharp and red as it is, as ancient as it has been burning inside of him. But he recognizes the killer in Five as well, the anger in him.

It would be impossible not to. If they were in his world, he might offer him a place in his House.

"Do you have experience questioning people?"

It's half question, half not. People don't mention questioning living people unless they do have experience.

He can tell what he means, but it almost feels like a trap to answer when he's fairly confident he already knows. Sometimes he wonders if he's building a case around him over what he considers justice.

"Some," he says with a shrug, like that's a completely uninteresting fact. He can't pretend that was only at the Commission. Not horribly long ago he locked someone in a shed for weeks back when he was trying to get information about Anurr. That turned into a colossal waste of time when he was too insane to tell him anything useful.

"Why do you ask?"

It's confirmation, however. Five is good at killing, and he has experience questioning people. It's more than a simple soldier, but something else.... or a soldier who has had to become more due to circumstance.

"I am good at telling when someone is lying. I could help if you did find someone to question," Wrath says simply, and it might make the entire experience less messy than it has to be.

Not that there is anything wrong with mess when it is necessary.

That seems like a generous offer. Five could have used him a couple of months ago, but he's sure it will come up again before long. Wrath has a vested interest in getting to the truth of the matter, so he believes him when he says he can help.

"I'll keep that in mind." Especially since it's hit or miss if he can convince Allison to use her powers for something like that. Of course it doesn't escape him that it's just one more thing he knows about Wrath. Not that he lies often, but it's noted what he can and can't get away with.

"Does that have anything to do with why you don't trust the cousins?" They've made some statements to them, though Five has yet to talk to either directly. He would guess that the majority of what they say is a lie.

Wrath looks at Five at the question before he pauses and then shakes his head in answer.

"It has to be in person, and I have yet to speak to either in person. Politicians, in general, are good at dancing around the truth instead of speaking direct lies." Their statements in public end up being vague enough that Wrath is not quite able to tell. There are half truths people know how to speak frequently.

Not to mention this world appears to have some affect on his powers.

"I do plan on speaking to Vannozza about why exactly she wants a Necromancer and offering... my services in exchange. I may learn more then."

Going right to the source. It's interesting that it has to be in person, and that he's already planning on making arrangements to see that he gets the chance. Five assumes he wouldn't have told him if he wasn't willing to share what he learns. There's a reason he felt it was worthwhile to take the risk and come to an agreement with him.

"She might have a hard time accepting that you weren't sent by her cousin." If he's remembering where he was assigned correctly. He still doesn't know what his services entail, but Wrath has made enough of a reputation that he imagines that it will still be a tempting offer.

"It goes without saying that I'd like to know how that turns out."

Wrath nods, because he has anticipated that, but with the desperation she has come to the Necromancy district with-

It's clear Vannozza is willing to take risks. She may even need to take risks for whatever it is she has planned.

"I assumed." They're both aware of the arrangement they have made without specifically outlining the terms of it. Wrath will share information so long as Five does the same. "But what I tell you will only be for you to know."

He doesn't want to find out Five has spread it elsewhere even to one of his siblings.

"Vannozza can be dangerous." Allison is the one who warned him of that beyond his own assumptions. He wonders if Five is aware....he assumes so, but he also doesn't actually know how human siblings work.

His siblings should tell him everything so he can factor it into his plans and not be taken off guard at a critical moment. It doesn't matter if he hasn't explained more than they need to know, or that he hasn't brought up the mirror curse or every deal he's made. He warned them not to trust anyone, and that should be enough to keep them out of trouble.

It won't. The best he can do is try to stay ahead of them. In this case, he can agree to his stipulation easily if it means being a buffer between them and a demon. He can use the information without directly telling them what it is.

He's nodding to their agreement when the pointed comment about Vannozza gives him pause, and he tilts his head as he regards him. Five can own up to distractions of his own making that may have caused him to miss a few things, but he'd hate if something important passed by without his notice.

"Aside from her influence with necromancy and possible hand in the poisoning?"

...so Five doesn't actually know. It doesn't take Wrath long to figure out why they may have wanted to keep it from him. They might have feared he would attempt to kill Vannozza for even a hint of the apparently brutal threat she made in regards to Allison. He is accustomed to his brothers, and there is nothing familial about his relationships with them, but he was under the impression that the Hargreeves' relationship as siblings was very close. Granted, even that closeness does not stop siblings from keeping secrets from one another for whatever reason.

This is not his story to tell, and he certainly does not want to get in the middle of it. Allison only told Wrath so that he might be careful (not knowing he is incredibly used to navigating people far worse than Vannozza), and Five is already incredibly paranoid without warnings needed.

"She has power within the city even in the position she currently holds. Both cousins do. Guards, money, influence... I am certain she could imprison someone or worse for what she believes are offenses made against her. I do not intend to make an enemy of her."

Five is silent after his response and watches him like he expects something more specific to come after. So far, Five has played along with them for as long as it's the best option for his family, but he hasn't singled her out as the biggest threat yet. It's surprising that Wrath of anyone would find her dangerous because she might imprison someone.

Surprising enough that he's not sure if he believes him. There's several more beats of silence before he continues on with the conversation.

"...Technically, we are her enemies, as long as we're supporting her cousin." They apparently take that very seriously, if the masquerade is anything to go by. "It could backfire if Macaluso found out, or she could betray you and tell him. If you're concerned about risks, you're taking a big one."

"Not exactly. We're simply on the other side. Doing something to directly harm her or her efforts outside of the rules that have been set would likely bring her ire," Wrath says, and it's not as if Wrath is concerned with being imprisoned or killed himself. Either would be nearly impossible for someone to do to him.

Though this world does have wards which have affected his ability to teleport into places so perhaps he could be imprisoned.

"I'm aware, but it's one worth taking. I will be honest with her from the start. It would be a risk for her to accept my help as it would be a risk for me to offer it. The decision will be hers to make. She continues to seek Necromancers so I imagine she is desperate for whatever it is she seeks from them."

At his reasoning, Five backs away slightly, and takes a couple steps like he's going to return to his familiar pacing while he works his way through that logic. It would be good to know what she's so interested in, but he also hasn't cleared her as a suspect for the masquerade so he doesn't completely buy that they aren't enemies in her eyes.

"There is a time limit she's working against, so that could be." Wrath's plan seems workable, and there's a part of him that approves that he doesn't think to include his sister after he saw her powers. He runs a hand through his hair, but doesn't commit to involving himself further when he has other priorities.

"The undead are a plague outside of Taravast, so she might have a plan to deal with them. Or she could be looking to control them to overthrow the opposition. It's hard to say."

time doesn't love you anymore

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