Log:Dictum Dominium

2015/02/13 Bard Grimm 1

It's damned cold this even. In the low thirties, but the wind chill makes it feel more like in the low twenties. It keeps most of the streets empty of civilians and criminals. But there are still some criminals who realize this is a good time to do things if they're willing to brave the cold.

And then there's people like Grimm who don't feel the cold. She's dressed for a spring evening with a black tank, a gray bolero style leather jacket, and matching grey cargo capris with ankle high lace up black boots. Something about the graveyard prickled her senses on the way home from the Bunker as she walked along the sidewalk. So she looked both ways (while looking three ways with her shadow sight), then turned into a shadow and sidestepped through the concrete wall aroudn the cemetery, becoming solid and flesh again once she's on the other side.

Not that far off a loud pulse of bass as leaping over the wall comes Marcus Bard. Not the wall that Grimm stepped through but as he sails over the tombstones and lands with a thud and a roll not too far off he hasn't seen Grimm yet, or atleast shows little to no sign of her being there. he is carrying in his hand some flowers and a plastic bottle of some kind. He is, unlike their last encounter, sober.

Remembering the last time, Bard was unhappy at her 'sneaking' about, Gabrielle decides to give him a heads up that he's not alone, in much the way he would try to get someone's attention. A whisper right beside Bard says, "Hey." Even though Grimm is further than the voice would indicate. Even though her lips down't move. It's soft and sudden, and in a direction that, if Bard were to look towards the voice, his line of sight would lead to Gabrielle.

It's amazing that two people can have a conversation without saying a word. "Hello." Bard's voice replies, slightly surprised by the sound of his illusion. "I didn't figure I'd run into you here... Or again, but surprises are surprises I suppose." He turns to look at her. "Dropping off flowers for my sister's birthday." It answers, "In case you were wondering."

"Well, I guessed in general that's why you were here. That's why most people come to graveyards. To spend some time with loved ones passed." Gabrielle smiles slightly. "Then there's weirdos like me who have a thing for the people who come to graveyards for other reasons." Still, her lips don't move and her voice is a whisper. Is it respect for the dead that has her using library manners? "I won't bother you while you pay your respects," she adds as she starts a slow stroll.

"Why are you whispering, and why are we both using projections of our voices?" Bard has to inquire, aloud with his own lips. "We certainly are odd." He shrugs. "I can agree." Bard says moving in the same general direction as Grimm, "On the 'wanting to find people using the graveyard wrong' thing... I'd love to just once atleast get something more mundane. Like goth kids making out, not death singers attempting to bring forther undead lords or some non-such... Harlequinn never did clarify that for me... wonder if they fixed the damages to the crypt."

Grimm stops her walking. "Because something's not right here and I didn't want to alert whoever it was, while also trying to avoid pissing you off while I skulked around," Gabrielle finally says aloud with a thin amused smirk. "Mundane is something I don't get to do anymore. If it was mundane, it wouldn't be making my head tingle." Or it could be a tumor (It's not a tumor!). "Death singers? Those sound nasty. Or like a really cool metal band."

"Wonderful voice, woke the dead. Not so great complexion... not a fan of being bounced off ceilings, as it turns out. Who knew?" Bard shrugged. "Lead the way, I can probably lend a hand beofre stopping by. Not like they're going anywhere." Bard says attempting to smile but ultimately feeling bad about his joke.

"Well, if things get nasty, you may want to leave the flowers behind and pick them up afterwards," Gabrielle tries to be helpful. She turns to face the open cemetary and closes her eyes as she stretches out her senses, her head tilted skywards. After several moments, she frowns slowly and lowers her head while opening her eyes. "-Not- goth kids making out," she kills Bard's dreams as she starts walking off in a relatively straight line, sidestepping graves where need be.

Bard sighs, drinking from the bottle, which is revealed to be Dr. Pepper. "Well, that always makes things different..." Bard grumbles. "Can never been simple things. Graverobbers? Can we get some normal human grave robbers for a change? What am I kidding, we live in colonial bay... nothing is normal anymore." He sighs, shivering and drawing his coat tighter

"There's simple things all the time in this city. Cops deal with simple things. And it's overkill to open up hell and unleash it on some kids trying to jimmy open a Redbox, dontcha think?" Gabrielle grins as she marches forward. But as they draw closer to whatever it is, the grin and confidence start to mellow out. She whispers back, "But if you think grave robbers can be normal...that's weird if you ask me. But good news is, they're human. Bad news, there's something magical with them."

Bard listens out to see what is going on in the direction they are headed. His 'ear' moves faster than they do in their attempts to be queit and stealthy. Bards jokes and smile fade into a more calculating face.

Up ahead, there are some large tombs blocking line of sight. But it also protects Bard and Grimm's approach, because on the other side of the massive wall of a tombstone, Bard can hear the scrapping of earth over and over again before it finally ceases. There's some shuffling sounds before a woman's voice says, "Perfect. It's ready."

Bard loks to grimm. "One's female." He wispers. "And there was the sound of scraping earth... so... let's see shall we?" He asks.

"There's two others," Grimm whispers back. "And let's." She gets ready to go on his mark.

Bard nods. "don't vanish this time." He says, motioning for Grimm to loop around as he walks around the crypt not really caring what lies beyond when that familiar smile returns to him. "what's ready?" He asks in a chipper up beat tone to make his presence known once he can see them.

Grimm frowns at Bard. "How do you expect me to sneak up on them then?" she grumble-whispers as he asks her something that seems counter to sneaking. She rolls her eyes and tries to creep down low on foot. Being stealthy doesn't seem her strong suit. Ninja, she is not.

Once Bard gets around the tombstone, he sees two men in brown robes with black chasubles trimmed in scarlet silk with a goat's head embroidered on the breast in silver thread. There's also a woman with silken black hair that comes down to her waist. She's wearing silken robes of scarlet and black, with a black velvet chasuble trimmed in silver lame and the same silver goat's head embroidery. She wears a half mask of ebony wood decorated with silver filigree and two spiraling horns of silver. She holds a coiled black whip with thorns long black hair entwined with the braided leather.

They stand at an open grave of a young woman who must not have been buried too long ago based on her state. She can't be older than her early twenties.

The woman releases the coil of the whip tail, letting it pool at her feet as she holds the handle. "This city. Can't it ever be someone normal?" the woman says in disdain with a roll of her eyes.

Bard reaches out his mind at the lady with the whip. Grinning that evil grin one gets when they know something you didn't expect them to know about you. "Lovely city, full of surprises." He says scanning her mind for an entry point to extract the very reason she is here from her thoughts, and more accurately how to, even in the event he loses, prevent her form claiming her goal.

The red gems that make the eyes of the embroidered goat on her chasuble glint with an inner fire as the woman smiles wickedly. <> She flicks her wrist up and back, but keeps her arm down. The whip follows the motion to wind back.

With his abilities, and her playing with the whip, he knows that's exactly why she was here. Harvesting the work she and sewn with the body. Bard also senses how eager she is to subjucate the foolish Bard.

Bard seems unphased by the lady's thoughtful advance. "Well, having fun then? I do suppose you three are a step above clearing out goth kids making out." Bard says looking at the flowers in his hands. "And here I thought we'd get the chance to know eachother." He sniffs the flowers looking at the leading lady. "But you might be a bit too rough for me... Seems kinky though." Bard says looking at the whip and contemplating how much he really really hates himself.

"Mistress Adana, let us dispatch this unworthy naive for you!" One of the hooded men plead. Each carries a long, thing stick.

Mistress Adana waves her hand. "How boring. Since you don't like things rough, I'll let my servants have you." She turns away in disdain but keeps an eye on Bard. "Don't underestimate him. He's more than just a normal man."

The two men ready their tarnished wands at Bard.

Bard chuckles, at the two men. "Two verse one, how unsporting." Bard speaks with those honey words. "Oh how your mistress would view you as weak. She already does, warning you of me as if I pose some real danger to her." bard speaks and looks at the men. "Such weak toys for her you must be for her to think you so fragile that your only hope is two verses one." Bard tsks. "Shame really." Bard assumes what sort of resembles a fighting stance and begins to bounce. He seems off balanced, and actually really open to attack.

Grimm gives up on trying to sneak as she sees the men trying to engage Bard. Which also has Mistress Adana trying to leave in her general direction. She shadow steps between the gap separating them. She looks smug and is about to quip when her eyes fall on the woman. And suddenly that smug look falls away. "Y-you!"

Mistress Adana's eyes glint behind the mask as her dark red lips curl into a satisfied smile. "Hello, my Key. How good of you to just fall into my lap like this."

Grimm looks stricken and pale. Scared, even. "No...no no no! I won't let you have me AGAIN!" she stumbles back as black tendrils burst out from the sides of her shadow shield. They wave and whip threateningly. One raises up high and tries to smash down on Mistress Adana.

In her haste and panic, the tentacle winds up high and crashes down with as much strength as Grimm can, giving Mistress Adana time to sidestep. The ground trembles from the impact of the ten meter long tentacle.

"You say no, but no isn't a safe word," Mistress Adana taunts as she levels her wand towards Grimm and cries out, "Dictum dominium!"

The two initiates look angry at Bard's taunts. Especially the one who asked to dispatch Bard. He shouts with spittle flying, "We're not just her toys! We are special! WORTHY!" They level their wands towards Bard and shout in latin as broad rays begins to shoot from their wands.

Bard jumps to the side rolling and skidding a bit as the rays strike at where he was moments ago. <> Bard replies in Latin. <>

Grimm's eyes widen as Mistress Adana's spell takes hold. Then her face drains of most of its emotions of fear and anger.

Bard kips to his feet easily enough. ((I'd appreciate if you let go of her. I was going to give you an autograph.)) Bard says rather irrately. He crosses his arms taking a deep breath before throwing them appart and screaming blood and thunder in a primal roar that cracks with the force of a lightningbolt hitting the ground. Great winds billow forth from Bard's Mouth attempting to cast aside the cloaked hencement and the mistress if he can get her in range as well.

The initiates and Mistress Adana are scattered like leaves on the wind along the grass lawn of the graveyard, leaving just Grimm standing relatively near Bard.

Grimm's mind is trapped by Mistress Adana's spell. The tentacles around her don't wave as wildly and angrily. They're more controlled. One winds back and snaps at Bard much like a whip.

Bard is ragdolled and tossed backwards into a tombstone slumping down in a heap coughing a bit from being winded. . o 0 (F*** me...)

Mistress Adana rises to her feet and brushes off her robes. The initiates scramble to their feet and rush to serve her and help her up, but she just slaps their hands away. "To me, dear! And kill that fool if he tries to stop us again," she commands across the graveyard in the opposite direction Bard was tossed. Then the woman begins to chant some words.

Grimm's eyes have shifted to all black as she sways a little. At the Mistress' command, she flickers out of existence and reappears by the DEMON cultists. Mistress Adana's chanting grows louder and a glow begins to suffuse the group.

The chanting reaches a crescendo and Mistress Adana, the Initiates, and Grimm all vanish in a sickly glowing cloud of smoke.