Nightshift 28: Sunroom

[norainu]

[From here.]

Renji only took a few steps into the room, and one to the side; just enough so that he could hear anything that might be going on in the room without it being overwhelmed by the noise still seeping in from the outside. The flashlight was still off; since it was pretty dim even in here and he was wearing black, he didn't want to give up the advantage of the little camouflage it provided.

There he paused, ready to spring at any moment, to attack or defend, as he listened with both ears and spirit.

Comments

[thesadist]

There came only the faintest whisper of sound as a form melted out of the blackness behind him. There were no footsteps, for the person gliding up behind the redhead did so on several inches of air, a sight shield drawn tightly about him, rendering himself invisible until he wished to be seen.

A dark chuckle echoed softly in the all but silent room, and the ghost of a touch brushed faintly against Renji's bandaged arm, inquisitive almost, but there were strange tendrils of dark magic already filling the room, despite the fact that the source was still unseen.

[norainu]

Renji frowned at the feeling in the room; the expression became a scowl as he heard the laugh. It sounded familiar, though he couldn't quite place it. One foot shifted slightly against the floor.

"Show yourself," he growled.

[thesadist]

The sight shield dropped and Daemon stepped to the ground in front of Renji, holding up his hand to summon a ball of witchlight. He was dressed in the clothing he most often wore in his home realms, tight black slacks and sleek white dress shirt, the outfit looking as though it had been poured over his body, so snug did it fit, accentuating the Warlord Prince's body to exquisite detail. His dark hair was drawn back from his face and a half-smirk played over his lips as golden eyes glinted in the glow of witchfire.

"Injure yourself already, Renji?" the man all but purred, inclining his head to the side as he eyed the shinigami. "And after I patched you up once today already. Let me see it."

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

The darkness was never as dark as it promised. River frowned at the setting, hands clasped behind her as she walked in a carefully plotted straight line, eyes closed and humming a strange, happy little tune. Appearances were always so deceiving, though. Pretending to be all sorts of colors when sometimes it was just as simple as black and white. Knowing that they would be at her back, knowing that the sides were covered if it mattered, she came to a halt somewhere near the center of the room where a light was left burning in the window.

"Time to play, Daemon. Boring if you just hide," she teased with a giggle. She'd probably be chided later for not dancing on the serious side of things. Jigs were always more fun,

[thesadist]

With his full power back, Daemon had been able to feel them outside the room, had known they would come soon. He'd prepared for it, setting a tangled web over the door, one that would be triggered by anyone passing through, but so subtle it wouldn't be noticed until it was too late. He knew each could be a force to be reckoned with at their full capacity - especially when working together - but that none were at that point, the feeling of his father's Black so far diminished from its normal state that it would almost be distressing, had he cared.

They did not disappoint him, did not keep him waiting long.

As River stepped into the room, she triggered the web unknowingly, stepping into the Illusion all her own - whether unknowingly or not. The room appeared exactly the same - empty but for a single floating ball of witchlight at it's center - but she would remain alone.

Should Ren and his father choose to follow her, they would also see the same room - but without her inside, and without each other, as well. The tangled web was designed to separate them, seclude them, allow Daemon the opportunity to deal with each of them on his own terms.

They deserved no less, after all, to his own mind.

At River's words, a laugh came from the darkness - lacking its usual warm, affectionate tone - and Daemon shimmered into view in front of her, hovering in the air as he dropped the sight shield that had hidden him. "Teacups shouldn't be so noisy, not on nights like this."

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

Alone. Though she would seem oblivious, her mind picked up on the change instantly, much sharper than her outward appearance. He might know. She expected he would, but it was all the manner of working, all the manner of how it had to happen. River smiled up at him as though it were any other day, the most charming of imps to the end.

"Not a teacup tonight," she protested, not taking a step back. But teacups and swords were a matter for another time. For now, River simply stood alone, fingers still knitted together behind her back, eyes still closed despite the danger.

"You've been bad," the girl continued, shaking her head. "You broke Renji again."

[highlord-ofhell.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253377.html?thread=18953409#t18953409)]

He expected darkness when he followed River into the room. Not the witchlight, which served to cast more shadows than illumninate any part of the room. He did not expect to be alone. Daemon was in here somewhere, and River should be but he could see nothing.

And felt very little.

He expected to hang back trying to protect the brave children, not walk right into it himself.

"Daemon, son, you don't need to do this. Please don't harm them. They only mean you well."

Even with his Jewels, he'd be vulnerable to a full force attack from his son. Now... he would have to see, and hope that they'd both be able to live with themselves come morning.

[littlestrawdoll.livejournal.com]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253377.html?thread=18953409#t19036353)]}

The name 'Black Widow' reminded him of spiders, but they were more like snakes. Not even snakes, really, but the old, nearly extinct kinds of youkai that had used to prowl the countryside.

The scene as soon he stepped into the room, however, reminded him of home.

Illusions were familiar territory, and Ren knew that the likelihood that Daemon was opening parallel dimensions was far less likely than ensnaring the three of them in separate illusions. The other two were still here, facing separate figments of Daemon.

More than a little odd, not being on the giving end of them.

He didn't say anything, just waited. The theme of this illusion hadn't been revealed yet, and like a good deal of his existence, he took his hands off the situation to see what Daemon would decide to do on his own.

[thesadist]

"I'm surprised at you, Ren," Daemon's voice echoed from the darkness, source unseen as of yet. "Out of all of them, I would have expected you to have the sense to stay away. Or has River lured you here as well?"

The room still appeared empty, no sign of River or Saetan anywhere, only the empty Sunroom, dark except for the single flickering ball of witchlight illuminating its center.

[littlestrawdoll.livejournal.com]

"Well, you know. Sometimes you can surprise yourself."

Not likely. But just like with ever other contract, in this moment it was time to play by a script. Of course, it was Daemon's little puppet show until he could break the illusion--hopefully unravelling the other two as well--though even then, that was only the beginning if there was going to be an ongoing fight. He had to trust River was doing what she could, Saetan too.

He couldn't do it all alone, couldn't trust that River could do it all alone, and that was what had made him initially resist.

[thesadist]

(Dropping down from three individual threads above)

The tangled web shattered, his illusion melted away entirely, and suddenly, his three caught prey were no longer secluded and separate, but all in the same room, alone with Daemon and a single ball of dancing witchlight.

River's chair was gone, but her hands were still caught for the moment; Ren and Saetan stood free.

Daemon straightened, already recovering his composure from the twin attacks, his golden eyes shuttered, the air about him chilled and growing colder by the moment. He studied the two males with wary caution, another part of his attention focused on River, knowing now that none of them could be underestimated.

"Well, Ren, I wasn't expecting that. You'll have to tell me how you did that sometime. But together or separate changes your situation little."

[theycutitout.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that had been the true meaning of 'everything'. Perhaps she'd known it and had endured only long enough until the strike came. Regardless, the whimpering, quivering girl was no more, and in the very instant that the illusion broke, River used her bound hands as an advantage, lifting her lower body up to aim a sharp, hard kick to his side.

She had said she wasn't a teacup tonight, and it had been truth. Tonight, River Tam was a sword in true form, and she had to get in her strikes before her time was up.

[highlord-ofhell.livejournal.com]

It was a relief to see and feel the illusion web fall away, revealing River and the other young man, the one who'd been the source of the eye. Saetan caught his balance, wishing he had a moment to catch his breath as well and smile at their small victory. They had gotten in a few strikes and Daemon was obviously a bit off-balance, but he still had the power to flatten them if he wished.

As it was, the small burst of energy Saetan had used left him dizzy and seeing spots swim before his eyes. He backed off a few steps to let the younger people get in what physical blows they could and edged to the side just a little, hoping to get behind Daemon. He might get another chance with the snake's tooth if Daemon were paying more attention to the others.

[valyns-shadow.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253377.html?thread=19209409#t19209409)]

Shadow opened the door and was surprised to find that the room was lit by a strange glow which was different from the rest of the areas he'd been in. He didn't find it all too odd but it was something to note as he walked further into the room, moving slowly so as not to disturb anything that might be lurking.

Tables, chairs - the room seemed to be a common area. It was rather large and the tables looked as though they could seat a few people at once. Shadow pulled one of the chairs out and sat down, looking around him. Perhaps this was where everyone came to eat. It seemed that whoever ran this place liked to lump them all together. It would make sense if this were a dining area of sorts.

At the thought of food, Shadow's stomach growled a little. He hadn't eaten anything since that cookie right before nightfall. He put his hand on his stomach to try and quiet it down. If this was the eating room then perhaps the kitchens were some place nearby. Shadow stood once more and went to explore the other side of the room where he saw the faint outline of a door.

[thesadist]

The tangled web still decorated the door, brushing against each that walked in. When he noted all were strangers, however, he decided it best not to stretch his attention span too thin, letting the second pair enter together. He'd stretched to spin three illusions for River and Saetan and Ren, and had made a grave miscalculation in doing so. These three, with unknown abilities and strengths, could be a challenge or a laugh, but Daemon was being careful all the same.

Allowing the other two their illusion together, he also turned to watch the young man alone, his lips quirking faintly and his golden eyes glittering coldly as he stepped into sight.

"Didn't anyone warn you it wasn't safe to wander about alone at night?"

[valyns-shadow.livejournal.com]

Shadow turned, his body tensed as he debated running towards the door. But the voice was intelligent which was a far cry from the birds outside and it didn't sound at all familiar so it couldn't be a mimic like the one who had attacked Valyn. Still, it was best to be on his guard but there was no reason to run. Not yet, anyway.

"Someone might have mentioned that to me," he said, taking in the sight of the man before him. He wasn't elvish but he didn't feel human either. The gold of his eyes were a bit unnerving and unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

"But I like to come to my own conclusions. Besides, should I run into any monsters I won't be foolish to attack them. Running is just as good a strategy when you're exploring."

[moon-brained.livejournal.com]

[From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253377.html?thread=19390401#t19390401)]

Usagi entered the room, warily scoping the area out. There was an ominous light glowing in the center of the Sun Room that she was pretty sure was not there during the day. What jerk decided to make a creepy place even creepier? The shadows the ball of light cast sent a shiver down the senshi's spine and she gripped her bag even tighter.

"What is that?" she whispered to Naruto.

[tte-bayo.livejournal.com]

The large room appeared to be empty except for the very faint outline of one person on the other side of it. Naruto also noticed the strange glow, some weird light in the center that made the room feel even eerier.

He stopped at Usagi's side and stuck close to her, shoulders automatically tensing for a fight as he glared directly at it. Almost looked like chakra, but it didn't feel like chakra. If only he could use some...

"No clue," he muttered back, refusing to tear his eyes away from it. "Stay close."

Even he knew better by now than to bolt forward after entering a suspicious room during a Landel's nightshift, so Naruto started leading at a pace that was normal and confident in his determination to reach the other side of the room. The kitchen wasn't too far now.

[thesadist]

"Going somewhere?"

The voice was whisper-soft, dark and crooning, and murmured directly into Usagi's left ear.

The sight shield was still in place, hiding Daemon from view, and his feet walked upon air, leaving no sound of footsteps. He was unseen and unheard except for when he chose to be otherwise, and the young pair that had stumbled into this room would not be heading anywhere except for their beds if he had any say in the matter.

[fuyunohanabi.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253377.html?view=19401665#t19401665)]

A flare of light when she pushed the door to the Sun Room open, and Rangiku was instantly on her guard, sticking close to Gin. There shouldn't be light hanging in the air like that, so they could definitely assume that someone or something was here, be it an unfortunate patient serving the Institute for the night, or the spirit from a few nights ago.

She stepped silently, her katana drawn, alert to any sign of movement or attack.

[traitors-smile.livejournal.com]

Gin's eyes flicked around the room. There was a light, but still the darkness seemed to cling around them. His flashlight flickered uselessly again and he tucked it into his sleeve, concentrating instead on wielding his knife and looking for any threats. It felt strange, but he couldn't see much out of place besides the dim light not too far distant.

He shifted his feet, at least he had the familiar feel of his waraji beneath them instead of the usual slippers and the robes helped somewhat in warding off the chill. He was hesitant to go too far into the room if they had to run. The simple fact that it was difficult to detect any enemy could be a sign in and of itself that they were strong.

[thesadist]

A cool breeze flickered through the room, almost icy in its chill as Daemon stepped into his third illusion, dropping his sightshield and eyeing the two who had just entered. My, but his room had just gotten popular. Appearing suddenly in the center of the room, standing not too far from the flickering ball of witchlight, he openly watched them, patient, one slender eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"More Shinigami?" he inquired in a cool, cultured tone, looking entirely at odds in his noble's clothing among the rest of the mass of decaying, feral night-wanderers. He instinctively felt for their power level, knowing what Renji felt like and wondering how these two compared. It would do no good being caught by surprise.

[wantsyourzex.livejournal.com]

It appeared he was more disoriented than he thought... this large open area wasn't the hallway he was looking for, that was for certain. This room seemed somewhat familiar, but there was something different about it...

Then again, this entire place seemed to undergo some kind of transformation at night, so why should this room be any exception?

Had ZEX been here before...? He was finding it difficult to remember. He was rapidly developing a headache, and his double vision was no help. Everything was getting blurry and indistinct, and there was some kind of light here, althought he could not make out its source. Cursed tiny double eyes. He'd never thought they could be so utterly inconvenient.

ZEX stumbled over to a wall, leaning against it and pressing a hand over one eye to see if that would help at all. It didn't, really, but it made him feel better.

Where was he supposed to go from here...?

[thesadist]

"You look lost," spoke a voice from behind him as Daemon stepped from the shadows, an expression of patient amusement on his face. The three others had left just in time for this one to step through the web. There was certainly little chance for him to be bored this night.

[wantsyourzex.livejournal.com]

ZEX started, nearly falling forward before he managed to catch his balance. He'd already scraped up his palms enough for the evening, thank you.

The monsters he'd encountered so far couldn't talk... perhaps this was another inmate? ZEX turned around cautiously, prepared to bolt if need be (although whether or not he would have been very successful in running was another story, given his sense of balance was completely shot at this point).

ZEX blinked his one open eye. Well. This human was certainly... well. He tried to find his voice. God, this night was wreaking havoc on him with all these human hormones! "Ah, you're correct on that point... I'm not entirely sure where I am at the moment. I'm a little disoriented."