undergrounds | july catch-all for desmond

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july catch-all for desmond

1. all of july: job hunting
Desmond might have a place to stay for now, but the little bit of money he was given isn't going to last forever, so that only means one thing: he needs to find a job. Keeping to Circle Daybreak and other witch-friendly territories, Desmond walks along the streets, keeping an eye out for any signs in windows that indicate a place might be looking to take on an extra pair of hands. Unfamiliarity with the city, though, means he has a hard time navigating, and it takes no time at all to get lost.

Meaning it's time to accost a stranger, giving them a sheepish grin. "Do you have a minute? I think I took a wrong turn somewhere."

Otherwise, you might see him come in to a bar or a shop, looking around for the owner or someone who looks like they might be in charge. If they're otherwise occupied, he might turn to you instead. "Sorry, but would you happen to know who I should talk to about getting a job here? I heard they're hiring."

2. all of july: bird's eye view
There's no better way to see the city than from the roofs, so Desmond can frequently be found hauling himself up along fire escapes and -- occasionally -- architecture, though he's careful to try and do it out of sight of main thoroughfares. Still that could mean you see someone scrambling up the side of a building,hear a scuffle of feet outside your window, or a soft thump and some low swearing from an alleyway when he doesn't quite stick his landing the way he's supposed to.

Once he does get to the rooftops, Desmond pulls out a pen and a map of London, turning it around in his hands and flipping through it until he gets to the page that corresponds to whatever he's looking at right now. Narrowing his eyes, he tries to match the skyline and the landmarks to the map.

"Guess who built this place never heard of urban planning, did they?" he says out loud, to no one in particular.

[ ooc; need me to write up a custom starter? want to tag in with something completely unrelated? just shoot me a pm! ]

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Witches, much like Assassins, like sticking together. Most of the people here don't really know what Desmond can do, besides apparently 'suck at magic,' but with someone already in Circle Daybreak to vouch for him they don't seem to care much about where he comes from, either. Transients are common enough in London, and there are much more interesting things to talk about anyway.

Conversation ebbs and flows in the small yoga studio: the witches talk about the latest Night Council vote, speculate about what that might mean for Circle Daybreak, and talk about how they'll divide the work for preparing for the next full moon -- maybe find another coven to work with, to get the numbers they need for the spell.

Desmond listens without being able to make much sense of it, cross-legged on the wooden floor. This isn't much his mental image of what a coven meeting would look like -- the studio belongs to one of the other witches in this particular coven -- but in his opinion it's better than velvet curtains, blood rituals, and black candles. With the heat of the day, all the windows have been opened, and someone's got a bit of magic going to keep the air circulating through no matter how stuffy the rest of the city gets. (He should learn that spell, it would be useful when he gets back to his place.)

For now, he's sort of the odd one out. Now that introductions have been made, he's stuck with a book of basic spells until the grownups actually get their business finished and someone has time to teach him something. Unfortunately, it's taking so long he's starting to actually nod off.

Edited 2017-07-08 23:32 (UTC)

Meanwhile, a small cat nose nudges at Desmond's hand, whiskers brushing the skin. Assessing the scent and magic of a newcomer. This particular coven is dominated by health-conscious witches who actually choose to go on morning jogs, consume liquefied vegetables and run in marathons. Hence the yoga studio. Mogget despises the lot of them, but the newcomer seems different. It's likely he got told to go to the nearest coven in his area without considering its suitability. Whatever happened, he's not without power which leaves Mogget wondering why he's holding a very basic book of spells.

The cat rubs his head along the witch's hand, intending to wake him up. He doesn't say anything just yet. He's curious to know whether the stranger has any idea who or what he is first.

Rhys left. He left a few days ago. And yes, Cole knows why and Cole knows that it's important and Cole knows that he and Evangeline couldn't stay but Rhys left and Cole couldn't leave and now Cole's alone. He's alone and he's terrified. He had a few people here who might be friends, might be people who could help, and one of them is Desmond. Desmond the spirit medium. Desmond...not his friend, not yet, Cole didn't really have friends, lost and lonely as he was. But Desmond could be one.

Thankfully, as Rhys left a few days ago, Cole hasn't completely faded away to nothingness yet (but he's so scared, tense and terrified, worried that it would happen soon). He still had some of his powers. And he could still sort of feel Desmond, he could know where he was. So SURPRISE, DESMOND you've got a frantic ghost teleporting just right in front of you and Cole just honestly doesn't know and/or care what Desmond's doing right now, especially considering he's on the verge of a panic attack.

"Can you keep me whole?"

Might need to take this conversation slowly.

"M'wake," Desmond mumbles, one eye opening to focus on the fuzzy form in front of him. He isn't entirely startled by the sudden touch of a small nose against his hand, since the other witches have familiars who've greeted him the same way. It is, however, slightly embarrassing, because he most definitely was dozing there.

"Hey there. Don't think we've met yet." He opens both eyes, coming properly awake with a jaw-splltting yawn. It's not one of the familiars here, is it? In a moment or two, he'll remember why he was warned to watch out for a white cat, but for now holds out his hand for a proper sniff-and-greet, giving the cat a careful scratch behind the base of one ear if he's allowed.

Given that Desmond was in the middle of buying himself groceries for the week, yeah, Cole just about gives him a heart attack, since he manifests right in the middle of his shopping basket. He remembers the ghost from a bit ago, the one whose alley he'd never quite gotten around to visiting (and seeing in front of him now, he feels both guilty and worried -- can ghosts take things personally?). But when Cole immediately opens with that, his expression just turns to pure confusion.

"Wait -- what?" What's that supposed to mean? Also, they're in the middle of a store aisle, like the worst place to have this conversation ever.

Edited 2017-07-09 01:17 (UTC)

Cole has not realized in the slightest that Desmond's busy. It's entirely possible that he's forgotten that people don't want to be bothered while grocery shopping. So, Cole just still manifests in the middle of the shopping basket, not even bothering to move, a bunch of tomatoes creepily hanging out in the middle of his body, while still looking so worried all the while.

"Rhys left. I can't feel him anymore. You have to help, make me whole, keep me from hurting!"

He's not going to go back to that. That anchorless state of him haunting the alleyway, confused, worried, not understanding anything, lashing out to try and get people to see him. He refuses to be that Cole again.

Desmond glances up and down the aisle, quickly. Luckily for them, the only other people around right now are a frazzled-looking housewife trying to find the best bargain on the shelf, accompanied by her chocolate-smeared toddler -- who happens to be staring directly at them both, sucking on her thumb. Desmond leans forward, frowning at Cole.

"I don't understand what's happening," he'll admit that readily enough. "I'll help if I can. But I don't think I can do that here." The grocery is not a place for occult doings, generally speaking.

The problem with Cole is that even with Rhys's help, he still has a tenuous grasp on his powers. So, as he clenches his fists, can of baked beans telekinetically explodes at the end of the aisle. It's not out of malice or anger or anything: Cole's expression and Cole's tone of voice is one of pure fear. This is just him reaching out, reacting with his powers in ways he doesn't expect.

"Then where? We need to do this quick. I can't...I won't let it happen again."

Someone shrieks at the sound of exploding canned produce and the toddler, startled by the sudden noises, instantly begins crying, making even more noise. Eyes darting around the aisle, Desmond decides he might as well give up his groceries as a lost cause, and lets his cart go, stepping away.

"Outside. Follow me." Moving as quickly as he can without breaking into an outright run, he'll sidestep the curious onlookers who've started moving towards the noise and find the nearest secluded alley, turning to glance over his shoulder every so often to make sure Cole's following. He doesn't know a whole lot about the rules of the Night Council, but he does know one thing -- not letting humans know they exist is the most basic rule there is, so Cole making a scene somewhere very public is something nobody wants.

"This should work," he exhales, after glancing around to make sure they're in the all-clear, then straightens, trying to replay the last few bits of their conversation before he booked it. "Okay, let's try this again. You said Rhys left? Your anchor? Why?"

Edited 2017-07-09 04:03 (UTC)

Cole follows, remaining a few steps behind Desmond all the while. He just straight up passes through walls and through other customers, not really caring about what he's doing, until they're in the alley.

"Evangeline was--" Evangeline was trying to exorcise him. To force him to pass on. He can't hate her for that, it was just her job, and he was dangerous.

"Evangeline had to leave so Rhys left as well. Their threads tied together, I could feel it." He had been feeling it for a while. Rhys loved Evangeline and Evangeline loved him as well. So when matters soured, when Evangeline got in trouble for not exorcising the alleyway ghost and Rhys got in trouble for helping Evangeline, they had to leave. The pieces of the answer are in Cole's mind but he's so worried right now, so scattered that he's not putting them together.

"I don't blame them. They're happy. It's just..." He trails off, looking over at Desmond with worried eyes. What's going to happen to him?

Desmond might notice discarded clothes on the corner of the rooftop. He also might notice that there was a rat running around on the roof, who froze when he showed up, watching him, seeming like he was unsure of what to make of this human who had just climbed the building he was on.

Roddy watched the man for a bit, wondering what it was he was looking for, or if this was simply a very unorthodox method of figuring out his way around the city. When he asked a question, however, Roddy squeaked, surprised. Was this guy talking to him?

It's all rather bewildering for sure, since Cole's fragmented speech made little enough sense before the panic of being unmoored fractured even more. Desmond doesn't exactly know how he can help, granted, but panicking certainly won't improve anything. He doesn't think it would provide more clarity to the immediate situation if he knew who Evangeline was, either (he'll realize this much later, when he hears the witches of the coven gossip about it) but for now ...

"I don't really know what happens when a ghost loses their anchor," Desmond admits, readily enough. Most of the texts he've read are big into the whole 'passing on' and 'laying weary spirits to rest' thing. "Do you feel any different?"

For the first little while, muttering over the map, Desmond didn't really happen to notice the clothes with him -- and there wasn't any further commentary that seemed to be directed to anyone in particular, so it was safe enough to figure out that he was probably talking to himself.

After a moment or two, though, when he looked up? He couldn't help frowning at the pile of clothes, something that made him take a look around more warily.

"... Is anyone there?" he wasn't really expecting an answer, admittedly. Even if someone was, what motivation would they have to give their position away?

"Don't think we have," Mogget agrees, sniffing delicately at the offered hand. He allows the witch to scratch his ear before moving away to circle around him, getting an all-round view. "Your name?"

She's loafing around, leaning against a building and watching people walk by like, well,a bored teenager. Bored enough that when she realizes she's being called out, she actually looks relieved for a few moments.

"Sure I do," Girl says, rolling her shoulders. She smiles quickly, sticking her hands in her pockets. "I'm not best at navigatin' this place, but I might be able to tell ya how to get 'round. Where were ya supposed to be?"

Clearly not talking to him, then. Although, Roddy decided, it wasn't as if though the man would have any reason to concern himself with a rat regardless. Roddy relaxed at that thought, and decided to act like a normal rat and scurried further away, until he was next to the wall of where the elevator let out on the roof (the way normal people got onto roofs), and started grooming himself.

"I feel less. I'm still Cole, I'm still me, but the pieces are slipping away. Falling and fragmented, like a tower about to tumble."

He's still Cole. And he can still do things that he did with Rhys and Evangeline, when he was full. But right now? He can feel the memories about to slip, he can feel his connections with people slip out of his grasp, and he wants to grab them and pull them tight and hold them and not let go. He won't go back to the scared Cole he used to be. He can't let that happen.

"You're a spirit medium. You have to keep me from hurting."

"Uh..." Desmond takes a moment to consult the scrap of paper he has in hand. This is the fourth place he's tried to find today, so to be fair, all the weird names -- of places and streets alike -- are starting to get mixed up in his head.

"A pub called the Lucky Duck," he reports back. With a name like that, he figures she'd remember it easily enough, whether she's actually been to the place or not. Then he pauses, doing a double take to squint at her. Wait, hasn't he met her before...?

Edited 2017-07-12 16:29 (UTC)

"Desmond," Lambert answers, distractedly, still trying to place the cat. When the realization clicks, it's practically visible, since he stiffens just a bit, head turning to watch Mogget as he circles.

"And you're..." He really should have been paying attention, but to be fair, it hadn't seemed important at the time. "... the top witch's familiar, right?" He hasn't sorted out how he feels about binding fae yet, but ... it's a concept that's a little odd to wrap his head around, to say the least. In his memories, it felt a lot more like the fae were more interested in binding humans.

"Lucky Duck," she repeats, tone making it clear she's resisting laughter. He's right it's a hard thing to forget and she wracks her mind a moment before snapping her fingers. "Lucky you I think I've heard of that one. Uh, that way? I think. And a right hand turn when ya see the shop with the big dress display in the window."

Girl points the opposite way from where he came, leaving the directions off with a shrug. There are plenty of adults hanging around the pack and she overhears enough that she's somewhat sure she's right.

"Or I could look it up on my phone. The least I could do for someone who helped me out before." It's not hard for her to remember a moment of embarrassment in detail and, being a wolf, easy to catch on when a scent was familiar.

Edited 2017-07-13 16:27 (UTC)

The scuffle of movement out of the corner of his eye made Desmond twitch, before he realized -- well, it's just a rat. Nothing to see there, right? He relaxed, but only slightly. The clothes, though, were still a mystery. This was an awfully high up place for them to be, and it wasn't like there was a water tank nearby to skinny dip into or anything...

Out of curiosity more than anything else, he took a break from scanning the skyline to examine the pile of clothes gingerly. He wasn't about to touch someone else's things, but if something had been left behind -- a wallet, some other personal possession -- he could at least figure out if its owner was planning to come back for it.

"That's me." He pauses, tail in the air, satisfied that at least Desmond knows who he is. "Mogget, loyal servant to the Mother of Witches and babysitter to Circle Daybreak for... oh, too long. Are you Desmond Miles?"

Because now he thinks he might know who Desmond is and why he's here. He's got a lot to learn.

Thankfully, Mogget fills in his name for him, and Desmond breathes an internal sigh of relief. Not that the relief part of that lasts long, of course.

"Yeah, that's me," he nods, expression slightly wary. Is he in trouble? Did someone report him for not drinking enough kale smoothies?

"You're here to become a medium. I have worked with several." He indicates the spellbook with a nod. "Come to me when you've learned to do more than light a candle."

He's not about to waste his time on a rookie witch who knows nothing. But Mogget has been providing advice and guidance to Circle Daybreak witches for centuries. When Desmond is ready, he might be able to help.

Of all the things he was expecting Mogget to say, it certainly wasn't that, and some of the incredulity must show on his face. Objectively, he's aware that Mogget isn't all that he seems, but he is still a cat. It's a little hard to swallow.

"You're going to teach me?" He sounds dubious about that. "I mean -- how do I even find you? I can't exactly send you a text message, can I?"

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july catch-all for desmond

early july: coven gathering [for mogget]

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slamming in here with a wildcard

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hope this is all right! assumed tdm thread was game canon but didn't get around to names

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Works for me!

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