The Fate of Man { councilmembers }

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

The dragon kept up a swift clip; running the lengths of the over crowded building rooftops and leaping easily from one to the next. Down below, the streets and corners were littered with locals and tourists; still living it up in the wee hours of the morning.
None turned up their gazes as he moved, to the unsuspecting humans he was but a shadow; a gust of early spring chill on the air.

A call had gone out to all remaining Other Realm council members. He didn’t know who, if anyone would be there on such short notice, but his message had been dire; the safety of human kind was in jeopardy. The war of the Underworld was going to break through the veil.

Lillie, the blind human he’d met earlier, had shaken him to the core. Her prophetic ability to paint the past and perhaps the calamitous future had shown him things he’d tried centuries to forget and still other things he loathed would come to fruition.

Kyle believed he’d lost the ability to care for the prosperity of man long before. His purpose centuries ago, since the brutal torture and death of the only women he’d ever loved, as well as the kidnapping of his child, had become vengeance. The unfathomable heart ache he felt had become a pyre which had consumed his old life and all the emotions that he’d once endured. The cold warrior that he’d become was the phoenix risen out of the cinders and ash of that fire.
A monster. A killer. A dragon in the body of a man.

Still, there were moments in the centuries he’d sought revenge that heroism was unavoidable. In his quest to find the sorceress that had taken his wife and offspring there had been times he’d had to come face to face with malevolent other worlders that threatened mortals. Since their confessions about the witch had only come through clenched fangs and between hisses of pain, he’d had to kill many of them.
The kiss of his steel blade across the weak flesh of their throats while ice ran like blood in his veins.

He’d become an avenger, and the unlikely hero to man.

Shifting through the portal, Kyle nodded vaguely to the guardian that watched over this particular threshold. Though the dragon had long ago forsaken his chair on the council, he had always appeared when he was needed, and tonight, he was needed.
The guard recognized him and gave him unimpeded entry, so the shifter loped to the stately chamber with the painting under his arm; taking up the third chair on the shifter/were side; waiting...

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

To say that Wulf was irritated would be putting it mildly. The shifter had been in the middle of a business meeting when the call for an emergency session of the council had gone through and he'd had to walk away with lose ends still unraveled. Things within the were/shifter community were coming to a head and he was trying to shut it down before a civil war was unleashed. The call couldn't have come at a worse time but as the Head of the Otherworld council , he didn't have much choice but to shut negotiations down.

Since lose ends always lead to trouble, the huge wolf wasn't going to win any prizes for Mr. Personable at the moment. His face was as stormy as the weather outside and his body was tensed for a confrontation as he glanced this way and that before stepping into the darkness of the shadows.

Tracing in the blink of an eye, he arrived just outside the council doors in time to growl at the poor guard and see a glimmer of energy that was a prelude to the arrival of his two siblings. One thing he could always count on was timely arrivals on their behalf.

Brom, as usual, was wearing his dark shades to cover his thoughts while Kaera was her elegant self... Kind of... If you disregarded the fact she was currently elbowing her older sibling hard in the gut for whatever back handed insult he'd no doubt delivered. The two might be adults but they still loved to pester each other like a pair of pups in their first season.

As the male yelped, his sister bared her teeth in a grimace of a smile and Brom gave an exaggerated sigh. It was enough almost to make Wulf smile but the fact that he was currently watching them only because someone had called a council meeting... Well, the shifter almost hoped that it was some fool on an ambush mission. He'd like to rip someones head off.

Unfortunately, he knew that the chances of that were less than zero percent so that meant something big was going down and that things were about to get ugly. Emergency meetings were called for only one reason... Emergencies.. The kind that had you looking at the next guy and telling them to hang on to their asses cause the shit was about to hit the ceiling. Oh Goody. Just what he needed to round out this night.

Moving forward, he stalked to the doors and flung them open without even touching them. He knew his behavior was something resembling that of a two year old throwing a temper tantrum but he really, REALLY hated all this politic crap. Life was so much easier when you could just confront the enemy and leave the bodies to the crows. Now days there was all this red tape bull crap that had to be followed or someone would cry foul. Damn, his life just majorly sucked at time.

From behind him, he could hear Kaera muttering something to Brom and his brothers laughing response. However, they grew immediately quiet as they entered the room behind him and took up positions at his back. They were the only two people in the world he truly trusted besides Tyreese and the three together made a powerful presence.

As his gaze took in the room and then fell on Kyle, Wulf's brows furrowed and he eyed the man intently. Kyle Aodhagán was well known to him and one of the few men he had a healthy respect for. Even older than himself, Kyle usually kept to himself . The dragon wasn't one to fancy his place on the council and he'd been reluctant about taking up his reins. Why the hell was he suddenly here now and what the hell had happened to put that expression on his face?

The shifter suddenly wasn't sure he even wanted to know. Yup, the shit was about to it the fan.. No doubt about it. Ye freaking Ha.

"Well, hell.... I'd say I was happy to see you, Aodhagan... But I'd be lying since you being here can only mean one thing..... I'm assuming it was you that called this meeting and you've got news that isn't exactly going to make us warm and fuzzy inside...."

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Enter Stage Right: The Human Council

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"It's the Bat-Sign...na-na-na-na-na-na, BATMAAAAAN!"

The words practically echoed through the alley around her, and if the pained expression on the Guardian in front of her was any clue, she'd have to think about giving up her dream of becoming an opera singer.

Nah, fuck 'em. She rocked her little ass off at The Pit and the crowds went wild. None of these magical dudes had an appreciation for good music, as far as she could tell. It was all brooding, all blah, blah, he-man, testosterone laden crap that a girl could get high on, if she wasn't careful. Man, for the love of all that's holy, if it wasn't the world ending every other freaking day, these guys would probably start convulsing on the floor.

...Which was probably a morbid thought, but did that stop her from snickering as she wandered passed the man at the Portal? Of course not. She was the crazy chickee of the group and she was right proud of it.

Truth be told, she'd been a bit surprised that the emergency sign had reached her, of all people. She'd been sitting in her office, tallying up the night's till while the bouncers cleared the last of the night crowd, and like a blazing ball of sigil-like fire, the symbol had burned itself into the wall opposite her. She'd screamed bloody murder, attacked the fire with an extinguisher...

Yeah, that was definitely something she was going to bring up with the Council members. Whoever was sending out the calling cards was getting smacked so hard, their eyeballs were gonna pop out if she had anything to say about it.

Sauntering into the large, elaborately adorned Council room, she took in the few people gathered and a smile slid onto her face. As a relatively new member- not to mention one of the few mortals at roll call- she'd expected a serious amount of snubbing, nose hair counting and all around bossiness. But the supernatural peeps around here seemed alright.

HELL, more than alright, if she wanted to be truthful. Was it a rule that all Council members must be smoking hot? It was like walking into an instant orgasm, definitely making her perky when she had to go to work being her usual militant self. Heck, she could solve all of the worlds problems in two little slang words: nuc' 'em.

But heck, nobody listened to her. Nooo, it's all about being DIPLOMATIC. Well, whatever; if push came to shove, she and her ghosts would definitely be in the fight faster than a shifter can lose his drawers.

"Well, I'm definitely feeling warm and fuzzies, because I get to see all you lovely people. Hey Kaera! Girl, you gotta come down to The Pit one night so we can challenge those bikers! And Brom, you sexy beast, still making girls swoon? Knew it, you big heart breaker, you. And Wulf! Ooh, growl for me? Please? No? Nah well; you're loss."

Pausing as she got to the 'human portion' of the Council tables, she looked in Kyle's direction, a squint on her face. She'd always known that there was a mystery spot at the table...but that guy looked so butt-faced familiar, it was going to haunt her forever. Behind her, Cash floated like the curious blob he was, whispering into her ear and waving his invisible arms around frantically. With a toothy smile, Ilani cocked a brow at the dragon shifter, a mischevious twinkle coming to her eye.

"Aaah, now I know where I know you. You slummed over at the bar a while ago. Sly dog you, not letting me know that you're the invisible Shifter Chair. Baby, you can come in and have free drinks as often as you want...if you strip for me. Or twirl. Whoo, nice butt. You can bounce a quarter off that and dent a wall. God, I love it here. Cash, stop air-humping Kaera before she kicks your ass. So, peeps...what's kickin?"

As Ilani's voice echoed through the chamber, yet another part of the Human Council found himself running out of a charity gathering before a certain glowing sigil made his dinner guests scatter. With a curse, he waved his hand through the glowing air around the little palm tree he was standing.

The good Louisiana state Congressman would probably have objected to the bright green floater setting off the white walls behind it, after all. Damn, he'd have to arrange another meeting later in the week.

Figures that the randomness of the Otherworld Council would ruin a perfectly good networking event. He needed support for his future business endeavors...and, like the annoying children that they were, the damn Council was calling him to help solve yet another problem.

Really, the world would be such an easier place to win control if he were allowed to perform his experiments and shmooze with the big boys in peace. Damn Fate and her sense of humor.

Following the unconcious pull of the Council Portal, Dominick made his way from the party, tugging uncomfortably at the stiff confines of his tuxedo. No doubt that his fellow members would have a few things to say about his penguin suit, but he never really took the words of monsters and animals to heart. There was just something...missing in communication, he thought with a little smirk. With an imperial nod at the Guardian who stood at attention in front of the pathway leading to the chambers, he shouldered his way through and sauntered into the room.

Great, so one Council was present, at least. It was with a mild expression that he surveyed the surrounding members, leaders and enforcers, before joining his Sub-Chair at his side of the room.

...Which he regretted almost instantly. Ilani Moonblood; a resident psychic and grunge bar owner. Hardly the type of woman that he'd imagine on a ruling body...but he'd seen the woman in a rage, and couldn't help but respect the power behind that mouthy facade. Even if he wasn't yet used to seeing her as an equal to himself.

Imperially, he seated himself at the table, content to remain silent and watch the events play out. After a respectful nod to Wulf, a suspicious glance at Kyle and a roll of his eyes as Ilani proceeded to poke fun at his suit, the Head of the Human Council merely shook his head and cross his arms over his chest.

"This had better be good."

[marius]

“Get back to sleep,” he protested against the finger poking him and didn’t even bother to open his eyes. After a long afternoon of ‘activities’ Marius believed he deserve a few decent hours of sleep, so he held on to the pillow and sighed as he tried to get back to sleep. But another insistent finger across the bed poked his other shoulder.

Smiling, the god stretched himself. “Alright women, I’m up. You sure are insatiable!”

He shifted so he was lying in his back and pushed himself up opening his eyes and they were greeted by at the forms of a beautiful blonde and a redheaded woman. But what caused a frown to appear on his features was the scared look on their faces as they pointed to the opposite wall. Looking to see what had caused such amazement in the mortal women, he frowned even harder.

“The…the wall is glowing!” exclaimed the blonde.

Closing his eyes and dropping back to the bed, Marius grabbed the pillow and pulled it over his face as a sign of an annoyed protest.

“Ah crap!”

20 minutes later --

The sudden gush of window revealed his arrival, and the guardian of the portal nodded to the ancient god. The keeper stepped aside and he was allowed passage through the portal.

In those halls he wasn’t Marius, the name he had kept since he had been reborn in human flesh, he was Mercury, the roman god. In truth he had never much interest in politics, it was always too slow and too boring for him. For someone who possessed the ability to move with blinding speed, all that yapping wasn’t really attractive, besides, with twenty-eight seats in the council, there were usually about one hundred of different opinions.

His eyes quickly scanned the meeting room. Looked like the entire shifter council was already there and some of the humans, he was the first of the gods. Good, he was tired of hearing Demios complaining that he had no excuse to be the last one there if he was supposed to be as fast as he was.

At one darker corner, he watched the shifter enforcer Caleb looking growly as usual, it always looked like the were would have a better time fighting a hydra. He looked like one of those animals caught in a trap and ready to bite his paw off to escape.

In the opposite corner there was the big red demon enforcer Bael, looking ominous and though as always, more distracted by some game in his phone than in the meeting itself.

At the table there was the mortal woman Ilani poking Dominick for some fun. He always found the human woman amusing to say the least, too bad the others were mostly stuck-up most of the time. An unfamiliar face caught his eye, the shifters usually had an empty seat, and that seemed to be the one and it picked his curiosity a little.

Shoving yet another jelly-bean at his mouth, Mercury shrugged. “So what ill fated realm is at risk tonight?” he asked loudly, to no one in particular.

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle wasn’t the sort of man that could sit idly by and twiddle this thumbs. Sitting at the third chair on the table of council members wasn’t exactly something that made him at ease, especially since he’d long been missing from that chair and knew he’d hear about it from someone if not all of them.
The position of authority wasn’t his idea after all. He’d never asked to be part of the ruling committee of shifters, gods, humans, and all those connected to both the Other Realm and the Human World. The rank had been passed down through lineage though his race and it was not something he could simply forfeit for lack of concern.

The truth was he did have concern, for there were many other places he’d rather be if it wasn’t for that distress.
His thoughts ghosted back to Lillie, and he absently let his hand drop to the paper covered canvas that had sealed his commitment and brought him to this table. Her gift was both a blessing and a curse, and one that she certainly hadn’t asked for. Besides her talent, the woman was so beguiling and innocent; the human part of him that he’d pushed deep down couldn’t abide her world being ripped apart.

Such thoughts were interrupted by the sound of others approaching. Kyle shot up from his chair to greet them; an intently grave expression written over his whisker dusted face.
He nodded in respect to the shifters; Wulf, the head of the table, who commanded respect by simply walking into the room; the air around him was so fierce and potent.
His brother and sister were no less authoritative; Kaera a petite and stunning slip of a woman, but strong of mind as well as power. Brom was as fierce as his brother but had a somewhat playful air, and the jibbing would have brought a smile to Kyle’s face had it not been for the dire circumstances.

Next to arrive was the human chairperson Moonblood, and a fleeting widening of the dragon’s azure eyes gave away his recognition of her. She had been the one from the Pit; the friend to Lillie who had hung his beastly likeness above the bar. He visibly tensed when the name ‘Doobie the Dragon’ echoed in his mind, but he filed that away for latter discussion as to not distract the group from the matter at hand.

The human that followed after her was one Kyle didn’t recognize. The male had a superior air around him that caused the dragon unease. A growl resonated in his throat as the male’s disapproving eyes slid toward him with a high and mighty demand that the meeting be worth his time.

Last to arrive was the same visage he had seen in Lillie’s gallery not an hour before. The god Mercury reborn; or Marius, the name she had referred to him. Kyle was aware that the immortal knew of the human’s prophetic gift, and wondered if he had formed his own opinion of the visionary images.
Was Kyle jumping to conclusions? Perhaps that was the case, but if he was right they could not afford to wait another moment to take action on the matter.

“I would not have called you all to this meeting if the matter at hand was not crucial.” The dragon addressed them gravely; skipping handshakes and fluffy greetings. “As council chair holders and enforcers, I’m sure you’ve all been made aware of the growing number of instances where the Other Realm has passed into the Human World without proper authorization. There have been a number of occasions that -I- have interceded dangerous creatures that have had no business in the mortal realm, and been left to wonder how they were able to pass through.”

The shifter bent to pick up the painting from the ground, placing it on the mahogany table before ripping it open to reveal the horrible depiction.

“I believe a human prophet has foreseen the merging of the two worlds, and this can only mean one thing...” He turned to meet each member’s gaze with a severe concentration in his eyes. “The war is coming....”

At this he focused his attention solely on Marius, making a gesture toward the painting. “I believe you have already met this prophet and have seen her work speaks the truth.”

[marius]

And some still asked him how come humanity amazed him like it did.

When the shifter had said that he wouldn’t call a meeting if the matter wasn’t crucial, the ancient god fought back the urge to roll his eyes. When it wasn’t crucial for the council? He could swear it, some might believe washing their undies was a crucial matter…hmmm…maybe it was, but not a crucial council matter, more like a personal crucial matter.

But when the shifter placed a painting on the table and focused upon him when he was about to pop another jelly-bean in his mouth, he froze for a second.

“I believe you have already met this prophet and have seen her work speaks the truth.”

Now he had kept his mouth shut to protect Lillie, trying to figure a way to work this out without letting the others know about her but surprise, surprise! There was her painting on the table and a shifter he had never seen before talking of her. Did the woman have a death wish or something? She had to go and completely disregard his advice, didn’t she?

Oh sure, all the council members would probably kiss her ass and do their best to keep her safe until the matter at hand was dealt with. But afterwards, he had no doubt there were those who would want her dead in fear that she might reveal their hidden agendas or keep her knowledge for themselves to have the upper hand. So yeah, bright idea of disregarding his advice!

Now what to do? Deny it to try to protect the mortal woman in what would be now a foolish attempt, or plainly admit it and hope for the best?

Bringing out a smile, he brought the jelly-beam into his mouth and shrugged. Only a few of the council really knew him since he preferred to skip politics if possible. Why he was the one chosen by the other ancient roman deities to represent them in the council was beyond him, but there might be something to do with his connection with the human world.

“I do look good in her painting.”

Ah let the other council members see him like a foolish air-headed and egoistical god, if he was dismissed he would have more liberty to act without everyone eyeing him. He was the god gladiator, but he was aware that tactics had usefulness for both battle and politics even if he wasn’t so keen of the later.

“But I don’t think you called us here to compliment me on my looks Mr. Shifter, so please, go on.”

[Adam Black]

There were times when it was a good to be Fae. Because certain abilities came with the bloodline, Adam Black managed to enter the room completely unnoticed and seat himself in his chair before any realized he was there. He doubted any of them would have noticed him anyways the way they were chattering and carrying on.

Deliberately keeping himself under radar, he listened to the talk going on around him before exposing himself and what he heard concerned him. The Fae realm itself was already in turmoil and this news was not the sort he wanted to hear.

When he felt he couldn't avoid it any longer, Adam took on his physical presence and caught the startled glances that were sent in his direction. It almost made him smile but things were to dire for his usual amusement.

"A human prophet you say? She has fore told a war? I'm sorry to say, my friends... I think the war has already started. Both the Black King and the White Queen of the Fae Realm have disappeared and there is evidence of foul play in both disappearances."

Turning his glimmering eyes to the dragon, he eyed the painting and then steppled his fingers in front of him.

"Please... tell us more about this prophet. I am curious as to what it is she can do..."

[Corbin Muunokhoi]

Ah, the smell of magic in the air. It was everything that any normally homicidal man wanted to wake up to, besides the intoxicating feeling of a warm body wrapped around his own. He wanted to be interrupted from a deep, calm sleep; from the knowledge that he had someone close to his vulnerable parts and didn't seem to care.

How did those younglings put it? Ah, yes. NOT.

Unlike his older counterpart, Corbin entered the Council room through a little opening in reality. He did so hate to travel around the human world unless he really needed to- or he was in need of some nice pillaging, of course- and it was easier to link his chambers to the quaint little room. Not to mention that rampant paranoia kept him from trusting fate to keep his stronghold in its current hidden state.

Stepping into the room, he took in the gathered faces with his normal egotistical smirk. There was a new presence, he noticed with a slightly raised brow, and his eyes honed in on the dragon shifter explaining the current situation to the gathered masses. A prophet, did he say? Oh, the implications were just tantalyzing. And given the painting set before them...oh yes, he would like to meet this psychic. But that would be an idea for another time.

While he bristled on the inside, the Dark Fae strolled over to the long table and took his seat on the Fae part of the Council. His first instinct was to lash out at the cooly composed face of his fellow member- Adam Black...insuffurable insect- but he clamped it back with a practiced ease.

"Yes, Sir Shifter, who is this 'prophet?'" He asked after the din had quieted. He did his best not to react to the disappearance of the current King and Queen, but he knew that there would be a calculating glint to his eyes.

Someone had gone and done his dirty work for him...as disappointing as it sounded. But, if it would offer him a throne, he was not about to ask questions. Leaning back in his chair, he scanned the room, an amused air about him.

[Ilani Moonblood ♬]

Man, if this were a cartoon, her jaw would have dropped to the ground with a loud 'whoobah!' Thankfully, reality only had her eyes widening in surprise, as her brain processed the sight of a familiar painting grasped in the normally MIA chair's hands.

Holy crap, she knew that style! That was one of Lillie's paintings! She had a similar one hanging on her wall back at the bar, which was now surrounded by plexi-glass 'cause some asswipe tried to use it as a dart board. Dumb ass was now missing his left nut, but he'd managed to hit a bulls eye before she got to him. Moron...

But what the hell...prophet? Lillie? A baffled expression practically pasted itself onto her face as she squinted at the tall man with the painting. The blind Gallery owner had been one of the first people she'd met when she'd come to New Orleans, and there was nothing about her that screamed 'OTHERNESS' as far as she could tell. The girl was freaking bubbly! What immortal was actually bubbly? None that she'd ever met, that was for damn sure.

Case in point, when one of the God-Chairs piped up his opinion, and that sexy Fae-dude asked for her name. Another Fae appeared, and all such fuzzy 'ooh, strip, fae-man, strip!' feelings poofed into thin air- scary dreadlocks...ew- and then the room turned back to the stranger.

For her part, she kept her mouth shut. If that Marius guy knew Lillie, he wasn't saying anything, and even Doobie over there didn't mention her name. No way in hell was she getting the blind lady into deep doo-doo by flapping her gums, thanks so much. A sideways glance had her eyeing her 'boss' on the Council, and frowned.

Vincent Montegue was giving the assorted men a thoughtful look as he steepled his fingers over his abdomen, his mind so obviously whirling. Damn, she'd have to go post some ghosts around Lillie, ethereal chills or no.

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Kyle couldn’t help but scowl at Marius’ frivolity; especially when the thought that the women who had painted his likeness, as well as everyone she cared about, could be in momentous danger. The reincarnated deity acted as if he had no concern for the matter save a favorable resemblance in the painting, but the behavior didn’t surprise the shifter at all. He’d known a number of gods and a handful of goddesses, and they’d all been no different than the one that sat before him now. Vain, indifferent, spoiled individuals that had no care for the paltry humans that lived beneath them; of course unless one was to curse their name or bow at their feet with reverence.

A guttural grumble came from his slightly parted lips as he turned his attention away from the arrogant god, inhaling deeply to keep from lashing out at the man with an acid tipped tongue.

Instead he focused keen cobalt eyes on the council leader, who sat quietly but deep in thought at the head of the table.
“I am aware that my presence here might be deemed as unworthy, for I have dismissed my position for many years and through many struggles for our people, but this matter strikes me like a spear through the chest.” He told the sovereign with a lowered gaze.
“The witch depicted in the painting-- the one who seems at the heart of it all, was an entity from my past and one that causes great anxiety. She is old as I and just as powerful, if not more, and I am afraid that her minions are spawned from my very seed.”

With that he lowered his head and closed his eyes; an anger rising in him so vast the shifter was afraid he would not be able to contain it. Already he could feel a fire burning in his throat and the smell of brimstone was thick in his nostrils.
Kyle clenched his jaw tightly knowing that to put any council member in danger by his hands (or fire breath rather) would likely mean instant imprisonment if not death, and he was too consumed by the need to protect the prophet to let that happen.

Kyle sensed another presence even before he heard the voice, and he raised his gaze just as the male fae took corporal form at his seat at the table.
His news made the room feel even thicker with tension, for the announcement of the missing king and queen meant the turmoil in the otherworld was at a crest and would be even harder to contain. The dragon shook his head and sighed, his forehead creasing deeply with rampant thoughts of what the world would be like if the prophet’s visions came to completion.

He bristled even more when yet another member, this one almost as dark in aura as he remembered the witch to be entered the space, and the shifter looked on him with suspicious eyes.
“I have no need to reveal the human’s name.” Kyle said severely; placing the painting at his ankles lest the vibrant brush strokes give away the artist from whence they’d come. “I have taken her as my charge and will ensure her safety as well as give council instant word to any further revelations she may make known.”

Once again his grave stare passed from one council member to the next, his eyes searing them with a heat that implied the seriousness of his words before coming to rest on the Wulf.
“I ask that we utilize the council enforcers as soon as possible and utilize as many more of them as we can. Strength in numbers in both realms would be in our favor, and I volunteer training to any new recruits that you approve. I realize that I have spent more time acting as an enforcer than an official, but I would implore you now to allow me to fight for the human world rather than stand behind a chair. I have lived many years and would gladly give my life in defense of these innocents…”

With that he bowed slightly in respect to the council head, aware that if Fenrisulfr denied him this request he would still fight; to the death if necessary.

[marius]

A smirk crossed Mercury’s lips as he saw the scowl at the shifter’s features. Ah there was the look of those who mistakenly believed him to be a selfish and frivolous deity. It served him right to mislead others, especially if he wasn’t all too pleased with the said shifter or the mortal Lillie for disregarding his advice. Like he didn’t knew what he was talking about, he was no mind reader but he was sure some of the members of the council were already itching to get their hands on the human prophet. At least the shifter hadn’t revealed her name, Marius wouldn’t be able to hold them all back.

Shoving another jelly-bean in his mouth, he watched all the other members of the council. Adam was such a show off as always, doing his ‘ooh look at me, I can be invisible act’. For someone that had fought the Hydra and Centaurs, not to mention ridding the Hippocampus, a little disappearing trick didn’t intrigue him that much. But he would admit that the fae had style. And the Fae king and Queen were missing? Those were troubling news ro say the least.

However, the shifter’s stunt apparently at least placed a face to their opponent, a beautiful witch and she carried his ‘seed’? Did he actually impregnated the witch and gave her a shifter army or something among those lines?

He was asking for the council members and their enforcers aid, and if it was refused it was obvious that he would fight alone. Was he always so brash? Tsk-tsk, so impatient.

But for now Mercury was fine with observing the others reactions and trying to take whatever sugary remains he could of the empty bag of jelly-beans.

[Wulfgar Fenrisulfr]

From his seat at the head of the Council table, Wulf leaned back in his chair and gave a deceptively relaxed pose. With an expression that gave none of his thoughts away, he stepled his fingers and listened to the going on's around him. His mind was anything but cool though. A prophet? Who could paint the future? What the fucking hell was going on here?

As the dragon shifter continued to talk and then the Roman god spoke, the ancient Celt glanced at his siblings and saw the same concern he felt reflected in their eyes. Ty had gone stiff, a sure sign he wasnt liking what he heard either. Shit. Hell on earth really was about to become a literal thing. Forget Armageddon. This would be full out annihilation of two worlds.

It was then that Adam Black took form and dropped yet another bomb. Oh Happy Happy Joy Joy. Both the Black King and the Light Queen of the Fae Realm were missing? Something told him they weren't taking a fantasy vacation to Disney World. By the gods, this just kept getting better and better. Wulf also couldn't miss the speculative gleam that shot through Muunokhoi eyes. Every instinct went on alert and he made a mental note to talk with Adam later about the matter.

For the moment, however, he had other things to worry about.

Turning his attention back to Kyle, the Celt heard his words and then shook his head. If the situation hadn't been so grave, he would have smiled at the man's unsaid words for they were the very ones he himself would have held true too.

"There is no need for apologies, old friend. We both are of the old school and if it wasn't for the innocent... I myself would not have been saddled with this burden. Who else will protect those weaker if not for those of us like you and I? It is by our own ghosts, past and present, that we are able to do just that. " he said softly for only Kyle's ears.

Turning his attention to the others, he raised his voice.

"I believe that the dragon is right... but each of us have our own problems to deal with too... Things that go hand and hand with the chaos caused by the entity responsible for the prophets visions.... If the Fae King and Queen are missing then the Fae must rally their own... I, myself and balanced an the knifes edge of a shifter/were civil war.... All of these things will make it difficult to puzzle out exactly what the real problem is."

Glancing back at Kyle, he paused for a moment before continuing.

"The prophet is in your care, dragon... I will leave her safety in your hands...If what you say is true about your theory of who might be behind this all.... Then she is best cared for at your side.... I have a feeling you would not rest easy any other way..." he said dryly. "As for the rest, I think it best that we gather the others and hold another meeting soon. There is much to discuss and we must come up with a plan of action. Not everyone was able to be here tonight so intelligence must go out. In three nights time, we shall all meet back here and bring our best with us... Agreed??"

[elise]

She'd been walking along the old oaks and cypress trees admiring the way the Spanish moss hung from them like abandoned spider webs. Minding her own damn business really. And then that shimmering thing showed up between the trees on the path.

What the hell does a girl have ta do to just enjoy and nice night of getting drunk and flirting with some hot pieces? And then those robed jerks came out of nowhere and started to fight with her and tell her that she was had to fulfill her destiny.

For the upteenth fucking time!!!

She -almost- had all five of 'em. Almost. If one hadn't snuck up and hit her with a whammy from behind, sending her flying into the glowing sigil with telekinesis or something. She never saw it coming.

One moment she was in the glen...the next she felt something wooden behind her hit her back as she fell through it, hearing the door to the chamber splinter a little from the impact. Since when was there a door in the middle of nowhere? Or marble floors for that matter?

The marble floor on her skin was cold as hell as she shivered and shook her head, trying to get her bearings as she scrambled to stand. A flaming ball leaped from her palm as she made it to her feet and she was shouting at what she thought would be the robes figures...

"I'm so gonna kick your robed asses from here to the frickin UNDERWORLD. You hear me you stupid son's of bi..."

But her words died on her tongue, the flaming ball resting in her palm as she looked around at the faces of the Council members seated around the Chamber and saw the enforcers at their sides bristling. She knew at a glance over the seated sundry what this was from her Grandmama's accounts of Council gatherings in her Book of Shadows.

Shaking her head the flame died to nothing in her palm and she brushed her mini skirt down to make sure that it was covering well...enough. "Oh hell no!...No no no. I don't wanna be here or any part of this." she said defiantly as she started for the doors. "I done told them I wasn't gonna do this and I'm not." the slight flavor of her Cajun accent coming through as she spoke.

She couldn't help but notice that there were many empty chairs and wondered which one had been her Grandmama's even as her booted feet clicked towards the door.

[Vincent Montegue]

With a sigh, Vincent leaned back in his chair, pyramiding his fingers under his chin. The End of the World, witches breaking open doorways, little Dragon Jr.’s running around, looking to let homicidal creatures into their world…yes, these were ‘normal’ scenarios when dealing with monsters. Did anyone ever deal with world hunger, wars in third world countries or the AIDS epidemic?

No, of course not. Because those problems involved humans, and only monsters could deal with monstrous situations that their own kind started. The same could be said for humans, but…God, fighting evil that wasn’t meant to live outside of nightmares just got tiring after a while.

As the other Council members grumbled and talked amongst themselves, the Human Chair merely shook his head and glanced sideways at the nearest door. The collar of the tux he’d chosen for the banquet that night was beginning to chafe against his neck, and the constant gloom and doom was getting on his nerves.

He didn’t want to sit and talk about an immanent Armageddon- really, that’s all these things talked about; werewolves ending the world, faeries ending the world…if they wanted to end a goddamn world, they should stick to their own- he wanted to act on it.

His lab would have a new mission by the end of the night. He could take some of his physicists off of the supposed ‘time travel’ machine, to work on how to pierce through reality. He would head the project himself, perhaps utilize some of the volunteer psychics that had signed up last month—

As if out of nowhere, a voice sounded over all others. With a howl that made his hair stand on end, and a rant that made his teeth grind, it was enough to send his head whipping around to search out the source.

Well…that was a scantily clad woman if he’d ever seen one. And he’d thought that his Sub-Chair was bad in the clothing department.

But oh, the yowling! The complaining! The Council was meant for members with some semblance of decorum. When did they open their doors to loud mouthed simpletons? And who in the Council Chamber was forcing the unfamiliar woman to stay? Before he could stop himself, he found a smirk on his lips as he watched a pair of angrily swaying hips make way for the nearest portal.

“I don’t remember these meetings every having dinner and a show,” He said, brow raised. “Madame, if you’re going to leave, please do so quietly. None of us care about how you ‘don’t want to be here.’ This is a business meeting, not a therapy session. Now, if you’re through making a spectacle of yourself the portal is in front of you. Good day.”

Recruit dismissed, he thought with an inward roll of his eyes, turning his attention back to the Council. He didn’t want to go back to listening to Wulf declare protection over this ‘prophet’- he’d have to look into her background, once he got a name- but it definitely beat having to put up with whining.

Whining…he hated it almost as much as he hated everyone in this room.

[Bael]

Politics…got to love it right? No actually he hated it.

There was anything more boring than standing in a room while the big honchos talked about politics? If there was any, he didn’t know yet. Why the heck he had to be there if the demon council didn’t even bother to show up after all? What was there for him to act as a bodyguard if there weren’t any demons around? But hey, if he was being paid to play bowling games on his phone, he wasn’t going to complain.

Why was that no one ever brought any chocolate-chip cookies to those meetings?

“Crap!” he cursed silently as he missed the pins on his phone bowling. He should get one of those motion phones, the ones that you pretend to throw it like you’d throw a bowling ball. It might make those meetings seem more bearable after all.

But heck, he would pay more attention to those meetings if it was a habit for scantly clad hot girls to show up in the middle of the room without warning. Tilting his head he eyed her for a moment before noticing he had lost his scary ass pose while checking the girl out.

He had only half a second to regain his pose before the Monten…Montagul…goul…uh, the human chair guy he didn’t recall the name started talking.

“Hey man, don’t talk that way to sweet cheeks…uh…I mean…red hot…uh…the girl. Just because she isn’t wearing a penguin suit like you doesn’t mean she isn’t welcome. Now some girl shows up from nowhere in this place and you just dismiss her? I want to know who she is and how the heck she got here.”

If there was a hole in security, wouldn’t hurt to know about it, right? Well, it didn’t hurt also that she was hot. But hey, it wasn’t he who picked the girl who would show up like she did.