Dinner with Maloker ((group thread))

[slayers_desire]

Some may consider that all the 'Big Guns' that April has called together is overkill … but not really, not when it comes to the fact that many great minds are needed to find a way to prevent The Three (Discord, Disharmony and Cacophony) from their evil plans.

And the Big Guns are needed... when they have no idea where to start looking for The Three.

When other Keys (such as Dawn Summers) are being drained of their existence.

When the clock is still ticking on Lorne... and his battle with his disease.

Invitations were extended to Clark Kent/Superman; Harry Dresden; Sheriff Bigby Wolf; Edward Elric; Cipher Nine; and of course Spike, Angel, Buffy, Willow and Wes.

April is waiting in the planning room, for each person to arrive, going through some books as she does. For many... this will be a familiar encounter, as they had to come to fight together before. But there will be some new faces. And new ideas.

((forgot a posting order. Since multiple characters, Kat/Ael/ me))

Comments

[slayers_desire]

April welcomes the hug from Ed, and the briefer one from Cipher Nine. She also welcomes Harry's return with a smile, and greets Bigby with a return of his own name in greeting. "Bigby."

"This is Clark, my husband. And my friends Cipher Nine, Edward, Harry. And some denizens of this dimension... Spike, Wes, Lorne and Dawn."

The last one mentioned is a sleeping woman on a couch, surrounded by a magical ward. "We are waiting on three more... if they took my phone call seriously," said Spike.

[fmalchemist160]

Cipher Nine finishes up with his knife maintenance and watches the newcomers with interest. Bigby's a new face, so he gets scrutinized the most.

Ed glances back at the slumbering Dawn and worries at his lower lip for a moment before giving Bigby a brief nod of acknowledgment, and waving at everyone else. "Who're we waiting on?" he asks Spike.

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby's not a super social kind of guy, so he doesn't join the group immediately, hanging back and watching, arms crossed. He can tell he's being scrutinized, but he doesn't care because he's doing the same to all of them. Outwardly there's nothing that pegs him as anything more than an ordinary, slightly hairy guy who looks like he's slept in his clothes for weeks.

[slayers_desire]

"Well I called Willow..."

"Who is running a little late..." A red-haired who has magic imbued in her aura for those who can sense such thing comes in the room. She starts to study the ward around Dawn. "Nice work."

"And Buffy and Angel... but they couldn't remember... um... her..." Spike pointed to the sleeping young woman.

"Dad... did you forget her name?" April asks softly.

"Um... yah..." Spike rubs at his temples.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed straightens in mild alarm. "So... what, she's being ret-conned out of your lives?" he asks. A look of concern crosses Cipher Nine's face as well, as he glances back towards Dawn himself.

[thepizzalord]

"Thanks," Harry says at the praise for his containment ward. He nods at Ed's question too. "There's some kinda supernatural mind-sucker thing going on, with her and the other Keys. Something's draining them away to nothing and sticking their lives in books in the Nevernever."

[slayers_desire]

"Other Keys?" Willow looked over to April.

"Yes... they attempted to connect with me too... but something blocked them. It is still blocking them."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed grimaces. "Yikes... Have we tried to find out what's blocking them?"

[thepizzalord]

"Somethin' about her powers," Harry says. "Plus her spending most of her time in another universe probably helps."

[slayers_desire]

"It is the protection of Maloker..." A new voice enters the conversation. At the doorway are Buffy and Angel. But it was neither of them who spoke. It was a tall, skeleton-faced woman who had entered with them.

When she speaks, only Ed will feel a concerned and worried hum from his very soul.

"Hey everyone. We want you to meet Ember." Angel introduces the woman.

[fmalchemist160]

It's been a little bit since the last time Ed heard from his Oscuridad guide. Things have been pretty quiet in DC for the past few months. But the concerned tone to her humming immediately makes him tense up, and his eyes go to watch Ember closely.

Cipher Nine notices his friend's tension, but doesn't let that stop him from being polite. "Nice to meet you, Ember," he says cordially.

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby frowns. "Who's Maloker?" That's not a name he recognizes, either from Fables or mundies.

[slayers_desire]

"The Sire of all Vampires." Angel explains. "One of the Old Ones, a Demon who created the vampiric lineage."

"When humans started using magic against the Old Ones to lock them in the Deeper Well, Maloker needed an army to fight them, and created vampires to do so. He was ultimately unsuccessful and was one of the last Old Ones to walk the Earth before he was sealed in the Deeper Well," Wes provided his information as a Watcher.

"What do you mean I have his protection?" April asks.

"He is the source of your powers, your Voices..." Ember spoke again. And Ed hears a hissing from his Oscuridad guide.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed gets the distinct impression Ember is either flat-out lying or isn't telling the whole truth. My, uh, shadowy friend—the one I picked up from the whole Order of Aurelius fiasco—doesn't seem to like Ember much, he cautions April silently. I'm taking everything Ember says with a grain of salt. To avoid messing anything up too much, he doesn't comment, and keeps a part of his mind focused on aforementioned shadowy friend. He trusts her instincts.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I thought they were inherited from Drusilla," Clark says with a frown.

[slayers_desire]

"Inherited yes... but not the source. They were passed down generation to generation...." Ember answers Clark's statement.

April listens careful to Ed's mental statement, and asks herself. "And so why... is this information coming out now?"

"Maloker would like to see you... I am his emissary."

"She found me first, since I am your grandfather, in a fashion." Angel states. April only glances over to him, a little mistrust there still from the time that Angel took her infant son from her.

[fmalchemist160]

Another flag goes up for Ed, especially once he picks up on that mistrust. Though the fact that an Old One wants to see her is enough of a concern on its own. "And what does he want with her?" he asks Ember, in about as neutral a tone of voice as he can manage.

[thepizzalord]

"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" Harry says.

[slayers_desire]

"That is between Maloker and the Key..." Ember replied coldly.

"No. No it is not," Spike voiced his objection. "And her name is April."

"You screwed Dru... luv..." Spike's voice is hard at the pet name for Angel. "And I won't stand by to let you screw my daughter."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed tries to fight down a burst of pique at Ember's words, and only partially succeeds. "What is it with you people?" he says, glaring but managing to keep himself from actually ranting at full steam. "You're treating April like an object, a means to an end. She isn't—she's a person. You realize how fucked up that is, right?"

"April's our friend," Cipher Nine says flatly. "For some of us, more than that. So if you think we're going to take everything you tell us at face value and not be concerned with her safety, think again."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"If she has to go see Maloker, I'm not staying behind," Clark says firmly. This is a non-negotiable point. "And I really doubt most of the people in this room are going to stay either."

[slayers_desire]

"You people?" Ember looks over the Edward, smirking slightly. "So it is okay for you to treat others like an object?"

"We could bring Maloker here..." She stated simply.

"No Old Ones in my bar!" Lorne protests.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed continues to glare at her. "If I thought of you as objects, I wouldn't have called you 'people'," he points out. "I'm blunt like that. Way to take a phrase meant to refer to you as a group of people way out of context." He sits back and crosses his arms. "We come with you and April. Period. End of story." Cipher Nine nods his agreement.

[big_bad_sheriff]

"Enough," Bigby growls. "Either you can sit around arguing or we can do something about this."

[slayers_desire]

"And you placed me into a pre-defined group of others..." Ember stated simply to Ed in return. She then turned to address Angel.

"Her protection won't last. And the Trio will take her next." And left the room.

"Wot sort of deal were you aiming for Angel?" Spike addressed the other man.

"No deal." Angel turned out his hands.

April touched her head, a flurry of voices and commotion in her mind.