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

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby has no trouble seeing in the dark either, although he wishes he was in his proper form, not this blunt-claws human shape. He sniffs a little as they arrive. "Not gonna be many people up this time of night."

[slayers_desire]

April also can see in the dark, once she calls upon her vampiric abilities. She opens her voices around her. "There is a village nearby. Aboriginals."

[fmalchemist160]

"So are we just going to ask to borrow a digeridoo or something?" Ed asks, while he takes a moment to let his eyes adjust.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark shrugs and starts heading in the direction April indicated. "Why not? We can at least talk to them."

[slayers_desire]

"Remember Ed, we want the Demon you saw in the vision. A digeridoo would summon freely, without us choosing who we want." April takes his hand too. She still feels weak. And right now, being in vampire form, so soon after a bloodlust and no blood to be had -- it is hard for her to concentrate.

The Aboriginal village is small. There is about a dozen people. Mostly woman and children. "Find the male. The priest. He will only speak to a male."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed reflexively squeezes April's hand and follows. At April's suggestion he looks around the group gathered, then quips dryly as he scans the crowd for anyone who might look priest-esque, "Well, we've definitely got the 'male' thing covered."

[thepizzalord]

Clark tries to stick close to April, slightly protective of her. He can feel her hunger, and he wishes they had time to do something about it.

Harry waves at the natives. "Hey folks! How's it going?"

[slayers_desire]

The Aboriginals... scatter at Harry's greeting. But it does seem to get the desired result. For a tall, lanky man with skeleton tattoos on his face, comes forward. "English? Yes?"

[fmalchemist160]

"And here I thought the language barrier might be a problem," Ed mutters under his breath. "Yep. English. We're looking for someone. Maybe you can help us?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark is not entirely impressed with Harry's... diplomatic skills. But it did get them a result, so he lets it slide for now.

[slayers_desire]

One of the tattoos on the man's face glows slightly, as he listens to Ed. It glows again when he speaks. "Who do you seek?"

[fmalchemist160]

Ed frowns as he considers his wording. "A young... uh, Glarghk Guhl Kashmas’nik demon boy." He stumbles over the pronunciation several times. "I don't know his name, just what he looks like."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"We're not looking to hurt him," Clark adds, just in case. "We think he might know about something we need."

[slayers_desire]

"They are our protectors, The Guhl," The Priest responds. "We respect them. And honor them."

"Their children are sacred."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed bites his lip for a moment before a resolved expression crosses his face. "This one is being bullied," he says, hoping it'll help them identify the boy, since it might narrow the field of possibilities. "Maybe we can help him with that too."

[big_bad_sheriff]

"Do we gotta do some kinda... ritual to meet one of their kids?" Bigby asks with a frown. He sure hopes not.

[slayers_desire]

"Very astute. Yes. You do." The priest reaches into his pouch (the only thing he is wearing) and pulls out a long stinger.

"This poison will guide you to the child you seek. Be warned, you will hallucinate. Be warned, only the child and his stinger will cure you."

[fmalchemist160]

"Awesome, extra motivation," Ed notes, with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice, stretching out his left arm for the priest and pulling up his coat sleeve. Cipher Nine does the same with his right, tugging off one of his gloves and pushing the sleeve of his uniform up.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark pauses awkwardly. He's pretty sure he's not going to be affected by the stinger, unless it's magic.

[slayers_desire]

"I only have one stinger. One person." The priest specifies.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed takes a determined step forward before anyone else can, holding out his left arm insistently. "I was shown the boy for a reason," he says to his companions. "I'll do it."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"Shouldn't we talk about it first?" Bigby growls uncertainly.

"Ed has a point," Clark reluctantly admits.

[slayers_desire]

"At least it only has to be one of us. The rest of us can make sure the hallucinations don't overwhelm him." April knows the strain of 'seeing' things.

"Find the boy." The Priest uses the stinger to inject the poison into Ed's skin. His surroundings become murky and cloudy almost immediately. But he sees Al, as a child, at the edge of the village. Gesturing to him.

"Come on brother! I found something!" Only Ed will hear the voice too.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed's faith in his brother, even when he knows he's only hallucinating him, is so unswerving that he immediately steps to follow Al. If Al weren't appearing and sounding as a child, Ed might actually think he was here, connected to events via their soulmates' bond. By now, though, the real Al has started to hit puberty, and his voice is changing. He doesn't sound like a kid anymore.

"Of course I'd hallucinate Al," Ed notes in a half-amused, half-distant tone of voice. "Come on, this way," he adds to the others, though he has to pause to try to reorient himself.

[thepizzalord]

"What could possibly go wrong?" Harry mutters, but they have no choice, and he follows their hallucinating friend.