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

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"There's someone there," Bigby says, on the verge of rushing ahead of the group.

"I know, I can hear it," Clark says. He's torn between needing to stay near April for support, and finding out who is crying and why.

[slayers_desire]

"You... can... never... lose... Al." April says, in between her slow and steady breaths. They soon emerge out of the tight tunnel, into a small open area. One where they don't have to be so tight to each other.

The Demon boy is sitting there, wiping away tears quickly. The imaginary Al, at his current age, is sitting beside him. "One last door. Have to leave you here."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed lets out a quiet sigh of relief as they emerge from the tunnel and find the demon boy, promptly heading right for them. He addresses Al in a whisper, an expression of quiet sorrow on his face. "I know," he breathes. "Thanks, Al..." Then he turns to the boy. "What's wrong?" he asks, even though he already knows the answer.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark gives April a bit of a hug. She's under so much stress right now, and there's nothing they can do about it at the moment.

Harry's gaze sweeps over the kid. "You all right?"

[slayers_desire]

April leans into Clark's support. His gesture is keeping her balanced, in a difficult moment.

"Sielewi?" The boy moves back, backing up against the cavern wall. They weren't so lucky to find another person who could speak/ or magic English. "Nimepotea."

Yep. It is Swahili.

[fmalchemist160]

"Yep, we had to run into the language barrier issue eventually," Ed sighs.

[thepizzalord]

Harry tries not to make a face. Lash, I think you're up. "I think I can help." He looks at the boy, and lets his passenger take control for a moment. "Samahani. U hali gani?"

[slayers_desire]

The boy calms down slightly, and looks more comfortable. "Ninaomba msaada. Nimeumia." He moves, so that a long bloody gash on his side is revealed.

April is starting to sense something through her voices. "I think he is a Key."

Meanwhile, since Ed has not yet received his antidote, his hallucinations are going to take a turn for the worst. He gets the sensation of a woman sitting beside him. When he turns to look, it is Drusilla. She presses up against him, running her hands up his chest. When she speaks, only Ed will hear her. "Yummy little lamb. You were my favorite. So I am going to help you..."

She leans closer to whisper in his ear. "When the eyes go red... fill with dread, not all is right in the world. When the monster claims what is his, remove the whispers to remove the control."

((edit since I almost forgot an important plot point))

[fmalchemist160]

Cipher Nine takes a cautious step forward when he sees the gash on the boy's side. "I have medic training," he tells Harry. "I can treat that wound for him."

Ed hasn't noticed any of this. He's too busy scrambling backward, trying to get as far away from Drusilla—who has always creeped him out—as possible, letting out a raspy 'Gah!' noise. "Don't touch me," he says, a little bit of a tremor in his voice, shuddering a little as Dru runs her hands along his chest. Part of the squick factor is that she isn't Winry. Most of it is that Dru is April's mother.

His words should be an immediate red flag to anyone who knows Ed well. He would never say something like that to his brother.

[thepizzalord]

Clark takes notice immediately. "Ed's hallucinations are getting worse. We need that antidote, now."

Harry makes a face, and asks Lash for a specific translation. "We can help you," she says to the boy in Swahili, sounding exactly like Harry. "But we need help too. Our friend is sick and only you can help."

[slayers_desire]

The Demon boy nods, moving his hand, so that his stinger pops out from his wrist. "Bring me his arm."

"Please little lamb. Tell me you understand. All will be lost if you don't understand." Drusilla whispers to Ed.

[fmalchemist160]

"In case you haven't noticed, it's kinda hard to think rationally under these circumstances," Ed grits out, his words definitely directed at Dru and not at the others. "The fact that you're speaking in riddles, as usual, doesn't help either! I'll figure it out, just GO AWAY!"

Cipher Nine hurries over to Ed and gets a shoulder under his arm to bring him over to the boy, as gently as such a thing can be done while also being done quickly.

[thepizzalord]

"The kid's gonna jab ya, hold still," Harry tells Ed.

[slayers_desire]

The Demon uses his stinger, jabbing Ed's arm, and immediately the antidote takes place. And the image of Drusilla disappears.

"Me now?" The boy touches his injury.

[nonvillainouscipher]

Ed slumps in Cipher Nine's grasp and lets out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you," he says, sounding rather exhausted.

Cipher Nine sets him gently against the nearest wall before heading over to the boy, taking a close look at his wounds and retrieving some of his medical equipment from his belt. "This might tingle," he warns the boy, relying on Harry for a translation into Swahili. "A lot, actually." Then he sets about his work, carefully sterilizing the gash, then dosing it with kolto. The translucent, pale green liquid will, indeed, cause an intense tingling, but it starts to go to work after only a few moments, slowly knitting the wound back together.

[thepizzalord]

Harry's pretty glad that no one's asking him how, exactly, he came to know Swahili. Because strictly speaking, he doesn't, and he has no good excuse for it. At least April knows about Lasciel, and is aware he doesn't want it being public knowledge. "What happened?" he asks the kid.

[slayers_desire]

"The others... wanted my power. Are you here to see The-Bat-Demon-Who-Knows?" The exact name for the creature in Swahili is a lot more complicated than how it is translated.

[nonvillainouscipher]

"If you mean Maloker, then yes," Cipher Nine responds. Ed's still gathering himself following the whole hallucination thing.

[thepizzalord]

"We need to talk to him," Harry adds after Lasciel translates. "That okay?"

[slayers_desire]

"I can open his door for you." The child confirms. He brings out a piece of chalk, and starts to draw on the stone wall of the cave.

April moves from Clark's embrace, now that she is not in such desperate need for comfort, and crawls to Ed's side. "You okay?" She whispers. She knows that sometimes delusions can be hard to handle.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed looks over at her and leans his head into her shoulder for a moment. "I... kinda hallucinated that your mother was molesting me," he mutters, only half-joking. "She said something like... 'When the eyes go red... fill with dread, not all is right in the world. When the monster claims what is his, remove the whispers to remove the control.'"

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby can't help but overhear. "That doesn't sound good. We don't have to let this Maloker guy actually get what he wants, do we?"

[slayers_desire]

"No. Of course not." April doesn't want to give Maloker any advantage in this situation. Her 'mothers' warning is very cryptic, but at least everyone heard it. And they all are now effectively warned.

The child finishes drawing the door. He then uses his powers as a key to open it. The door leads to a large underground cavern. They will enter the cavern on a ledge, that overlooks the Grand Canyon-sized cavern. On the roof, in the middle of the cavern, is a large Demon bat.

By large, he is larger than the Empire State Building. They are a far-enough distance to him, and there does not seem to be anyway to reach him.

"I see you made your way here." Ember appears to their left.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed tenses when he sees Ember, and keeps a mental 'ear' out for any input from his Oscuridad guide. "No thanks to you," he says flatly. "You gonna tell us what he wants now?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark doesn't see any sign of the others who left before them, so he says nothing, not wanting to tip Ember off if she doesn't already know. "You don't look surprised to see us." He hadn't expected she would.