02 $$ [action for anywhere] (fourth wall!)

[whitehairedprettyboy]

[ He's dreaming. He has to be.

But even once Valmont's done rubbing his eyes in disbelief, they're still there. All twelve talismans, lined up nice and neat on his nightstand.

Well then. He still doesn't know what's going on with this world, but if it brought the talismans here, to him... he might not dislike it quite so much as he did before.

And so, if you see a guy this weekend levitating around town, occasionally shooting fire out of his hands and/or laser beams out of his eyes, and looking giddier than anyone here has ever seen him... Well. That's probably V. Feel free to talk to him/try to keep him from blowing up something of yours. He's in a good mood. He might listen. ]

Comments

[clockworktorch]

Relaax, just a joke. Nothing more villainous than destroying public property.

[Something about seeing Valmont continue to burn things like that gets the urge to smoke going, so in the pause that follows the man reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket to get a cigar and a lighter, sticking it between his teeth before lifting a hand and cupping it around the flame of the lighter to get it lit.

While all that is taking place, he talks around the cigar in his mouth, his gaze shifting from the cigar, to the burning buildings, to Valmont, and back again.]

To whom do I owe the pleasure of this ballistic display, by the way?

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Wha-oof!

[It's a short drop, but it still knocks the wind out of Veronica since she did no land nearly as gracefully as she usually would. She could hear something shaking around in her chest, so that wasn't good.

Ugh, she'd have to press on though.]

Dammit... [She grit her teeth and made ehr way to a safer location, preparing for the next part of her plan.

Meanwhile, Ako was still dodging beam after beam, but there was no way that she would be able to dodge the dragon talisman's fire. There was an explosion of flame very close to Valmont, and Ako was sent flying back through the air, smoking and disoriented.]

[whitehairedprettyboy]

You don't mean the Christian God?

[ Well, this just got theological. ]

Well. You must be from a different world than I, then. I certainly can't imagine the demons I know ever having been gods of any kind.

[ He's just... not going to touch on the fact that if they are from the same world, then God apparently, incontrovertibly exists. Maybe he should have spent more time in church after all. ]

[crouching_sin]

I do. And... well, not all of them were. No one but an utter lunatic beyond what religion generally is would claim that something like Jack Frost would be a god.

... Who takes the form of a very cute and cartoonish snowman in my world, for the record.

[whitehairedprettyboy]

[ ...Cartoon snowman demons. ]

Your world sounds like an... interesting one. And one I think I might be better off avoiding. No offense intended, you understand, it's simply that all those demons... [ He shudders visibly. ] No thank you.

[crouching_sin]

No offense taken. I'd rather not be there either.

[Not with what just happened... ngh.]

[whitehairedprettyboy]

Hah! Got you. [ Despite the residual pain, he manages a smirk. ] Serve you right, you beast - now where did the girl go?

[ His laser gaze turns to the wider area as he searches for Veronica. She can't have gone far. ]

[whitehairedprettyboy]

Thank you.

[ He didn't build up an entire international criminal empire just to hear himself be called a hero, after all. ]

It's Valmont. Must you smoke? [ Belatedly: ] Er, and your name, then?

[clockworktorch]

[Roman elects to ignore the quip about his smoking for the moment, puffing a few times on the cigar once it's lit before pulling it from his mouth.]

Nasty habit, I know.

Roman Torchwick, at your service.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[She really couldn't have. So, he should see her dark shape beside a building to the right.

...But then, she was also across the street, looking up at him with blank, white eyes.

They're both watching you, Valmont.]

[dreamsofahero]

Oh? I can't say I've ever heard of anything that's truly without weakness... Not to mention, these events such as now are usually quite temporary in any case.

[Video]

[crackpotcrocker]

EGAD!

But wait - how did you acquire these? Aren't these in your world?!

I was going to say, surprised that the pig isn't giving you wings.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

[Cue some maniacal laughter]

And what do the other animals grant you?

[Video]

[whitehairedprettyboy]

They are indeed from my world, and no, I've no idea how they came to be here. They had simply manifested when I woke up this morning. I have, however, run into several other people with stranger-than-usual powers today, so perhaps the date is to blame - though I can hardly say I'm aware of any unusual properties possessed by November the twenty-eighth.

Ah - no, that would be the rooster. Well, not wings, but levitation, at any rate. [ He floats a bit higher to illustrate. ] The other animals? Oh, let's see here. Ox is strength, rabbit is speed, snake is invisibility, horse is healing, dog is immortality... sheep is astral projection, bloody useless power... what else? Rat is motion to the motionless, brings statues to life and all that... tiger is spiritual balance, splits you into two selves, yin and yang...

[ He's counting on his fingers. ] Is that twelve? Ah, yes - and monkey is animal transformation. Haven't really played around with that one yet, but I suppose it has potential. I wonder if it could turn someone into one of the creatures from this world?

[cawsforalarm]

Nooooooope.

You've made him so upset now! Look, he's crying.

[Henry points with the hammer -- and then skewers a sword that definitely wasn't there before into Valmont's leg.]

[whitehairedprettyboy]

Wait, stop, where did you get aaahhhhh -

[ No doubt his scream startles a few of the Murkrows as the sword sinks into his leg. The healing power should be kicking in around now, but it can't do much if the sword's still in there, which it is. Which means Valmont gets to deal with unbearable pain for the foreseeable future. Isn't that wonderful? ]

Get it out, get it out, get it out - please -

[ Funny how a word he never uses otherwise comes so easily to him at times like this. ]