[RP] Children of Aether

Alyss’ ruse worked. While she did use logic in her argument, the insults would goad the Fire Witch into coming with them. Though, Alyss made sure to note that she didn’t look very happy about it. I shall be watching my back. She thought. “You should learn to be kinder to your team mates, Alyss.” Crimson smiled sweetly as she said it. “Specially when you need their power to help your cause. You should not put so much trust into your Knight over there either.”

As they continued walking, Alyss didn’t say much more. “I will treat you kindly when… or if I think I can trust you. As for the insults… It worked in getting you over here, did it not?” Alyss smiled after she said it. She loved her mind games, but she had to be careful. While she had no thoughts of killing the other Witches for power, she couldn’t be sure about the others. And she was quite positive she wasn’t earning any brownie points with Crimson after that last outburst.
 
Ardis just sat at the coffee table for a while why the other three left. He was hoping that they would just lose the trail of the girl and come back, and then maybe they could draw plans on what to do. After all since when had two witches and knights ever been around each-other and not try killing one another. Also if a fight was coming up he knew his katana hadn't stored enough power into it yet for him to be of any use. Just about as his coffee was about to come the ground started to shake and he heard the cars crash and sirens going off.

"Well it would appear that's my cue to go." Sighing to himself and picking up his katana, Ardis left building and walked down the street. He was surprised when it seemed a little darker out. Looking up he saw why, somehow a giant tree had sprouted up in the middle of the street. "Well this is certainly not good. If we weren't going to find her before, we most definitely not now.This tree is going to pose a problem cause unless we get rid of it well looks like we may have to find a long way around."


Catching up with the other three Ardis let out a low whistle to let them know he was there and perhaps more a little more sly then intended he just asked, "So we gonna ask the little fire charmer here to burn down the tree, or are we gonna wait for reinforcements to take care of this and then have to find another route to get by this thing?"
 
Heath's sword was in his hand, and he couldn't even remember drawing it. A small funnel of smoke was now rising from the street, although it looked as though the tree had stopped growing, which meant that Poppy had either finished playing with it, or that she was waiting to ambush them. If the latter were the case, she had definetely set the stage in her favour, and that was one ambush he did not want to spring.

Crimson and Alyss were arguing. When their words finally did register, Heath's panic suddenly shifted to the two witches next to him. If they started fighting, that would be it.

"Ladies, don't we have more immediate concerns than killing one another? Like, say, the giant tree that just sprang up in the middle of the road?!" Heath realised that he was getting mildly hysterical, and took a deep breath, shaking his head for a moment before continuing, "Crimson, please, calm down. Nobody is going to die. Going off on your own will only invite the Nature Witch to attack you separately, and what do you think will happen then? We can't afford to go running off by ourselves at this point."

Privately, Heath agreed with Alyss. He would expect any other Witch to be on her knees, barely able to walk after pulling a stunt like that. However, this was Poppy they were dealing with and, if experience had taught him one thing, it was never to underestimate her. This little stunt was either a trap, designed to lure them in so that she could take them all down, or it was designed to keep them occupied whilst she dealt with the Witch of Darkness...assuming she had found her, and Heath was willing to stake everything he owned on that.

He sighed, "Unfortunately, there is no way to know how much that took out of her. From what I've been told, one of you has a second element to call upon now. If that one is the Nature Witch, and she has an element that complements her primary one, then she's probably just slightly out of breath, and would still be able to take us all on with ease. Of course, if she doesn't, then she's probably close to unconsciousness, but I wouldn't assume anything at this point, not with the other witch currently missing as well."

At Ardis' suggestion, Heath shook his head, "I'd prefer it if Crimson didn't try and burn the tree down...if there is one thing that will panic people more, its the thing suddenly bursting into flames...not to mention half the street will probably collapse, and I'd like to minimize damage at this stage. God, Garth is going to go mental when he sees this..."

Heath trailed off into silence, thinking for a moment. Splitting up was a bad move, but what other choice did they have? Alyss was right about one thing: the oak tree in the middle of the road was probably little more than a distraction and, if Poppy did only have a single element to draw upon, it would be easy to catch her. If she had more than one element and they caught up with her, they'd be at a severe disadvantage, but Heath had another trick up his sleeve to even the playing field if Alyss found herself facing a witch with the power of two elements to her single one. No other Knight would even consider it, but Heath had always been an open-minded fellow.

"I'd suggest splitting up. Alyss, you come with me, and we'll try and head them off. Crimson, go with Ardis and check out the extent of the damage the tree has done. Try and minimize further casualties, if you can. Look, I'm not giving orders here, I realise I have no authority over any of you. I'm asking you, as a friend, to follow my lead in this. I want this over with as much as you do."

Crimson had not reacted positively to Alyss' words, and that worried Heath. Those two were treading on broken eggshells around one another, and they needed to be split up, at least for the moment. Crimson needed time to calm down, and Heath needed to have private words with Alyss before she tried one of her little motivational speeches again. She was relatively calm and rational, she would see the need for discretion around Crimson. Getting Crimson out of danger long enough for her to calm herself - Heath was fairly certain that the tree was a distraction, it wasn't like Poppy to hang around at her scenes - was high on his list of priorities right now, as well. He just hoped they agreed...

--

Fire engines, police cars and news crews raced down the street, and people were dashing about like ants. From her vantage point, Lily could see the top of an absolutely incredible oak tree, just poking out above the buildings. It was incredible! How could such a thing come into being in the middle of London?

"Daisy, come and look at this!" Lily said excitedly, eager to show her, so they could wonder together. Who couldn't help but wonder at this?

"Sweetheart, get away from the window, please." she replied absently, not even glancing over from where she should. That upset Lily slightly. Was she ignoring her? Why would she ask her to get away from the window? But she did as she was asked, sliding back into her seat

The apartment was a nice one, clean, covered in plants that Lily had never even see before and, remarkably, it seemed to be free from shadows, although she couldn't understand how that could be. All the same, it was a comforting place, and the mixture of pollen, the modest warmth and the aura Daisy exuded whenever she came closer was making Lily more relaxed than she had been in years. It was almost like her mother was back with her again, and nothing had happened.

Daisy had changed, the first thing she had done being to strip off her dress - Lily's heart pounded painfully in her chest at the memory - and don a pair of denim blue dungarees, which she had pulled seemingly out of nowhere. She had had a rather large and nasty dark purple bruise over her heart, the edges of which Lily could still see, as he dungarees didn't quite cover it (but then, they didn't cover much of anything), although she didn't dare ask how her newfound friend had acquired such a bruise. She couldn't even think of a way that such a bruise would come into existence. The more she thought about it, the more it worried her...what was Daisy hiding from her?

Daisy moved over from the kitchen area, two small, steaming mugs of something delicious in her hands. She placed one in front of Lily, smiling as she sat down with her own.

"My own special recipe, I worked for years to perfect the flavour. Had a lot of very unpleasant trial runs until I reached this one. Once you're done, we can go shopping."

Shopping? Wearing that? Lily shrugged, doing as she asked. Almost immediately, she went numb, and the light-headedness increased to the point that she thought her head would simply detach itself from her body and float away. Drugged?! No, it couldn't be. Not this girl, she was far too kind. Lily was simply...tired. She had barely slept, and had run from one place to another, being chased by Knights and Witches, and it had finally caught up with her. Part of her was appalled, yet she felt remarkably safe. She was sure Daisy wouldn't mind...it would be alright...perhaps just for an hour or so...

--

Poppy said back, breathing a sigh of relief as the girl slid into unconsciousness, her head resting on the table. She took a sip of her own tea - a different blend - and felt the pain in her chest slowly ease away, and her strength return to her, in part.

That had been an ordeal. The girl was a real handful. Scared of every shadow, suspicious of every action. It was no wonder she was so fragile, she lived her life in a constant state of fear. She was just glad that she had been able to get the girl here before the others had caught up to her. Of course, they could still find her - after all, it was not unreasonable to expect that they would search nearby buildings - but, if they did, they would be on Poppy's turf. She could turn this entire building into a highly dangerous jungle within moments. She was, for the moment, safe.

Poppy sat quietly in her chair, watching her sleeping form, listening to the sirens blaring from outside. She'd wake the girl up in an hour or so, and then they'd go shopping together...or perhaps do something far more fun.
 
“Ladies, don’t we have more immediate concerns than killing one another? Like, say, the giant tree that just sprang up in the middle of the road?!” The Knight said. Alyss took note that even he seemed a tad bit hysterical. She was getting just a little tired of the hysterics on their part and her patience was wearing then. It also didn’t help that she felt like they just completely ignored her rational argument on ignoring the tree and continuing on their way.

As he sighed, he continued, obviously not done. “Unfortunately, there is no way to know how much that took out of her. From what I’ve been told, one of you has a second element to call upon now.” This was news to Alyss. Typically, Alyss wasn’t one to be shocked or surprised… but this did both. Not letting it show, she continued to listen to the Knight. “If that one is the Nature Witch, and she has an element that complements her primary one, then she’s probably just slightly out of breath, and would still be able to take us all on with ease. Of course, if she doesn’t then she’s probably close to unconsciousness, but I wouldn’t assume anything at this point, not with the other witch currently missing as well.”

That was all the more reason to take chase. There was a 50/50 chance of her being out of it, and they still had advantage in numbers. If they didn’t go now and they allowed time to pass, the balance of power would be changed even more. Why are we wasting time just sitting here talking?! Alyss thought, the anger showing on her face.

She said and did nothing as Heath replied to his companion’s idea. Of course, Alyss agreed with Heath. He had a good head on his shoulders… mostly. After hearing the idea put out by the other Knight, Ardis, Alyss couldn’t help but scoff. What foolishness.

“I’d suggest splitting up. Alyss, you come with me, and we’ll head them off. Crimson, go with Ardis and check out the extent of the damage the tree has done. Try and minimize further casualties, if you can. Look, I’m not giving orders here, I realize I have no authority over any of you. I’m asking you, as a friend, to follow me lead in this. I want this over with as much as you do.”

Alyss thought about it… and agreed. “Very well, I will go with you. Let us go.”
 
Crimson
Fire Witch

She couldn't believe this, the knight was telling them to split up?? Why on Earth would they split up when they had a crazed witch running rampant who could possibly even hold two elements. She shook her head. She might as well go off on her own, she'd be just as 'safe'.

Plus he left her with the knight Ardis who she knew little of... well she knew little of the whole group but of he she knew the least. Althoughs he had gathered that he was a Knight of Electricity by the way he rested his sword near a power outlet.

"Your plan will get me killed, Knight." She spat, eyes narrow with annoyance. Crimson was unsure what 'checking for damage caused by the tree' would do, what purpose it could serve... they already knew the tree had destroyed two buildings and the ground beneath it...Perhaps he just wanted alone time with that... crippled witch... he did seem to fancy her. How pathetic.

The young woman then turned to her new companion. "Well...Lead the way." She said with an uncaring tone.
​
 
"My my such a charmer you are. You know since we are working together you could try being a little less hostile towards me. Look as far as that investigating bullshit goes we know it's just that. Look I know the man doesn't trust me and neither do you, to be frank I haven't given you any reasons to as well. So look the way I see it we have a couple options available. One we can see if we can get underground and try to find a way to stop this thing. Two we can try and find our own way to see if we can find where this other witch went to, or three we can go back to the cafe and I treat you to a drink while we wait for the others to get back here."


Really not waiting much for a response Ardis went to the nearest manhole and opened it. "Well I'm going for option one right now. If those knights from the alleyway show up this may be the least likely choice we have of running into them. So are you coming or not Crimson?"

(OOC: Sorry for this short post)
 
Poppy pulled Lily's limp form off the chair - not as difficult as she was expected, for she was remarkably light - and into her room, heaving her up on to the bed. She was quite a pretty little thing when she was asleep. Perhaps Poppy would keep her for a little while, after all. She was the type who wanted to trust someone, anyone, and would pour her heart out to Poppy. Once she had stripped her of her powers, she may still have her uses.

She stretched, the pain in her chest little more than a dull ache, and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Reaching into her pockets, scattering some seeds across the floor - it never hurt to be too careful - she went into the other room to take a shower.

---

Heath heard Crimson's irritated remark, but chose not to comment upon it. Anything he said would likely make the situation worse than what it already was. Crimson was a girl with a foul temper, and such a thing would only get her killed faster in the heat of battle. If, on the off chance, Poppy had decided to stay by her tree and see who showed up, Ardis would be able to make sure Crimson didn't get in over her head.

However, Heath's primary reason for splitting them up was, simply, because he did not want a three-way witch battle unfolding...ever. Numbers, in this case, would prove to be meaningless: there was far too much tension between Crimson and Alyss and, assuming they could even work together for a minute to kill Poppy, what was to stop them from turning on another after the deed was done? One of them would have another element, and would see the other as a threat...or an easy kill. Or, if they turned on one another sooner, Poppy would annihilate them both, and then there would be a serious problem, as she would have three, or perhaps even four, elements. The other witch, assuming she was caught up in this, would make five. She would turn the entire world upside down, and this was something Heath wanted to prevent at all costs.

No, the calmer Alyss was the better choice for backup in this. She would at least consider what Heath had to say, and would likely only act in self-defence. He paused, turning to her now. Now seemed as good a time as any to give her an insight as to Poppy's intentions.

"The Nature Witch is a woman with a child's mind; she does not kill out of malice. She kills for attention." at least, Heath hoped this was true. He knew that he was not the one who was supposed to be following her trail of bloody corpses, at the very least. "She will not attack us unless we provoke her and, if she does indeed have a second element, provoking her is the last thing we want to do. She's after...someone else, and we're little more than distractions to her."

Heath hesitated, debating revealing Tristana's existence. But, really, was it relevant? She likely wasn't even in London, or even the country. Revealing her existence - and her connection to both Heath and Poppy - would serve no purpose whatsoever. It was enough for her to know that she was not Poppy's primary target. If anything, Heath was in more danger of being killed than she was; she would no doubt assume that his death would bring her sister running. Heath smiled inwardly at the thought. She obviously doesn't know her sister very well.

"Please, let me try to talk to her first. Or, at least, distract her long enough for you to disable her. Her death at your hands will simply make you the next target for your kin and the Knights both. Please, Alyss. Your word. No violence unless it is absolutely necessary."

The sad fact was that it was highly likely violence would be necessary. Poppy would resist capture to the death if Alyss could not disable her first. Of course, this was assuming Heath could even locate her. Heath quested out with his spirit, seeking a sign - any sign - of the girl, and of Poppy. He did not expect to find either, but it wouldn't hurt to look...
 
Alyss, much like Heath, didn’t get involved or say anything after Crimson’s comment, and she did the same was Ardis opened the sewer ready to jump in. She was rather thankful she wasn’t the one going with the other Knight. Sewers weren’t exactly number one on Alyss’ list of places to see before she died. Alyss was also somewhat happy they would be splitting up. With Crimson’s mood being what it was, and the fact that Alyss was responsible for putting her in it, she was sure to try and kill Alyss. If they were split up, Alyss wouldn’t have much to worry about.

Alyss greatly wondered what the Nature Witch was like… besides a murderous psychopath. There had to be something that she could use to relate with the woman. Perhaps there was a way to make her see logic? Then again, this was also the woman that spawned a tree in the middle of town… Logic was perhaps not an option for the Witch of Nature. Almost as if to answer her inner thoughts, Heath began speaking.

“The Nature Witch is a woman with a child’s mind; she does not kill out of malice. She kills for attention. She will not attack us unless we provoke her and, if she does indeed have a second element, provoking her is the last thing we want to do. She’s after… someone else. And we’re little more than distractions to her.” The man obviously knew what he was talking about. From what he said earlier, he knew her somewhat. From where she was standing, logic would dictate that she pay his advice quite a bit of attention.

“Please, let me try to talk to her first. Or, at least, distract her long enough for you to disable her. Her death at your hands will make you the next target for your kin and the Knights both. Please, Alyss. Your word. No violence unless it is absolutely necessary,” the Knight said. Alyss, however, was quite surprised he was asking her of this. However, she knew he had a rather large idea of what he talking about.

“Very well, I will not attack.” Alyss began, “I refuse to kill her unless I absolutely have to… I do not want more power… please understand. If it comes down to it, all I need to do is touch her and I can render her unconscious or paralyze her temporarily. If you can grant me enough time that should not be a problem.” In times like these, she loved having her power. There were a lot of different options with it, and in all reality, she hadn’t explored them all yet.

“We may have to do the same with the other Witch. While I do not want to, I fear she may not come with us willingly.”
 
"Thank you, Alyss. That is good to hear" Heath replied, genuinely relieved at the girl's sincerity. Somehow, he doubted that it would be quite as simple as touching her - even if Alyss did manage to get close enough to Poppy to do so, she would likely resist, perhaps even successfully if she had another element to call upon - but did such things really need to be said? He continued to probe the surrounding area, fervently hoping for something, anything...

...there!

Heath opened his eyes, smiling, "Well, someone has let their guard down. I've found the other witch; the one we encountered earlier. I'd assume she's asleep...or her companion has moved away. Its difficult to tell at this distance. In any case, we must make haste. If the Nature Witch is with her, we need to get her away as quickly as possible."

Heath set off at a run, sword in hand, keeping the girl's spirit firmly in his mind. Heath could not read other's spirits, not unless he was in direct contact with them, yet he could sense this girl's struggle...she flicked, in and out of focus, as though her subconscious warred with her conscious. For a witch, it was extremely odd. She did not shield herself fully, suggesting that she did not know how...or she was struggling to learn how. However, she was stationary, and not far. They would attain a victory from this disaster yet.

---

Lily thrashed in her sleep, sweating profusely. Semi-conscious, a part of her mind recognised that she was asleep, yet was not yet strong enough to assert itself. Something was pulling her down into the abyss of dreamless sleep, hands like those of the shadows she so fear, grasping, clinging, unwilling to let her go. She fought to regain consciousness. If she could but open her eyes...

---

A sudden change in the atmosphere. Poppy frowned, peering out from behind the shower curtain. Was somebody peeking? That couldn't be...the only other person in the apartment was Lily, and she was fast asleep. So, why did she feel like she was being watched? Poppy didn't like hide-and-seek, unless she wasn't "it". This wasn't a feeling she liked at all.

She closed the shower curtain, putting the thought out of her mind. She was a big girl now, and big girls didn't jump at shadows. Had she looked for but a second longer, she would have seen several very real, nearly tangible shadows crawl across the floor and along the walls, and seep through the cracks of the bedroom door...
 
“Thank you, Alyss. That is good to hear.” The Knight replied. Alyss found herself smiling for some reason. It was due to the fact that someone was complementing her on something she found a weakness. She wasn’t sure she could bring down another Witch with a touch like she could others… but it was worth a try. She was confident enough in her own abilities to not be afraid to try. Alyss watched as the Knight did something, which Alyss simply assumed was his ability to track others.

Her heart leapt when he opened his eyes. “Well, someone has let their guard down. I’ve found the other Witch; the one we encountered earlier. I’d assume she’s asleep… or her companion has moved away. It’s difficult to tell at this distance. In any case, we must make haste. If the Nature Witch is with her, we need to get her away as quickly as possible.”

Alyss agreed 100% and took off after Heath when he began running. Tension filled Alyss’ mind as she followed Heath. She hoped she could prove herself useful. She hoped a lot of things… she wanted to talk sense into the Nature Witch, she wanted to stop this silly game. But most of all, she just hoped she could go to her apartment at the end of the day and drown herself in a sea of books.
 
[OOC: How do you want this to go, Ringo? I was planning on having a terrified Lily transport them both out of the apartment, so as to avoid Poppy fighting, but we could have a little conversation before that happens...:britt:]

Heath tore down the street, stopping outside of a plain, unremarkable apartment complex. Here. The Nature Witch, who he'd been on the trail of for years, made her home here. He felt like laughing. With a gesture to Alyss, he led the way inside, crossing the hallway as quickly and quietly as possible, taking the stairs two at a time, up to the second floor. Eight doors. One of them housed a witch, likely two. The more he thought about it, the more Heath was sure the Nature Witch was here as well. He moved up to the third door, wincing as the floor creaked, signalling Alyss to come closer. He tried the handle. Locked.

"I suppose there is nothing else for it..." he sighed, then reversed his grip on his sword, hammering it into the door, enhancing the blow with his own power. The door flew open with a resounding crash that shook the floor, and Heath charged into the apartment...

---

A sound very much like the turning of a door handle sounded through the apartment. Poppy stepped out of the shower and into the main room, frowning. Was someone trying to break in? Who would be trying-

A loud crash as the door caved in, and a large man - Heath - came charging into the room, sword raised. Poppy shrieked in surprise, reacting instinctively, the seeds on the ground bursting to life, sending the figure flying backwards and back out into the hallway as several thick roots sprang to life, forming a protective cage in front of the doorway. Giggling softly, Poppy reached into the pockets of her discarded dungarees for a second acorn. She'd have to use both her powers on this one, but that wouldn't matter - they'd both be too dead to talk about it.

How had he found her, though? Poppy was never found. And he'd peeked. That was naughty. She'd need to punish him later for that. Oh, he'd brought of her toys, as well - the pretty one with the eyepatch, she could see her through the cracks. She supposed she could forgive him his indiscretion for bringing her another toy. Better her than the other one. Poppy didn't want her for a toy.

"You're supposed to knock before coming in." she pouted, folding her arms. "Just for that, you can't come in. Go away. I'm busy right now." She reached down into her discarded dungarees, idly tossing more seeds onto the floor.

She'd left the shower on, and she was still soaking wet. It was light outside. She had plenty of power to call upon, and her new toy was fast asleep in the other room. It didn't really matter that they'd found her. She still held all the cards, and she could escape any time she wanted...she smiled impishly, tossing the acorn into the air and catching it, the gesture an unmistakable threat. They'd seen what she could do. Would they dare test her power?
 
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[OOC: Conversation would be nice. :grin:]

Alyss followed after Heath closely as he found the apartment complex. He ran fast, much faster than Alyss did. She could hardly keep up as he effortlessly ran up the stairs two at a time and darted down the hall. Luckily, she was able to keep close to him, but she was slightly out of breath. Heath tried the handle, but as she expected it was locked. Waiting for nothing, he smashed the door open with the hilt of his blade.

I… could have just opened it for him… Alyss thought. With her powers, she had a theory that she could move and manipulate metal objects, but she never got to test it. It looked like today wouldn’t be that day. Heath ran into the apartment and into a naked woman. Alyss assumed the woman to be the Witch of Nature; her enemy; a murderer… and naked. She looked to be somewhat shorter than Alyss was, with brown hair and slender. This cannot be the Nature Witch…

However, her thoughts were proved wrong as Heath came flying back out of the apartment. Seeds were scattered on the floor, and he had made this mistake of stepping on them. Alyss had turned to check to see if Heath was okay, but was distracted as the Witch threw more seeds and what appeared to be an acorn on the ground. Several roots now blocked the door to the apartment, effectively keeping Alyss and Heath out.

With her powers of lightning, she could have burned them down due to the heat of it. However, she couldn’t control the fire it made like Crimson could… It would serve no purpose other than killing everyone in the building. “You’re supposed to knock before coming in.” The Witch said in a childlike pouting manner as she folded her arms. “Just for that, you can’t come in. Go away. I’m busy right now.” Being busy meant that she was now tossing more seeds onto the floor that she was getting from her discarded pants.

“Even after we came all this way to find you?” Alyss asked. If the Witch wanted to play games, then Alyss would play games. “It is rather rude to treat guests this way… is it not? No one is here to harm you… at least, I am not. I only want to speak, to perhaps talk you out of this foolishness.” She had to try and get in her good graces. Alyss was trying to trick her, to get her to open up. Even if she couldn’t touch her physically to attempt to put her down, she could at least get information out of her.

She looked back over at Heath, hoping he was okay. She was finding it hard to continue looking at the Witch. “Could you please cover yourself… it is distracting.” Alyss wasn’t lying when she said that. The Witch in front of her was somewhat attractive… but she couldn’t continue the conversation in that direction if she couldn’t meet the gaze of her opponent because she was naked.
 
[OOC: Works for me :yay:]

Poppy stuck her tongue out in response. "Guests are invited. I didn't invite you here. Meaning you're an intruder. A thief. Out to steal my new toy. You can't have her. She's mine."

The girl's next words made Poppy giggle. Foolishness? Whatever could she be on about?

...oh, she was probably talking about the tree she had left in the middle of the road. What was her problem? Everyone liked trees. Much nicer than that nasty road, anyway. "I do what I want, when I want. I don't feel like playing with you right now. Go away." she said it again, although her heart wasn't really in it. In truth, she was enjoying herself. She could alter her appearance any time she liked with the power of Light, so this one seeing her true appearance wasn't really that big of a deal.

She knew what this one's power was, she had seen her prepare to use it, and overheard her talking: electricity. If she tried to use her powers here, she would be in for a nasty surprise. Poppy had expanded the roots blocking the door as they spoke, driving them down through the building - and maybe even some people, if the muffled cries were any indication - and into the ground, insulating them rather thoroughly. She could break through them, given time, as she hadn't infused them with any additional energy...although she'd find herself on the receiving end of a tree if she tried to. That'd make quite a pretty mess across the hallway. It was almost tempting to see it...she'd make such a pretty pattern!

She smiled coyly in response to the girl's next request, altering her pheromones to alarmingly high levels, enough to affect even a woman who had no interest in other women, perhaps. "Distracting", was she? The girl wouldn't be able to think straight if she so much as looked in Poppy's direction now. She'd be little more than a slave...that was a nice thought. Two witch slaves. Plus her big sister's Knight. Wouldn't that be nice?

"Do you like flowers?" she asked suddenly, bending down to pick a seed up, rubbing it between her fingers thoughtfully, "I love flowers. Fields and fields of flowers, all different colours, all for me. That nasty girl burned down my garden. She'll pay, you know. I'll make her bleed, and scream, and die. Nobody burns down my flowers." she balled her hand into a fist, infusing the seed with energy. When she opened it, a perfectly formed poppy was sitting in the palm of her hand.

"I'm bored now, pretty girl. Go away."

--

Heath groaned as he clambered up to his feet, trying to fight the ringing in his ears. Well, he hadn't expected that. Perhaps knocking would have been better. Or getting Alyss to open the door, so she took the plant in the face. But no, that wasn't particularly chivalrous. This was Heath's bright idea, and he needed to sort it. He waited for Poppy to stop talking, and then casually idled back up to the doorway...or what was left of it.

"How have you been, Poppy? I haven't seen you since this morning!" Heath said brightly, moving up beside Alyss, although being careful to keep his eyes averted. He had no particular desire to see her naked...or get a thorn in the eye for his troubles. In truth, he hadn't expected to find her taking a shower, as though nothing were amiss...although she put trees in the middle of roads every day.

"Naughty Knight, peeking at me." came the singsong reply, "You should know better. Big sister doesn't like it when you hit on other girls."

Heath sighed. So much for keeping that a secret, "Have you see your big sister recently, then? I've been meaning to talk to her."

A pause, then a mournful sigh, "Big sister vanished. She never cared. But don't worry, big brother. I'll make big sister care when I see her next. When she sees how strong her little sister is."

Heath shuddered. He didn't like to think what would happen if those two clashed. It would be an out-and-out massacre. "So, how strong are you, Poppy?" he asked casually, his heart pounding. If she confirmed she had a second element under her belt - or lack thereof, as the case was - they would need to leave. Immediately.

"Strong enough to make you both splatter across the walls before you can even blink. Splat. All gone. No more thieves in my house. No more people peeking at me. No more tricks."

She didn't sound particularly annoyed. Almost...pleased. Heath was liking this less with each passing second. She wasn't remotely annoyed or surprised that they had been able to locate her. Meaning only one thing: she had wanted them to find her. She was on her home turf, with more than enough seeds to create a small jungle. Pissing her off or engaging her in battle her would not be a good idea. She had led them right to a battleground of her choosing, and was just waiting for an excuse to splatter them across the walls, as she so quaintly put it.

...which was odd. She had never really needed an excuse before.

He knelt down by Alyss, whispering in her ear: "The other girl is still in there. See what you can get out of her: she seems to like you. She might even let you in, if you're nice enough to her, but I wouldn't try anything if she does. Not whilst she has all those seeds on the floor...I'll cover you. I should be able to block any assault she throws at you...the first time, anyway."

"I hear whispers. Whispers, in the hallway. I don't like secrets."
 
Crimson
Fire Witch

"My my such a charmer you are. You know since we are working together you could try being a little less hostile towards me. Look as far as that investigating bullshit goes we know it's just that. Look I know the man doesn't trust me and neither do you, to be frank I haven't given you any reasons to as well. So look the way I see it we have a couple options available. One we can see if we can get underground and try to find a way to stop this thing. Two we can try and find our own way to see if we can find where this other witch went to, or three we can go back to the cafe and I treat you to a drink while we wait for the others to get back here.

Well I'm going for option one right now. If those knights from the alleyway show up this may be the least likely choice we have of running into them. So are you coming or not Crimson?"

Crimson sighed deeply, she could feel her rage bubbling up inside her chest. Great, she was stuck with a weirdo.

"Why did you bother giving me options if you were going to pick what we do next anyway..." She put her hands on her hips and watched the man open the manhole, preparing to have them both jump in. "There is no way I am going down there. You can forget about it. You crawl through the sewers on your own. I hope a big rat chews off your ear." She was frowning as she spoke. Crimson was easily stronger than this knight... she could kill him with ease but there wasn't really a point in doing that just yet.

There were people gasping and screaming and pointing all around, they had no idea what had happened. Crimson smirked. Poor simpletons.

She walked over to the giant tree, placing a hand on it, rubbing her skin against the bark. It was a new tree and yet it felt so old, like it had been around for thousands of years. She thought a moment... what harm could there be if she killed it from the inside? The buildings around it were already destroyed... She wondered how the knight would react, he was the one who suggested she burn it down...

Crimson closed her eyes, hand still against the tree, she was focusing all her body heat into her hand, steam began to rise from it and the bark around her palm began to burn away, small bits of ash flying from it. Her hand melted deeper and deeper into the tree until she was please with how far in it was.

She then fumbled for her lighter, finally grasping it from her pocket, she flipped it open and flicked the ignition starting the flame. Then she brought the flame up to her lips and she blew, the tiny flame turning into a huge stream of fire which went straight into the newly created hole; the fire took to the bark, eating at it. The red head smiled and walked away, letting her flames take care of the tree.

"Well lets get out of here." She called to Ardis with a large grin spread across her pretty face. "Our work here is done. My fire will take care of the tree, there is nothing left to investigate." Crimson was going to do what she wanted from now on. NOT what these knights wanted.
​
 
Looking up at the tree Ardis was a little shocked. Sure he suggested that they burn it down for maybe convinces sake, but that was gonna be after there wasn't a lot of people to witness it. Now with some people screaming in the street one of them was bound to see something. Turning his attention to her he made a grab for her wrist and slightly shouted.

"Don't you think anything through! Look there are to many people around that just saw what you did." Lowering his voice now to a slight hiss he went on "What's gonna happen if one of these people are another witch or perhaps a knight. Especially a knight they won't bother to hear you out. If not already they might be calling reinforcements and a whole squad of knights will show up just like in the alleyway. Do you think you can really take them on? Heck they wouldn't even listen to me now thanks to your spectacle with an eye witness report."

Looking down into the sewers he noticed the flames he noticed the flames eating away at the trunk, yet there was still enough room to jump down and get away from the flames. Then he looked back up at Crimson and shock his head.

"Ok look i'm just trying to help you for whatever crazy reason that may be now. We have one psycho with witch destroying this city now, so we don't need more actions like this." he said pointing to the burning tree "Unless we have a way to cover for them. So why don't you make up your mind, come with me and get the hell out of here and live for a while longer, or stay and see if you can fight off an entire squad of knights."

With the last of that being said Ardis jumped into sewers.
 
Crimson
Fire Witch

Crimson frowned as the man grabbed her wrist and she snatched it away from his grasp. "I don't need you to drag me along, I am capable of walking without being lead." She huffed, taking a few steps towards the hole.

The manhole was dark and smelly and full of smoke from her fire. There were probably rats and other strange creatures down there. She did not want to get her clothes dirty..."If I get one spot of shit on my outfit you're totally dead!" she threatened as she began to climb down the slippery ladder, her boots occasionally slipping on some of the steps, she'd make a squeak whenever that would happen.

She thought about how her fire may have given away their position and identities but to be honest, she couldn't care less. Life was boring; when she was younger she would go out and cause trouble and she loved it. Then the horned one came and gave her this power which put her in hiding. Made her paranoid. He told her how witches would come and hunt her down and this scared her. But now that she had caused mischief again... that old feeling of excitement came back to her.

She finally made it to the bottom of the ladder, jumping down onto the mossy cement flooring. It was disgusting. She could see some roots from the huge oak sprawled across the ceiling. Soon they would be covered in fire. She thought it was a silly idea coming down into a sewer when the smoke could kill them... at least she could push the fire back though keeping the smoke behind them most of the time.

"Hurry up, man." She called to him. "I do not want to spend time in this place longer than needed." She began to walk, her foot steps echoing all around them.

"So you're the Electricity Knight...." she began "You realise you are no match for me?"
​
 
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Ardis took a deep sigh as this girl was beginning to get on his nerves. Pausing in his steps he took his katana from his side and pointed it just above the water. Then to iterate his point as he spoke to Crimson he said.

"Look here girl, first off my name is not "man" it's Ardis. Also you could say thank you to me for just possibly saving your life. With all your power do you think you could have stood up to a full squadron of knights? Also I am not the Electricity knight, I am one of a few Lightning knights. As for being a match for you why don't you take a look below your feet. What do you see? It's water and you know water is a conduct for electricity and the sorts. So all I have to do is charge my katana here a little." he pointed his left hand at his blade and also to draw here eyes just how close it was to the waters surface which was maybe an inch above the surface "And send a little current your way, the water will take care of the rest and shock you."


He stopped talking there as an attempt to let the words sink in, then making sure to keep his weapon above the water he stepped closer to here and leaned in so his face was right in front of hers and spoke again.

"So why not show a little respect ok. But to answer your one question, no normally I wouldn't be a match for you, though with this environment and terrain." Ardis left hand made a sweeping motion pointing again the water and the close proximity of the walls "Mostly do to this water, here I think I can take you." Ardis made sure to emphasize his last statement and turned around again.

"So since we both have a common goal right now or at least I hope we do, in trying to get out of here and possibly stop that Nature witch from destroying anything else. Why don't we work together ok?"

 
Crimson
Fire Witch

"Look here girl, first off my name is not "man" it's Ardis. Also you could say thank you to me for just possibly saving your life. With all your power do you think you could have stood up to a full squadron of knights? Also I am not the Electricity knight, I am one of a few Lightning knights. As for being a match for you why don't you take a look below your feet. What do you see? It's water and you know water is a conduct for electricity and the sorts. So all I have to do is charge my katana here a little."

Crimson frowned, she'd saved their lives earlier, the least any of these losers could do was treat her with a bit of respect. But what Ardis said was true, the sewers were full of old stagnant water and he could probably fry her if he wanted to. She'd have to behave herself until they were in a more open area.

She stepped back and away from the man, her eyes narrow, he was getting annoying, specially when stepping into her personal space bubbly.

"So since we both have a common goal right now or at least I hope we do, in trying to get out of here and possibly stop that Nature witch from destroying anything else. Why don't we work together ok?"

Crimson didn't answer, she just shoved the man out of the way and began to walk ahead rolling her eyes as she went. She didn't even get to eat the ice-cream promised to her and now she was walking around in a sewer thanks to this guy. Alyss and Heath were holding up the nature witch and she was sure she could have hidden from the other knights but no he had to take her down here.

After a few minutes silence Crimson finally spoke. "So... what's the plan? What are we doing once we get out of this smelly hole? I assume you have a plan otherwise I am not hanging around with you any longer, it would be pointless." She didn't bother to turn around and look at the man as she spoke, she only moved forward.
​
 
[OOC: For interesting results, show Alyss a mirror. :wacky:]

“Guests are invited. I didn’t invite you here. Meaning you’re an intruder. A thief. Out to get my new toy. You can’t have her. She’s Mine.” The Witch said. She had made it clear that she wasn’t going to give the girl up. “I do what I want, when I want. I don’t feel like playing with you right now. Go away.” Alyss then felt something under her. As if something were being expanded beneath the building. Just after that, something else happened.

Alyss no longer felt right. Something had clicked inside her… It was almost as if her mind was having something done to it. Her legs grew somewhat wobbly as she slowly started having problems standing. “Do you like flowers?” The Nature Witch asked. She picked a seed up and rubbed in between her fingers. “I love flowers. Fields and fields of flowers, all different colors, all for me. That nasty girl brurned down my garden. She’ll pay, you know. I’ll make her bleed, and scream, and die. Nobody burns down my flowers.” As she finished, she balled her hand around the seed. Upon opening it, she revealed a poppy in the palm of her hand. “I’m bored now, pretty girl. Go away.”

For some reason, Alyss was getting really, really, tired of flowers. However, she was still trying to figure out what had just happened to her body. She didn’t feel right at all, and she could have sworn the building had just gotten hotter.

Hearing a groan from behind her, she had took note that Heath had now gotten to his feet, “How have you been, Poppy?” He asked. So… her name is Poppy? What a stupid name… “I haven’t seen you since this morning!” As he moved beside her, she felt comforted by her presence… especially now that her mind was not acting the way she wanted it to. “Naughty Knight, peeking at me,” Poppy sang. “You should know better. Big sister doesn’t like it when you hit on other girls.”


Where they related? What was going on here? “So, how strong are you, Poppy?” Alyss also would like the answer to this question. She had already done something to her, and every second that passed she was starting to feel worse. “Strong enough to make you both splatter across the walls before you can even blink. Splat. All gone. No more thieves in my house. No more people peeking at me. No more tricks.”

The sound of her voice was that of pleasure. She wasn’t lying, nor was she bluffing. Heath knelt down by Alyss and whispered into her ear. “The other girl is still in there. See what you can get out of her; she seems to like you. She might even let you in, if you’re nice enough to her, but I wouldn’t try anything if she does. Not whilst she has all those seeds on the floor… I’ll cover you. I should be able to block any assault she throws at you… the first time, anyway.”


Alyss looked up at Poppy… and immediately regretted it. Something in her head was going off… something lustful. At that moment every fiber in her being was struggling to fight the urge to run towards her and- Alyss stopped the thought. “I… do not think I can.” Alyss was having a hard time speaking all of the sudden, even in a whisper. “S-she has done… something… I-I do not understand.” Each passing second only made it harder to fight that urge she was feeling. It was starting to hurt her, slowly, but surely. Before she knew it, tears started to fill her eyes.

It was painful… so painful. Tears had even started to slowly wet her eye patch that hid her eye. If they looked at it, they would know that she had an eye under there. “I… I can try. Please… d-do not let her take me.”

She felt like dropping to her knees right there. What has she done to me?! I-it is so hard to resist… Alyss shook her head and dismissed the thoughts, her tears no longer flowing. All I have to do is touch her... and she is gone... “M-miss Poppy, was it?” She was still having problems speaking correctly. Inside her mind she was mentally berating herself. “Please… let me in, w-we can talk about this.”
 
[OOC: Roger that, I'll work up to it. xD]

Heath frowned. For some reason, Alyss was breaking down. One moment, she was calm and confident, the next...she was a complete wreck. Heath was very adept at picking up on other's emotions, and he could see, very clearly, that she was struggling with something. Fear? That didn't seem very logical, she hadn't done anything, other than blast Heath out the door. It definetely wasn't anger.

What about...lust? Heath almost groaned aloud, shaking his head. Of course, she just had to find other women attractive. There was always something. Rather than attack, Poppy was trying for charm. Fantastic. It looked as though Heath would have to be the one to keep a cool head...that was unusual.

"She isn't taking anyone else, Alyss. That I promise you." Heath replied softly, becoming all the more alarmed as she started shaking. What had happened to her? Was this one of Poppy's abilities? Heath had assumed that the powers of the Nature Witch revolved simply around plants, yet perhaps there was more to it than that...he had no way to test his theory, unfortunately. Looking at her would not only put him under her spell if he was correct, but she would probably put his eyes out for peeking again.

For now, he could do nothing but watch, and hope. Hope that Poppy decided to let Alyss in, and that the girl retained enough of her sense to try and stun her.

--

"Nothing to talk about with nasty witches." Poppy replied, delighted that the girl couldn't resist looking at her. She could hear her voice shaking, as she struggled to fight the compulsion to tear her way through the roots and-- Poppy's smile broadened at the thought. If she could figure out some way to touch her without being electrocuted - she imagined that would hurt, especially as she was still quite damp - she'd have her. Her free will would vanish, and she would be a slave to her hormones and emotions. She would do anything and everything Poppy asked of her.

"Its a shame I can't trust the pretty thing." Poppy ventured, stretching and shaking her head, damp hair slapping her back, sending chills through her, "Otherwise, she could come in and...play." she sat down on the edge of the table, knowing where the girl's mind would take her at that suggestion, and waiting to see exactly how she would reply. Poppy could always tell when she had someone in the palm of her hand, and she wasn't quite there yet...
 
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