autumnswarm | [Dual Post]

[Journal]

Greetings Domino~ I'm back! You may or may not remember me, depending on your circumstances, but I am Sullivan Adams. I am currently acting director of OOPARTS, as Onni takes a little break for... personal reasons. Please view me as you would Director Haita as I strive to keep the city safe.

If you're an OOPARTS employee and don't remember me, please report to the director's office for an immediate fix.

If you're my god-children, you're staying with me, unless you've succeeded in your task, in which case it is with whoever is willing to let you stay.

[Event]

Sullivan is in the director's office. They've wasted no time in redecorating in deep purples and blacks, and it's a little... darker in here than it usually is, strange shadows cast from orbs of light on the walls and ceilings rather than anything remotely normal. Perhaps you've been meaning to talk to Onni and have found Sullivan instead. Maybe you don't remember Sullivan and now technically work FOR them and you're up here to scream at this clearly deranged person in Onni's office.

Or maybe, you very unfortunately DO remember Sullivan, and need marching orders.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"But you three did? I suppose with the way you three work, that makes sense. Ugh, it's gonna be a pain in the ass. We'll talk shop and what you need when Suguru gets here. I'm full time now, since, uh... well, my restaurant is gone." A pause.

"Since my pops isn't here in this room, I'm gonna guess that you can't just... wave your creepy hands and do your creepy magic and bring everyone else outta that damn place?"

"I... I'm very sorry to hear that. I know that place meant alot to you. I think we can get it back, but..." Sullivan scowls.

"I have it easiest, I think, since my entire existence is in OOPARTS. But..." A hand wave. "I digress. I cannot. Well, more like I shouldn't. It'd be quite doable for me. But, Gina. My working with you, to give you that body? That was the first time I'd ever done something positive at all with my magic.

I twist, I corrupt, I deceive, I destroy. Your family is... has been extraordinarily kind to me, especially your father. The power I'd have to put into a working of that magnitude... well, that nature of mine will shine through. Making someone's body swap sex is child's play, ESPECIALLY if it's something their soul yearned for. Bringing your siblings and father back into reality would be magic with a k at the end and capital M and I am not going to have my foulness touch your family's vital essence. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do it unless somehow it happens again or if Helen and Eira are incapacitated or imprisoned somehow."

Well, that's pretty noble of you, I'd say, but it feels like there aren't a whole lot of options to consider, given how I can barely recall anyone else who might be missing right now.

*Suguru has finally joined, a little red in the face from running around. ... and carrying a bag of drinks that look like they came from a vending machine. there is a 76% chance she drop kicked one out of frustration and hit the jackpot.*

They nod a little at Suguru's statement, then their face twists a tiny bit when she says that she doesn't recall much of anyone else.

"Ah, Suguru! Good of you to join us. Have a seat you two, get comfortable. I've got coffee if you need it. And please~ View this more as a council meeting than me being in charge. And, before we get to OOPARTS things, I'd like to address Gina and I's mutual turmoil.

Still missing is Gina's twin, Kiko. The middle of the twin sets, Trendafilka. Her father and my very good friend, and blood brother, Kaz. My own sister, Layla, though I suspect I'll have her soon enough, as she hates me enough that me existing is a beacon. As to what caused it? I think the newest batch of Illusion Witches hit a lynchpin in our existences, my initial thought was Kaz, but I don't think so. They changed something big, as I cannot find any evidence of my current suspected lynchpin: Gilgamesh, or as he went by here, Cyril, Lord of Azure Flames. That's a big change to history as well with fallout beyond this issue."

They drum their fingers on the table.

"It's not a perfect blip, not a perfect erasure. Gina and I being here is proof of that. It can be fixed. And I can't fix things. I've made peace with that. But I think the twins can, so our best bet on that front is to trust them. I'm also their god-parent, so if you two can't watch them, they can stay here, with me."

*She makes slight faces at each of the names there. ... especially when Cyril's mentioned. It's hard to not still feel something, even if she can't remember exactly what...*

The Illusion Witches... So that "Echo"-slash-Takegami, Hibiki, and whoever she's gotten onto her side at this point.

We've had alerts and posters out, ever since her initial attack on LDS staff, but she herself hasn't been really spotted-- or if she has been, no one's been willing to bring it up, which is doubly annoying.

Sullivan nods, wincing a little as Suguru makes the face. About what they expected.

"Which is why we have our own little weirdos doing what needs to be done to undo it. I'm not sending people chasing figments that have the possibility of removing you from reality. I've got ideas for countermeasures, but right now we have different fish to fry."

Sullivan raps on the table.

"Suzume's alternate which is probably the fault of the witches in the first place. Tengu. Crystals. Vast/Immaterium daemons. And I think you two would be best spent... hm, a good question. Where do you two think you'd best fit into these?"

Edited 2024-08-26 18:35 (UTC)

The Tengu seem actually like the most active problem. There were a few reports of them trying to launch an attack, but not the specifics of why-- but it sounds like they've been upping their gradual harassment, especially at the Yuukis.

*opening one of the sodas she illicitly got, taking a sip* The crystals are an ongoing issue, but according to the notes in the database, they're tied up with someone named "Lulu"-- it was one of the things Onni was handling more directly, but it sounds like they'd be the one to ask about it if we want to tackle that more.

The Suzume Alternate issue is... bad, but she's been quiet since that entire incident at Heartland-- or maybe she's just been drowned out by the political strife that resulted from it. I know there's a couple leads about that, and that might be the best spot to focus in on for us.

The Daemons feel like they need a specialist, and last I checked, there's an island full of them.

Sullivan listens to all of those and nods, rapping their knuckles on the table.

"I can't go to the Barians for help. Look at me. Also, Gina's father had a... bookclub with them, so if we can get him out... That's an idea..." A hrm, then shaking their head. "We'll figure that one out. Someone can just go and it'll probably be fine.

Of the tengu, they were supposed to be my project before Echo and her ilk so rudely tore me from reality, so that's my fault. I've got plans for them as well, but I think you're right. Suzume should be our focus. She's at least on a backfoot, so if you two ladies wouldn't mind chasing those leads down..."

Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing that, after that whole domino effect. There might be a pretty specific lead, but I gotta double-check the database since, obviously: I've been a little out of the loop myself with everything that happened and also being shipped off to California.

"Joy of joys, the three people left in charge are the ones who've been around the least." Sullivan lets out a small huff.

"Let me know about the specific lead when you get it. I've read everything Onni has about all of these, and I'm sure there's some further things in my basement. I remember procuring a crystal from the Tengu after vanquishing one, so I'm sure I have some notes on them that're slipping my mind right now."

I've still probably been around more than you, so that works out, I guess.

Otherwise: Will do. A lot of things happened really specifically while I was gone, as aggravating as it is. But if you have one of those crystals, I'd love to see some research notes about them. A lot of the word we get about them is that they're notoriously fragile, and any ones picked up are kept up lock and key by LDS.

Which... I feel like I'm forgetting a detail or two there, but weren't you working with them for a bit?

"A little, here and there. I posed as a teacher when they first started and were up to something. I was beat up by a rude, sleepy young man who realized the deception. Oh, what was his name..."

They snap their fingers, trying to recall it. Then shrug.

"It may have been a joint effort for the crystals, but I think that was also a lie? I think I arrived just after their Echo disaster, slipped in almost officially, and then happened to find a tengu raiding their vaults of crystals. And then took a precious few after informing them about the break-in? The memories around the erasure are all fuzzy."

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