Breaking the Veil

((This is an interaction between Alexander, Sasha, and Larry, who has just broken through the privacy curtain of their sound-warded table-nook to ask for a laptop.))

Fortunately both for Larry and for everyone else in the bar, stumbling through the curtain does not break the hearing spell, and as Larry sticks his head through into the table nook he can hear all the noise from the bar go silent behind him. He can't hear anything at all from the outside world, but he can suddenly hear Alexander and Sasha's conversation, which up until now has been completely inaudible to anyone else.

"-must tread carefully for the transition-" Alexander is saying, urgently, to Sasha, but breaks away to turn and frown at Larry.

Larry, without making eye contact, asks, "Sir, do you have a computer I can use to get on the internet and try to contro--" he coughs, "control information about the... the..."

With all the grace of a panicked rabbit, he stops there, stumbling and stuttering over his words.

((OOC note: yes, I stole that text from a previous post. Consider all of the above basically flavortext to try to give you guys a better idea of how the 'private tables' work. Basically, anything within the area of the nook can't be heard by anyone else in the restaurant, and anyone inside the nook can't hear anything going on outside it. That means none of you can actually HEAR the past conversation, either what Alexander said or what Larry asked. For the purposes of canon, it DIDN'T HAPPEN.

This, for everyone that's not Larry, is what DOES happen:))

There were curtains pulled across the front of Alexander's and Sasha's nook, but Larry has just pushed them back, and now you can all see what's going on, although you can't hear anything anyone is saying. Larry windmills out after he gets to the table, clearly sputtering. Alexander thrusts an iPhone at him, and he's about to leave, when Sasha stands up to snarl something down, angrily. There are a few seconds of conversation, and then Sasha sits back down again, Larry and the phone are shoved out of the nook again, and the curtains snap closed.

((This is an interaction between everyone who is currently standing in this goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.))

"You were going to Heathrow?" Officer Morgan's whole body tenses, the friendly smile fading away, and he takes a step forward, cutting off the last angle Rufus and Constantin have available through which to flee. The mouth of the alleyway is now officially blocked with cops. "Maybe you'd better come with us when we go question Alexander."

He looks around the alley, then down at Claire, then nods to himself decisively. "Actually, maybe we'd all better go see Alexander together. Your daddy doesn't have time to take you home right now, sweetheart."

Officer Thompson frowns. "I've called her mother, she should be coming to get her."

A look of deep sorrow passes over Morgan's face as he looks at Claire, but he shakes his head and sighs, turning aside to talk to Officer Thompson in a slightly lower tone.

"You and I both know we don't have time to wait for that, Rhys. I hate the thought of dragging a child into this mess - much less your child - more than I hate the thought of dying. But every second we delay is another second that villian has to flee justice. And we don't know that he's going to be violent. He's evil, but he's canny. Half the force knows I came here tonight, and I've got a recording device in my pocket - if that vampire dares to try anything, he knows he's going straight to ten years in solitary, and he won't risk that - I told you, they die without blood."

Officer Thompson clearly wavers for a second, but eventually nods and pulls out his cell phone. "I'll text Hyacinth anyway. Maybe she'll get here before we get too far into searching the establishment."

Officer Morgan smiles at Claire, and crouches down to hand her a cross. "Would you be ok with that, sweetheart? You think you're brave enough to come with us to talk to the vampires? You need to be very quiet, though, and stay with your dad. You do everything he tells you."

((This is basically an interaction between Jacob and Adam, although it's happening near Jacob's betas, Sam, Kay, Rush, Cyrus, and all the waitvamps))

"Oh, great plan! Smashing the furniture! Why didn't I think of that!? Come on, Jake, if you have a better suggestion, spit it out. I don't know anyone capable of that level of mind-control, time travel or whatever other bullshit. Do you?

"The only person here who might be able to help is the mage. If he can't, he might know someone who can. They can pull shit the rest of us couldn't even dream of.

"We don't have time to fight with each other. If you've got a plan, I'm all ears. Until then, can you please calm down and cooperate?"

Adam looks up, alarmed, at the interaction between Larry and the two elder vampires. When Larry comes stumbling out, clutching an iPhone, Adam calls, "Larry!" but the younger wolf shakes his head and wanders off into a corner, hunched over himself and mumbling into the iPhone.

[This is an interaction between everyone who is currently standing in this goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.]

Claire

Claire nods dumbly, taking the cross with cold fingers. "I...yeah. Yeah, I'm brave." She looks at her dad, who's currently busy texting her mother, and finally settles on staring straight into Officer Morgan's eyes with her own dark, unblinking ones. Where there should be fear shining there rather miraculously isn't; there's something, though--sadness? anger? Her mouth tightens.

"Officer Morgan?" she asks quietly. "Are...are people going to get hurt?" She's not quite sure if she means the not-quite-strangers behind her, the assembled cops, herself, actual-facts-strangers inside, or yes.

((This is a post affecting EVERYONE IN THE DAMN BAR. If you are in here, you know who you are!))

Those of you who can sense magic can sense something seriously wrong - some feeling like magic, but twisted somehow, rotten - growing and twisting around Cyrus/Harvester as Jacob speaks. Before any of you can figure out what it is, though, the mage has lunged out and stabbed the werewolf's fist, so hard that the knife blade goes straight through bone and is driven into the now-cracked table.

When he looks up, you are shocked to see that his eyes have gone totally black.

((OOC note: Think SPN demons!))

Twisting himself upright, tossing the gutted waitressvamp easily to one side, Cyrus reaches out a hand toward the alcove where Alexander and Sasha are seated, talking.

Three things happen simultaneously: those of you with magic sense the wards failing, and another huge rush of that dark, sickly energy twisting around and through Cyrus as he casts a spell. All of you, however, notice Sasha go suddenly rigid and stiff, freezing mid-roar as he stands up from the table.

His eyes have gone totally black as well, and he's smiling. He turns to the door with a sigh of contentment, and simultaneously, he and Cyrus/Harvester stand at attention and intone, "she comes".

(((....DUN DUN DUN!!!! :D :D :D ))

((This is a post to all characters in the restaurant))

...And then Cyrus's eyes fade back to normal. His cat comes running up to him from across the room, yowling, and starts rubbing herself lovingly against his ankles.

He looks confused.

Adam falls backwards out of his chair, then scrambles to his feet and backpedals to stand in front of the other members of his pack. He grabs Larry, who is still not paying attention, and shoves him with the other two.

Just as they are about to break for the door, he sees Cyrus' eyes fade to normal. Adam pauses, equally confused.

((What about Sasha? Is he still all dark-eyed and scary? What about Jacob? Is he about to attack Cyrus? If so, Adam will attempt to grapple and stop him.))

"Er - just an idea officers? If you're planning on taking her," he nods towards Claire, with a slightly forced smile, "to somewhere with... vampires... perhaps a plaster or something? I know I'm not the expert but it seems like going to an... evil vampire bar owner," he tries to sound believing and blase, "bleeding, is not the best plan."
"And if you're taking Rufus and I, perhaps you'd like to let us in on what is going on first? If we're to be shackled to your side."

((This is an interaction between the alleyfolks))

Officer Morgan freezes from where he's crouched beside Claire, going absolutely still. Slowly, he finishes hanging the cross around her neck, and then turns around to stand in front of her, putting his body solidly between her and Constatin. He levels his long stick, eyes going steely and distant as he very obviously braces himself for combat.

"Son," he asks quietly, voice as quiet and serious as a grave, "you want to explain just how it is you know the girl's bleeding? Because correct me if I'm wrong, but no human should be able to see a papercut on the side of somebody's thumb from ten feet away down a dark alley."

"I gave her the card, remember?" Constantin says, in complete calm. "I noticed the cut then. Hardly seemed important, till now."

[This is an interaction between everyone who is currently standing in this goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.]

Claire

Claire goes rigid as she's pushed behind Morgan, eyes drifting to her hand then back up to stare at the back of his head. Oh. She is bleeding.

Her gaze cuts to Constantin, neither judging nor condemning, just...curious. Ever so curious.

((This is a post for the alleyfolks! Morgan to Constantin))

"Uh-huh," says Morgan, slowly. "And I suppose, just like Alexander, you wouldn't be at all bothered if I were to...say...cut my own arm open?" He holds his wrist out to one of the fellow cops, who - looking kind of embarrassed about the whole thing, but resigned - pulls out a knife and holds it over Morgan's wrist. This is clearly a routine that they've practiced before.

((This is an interaction happening in Alexander's, currently involving Adam and Jacob))

Jacob doesn't throw himself forward at Cyrus.

Jacob wavers on his feet, going pale all over from blood loss, and faints.

Borogris steps out in front of him and pulls out his sword. Those of you within a three-foot radius notice: it's glowing slightly.

"Idiot," sighs Borogris. "He's going to get himself killed."

"I wish he would," says Kat, standing a little ways away from them, looking miserably sincere.

"Of course I'd be bothered. Self-harm should never be taken lightly. I understand that holding an icecube can help quell the urge. Thankfully you should be able to find some of those at a bar," Constantin drawls, beginning to get a little irritated by this point.

"Besides," he locks eyes with Morgan, sobering enough to say, soft and sincere, "We're your allies; we don't want any harm to come to you, not even at your own hands."

Adam unconsciously shifts his weight forward, asking, "Does he need help...?" His eyes flick to the hand, still leaking blood, with a faintly worried expression.

Kay turns pale at the sight of the blood, and Sam holds her. Larry goes back to being completely absorbed in the iPhone. Nothing short of imminent peril will distract him, and even that only barely managed it.

((This is an interaction between everyone in the goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.))

"Of...of course," says Morgan, shaking his head slightly. To the other officers' obvious surprise, he pulls his arm away. "I'm terribly sorry, that was rude. Here, have a cross to protect yourself. And when we go in, try to stay behind me, all right? It's not likely that Alexander will attack us, but I don't want to take any more risks than I have to. Rhys, stay to the back. I want you and Claire able to run if you need to."

With that, he hands his last two crosses out to Rush and Constantin, and strides forward toward the small black door at the end of the alleyway without so much as a blink. The rest of the cops, still looking suspiciously at Constantin, shuffle along behind him as a very definite unit, making sure Constantin and Rush have no easy way to run.

((This is an interaction between Adam and Borogris))

Borogris looks grim, then indecisive, glancing from Jacob's prone figure to Adam and back again.

"He wouldn't thank me for saying this..." he says, tentatively, "but if you could find a doctor, that might be best. I think he might be bleeding out."

[This is an interaction between everyone who is currently standing in this goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.]

Claire

Claire drifts back towards her dad, wooden cross thumping softly against her chest.

Rhys Thompson's expression softens as he guides his daughter by the shoulder to stand behind him, into 'safety'--as if such a thing truly exists. "Sweetie, you just stay behind me, alright?" Officer Thompson is back as he stares intently at Constantin and Rufus, a tired edge to his demeanor already. "You two will protect her if things go sideways?" The question's more statement than inquiry, the upward inflection thrown in for strained politeness. Claire makes a face behind him.

Constantin lets Rufus take the crosses, if they're really going potentially into combat or something he'd rather his hands free than superstitious magic. Though, honestly, what the hell kind of cops are these, dragging children and civvies into suspicious locations and waving guns while talking about vampires!

"Certainly," Constantin promises, though he's not certain how much protection he can provide. He's hardly going to abandon a young girl to either a)monsters or b)crazy people, however, so it's an oath he'll easily give.

Adam glances at the door. "Screw that, man, we don't have time for a doctor!"

He steps forward, ripping a swatch of cloth from the threadbare t-shirt he's wearing ((cue manly shirt-tearing scene! Fanservice, anyone?)).

Seeing Borogris' sword, he pauses, then tosses the strip of cloth to Kat. "Bind his hand. If he's a werewolf--he is a wolf, isn't he?--his natural healing should slow it before too much longer."

[This is an interaction between everyone who is currently standing in this goddamn alleyway. You know who you are.]

Claire

Claire looks up at Constantin and Rufus for several moments, then slowly offers her hand to hold, as if in question. That odd, not-quite-fear is still shining in her eyes, though in the past few moments her heart rate has increased and her complexion paled, if the latter's even possible; fight or flight, it would seem.

(((Completely OOC: Fan service totally accepted. )))

Constantin takes her hand -the one without the cut- and tries to smile.

Rufus takes Claire's other hand with a smile. He slips the cross around his neck and turns his smile to Constantin. They'll be alright if the hunter doesn't have anything that can actually hurt them. His hand is very warm in Claire's, almost like he's running a fever

((Why, Agent Thompson! I didn't know you swung that way...))

((Completely OOC: OH MY GOD. Is this a thing?! *delighted grin*))

"He's not the one of us who heals," says Borogris. "But I'm afraid I can't let you near him while he's vulnerable. Kat. Go."

Kat flinches when Borogris says her name, then, reluctantly, moves forward to take the shirt away from Adam and, even more reluctantly, press it halfheartedly to Jacob's wounded hand.

"I think he's gonna make it," she says, eventually, looking kind of sad. "The blood's slowing down. And he smells better."

Borogris nods curtly at Adam. "Thank you. I will take my Beta's debt upon me. Ask of me a favor, and it shall be yours."

Constantin returns Rufus' smile, a little too sharply, reaching into his pocket and putting on a pair of sunglasses, before dealing with the glare of the barlights. "That whole thing earlier about my dad killing me if I let you go unescorted? I kinda meant it, so do me a favor and duck behind us if it goes a little pear-shaped, yes?"

[Rush to... pretty much everyone within hearing range of the clusterfuck in the main bar.]

RUSH:
Rush tries to clear his head and focus on the present, though there's a steady stream of cursing going on in his head-- too late about the damn wards. He starts to cautiously inch his way towards Cyrus and the werewolves. He keeps a very wary eye on Rasputin, talking distractedly all the while, a little high-pitched, indicating nerves.

"Well, now that the wards are down... Would it make things better or worse if I tried to heal him? 'Magically' I mean." He pauses when he's near enough but still a healthy distance away from Cyrester.

"...And now you're Cyrus, I take it?"