Washed Ashore

[Sarafina]

The silence was long. Deadly. Kula’s eyes had widened, magicked and emerald alike. In a moment of shock she was as open as the child she’d been not long ago, dismay kindling in those mismatched depths. Disbelief quickly took its place in an adamant denial, a snarl ripping forth.

Sarafina was quicker to react, her lithe body turning liquid as she weaved her way in front of Frollo to prevent his passing. “You… Called out.” Her tone was ice, mocking in its mimicry of Frollo’s own word. “You did not actually look for him?!”

Gaze alight with fury and fear the lioness straightened to her full height, head held high and disdain clear. “You will re-open that portal immediately, you pompous two-legger, and I will bring him back myself. You,” Teal eyes shifted like knives to point towards Tucker. “Soldier. You will accompany us and search for anyone who carries the smells of sand and incense that fill this human palace.”

[Aurelia]

First there was exhaustion. Then confusion. Then sorrow, then rage. Aurelia barely had any idea of what was going on. Everything seemed to be going a mile a minute, sweeping away her coherent grip on the situation. Had they won? Had they lost? Someone had died?

Petite hands tuck sharply against her chest, and golden coils pull the Gorgon slightly away from the group. She’d been wandering to fight anxiety, but now she was swallowed by it. And now that there was so much going on, she’d lost her bearing on the room.

She wanted to leave, to flee this place. But only the gods knew where the doors were anymore.

[Dr. Facilier]

The air felt charged; heavier on his shoulders than normal. He hadn't been part of the attack itself, being that it was mostly out at sea, and Facilier knew that he hadn't earned his sea legs yet. The most help he would have been was throwing up over the side of the bow, which would've been incredibly embarassing.

So he had stayed behind with Mortaray and the other overseers, making sure the army ran smoothly as the battle went on. But as soon as he had spotted Nasira, he knew something was wrong.

Sol shot out from behind him, in a beeline directly towards her master. Nasira looked tired and beaten down, and she was being buried under a million questions from the others. The Akita whirled around in front of Nasira, baring her fangs at the others.

"Let her breathe. You have your answers already." Sol growled. Nasira then snapped at Frollo for him to return, so that they could make their report. Sol could feel the worry rolling off him in waves, and she knew as well as her master that he was trying to escape a responsibility he had to the Blackbloods.

"Take one more step Claude, and you won't have a pedestal to stand on anymore." Facilier said, a low growl to his voice. He knew that having Maleficent's "Hammer of God" would not bode well for them, and based on what he could gather, he had been right.

His shadow twisted around Frollo's, redirecting his shadow to move back towards Nasira. Facilier walked after his shadow, joining Mortaray at his side.

[Shiloh]

A piebald bat had been hanging off the rafters in the room, having swooped in at the first sign of commotion. Blue eyes blinked down on the scene below, and ears twitched as she picked up everything that was said. There was no conformation of if they had won or lost the battle, but she definitely heard that one of the overseers was dead.
That was pretty hard to miss.

Gaze then honed in one someone in particular. With a swoop of leathery wings, the bat flew down and landed on Aurelia's shoulder.
"It's me," Shiloh whispered, "Take a few deep breaths, okay?"

Nasira's troubles also didn't go unnoticed by the vampire, but she could go and address her later if it was needed. Right now, Aurelia needed her the most. Besides, it seemed Sol had things covered.

[Crow]

  "Sarafina, stand down. There'll be no need for that."

  Crow's tone was... even. There was none of his usual lilt; no smarm or sass to be found. His steps were measured as onlookers parted for him. The vizier approached the thick of the commotion, arms clasped carefully behind his back. An attentive soul would notice that, had he not announced his presence, he would have been as silent as the grave. The mask inclined slightly in the lioness queen's direction.

  "I'm sending a flock back to the islet as we speak. I'll have news for you before sunrise." Here, his tone dropped, bearing something akin to sympathy. "Please try to understand, Your Highness. Something... unexpected happened to the group sent out to sea. Something I hadn't prepared for." From the way he spoke, it was clear that the vizier was strongly opposed to being unprepared for anything. "I ask that you leave Scar's search to me. We've lost many ghazi today, and if I can help it I would prefer to not have any more needless death." As Crow finished speaking, the lioness could likely feel Crow's gaze shift away from her, the mask pointing now into the priest's direction.

  "Frollo." Crow began calmly, taking a step towards him. His tone was steady, and his posture was calm. However, the atmosphere in the room was beginning to feel... heavy. "Nasira is right. Your presence is requested before Her Excellency." From the way he had uttered the word 'requested' made it clear that this wasn't a request at all.

  "There will be much to discuss."

[Tabs]

Owl didn’t quite shrink so much from the glares as she did slacken. Scruffy ears at either side of her head started to droop and pin back. Large eyes glimmered in the light.

She came here to help! She just wanted to help. That was literally it. She didn’t mean to cause trouble. Why was everyone yelling? Why did that dog have to glare at her? She just wanted to help...

She didn’t do anything wrong... Did she?

The young werecat’s thin lips began to part, but she didn’t say anything as her head slowly hung -- almost guiltily. She seemed to tense when a distinct clattering of hooves approached her from behind.

Owl moved aside for the alien abomination; Tabs the propagandist. Tabs felt it was his responsibility to keep the Blackblood regime united -- cohesive -- at the very least, functional. Infighting, or anything that may lead to it, he would absolutely not tolerate. Tabs had methods for dealing with it, and he seemed about poised to doso, one claw lifted as if to snap his fingers and cause something to happen.

_{“We will be  c a l m , friends.”}

Tabs’s voice was the same but different, altered and distant just so that it was nearly hypnotic: subliminal. Or it would have been, if that hadn’t been his sole statement to the group.

He seemed to leave most of the others to their own business after that, apparently trusting that there would be no more threats. The sounds of his steps continued on. Tabs approached his gorgon friend from the side opposite the vampire bat, slightly behind. He wasn’t exactly a quiet traveler, so it would have been obvious he was present. A long keratin claw was brushed against her upper back.

“Aurelia.”

[Tucker]

“By lost, I ment he has.... passed..."

Tucker’s eyes widen in horror as the man continues to speak.

“if we were to go back, there is a High probability we would not even find a corpse. I kept the portal open for him, called out to him. but he chose his path. i Believe all of out injured were led back..."

“What? No you left him there? Do you even know if he’s dead god dammit?” The Shepherd snarls, ears back against his skull now a look of pure anger in his eyes. “He’s a overseer, a-a General damn you!” Tucker shakes his head glaring at the man. How dare he speak so...so... Tucker’s mind blanks at the word but he knew that Scar needed to be respected. The dog turns as others say their part before finally Sarafina moves in front of Frollo speaking to him then to Tucker.

“Soldier. You will accompany us and search for anyone who carries the smells of sand and incense that fill this human palace.”

“Of course, Sarafina” Tucker nodded, meeting her sharp gaze. “I’ll find him, I’ll find him no worries-alive” he added sending a glare at Frollo cause at this point he was sure the older man was full of shit. The Shepherd then turns as Crow speaks and he frowns again. “Are you sure your flock will find him-any survivors really?” His torn ear flick and twitched for a second 

[Aurelia]

When a bat lands on her shoulder, Aurelia is quick to squeak in surprise. Though, with Shiloh’s whisper, the squeak devolves into a frightened whimper, “M-Miss Shiloh, I don’t— something’s wrong— what’s happened? I-I’m lost, I don’t— I don’t—“


This seems beyond the normal levels of Aurelia’s fear. There’s so much magic going on. The residue from the portal, the Shadow Man, and something... different. Something horrid, something wild; it clings to the survivors like a miasma. Between the fright and the overload of magic, it seems Aurelia’s been sent into a full-blown panic attack. Even Mister Crow seemed upset. That was no longer the smooth, welcoming tone she enjoyed. It was smooth, but this time, cold. Smooth and cold, like a golden statue.


Aurelia seems panicked and dazed. She doesn’t even seem to recognize, for a moment, that her tail is coiling around a familiar leg, “M-Mister Tabs, I—“

“What? No you left him there? Do you even know if he’s dead, god dammit?”

As the yelling escalates again, Aurelia presses herself back further, clinging to Tabs’ side as if it’s the only thing in the room she’s sure of, the only thing that’s real.


“MisterTabsIwanttogosomewhereelseplease. T-Toomuch_{toomuchtoomuch}—“

[Claude Frollo]

It was when Crow showed up that Frollo just stood there resigned. He knew what needed to be done, what needed to be said, but he couldn't say it. Not to the animals threatening him, the witch doctor who assaulted him or yet his shadow with a shadow in such little words and the children crying around him. He looked around and saw not what he thought were his allies but danger. A powder-keg that might blow up sometime soon in lady Maleficent's face. He could see that the situation was more dire than he first thought, and He, with the way they were responding to the situation, was not making it any better.

So, Frollo did what any man surrounded by very heated individuals did: He listened. He is their General after all. for all that meant at this moment in time. Heard both Tucker and Sarafina's complaints, Heard the 'good doctor's threat' and Heard Nasira's low growl (not in that order mind you) then he said the following

"Nasira. That is exactly what I was going to do. I am used to getting all of what happened on paper so I have and My lady has a copy, though now that I think on it if someone can fetch me a utensil and parchment..." He orders some unnamed warrior to bring him the items. " Now that that is addressed. To you my dear doctor. Let my shadow go, or your friends on the other side will have someone joining them really soon."

Frollo looked down at the enraged cat. her grief was imaginable and he wanted to pray for her (partly to get what little guilt he had out) but he instead said "Sarafina and Tucker... a question I pose the both of you. You are on a boat very near sinking, with a giant sea beast looming over you. Almost everyone under your command has left and a huge portal to your home sits for anyone to use. Now this sea creature has shown interest in said portal and if gotten access to it would most likely use it as a way to attack and kill all of those you are trying to protect. On the other hand 1 soldier, a high ranking one at that, is the only other one that didn't escape. You don't know where he is, as he is not on the boat or at least on your view of the boat and all that surrounds you is water and again, a giant sea beast. Do you..." He puts his hand on his chin and looks at Sarafina. 
"A.) Leave the portal open, and look for the soldier assuming he is still alive, of course. ignoring the beast," Frollo stopped and turned to look at Tucker.
"B.) Close and take the book, making yourself a target for the beast while looking for said Soldier, the reopen the portal if it was even possible again to do so or even trek back to the palace knowing you could be attacked by rouge elements. or..." He turned back at both of them.
"C.) Yell out to your lost soldier to come on and under the time constraints you have, Take the book and go through the portal securing that the beast cannot follow behind. Protecting the many. I made the choice I thought was more logical. I am sorry that choice comes at such of price of losing Scar."

The Soldier came back with the supplies and Frollo began writing out his report in meticulous detail making sure not to miss any detail (except the sword voices...that he left out.) Frollo turned to Crow. "Indeed, we have a lot to talk about." Folding the parchment and putting it into the Leather Bible. "About Turbo as well..."

[Nasira]

It was getting increasingly hard for Nasira not to get vituperative. The way Frollo had handled himself in the naval battle had been less than satisfactory, and he did not seem all that concerned about it. Nasira could no longer trouble to hide her distaste. "Hammer of God" or not, she was not about to let Frollo shirk his responsibility to the Blackblood Legion.

Suddenly, the mood of the crowd changed from alarm to outrage. Kula managed a second of stunned silence before her face contorted in a vicious snarl. Sarafina took it a step further. Then Facilier. And a spooked Aurelia unsuccessfully tried to leave the room. Nasira exchanged a worried glance with Sol. This was getting out of hand. She better do something before it escalated further.

"Sarafina, stand down. There'll be no need for that."

Nasira's eyes snapped to Crow. A hush fell upon the crowd as soon as they spotted him; no one had heard him come in. 

"Frollo, Nasira is right. Your presence is requested before Her Excellency."

They all knew "requested" was a euphemism for "required." Maleficent would want to hear what happened from Frollo himself. He was probably going to get in trouble, but Nasira found herself more or less indifferent to this danger. The fact that people died on his watch did not seem to mean anything to him. If this was what it took for Frollo to care, then so be it.

"Those of you who have been injured, please follow Owl. The rest of you, return to your posts," Nasira commanded grimly.

"Nasira. That is exactly what I was going to do. I am used to getting all of what happened on paper..."

Nasira gave Frollo a look of naked malevolence. She did not believe him, but there was no way she could disprove that either. "Send someone," she agreed. "But you should go with Crow. We must not keep our queen waiting."

"Let my shadow go, or your friends on the other side will have someone joining them really soon."

Oh for the love of - "Don't fight," Nasira said tiredly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Sadly, that was only the tip of the iceberg.