Nightshade

She was happy when words came from him, but not the words that he said. It wasn't his fault. It was hers. She never should have did that to him! At least there was contact now. That made things better. Or worse. She couldn't tell. But she enjoyed it. "Mmm, nobody's perfect, Bear," she said feigning contented happiness. Inside the worry and doubt still stewed. Wrapping her arms around him, she held on for a bit, she rested her head on him. "I know that some times I don't make the right decisions." It was an open ended statement, rhetorical. But it openly laid there in the conversation. Like something she could have not said. "Your actions today were because of me. In more ways than one. Like if you didn't know me, what would you have done?" She looked up at him, "you'd have helped, yeah. But would you have gone all heels? More so, would I have filled you with that Wrath spirit?" Again, more open mouth, out loud thinking. She didn't know where she was going with this.

"Well, this isn't ominous," Crimson Beguiler said jokingly, "nope. Not at all." She didn't know if - wait, she hadn't got the flying guy's name! - he was up for it. This was hers to do anyway. She stepped in front of him, as a protector. "Hello," she put on a big grin, wordlessly daring him to come closer, "is there anything I can help you with?" She knew not to take people on appearances, as she herself wasn't some people's cup of tea. But this guy looked almost deranged. Self preservation was something you learned in this business.

It was quite an impressive display of savagery. While she was awed by his brutality, she knew he wasn't in his right mind. His rage, 'her' Wrath. He would crash any moment. Or worse yet, he wouldn't. The stone monster crumbled underneath him. With baited breath she waited for what would happen next. It was part relief and part grief. Pulling the Wrath spirit back, she stepped forward to him. "Bear," she asked with a bit of worry. On his knees, she wanted to be happy for this moment. But it obviously wasn't time for that. Thoughts of doubt and sorrow crossed her mind. What had she done to him? What was she for him? Though she wanted to comfort him, hold him, but she didn't want to make it worse. "Jack," she said stepping towards him, "I'm sorry." "Come on," she said trying to coax him up. For the first time in a long time, she was quiet. Soft, even. She couldn't stand around doing nothing though. There's was a physical love. They talked through contact some times. She hugged him, placing her head on his. "Let's go home." After one of the longest, quietest walks home. She had time to think. There was no way she was any good for him. She loved him, but the relationship did nothing. Those feelings only stewed harder. She watched him, sitting on the couch. Quiet. This was the first time they hadn't been close in a while. She didn't know what to do.

She wanted nothing more than the happiness this guy had. She didn't expect anything to come of it, though once this was over, she'd ask to meet him in plain clothes. Her identity was, well, kind of not secret. Not wearing a mask at all, and being quite noticeable among the population. "Yeah, luck. More than one of us," she said before a small laugh and happy sigh. Her voice returned to the upright, "just keep you eyes peeled and your head on a swivel!" She should have taken her own advice! When he stepped towards her, explaining that something sinister was abound, she looked in the direction of the disturbance. "My name is," she said, thinking of all the aliases she'd used in the past year, plucking one out quickly, "Crimson Beguiler." Name was not important at the moment. She'd explain later. When potential danger was not abound.

He felt so genuine in his compliments. Something Jessica hadn't heard in a while. Like he was too good to be true. Though really, she felt no ill will from him or towards him. It was nice to feel nice. The float down was slow as she watched him shimmer in gold while she talked. She wasn't going to be nosy about his powers, for now at least. He might not even be a hero type. Like, really, who doesn't know the Centurion? "Unfortunately it's not that simple," she said in a concerned, less exaggerated voice. She wasn't trying to drop the hero voice, it was just really uneasy to keep up with the topic at hand. At least she was still floating a head taller than him, something she always saw her costumed allies do. "People have been disappearing in this area," she said bluntly, "I was wondering if you have heard anything of the sort? Seeing as this place isn't crawling with investigators, I'll assume we got here a little early." She grinned, "well, maybe just me then."

Oh wow, that kind of spirit was almost infectious. In a good way. Jessica's cool demeanor took a hit, but she kept a straight face. Barely. Resisting the urge to reach out and catch some of that dust. Though she did catch something he said. Just read stories about the Centurion? Jessica was born four years after he died and remembered the world treating him like a modern saint. Suppressing a giggle under her breath, she cleared her throat and continued her cadence, "yes! The Centurion was a good man who did no wrong. A savior to us all." As he critiqued her skin, she showed off with a midair spin of her own. "Oh, my red is... Well, it helps to be noticeable." That really didn't answer his question, but she had questions of her own. "Since I have you here, might I ask you a few questions? I'm here for a reason. Hero business, you know?"

While the seasonal weather didn't bother her due to her demonic heritage, she was more a summer girl. The sun was warm, the people were more active, and the world just seemed more alive. All autumn reminded her of is the time she had to rake leaves for days on end, the ubiquity of pumpkin spice, and... Halloween. Probably the only fun thing in a span of around three or four months. Dressing up and running around getting free candy for a night. Also the powerful mysticism surrounding the night. It ticked quite a few of her boxes. The rumors of something feeding on something was the catalyst for her going to the park, but she had been wanting to visit this place for a long time. So happy coincidence, except not so happy. She sucked in some air as she took in the sights of the area. Mainly the Rose Garden. She stopped there for a bit, forgetting why she was even here for a while. When she came to her senses, she pulled herself the pretty beautiful flowers the color of her skin. It wasn't that hard as there was a guy up in the air, face to face with the Sentry statue. Obviously not everyone knew everything, but at least she could question him about the rumors. Maybe he would even help her? As she drew closer, the shadowish figure turned into an attractive looking boy in a hoodie. A stark contrast to her costume; a black mesh top with knee length leggings and elbow length arm guards of the same fabric. "Greetings," she said, hands on her hips, in an exaggerated heroic voice. It was something she was trying out, it needed work. "what brings you to this height," she paused, looking at him for a second. Don't eat the eye candy! "citizen," she asked awkwardly in an upward tone.

Knowledge (arcane lore) DC 10: Looks like a demon. There's quite a variety of those in our world. DC 20: Her magic is definitely demonic. Based off of sin-manipulating spirits. She 'controls' them in the fact that they live in her soul and she looses them into other people's souls. There are some beneficial spells, but really? It's pure sin affecting the recipient. Don't trust it. DC 25: The Witchblood lineage reaches back to prehistoric times when humans congressed with demons to make their tribes stronger. This warped and corrupted the humans over time, enslaving them to the demons. Eventually the humans became something more than that, showing demonic traits. They're codified as an offshoot of humanity. DC 30: The Witchblood name comes from later on in the timeline when a hero by the name of Witch somehow freed the demonblooded people from their masters. The hero taught them simpler, less gruesome ways of working the magic inherent to them. Needless to say, some took to it while others continued on serving their masters. The freed ones took the name Witchblood. Knowledge (streetwise) DC 10: Hey yeah, that red chick from the Southside? Yeah, she's really hot. DC 15: She's an exotic dancer. Works a few late night joints under the name Synn or Demon. Is she one though? DC 20: Her real name is Jessica Witchblood. Though that last name, man. Probably not real.

Reputation

Jessica Witchblood 4 + 4 + 2 = 10 posts + Reputation = 3PP We're Still A Thing (4) Less Good Omens (4) Wakey Wakey, Eggs and Bakey (2) Reputation (+1PP)

Jessica visibly perked up when Morgan said he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day. She would hang around with him as long as he would let her. The compliment about her having extra features made her more enamored with him. Probably just the Pride spirit kicking in, but hey, compliments were nice either way. "Yeah, fan boys," she said lightly with a laugh, "doing that social media influencer with a couple million subscribers is my dream job," she said facetiously. She slowly drained the drink as he continued to speak, finishing it with a satisfied sigh. Chucking the cup into a bin, she loaded the second cream filled concoction with a straw. Nodding and 'stepping' into the air when he mentioned floating, "not up and down, but you know, I'm not a speedy flier. It's mystically inclined. Not even demonic!" She did a little midair twirl to show off. "I mean, guess I could focus on it a little more, but like I said. Wings and all. I can afford to wait a little." "You most likely can fly faster than me," she said dreamily, "and like you can carry someone while doing it. And look good doing it." She grinned, "if you would be so inclined, would you oblige me?" She sat her drinks down on a nearby bench. If they were gone by the time they got back, there would be one pissed off demon.

I got nothing. Sorry.

Jessica zoned out for what looked like a long second. Watching Jack burn in nefarious light made her happy. She thought about what they could do together if they combined their magics. His was natural, hers was far from it. Nothing about them made sense, and yet, it worked. Snapping out of the daze, she looked at the situation. Still in their favor. Yup. "Hey baby," she said leaning back against a wall, "finish them. Food's around the corner."

A sorority, huh? This was the first time she'd been to the female side of Greek life. Not that going to these little get-togethers was a normal occurrence. Just that frats were wilder and more energetic. A tangent, she thought about getting Jack into college. It would be a wise idea and, well, potentially be fun. She didn't know this Lola, but the name caught her attention of another. Maybe it was the same one? Probably not. She almost said something, but it came out as a stretch and a yawn. Before she could answer, there was a promise of breakfast. Not like she was going to say no to that. "Sure, sure." Blinking a bit, the blonde was gone? Maybe she was still hazed, but the girl was quick. While the blonde was doing her business in the shower, the dark skinned girl woke up just barely enough to notice Jessica. The confused look on the girl followed by the recovering her face amused Jessica. They learned each others names through small talk. This was Crystal. light chit chat and Crystal was OK, if a little bit hungover. At least she didn't scare the poor girl away. The two bundled up under the blanket as the air conditioner went on the fritz. Not that Jessica needed it, it was just fun. But soon, the blonde - Casey, she remembered finally - was here to deliver on the promised breakfast. This time more awake, Jessica grinned and pulled Crystal up as she got up. "Nice. So this is a sorority, huh," she said following Casey, "always wondered what went on in these 'hallowed' halls."

The thought of 'next time' sat her mind at ease. She hadn't chased this one off. Not yet, at least. Most random meetings of others of her type were short and one sided conversations, if not hostile. It was good to have someone who understood your plight. If not the same pew, then at least the same church. "Flying, unaging. Phew, sounds like a ball of fun," she laughed trying to add to the mirth. "I mean, eventually I'll get wings. But for now I can only float," she demonstrated by 'stepping up' and crossing her legs in midair. This being tourist season on the beach, a few more phones raised. "And that's only because I know magic, not because of being who I am. Though I'm told if I get powerful enough I'll sprout wings, a tail, a forked silver tongue, and at least four horns." She smirked, "then again, mom was a... teller of tales." She didn't let them know that dear old mom had some of those. Taking orders, she got all of the things she wanted. They were all for her. Large, cold, creamy drinks. She could have gotten more, but she held her Gluttony spirit back and only ordered one of each. Swiping her card, she made good on her promise of paying for his. "So, you have any plans after this? Wouldn't mind hanging around, Being lazy. Seeing what's up in the sky later."