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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on October 27, 2019 at 1:34

Dominic couldn't help but be taken aback as Argent's emotions boiled over. He could see the frustrations she was feeling flash through her eyes which was strange seeing as those eyes were normally his own. If that's how he looked when he was mildly upset, he was starting to get why people were intimidated quite easily with his presence. Still, being in her body wasn't ever going to change the fact that he was a guard and he would do anything to keep her safe, even if that meant his own death. It was something he would never waiver on no matter the situation; even one as unbelievable as this one.

He reached down to give Argent a hand which actually made him stumble a step forward as she pulled on him for leverage. "I swear, I don't know," he said quietly, letting out a sigh. His mind tried to recall any conversation he had with Malva that would indicate the purpose of the scale. Perhaps a slip of the tongue with the mention of a spell. He could think of nothing. "Your sister has me come to the market as I was explaining. She knows the importance of keeping some of those artifacts in there out of the hands of people who are less than reputable. I track down a lot of those things she's looking for and they sometimes bring me here after doing some research and gathering intel from the people I know. Guard work is not all on the law abiding side, Red, and I'm kind of the go-to for that." 

The throbbing on his arm made him absentmindedly rub the spot again which made him glance at the tent for a moment, wishing he could do something more. He didn't like the idea of having to leave Argent's body with bruising. "Do I steal those items back? Yes. Do I feel bad about it? No. It's going into safer hands with us. Has it cost me injuries? Of course, but such is Guard life. I'm not complaining. This, however..." Dom said with a slight smirk and scoff, motioning to his new body. "This is just fucking weird." He ran a hand through his hair which was normal for him, but felt completely different as his fingers slid through the thicker strands. 

"Listen, we're alive and that's a win. Your sister isn't here and apparently doesn't have the scale." He looked upward towards the sky as he thought, trying to think of how Malva would then go about getting what she was after. The woman was stubborn and would no doubt not give in when it came to getting that scale. He still couldn't imagine who she was trying to summon and if it was in fact one of the first dragons of the world, but performing a spell which seemed to be as powerful as the one she was attempting meant it must've been important enough for her to try and do this on her own when she would always call on him instead. 

A thought went through his head then. One he wasn't too keen on since whomever Frisks was talking about seemed to be an adversary the Ailwards would definitely be dealing with at some point. "She's going to want to find the scale, right? Maybe she's going to try and track it or the buyer somehow with a locator spell?" An insanely bad idea was forming in his head, but he wasn't sure what else they could do at this point. They were running out of time and staying stuck in the aspect's body was still not something he was fond of. It wasn't as if they could use a spell to locate Malva. She was heavily protected against tracking spells, but perhaps the buyer was not. They just had to get something that was previously owned by said buyer and that would be in the form of whatever payment he used and gave to Frisks. After that, they needed a diviner and he so happened to know one as the gatekeeper who liked to get paid for any kind of spells that someone might be looking for. All he needed to do was get to Frisks without so many guards. A little commotion at the entrance to pull most of the meatheads away and out of the tent. His hues met with hers with a slight urgency. "So, how do you feel about being a distraction?"

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on October 29, 2019 at 10:37

She stared at the hand he offered for a moment before she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet, though she didn’t fail to notice the way he practically fell while doing so which reminded her of the fact they were still stuck in this damn predicament with no idea how to reverse it “Well you knew she was after it, you didn’t think to maybe ask why?” she sighed a little exasperated as she pressed a hand to her forehead. She knew she wasn’t actually mad at him, just frustrated that they had spent the entire day chasing nothing and now they really were running out of time “We shouldn’t be supporting that damn culture we should be stamping it out, who knows what could happen if some of those things got into the wrong hands” perhaps ignorance really was bliss when it came to some of this stuff. 

She gave a long-drawn sigh “Sorry I know it’s not your fault something like this exists, it just goes against everything I believe in” she commented with a shake of her head, it wasn’t like the aspect of light to be so affected by this stuff, nor to side with negativity which made her wonder if persons being out of her body also meant losing that optimistic aura she normally had. “Well of course they should be with us, half those people in there probably don’t even understand the scale of what they’re bidding on” she commented and sighed “And the ones that do are going to be the real trouble” if this dragon scale was as powerful as everyone seemed to be making it out to be then whoever bought it was probably knowledgeable about it which was setting her on edge.

“Yeah well I didn’t ask for any of this either” he commented when he said it was weird, weird was one way to put it, she supposed, she felt kinda foreign in a way which bothered her because it meant she was letting herself get irritated by things that she would normally push aside and she had this strange sense they were running out of time. “I’m gonna assume you don’t want this to become permanent any more than I do” she commented as she looked back at him. “Are we chasing the wrong side? Should we be looking for a cure ourselves, maybe a Diviner would be able to find some kind of loop we didn’t” perhaps she was just looking for excuses not to have to go back there, which was exactly what she knew Dom was going to suggest they do. 

“You really think someone with an item that powerful would allow themselves to be tracked?” by conventional means she was certain not because something like that would have a signature of its own, it would stick out like a sore thumb to a Diviner if it wasn’t properly concealed. “Guess it’s literally the only lead we have to go on though” she could see the devious look on Dom’s face which immediately make her shake her head because she knew what he was going to say before he even said it and yet he still did and she frowned “Like we might actually lose not one by two aspects today” she grumbled slightly, then again she was no use to anyone if she couldn’t use her staff so they had to try everything “Alright, explain it”.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on November 25, 2019 at 1:59

He instantly felt a surge of regret suggesting the idea that Argent be the distraction when she said they might lose two Aspects today. Dominic shrugged his slender shoulders upward in frustration. "I'm out of ideas, Red. All I see is the path in front of us and..." The sudden alert on his phone made him quickly pull it out of his entirely too tight pocket, scrambling to see if it was Malva finally calling. It wasn't, though perhaps someone who could help them, even though he didn't exactly like the idea of getting her involved.

"I swear boy, sometimes it utterly floors me that you haven't been killed in your stupidity!" Billie Mae screamed at him in her Cajun accent through the phone as he closed his eyes in annoyance. He supposed if there was one powerful enough diviner that he knew who could help them when Malva wasn't available, it was her. "It's a scepter. A cursed one at that." Dominic's confused silence caused an annoyed sigh on the other end of the line. "He traded the scale for a cursed object! The man you're hunting for whatever reason. If you get that, I might be able to track him or at least get as far as possible before he placed a spell on himself to remain hidden as well as the object. My psychic alarm bells started going off the moment you stepped foot into the marketplace and let me tell you the confusion I had seeing you as a woman in my mind." Dom let out a breath and put a hand to his head, feeling the headache coming on. "It's in his coat pocket. I'm coming to the market entrance now and I'll stay in the alleyway. I'll port the Aspect out as soon as she gets passed the gate where the wards won't be up. I can't get any closer using magic."

Dominic gave a nod and decided this might be their best bet, not to mention Billie might know something about their very difficult predicament. She was probably one of the oldest diviners in Evermore and had an endless amount of knowledge on magic. "Okay. I'll meet you guys back at your place then right after." He swiped his finger across the button to end the call and sighed, looking up at the Aspect. "So, about this distraction. I'd tell you to walk through the tent and punch that goon that works for Dillenbitch in the face, but I don't want you breaking my hand or hurting yourself, soooo... how about throwing a chair and then running like hell to the front gate?"

Some five minutes later and he was waiting with anticipation at the back of the tent. They'd quickly discussed a plan and he hoped it would go off as easily as it sounded. Of course with their luck, he was more then a little worried about that optimism. As long as she got to the front of the marketplace by whatever means necessary, she would be safe with Billie Mae at her place till he got there. That might be the trickiest part of all. It wasn't like he could take his truck and drive to Billie's when time was of the essence. That was the part he was the most concerned about, but he did have an idea to hopefully solve that problem. Something he wasn't looking forward to at all.

He shook his head of the thought, giving his body a quick shake out. He'd deal with that when he came to it. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. There was some sudden shouting coming from further inside the tent along with the sound of retreating footsteps. 'So far, so good. Nice going, Red.' Dominic clutched his knife in his hand which he'd taken along with his belt off of his old body, having to cut a new hole in it just so it would fit around his much smaller waist. He twirled the blade around in his hands a couple times to get a feel for it in his tinier fingers before clutching it confidently and pushing aside the tent flaps to have a little chat with Frisks.

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on November 26, 2019 at 0:17

She knew she wasn’t handling her frustration at this whole situation well but she did take a moment to breathe and roll her shoulders back, she was aware the clock was ticking and they needed to find a solution soon before they got stuck like this. Even more than that, there was now a possible risk her sister was in danger and who knows who else. “I know Dom” she nodded her head and pressed her lips together as she watched him answer the phone. Thanks to the increased hearing that Dom’s body gave her, she could understand most of the conversation that was pretty much being screamed down the phone. Argent listened and got the general gist of what he was saying, her eyes widening at the mention of a cursed scepter. She had figured out what the plan would be before they even ended the call but she couldn’t say she was exactly thrilled about the part she had to play in it. Luckily, no one had ever let her slack on her training so she was semi-confident she could make it out.

She was already rolling her shoulders back and hopping around on her toes in an attempt to psych herself up for what was come when he turned back to her after ending the call. “A chair?” she asked and shook her head slightly, well getting one of those unnoticed might be easier said than done though she supposed it didn’t matter as long as the job was done and no one managed to catch her in the process. She sighed softly before she suddenly remembered something and pursed her lips, well she couldn’t guarantee this would work but she might as well give it a try. She took out her staff and then took one of the rings Dom was wearing before slipping it on the little finger of his hand and then pointed the staff down at them but nothing happened. She sighed and then passed it to Dom and thankfully it did as it was supposed to do this time and linked the two rings so that they could communicate even when they were apart “Kinda better than a walkie talkie I’d say” she spoke inside of his head to show him what she had done.

She didn’t hesitate as she followed Dom through towards the tent, she had to admit she was apprehensive because a bunch of supernatural thugs were about to come running after her but she reminded herself that guards did things like this every day and while she was sure they got scared, they always did it anyway. Taking a deep breath she passed through the tent and immediately dropped to the ground, crawling her way over to one of the chairs that lined the place. She had to time this right so she could dash through the gap. She wrapped her hands around the chair and the moment she saw a decent gap as the goons had gathered around one spot she got up, threw it with every bit of strength she had and then dashed as fast as she could towards the exit of the tent.

Turns out running in a body that wasn’t your own was easier said than done and one of them managed to grab her leg just as she went through the entrance of the tent, she kicked her leg out hard enough to make him let go before getting back to her feet and sprinting as far from the tent as she could. She wasn’t even sure exactly where she was going, just running through the crowds and trying her best not to look back at the mob that was running after her. Her leg was burning from where the guy had grabbed it but it wasn’t enough to stop her. She darted through the crowd, who thankfully saw a big guy running their way and darted out of the way. Still, she could tell they were gaining on her the further she went.

“Totally should have asked for a map of this damn place” she spoke through her mind though she was sure Dom had issues of his own to handle right now, it was her way of saying she had managed to get out of the tent and was still on the run. She turned down an alley, managing to shake the crowd a little though it was short-lived as they used the choice to corner her. Argent didn’t waste time though, she ran straight towards the group, swinging her legs at their feet in an attempt to know down as many of them as she could before making a break for it, finally managing to see the main entrance to the marketplace in the distance.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on December 29, 2019 at 0:25

Dominic closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath. It was now or never. He slid his fingers around the heavy fabric of the tent and pushed it aside with as little movement as was possible so he could slip through with the hopes of not being noticed. Crouching low behind one of the many tables that was set up around the back area with the valuable items for sale, his eyes scanned the space and he could see the commotion Argent had caused was working as planned. There were only two guards left with Frisks who was pointing and shouting with a lot of threats to whomever it was that had interrupted the auction yet again.

As soon as the first guard came close to the table, he spun the blade in his hand and sliced the back of the man's ankle. He screamed out and bent over in reaction to clutch at the new wound. Dominic vaulted over the table and put both knees to the man's face to knock him out cold. As expected, this caught the attention of the first guard and Frisks who looked like he might find the will to walk again if only to come over and strangle Dominic as he rolled onto the floor from his first attack. The only thing that worried him most of all was if Frisks tried to cast and that was something that could ruin everything. Dom didn't hesitate and ducked under the heavy swing from the guard. It was nice being so small and nimble for a change. He quickly knelt over and wrapped an arm around Frisks's neck from behind, placing the tip of the blade to his flesh. The guard immediately stopped his pursuit and looked to his boss for instructions. "On your knees, big man," Dominic ordered. He did as was told, going down on all fours. "Good boy."

"Listen, old man. I've had a really long day and I'd really like to get what I'm asking for so we can all go home with our lives today. I have no interest in killing you or any of your incompetent guards. I would just like to borrow an object you have and will gladly return it once I'm done with it... and am sure that I can do so with my life." He slipped his hand into the man's pocket and instantly felt the cylindrical shape of the smooth feeling scepter. Dominic pulled out the golden object, almost afraid to let his bare fingers on the thing knowing that it's cursed. God, he hated magic.

"I hope you know that if I see you again, I will not hesitate to have you killed." Frisks words were laced with a threatening venom that made Dominic smirk.

He stood up straight and eyed the shiny scepter. "If I had a nickel for every time I heard those words." Dominic looked to the ground as the first of the two guards began to stir. "Well, that's my cue. Thank you, gentlemen. Be seeing you never."  

The break in the tent easily opened as he slid back through to the alleyway and ran as fast as he could. Skidding to a stop and looking out into the massive crowd of supernaturals who were milling about, Argent's words filled his mind. This was just as bad as marking a person when he had the ability to do so before losing his lycan powers. He hated having someone else in his head and that was why he had only used the power a few times in his life. Still, hearing her was also a relief because that meant shit hadn't hit the fan. Yet. 'Follow your nose. The entrance is where most of the food is. Get to Billie Mae as fast you can.' Perhaps the aspect having some of his abilities right now wasn't so bad. 

Of course, he was also on the far end of the marketplace and no doubt on the radar of all the other guards that were still looking for Argent. Dominic grabbed a scarf from one of the busy nearby vendors who hadn't noticed the pull and quickly wrapped it over his head in hopes to hide the vibrant colored hair he now had. He swiftly moved through the crowds to get to the entrance and was still not excited with his newly formed plan on how he would have to get his ticket out of the marketplace once Argent and Billie were gone.

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on December 30, 2019 at 12:59

She felt completely out of her element like this, Dom’s body was much larger than hers both in height and in broader stature which made it significantly harder to fit into small gaps or slip between people, it occurred to her how different both of their fighting styles would be given their completely different makeup, Dom could face people with pure strength because he had the muscle to do so but she usually had to rely on being stealthy and catching people off guard as well as using an opponent’s brute strength against them. “Why didn’t I think of that” she responded when he suggested that she use her nose to get herself out of there, she came to a stop for just a moment so she could gather her bearings before breathing in deeply and noting the way she could smell pretty much every individual food at once.

It was incredibly overwhelming, her senses felt like they were burning because of all of the different smells which came from every direction but thankfully, she didn’t need to isolate anything out to be able to know where most of the smells were coming from so she dashed off in that direction, glad for the very brief stop because it helped her to get half a hold on her breath which was heaving as she rounded the next corner only to find a wall of guards. She darted her eyes from left to right for other options before turning around and dashing down an alleyway, attempting to use her sense of smell on the fly to tell her where she needed to go.

It was easier said than done when everything was so unfamiliar but she managed to make her way through the maze of connecting alleys until she eventually found herself out the other side again, the smell of food completely overpowering as she came out into the open space once more. But it looked like the guards knew this place better than she did because there was a group of them waiting for her the moment she came out the other side, she went to back up to run back the direction she had come but there were more guards there behind her.

In the distance, she spotted Billie-Mae which gave her a sense of hope despite the current situation she was in. She reminded herself of all the training she had been given over the years ‘just in case’ because they normally never let an aspect go out on missions, certainly not alone that was for sure and the guards would always be the ones who got into fights first. Still, she wasn’t going to be a damsel in distress, or rather...whatever Dom’s body would look like in distress. She sighed softly before she stepped forward to kick one of the guards neatly in the chest, not hesitating as the fight broke out, her movements a little clumsy but Dom’s strength made up for her own 

lack of coordination for the most part. They came at her a few times, she took a hit to the face which sent her recoiling but she fought back with everything they brought and when a gap finally opened up she ducked through it.

They hadn’t expected for her to make a break for it which gave her just enough time to make it over the line and the moment she did so, they were teleported out. She collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath as her head screamed about that being quite possibly the craziest thing she had ever done in her life and considering how long it was, it was pretty crazy.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on February 4, 2020 at 1:12

Dom made a knot to tie the loose ends of the scarf under his chin to keep it in place as he casually moved through the many people in the marketplace. He needed to move fast, but not so fast as to cause any curious eyes to look at him. A few of the guards suddenly ran passed and towards the entrance where he knew Argent was making a break for it. He could feel his heart quicken as he worried over the aspect, but as he placed his back against one of the tents and peered around the corner towards the entrance, he could see the disappointment on the guards faces. She'd gotten away. "Good job, Red."

A few of the men departed from the gateway and separated. They were no doubt looking for him now and probably reporting back to Frisks. Things weren't exactly looking up though as he saw three of the guards still standing watch where Bones was stationed which was also his exit. The diviner seemed to be annoying them thoroughly as he flurried off a series of questions about what was happening in all the commotion. Dominic groaned slightly as he pulled out his phone and scrolled to Bones's name. "Never thought I'd be doing this in my life," he muttered as the ringing began. He looked around the corner and saw the gatekeeper reach for his phone which made Dominic roll his eyes in turn. "Bones? Hey, it's Dom's friend. Yes.. the cute redhead." He couldn't help but scowl though he tried to put on the best flirtatious tone he could with the aspect's voice. "Look, I need a favor. A really big favor, in fact. I could really use your help."

A couple of minutes later and the beaming diviner was meeting up with Dominic by the tent. "There you are, gorgeous. Told the guards to watch the gate for a second while I take a leak. Good idea, right?"

"Brilliant." Dom said in annoyance, but quickly changed his tone and smiled coyly to the man. "So, we have a deal then?"

Bones reached out and wrapped his arm around Dom's waist, pulling him against his body tightly. "One ticket out of here for your number? Absolutely, Red. That's a no-brainer. Next stop, Billie Mae's." 

"You're a life saver, Bones. Truly." He winked to the diviner, thankful that the two knew each other, but really, who didn't Billie Mae know in Evermore? A moment later and the pair vanished in a puff of black smoke.

In an instant he was falling forward, but Bones righted him on his feet as they reached their destination. Dominic would never get used to teleportation no matter what body he was in. His eyes glanced around him and he saw they had arrived at Billie Mae's. "Thank God."

"Thank Bones, you mean," he replied, smirking. Dominic forced a smile back and then quickly read off a fake phone number to get him gone as soon as possible. The diviner reached for Dom's hand and kissed the back of it with more saliva than was necessary before vanishing back to the black market. 

Dominic let out a short scream into the sky and wiggled his whole body in disgust, hurriedly wiping his hand over Malva's jacket. The door to Billie Mae's house flew open and she stood there with a hand on her hip, looking at him like he'd gone mad. "You wanna bring your crazy butt inside or you gonna stand out there and have somebody call the police to have you committed? I swear you only have one oar in the water sometimes." He glared at Billie Mae before quickly hurrying inside her home. "Nice scarf."

Argent was seated on the couch, seeming to be uncomfortable, though he wasn't sure if it was Billie Mae's doing or just from the whole day's ordeal. The southern, light diviner had that affect on people with her vibrant personality and ability to tell the future in her way. Dominic handed the scepter over to Billie before walking over to Argent and sitting down next to her. "You okay? I mean, as okay as can be?" She seemed to be in one piece which was all Dominic could ask for, but being a guard tended to make you hyper aware of the aspects at all times. 

"Woo, this is a nasty piece of work." Dominic's attention was brought back to Billie as she placed the cursed object on a table and had her hands above it, seemingly reading its energy. "I'm going to get what I need to start the locator spell." The older woman nodded towards the snacks she had on the coffee table in front of them with a pitcher of her famous brewed tea. "Go on and get something in your bellies, now. I'll be right back." 

Dominic looked to the various bits of crackers, cheese, and fruits before committing to pouring himself and Argent a glass of the southern tea. He pulled the scarf off his head, looking to the vibrant colors that was something so out of his element. "Perhaps I can use this to appease Malva's rage after raiding her closet," he said softly to Argent in some attempts to lighten the mood before Billie Mae came back in with a handful of items.

"Well... let's see about finding your missing aspect, despite how enjoyable it is to see Dominic as a woman." Billie looked over to Argent then with a smirk. "Bless your heart, I wouldn't wanna be stuck in this boy's body any longer either, darlin'." 

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on February 16, 2020 at 13:57

It didn’t take long before the two of them were in a house, which was about as disorienting as it sounded by Argent took the opportunity to crash onto one of the couches and take really deep breaths as she processed what just happened. Which was probably one of the craziest situations the Aspect had ever been through, given that she very rarely got to attend missions in person and when she did it was normally to just search out some object she had sensed to be of light magic.

Before long Billie Mae went to let Dom into the house and Argent felt herself sighing with relief that he managed to get out of there, it had truly been manic from what she remembered and while she was the one getting most of the chasing because she was the distraction, she couldn’t imagine every guard was fooled by their stunt. She looked up at him with a curious expression seeing the scarf he had wrapped around his head.

She still felt herself getting jittery over it all so she looked around, shifting in the seat a little as she looked back at Dom, it wasn’t the company that had her bothered, it was the fact that the day was beginning to end and she wasn’t even sure if they were close to figuring this whole thing out and that experience had been pretty overwhelming. She blinked a few times coming out of her spaced out mode when Dom spoke to her and she smiled softly “I’m okay...just a little dazed more than anything, I didn’t think I’d spending today experiencing….this” she was doing her best to try and be positive but it was definitely getting harder the more time passed.

But they made it out of there in one piece which was a good start. She looked up when she heard the voice echo over the room as Billie Mae eyed the item Dom had brought back with him and she bit her lip. She wasn’t in her own body but the Aspect Of Light part of her still cringed at the sight of a cursed item. “That thing literally makes me feel like I’m about to hurl” she commented in a soft voice, though that could also be because she had very little to eat today and then ran like a maniac to escape guards trying to drag her back to that tent.

When he mentioned the scarf being a peace offering for Malva she laughed “Well it’s purple so at least there’s some merit there, plus I make it look cute” she grinned slightly slowly coming down from her panicking state as she reached for the glass of tea he poured and sipped at it slowly, she didn't really feel much like eating though but she did pick up a cracker to nibble on just to calm herself. “What do you rate our chances of finding something from that….thing?” she asked with a somewhat concerned expression.

She gave a half smile towards Billie Mae when she made a joke about being stuck in Dom’s body “Well I’m just about getting used to the smell” she commented and then widened her eyes when she realized how that might sound “I mean...being able to smell things, being able to smell everything, it’s kinds exhausting” she didn’t know how Therianthropes dealt with it. She took another bite of the cracker as she sat herself back down on the edge of the couch.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on April 2, 2020 at 5:15

Dominic sighed at her question and shook his head slightly. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "Billie is one of the most powerful diviners around and I'd say she's our best chance since Malva is MIA." he glanced over to the older woman who smirked at his words while she finished setting up her ingredients on the table in a very deliberate fashion. As always, Dom was hesitant on the use of magic as that was something he was instilled with since he was a boy, but he also knew how imperative it was in finding out information that only magic could bring to light when time was of the essence.

Billie's joke made him grin slightly with a roll of his eyes. "Believe me, this isn't any fun for me either." He took a drink of the tea then and almost spit it out hearing Argent's reply about getting used to the smell, readying himself for a defense. A hearty laugh erupted from Billie unlike he'd ever seen before as the Aspect quickly corrected herself. "Honestly, it's strange not being able to smell everything. It's the strongest sense for normal people, imagine what it's like when a therian loses it." He nudged into her side, feeling the push back from his normal physique which now belonged to her.

"Right. Let's see what we can do about this scepter." Billie mixed a few herbs together before pouring a black liquid into the bowl last. With a few quick words in a language he couldn't guess at, the diviner rubbed the concoction over her hands and slowly picked up the scepter and nodded her head. "This will act like a barrier to the cursed magic which is imbued on the scepter. Basically, I'm going to read the energy of the magic on this and rewind the events of the day as far back as I can and possibly pick up on where your John Doe might be or better yet, glimpses of Miss Malva if she's been in contact with him." As much as Dom wanted to find the aspect of magic, the idea that she might've had a run in with whoever this powerful diviner was was also something he hoped Billie didn't see. 

The woman began the spell, gripping the scepter tightly. Dominic moved forward on the couch as Argent had, anxious to see what she might find. Her eyelids moved rapidly as they remained closed and she almost seemed to be in a trance. He could feel the air in the room shift and looked down to his slender arms as goosebumps began to rise on his flesh and the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Billie?" The diviner didn't reply as the magic continued and he could see the lines in her face tighten as if she were in pain. Dom stood then, concern filling him as he watched small wisps of smoke rise from the scepter and her hands. 

Dominic quickly closed the gap between them and touched her shoulder. He felt a strong shock go through his whole body, making him recoil. "Billie!" She still gave no response to his calling and with no idea how to break her from the spell, Dom wrapped his hands around the scepter and pulled. The shocking surge went through his whole body and his hands began to burn. The iron grip Billie held seemed to be unforgiving as he pulled harder through the extreme pain that ran along his skin like electric fire. He could feel himself shaking as his body was screaming for him to let go and with one final tug, the scepter came loose and he fell to the floor.

Billie Mae blinked a few times with ragged breaths before looking over to Dominic. His hands were burned where he had touched the scepter, blistering a bright red. Every nerve in his frame felt like it was charged. "That.. is one nasty curse." She grabbed the bowl and knelt down next to him to rub the mixture she had made onto his hands. The cooling effect gave him immediate relief as he cursed softly under his breath. "Thank you, son." Dominic nodded and swallowed hard, eyeing the scepter as it lay some feet away. Billie Mae stood then, looking to him and then to Argent. "This man has been busy all around Evermore," she began. Dominic could see the clear concern that was written all over her face. Whoever she saw, he must've been powerful. "The last place the scepter brought me to was the abandoned prison on the outskirts of the city. The one that burned decades ago." Billie turned to him with pleading in her eyes. "You can't go alone." Whatever she had seen, Dominic knew it must've been bad. "If Malva did go there, she would be dead by now or trapped and if someone so powerful was able to be captured, you two will not be enough." He had hoped doing the locator spell would've brought better news, but it was looking more and more like things were only getting worse. "You should get back to the mansion."

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on April 10, 2020 at 12:24

She looked between them with an exasperated expression, it felt like they had been searching all day and all they had to show for it was a cursed item which might give them a clue but then equally could be completely useless to them “Well so much for a wild goose chase” she responded as she rested her head in her hands. Perhaps Dom’s nature was rubbing off on her because she was starting to feel a little pessimistic when it came to trying to find her sister. She shot him a look when he nudged against her suide and shrugged slightly “It’s like being able to see with your nose...it’s dizzying” she was sure she could get used to it in time but it wasn’t something which just came immediately.

She rested her hands in her lap as she watched Billie begin work on trying to get any information on the scepter, she didn’t know the diviner before today but she definitely felt a sense of need to protect her, she had helped them today after all and she seemed to be important to Dom, though it wasn’t clear to her how they met. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she questioned as the diviner explained how she was going to try and read the cursed item, she had seen the work of dark magic before when Malva was handling forbidden spellbooks and it was very easy to get caught in the crossfire. She sat on the edge of her seat with a concerned look, in this body there wasn’t anything she could do to counteract the dark spells so all she could do was stand back and hope.

But damn could she sense the darkness in the room, she watched as the diviner tried to tame the magic but it didn’t seem to want to be contained and Billie remained almost unmoving as she remained in her trance. Argent was about to get to her feet but she realized there was little she could do to help short of pulling her away from the scepter she was holding but Dom beat her to it “Dom!” she shouted out in warning because it was stupidly reckless and dangerous to grab someone with dark magic that way. She rushed over to the both of them the moment he collapsed and she pushed the scepter as far away as she could from the both of them. Her gaze was concerned, looking down to the frail hands of her body which were now burned.

“Something tells me that’s going to hurt when I can back” she commented in a soft voice but she looked at each of them with a relieved expression of her face that it hadn’t been as bad as she first wondered. She looked between them with concern, she could tell Billie was holding back details about what she saw which gave her this dreading feeling in her stomach that they were risking walking into something very dangerous here “She’s right, we can’t risk going out there alone” she had this nagging sensation in her stomach which told her that it would be a very very bad idea and her aspect intuition was rarely wrong. She felt a sense of defeat knowing they were coming so close to knowing the truth but also knowing how dangerous the truth might be.

“Ery is going to be….very confused by this one” she admitted, pulling a face because she was really hoping that finding Mal would be a case of finding her shopping at one of her favorite stores and before long she would be back in her own body, her own, not burned and possibly curse ridden body.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on April 17, 2020 at 21:41

Dominic's head was swirling. He glanced down at his hands and could see the burns were easing away with the use of Billie's salve, thankful she was as powerful as a diviner as she was. The room was beginning to spin a bit and his stomach flipped violently. His eyes glanced to the scepter and he wondered if he'd somehow gotten the effects of the curse by intervening with the spell Billie was performing, but either way, he wouldn't regret being able to pull her out of whatever darkness was holding her bound to it.

This was worse than the sickness he had dealt with earlier in the day from overestimating his alcohol intake. In fact, his vision was beginning to blur and focusing on one point was nearly impossible. He quickly tried to stand which was a mistake as he fell backwards against the wall in a cold sweat. Billie Mae looked to him with concern, reaching for his arms. "You're shivering." Her small hand touched his forehead as she looked in his eyes. "You're also burning up." The diviner stepped back and looked to Argent with a sigh. "You've got to find Malva. I don't think this is the curse. This is him not being able to hold the power of an Aspect and I suspect his body won't be able to contain you much longer. If this goes on..." the elder paused for a moment, letting the unsaid hang in the air. 

Dominic reached out and touched Billie's arm weakly. "We'll need to borrow your car." Swallowing hard, he forced himself to stand straighter and looked to Argent with a somewhat forced grin to try and appear stronger than he was feeling. "Looks like you get to practice more of that driving." He was surely in no position to be behind the wheel of a vehicle now. He could see the concern in Billie's eyes, making him nod to her in reassurance. "I'm fine, Billie. We'll get back to the manor. See if we can find some reinforcements. I have a feeling the other aspects would've sent the alarm if they felt like Malva was dead. They can barely be away from each other for long as it is." Dominic wasn't exactly sure how true it was, but worrying Billie was like worrying a mother. "What I wouldn't give to turn into a dragon right now and get back to the manor faster." He sighed and forced himself to move from against the wall's support, touching Argent's shoulder lightly. "Let's go."

Watching Argent move the seat and mirrors was a strange sense of deja vu before he looked out of the passenger window. Billie Mae gave a short wave and watched as they pulled away. "As eager as Malva is about protecting magic and despite her stranger behavior as of late, you don't think she would put herself in harm's way, do you?" He hugged himself and rubbed his hands over his arms in some attempts to stop the shakes that wouldn't seem to go away because of the fever. "The fact that I've been doing things for her on the side has had me worried and I know I should've said something. I just figured it was helping the Ailwards." His gaze shifted from the moving blur of the world outside as he glanced over to Argent. "Let's just hope she's home now." They'd learned quite a bit about the Aspect of Magic today and it seemed a lot of secrets and dark things in Evermore were coming to light. If it all came back to stopping Malva from doing something dangerous and reckless, then perhaps this whole fiasco was worth it in the end. 

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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on April 22, 2020 at 19:03

Seeing the turn which Dom took after he had grabbed the scepter had her on edge, she wasn’t sure what it had done to him but it was clear from the paleness of his skin and how he looked almost dizzy that something was really wrong. Argent however, felt fine, aside from the obvious adjustment issues you’d expect when you were magically placed into someone else’s body. Argent pursed her lips slightly “That means it’s only so long before I start getting sick too right? A therianthrope’s body isn’t immortal after all” she chewed her bottom lip nervously and nodded in determination. They needed to get back to the manor and then they could get everyone’s help to fix this. This would eventually feel like a bad dream in their past.

“Can’t be any harder to drive than the truck right?” she responded with a half effort of a smile to try and cheer him up but she was finding it harder and harder to stay positive the more time went on and they still had no concrete ideas on what they were supposed to do. “I’d know if she was hurt” she responded almost steadfast when he said not to worry about her sister’s wellbeing “Mal might get herself involved in some crazy stuff sometimes but she’s smart and she’s resourceful and despite people’s doubts, she does know when to ask for help, with any luck she went back to the manor to get help” perhaps it was wishful speaking but she couldn’t afford to think pessimistically. She placed her arm around Dom’s shoulders to lead him back to the car, mouthing a thank you to Billie Mae as they went.

As she got into the car, she looked around for a moment before adjusting everything for her new, much taller body, she found it hard to get comfortable in the much smaller car and kept shifting in her seat. Before long they were driving the route back to the manor, she was speeding a little because she knew they needed to rush. “In the name of getting her magic back, I’m not sure where the limit lies” she confess in a soft voice “But she wouldn’t go there alone, which means there is someone at the manor who knows something” she responded and nodded her head slightly. “It is helping the Ailwards” she was sure of that at least “She’s kicking herself ever since she lost her powers, swearing she could have done something if she just has her magic back, but dark magic like this?” she sighed “It can’t be the solution right?” she drove for a little while longer before catching sight of herself in the wing mirror and gasping, there was blood running down her face from her nose “Uh...Dom” she spoke softly as she glanced over at him a little panicked and naturally stepped on the gas, screw the rules, they needed to get home now.

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