[ He grins at her over that assessment. He’s versatile where it counts, in terms of the sheer amount of resources at his disposal, and within the confines of his own Specialization. There’s a certain nuance to Destruction that no one ever bothers to study enough to learn.
Anyway, Makima steps through into a narrow alley, and the air is cool and crisp, far removed from the coast where Warren’s house sits. He steps through after her, waving the portal closed with a motion of his hand, and angles his head at her as if to say, “follow me.”
They’ve found themselves in a small town about an hour or so away from the site of the old house, and parked in the lot of one of the gas stations just off the main thoroughfare is a plain, black van.
Where did it come from? How did it get here? Don’t worry about it.
He motions to the dingy little convenience store, fluorescents humming like the louder they are, the more they’ll be able to cling to life. ]
If you want anything for the trip, now’s your chance.
[Oh? The change in weather all but seems to hammer home how far they've traveled. The breeze plays at the tips of her hair, pleated back into its usual braid.
She notes the van first. Where did it come from? Yes, don't worry about it.
And then the convenience store as she follows diligently behind. What a quaint little town.]
[ Can the two things not go together? Warren straightens from retrieving the van’s keys, stashed on the inside of the wheel well and seems to consider. ]
[With a smile and a full turn, she slips into the convenience store to gather whatever catches her eye -- plus Warren's coffee.
Just a few minutes pass. And when she returns, she coming out with two plastic bags full of snacks, a movie magazine tucked under her arm (how retro!) and a cup of fresh coffee for Warren.]
I might have gone a little overboard, but the employee working the register really took a shine to me. [Translation: she just got all this shit for free because maybe she employed a bit of control over a poor 20-something working in a convenience store. Just for fun.] I figured why not take advantage of it.
[ The look Warren gives her suggests that he understands exactly how she came by all of that stuff. It also suggests that he doesn't really care that she might have just cost some kid his job. ]
Just how long are you expecting this little road trip to take?
[ Said as he swings the passenger's side door open to admit her before he moves around to climb into the driver's seat. ]
She scoots into the passenger's side and reaches over to close the door. The plastic crinkling of her bags accompanies her nearly the entire time, almost comedically so.]
Not long enough to go through all of this, but we can bring some home.
[You have something against snacks for later, sir?
She hands him his coffee once she's in the driver's seat in case he wants to take a sip before he sets it down in the nearest cupholder.]
[ It’s almost automatic, the way he accepts the offered cup of coffee for a sip before setting it down. Warren is so used to working alone that this strange way he’s fallen instantly in tandem with another person doesn’t even occur to him. It’s just… happening.
Warren turns the key in the ignition, and as they depart the dingy little gas station, his eyes catch sight of the magazine she brought with her. ]
[Crinkle, crinkle, crinkle. Makima sets the bags down at her feet, and Warren’s question is timed well: she then straightens and opens up the magazine, greeted by glossy pages. Set photos, articles and interviews with actors she both can identify and can’t.
And the answer to that question is a multi-layered one. She could answer shallowly or with far too much vulnerability — of course she’ll choose neither, and settle somewhere in-between.]
I like the stories they tell. Things that happen in the movies… they’re like nothing you can see in real life.
[For a demon riding in a van with a wizard, this is almost a laughable statement. But clearly she means something a bit more ambiguous than that — the characters, their relationships, their journeys.]
But in a way, they’re close enough to still be intriguing.
[ Makima always gives him just enough to pique his curiosity. While he doesn’t suspect that she’s lying to him, he gets the sense she’s not telling him the whole truth. Newly contracted and acquainted as they are, he can’t blame her for keeping some things to herself.
But he does have to wonder if she’s talking about “real life” from the perspective of a human, or a devil. The distinction is probably important, so he ventures: ]
[ Ah, so a little of column A and a little of column B. It occurs to him that he still owes her a list of movies to view, and briefly wonders if any of his considerations would be considered worthwhile or not? ]
Now you have me curious about what your standards for a good movie even are.
[ Too bad I, Ramey, have FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY WERE. ]
Not even going to give me a hint? How cruel.
[ He doesn’t sound bothered at all.
The idle chatter and bouts of silence save the low drone of something or other on the radio get them through the next hour or so fairly uneventfully at least. At last, Warren eases the van off the main road onto a stretch of gravel and dirt that is partially grown over, maintained only by the occasional enterprising urban explorer passing through. It gets rather bumpy, winding up, up, up the hillside and through the trees, until finally the headlights pour through the trees to illuminate the decrepit edifice of what was probably a very impressive bit of Hollywood architecture at one point.
Now, the place is falling apart, the paint all but stripped away by the elements, the windows long busted out. It’s overgrown and dark and perfectly intimidating there in the light of the van’s headlights. It’s about what he expected. ]
In the vein of movies, this looks like the sort of place where a bunch of kids with a camcorder would go missing.
[ Was Blair Witch after her time? It might have been, if only by a couple of years. ]
[It's fine we can make up movies on the list as we go along--
Eventually, they fall into silence, which doesn't bother Makima in the least. She has her magazine to keep her occupied, and though she's the sort to strike up a conversation with ease, it's clear that she isn't the type to fill the air with idle prattle for the sake of it. By the time they reach their destination, she does draw her attention to beyond the van, up that hillside and watching as the headlights blow through the trees to illuminate their surroundings.
And oh, what a spooky area. Perfectly overgrown and shadowed in just the right places. Great for a horror film, she thinks, even if this set's purpose has been long, long abandoned.]
Go missing and... find something terrible waiting for them in the darkness? I'd like to see something like that.
[No, she's missed Blair Witch by a number of years. And also, the concept is more humorous than scary when the two of them are the "terrible somethings" that could be awaiting a few dumb young adults stumbling around outdoors.]
But it really is unnerving out here. Fitting for a demon, right?
[ Then this list officially starts with the Blair Witch Project.
Warren pulls the van up alongside the mess of overgrowth that probably once constituted as the house's "yard", and parks it there. Once he kills the ignition and the lights go out, it's very dark indeed. ]
It's unnerving because of the demon. I doubt it'll have too much of an effect on you or me, but for normal people? They can tell there's something wrong here, and it scares them.
[He's right, it doesn't really affect her at all. If it's possible to sense something wrong twinged in the air, it's certainly not enough to put Makima on edge. She was once in the business of dealing with problematic Devils, after all, so this whole outing has strange shades of nostalgia to it, rather than trepidation.
She moves to open the passenger door, but not without remarking first.]
Are normal people in any real danger, though? The veil might be thin, but do demons make a point of crossing the threshold and assaulting regular humans?
[ A small shrug, before he, too swings the van door open to slip out into the night. ]
It happens on occasion, especially with lesser demons. It's usually covered up and repackaged as something else for the public. Wild animal attack. House fire. So on and so forth.
[Casually, as she exits the vehicle to meet the night, too. She doesn't sound all that concerned, just curious as to the nature of demons and their interactions with humans in this world.]
The ones doing the "covering up" must have their work cut out for them. I can't imagine all the paperwork...
[that moment when you are just remembering all the government paperwork you had to file for incidents that were very much in the public eye]
Shapeshifters are the keepers of such things, so it's nothing you or I need to worry about, so long as we don't draw too much outside attention to ourselves.
[ Which implies that within magical circles, they have a bit more freedom to cause a stir. He plans to leverage that quite a bit once Makima has enough of her power back. ]
[ Warren retrieves their bag of supplies for the ritual and follows along, idly pushing his way through overgrown grass and bushes to the faux house's front door.
It's a shell, mostly, with a single room on the inside, full of bits of debris and old, victorian-style furniture. There's a ruined staircase that leads to a second floor balcony lined with fake doors to rooms that don't exist. All of it is crumbling in some capacity, though apart from the natural decay, it's remarkably untouched. Even vandals don't feel comfortable lingering. ]
[Outside of the natural, degrading march of time, the interior of this place really is untouched. Like Warren said, it must be very uncomfortable for humans to linger here, which is a shame -- all this fake Victorian-style furniture is going to waste, unappreciated!]
Oh, this is a fun set, though.
[She's making her way to one such Victorian-style chair when the toe of her shoe bumps up against something, clattering it slightly.]
Hm?
[She bends down to pick it up and...] Warren, look! [She spins on a heel to face him, wielding a movie clapper board. You know, one of these things.] They left more than just set dressing behind.
[ He can only imagine they were shooting some sort of period drama here, though it would be truly ironic if it were supposed to be some sort of gothic, Crimson Peak-esque horror. The atmosphere would have been too real for anyone’s comfort.
Makima scoops an old relic of the shoot from the floor, and Warren arches a brow. ]
Huh.
[ Yeah, “huh”. ]
They must have cleared out in a hurry.
[ Surely that will mean nothing bad for the two of them. ]
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finalflight2023-03-24 06:21 pm
no subject
Anyway, Makima steps through into a narrow alley, and the air is cool and crisp, far removed from the coast where Warren’s house sits. He steps through after her, waving the portal closed with a motion of his hand, and angles his head at her as if to say, “follow me.”
They’ve found themselves in a small town about an hour or so away from the site of the old house, and parked in the lot of one of the gas stations just off the main thoroughfare is a plain, black van.
Where did it come from? How did it get here? Don’t worry about it.
He motions to the dingy little convenience store, fluorescents humming like the louder they are, the more they’ll be able to cling to life. ]
If you want anything for the trip, now’s your chance.
no subject
She notes the van first. Where did it come from? Yes, don't worry about it.
And then the convenience store as she follows diligently behind. What a quaint little town.]
Hm? And how long's the trip?
no subject
[ Since they'll be going from here all the way to the house, but by then she'll have some demon bits to snack on. ]
no subject
[Like this is for pleasure, not business. She heads that way, then turns on her heel.]
You want me to get you something, too?
no subject
Coffee, if you don’t mind.
[ It’s bound to be a long night. ]
no subject
Coffee, then. Be right back.
[With a smile and a full turn, she slips into the convenience store to gather whatever catches her eye -- plus Warren's coffee.
Just a few minutes pass. And when she returns, she coming out with two plastic bags full of snacks, a movie magazine tucked under her arm (how retro!) and a cup of fresh coffee for Warren.]
I might have gone a little overboard, but the employee working the register really took a shine to me. [Translation: she just got all this shit for free because maybe she employed a bit of control over a poor 20-something working in a convenience store. Just for fun.] I figured why not take advantage of it.
no subject
Just how long are you expecting this little road trip to take?
[ Said as he swings the passenger's side door open to admit her before he moves around to climb into the driver's seat. ]
no subject
She scoots into the passenger's side and reaches over to close the door. The plastic crinkling of her bags accompanies her nearly the entire time, almost comedically so.]
Not long enough to go through all of this, but we can bring some home.
[You have something against snacks for later, sir?
She hands him his coffee once she's in the driver's seat in case he wants to take a sip before he sets it down in the nearest cupholder.]
no subject
Warren turns the key in the ignition, and as they depart the dingy little gas station, his eyes catch sight of the magazine she brought with her. ]
What is your fascination with film, anyway?
no subject
And the answer to that question is a multi-layered one. She could answer shallowly or with far too much vulnerability — of course she’ll choose neither, and settle somewhere in-between.]
I like the stories they tell. Things that happen in the movies… they’re like nothing you can see in real life.
[For a demon riding in a van with a wizard, this is almost a laughable statement. But clearly she means something a bit more ambiguous than that — the characters, their relationships, their journeys.]
But in a way, they’re close enough to still be intriguing.
no subject
But he does have to wonder if she’s talking about “real life” from the perspective of a human, or a devil. The distinction is probably important, so he ventures: ]
They’re like a little window into humanity, hm?
no subject
Yes. Humanity is just very interesting to me. The way they think and feel.
[But then she looks over at Warren with a placid kind of smile, attention briefly sliding away from her magazine.]
But don't get me wrong. I like movies, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize them. Most I've seen? They're mediocre at best.
no subject
Now you have me curious about what your standards for a good movie even are.
no subject
You still owe me a list of recommendations, don't you?
[She Has Not Forgotten.]
Don't worry, I'll pass my judgment on each and every one we watch together [TOGETHER] and you'll learn soon enough.
no subject
[ Too bad I, Ramey, have FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY WERE. ]
Not even going to give me a hint? How cruel.
[ He doesn’t sound bothered at all.
The idle chatter and bouts of silence save the low drone of something or other on the radio get them through the next hour or so fairly uneventfully at least. At last, Warren eases the van off the main road onto a stretch of gravel and dirt that is partially grown over, maintained only by the occasional enterprising urban explorer passing through. It gets rather bumpy, winding up, up, up the hillside and through the trees, until finally the headlights pour through the trees to illuminate the decrepit edifice of what was probably a very impressive bit of Hollywood architecture at one point.
Now, the place is falling apart, the paint all but stripped away by the elements, the windows long busted out. It’s overgrown and dark and perfectly intimidating there in the light of the van’s headlights. It’s about what he expected. ]
In the vein of movies, this looks like the sort of place where a bunch of kids with a camcorder would go missing.
[ Was Blair Witch after her time? It might have been, if only by a couple of years. ]
no subject
Eventually, they fall into silence, which doesn't bother Makima in the least. She has her magazine to keep her occupied, and though she's the sort to strike up a conversation with ease, it's clear that she isn't the type to fill the air with idle prattle for the sake of it. By the time they reach their destination, she does draw her attention to beyond the van, up that hillside and watching as the headlights blow through the trees to illuminate their surroundings.
And oh, what a spooky area. Perfectly overgrown and shadowed in just the right places. Great for a horror film, she thinks, even if this set's purpose has been long, long abandoned.]
Go missing and... find something terrible waiting for them in the darkness? I'd like to see something like that.
[No, she's missed Blair Witch by a number of years. And also, the concept is more humorous than scary when the two of them are the "terrible somethings" that could be awaiting a few dumb young adults stumbling around outdoors.]
But it really is unnerving out here. Fitting for a demon, right?
no subject
Warren pulls the van up alongside the mess of overgrowth that probably once constituted as the house's "yard", and parks it there. Once he kills the ignition and the lights go out, it's very dark indeed. ]
It's unnerving because of the demon. I doubt it'll have too much of an effect on you or me, but for normal people? They can tell there's something wrong here, and it scares them.
no subject
She moves to open the passenger door, but not without remarking first.]
Are normal people in any real danger, though? The veil might be thin, but do demons make a point of crossing the threshold and assaulting regular humans?
no subject
It happens on occasion, especially with lesser demons. It's usually covered up and repackaged as something else for the public. Wild animal attack. House fire. So on and so forth.
no subject
[Casually, as she exits the vehicle to meet the night, too. She doesn't sound all that concerned, just curious as to the nature of demons and their interactions with humans in this world.]
The ones doing the "covering up" must have their work cut out for them. I can't imagine all the paperwork...
[that moment when you are just remembering all the government paperwork you had to file for incidents that were very much in the public eye]
no subject
[ Which implies that within magical circles, they have a bit more freedom to cause a stir. He plans to leverage that quite a bit once Makima has enough of her power back. ]
no subject
Good thing we're out here where no one can see just how big of a mess we could make if we wanted to.
[She starts towards the old set first, intrigued.]
Come on, I want to see how this works.
no subject
It's a shell, mostly, with a single room on the inside, full of bits of debris and old, victorian-style furniture. There's a ruined staircase that leads to a second floor balcony lined with fake doors to rooms that don't exist. All of it is crumbling in some capacity, though apart from the natural decay, it's remarkably untouched. Even vandals don't feel comfortable lingering. ]
no subject
Oh, this is a fun set, though.
[She's making her way to one such Victorian-style chair when the toe of her shoe bumps up against something, clattering it slightly.]
Hm?
[She bends down to pick it up and...] Warren, look! [She spins on a heel to face him, wielding a movie clapper board. You know, one of these things.] They left more than just set dressing behind.
no subject
Makima scoops an old relic of the shoot from the floor, and Warren arches a brow. ]
Huh.
[ Yeah, “huh”. ]
They must have cleared out in a hurry.
[ Surely that will mean nothing bad for the two of them. ]
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