[attr="class","dialogue"]

Addy had barely been home since the second mall incident. She'd spent a lot of time alone, sitting in the park or by the beach or the river, trying to clear her head. Being injected by... whatever that was... seemed to have no crazy effect-- at least, not one that she had noticed. At first.

Not long after she and Haji had recovered from the excruciating pain they felt that day, she'd remembered to water the potted plants around the MDA, some of which appeared to be in dire straits. She thought maybe the plants were just being particularly lively that day, when she saw them bloom up as if reaching to her, suddenly revitalized. It took a simple walk outside to realize it was something else.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne, the Princess of Crete, became the Goddess of many things. Labyrinths and Mazes, of course. Fertility and Passion, Snakes and Wine. Vegetation. 

Somehow, Addy was starting to live up to her name. Plants would bloom under her fingertips, and she noticed that her touch greatly encouraged their growth. Nothing substantial, but the following days showed that the plants under her care grew with vigor and enthusiasm.

She practiced. Outdoors, everyday, trying to replicate what she'd experienced at home, with mixed results. 

Addy had just gotten home that night and plopped on the couch to spend time with Haji and watch TV, when Property Brothers had suddenly decided to broadcast something much different. 

The blue-haired woman was laying on top of Haji, her head on his chest, as they lounged on the couch. 

"Court of Cambions... aren't they those people that tattooed chick mentioned the other day?" She asked. She would've thought this broadcast to be some weird joke if not for the fact that what she experienced at the mall was incredibly real, and somehow tied to this group. She was surprisingly calm despite watching some apocalyptic warning, but she had yet to fully process the message.

[newclass=.dialogue b]color:#95a1eb;[/newclass]

After an all too short (and possibly eventful, Stay Tuned) vacation in Finland, Valo and Soile's flight would finally touch down in Anthem City. After getting their things, including their loveable dog-son Aku and Soile's totally-inconspicuous box, they would make their way to Valo's car.

Helping Soile get her things into the car, and Aku into the back seat, Valo would get onto the driver's side. Now that they were home, he was the better suited chauffeur, and he just liked the excuse to drive his fiancee around anyway. Once Soile was in, he would start the car, back out of his parking space, and hit the road.

"God, I'm never going to get used to such a time change." He remarked, stretching as he kept his eyes on the road. "Still, all things considered... it was a great week. It's been such a long time since we got to spend so much time together."

He was certainly grateful for it. They hadn't had such time together since before Soile moved to Finland. Since then, it was their weekly calls, sometimes more if they got the time for it.

Before he could continue speaking, though, Valo was shocked to hear his radio just screech on. At the same time he could hear his phone go off, as well as Soile's.

"What in the fuck..." He said quietly, as a voice started speaking. The overlapping voices drove him crazy, but he would turn down the sound on his phone as he pulled it out, noticing a video accompanied the speech. There were strange things said... Court of Cambions, blood of the father, and a reactor that would disperse it... Valo knew exactly where it was, and it wasn't too far from here, but...

"I heard something about this in that small snippet of that livestream I watched while we were at your place..." Valo said, having only dabbled in it slightly but not wanting to obsess since he was meant to be out of the city. Gotta love how the moment they come home, shit starts to go south.

"What do you say, captain? Awfully tempting to just drive away and never look back."

If only. He was torn between bee-lining for the reactor, or going home to make sure Haji, Ariadne, and Taro were safe. The former wasn't the most ideal thing with his family-to-be in the car, either...

Payne would be easily found on a busy corner of the Western District, doing what he does best. He'd have his typical equipment, a speaker and laptop with a mic hooked up to it. There was a small crowd around him, about 10 people listening to him as he started the backing track. He made his way behind the speaker, untangling the mic cord and bringing it up to speak, "Yo, Western District! I know ya'll can hear me! We live in tough times, and we need to stand together to fight for whats right!"

He cleared his throat, bringing the mic closer to his lips. Though as he breathed in to begin his first verse, a rather loud crackling would emit from his speaker as the broadcast began. With a raised brow, Payne made his way over to the laptop, "Man, are you serious? I spent all night working on this." He grumbled, obviously not thrilled that his performance was interrupted. However, he watched the screen in disdain as the weird ass cultist spoke.

As the camera panned over the reactors, Payne quickly shut his laptop and tried to make himself known to the people standing around him, "Everyone! We need to get to the emergency bunkers as quickly as your able! I don't know who these cultists are, but messing around with reactors is only gonna end in disaster! Don't waste any time!" Shouting as loud as he could, Payne left his laptop and speaker behind him and began guiding people to shelter. He probably could've delivered his message in a less panic inducing way but, what's done is done. What's important is getting these people to safety.

"Over the next half hour, you will come to meet my associates. These individuals will see to a minimization of resistance to pursue a better Anthem. I encourage you to get to know them - they're good men and women, who want the best for you. And for those curious, perhaps this is your opportunity to see the potential you may hold within." The man smiled and walked away from the screen. After a moment, shadows could be seen swirling at the center, before a floating timer could be seen. The people would be allowed to watch the countdown to the event that would change the city forever. For those with a more inquisitive eye, once the man was off the screen, the logo for Amakusa Industries could be seen on some of the equipment in the background.

Out where the neighborhoods ended and the power plants and other facilities began, it could be seen that most places were rapidly evacuating for fear of what may be coming. There were two major power plants in this city, and being close to either one meant they were in the danger zone. The Amakusa Industries Power Plant, however, had no traffic. There were simply individuals positioned every few meters along the perimeter. They were broadcasting their message, so it seemed to make sense that they weren't particularly trying to hide.

Outside of her shop, Harthe would see as Payne was calling for people to run to the bunkers. A sharp whistle could be heard over all the screams and shouting, as a bald man with tattoos along his neck, wearing a black suit, could be seen approaching the people. "No," he said simply. Immediately figuring he was one of the Cambions, many began to flee in the opposite direction. This prompted him holding up a hand, which was immediately followed by the sound of rumbling earth as the asphalt twisted upward in the people's path, cutting them off.

Soile and Valo would see, as they were driving, a figure walking through the street, carrying, on their back, an ornate coffin. With no regard for oncoming traffic, they set the coffin down, and pulled out what looked to be a colorful porcelain mannequin. Humming to themself, they simply began to dance with it, twirling around on the open street. Amelie would see this exact scene as she was leaving the coffee shop, as well.

Haji and Addy would suddenly be in the dark, as their power went out - all but any devices still broadcasting the stream, that is. Any unattended electronics in the building would begin to hum and vibrate violently.