[video, un: billy & un: clary] open to stars & moon

[driving]

- does this really go out to everyone? Okay. Anyways, hey, I'm Billy.

Sure does! ( Helpful, Clary! She turns to the video feed properly, giving a not-very-cool-at-all half wave. ) And I'm Clary. I know I've talked to some of you before, especially about the branded and what they're up to. And... there's seriously no good way to say this, but we have some updates on that.

They were involved in the attack last month, and probably the famine, too. At least, the monster that killed me had that same brand. [ And the whole 'it killed me' business is as good of a segue as any to the topic of Death itself. ]

I was brought back by Death. It told me that the branded had something to do with Temperance. Death used to have her soul, but it was stolen a few months ago.

Which is probably around when the branded started showing up during harvest. ( The takeover between them is smoother than it has any right to be; an easy back and forth as the information is shared. ) As some of you know, a few of us got blank tarot cards from a guy named Vuzor after he said 'balance comes for us all'. Well- ( Clary holds up her tarot card. Temperance is displayed across the front in all its glory with gold writing over it saying TEMPERANCE RETURNS. ) Temperance stands for balance, usually. Keeping it. Which is sort of the theme that the branded have been running with. ( As though needing another ominous piece, Clary turns the card around to the back where a countdown is happening. ) And now we might have a deadline.

Death says we need to prepare ourselves and from the sound of things, it was dead serious. [ Okay, he covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. He didn't mean to make a death pun, really. This is very important information. ] So we've got less than a month to get our shit together, find out what we can, and either try to stop this from happening or get ready to face something that makes everything else we've fought so far look easy.

So if you know anything, or find anything, you better cough it up. [ He stands with his fists clenched like he's about to steal everyone's lunch money, before he clears his throat and his stance relaxes a little. Maybe threats weren't the best way to go about this. He's still getting used to being nice. ] I mean, shit, this doesn't sound like something any of us can face on our own, so it'll be better if we work together.

( And Clary has to turn away from the screen to hide her dumb smile at the bad joke, gaining her composure back in time for Billy to finish. ) Which we've all been doing a lot already, so we should be getting pretty good at it! But like Billy said, if you know anything we haven't mentioned, or find anything out, please let everyone know.

( With that, Clary will reach forward in order to turn the video feed off. )

Comments

[driving]

Would destroying the shrine do anything?

[ He's not about to run out and destroy the shrine himself, because he doesn't know what consequences that'd have, but Neria seems to know a thing or two about them. ]

[unabatedly]

I...don't know. Likely not.

[ And honestly, Neria would fight him if he attempted to do so. It might not be in excellent repair but that doesn't mean that it should be completely destroyed. ]

However, I worry that if Temperance is revived that her followers will try to do something to it. Repair it, uproot it, I don't know.

[driving]

Then why not get rid of it before that can happen?

[ Billy has basically no concept of reverence or respect, sorry. ]

[unabatedly]

Because that, in itself, will create imbalance in the world and will likely contribute to Fellden's downfall. Temperance is a problem because she is being resurrected now and by a group that is dangerous enough to allow innocents to die in order to restore some twisted version of balance.

That isn't her fault.

[ Though it sounds like even Death wasn't very pleased with her, and Azrail certainly hadn't seemed impressed. ]

If she was being revived by a different group or under natural means, this likely wouldn't be as much of a problem.

[driving]

What if she agrees with this dangerous group? What if she's been willingly aiding them all along?

[unabatedly]

It wouldn't surprise me if she did. They seek balance, even if it's twisted up and bloody. But if I went along killing every god that was doing something I disagreed with, I'd be wandering around with a different moniker attached to my name.

[ And she also doesn't want to overtly say that she disagrees with anything, though the point remains the same. ]

[driving]

Yeah, but you'd be a total badass.

[ He smiles a shaky, half-hearted smile. He's trying to make the best of this, really. ]

...I don't want them to kill me again.

[unabatedly]

[ You know, she was totally going to be flattered by that until he went and SAID THAT, and now her heart hurts in her chest. ]

...I'll do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. I promise you.

[driving]

...Thanks.

[ He's not sure if he trusts anyone here, yet, but it's some reassurance at least. ]