[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

[colorofthesky]

There might not be much, but something is better than nothing. I just don't want to run into a situation like we did with the Arae and Spartae where we need specific types of weapons to do any damage but not know about it.

[ There's a beat, then- ]

Thanks? [ He thinks. ] I didn't have that much luck with a Wendigo when I ran into one, but I've fought summons before which are...sort of like demigods back home.

Gods are probably different here.

[pauldron]

If the intel's good. I'd rather fight blind than trust bad intel and make things worse.

[And when it comes to things like this, can any intel be trusted? But that's just her, having had the luck and the back-up to keep trying. He has a point. And fought summons, huh? So it's not just Noctis and her...another time.]

I don't think they'll be that different. This world shares a lot with others, so why not the gods? [Honest question.] If they're anything like the ones in my world, the fight'll be over before it starts once we've got an organized battle line.

[colorofthesky]

[ It's a hard call to make, which is why he appreciates these types of warnings but finds them frustrating at the same time. There's too many moving parts, and they don't know enough about this world. ]

I hope you're right about that.

[ He has his Doubts, but...well, they'll just have to see. There's a pause on his end, then- ]

I owe you a drink, don't I?

[pauldron]

[She does too, Fair. She really does.]

Yeah, you do. [And make it stiff. Buuuutt...] But it can wait until after this is over. Stay alive.

[Don't make her drag you back from Death's court to get that drink, man.]

[colorofthesky]

[ Why is life so much bullshit, always? He sighs. ]

Yeah...same to you.