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[lefthandedsidhe.livejournal.com]

((After much consideration, I have chosen to post the forthcoming Academy log here where you can all see it. It's some interesting and important plot stuff, and I think it's time you got a look at some of the inner workings of the Academy. We won't be revealing the whole of our plans here, but some of the steps towards them may finally be revealed. And at the end of this log, there will be some consequences that effect everyone, so you're warned.

Academy members, as I mentioned on the other comm, we're going to try and keep this log moving, so if too much time passes, you will be skipped.

One last note, Maleficent is recruiting. If there is anyone who thinks it might be entertaining to play an Academy member, get in touch with me, and arrangements will be made.))

When: The appointed time
Where: A cavern deep beneath the earth, location undisclosed
What: A meeting that will change the fate of the Academy
Who: Maleficent, Tinuvial, Awiergen, Hex

The space had been arranged very specifically for Maleficent's needs. There was a table at the center of the room, upon which rested the Cornerstone of Darkness. Shadows seemed to crawl upon its surface, such that what little light filled the cavern seemed to be devoured by it. Only a faint green illumination remained, scarcely enough for the Academy members' face to be visible. In front of it, four black stones the size of a fist rested, each every bit as black as the Cornerstone itself.

Maleficent stood behind it, her pale hands resting gently on the table, her expression enigmatic. "So, you have all chosen to join me tonight."

Comments

[lefthandedsidhe.livejournal.com]

Maleficent studied the other two Academy members. She looked at Tinuviel first, pursed her lips slightly, then turned her attention to Awiergen. "You may have brought your stone in safely, Aweirgen, but you have several failings. It was you who first drew the attention of the refugees during a time when we were intending to lie low. And you have repeatedly risked the goals of the Academy and my displeasure to pursue your own interests."

She paused, then went on. "I have decided to show you mercy on a condition. I will not sacrifice your heart to the cause . . . provided your foreswear any further contact with the child. He destroys your focus. Leave him to your other self. Should we decide in the future that he will be of use, one of your sisters in the Academy will deal with him."

Your daily squick, delivered courtesy of a Witch

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

Ouch. 'What's precious to one, is dear to the other'. She's been given a good offer, but still, I wonder if Awiergan can really say that she'll honestly give up the kid?

Well, given that we're all a bunch of liars and decievers here, I suppose she could just say she's not going to interact with the kid anymore. However, she's living with him. It'd be one thing if she was performing operations in a different area, but I just can't see her passing up the chance to look after the kid she sees to be hers as much as her other does.

Hex's hand flexed. Hmm, still pea sized, but stabilizing. Hold it, and four, five, six and it's gone. Seven seconds materialized. Well, it's better than nothing.

Now, if Awiergan takes the deal, and I think she will, even if she probably won't hold to her word, that just leaves Tinuvial. Which is actually the more disturbing option, actually. That poor little- is it a fetus at this stage of development, or is there another name? I don't know. Well, I really don't think that this is just going to hit Tinuvial. These people are opposite sides of the some one else's coin. And, since the kid's incubating, again probably the wrong word but I don't care, in both of them, well, this doesn't end well for the kid. Best case scenario, Song and Tin get split in two, and the kid stays in Song's belly. Worst case scenario, Tin does the Black Mamba with Song, she gets pulled under, and the squirt gestates inside of a Heartless. I have no idea how that'd work, other than the kid probably having his/her Heart devoured once it exists properly.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

At first, Tinuv didn't fully register the danger she was in now. When Maleficent offered to spare Awiergan, she thought perhaps she'd been right about a back-up option. It took a few seconds for her to backtrack and consider that she was the option. It seemed so unlikely... She couldn't guess what she'd done to deserve this, compared to the others. Was it simply that she was the one most at risk of being conquered by her Other? If that did happen, the confidence would no doubt drive the Refugees on to destroy the rest of the Academy... Could that be it?

She was not afraid only because she couldn't be, but she certainly felt betrayed. Still she didn't speak, watching Maleficent warily, and waiting.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

Like hell the others will touch him- and she almost opened her mouth to say so. But- What was more important here, her survival or some brat she didn't need weighing her down anyway?

"Thank you for your mercy, Mistress. I swear to leave the child be." Awiergan bowed her head, mind already turning to Tinuvial's position. A small smile graced her lips for an instant, then vanished.

[lefthandedsidhe.livejournal.com]

Maleficent arched an eyebrow. She wondered how long the promise would hold. Not that it mattered. What mattered what that Awiergen stopped letting the child prove a distraction. So long as that ceased what she did or did not do did not matter.

"Tinuviel . . . your failure was certainly spectacular. You revealed the nature of the Academy to the refugees and you didn't even manage to kill the healer." Maleficent's gaze was cool. "I am quite displeased with you." She drew a black-leather-covered book from her sleeve and held it out to her apprentice. "These are your orders. I expect the rest of you to obey her in carrying out our directive."

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

Talk about mixed messages.
Tinuviel accepted the book on reflex before she fully understood what Maleficent was implying. Even when she'd gone over the words in her head, it made no sense - not in that she didn't understand, but in that she simply couldn't belief it. Obey her? Well, she couldn't deny having certain... ambitions regarding the Academy, but to put her charge so suddenly, even if it was only in charge of one mission (or whatever was written inside the book)... There was no way she could have predicted this.

"Mistress..." she spoke demurely, "what about the sacrifice?"

[lefthandedsidhe.livejournal.com]

Maleficent gave the Academy members a small, secret smile. She lifted the first of the dark stones in her hand. "Primus," she whispered. The stone dissolved into pure darkness. With a short breath of air, Maleficent blew it towards the Cornerstone of Darkness, and the small darkness was absorbed into the greater.

"Secondus." She did the same with the second stone.

"Tertius."

"Quartus."

Maleficent met Tinuviel's gaze again. "Obey my commands, and I will be with you again soon." With a smlight gesture of her hand, Maleficent drew an orb of power from within herself. It was black laced through with an unhealthy green glow. "Quintus."

Maleficent's heart merged with the Cornerstone of Darkness. Even the faint green illumination that had lit the cavern vanished. The earth around them shook in response to the dread magic that had just occurred, vibrations rippling outward across the worlds.

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

Hex wasn't one to be easily surprised.

However, there are certain exceptions to every rule.

"Well, that was was... unexpected." She said. It practicaly echoed in the silence.

As usual, Maleficent proves to be on a whole other level than me.

Forcibly removing one's own Heart? Even with a pre-planned ressurection, that was a bit further than she was willing to go.

"So, no time like the present. The Black Queen's been sacrificed. If we don't follow through, we're not even going to be able to get a Check."Chess termsWell,considering who leads us, it's not a bad example. The fact that Hex was just as curious about what was in that book as anyone else in the room was not the driving force behind her desire to get started.

Although it was certainly a contributing one.

"So, what's in the new playbook?"

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

"Yes, what is in the book?"

There was a snap of fingers and the space by Awiergan's face lit with an orange flame. While she appeared collected, inside she was seething. That brat? Really? She'd be lying if she didn't admit having ambitions of her own, but that sucking up little-

Letting out a small sigh, she moved closer to the other two. At least with Maleficent gone she could still see Eli. Oh, she'd be careful at it; didn't need their wondrous new leader tattling when Maleficent came back.

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

In a manner of something near reluctance, Tinuviel peered into the book, hiding its pages from the others' view. Rightly so, as the first instruction she read was to do just that.

"... We're to find and destroy her Nobody," she said. "Maleficent's," as if it wasn't clear. "Her heart has already been sacrificed, so freeing the other half will bring her back to us." She eyed Awiergan pointedly, well aware of their rivalry and how this all must irritate her.

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

"... Our boss doesn't do easy orders, does she?"

Finding the damn Nobody is going to be a hassle in and of itself. If she decides to put up a fight, well, I may be shit out of luck. I don't have any combat magic worth a damn right now.

She let out a long breath, before putting on a cheery smile.

Ah crap, they're giving each other the Angry Eyes again.

"Well, at least it's simple." Let's try distracting them with work, and hoping that they're willing to wait until it's wrapped up before the spell slinging starts. "Any ideas where to start looking?"

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

"How about castles belonging to other people?"

It was a snarky answer and Awiergan knew it, but at the moment she didn't feel all that inclined to help Tinuviel.

If you don't, it's gonna come back to bite you in the ass, which bites me in the ass. Which means-

"Oh all right." She hissed angrily. What was she doing listening in anyway? She thought she'd taken care of that, at least for tonight. She was going to have to wipe her memory of this little event when it was over.

"Maybe her Nobody would end up back in Enchanted Dominion?"

[malumsomnium.livejournal.com]

She looked at them both, thoughtfully.
"That is a possibility, Awiergan." The acknowledgment was made with no sign of spite. "Another one is that Margaret's personality will be dominant. If that happens, there's a good chance she'll approach the Refugees. That would actually be the easiest way to find her..."
She held the book shut and ran a hand over its cover, almost reverently.
"Hex, since your movements are not as restricted, I'll want you to do the majority of searching worlds like the Enchanted Dominion and Mirror Earth. Awiergan, we shall arrange a system that will be most manageable for us without distressing the Refugees to the point of interference."