this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Good, good. He managed to keep his identity a secret from the teens. For some reason, his testimony seemed like he just got that from some of his experiences when he was younger, but Emery decided not to question that. What's important is that the kids believed him and let him go. The mission would continue on like normal.
[break][break]Their leader, Maple, instructed some of the kids and snapped at Aiden, but gave him an assigned job, anyway. Seemed like they were on the same team here. Maple and the teens then led them to a three-story house not far from where they were at a while ago.
[break][break]As Maple instructed the other teens, jumping through the fence and breaking into the house through the back door, the blonde woman watched with slightly wide eyes as realization comes to mind, but she brushes it off for now. The gang leader gives them one last pat on the back before disappearing, assigning another girl to keep watch over them.
[break][break]Aiden then tells her to play along with them for a while, and Emery nods, but frowns and looks at the girl through the corner of the eye. "Yeah, sure, but how are we gonna get rid of her?" She whispers, cupping her hand for the girl not to read her lips. "We can't be here all night. We gotta expose them somehow."
[break][break]Because man, if they had to spend the entire night with these weirdo teenagers, then all hell would possibly break lose with the Knights.
Aiden only shrugged in response, eyes drifting from the house to their companions and then back to Emery. “Well, I was thinking we didn’t have to do anything. McKenna will be able to find backup, and I’ll be able to relay our location. We just have to stick around.” He murmured turning his head and speaking as he looked fully back at the tree. He heard the distant crash of glass and everyone nearby seemed to freeze. After a few moments, their guard shuffled to the side houses, staying alert to see if anyone had heard it, but it seemed like lights were off on both neighbors. With enough time, the door to the back of their target home was closed, and the only a couple of people returned. The rest probably still keeping watch.
“Can we go in yet?” Aiden asked, enough time had passed that he’d slid down to the ground to take a seat, much like the girl standing out with them. She eyed him before he continued quickly, pitching up his voice again. “Its just- I’m thirsty.” he explained. Over the course of the 20 or so minutes they’d been waiting around, he’d been asked about his cousin. But he’d declared- lied- that he hadn’t seen them during the small bonfire meet. They seemed to look at him like a child, maybe not 11. But definitely younger based on his height, a fact he hated to be reminded of, and his soft features, puberty still hadn’t sharpened those out.
The girl, a brunette with green eyes, seemed nice enough. Before she could reply, someone opened the back door of the house and he say her perk up before returning a hand signal. “We can go in now.” She whispered grinning at both Aiden and Emery. McKenna didn’t feel any closer to coming around. It seemed she was still waiting. Maybe pacing. After all there was a limit to their extension. If any guard came by she would be forced to stay put until they return so she could lead them back. He looked at Emery before following. Letting the other girl take lead he fell in step with her, hands in his pockets. “If they show up, I’m hiding. Get a good look at anyone here.” He said as he scratched his head to hide their scheming.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Aiden seems to be getting a gist of the situation, and Emery trusts him completely. It seems to be a more plausible solution; Emery could not see his McKenna familiar anywhere but she's sure the gazelle is here somewhere... of course, she might be in hiding to cover any suspicion. Perhaps Rogue could accompany her to get back-up-- but the mere thought of it is suddenly met with the cat hitting her in the head internally. Of course he is not going to agree with that.
[break][break]So she nods to Aiden, finding her words escaping her as she does not have any more to say. Instead, she looks around the area where they are waiting and takes a moment to observe; the other teens are keeping watch in the backyard of the house, and of course the teen keeping an eye on them is still there. She seems kind enough, but she is sure the kid won't give her any chances of making a break for it.
[break][break]Aiden complains about going in with the squeaky, childish voice he set on display earlier on, even making up the excuse that he is thirsty. Emery almost wants to chuckle at how cute he sounds, but that is not how to please your superior. The kids turn to look at them but they remain unfazed, and Emery could not help but twitch her mouth in distaste and impatience; she isn't exactly too fond of waiting around in an area like this. It would only cause delays to the mission, and they have but very little time.
[break][break]Finally, she sees the girl perk up from the fence and send back some hand signals, before announcing that they could come in now. Emery could almost sigh in relief. For one, the area is starting to get unsettling, with no people walking around. It's just her, Aiden, and the teens walking around and scavenging the empty house. Her suspicions are starting to become louder in her head every second she spends time with these kids, but she silences the voice in her head for just one more time.
[break][break]As they head into the house, their guard on tow grinning back at them, she hears Aiden's statements, and instantly nods as she understands the plan. Emery puts her hands in her pockets to avoid suspicion. The girl doesn't seem to be paying attention to them, so she walks with a faster pace until she is just a little beside Aiden. "I'll go talk to her a bit while you run for it," She whispers, then leaving Aiden to his own devices.
[break][break]Once they arrive at the main hall, where Maple and her squad are patrolling, she walks up to the girl with a sheepish smile gracing her features. "Okay, so, I'm a little confused..." She begins, scratching the back of her neck, as if confused. "What exactly are we doing here? I mean, assuming we're doing something else and not what I am thinking..."
Hey kimmy!! I'm so so very sorry for this late reply! ;o; also I think we talked about the burglars being more than just burglars...? So far this is the little idea that I had but if you also have something to add, then that would be more than fine too!
He felt himself about to question his comrade, but then decided against it if only to avoid suspicion and the fact that his connection to McKenna is tugged on. She whispered that she had found some knights and they are organizing a little bit of a backup. A second patrol. There were maybe 14 or 15 teens here. 6 or 7 knights wasn’t going to be a problem. Especially if they were surrounding the entire property. He supposed he could run then.
As they enter, he veered towards the kitchen, probably where the broken glass came from. There’s something dark brown on the floor and it smells as it reaches his nostrils. Glass has been kicked to the side and most of the liquid cleaned up, if only to keep each other from slipping. No one stops him as he grabs himself a glass of water. That itself wasn’t really a lie. Hydration was key after all. He started making a mental list of all the things that might’ve been taken or vandalized by the teens, though he assumed the point was to do as little damage as possible and take as much as they could.
Maple turned to Emery, scowling slightly as she spoke up. She looked at her close friends but none of them seemed to recognize her. “What exactly do you think we’re doing?” She said sarcastically,keeping her eyes on the newcomer. There was a couple of murmurs within the group while other teens dug through the house in search of valuables to dump into their bag of holdings. “It’s pretty obvious we’re taking the old hag’s booze!” another one, slightly buzzed piped up only to wither in sight of Maple’s glare. “If you didn't know what was going on then maybe you shouldn’t have gotten involved.” Another added semi-sympathetically. This wasn’t exactly the first time someone had ended up not knowing what they were doing.
Aiden sipped his glass quietly, staying mostly out of the way of the ‘big kids’ as they came by to steal napkins or cookies laying around in the cabinets. He listened for McKenna who was relaying her location. They were mobilizing, with a small group of knights quietly going one way and the other another as she led them quickly through the streets. He nodded, setting down his glass on the counter and moving through the dark kitchen and through the house. It seemed like those who had been outside were moving slowly in and taking post by the windows. He felt bad, but she had told him to start making a break for it. He doubted anyone was keeping track of him or even watching him. He was a ‘kid’ after all. With that in mind, he kept to the shadows trying to find another door back outside. He slipped past the kitchen and down and empty hall past ransacked rooms before locating a side door that led to a different part of the woman’s garden. The door didn’t creak, thankfully, and he moved outside.
No teens here. He leaned on the door looking at the dark bushes while his hand quietly slipped into his bag of holding and he pulled out the beginning of a Strangle Scarf. It seemed to wriggle to life in his grasps and he placed it gently on the door handle. With a little coaxing he got it wrap about the handle and something else before pulling taught. One door down. Time to start finding a way out. Hopefully Emery would be too.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
She does not see Aiden anywhere; probably in the kitchen, promising himself the glass of water to quench his thirst as an excuse from earlier. Emery looks around and knows immediately that she should be out of here soon, and thinks to herself: Cover for Aiden. Distract them for a little while. Scram once their focus is not on her. Wait for reinforcements. Report the situation to Aiden. Emery supposes it shouldn't be too bad to stay behind and watch the teens go about their errands for a possible pattern.
[break][break]From all that thinking, however, she almost forgets about the girl whom she had just asked what is possibly the most silliest question for them. She wants to laugh at the face she makes, mouth agape and eyes wide as if in disbelief, but she holds herself. The last thing she wants to do is piss of a bunch of teenagers and raise their suspicions... or just be kicked out of the house. Which is... acceptable for an easy escape.
[break][break]The girl doesn't answer, but she and Emery look up to Maple who responds for her. She notes with distaste the sarcasm in her voice, but then again, knowing her a little, Emery should have expected that. Statements from the others reach her ears, and her only response to each of them is to stare silently but manage a small nod. That last statement, of not getting involved... that doesn't seem possible, sadly. Involvement in their shady activities is one thing. Involvement in shining light to these activities with her comrade is another.
[break][break]But she keeps up the charade and flashes an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... I'm that much big of an idiot, you know? Sorry." If one of them is bound to call her an idiot right then and there she really wouldn't mind. She's been called that when she was younger even though she is far from being one. "And hey, it's my first time in this sort of thing. Shouldn't be a problem to ask, no?"
[break][break]In the corner of her mind Rogue is flicking his tail, irritated. Emery, what do we do? He snarls, ready to materialize from the air and fight these children. You can't just stand around here and talk. We gotta do something more to lower their guard, at least.
[break][break]...Well... if you can manage to run around and cause a ruckus, then that would be more than fine.
[break][break]Alright then. That's making me put all the work and effort, and it's probably gonna piss of both these children and the owner of the house, but anything that can help.
[break][break]And so Rogue materializes out of thin air, creeping into the shadows. He meows at first, loudly, watching with golden eyes as he walks slowly. The residence probably doesn't have any pets, or the owner left with them. No animals were heard after they'd walked in here, so for Emery, it's safe to assume that.
“Idiot is an understatement.” Maple huffed, crossing her arms and still irritated. First someone’s little brat brother, and now this. “Nosy’s more like it.” A boy piped up from the sofa, as he reorganized some of the possessions in his backpack. Many of the teens agreed, some shaking their heads other waving their hands at her to get lost. Maple seemed to be thinking of something. “Shouldn’t even be here in the first place.” She added a bit afterwards. There’s a small ruckus in the house as someone shrieked before cutting themselves off. Before they even arrive, Maple’s already signaling her allies with a nod of her head and they start scrambling as quietly as they can pocketing knickknacks and grabbing their loot. “Thought I saw a fuckin’ cat-” Came in a taller, lankier boy, hurriedly. “Who let it in?” piped up a blonde moving over to calm him down.
A couple of over teens scattered, one going up stairs and hiss yelling at those on the upper floors to start packing it up. Another girl goes through a hallway to motion at others to pay better attention. They’d made a lot of noise in the past few minutes. “I thought you said the place had been empty.” Maple asked staring at the other boy, tensing though not out of fear but simmering anger. As the teens discussed quickly, with soft but emotional voices the focus seemed to shift off of Emery for now.
Aiden’s been quiet, despite the ruckus in the house he shifts around the outside, blocking doors. He doubted they’d run out of windows, that’d make too much of a scene. McKenna is close, and he knows Knights are taking positions at the ready. A couple around the perimeter, and most waiting to ambush a trail of kids scattering out the door they had come through since it would lead back into the forest. He’s unnoticed for the most part, with most of the focus inside but nevertheless he sticks to the bushes to hide himself like a child would. He wished he had something to signal Emery with, but she could probably get the gist he was gone right? ‘McKenna, blast a concussion wave when you get closer to the house. We can route them ou-’ and before he can even finish saying that, he heard the loud CRACK! Of the blast from further down the street.
Everyone in the house is alerted suddenly. Petty squabbling ceased and they look at each other. “A storm?” one said quietly. “Magic.” Said another. The skies had been dark, but rain hadn’t been in the forecast. Without a word a stream of teenagers began moving quickly, but swiftly towards the exits. Other eyes snapped to the lanky boy that had seen the cat and a few raced off to find and beat the ever living daylights out of it. Truly chaotic and confusing, especially to poor Maple who hadn’t anticipated such strange circumstances.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Insults come from one mouth to the other, let downs and discouragements that might be enough for an average recruit to cry and feel much less important than they should be. But Emery remains unfazed and lets the insults pass through her other ear. They mean nothing to her, frankly; and she is not here to join a group of teenage burglars, but she is here to assist in exposing them to the Helios Knights. And so she just stares at the group of kids, who are still busy taunting her.
[break][break]But then a meowing sound can be heard from the hall. One of the teens seems to have gotten a panic attack from that, even approached by a girl to calm him down. Emery keeps a blank face, but inside she is smirking, Rogue joining her. Her familiar is currently in the halls, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness; if she didn't want to have to blow her cover, she would have revealed that it was indeed her cat.
[break][break]Emery does not tell any of the teens about this, however. Instead, she just watches as the whole mansion is suddenly erupted into chaos, and all attention has been diverted from her, even the leader's. Taking this chance, she slips out of the light and walks back into the darkness, walking towards the door where she had entered the house. With Rogue keeping everyone busy, she opens the door carefully and, looking back one last time, she slips out, finally outside of the mansion.
[break][break]From inside she could still hear the ruckus of the children, furthermore intensified after what sort of sounded like a signal sound. She could only guess Aiden to be of the cause, or McKenna perhaps. Walking into the fog so she could hide even if just for a while, Rogue materializes on her shoulder with a large grin on his face. Emery smiles back at him, nodding.
[break][break]"Well?" She begins, ruffling the feline's hair. "Had fun?"
[break][break]I needed more, but that was enough for now, He responds, earning a roll of the eyes from Emery. Alright. Now what do we do next?
[break][break]"Next..." She whispers, scanning the area for a particular red-head. "We search for Aiden. He must be here somewhere."
The operation is effectively stopped as teenagers are met with a barrier of knights, each more skilled than any kid hanging out here. But they do not intend to fight, simply run, scatter. Their codes are already in place they need to escape now. Aiden doesn’t really move, instead swapping himself with his familiar who promptly goes back to the astral. He can see from afar knights dispatching runaways as quickly and quietly as possible. Some scream, enraged at being caught, others seems to slip through their fingers. Aiden doesn’t really care watching knights form the patrols move away to give chase. Instead he circled around, eyes out for Emery.
He spotted the older blonde and waved at her, looking pretty relaxed despite the chaos at the scene. “Hey, let’s go-” he said as he felt a hand on his should and was forced to look up at a stern looking knight. There’s the beginning of a spiel he’s is all too familiar with and he smacked the hand away snarling as McKenna appeared before him to put space between the felon knight and her witch. “I brought you, jackass now fuck off.” He said harshly, too tired to even think about treating that situation with tact. There’s hesitation and he flashed his crest before the witch backed off.
Turning back to Emery he huffed, still visibly upset, “I’m going back for the report. You should hurry up.” He explained curtly, before turning on his heels and moving back to the street. He wasn’t going to stay here a minute longer if he could help it.