The Island to Various Rifts, Friday Through Sunday

[spin_kick_snap]

This is what happens when you stopped listening to the radio for the island; you were taken by surprise when you stepped on the island and saw that half of it looked like it belonged somewhere and somewhen else. Like, even moreso than usual.

Even with all the differences in the island, the first rift took Kathy by surprise as it opened up under her feet, too wide for her to bounce out. It reminded her a little too much of that column of light that had grabbed her to bring her to LA. Only this time it was down instead of up and when she looked around...

"Okay, I am not in Kansas anymore."

[For thems what are there with her.]

Comments

[magicinmyskin]

"There is no way you two come from the one place in America where there aren't feral bloodsuckers haunting the streets at night," Max said, eyes narrowing.

[rebelseekspizza]

Short pause.

Then Dante tilted his head.

"We're more of a 'demons running amock' kind of place," he said.

[magicinmyskin]

"...Demons?" Max repeated blankly.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You know, like...Reaver lords?" Kathy asked, using the phrasing that Max - that the other Max - always used.

The blank bafflement didn't change.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Things a lot meaner than bloodsuckers," Dante said, sliding out of his seat.

[magicinmyskin]

"Where are you going?" Max asked. "Not outside!"

[rebelseekspizza]

"You need to get home, right?" Dante said. "We'll help you."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy shot Dante a look of We will? but didn't gainsay him.

[magicinmyskin]

"Not when the sirens are going off," Max said, nodding to the preparations going on around them. Steel shutters were being lowered over windows, more lights were being turned on, people reached for weapons and clutched them tight.

"Eventually the Feral Taskforce will show up and take care of things. Or the sun will rise. One of those."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Look, man," Dante said, reaching to pull the sword from his back, "I got a little experience taking down things that go bump in the night, all right?"

[magicinmyskin]

"...You did not have that sword on you a second ago," Max said. Blinking.

[spin_kick_snap]

"He's a magician," Kathy declared, lips twitching. "It's like a rabbit. But pointier."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante rolled his shoulders. "Right," he said, casually walking past all those terrified people to the door. "Let's see how bad this is."

[magicinmyskin]

"Hey, wait," Max said, scrambling up after him. "You can't open the door! If there are ferals out there--!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Y'all can lock the door behind us," Kathy said, pulling out her materia-enhanced bokken, though hers came from her backpack. "Nothing is going to get by us inside, even if they're all hovering in the doorway."

It took a minute or so for the grate to be raised and the locks to be undone. Then the door opened onto...

Nothing.

The whole street was deserted, all the lights out save for ones over various building entrances. Those glowed purplish in the darkness.

"UV lights," Kathy noted.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I see it," Dante said, slamming the door shut behind him.

[magicinmyskin]

"Ferals don't like 'em," Max said, coming up behind them. "The more powerful ones just hate 'em, the littler ones are hurt by them."

Beat.

"...You know, I was perfectly willing to stay in the diner till this blew over."

[rebelseekspizza]

"... And yet, you followed," Dante noted.

[magicinmyskin]

"You said this was to walk me home!" Max said, voice a little shrill.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You wanna maybe not broadcast our location to anything out here tonight?" Kathy asked, exasperated.