obscurial event: town hall.

[mund]

WHO: Percival Graves
WHERE: Town Hall
WHEN: Half an hour after the first sighting / hearing of the Obscurus
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: Mentions of violence, abuse, hate, etc
STATUS: Something like a mingling -- feel free to post OTAs of your own. If you need Graves to respond, just put his name in the header / or in bold somewhere in your comment!

---

Graves has to get ahead of this; he must. The Obscurus that had raged across town is monstrous, magnificent; but it's twisted magic, dark beyond all comprehension, a parasite that had latched onto a young man who had no other recourse. Graves has never seen the likes of it in his life, but there will be plenty of time to ruminate on that later.

Right now, Graves' objectives are clear: keep a lynch mob from forming using whatever means necessary (in this case, with information -- MACUSA's not here to obliviate the entire lot of them), find Credence, and contain the damage. They can figure out contingencies later.

The fact that he should have seen this coming is not lost on him; as Director, he should have had more comprehensive measures in place -- no matter if no one has ever actually dealt with an Obscurus in written record in four hundred years. His own precautions and failsafes had not been enough, he had not anticipated a creature of nearly this much power, and with preliminary (incomplete) knowledge of the damage the Obscurus has caused, Graves holds this meeting.

It haunts him, the cries resounding within the wails of the thing. Credence's cries. He tries not to think about just why he's attacked him -- he knows exactly why, and the truth of it makes the bile rise in his throat, anger burning in his bones: all reactions that do not serve his objectives at this point in time.

He's healed himself somewhat, the bleeding from the gash in his forearm has stopped, wrapped up tight -- the dislocation fixed even if Graves still favors his right side almost imperceptibly. Nothing can be done for the cracked ribs but time, and after all, he's suffered through worse. And more importantly, Credence is in distress, lost out somewhere, and Graves knows he needs to keep the peace and protect him, to get him back before the parasite itself consumes him wholly. Newt (and perhaps Tina) are searching for him out there in the woods, and he's here, intent on dealing with whatever fallout may come their way.

He doesn't trust No-Majs, their violence and hatred bleeding deep and rampant in the centuries (then again, wizards are not much better), and despite altered circumstances within this village, he still does not trust most of them -- after all, fear is a powerful equalizer, it can turn even the most intelligent people into faceless, irrational mobs. And that had been why he had first sought out Stella and Peggy, enlisted their help. The centuries old law, the one thing that keeps them from war with the No-Majs, cannot apply here, it must not. He will Obliviate them all later if necessary, but Stella and Peggy have proven that they can be valuable partners, and with a common tie to Credence it's unlikely they would turn on him. He tells them what they need to know, withholds all that is irrelevant -- including the identities of the wizards amongst them.

His duty is to them, not to the No-Majs, and he will keep them safe however he can.

In a sea of unpredictable variables Graves makes the best decision possible; he alerts Queenie as well, even as he prepares to address the people. Graves looks a little worse for wear, which is an improvement from earlier in the evening, all things considered -- and while the squirrel on his shoulder is a deviation from the norm, the little creature is at least peaceable, settled.

"What happened out there is not a natural disaster." He says, getting right to the point without pomp or greeting. "The force that destroyed the schoolhouse is a part of Credence, and he is as much a victim to it as you are. That force is called an Obscurus, a parasite that latches itself onto a child who has -- special gifts, but who have been forced to repress and hide away those gifts out of shame and fear. An Obscurus is created through violence and pain -- by being constantly bullied or abused. Credence is an Obscurial."

Best to give them as much context as necessary but hold off on the details. Graves' words are crisp, almost impersonal, but the magic that gathers, crackles just under his skin is present and strong, detected only by fellow folk born to magic itself -- his failsafe: if anyone goes after Credence with the intent to hurt him, if the worst happens and the village turns on Credence, he will do what it takes to shield him from it. As Director, he has never shied from difficult decisions; he doesn't intend to make exceptions now.

"What you may have seen is an extreme. Some of you may have noticed that Credence has not been himself lately. When Obscurials reach their emotional and mental breaking points, they lose control, and it triggers a physical transformation into an Obscurus.

"This was what happened, and the causes of which are currently under investigation." The lie is effortless and undetectable. After all, he has spent his whole life professionally dealing in secrets and lies.

His words are calm, as he looks at each and every one present. Even now, he quietly guards Credence's shame, his past, giving only what is necessary. "The cries you may have heard within that cloud was him, and we are searching for him at the moment. We intend to put a stop to the destruction, retrieve him and help him, as well as to ensure that this does not happen again." He pauses. "I understand that you may be afraid, or have concerns. I am here to reassure you that we have the situation under control, and to address these concerns."

A beat, and Graves considers the crowd, silently warring with his own instincts when he realizes that at this point he has very little left to lose. "Credence Barebone is not a monster. And for those of you who know him, he is still a friend to you. He is someone who needs help. "

Comments

[ottimismo]

"We can't go into it recklessly," Sonny reminds, though he certainly understands. If it were one of his sisters out there, one of his close friends, he doesn't think he'd have the patience to do anything other than charge in head first. But the forest has been known to change, and there's no telling what's out there other than Credence.

A torch might read like some fire-and-pitchforks witch hunt, which is something Sonny hadn't exactly thought about. Dealing with victims of abuse and trauma is his forte, but the finer parts of this particular situation are ones he's entirely unused to.

"Without light, he'll only see shadows looming in the dark," he reasons. "It'll only take a second to grab one on our way out."

[3ofswords]

"I can go into it however I please," he says evenly, though he's not racing into the woods with his first steps, and he's aware of the sense in their words. Aware that he's bristling for all the wrong reasons, at the wrong people--but he has one hand on the cards Credence gave him and the other hanging at his side, and in it he can feel the ghost of Ren's clammy wrists, bruises blooming at his joints and mapping out his bones under the skin.

He can't drag another body home. He can't do it, with no Casey to pull him away from the grave and no Credence to ask him about stars instead of acknowledging the tears on his face in the slightest.

"Just be quick about it, please," he tells Sam, sparing a moment to meet his gaze, to show that he is waiting for them, despite it all. "I'm not trying to be stupid," he says to them both, "It's just--I don't care anymore. I don't care if he kills sixteen people and injures thirty more, I'm not losing him."

[notabirdcostume]

Sam knows better than to keep Kira waiting. He just nods and slips ahead to get into the cabin and find what he needs. "Be back shortly."

He understands where Kira must be coming from, he'd encountered people far more "bristly" than Kira was being, but he knew it would be in their best interests if they at least tried to keep Kira in some form of check. He was too close to this, just as Steve had been with Bucky and sometimes Sam found himself wishing he'd spoken up more to reel his friend back in. But, you couldn't wish your life different and so Sam tried to make sure he had as few things to regret as possible.

It doesn't take him long to get what he needs. He's done his best to keep things in the same places for emergencies like this--quick grab and go seemed like it would pay off when he'd stashed some of the supplies around the house and this situation is proving that his call had been a correct one.

He comes back out with the light, it illuminates a lot and makes the cabin seem even stranger than usual. The shadows stretch around them just as Kira and Sonny had discussed. "I'll keep it pointed towards the ground -- that should help. I also found these," he tosses a glow stick towards Kira. "I don't want to use more than one," he says, directing the apology at Sonny. He then looks back to Kira, "But it seemed like it might be good to have a back up source of light."

His attention turns to the woods and he directs the light that way, "Shall we?"

[ottimismo]

"I know," Sonny says. "We're gonna find him, okay? And then we're not gonna let anything happen to him. No matter what." It could be construed as an empty promise, one that Olivia would chastise him for if he were at home, but there's conviction in his voice, and more than enough determination to back it up. There's nothing empty about it, because Sonny's going to do everything in his power to keep Credence safe, even if that means physically placing himself between the younger boy and whoever might want to hurt him.

He begins to walk, trailing behind Sam's slower pace as the other man slips ahead to get some supplies. It's making progress even as Sam's gone, just to placate Kira's nerves a little. They don't make it further than the cabin before their companion is back with lights, dismissing the apology with a wave of his hand. He understands.

"Let's go," he says, and he's more than happy to begin leading the charge towards the woods, despite not being one of the two with any sort of light source. A grid search would be the most logical way to go, but they don't have a map and they don't have a large group of people looking. Wandering aimlessly through the woods with a flashlight calling Credence's name sounds like a very poor way of executing this, but it's not like they have any other options. And it's certainly not enough to make Sonny back off.

[3ofswords]

Beyond his own breaking point, Kira's preference for going into the trees alone was as much to do with his own methods for navigating. His hands hesitate on the cards in his pocket, in the presence of two possible naysayers. He could ask the direction to go, and they could look at him like he's crazy, argue against tactics without concrete results. Sonny believes in God but not this kind of miracle; Sam he doesn't know much beyond the man's ever-willingness to help.

But he is helping: Kira holds the stick in his other hand, uncracked, and glances between his taller companions. "I won't use it if we don't have to," he promises, moving it to the other back pocket of his jeans.

When both hands return, one is holding a card: if they don't like it, they can fuck off, or they can follow him around under the pretense that he's a lunatic they have to keep safe from himself. At this point, he doesn't care. Tipping it to the light, he makes out a spade. Glancing back at the hall to orient himself, he points to the north. "We need to go that way."

[notabirdcostume]

A year in a mysterious, unidentifiable canyon, a few years spent with the Avengers, and Sam had learned that there was plenty of weird things that happened every day that he would never understand. He'd learned to accept it, to roll with it, and to protect his friends as best he could. It was harder when you were facing forces that could probably wipe you off the face of the earth as soon as look at you, but Sam managed as best he could.

So when Kira pulls out a card, holds it to the light, and then declares they should head in a northerly direction Sam doesn't question it. He raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't argue. Might as well see what Kira thinks is going to work, right? Kira doesn't strike him as the type to pull a joke and lead them in circles -- not where Credence is concerned. Sam's trusted his gut this far and it hasn't steered him too wrong.

"I just hope the woods cooperate tonight. I really don't want us getting lost on top of it," he muttered, glancing up at the trees accusingly. It had happened before, so he hoped it wouldn't decide to rearrange itself tonight of all nights.

[ottimismo]

Sonny, unfortunately, is still gathering his feet under him when it comes to all the weird stuff that's presented itself to him since arriving in the village. He's met people from different time periods, and has witnessed two different people create fire and ice out of nothing. This is an odd place, and he's trying to roll with the punches. But Kira pulls out his deck of cards, declares which way they need to go, and Sonny can't help his frown.

"You got that from a deck of cards?" he asks, and he can't help the faint skepticism in his voice. He does, however, follow Kira without further ado, deciding to put his faith and trust in the other man, as he's so wont to do.

He glances at the trees, then further up at the sky, praying silently for some good luck, and God's strength and courage to grace them as they go on this mission.

[3ofswords]

"Most people don't like it when I start proving myself with these things," Kira warns, letting Sam walk ahead in the intended direction with Sonny behind. He doesn't think either of them would let him trail behind, wouldn't be too watchful of him trying to slip away from back there. "Besides, the magnets you'd prefer to listen to won't help us find a person."

A mournful sound cuts across the canopy, from a distance Kira can't measure up ahead, and he comes up to Sam's side, mindful of the light showing the ground under their feet and the truth of his concerns.

"I've never gotten lost in here before," he promises. "Cards don't care where the landmarks are, they just know the destination."

[notabirdcostume]

"It can't hurt," Sam adds. Now isn't the time to get into an argument about it. While there hasn't been an attack from the woods since those weird bugs, Sam would rather not risk things. The woods have proven time and again to be a dangerous place to venture alone--but at least now there are three of them. True, one of them is technically injured, but Sam isn't going to let that stop him now. He'll take the verbal lashing from Peggy later.

When the sound drifts through the trees Sam stops for a moment, trying to get his barrings. He frowns, shaking his head. The sound is just being bounced off the trees, making it pretty difficult to pin point a source, "That's reassuring...'cause this place has a way of messing with your head if you're not careful. We nearly lost Miss Kate out here once...even some of the dogs people had couldn't sniff her out."