(Busy, busy busy. Quarter's about to start up again.)

Lucci: "I can and I will, Crowley. You're a wanted man. You killed people in Shacklestone, you've killed royal guards here. What, did you think we'd all just forget and welcome you with open arms?"

{Dianne sighs, taking a drink before starting.}

Dianne: "Ol' mum and dad....Where to start with those two...Well, they were very...indifferent. They raised me in my infant years, but ditched me the moment I wasn't cute anymore. They said it was the responsibility of an adolescent dragon to grow up alone and fend for themselves, as a 'right of passage'. And then I never saw them again...Pair of bast.ards..."

(Hello! And aww that sucks, being busy all the time is no fun. :()

'Who even cares? I didn't kill anyone important,' said Crowley, getting aggravated. 'Besides, you guys have killed people too. The vampire dude, and the creepy necromancer woman, and the guy with the hat, they've all killed people. I've seen them. So why is it so bad that /I've/ killed people?'

Armin drank his wine while he listened to Dianne talk. The glass was empty by the time she finished, and he went to pour himself another one. 'Huh... that sounds rough. I don't understand parents who do things like that to their children. Was that the normal way for dragons to raise kids back then? Did they all do it?'

Lucci: “I care. Their families care. My people killed mass murderers to save this city. You killed innocent people who just wanted a peaceful existence. You are nothing like them.”

Dianne: “Yeah, that was normal back then...doesn’t make it right though.”

{Dianne subsides into silence, sipping her drink, seemingly contemplating.”

Crowley's jaws twisted into a sneer. 'Dam.n, you're like the most annoying person I've ever met. You need to /chill,/ dude. Sure, I killed a few people, but it was all in the past. I won't be killing anyone tonight. But go ahead and call my mum if you want.' He grinned nastily. 'She's not gonna do anything.'

Lucci: “For your sake, I hope that’s not true.”

{Lucci dials Whitney’s number and awaits a reply.}

Armin let the silence hang for a while, sipping his own drink. Eventually, influenced by the alcohol, he found himself starting to ramble about his own family.

'My parents were... pretty normal. A bit odd, maybe. They got divorced when I was really young, but they stayed close friends. I lived in a house with my mum, while my dad owned a farm just down the road.' He smiled in fond memory. 'I used to walk down to the farm almost every day to help him with the animals and stuff. He was a good guy. They were both good people, I guess, but I was closer to him.'

It took several rings before Whitney answered. When she did, she sounded distracted.

'Lucci? What's going on? Is this something to do with Crowley?'

Lucci: “Hello, Whitney. Yes, Lucci is back here in Sovereign City. He is attempting to crash a holiday party, murder people, and steal the liquor.”

{Dianne looks over at Armin and smiles.}
Dianne: “That actually sounds nice. To have parents who actually care about you. I take it you know a thing or two about caring for livestock?”

'I am NOT trying to murder anyone!' Crowley exclaimed, loud enough for Whitney to hear him through the phone. 'I just wanna have some fun! I'm the life and soul of the party! It'll be cr.ap without me!'

Whitney let out an audible sigh. 'I'm really sorry, Lucci, but now isn't a great time. We're right in the middle of our own holiday celebrations, and none of us want to go traipsing across the country to pick up Crowley again tonight.'

Armin shrugged. 'Yeah. But I wasn't interested in becoming a farmer myself, so I didn't learn everything. I mostly helped him with feeding the animals and harvesting crops.' He thought for a moment. 'He had a few small ponies on the farm, too. One summer, I remember asking him to teach me how to ride them. Then I spent the next few years endangering everyone's life by galloping up and down the village at all hours.' He smiled wistfully. 'Though, I had to quit that hobby when I was about 13. Got too tall for the ponies.'

{Lucci takes a moment to consider this.}

Lucci: “Am I to understand that you excluded him from your plans, or did he run off again?”

Dianne: “Heheh, must have been a small breed of horse. Did you ever run anyone over? Have a showdown with other dusty cow-folk?”

'Well... /I/ never wanted to exclude him,' said Whitney. 'I believe that Christmas is a time for family, whoever that family may be. However, my husband Rook let slip that he would have preferred to spend the holidays without Crowley. He seemed to resent Crowley's presence here.'

'Yeah, no-one wanted me back home, so I went to find a better party to join!' said Crowley loudly.

'I don't remember what breed they were, but they were small ponies,' said Armin. 'And no, I never actually ran anyone down. My parents would've killed me if I hurt someone on horseback. I did a lot of stupid things around animals back then, and got myself hurt a lot, but they drew the line at me getting other people hurt.'

{Lucci sighs and rubs his face at this.}
Lucci: //Really? This is the path reality took? I hate it when mortals are so stubborn...//

"Ok, Crowley can stay here until the holidays are over. But, I cannot guarantee his safety. My friends come first. Is Rook there with you? If I go over there, will I be able to speak with him?"

Dianne: "So, your folks didn't let you track down outlaws and apprehend them? No gun duels at high noon? Hurt yourself? How, did the horses kick you or something?"

'If Crowley tries to hurt anyone, then you have my full permission to do whatever is necessary to stop him. And yes, Rook is here. You can come over and talk to him if you want, or I can just pass the phone to him and you can talk like this?'

'I don't think I ever got /kicked/ by a horse,' Armin mused, trying to remember. 'I got thrown off a few times, and bitten, maybe. But it wasn't just horses I did stupid things with. Once, I was in the field with my dad's cattle and managed to provoke the bull into stabbing me with its horn. Still have a scar from that incident.'

{Lucci looks up at Crowley as he speaks.}

Lucci: “No, I’ll have to be there in person for this. I’ll be over in five minutes.”

Dianne: “Ouch. How’d you manage that? Mmmm, roasted bull sounds really good right now. Too bad I promised my neighbors that I wouldn’t eat their livestock.”

'Oh, alright,' said Whitney. 'You're free to come over then.' She sounded a little worried. 'Might I ask what you plan to talk to him about?'

Armin gave a snort of laughter. 'Yeah, they might not be impressed if their cattle suddenly start disappearing... Well, I was bored one day, and decided to try jumping onto the bull's back. He was pretty docile for a bull, so I thought nothing would happen, but nope - he spooked, bucked me off, and caught me in the side with his horn when I fell. I wasn't allowed near the cattle after that.'

{Lucci replies in a calm, yet slightly annoyed tone.}
Lucci: “I just need to explain to him that Crowley is his responsibility too, and that reaffirming the core belief that drives his murderous behavior is only going to make this worse.”

Dianne: “What? Heheheh, exactly what went through your head that made you think riding a bull was a good idea? You should have tried one of the cows instead.”

'I see... Well, come on over then,' said Whitney. 'We'll be waiting for you.'

(I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but the Lockwood family lives in a large cave in the southern Grey Mountains. Just so ya know.)

'Yeah, but that wouldn't have been a very interesting story,' said Armin. ''Riding a bull' sounds way cooler than 'riding a cow'. Nobody would have found /that/ impressive.'

(Yeah, I was going to ask. :p Thanks.)

Lucci: “I’ll be right over. See you soon.”

{Lucci hangs up the phone and turns to Crowley.}

Lucci: “Ok, Crowley, you can come into the party. But, if you cause trouble, you will die, and I cannot save you. Ok?”

{Dianne snorts}
Dianne: “Who were you trying to impress? What, were you trying to impress a girl you’d been creepin’ on previously? Some small town lass who caught your eye?”

'YES!' Crowley exclaimed, grinning. 'I knew you'd see sense! This is gonna be awesome!' Without another word, he shifted into human form and teleported inside the palace. He wasn't inside the main party room yet, but rather in the corridor outside it, curiously investigating his surroundings. Frederick spotted him and began to walk purposefully towards him.

'Nah, it was probably just my friends,' said Armin. 'Me and my friend group used to compete over who could do the coolest or most dangerous stuff. We were really stupid kids. Though we kinda stopped after one guy tried to swim across the river and nearly died.'

{Lucci facepalms.}

Lucci: “...he really is a bird brain...”

//Hold on, Fred, don’t murder him yet. I need him to stay here so I can give his father a talking to. //

{At that, Dianne makes a concerned face.}

Dianne: “Oh...That’s a horrible way to go. How wide was the river? And how did you save him?”

Fred hesitated, then walked over to Crowley anyway. 'Did Lucci say you could come in here?'

'Is that what the weird guy outside is called?' said Crowley without missing a beat. 'Then, yeah, he did! So don't even try to stop me.'

Fred sighed quietly. 'If you harm or threaten /anyone,/ then you'll be dead before you have time to teleport away. Do you understand that?'

'Yeah yeah I get it, now leave me alone.' Crowley then continued trying to locate the party room.

'The river wasn't too wide,' said Armin, 'but it had a fast current. He ended up hitting his head on a passing rock, so he was being swept down the river unconscious. I jumped in to grab him while another friend leapt on his horse and galloped down the river to get ahead of us. He tossed a rope into the water, I grabbed it, and he and his horse pulled us both out. The kid made a full recovery, though he probably would've drowned if no-one had been around to help.'

{Just then, a telepathic call came in to everyone.}

Lucci: //Heads up, Crowley’s coming into the party. I told him he could because I need to go get something done, and I didn’t want him wandering around unchecked. If he gets aggressive, kill him, but if you really just want him out of the way, show him the liquor table. He’ll pass out remarkably quickly.//

Armin looked up when he heard Lucci's telepathic message. 'Crowley's here? Oh, damn.'

Right as he spoke, Crowley succeeded in locating the door to the party room. With a yell of triumph, he leapt inside, grinning at the sight of so many festive decorations and people. 'Don't worry guys, I'm here! It won't be a boring party anymore!'

(Eyyy, I might be posting the first Caelum RP this Saturday, around 7PM - 8PM my time. I need to find out if that date's convenient for everyone, but that's the plan.)

(Not sure if I'm intruding or not but Saturday is good for me! As far as I know I don't have anything going on, so I should be around. :)

(Cool. Just let me know. ;p)

{Dianne looks over at Crowley with absolute loathing.}

Dianne: “Oh, you’re f&$ @ing kidding me.”

{Pythia sees Crowley, and looks as if she might cry.}

Pythia: “I’m leaving.”

Ivy glared at Crowley. 'What the heII was Lucci thinking, letting him come in here?!' she hissed. 'I don't want his ugly face ruining the view.'

Fred came into the room to see how people were reacting to Crowley's appearance. Catching sight of Pythia's expression, he said, 'Sorry about this, Pythia. Nobody wants him here, but it was hard to know what to do with him.'

Crowley walked over to Armin and Dianne, folding his arms smugly. 'That's right, Lucci said I could join, and you're not allowed to kill me unless I hurt someone,' he said. Reaching across the refreshments table, he picked up a chicken drumstick and started eating it thoughtfully.

{Dianne took a step forward, looming over Crowley.}

Dianne: “Given your track record, I doubt I’ll have to wait very long.”

'I'm not stupid,' said Crowley, seeming unfazed by Dianne. 'I only came here to join the party. I'm not here to kill any of you weaklings this time.'

Armin sipped his wine, frowning at Crowley. 'Funny how you call /us/ weaklings when you're the one who's been beaten and nearly killed more times than I can remember...'

{Pythia just sighs, looking rather saddened.}

Pythia: “Just call me when he leaves. I’m not staying so long as he’s here.”

'Are you sure?' said Frederick. 'He's not allowed to hurt anyone, so you'll be quite safe. But if you'd prefer to leave, that's alright. I can send you a message when he's gone.'

(This is waaay overdue, but if you ever want to check it out, here's the complete map of Vallis:
https://sta.sh/0gv026yj3st)

(Cool. So, Grimm was the leader of a 'peaceful' dragon tribe? If that's the case, then why saddle up with Sargon?)

{Dianne narrows her eyes in suspicion.}

Dianne: "Every other time we've met, you've tried to kill one of us, with no regard of the consequences. Why so civil now?"

Pythia: "I'm not comfortable with him around. But, please, let me know when he's gone. I was really looking forward this. I don't get many breaks."

(Sargon probably promised him stuff, like more land for his people to live in, and more supplies. Dragon Haven isn't very big, and it's kinda hard to sustain a large tribe of dragons there. If Sargon offered them enough resources, then the tribe might have been convinced to set aside their peaceful ways and help him with his plans.)

Crowley shrugged, gnawing on his chicken drumstick. 'I just don't feel like it,' he said. 'There's a party going on. I like parties. I don't like any of you, but meh, I can ignore that for one night.'

Armin scoffed. 'You're behaving because you know full well that we'll kill you if you don't. Just admit it.'

Frederick nodded. 'Well, as long as you're sure. I'll have someone send you a telepathic message once Crowley's left, passed out, or dead.'

(Hmm, makes sense. But, now, poor Garnet lost her dad. Oof.)

{Dianne didn't look convinced.}

Dianne: "We shall see."

Pythia: "Thank you. I just hope it doesn't come to that..."

{Pythia then begins to leave.}

{Meanwhile, there is a knocking at the mouth of the Lockwood residence.}

Lucci: "Hello? Mrs. Lockwood?"

(I imagine that Garnet didn't have a very close relationship with Grimm anyway. She never believed that helping Sargon's army was the best thing for the tribe.)

Crowley gazed around the room, spotting Pythia just as she was heading for the exit. 'Huh. She's running away. Dam.n, she must be terrified of me. I can't remember the last time someone left a party because of me.' He grinned nastily.

Whitney came to the cave entrance, gazing down at Lucci a little anxiously. The Lockwood family cave was quite big, consisting of several connected caves that formed different rooms.

'Oh, hello,' she said. 'Come on in. Rook and Lucifer are in the main cave. We were just finishing dinner, so please don't mind the mess.' She started to walk away, leading Lucci inside the cave network. 'I'm sorry Crowley keeps giving you trouble.'

Dianne: "Well, you have threatened her, insulted her, bothered her in the small hours of the day, and all of it /after/ she saved your life, multiple times."

{She says angrily.}

Dianne: "You know, if she wasn't a pacifist, she could probably kill you in an instant."

Lucci: "Thank you."

{Lucci proceeds to walk in, looking around for Rook.}

Crowley started combing the table for more food. 'Yeah, well, I don't like pacifists,' he said derisively. ''Pacifist' is just another word for 'coward'. Someone who won't stand up and fight even if they /have/ to.'

----

Whitney took Lucci into a large cave where Rook and Lucifer were sitting together, talking. The floor was littered with the bones of fish and small animals. Rook looked up when they entered, his expression darkening.

'If this is about Crowley, I don't want to hear it,' he growled. 'I've had enough of dealing with the problems he creates.'

Dianne: “You’re wrong. Pacifists are not cowards. They are simply naive. It takes courage to stand for something. You could never understand.”

{Lucci doesn’t look pleased himself.}
Lucci: “Rook, can I speak to you, privately?”

'I don't /want/ to understand,' said Crowley. 'It sounds really, really stupid.' He noticed the liquor area, and he eyes lit up as he greedily inspected the array of drinks. He knew that he couldn't drink anything except weak stuff, but didn't want anyone to know that.

----

Rook stood up. 'Fine. Stay here with your mother, Lucifer.' He started to walk towards another cave, jerking his head to beckon Lucci to follow him. 'What do you want to talk about?' he said with an air of resignation.

{Dianne just rolls her eyes and turns away. Looking back to Armin, she sighs and shakes her head.}

Lucci: “I think you already know, Rook.”

{Lucci says, once they’re alone.}

Lucci: “Now, I know you don’t want to hear about Crowley, but he’s /your/ son, and therefore, your responsibility. You need to handle this, because if you don’t, I’ll have to handle it, and believe me, you don’t want me to handle it. I know he’s touched in the head, but that’s why he needs your help, love, and supervision. Left unchecked, he’s a danger to himself and others.”

Crowley walked off to get a better look at the liquor, muttering to himself. Armin watched him for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to Dianne. 'Well, hopefully he'll drink too much and pass out in a minute.'

----

'Crowley has been touched in the head since the day he was born,' Rook growled. 'Loving and supervising him never made a difference. We cared for him as a child, and in return, he tried to murder Lucifer. How are we supposed to control him? Technically, he's an adult. We might be his parents, but we can't stop him from running off and causing trouble.'

Dianne: “I hope so. I really don’t feel like dealing with him right now.”

Lucci: “Made a difference? Of course it didn’t. You can’t fix his type of mental disorder now. All you can do is curb it. His behavior stems from the feeling of abandonment, and when you purposely excluded him from your family celebration, you just reinforced that belief. And now, he’s run off to Sovereign city. And don’t tell me he’s an adult. He’s completely disfunctional and a sociopath. He /can’t/ be left to his own devices.”

At that moment, Ivy approached the spot where Armin and Dianne were standing. 'Huh, so you guys didn't straight-up murder Crowley as soon as you saw him? I'm surprised, I thought you'd just ignore Lucci and kill him anyway.'

----

'I don't trust him around my family,' said Rook. 'What if he tries to harm Lucifer again? Or Whitney? If it were just me, then I wouldn't mind taking him in, but I can't let him endanger /their/ lives.' His tone dropped, losing its angry edge and becoming regretful. 'Crowley's my first son and I love him, but I just don't know what to do with him anymore.'

(I'll post a new room to continue this in sometime soon. Probably not on Saturday, since I'll be posting the Caelum room then.)

(So, I shouldn't reply?)

(You can reply if you want to, I just won't do mine until I get the new room up.)