khuioduan | text; a psa

anonymous text; public to the network

If you see this woman, avoid her at all cost. She is to be presumed extremely dangerous.

That does not mean attack her. Do not engage.

private text to Valdis, Aly, Leo, Klaus, the Fool, and Kit; marked from Devin

[Devin doesn't trust himself to speak calmly, or to appear calm. He is nowhere in the realm of calm. Ever since X informed him about Bobby's presence, he has been flooded with adrenalized panic and trying to get a hold on himself. Getting close enough to her to snap a photo demanded marshalling an enormous amount of control, and his hands haven't stopped shaking for hours.]

This woman is a demon. Stay away from her. I do not know the full extent of her powers, but I do know she takes a great deal of pleasure in torturing others. If she learns I know any of you, she will not hesitate to harm you. And for all the gods' sakes, do not engage with her in any way just because I've told you not to. Even if she cannot hurt you, she will start hurting innocent people.

Please. Let me deal with her.

(OOC: Feel free to respond to the anonymous text! He will respond just as anonymously.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[An icy chill claims Devin as he reads the Fool's message. He is by turns relieved and horrified. The Fool is clearly safe enough to send this, he made it through the day, but he spent an entire day with that bitch. How much danger has he put the Fool in?]

I cannot begin to say how sorry I am, Fool. Are you alright?

This is not my first brush with danger of this kind. I worry more for you.

[That is more candid of a response than he intended to send, but now that it is out in the ether, there is no taking it back.]

[Devin sort-of appreciates the concern. His conflicted feelings about the Fool are not helped by Bobby's presence. It shakes him at his core to know how close she's gotten.]

I'm working on a plan. She must know I'm here by now, if not with this announcement; I only hope I can keep her from hurting people.

She'd set a building on fire with my name on it just before I arrived in Aifaran.

You must attract her attention in such a way that she is not drawn to the people of Aifaran.

[this much he recalls from dealing with dragons.]

Let me help you. Please.

I'm going to try to get her out of the city.

I'm the one she wants, Fool. I can't put anyone else in harm's way, whatever it costs me.

[He's not planning on getting himself killed if he can avoid it, but he knows it's not out of the question.]

After, though, if we're all in one piece, we should talk.

[the time for protestations about Devin's fatalistic altruism has come and gone; whither the opportunities were, the Fool has missed them. That does not prevent him from staring hard at his yimo before he responds.

It is no mystery to him what the subject of their talk will be.]

Yes, we should.

[a pause, and then, a gentle reminder,]

But we cannot have that talk if you do not come back.

[it is the closest he can bring himself to an outright plea for Devin to be careful.]

[There is an extended period of radio silence as Devin tries to grapple with his ongoing distress and the sentiment in the Fool's message. Getting himself killed to avoid his own feelings would be the height of stupidity, and even he's not quite that far gone. It's hard to separate the trepidation about that conversation from his terror.]

I know. I have every intention of keeping that appointment.

[He doesn't want to die, and he'd rather not leave anything unresolved.]

If she comes to you again, try to contact me. I'm afraid she won't care to hide herself after this.

[If the Fool finds Bobby on his doorstep after this, he is not certain he will have the time to text Devin before she strikes--but there is no need to state the obvious. It would only cause him more distress.]

I will.

[It is not a lie, for he will certainly try his best. His next message requires several slow, painstaking revisions before he feels comfortable sending it.]

Let me know as soon as this is resolved, if you are able.

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