The 9th Hour... (Phase 1: Sept-Oct Event)

[central_librarymods]

The cold presence is seeping in through the dark shadows. The darkness is reaching further, brushing the minds of the patrons and opening doors to dimensions that should not be open. Something wants in. But in the Central Library, there are ways to get through without crossing entirely… through your dreams. Among other things.

Pick one of the options below and make a post for other patrons to join you in the events. You may make up your own, but keep it matching the event at hand as the different phases of the event will progressively get worse.

1. Your dreams are getting dangerous, violent even. When you wake up, there are bruises and injuries that shouldn’t be there. What is going on? Why are your dreams becoming a reality little by little? And why is it getting so hard to wake up?


2. Things are shifting in the Library. The shadows are moving and the temperatures are starting to drop. There are cold spots that sometimes get colder and sometimes it feels like if you turn around, you’ll find someone right behind you.


3. The monsters are looking a bit more frantic and daring to come closer to the center of the Library where they normally will not tread. It seems you aren’t the only ones scared of the dark recesses any longer.


4. The Market is now a lovely little faire of the early Renaissance with all sorts of fresh grain, fruits and vegetables! It is a brilliant sight, but it seems the ominous plague masks they don still gives a foreboding feeling of the miasma that killed over two-thirds of the world’s population… Perhaps you shouldn’t wander very far.


5. New areas are now opened up. A blacksmith and workshop for the tinkers has been created. You might want to look or contribute... You might also want to stop in the new bath area. The large pool has a Grecian feel and all of the walls are made of crystalline glass where the stars are always shining with a different universe in constant succession.


6. Wild Card: Make up your own scenario. Just remember that all of the things above are happening. Things are getting foreboding and growing stronger by the day. Sleep will be a luxury you might not have… You may not see what’s coming, not yet. But you know it’s coming.

Comments

[alec_lightwood]

Even in the Library, Alec is more nocturnal than most people. Years spent hunting skewed his internal clock toward staying up all night and early mornings. Even if day and night were relative now, 'night' was a good time for him to patrol the Library. He'd noticed the new rooms, reminding himself to visit them later.

He finished his patrol early and decided against going back to the quarters he shared with Magnus. They were set in a routine and any variation would have Magnus worrying that Alec had been hurt. And when he'd left, his boyfriend had been actually sleeping so he wasn't going risk waking him up.

The bath was too tempting to resist even if Magnus wasn't with him. Actually, it was probably good that Magnus wasn't with him. The other patrons really didn't need to walk in on that.

Finding a quiet corner, Alec stripped off his weapons and gear, setting each item down with care. He kept a sheathed dagger in his hand, just in case as he walked toward water. Better to be careful since something odd was happening in the Library.

Black marks swirled across his skin in patterns that most people wouldn't recognize. Along with the runes were similarly shaped scars and a few others that were obviously from battle. Across his chest there was a set of red, angry looking claw marks that he'd found after dreaming of Abbadon.

At least the poison hadn't been part of that strangeness since Magnus couldn't heal him right now. Yeah, no thinking about Greater Demons just in case the weird dreams escalated.

Tensing slightly when he noticed that someone was nearby, Alec smiled when he realized who it was. "I can leave if you want to be alone."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian was absolutely sure he had been born with a genetic defect directly related to blushing because it happened so often and sometimes to an embarrassing extreme. Add that to the fact he was an excellent swimmer, but was currently flailing a bit trying to get his feet back under him, he imagined he looked like a drowning tomato. Was it possible to spontaneously combust while submerged in water?

"Alec!"

Sebastian stood the moment he could only to instantly remember he was naked. Water didn't do much for hiding. Hiding his nudity, his embarrassment, the cut and bruises. Nothing. But neither was Alec hiding and it was the perfect distraction from his own situation. The marks were mesmerizing. But it was the set of angry red lines that made him almost forget completely his modesty.

"What are those? Alec are you hurt?"

[alec_lightwood]

That might be the brightest blush that Alec has ever seen but he acted like it was perfectly normal. Maybe it was for Sebastian. The flailing caused him to arch an eyebrow upward as he considered whether or not he'd have to save Sebastian from drowning. It looked like it wasn't dangerous. Just embarrassment like the way he'd fallen down the stairs after his first date with Magnus.

"Hi, Sebastian." Watching his friend, Alec tried to figure out if he should leave or not. He still wasn't used to being social except with his small group of friends.

Knowing how embarrassed Sebastian was, Alec kept his gaze from drifting lower than his face. He was concentrating on that so much that at first didn't realize what Sebastian meant. "My Runes?" No. Those would look like tattoos not wounds. Then he remembered the dream and the claw marks he'd woken up to. "I was hurt a few months ago. I dreamed about the demon that attacked me and and woke up with them."

He shrugged, not really noticing how the mostly healed wounds pulled. An iratze had dealt with most of it but the claw marks wouldn't heal completely. "They look worse than they really are."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew it wasn't normal to wake up physically injured. Dreams weren't real and neither were nightmares. Even if sometimes they felt very real. He'd been living one for over a year now. So maybe it was possible. Especially here.

He really did not like the idea that the next time he went to sleep this could happen again. He felt sick just thinking about it. Or maybe it was way Christian Scott had bounced his head off his fist and a window.

"They look painful." He tried not to focus on how painful they really did look. They made him want to bandage Alec up or something. Maybe Demon hunters didn't feel pain the same way? But the runes were beautiful. "And your...runes? Did they hurt?"

[alec_lightwood]

The dreams worried Alec but since he hadn't woken up poisoned as well as injured, he wasn't as worried as he could be. Some kind of magic was working through the Library and since they didn't know what was normal, this might be part of living in the place. Compared to some of the things that could be possible, nightmare related injuries aren't that bad to him.

"They were. Not as bad as when I first got them. The wound was poisoned. It's normally fatal but Magnus saved me." That had given Alec a whole new scale of pain levels to compare injuries too. Sitting down near the edge of the bath, he shrugged. "The runes hurt but it's temporary. It's part of being what I am. Shadowhunters get used to it when we're children."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian pushed wet hair back away from his face, not as long as it used to be, but he still felt the ghost touch of fingers from time to time. This time it caused goosebumps to spread across his skin and he sunk a bit lower into the water. The sting from the cut also gave him a unsettling feeling. Jack had stood up to Christian Scott, even saved Sebastian from him once. It wasn't anything like being saved from death by poison, by he imagined the feeling Magnus had for Alec was similar.

It still made him feel jealous and bitter, but the feeling wasn't directed at Alec or Magnus. For them he felt....happy.

"Did you want to be a...a Shadowhunter?"

[alec_lightwood]

Swinging his feet into the water, Alec considered the question. The concept was completely new to him. Maybe Clary had asked Jace something like that but it wasn't something one Nephilim would ask another. Most Shadowhunters didn't associate with Mundanes so it wasn't something he'd ever considered except in those panicked moments when Alec tried to decide if being with Magnus was worth the risks.

"There wasn't really a choice. We're born Shadowhunters. We take a vow to fight demons when we're ten." Putting it in a Mundane's perspective, it probably seemed too young to make that kind of decision but any other life would be impossible for him unless he had his marks stripped away. "There is no other life for a Nephilim. It's our sacred duty to protect the world from demons. I could have chosen a trade or teaching but it would relate to hunting."

[dulcet_cellist]

"Nephilim?"

Why did that word seem so familiar and yet he couldn't make the connection. Something to do with his father and overheard conversations. Or had he read it in a book? And then he remembered. It was a long time ago and he'd had to look up the word himself. His father's father had been telling him a story from a book. It was an old memory.

"Fallen one?"

[alec_lightwood]

"Shadowhunters are Nephilim." Magnus and Bob were probably the only patrons that knew what Alec really was. Most of the time he pretended that the marks were tattoos and he was one of those slayers like in Mundane stories. But Sebastian should know the truth, especially when he knew about warlocks.

"We're not like that." Fallen one made Alec thinks of certain demons. He couldn't bring himself to mention it, afraid that whatever weirdness was inhabiting the Library might pick up on his thoughts. They didn't need those kind of demons showing up here. "We're part angel because of a gift that was given to my people so that we could protect the world from demons."

[dulcet_cellist]

Alec really did just casually admit to being part angel. And all Sebastian could do was stare with a mixture of disbelief and awe. Disbelief because angels weren't real. Not where he was from. Demons he could believe existed. Angels? No.

If they did exist where had they been when Jack needed them? Or when he'd needed them. Again and again.

It was the jaded part of himself that found it difficult to believe in angels. But Alec...he could believe in Alec. He believed he was telling the truth. And it made sense. Angels were suppose to be beautiful, right? Apparently so were Warlocks. Maybe everyone in Alec's world was beautiful.

At the very least Alec's world sounded far more interesting than his own. Just not the part where children were marked with runes and really didn't have career options.

Sebastian realized he was still staring, smiling stupidly at Alec, and quickly looked away for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I just...you tell me you're part angel as if it's no big deal, but they don't exist where I'm from so...I'm a little...stunned. Angel? Really?"

[alec_lightwood]

He knew that there were worlds where Angels probably didn't exist. In his own world, most Mundanes thought of them as stories or part of certain religions but Alec knew the truth of his reality. He wouldn't be able to bear his marks if he didn't have angelic gifts. "At least you aren't automatically saying I'm crazy. Is it really that hard to believe that I'm part angel when Magnus has eyes like a cat and pointed teeth?" The points weren't that noticeable unless he smiled a certain way but they were there. "All stories, all religious tales, are based on some truth."

A few months ago, Alec would have blushed or been oblivious to the way Sebsatian was smiling. Now he wondered why he was smiling like that. Maybe it was because of the angel part of the story? "These are things that normally I wouldn't tell a Mundane. A human that hasn't had contact with the supernatural world but you won't tell the Clave. That would - " At that Alec looked momentarily uncomfortable. "Telling mundanes is against the rules but we've done it before.

"We don't have wings. We're not immortal like warlocks. We're stronger and faster than humans. The marks help with that. They enhance our gifts. This is the life we're born into. There really isn't anything else for us."

[dulcet_cellist]

That sobered Sebastian's smile.

"Demons are easier to believe exist." He shrugged one shoulder. "They're everywhere. One form or another. Maybe not like the ones you have in your world."

He did blush a bit admitting out loud, "It's not that difficult to believe you're part angel, Alec."

And then just as awkwardly, "I won't tell anyone."

He wouldn't. He could keep secrets.

[alec_lightwood]

"And angels exist in one form or another but I don't think it's the angelic gifts that makes Shadowhunters want to protect others." The angels that Alec had seen were indifferent to the plight of the mortal world. "That's the human part of us. It was a human who asked for help to stop demons. It's probably the human side that makes warlocks good instead of evil."

The blush and the compliment caused him to smile. Usually comments like that went over his head or were ignored but with Sebastian... "And I believe there's more to you than you think." Magnus would describe it better than Alec ever could but there was certainty in the simple words. Laughing softly, he ran a hand through his hair, looking almost shy. "There has to be. Most people can't get me to talk like this."

Looking up, he gave Sebastian an understanding look. "I know you won't or I wouldn't have said anything. I kept secrets for years. I know when someone else is good at it."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian shook his head a little, silently disagreeing and looking around at the bath. "I like listening to you talk."

It was the simple truth. Alec was willing to talk to him and didn't seem to be forcing himself to be nice or social out of sympathy or obligation. He felt real and sincere and Sebastian couldn't remember the last person, other than Jack, who had felt that way.

The only time Christian Scott had felt real or sincere was when he was attacking him. And this time Jack hadn't been there to save him.

That was another thing about Alec. He felt safe. Even now, when he was so exposed, it was his modesty, not his fear keeping him mostly covered by the water. Modesty and Magnus.

"You said Magnus is a Warlock...but he's also half human?"

[alec_lightwood]

Alec rolled his eyes when Sebastian refused to accept the compliment. What he'd said was true and eventually Sebastian would figure it out.

Wanting to talk to someone who wasn't his siblings or Magnus was new. He'd never been the center of attention or considered 'interesting'. He'd never understood talking about yourself but with Sebastian it was easy to talk about his world and his life.

He couldn't even talk to Jace like this. His parabatai tried but it wasn't in Jace's nature. And Magnus... Now he could but when they'd first started dating, it had almost been painfully awkward. With Sebastian... if Alec didn't know that Sebastian was still grieving...

At least jealousy wasn't something that he and Magnus worried about anymore.

"Yeah. Warlocks are born from a demon and a human. His mother was human and a demon visited her." Lightly kicking his foot in the water, Alec tried to think of the best way to explain. "I don't think she knew. They sometimes shift shape so she would have thought the demon was her husband." At least that was Alec's guess no matter what Magnus' father had hinted at. Demons lied, especially when it could hurt someone deeply. "There's no way to be sure. It was centuries ago. But he's a good person. That matters more than who his father was."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian was slightly horrified that this had happened to Magnus's mother. But if it hadn't happened Magnus wouldn't have been born who he was and it was clear Alec liked him the way he was. Even if he hadn't actually met Magnus yet. But the truth was he could think of worse things.

"My father...he's not a bad person. He just..." Would have been happier if his son had been normal is what he wanted to say. His father had explained, apologized, but it wasn't just the way his father reacted to him when he came out. He'd felt wrong his entire life. Jack had been the first person to make him feel right and okay the way he was. "I'm not what he..."

He chewed his bottom lip trying to find the words and then decided to change the subject back a little.

"May I ask how old Magnus is?"

[alec_lightwood]

The story was horrifying, which was why Alec told it instead of letting Magnus explain warlocks. It was something that always hurt Alec's boyfriend, especially when others judged him his heritage. Better to get the shock over with than have Sebastian say something that would have Magnus wishing he had his magic back so he could turn curious mundanes into red pandas.

"He wanted a straight son he'd be proud of. Someone 'normal' that he wasn't embarrassed of. Completely ignoring that there's more to someone than whether they prefer men or women?" There was a hint of bitterness in Alec's voice despite his attempts at forgiving his family. It was a guess but it sounded familiar enough that Alec could have been talking about Robert. "My father used to ask what he did wrong to make me gay."

Then it turned out that it had nothing to do with Alec and everything to do with Robert and his parabatai.

"Magnus is about four hundred. Give or take. He's kind of lost track over the years."

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian was still too angry to explain everything. He wanted to believe his father, accept his apology, but the hurt was still too deep.

"Instead he was gifted with a gay cellist who looks really good in a swimsuit."

If only he were wearing one now, he thought to himself, trying to ignore the fact that he wasn't.

"Magnus looks good for his age." But then his expression softened. "Being half angel...will you live longer than humans?"

[alec_lightwood]

"And he's too blind to realize that you are a gift." The words would have sounded like flirting from Magnus but they're simple honesty with Alec. But his gaze did linger on Sebastian, appreciative but not moving below the water. He had the feeling that if he tried to see anything lower Sebastian would blush until he fainted.

"You would look good in a swimsuit." And without one but Alec wasn't going to cross that line until he was sure how Sebastian would react. At least Alec knew that Magnus wouldn't mind him looking and maybe flirting.

"Warlocks reach a certain age and will always look that way." Which was part of the problem that the Library fixed. "The Angel didn't give us immortality. Most of us die young but if we don't, we live a normal human lifespan."

[dulcet_cellist]

"I do look good in a swimsuit." The words had sounded better in his head. Confident, teasing. But then he'd spoken and he wasn't as sure of himself.

What was he doing? Was it okay to feel like this? To be okay with this? He liked Alec, felt comfortable with him. Enjoyed talking to him and listening to him. He'd missed this feeling. But it scared him a little how easy it felt. And how easy it could go away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't...say things like that to you. Especially because...I'm jealous of you. And Magnus. And I like you. And then there is the most obvious reason...I'm naked. I'm also really...not a gift. I'm a mess. Over a year and I'm still a mess. A...naked...babbling...mess...who is talking to a half angel about his half demon boyfriend. And I'm...going to blame the probable concussion."

Sebastian held his breath, started turning red, and then turned and headed straight for his clothes, trying to ignore the hot tears and overwhelming urge to cover himself. He simply couldn't carry on a conversation with Alec until he put on his boxer-briefs. Even if it meant getting them wet.

[alec_lightwood]

Alec didn't expect Sebastian to accept the compliment let alone agree with it. It might have lacked some confidence but it was more than Sebastian probably would have said to anyone else. "We'll have to find you one so you can prove it."

It was more tactful than what Magnus would have said or what Alec would say now that he'd gotten over his fears. Sebastian was still hurting and he was shy. Even if Magnus had given his approval, they both had given their approval, he wasn't going to say too much.

This wasn't something either one of them would do. Well, Magnus wouldn't now that he'd found Alec and Alec had never been the type to be easily distracted in matters of the heart but this was different. Alec had talked to Magnus about Sebastian enough for his boyfriend to realize how rare it was for Alec to like someone. The fact that Magnus liked Sebastian too had eased most of Alec's worries. The fact that they both knew how much they loved each other made this easier.

Alec could kind of flirt with someone and see how they felt without worrying about Magnus thinking he was leaving him. And flirting was as necessary as breathing for Magnus...

"Why shouldn't you? I'm not offended. I don't mind flirting. I flirted back. And if it's Magnus you're worried about. He's okay with this." That was probably too blunt but it got the point across.

His expression turned to worry when Sebastian mentioned the concussion. "You have a concussion?" Setting down the dagger, Alec slipped into the water, cutting off the most direct path toward Sebastian's clothes. Lightly touching his arm, Alec met his gaze, worry and sincerity replacing the earlier teasing. "It's okay, Sebastian. We're both naked. If any of us was babbling it was me."

A rarity that had been another reason for Magnus' approval. "There is no timeline for grief. How long do you think I'd be a mess if Magnus had died a few months ago? I don't think I'd still be alive. Not in the ways that matter. And you are not going to convince me that you're not a gift."

[dulcet_cellist]

There was so much going on in those few moments that he was simply stunned standing there staring into Alec's eyes. Emotions, thoughts, confusion.

Was it really okay to flirt with Alec? Not simply because of Magnus--and why was Magnus okay with this? Would Jack be okay with this? This was why he was a mess. He wanted things, felt things, that didn't fit with the other things he wanted and felt.

Slowly he relaxed, forgetting for the moment his need for underwear, and tried to focus on one thing at a time. Reaching up to lightly touch the cut and bruise. He hadn't looked in a mirror, just cleaned up the blood and ran out the door to get some air.

"I...fell." He had enough going on right now. Bringing Christian Scott into this mess was just too much. And then he thought of what Casey Jones had said. He was a bad liar. "Into a glass window."

But that wasn't important in comparison to other things.

"It is technically a bath." His gaze dropped and he immediately looked up at the ceiling for a moment before attempting to meet Alec's gaze again. It was the touch that was most distracting. He thought he'd forgotten what it felt like. Simple touches. "You talked to Magnus about me?"

[alec_lightwood]

As he waited for Sebastian to speak, he tried to figure out what his friend was thinking. It probably did seem weird that Magnus was okay with whatever was going on but he understood Alec. He knew that Alec instantly reacted to someone either for good or ill. Sometimes that worked in his favor, like with Jace and Magnus and others... He probably still owed apologies to Clary and Simon. But once he liked someone, his heart was involved. And, after everything they'd been through, jealousy wasn't an issue anymore. Not that Sebastian would know that without being told about what had happened in their relationship.

When he finally received an answer, he had to hold back his first reaction. You fell. Like I 'fell' onto a Greater Demon's claws. He couldn't say it aloud without hurting his friend. Sebastian was lying nd he knew it. But he wouldn't tell Alec anything if he pushed too hard. Maybe years of dealing with Jace helped with knowing when to cross certain lines and when to wait. At least Sebastian wouldn't kick his ass if he said something he shouldn't. "That was the injury in your world. The injuries in our nightmares are different. You might not be concussed now even if you were then."

At least he hoped Sebastian wasn't seriously injured. Magnus could probably heal him if it was necessary and Alec helped give him a boost.

He kept the contact light, not just because of Sebastian's feelings for Jack but because someone had hurt Sebastian in the past. Alec didn't want him to feel trapped or like this was leading to something he couldn't control. "It's socially acceptable nakedness." His lips twitched as he fought back a smile. "I've talked about you a lot. The two of you really need to meet."

[dulcet_cellist]

"I suppose..." Sebastian couldn't decide if it was easier or harder to not look away. He had thought the first time he'd met Alec that he had beautiful eyes. The same for Magnus. Although he hadn't seen Magnus's eyes up close.

It wasn't simply the color he was drawn to. It was often said the eyes were the windows to a persons soul. But it was more than that. Different and yet the same. He didn't have words to explain it, but he'd know the first time he'd looked into Christian Scott's eyes there was something wrong. And John Davies, Christian's best friend, was someone to fear.

His father was more difficult to read. Until their recent talk he hadn't looked into Sebastian's eyes. Not for a long time.

Alec was different. He knew some things about his new friend, but it wasn't what he knew or didn't know. It was the feeling that Alec wasn't just being nice to a random stranger. He felt sincere and honest. He looked into Alec's eyes and he wasn't afraid. Nervous. But not afraid.

He was more afraid of his own emotions and uncertainty than he was of Alec or even Magnus.

"I suppose it's only fair. You do talk to me about Magnus."

But then he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering lower, briefly before he looked away and back to Alec's face again. "Did you....have trouble waking up from your dream?"

[alec_lightwood]

"The wounds are different or I wouldn't be here." At least he assumed he wouldn't. Maybe the Librarians would be able to save him but if not...

As he watched Sebastian, he waited to see some sign that he was uncomfortable or afraid. He relaxed more when he realized that his friend didn't appear to be bothered by Alec being so close. His smile steadied but became almost shy.

He really wasn't sure what he was doing. He knew he liked and liked Sebastian. There was more to his friend than Sebastian realized. More than what most people would notice. Sebastian was strong, probably stronger than Alec really was despite all his training. He endured what Alec doubted he'd be able to live through and was still kind and cared for others.

That was something Alec respected and found more alluring than he expected.

A hint of a flush crept across his cheeks at the thought, deepening despite his efforts to control the blush when Sebastian mentioned Magnus. He did have a tendency to be a little starry eyed about his boyfriend. "You can tell me to shut up if I talk about him too much. I won't mind."

The blush actually faded when Sebastian looked lower. Any self-conscious feelings he'd had disappeared after the kiss in Idris. There was no reason to be embarrassed or hide. And he had stolen a few glances at Sebastian as well. It was only fair if Sebastian looked at him as well.

"No, I..." He should say that Magnus woke him up, which was mostly true. As soon as Magnus had heard him scream, his boyfriend had been desperate to wake him. But it hadn't really been Magnus' intervention that had jerked him out of sleep. It had been the agony that had run through him as he relived the wound. "When I was hurt, it was... It was bad."

A hint of that old pain lingered in his expression. "That wasn't a good night for me or for Magnus." Sebastian probably didn't want to hear about it but if he asked, Alec would tell him about it. "But did make me realize I had to change."