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Shock Mark (11) : Thunderstorms are common this time of year, but what’s not common is the number of people reported being struck by lightning. Strangely, people are surviving with only minor, if any, injuries at all. Being struck can feel like a static shock, or can feel like a sudden flash of heat, and targets are left with a strange lightning mark across their body. If your character encountered the Calamitous Hollow, they may find that the lightning marks have a strange, serpentine shape, and may even seem to slowly twist over their skin, as if alive. Though the marks will fade, for their duration–up to a full week after being struck, you might notice that you are more prone to static shocking yourself or others, and you may notice electronics charging or overcharging and malfunctioning. The marks can take longer to fade at player discretion, or players may choose for them to fade into pale, lifeless scars, but otherwise there are no lasting effects.
Rafayel didn't want to go out, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone other than Blaise unless pressed. But with the upcoming Starfest party, his client wanted sugar art done for him, so he had to leave the safety of Blaise's home. It was nerve-racking still, especially after that disgusting monster had followed them the other night. Blaise was being patient with him in a way nobody really had been, something that made him nervous almost as much as it made him feel more than he wanted to admit.
Packing his laptop as well as the drafts of the project into his small sling bag, he stood at the front door and hesitated. The world out there seemed scary in a way he still hadn't wanted to come to terms with. Maybe he wasn't doing anything particularly productive for the mirror or whatever, but he also wasn't causing any trouble. It had to be enough, right? He wasn't going to open the door and have a hand driven into his chest again.
Even that small thought had his heart start racing, his grip on the doorknob growing painful until he managed to breathe until he calmed himself down again. Instead of opening the door, he let go of the knob and pulled his phone out, texting Blaise to let him know where he was going and to maybe check in if he didn't get back before too late. Providing his client's address, as well as the path he was taking, he tucked his phone away and started out the peephole. Nobody looked like they were outside, but that didn't always mean someone couldn't be there in the next moment, either.
Another breath, another minute standing there with his hand on the doorknob, trying not to spin himself into a panic again, and then he finally moved. The air outside had that smell, the one that came before rain and lightning. That mix that he knew too well and used to enjoy. Looking up at the sky, he saw how the clouds hung low and dark, crackles of lightning arcing in the clouds but not yet touching down to Earth. While he didn't want to get rained on, the hope that the general wouldn't come after him in weather like this made it possible for him to move forward and hurry on his path towards work.
Far off in the distance, he heard a low rumble of thunder, but the sky hadn't opened up and poured down on him yet, which was a bonus as he went. All things considered, besides the humidity, it was a nice night. There weren't as many people out with the inclement weather, which meant he was slowly able to relax just a little bit and think about his work. The build was something he'd been thinking on for a while, even doing smaller-scale test runs in Blaise's kitchen the past week while they'd been out gathering energy. It was a way he could maybe pay them back, at least in favors with sweets that he made. It was something he could do, and they seemed to enjoy what he made, perhaps because they were handmade, since it seemed like they didn't really like fast food.
When he reached the house, he went around to the side staff entrance and knocked, taking a few calming breaths as he waited for one of his coworkers to let him in. Luckily, it was Adam, one of the older ones, who usually stepped out to smoke when he took his breaks. So the fact that he wasn't in his usual uniform for the walk didn't lead to him getting kicked out.
"Hey, I got everything ready for the build. I have the prototype with me to show to the other artists. I wasn't sure if Casey was still around." Pulling on the strap of his sling bag, he felt relieved when Adam patted him on the shoulder before pulling him inside. The staff hall was full of decorations, as well as a small table with charms that were free to grab for the staff as well. They were cute, sort of reminding him of ice cream in a way, and he grabbed one as he followed Adam into the kitchen and to the work station.
He didn't recognize either of the artists working, but that wasn't surprising. They rotated out based on interest and contract negotiations anyway, and he'd seen four other ones just in the year he'd been coming to help out on and off. After Adam went back over to the other side of the kitchen, Rafayel unpacked things and got to work. Setting up the prototype, he explained the process and showed the files on his computer before giving the others a flash drive with a copy of it.
"It shouldn't be too hard. I kept things simple on the technical side; no interior twists of color underlayed clear sugar this time. Most of the work is in the shape and structure; it's going to be big and catch the light more than some of the other builds." He knew the veining of sugary glitter that was in the plans would help make the work shine even without extra colors twisted in. And once the team was in agreement, he made sure to give them the list of ingredients and tools they'd need. He'd try to be back for the final build, but he reminded them he had been having some health problems and was on light duty for a while. They didn't need to know it was bullshit, and given the fact he'd been keeping away from the club scene for weeks, they had no reason to believe he was just genuinely worried about being followed or attacked again.
By the time he finished up and washed the stray glitter from his skin, he stepped out into a storm. It wasn't great, but he had a small umbrella in his bag just in case. Looking up at the sky before waving back to Adam, he sighed and headed back towards Blaise's home. It wasn't a short walk, but he didn't want to hail a cab or call an Uber. It would just have him standing in the weather for longer anyway.
He had made it to the neighborhood before the lightning touched down, leaving him freezing and standing there in the street as he looked at the house just a few hundred feet away. The sky rumbled, rain coming down sideways as the wind ripped the umbrella from his hands. Cursing, he started to run, pulling his bag around himself to tuck into his jacket and out of the rain as best as he could. The rain chilled him, and he already felt like s**t, but he picked up the pace as he scrambled over the wet sidewalk. Fumbling for his keys, he slid and lost traction in the water as he looked down towards his pocket. The world spun, and he found himself staring up at the sky as his field of vision filled with light. He wasn't sure if he screamed, wasn't sure if he died or not, but when the world started to come back around, he sat up and frantically ran his hands over his body, checking to see if everything was still there. He could smell something singed, but at first glance he looked fine other than wet. When he stood up, though, dragging himself to his feet with more effort than he thought would take, he could feel his whole body tingling like he'd touched one of the CRT screens his grandfather had in their room.
Shaking his head, he made it the rest of the way inside, kicking off his wet shoes and jacket before pulling everything out of his bag to check for damage. Only a little bit of water had gotten in, not enough to get to his laptop, but enough to wet the notebook that had been in there around the edges. He looked around the main hall, kicking his wet jacket and shoes out of the way for now to pick up later after they dried more.
Walking across the floor after he yanked his soaked socks off, he cursed as he almost slipped a few more times on the way to the laundry room. Blaise wasn't back yet, so he just stripped and threw everything into the washer before heading up to his room and to the shower. It was as he passed the mirror that he noticed something, a pale mark over his right shoulder where his bag strap had been. He stared at it, reaching up and touching his shoulder only to feel static under his fingers. "What.... the ********> How was he okay if he got struck by lightning? For now, he needed to shower, to warm up, then he'd talk to Blaise when they got back. He wasn't sure if he wanted to sleep until after they looked the mark over, just in case. If anything, he was certain he'd be sticking inside during storms; he didn't really wanna test fate.
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