22 – The Factions of Chicago

Erika would have said that cliques formed all around the lounge as each new arrival joined the gathering, but that wasn’t accurate. It was more like cliques arrived, already pre-made, and most people didn’t venture away from their own little circles. Even Erika wasn’t immune, sitting on the armrest of one couch while The Hermit lounged across the rest of it. The Hunters were nearby, still quietly talking with Barry.

Sweeping her eyes over the room, Erika couldn’t help her interest. Sure, they might all be here because of The Mummy, but there was no big catastrophe going on at the moment. She wanted to go mingle, to learn more about all these people who lived in her city.

The Puppet had arrived. The Strategist and The Warrior stood off to one side of the room, positioned about as far from The Eclipse as possible without leaving. They hadn’t come over to say hello to The Hunters, probably because of The Eclipse. That didn’t stop The Warrior from nodding her head at Erika from across the room.

They weren’t the most interesting people here at the moment.

The Galleria. Vampires. Emo vampires; they really played into the stereotype. Or perhaps the stereotype existed because of them. One elderly-looking vampire had taken over the automated piano, now filling the background with an atmosphere of light jazz—the piano maintained that low, unobtrusive volume it had before the vampire took a seat.

Four other vampires stood around the piano, just kind of standing there, not even all that menacingly. Aside from occasional glances around, they kept their attention on their own group. They passed a few words between themselves, but not to the point where Erika would call it chatting. One guy kept pulling a comb from his tight black jeans, combing his hair like every little disturbance in the air threw his style completely off. Somehow, he looked like the most approachable of the bunch.

A woman stood, perfectly still, red eyes fixed on the floor a short distance in front of her. She hadn’t blinked even once as far as Erika had noticed. Another vampire leaned up against the piano with a sketch book open, though he was careful to keep his art facing the wall, hugging it to his chest anytime someone else passed remotely close. The last vampire was the only one who actually made eye contact with anyone else in the room—Erika might have found that approachable if not for the way she kept running her tongue over her teeth.

She had very sharp teeth, all fangs, no normal teeth at all.

“The Null,” The Hermit said as the door opened again, admitting another small group. “Tulpa and egregores, primarily.”

Erika had seen them pull up outside, but the quartet stepping into the room now gave her a better look. As far as Erika could tell, two of them were just normal humans—a man and a woman, dressed like they were headed to a fancy restaurant, but not like an expensive restaurant. The other two, Erika caught herself staring at for a long moment. One was an anthropomorphic animal, either a lynx, ocelot, or similar larger-but-not-big cat, with four ears and bull-like horns. The other made Erika hesitate.

“Is that a fey?” Erika whispered to The Hermit. She had heard about fey from just about everyone she met. They were rare, but scary enough to make the whole culture go by titles instead of proper names.

The final member of The Null fit perfectly with Erika’s mental image of a fey. A short humanoid woman, floating just above the floor thanks to large dragonfly-esque wings. She even left a little cloud of fairy dust in her wake, glittering in the moody lighting of the lounge until it vanished into the aether.

“No, that isn’t,” The Hermit said, making Erika breathe a small sigh.

Erika wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Both, perhaps.

“She might have fairy-like abilities and demeanor, but ones that stem more from popular culture than a true fae would have. She’s just a tulpa. Or egregore.” The Hermit paused, frowning to herself. “The difference between the two is subtle, and I can’t say one way or another for sure.”

“The word tulpa sounds vaguely familiar, but…” Erika started, only for Anna to interrupt, leaning away from Rick, Sofia, and Barry.

“Thoughtforms,” Anna said. “Beings that originated as ideas in people’s heads, pushed into reality.”

“How do you know that?” Erika asked with a suspicious look. The Hunters were mostly sure everyone was who they said they were, but there was always a chance.

“It’s mythology. Or…” She trailed off, glancing over to the new group as they meandered over to a mantle, partitioning their clique off just like The Galleria had. “I guess they’re real, but I presume the mythological depictions at least have the general idea.”

“Mostly correct.” The Hermit nodded an agreement. “The imaginary friend, left behind as a child grew older. The local urban legend that everyone believed. A psychic entity formed from a moment of mass emotion.”

Erika looked over The Null, the two humans taking a seat on a nearby couch while the cat-thing and the fairy tried to subtly point out other groups in the room. “I’m going to go say hello,” she said, deciding they looked far more friendly than The Galleria. As soon as she stood, however, she paused and glanced back to The Hermit. “They don’t have like name stealing powers or anything, right?”

“Whether they do or do not, it would be an incredible faux pas if they were to cause harm in an environment such as tonight’s.”

“Bound by the social contract,” Anna said with a sage nod. As Erika started across the room, she followed along with a simple, “I’m curious as well.”

Halfway across the room, Erika paused and glanced around. She got a sudden feeling like something was different, but couldn’t quite put her finger on what. Brow furrowed, she changed directions and headed toward the door.

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Erika answered, opening the door and peering out. The foyer looked just how she left it, though without the door greeter present. Quickly slipping out to the main entryway, she chewed her lip as she opened it and looked out over the array of vehicles. Nothing looked out of place. “Does something feel weird to you?”

“No?” Anna answered. She sniffed twice, frowning. “Fair warning though, if there is poison in the air, it might not affect me like it affects you.” She held up her arm, extending the piston-like bones ever so slightly for a demonstration.

Erika didn’t need the reminder. Nodding anyway, she and Anna hurried back to the lounge—she didn’t particularly want to greet the greeter again. With one last look around the room, she made her way to The Null.

“Hey,” Erika said, friendly hand raised in the air, only to go still.

The cat thing, which she pegged as being roughly as tall as her shoulders, suddenly looked a good head taller than her. He peeled back his lips, baring an array of sharp teeth.

“Vechs. Relax,” the fairy said, planting a hand on the cat’s leg. “I’m sorry, Vechs doesn’t like smiles. Or crowds.”

Erika wiped the smile off her face, hand dropping to her side. “Of course. My mistake.”

The fairy nodded absently, focusing on combing her fingers through the coarse fur of the cat’s leg. With each stroke, Vechs shrank. Inch by inch, he slowly reverted to roughly on par with Erika’s height.

Both human members of The Null stood in eerie unison as Vechs kept shrinking. “Good evening,” the man said.

“Good morning,” the woman said, making Erika quirk an eyebrow.

“We apologize for our companion’s behavior,” the man said, bending at the waist in an apologetic bow.

“We aren’t accustomed to meeting so many people,” the woman added, mirroring the man’s bow.

“Not all at once,” the man continued.

“Not all together. Invitations to social functions don’t come often.”

“Quite rare.”

“Indeed.”

Both lifted back up, backs straightening in perfect, practiced synchronization. Despite Vechs reacting poorly to Erika’s smile, both had smiles on their faces when they looked at Erika. They were among the most plastic smiles Erika had ever seen; she had heard comparisons of fake smiles to people hearing about them and trying to guess what a smile looked like from that alone. These two were a step beyond that, like someone described only the exact muscles to stretch and exactly how far without even mentioning the word smile.

“Well, that’s…” Erika trailed off, not often finding herself at a loss for words. “There’s a first time for everything, I suppose. I just thought we’d come over and introduce ourselves. We’re The Hunters, The Agent and The Widow,” she said, gesturing to herself and then to Anna.

Both humans took on a distraught look as they turned to Anna, but again it was weird and plastic. “We’re sorry for your loss,” the woman said, closing her eyes mournfully.

“We hope you’re doing better.”

“It’s… fine,” Anna said, lips barely moving apart. “It was a long time ago.”

The two dipped their heads in a small nod, then the man gestured to his side. “Vechs.”

The cat growled, gaining another inch.

Erika, who wasn’t smiling in the slightest, immediately wondered at the wisdom of bringing what appeared to be a somewhat feral catlike creature to a meeting like this. She almost asked, then immediately decided that true wisdom was not needing an answer. Especially if talking to him made him grow another few feet.

The woman matched the man’s side-gesture, though aimed toward the fairy. “Lydia.”

“Hello,” the fairy said, blush blooming across her face as she met Erika and Anna’s eyes. Bashful, but still the most normal-seeming of the bunch.

Erika felt seeming might be carrying some weight in that description.

““And we,”” the two said as one, ““are The Twins.””

Erika, again finding herself uncharacteristically speechless, nodded her head along with their introduction. “That’s very apt,” she finally said, hoping that wasn’t insulting.

The Twins nodded, their faces showing no sign of offense. Not that Erika thought she’d be able to tell… or maybe they would be too obvious.

“You are The Hunters?” the little fairy asked as she kept grooming the cat’s fur. “Hunters of something specific?”

“Ghosts, mostly,” Erika answered with a casual shrug.

“Well,” Anna said, tone less certain. “Sometimes. Our primary target has shifted to cults and their gods. Or as one of my fellow Hunters puts it: invaders from another dimension.”

Three of The Null nodded along, leaving Vechs to glare. “Gods,” Lydia said with a knowing nod. “True gods? I assume that’s what you mean.”

“Uh…” Erika glanced at Anna. “Maybe?”

“It can be said that there are two kinds of gods,” one of The Twins said.

The masculine Twin took over, holding up one hand and then the other as he spoke. “Those who exist, and those who are created.”

“The latter are like us,” she said, placing her hands to her chest, “albeit on a massive scale.”

“The former are not like us,” he said, spreading his arms wide, “stretching from start to end.”

“Until their end,” The Twin said, now holding her palm out toward Erika and Anna. “If they are truly being hunted.”

“They are,” Erika confirmed.

“One is,” Anna corrected, then paused with a thoughtful look on her face. “Unless all the aspects count as separate gods. Or if any of them are created gods. I don’t know that we know.”

“Does it matter? Got to beat them down regardless.”

Anna drummed her fingers on the crook of her elbow, humming. “It might, if one or the other has weaknesses we can exploit.”

“If it’s like us,” Lydia said slowly, “belief might make it stronger. Or weaken it if nobody is around to believe in it. A true god will exist regardless, however.”

“You guys eat thoughts or something?” Anna asked, cocking her head.

“I’m a tulpa. I was born from thought. Those thoughts are over and done with, I don’t need them to continue… but we’re not gods. It takes a lot of power to be a god.”

Erika considered that, wondering which The Mummy was: a true god or an overgrown tulpa. Delilah might have an answer, though as Erika thought about it, Delilah might be the answer. Hadn’t Nya said that she got rid of her cult and minions in exchange for more freedom from The Mummy itself? Nya certainly didn’t feel like something on the same scale as the Carrion █████ or the ██████ of Maggots, and that could be because she didn’t have worshipers powering her up.

Dismantling some of the cults had already been on Erika’s docket, but destroying belief in The Mummy didn’t sound realistic. All it took was one guy slipping away to start up a whole new branch of the cult. Still, the potential for weakening aspects was something to keep in the back of the mind.

The lounge door opened again during the lull in conversation. Only a single person entered this time. For just a split second, before Erika fully turned to get a proper look, she thought The Adjustment arrived late. Instead of The Adjustment’s smooth, black carapace, the newcomer was covered in dark, iridescent scales. Their upper body looked human enough if Erika ignored the scales, though androgynous to the point where she couldn’t begin to guess their gender from outward appearance. Thin lines ran around their face, making it look like their head was made up of movable plates rather than a continuous skin, and silver, slit-pupiled eyes stared out at the room.

Their entire lower half was a long, snake-like tail with no legs.

“Ah, The Cicada!” Lydia said, waving her hand.

“Cicada? That’s a lamia,” Anna said in a whisper, though The Null clearly heard.

““They are a hivemind,”” The Twins said as The Cicada finished surveying the room and started slithering over.

“One mind.”

“Many bodies.”

“But only one tonight.”

“Why bring more when one conveys information to all?”

“I can’t imagine only one of us.”

“We’d never finish a thought.”

Agitated, Anna ran her fingers back and forth through her hair. “Cicadas don’t have a hivemind. Nothing has a real hivemind…” Trailing off, she glanced at The Twins, who just smiled their plastic smile at her. “In nature… normal nature…” With a shake of her head, she moved on. “Not even ants and bees.”

“The Cicada does,” Lydia said with a toothless grin.

“Null,” The Cicada said, sliding to a stop near Vechs. Without any hesitation, and without any apparent complaint from the oversized cat, they reached out and started dragging their scaled fingers along Vechs’ spine, all the way down to their tail. Vechs started to shrink even more with their help. Erika even heard the rumble of a purr. “It’s good to see you’re doing well after your recent troubles.”

“Thanks to you,” the male Twin said with a gracious bow.

“The thoughts you provided saved The Lorax from permanent discombobulation.”

Erika snapped her gaze to the other Twin, first confused because she had just been told that tulpa don’t eat thoughts. That thought vanished almost as quickly as it came, replaced by an even more important question. “Like… Dr. Seuss?”

““Indeed,”” The Twins said with their weird smiles.

They did not elaborate.

Her comment drew The Cicada’s silvery eyes. They looked over Erika and Anna, staring even as Erika held out a hand.

Vechs growled at her, making her pull her hand back. Lydia uttered some hushed admonishment, but that didn’t get the cat to back down.

“The Hunters,” Erika said, doing her best to focus on the newcomer. “The Agent and The Widow.”

“The Cicada. I have heard of you,” they said slowly, considering before continuing, “though I did not realize you were an officially recognized faction.”

“Signed The Eclipse’s papers just a few months ago,” Anna said, peering at The Cicada like she wanted to ask for a sample of scales.

Before she could ask anything, Erika cut in. “I hope it’s good things you’ve heard.”

The Cicada didn’t answer right away, which did not instill confidence. Just as they seemed like they were going to say something, the door opened once more. The Maid practically jumped inside, bombastic and grinning as she glanced around the room. The Orderly followed a few steps behind, her subdued, analytical eyes performing a more thorough scan of the present guests. Both were dressed in their usual attire, a maid outfit for The Maid and an older-style nursing uniform for The Orderly. Given her personality, Erika was a bit surprised that The Maid hadn’t dressed up for the occasion.

She was even more surprised when the door shut behind them, leaving them the only two members of The Castle to arrive. Erika wouldn’t have expected The Director, but The Butler, The Prescient, and maybe even The Gadget wouldn’t have been out of place.

Erika started to smile, seeing those entering, but quickly wiped it off her face as she remembered Vechs. Instead, she raised her hand, waving, only to feel an odd chill surge through the room.

All five vampires, all four Null, and The Cicada glared at The Castle as they happily headed toward Erika and Anna. Vechs started growing again despite Lydia and The Cicada’s continued grooming, growling all the while. Erika took a hasty step away, though it wasn’t necessary. As it became apparent where The Castle was moving, The Null started backing away.

“Good day, Hunters.”

“Good night, Hunters.”

“Right… see you…” Erika started, trailing off as Lydia led Vechs away. The Cicada departed without a word, moving to another corner of the room—which felt like it had too many corners at this point, but Erika didn’t get a chance to think further before The Maid pranced up to her.

“And so, the main cast reconvened in the bowels of their enemy’s… bowels.” The Maid scrunched up her face, shook her head, and pressed a button on her phone. “I’ll fix that in editing,” she said, then pressed her phone again. “They had been busy with their other plots, but—”

“Did you guys do something?” Erika interrupted.

While The Null and The Cicada were pointedly ignoring Erika and The Castle, the vampires were still glaring in her direction. Or rather, in The Maid’s direction. Even The Strategist, wine glass in hand, had a dark look on his face from where he stood near the mantle. The Eclipse were the only ones who weren’t chomping at the bit at The Castle’s appearance, maintaining their professional aloofness, though Erika knew The Emperor didn’t like The Castle, at the very least.

The Maid huffed, hands on her hips. “You can’t wait until after the monologue? You might have already set your scene, but I just got here. Need to ground the read—” Stopping abruptly with a slight hiccup, The Maid stared over Erika’s shoulder with slowly widening eyes.

Glancing back, wary and ready to draw her baseball bat, Erika found absolutely nothing alarming. The Eclipse and The Hunters, minus Anna, were up near the front window. The Hanged Man stared out the front, Barry chatted with The Hermit—who looked more interested in her book than a conversation. Rick and Sofia were with The Tower, all three staring at some abstract art hanging above a small bookcase.

When Erika looked to The Maid again, she found the woman scrunched in on herself, now standing with Erika directly between her and The Eclipse. She swept her hands through her hair a few times, holding up her phone in camera mode to see herself. “I don’t smell like fish, do I?” she asked, pulling a lock of blonde hair to her nose for a quick check. “Maybe that’s a good thing?”

“What are you—”

“I think my entrance was no good. Going to try again. Need a better idea.” Turning on her heel, The Maid dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Erika turned to Anna. “What.”

“I donno.”

Together, they looked to The Orderly, left behind where she had been standing half a step behind The Maid. Her jaw behind her mask didn’t move as she let out a long, slow sigh. Something about her six-spiked pupils looked especially weary. “The Butler is still undergoing repairs. I’m her chaperone for the night.”

Without breaking her perfectly flat tone, The Orderly added, “Hooray.”