tdm

[medietas_mods]

Welcome to Medietas! Have an interest in joining the game? Maybe you have an old muse that you want to dust off? Or, maybe you're just looking for a place to voice test a brand new character and would like to do so in our little island setting among friends? Well, whatever the reason, this is where you can do that!

You all know what to do but if you don’t, just follow the instructions and HAVE FUN!

How To Play:

→ Comment with the character you’d like to test drive. Don’t forget to add their name and canon in the subject line.
→ Choose a scenario, or start your own!
→ Tag around!

Possible Scenarios:

1. New Arrival: You've just arrived on the island of Medietas, in the city of Aerilon, via a floating boat with people you may or may not know. Of course, you can't help wondering what the heck is going on, or how you even got on the boat in the first place. But as soon as the vessel docks you are greeted by some lovely locals who offer you a map and a communications device before leaving you to your own. You probably have questions and there seems to be a number of people there already who may or may not have those answers. Talk to them! Or, get on the network and introduce yourself!

2. Getting Settled: So, now that you've arrived and wandered around the starter home you've been given, it's time to check out the rest of the islands. There's a market on Aerilon that is full of treasures. Or, you can check out Chapter Six bookstore. Perhaps you wander over to the Mean Princess facility on Mulciber. There is so much to see!

3. Event: Teams are being put together to venture out deep into the islands of Eurus and Mulciber to track and destroy a vicious beast who has been the reason for the disappearances of several island locals. Please help stop the creature before anyone else goes missing!

4. Wild Card: Got something else in mind and want to create your own scenario? Go for it!

Comments

Isabelle Lightwood | 2 | Shadowhunters

[withstyle]

Izzy couldn't even remember the number of questions that she had asked now. The answers were, of course, satisfactory, but she'd lost track of how many questions she had actually thrown out. The starter home that she'd been put in was...definitely not the institute, but it was something. Izzy felt out of her element. Then again, her element had always been working alongside her brothers....and the way that things had been before she woke up here....everything was a damn mess.

Jace was gone, he'd left with Valentine. She still couldn't believe that he'd made that decision. Her brain was definitely reeling. And now....she was here. Away from the mess back at the institute, from her missing brother, from her extremely upset friend, and from the brother that she probably relied on more often than she was willing to actually admit.

What the hell was Izzy supposed to do here?

She'd perused the house that was provided and now wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do. Izzy'd never been one to sit on her behind, though, and maybe that was why she'd left....she wasn't really sure. At the moment Izzy was definitely experiencing a sense of shock at just being here. She didn't have a plan. Sure, she was capable of coming up with a plan, but as a general rule of thumb Jace and Alec were the plan-guys. Clary had definitely stepped up to take some of that on too.

They, likely, weren't here. It'd just be too easy for them to be here with her. Izzy guessed that it was time for her to sink or swim on her own. She studied the map, but the best way to really get to know the place is to actually travel the roads and work her way around. Forgetting her way back would be pretty impossible. Izzy walked passed the shops, the bars, and everything else, just taking in what all there. As always, Izzy strode with confidence down the street, her heels not deterring her at all. She probably needed to check out the communication device, but for the moment the shadowhunter wasn't ready.

She wasn't sure if that was because she wanted someone she knew to be here....or if she expected nobody to be here. Pulling the thing from her pocket, Izzy studied it for all of two seconds before tucking it away again. "Maybe later." She found herself muttering; she was only putting off the inevitable, and she knew it. If she didn't find out now, though, she didn't have to deal with whether or not she was on her own. No sad Izzy, for the moment, anyway. Turning to the first person that wandered close enough, Izzy pushed out the charming nature of her's, calling out, "Excuse me! Hi, I'm new here and I was just curious about if you have any suggestions for spots that are must-see?"

She didn't particularly want to be here. She wanted to go home. But it could never be said that Izzy wasn't a glass half-full sort of girl.

[lotsoflaughs]

Today wasn't a day that Gabriel had been checking the docks, which is why he missed her arrival. But he definitely picked up on the feeling of a new nephilim around fairly quickly, tracking her down just in time for questions.

"The Roadhouse is a hunter bar. One friendly to Downworlders as well." Yes, he sees those runes and, after talking to Alec, knows exactly what they're about, even if not what individual ones mean.

He gives her a moment to absorb that he knew exactly what she was before continuing. "You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Alec Lightwood, would you?"

You're in luck, Izzy. Big brother is here.

[withstyle]

Izzy blinked once, twice, and three times was a charm at his answer. Hunter bar? Downworlders? Izzy had definitely heard right; he said that there was a hunter bar that was friendly to downworlders. The realization that she hadn't bothered to hide her runes hit her like a stack of bricks. The second realization that she had was that she'd been so focused on whether or not the people that she loved and cared about were here she hadn't thought about beyond that.

It really was a good thing that she had her bracelet on, just in case. However, it didn't seem like now was that time to her. Instead of getting itch to whip the whip out (pun intended) she found herself smirking. Distraction didn't help her very much. That was for sure. Of course Alec was here, though, she could always count on him. And of course he'd been looking for. The only thing that surprised Izzy was that she managed to find someone that had talked to her brother.

Alec wasn't known for how talkative he was, though, which Izzy couldn't help but be surprised by.

"First, thanks for the suggestion." Izzy replied, tilting her head slightly to study the man that she'd flagged down. "And second, I might be vaguely familiar with the guy. I'm Izzy, he's my brother." The shadowhunter looked him over for a moment, that smile still on her face, gauging things slowly. There was something...different that she couldn't quite put her finger on. So, obviously the answer was to just be friendly. That was the best go-to, right?

In Izzy's book....definitely. "And who, exactly, are you?" She posed the question, lightly, careful not to be rude. Izzy was definitely the best at interacting with people out of all of the Lightwoods in her humble opinion.

[lotsoflaughs]

"Gabriel. Although what you really meant was what am I, wasn't it? There's a handful of angels around. I'm one of them." He'll just be giving her some time to process that. If she's anything like her brother, she'll probably need it. It's not like he isn't used to people needing a moment.

"Before it's your turn to have a version of 'but you look human!', that's because if I was running around in my own form, pretty much anyone who wasn't a fellow angel who got an eyeful would die. Not to mention I'd be way too big to interact with people." So there's that. The whole 'vessels' thing can wait for another time. Maybe when he has both Lightwoods in one spot so he doesn't need to repeat things.

"Anyway. He's mentioned you, although not by name. It was just to comment that the owner of the Roadhouse sounded like you, except blonde. Nothing major," he says with a shrug.

[withstyle]

Well, Izzy decided very quickly that this guy was to the point. That was followed very quickly by her jaw dropping, literally. Isabelle Lightwood had never met an angel before. She'd never expected to meet an angel, let alone have one willing to talk to her like this. Surely this was some sort of joke? Then again, of all of the things to joke about this definitely wouldn't ever be the best choice. Her brain needed a moment to actually process the information that she'd just heard, and in an uncharacteristic moment Izzy actually found herself mimicking a fish. Open. Close. Open, nope she wasn't ready to talk yet.

Close.

"Gabriel...and angel in the same sentence, that means you're...." Izzy stopped herself before continuing, at more of a loss than she could even explain. Oh lord this was a new level of insanity, even for Izzy. After everything she'd been through recently with the trial and then Jace taking off....she was face to face with an angel. Maybe that was why she couldn't quite figure out what it was she was was sensing, she definitely couldn't put a finger on it. Part of that probably was due to the man-form that he'd adopted, but Izzy accepted the explanation immediately. The only question she had was why would he want to interact with people? That question was followed by an immediate decision not to let that particular series of words fall out of her mouth any time soon.

"Well...that makes sense." She offered, gingerly, making a point to look him over for a moment. "I'm sure we all appreciate the thoughtful gesture not to kill people." Izzy offered, trying to muster up the normal charming voice, but it didn't quite measure up. Shock was a funny thing like that.

She was doing her best to shake it off, though, giving a little toss that moved her curls.

"The fact that Alec Lightwood was talking to someone at a bar sounds pretty major to me." Izzy commented offhandedly, though there was a fond smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, thinking about her brother. "He was wrong, though. Nobody can compare to me." Total bluff. Izzy had a healthy confidence, but the joke came out easily enough, anyway. Did angels get offended by that sort of thing? God, she hoped she wasn't being offensive. "But I'm her, his sister....Izzy or Isabelle if you prefer."

Wow, Izzy didn't like the shocked and awkward version of herself; she made a mental note never to try that again, even when interacting with an angel.

[lotsoflaughs]

"I do rather prefer to kill people on purpose instead of by accident myself," Gabriel says dryly. "Alec was trying to get his bearings; figure the place out. Heard it was a bar for hunters, so..."

Perfectly reasonable explanation for her brother to be there. Just running reconnaissance. Along with getting a drink with a side of having his mind blown by the fact an archangel was talking to him.

"He's explained some things about your universe, although at some point, we're going to need to have more in-depth talks to get more of the differences ironed out. What we talked about was basically the Cliff Notes. Your universe's angels being completely hands off while mine are only mostly so, why there's a shitload of nephilim in yours, and so on." Gabriel is fully aware that he likely just broke plenty of illusions of what angels were like, just by talking, given his awareness of strictly modern day human things that really aren't important in the grand scheme of things.

[withstyle]

Izzy couldn't figure out whether she wanted to think about the angel Gabriel killing people (either on purpose or accident) or if she wanted to think about Alec in a bar. For the moment the second won out. Mainly because she couldn't even figure out how to wrap her mind around the angel at the moment. Alec, though, she knew better than the back of her hand. Reconnaissance, yes. People-watching, yes. Actively talking to people in a bar setting....not so much. That was a little harder for Izzy to actually imagine.

How long had her brother been here? Was he just that worried? Was he that desperate? Izzy wasn't sure yet, but it seemed rude to demand answers from an angel....especially considering the killing people on purpose comment. Besides, he might have thought she'd be there, from the sounds of it.

"I guess that makes sense. On both parts." Izzy tacks her second comment on, giving a little bit of a facial shrug. She shouldn't be concerned about him killing people, after all, he is in a human-like form. That means that he's not interested in killing at the moment. Plus, total honesty, Izzy's still shocked and doesn't have even the smallest clue of how to deal with an angel right now.

So, the nod she gave was forced...and mostly meant to acknowledge that she heard what he was saying about Alec filling him in. Izzy wasn't normally the star-struck type, but she was sure doing a good impression of it at the moment. "You're a lot different than what I'd pictured in my head, that's for sure." Izzy spoke before she could reign it in, giving a bit of a shrug to follow that comment up with. She hoped he didn't take offense to that, but he seemed so much less regal that she'd pictured in her head, she supposed. "I'm definitely with you on getting the differences ironed out, though." The shadowhunter agreed easily enough, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears.

She was really talking to an angel....this was real.

"Was he okay? My brother that is, is he okay?" Izzy asked, before she could help herself. "Since you've seen him, it can't hurt to ask, right?" She offered, a bit of a sheepish smile pulling at her lips, hoping that was okay. She couldn't quite fight the urge to ask, to be sure, even with the shock (and awe, maybe even a little bit of terror, and a few other emotions thrown in) of meeting an angel.

[lotsoflaughs]

"I think the shock of meeting me has worn off by now," Gabriel says with barely disguised amusement. "He's fine. Disappointed about no one he knows from your universe was here, but fine. And you tracking him down should make him feel better so far as that goes."

Then he cocks his head. "I won't bite if you ask questions. I'm the guy Dad sent out to tell people things, remember? That means questions once they're done either internally or externally having hysterics over coming face to face with an archangel. Possibly both. Michael would be another matter, but he's not here. Thankfully."

"And to continue the trend of answering things in the wrong order--" He gives her an unrepentant grin. "--We tend to get some version of 'you're not what I expected' a lot. Some of my sibs run fairly close to expectations, sure, but not all of us. Not even close."

[withstyle]

"And how long ago did he meet you, exactly?" Izzy posed the question, a bit of a grin pulling at her mouth at the thought of her brother and the angel. She definitely understood the feeling even under different circumstances. The amusement that the shadowhunter could see, so easily even, on the angel's face was definitely winning through some of the shock (and concern about what to say and do).

It didn't seem all that strange that Gabriel already had her figured out. He wasn't wrong. Izzy was going to track her brother down. That wasn't even a question in her mind now that she knew he was here. And it, honestly, made her feel better to know that she had someone to find too. "When you're right you're right. I'll be a nice surprise." Izzy shrugged before looking down at her heels. Of course the angel figured out she was censoring herself, of course.

"Well, that's good to know, even if it wasn't exactly biting I was worried about." There she was, the somewhat cheeky Isabelle. She even managed a grin after getting it out. Still, the shock that came with meeting an angel....well she deserved a bit of leeway considering this wasn't an everyday occurrence for her. Her grin grew a bit, though, unable to help it. He really wasn't what she had expected, but the reality was never quite like what popped up in a person's imagination. "I'll definitely keep that in mind for any other angels I meet."

Since questions were okay...Izzy figured she might as well throw some out. "How long have you been here, exactly? I mean, I definitely wasn't expecting to run into someone like you here."

[lotsoflaughs]

"What were you worried about?" Gabriel asks with a smirk before thinking about when he met Alec. "Huh. Met him longer ago than I thought. Slightly over a month ago. I tend to lose track of time every now and then. Comes with the lifespan. Anyway, I've been here for a tad over five months. A few of my younger siblings have shown up over staggered intervals."

Given that they're even ones he actually likes, he appreciates having them around. He's missed his siblings. It had been entirely too long since he'd seen any of them. Now he has access to three of them.

[withstyle]

"Oh, I don't know...maybe use your imagination, considering you're a powerful angel and I am not." Izzy offered said powerful angel, taking one of her smiles on once she'd said it. She had no idea how to act around Gabriel. Was she supposed to treat him like anybody else? Was she supposed to treat him in the venerated and highly respectful way because of what he was and what he was, of course, capable of? Izzy didn't have a damn clue. She was trying, though. She figured if she followed his lead to the best of her abilities, then....well, he'd have nobody to blame but himself for the answers that he was getting and everything....

Right?

"A month?" Izzy's brow furrowed in thought. Her brother hadn't been missing at any point. She would've known. How had he been here for a month. Had he really been here without the rest of them for that long? The shadow hunter couldn't help the frown that pulled at her features. "I wasn't expecting you to say that long." Izzy admitted, not ashamed, after all, he'd probably already figured that out by her initial reaction.

Now, she couldn't help but be worried about her brother.

"Which siblings?" Izzy posed the question as mildly as she could, but....well it was sort of a necessary question in this particular situation. The other angels that were here mattered. Especially if they weren't all as...helpful and interesting as Gabriel was so far.

[lotsoflaughs]

"Huh." Gabriel mulls that over for a moment. "There may be some oddness with time passing. Or different timelines. Someone here from home, isn't from my version, but another. It could be something like that. Something for you and Alec to work out when you can compare notes."

Because really. He has no way of knowing for certain what was going on.

"Anyway, those of my siblings who have shown up so far are Balthazar, Castiel, and Anna. Arriving in that order. They tend to show up at the Roadhouse from time to time. Especially Balthazar. The only one of us who shows up there more often is me." Gabriel and Balthazar like their alcohol. And in Gabriel's case, to flirt with the owner of the bar. Among other things.

[angelic_archer]

Considering the schedule Alec kept, it was surprising that he wasn't exhausted. But he was still wound up from his shift at the bar and it was early for him compared to the kinds of hours he kept when he was on missions. Most people were barely functional at the hour Alec normally wandered around the islands. It was a good time to enjoy the sights and feel more comfortable with the areas he patrolled on his time off.

Wandering through Imber, he was considering stopping at Mugs to get a cup of coffee and see if Sebastian or Adam were there. He could use a good snarking session with Adam to distract himself from his missing family or if it was Sebastian's shift, he could tease his friend about being awake so early.

Humming one of his favorite songs under his breath, he was about to head for the coffee shop when he heard a familiar voice. Or a mostly familiar voice. There was something slightly different about it, but Alec couldn't place what it was. Turning around, he tried to find his sister but the only person he saw looked like a strange combination of Izzy and their mother. Like the pictures he'd seen of Maryse when she was in her twenties. "Izzy?"

[withstyle]

The sound of her name turned her attention in the course of a second. One moment Izzy was looking at a random passerby, trying to speak, and the next she was turning and coming face to face with none other than her brother. The smile that pulled at the middle Lightwood's face was bright and she was definitely happy to see not only a familiar face, but her brother's face. She'd been wrong about the impending disappointment, and the fear that he wouldn't be here. And Izzy definitely was glad to be wrong in this particular case. "Alec!"

Izzy barely lifted her hand to offer a parting gesture for the person that she'd spoken to initially, much more interested in moving toward her brother now that she'd run into him. There was something...different, a subtle difference maybe, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. He looked like himself. It was definitely him, but maybe it was just this place? She was surprised because she hadn't expected that she would get this lucky.

"And here I didn't think I'd be lucky enough that you would be here, initially, let alone that I'd find you!" She shared, that wide grin still in place as she finally came to a stop, beaming. This definitely made the whole....being here easier, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't co-dependent. That wasn't it, but Alec was one of the most important people in her life and that was never something that she was afraid to admit. She preferred life with him around as opposed to the possibility of without. After all, who else was she supposed to annoy and meddle with?

"How long have you been here?" Izzy resisted the urge to hug her brother. She was more relieved to see him than she actually wanted to say at the moment. Now, she felt a little bit of a sense of ease, at least.

[angelic_archer]

Alec knew he was staring even as he smiled at his little sister. Not because she was here. If Max could be brought to the islands, then he knew that Izzy, Jace, or Magnus could show up someday. What he didn't expect was his sister to look like she was in her twenties instead of the teenager he'd seen the day before he'd found himself in another reality. Did time flow differently here than back home? Suddenly he thought of stories of the Fae and how mortals thought only a few days had passed Underhill and then realized when they returned home it had been decades since they'd been taken.

He'd accepted that he might be here permanently. He knew that he might never see the beings he loved again but he hadn't really thought of the time that would pass and the lives he'd miss. If he had, he would have went crazy. Instead he'd focused on the reasons why it was better that he was alone here. His family and Magnus were safe back home. But now he realized that he'd somehow lost years' worth of their lives.

"I knew it was possible for you to come here but I figured if they didn't bring us together, I was the only one they wanted." Alec knew he was one of the best Shadowhunters. He had to be to keep up with Jace but he'd never understood why he'd been taken when the others had so many unique skills that could interest whatever power had decided to bring him to the islands.

"I've been here for over a month but -" Should he ask? Izzy wasn't acting like he'd been missing a long time. It was as if he hadn't disappeared at all but it had to have been years for her. How else could she have changed so much? He couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled at him like that. "How long has it been for you? The last time I saw you, you were seventeen."

[withstyle]

"Well, I guess whoever makes the decisions about who comes and goes here decided that one Lightwood wasn't enough, after all." Izzy offered her older brother with a bit of a cheeky note coming through, even in her grin. Alec probably didn't realize it, but he'd given her even more information just now. He knew it was possible for her to come here and that meant that it was possible for others to come too. That meant that there was hope for Jace and the others too. Izzy had been doing her best not to worry about him, but....she half hoped that he'd show up here.

She knew it was selfish, but if he showed up then he'd be away from Valentine and they could help him; her other brother wasn't gone yet, and Izzy knew that much, she just knew.

Izzy had so much that she wanted to ask, to say, and to know, but her own questions didn't actually wind up pouring out of her mouth. Instead, she focused in on Alec, eyes widening at the amount of time he'd already spent in this place. "A month?" Her curls swayed slightly as she gave several firm shakes of her head. "It can't have been a month...." She'd seen him more recently than that, which meant that there was more going on here, obviously, but before Izzy could even try to wrap her mind around that Alec opened his mouth and Izzy's brain half-crashed again.

"What are you talking about? You weren't missing, Alec. I saw you shortly before I showed up here, actually." Izzy cleared that up quickly, her face contorting with a bit of a frown. Seventeen? No. "And I haven't been seventeen in a while. I'd remember if you hadn't been around since then, and trust me, big brother, you definitely were." Izzy commented emphatically. Part of her wanted to ask if he'd hit his head, but the other part of her knew that there was something more going on here...magic, most likely, and she wasn't exactly an expert on the subject, but she knew what she knew and didn't doubt those facts.

"Are you okay?" Izzy tacked on, though not as an afterthought, but because she hadn't actually asked the question about his well-being just yet. After all, he had been here alone. And not only that, but there was definitely some sort of magic involved in all of this.

[angelic_archer]

"Let's hope they decide they need three," Alec answered absentmindedly before mentally wincing at his tactlessness. He shouldn't have said that in front of Izzy. She had blamed herself for what had happened to Max and he'd always been so careful not to say anything that might hurt her. Maybe if he was right and Izzy was older, then maybe the comment wouldn't hurt as much as it would have before. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave her a soft apology, hoping that she wouldn't be hurt by his thoughtlessness.

Four Lightwoods would be better, but Jace was still deciding if he was a Lightwood or Herondale so he might not count in Izzy's suggestion about more family members arriving. Touching the parabatai rune on his side, he knew Jace was alive and not in pain. That was enough. He'd have to assume that Magnus was safe since he didn't dare hope that his boyfriend would show up when warlocks might not be welcome here.

"It's been over a month. I wouldn't lose track of that no matter how busy I've been." He was the punctual one but even if he wasn't, he wouldn't forget that when he missed his family and Magnus so much. "How could I not be missing? Magnus would have told you if I was gone." And tore most of New York apart to find him if there was any chance of bringing him back. "We trained together. I told Maryse the latest information from the vampires. We had dinner and I went home to the loft."

Izzy might not remember the details of that day since it was routine for them but she should have remembered the next day when Alec was missing. Sometimes she acted like she wished he wasn't around but she wouldn't really want that. "How old was I when you saw me?" Gabriel had said that they could take people from different times. That they could even bring Max here. His heart twisted at the thought. If they brought Izzy, maybe Max would be next. Maybe whoever was bringing them here would decide their brother deserved another chance. "You were seventeen and Jace was eighteen the day before I woke up here."

Realizing that he'd probably been staring at her like an idiot, worrying her needlessly, he gave Izzy a weak smile. "I'm okay, Iz. They haven't hurt me. They haven't hurt any of us. It was odd being here without you and Jace but I knew that Jace was safe and I knew he'd keep you safe." Of course that was more important to him than the potential dangers of living on a floating island.

[withstyle]

"Four would be better." Izzy countered, definitely with a playful tone. The four of them here would get Max away from their parents, which Izzy couldn't help but think might be for the best. After everything that had happened with Alec...and their reaction when he hadn't gone through the wedding was unacceptable to Izzy. She supported her brothers, all of them, no matter what they did or wanted. She didn't love Alec any less because he was gay, personally, and she was glad that he had started to be himself...and to give up his pursuit of being perfect. He deserved better, as far as she was concerned.

Izzy wasn't distracted by those thoughts long enough that she didn't notice the nervous way that her brother rubbed the back of his neck or the subtle apology. All that Alec got in return was a confused look and a 'hm?' because she didn't have the slightest clue as to what that was about.

There was just something about her brother, at the moment, that was off...it was the way that he was acting, carrying himself. And maybe there was something physical too, but she wasn't sure. He seemed more youthful, but maybe he'd just been relaxing more here? She didn't know, honestly, but Izzy couldn't help the thoughtful look that crossed her face.

"I believe you, but I'm telling you that you haven't been missing. I would have noticed if you were missing. I wouldn't need Magnus to tell me that my brother poofed, Alec." Izzy spoke, slightly over her brother, until she heard her brother talk about their mother. Frowning, Izzy shook her head. "What are you talking about? What information? We've been focused on Jace lately, not vampires." Izzy clarified, definitely knowing, in her gut, that something was up here.

That was probably the reason that she didn't hesitate in answering his question, no matter how silly it seemed. "You were 22." Izzy wrinkled her nose, especially hearing that the last time her brother had seen her she'd been a teenager. This didn't make sense. "One, I don't miss being seventeen. Two, this doesn't make sense..." Izzy grew quiet, thinking. Her brother was younger than her at the moment...if she'd been seventeen the last time he'd seen her. However, there was no possible way that he'd been gone for years because her brother had never disappeared and she knew that, without a doubt. "You haven't been missing for years." She clarified, putting that aside for the moment to acknowledge Alec's smile with one of her own.

His smile was weak and she was half tempted to hug him. Her own smile dropped as her right eyebrow lifted at his words. God, he was eighteen....that meant that he didn't know what happened to Jace. That meant that he hadn't gone through....quite a few different things. "I'm glad you're okay." Izzy started, reaching over to put her hand on her brother's arm, almost needing confirmation that he was there. What was she supposed to tell him about his parabatai? She couldn't keep it from him, not this. "But I don't need Jace to keep me safe. I didn't at seventeen either." She pointed out before her sigh escaped.

"I think we need to go somewhere and talk, in private, though." She couldn't keep secrets from her brother. Even if he was...younger...and that in itself seemed weird. Izzy was going to need time to wrap her mind around that.

[angelic_archer]

Four? Why would Izzy think four? Maybe Jace finally decided not to be a Herondale but if he did that, he'd lose the legacy that was waiting for him. Jace might not care about money or the family name right now but he understood the importance of tradition and after talking to Tessa he'd seemed more accepting of everything related to his family. He'd once mentioned another change in name. "Jace changed his name to Lightwood? Last time I talked to him he'd decided he was a Herondale."

This was more confusing than he expected. Alec had assumed that after they dealt with Valentine and Sebastian/Jonathan, that things would return to the Shadowhunter equivalent of normal but if Jace was still worrying over family something had gone wrong.

He wouldn't mention the third possibility for another Lightwood on the islands. That wasn't a subject he was ready to discuss out in public with Izzy when she didn't seem to remember Alec being missing. "You might need Magnus to tell you I'd poofed since I was living with him. Sometimes I was away from the Institute for days." Wait, why wouldn't she know that? Did they break up again? "I'm with Magnus right? Nothing happened?"

What was happening back home if Jace was a Lightwood and everyone was focusing on him? He was the Clave's shining star. His parents adored him. There was no reason for anyone to be focusing on him except as the Shadowhunter ideal. "It was some territory issue. They were asking me to relay their complaint to Maryse." He waved that off as unimportant. It was unimportant compared to something happening to Jace. Instinctively, his hand went to the parabatai rune. He'd know if something was wrong with Jace. "What happened to Jace, Izzy?"

At least he'd been through enough moments of almost losing Jace that he could keep his voice steady when he asked that question. "I would know if my parabatai was in danger." Izzy was the only one here that would understand how he could be so certain. She knew he'd feel his death or any significant change to him. All he felt was the distance separating them, nothing else.

He froze when Izzy touched his arm, going cold when he realized what that might mean. Izzy had rarely considered sisterly PDA unless something terrible had happened. Whatever had happened must have been bad if she thought he needed reassurance. Despite his worry, he smiled at his sister's complaint that she didn't need Jace to protect her, trying to ignore the worry that was settling in his chest. "I know you don't but if he's safe then I know that you are. He'd never let anything happen to you."

Nodding absentmindedly, he tried to tell himself that whatever had happened to Jace, he couldn't fix that from Medietas. "We can go to my house. It's nearby." Then maybe they could figure out what was going on.

[withstyle]

A peculiar look crossed Izzy's face at her brother's question. Herondale? What the hell was he talking about? There was definitely confusion etched there that she couldn't help. Izzy was definitely starting to worry about these strange differences, questions, and peculiar things that were coming from her brother. This boded badly...in general. "No, but he's as good as one... and where did you get Herondale?" Izzy shrugged the question off as soon as it was out because it was pretty obvious that they needed to have some in-depth conversation.

Right now it definitely seemed like all they were accomplishing was confusing one another and sparking more questions that they felt the need to toss out at one another...and they were sort of going in circles, as far as Izzy was concerned. She didn't like that either. It was definitely not what she wanted at the moment. She wanted answers now.

"Living with him?" Izzy's eyebrows shot up automatically because she knew that her brother hadn't done that, not yet, anyway. She couldn't exactly say if it was heading in that direction considering the outcome of the wedding, but he and Magnus hadn't even managed to go out on their first real date yet, let alone move in together. That was one fact, the other was that Alec...hadn't known Magnus at eighteen years old. The realization hit Izzy like a ton of bricks. "Uh...Alec..something's not right." Izzy gestured between them, meaning the conversation, the questions, and the answers that were being thrown out.

The shadowhunter didn't have a clue as to why there were obvious differences between what the both of them knew, but she wanted to know. Izzy was definitely one person that hated being confused. Mysteries weren't something that she liked leaving unsolved.

"Nothing happened to Jace, Alec...." Izzy nodded, automatically agreeing with his assessment. Alec would know if Jace was in danger before anybody else would, but right now that wasn't the most important thing. What was important was that what Jace knew and what he was saying didn't line up with what Izzy knew to be true. It wasn't right, it was all skewed from what she could tell. So, she wanted to get out of here and to dive right in because Izzy...she wasn't sure what to make of all of this.

It was that hurry that caused her to miss the way that Alec froze at her touch, instead in a rush to actually dive into the conversation that they needed to have. The smile she offered him in return didn't quite meet her eyes because of what was going through her mind, but she gave it nonetheless. "I keep thinking one day you'll learn that you don't have to be so protective, but you haven't yet." Izzy threw the comment out there, having a feeling that it would never chance, and she didn't mind near as much as she pretended that she did.

"C'mon." Izzy practically ordered her brother, nudging Alec's arm and then gesturing for him to lead the way. "We'll get to the bottom of...whatever it is that's going on here." She hoped, anyway.

[angelic_archer]

"Because Jace is a Herondale?" Despite knowing that something strange was going on, he couldn't quite hide his incredulous look. Izzy might not know as much about the family history as Alec did since his boyfriend had lived through the Herondale dramas but she knew enough that she'd recognize the name change. "Stephan and Celine Herondale? You really don't remember?" What had happened that made Izzy forget about that important detail after all the Clary and Jace sibling drama.

"I'm not living with Magnus in your time?" The thought hurt but it was also a sort of resignation. He was stuck here, so maybe it was better that they weren't together in the future even if it was giving him a headache trying to figure out how all this worked. It was easier to think of going in the past then having to untangle the future. "I moved in as soon as we got back from Idris." Izzy should know that. She'd supported his decision and told him to quit worrying about them and get away from someplace that would be toxic for him. "I couldn't live with Robert and Maryse anymore."

At least he didn't have to worry about Jace. He knew that his parabatai was safe and Izzy wouldn't lie to him about that. She knew how hurt he'd be if she hid that from him.

The smile that she offered when he began leading her to his townhouse matched what he remembered. A little bit reserved like she normally was when she was upset even if she tried to hide it behind nonchalance. "I'm never going to learn that. I have to keep an eye on all of you or Jace will do something stupid again like go after dragon demons." By the Angel, he hoped they never found another nest of those things. It'd taken hours to wash the muck off after that fight. Well, it'd taken him hours to. Izzy had somehow managed to stay spotless throughout the mission.

"Pure of heart," he muttered under his breath, glancing over at her, hoping she remember that at least. Then he began explaining where his townhouse was while taking the lead. She'd remember the way but silence felt awkward despite the two of them normally not needing to speak.

It didn't take long to get to the townhouse and let his little sister in. As he closed and locked the door, he looked over at Izzy, suddenly nervous. "Okay, so you don't remember anything about what happened with Valentine, Sebastian, or me moving out?"

[withstyle]

Izzy shook her head, her curls saying slightly with the motion. Jace wasn't a Herondale, and Izzy didn't know where her brother had gotten that. It was just another reason that showed Izzy that something was up here. The different pieces of information, the different....things that Alec shouldn't know that hadn't happened yet...it was like his life was different in some way, and Izzy didn't know what she made of that. "No, he's not." Izzy's voice was firm and she proceeded to give another shake of her head. Wayland, yes. Morgenstern, the verdict was still out on that. Herondale, never. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember the names, I don't forget much." Which meant that either something very different had happened for Alec or....something.

Was this actually her brother? Izzy didn't like the fact that she even had to ask herself the question, but it popped into her mind either way. He looked, talked, and seemed exactly like her brother. HE knew her, she knew him. Why was it that things weren't lining up the way that they should have? Alec wasn't supposed to know Magnus yet, Robert and Maryse hadn't crossed that line as parents yet, and Jace definitely didn't have a third name that Izzy hadn't heard of as of yet. This was confusing, and Izzy didn't like it. She didn't know what to say or how to proceed.

"You two haven't even gone on your first official date yet that I know of, let alone moved in together." Izzy finally just came out with it. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of her brother moving out, of Robert and Maryse driving him out, rather. The thought that they would do that made her angry on her brother's behalf. Of course he deserved to be happy and to, ultimately, live with a person that he cared about, but....he wasn't quite there yet with Magnus, not from where Izzy had come from. Alec didn't move that fast. At least, she didn't think so; that he wouldn't have willingly told her, but she would have eventually gotten details out of him, she was sure. "And you didn't even meet Magnus until recently." Her recently, not....his if he was younger...as he seemed to be.

How they were going to get to the bottom of this, Izzy didn't have a clue, but that wasn't going to stop them from trying.

The sister followed her brother, somewhat automatically, even in her heels. They didn't cause her any real obstacles as she went. The (formerly?) younger sister scoffed at the vow that came for her brother, but it quickly turned into a look of confusion. She stared at Alec, even more sure that something was off and though she didn't know what the right answer was, or where he'd come up with that memory, Izzy shrugged to show that she didn't know, a little shake of her head accompanying it. "Jace is a troublemaker, but I...don' have a clue what you're talking about." Izzy just barely kept herself from calling him big brother, as she was prone to do at times.

Maybe he wasn't her big brother, and that....had a strange effect on Izzy. She didn't like that thought. It didn't feel right, either way. From what she could tell he was Alec...just one that didn't seem to have the same memories and experiences that she had for some reason. Izzy did her best to tune into the explanation of where his townhouse was, memorizing the way as they went, but definitely preoccupied with their current...situation.

Once they were inside Izzy was pretty sure that she could cut the tension with a knife. He was nervous, she was....confused and uncertain (an unusual state for her, to be sure), and she was pretty sure neither of them quite knew what the hell to think right about now. So, his question definitely caught her off-guard. Izzy furrowed her eyebrows. "That depends on what you mean by remember on the first on. I know that Jace left with Valentine....that's why we've been focused on him. He thinks he was doing something noble by going with his father so that the rest of us would be safe, but..." Izzy shrugged, obviously not agreeing with the decision her adoptive brother had made. "As for Sebastian....I don't know what you're talking about and you definitely didn't move out. Not yet, anyway."

Izzy paused, only for a moment, before she felt the need to continue. Right now, back home, things were tense. Everyone was focused on Jace. Maybe that was why nothing had happened yet, but it wasn't a secret that they weren't happy, Maryse in particular. "And I sure as hell hope that you don't wind up moving out because our parents can't get over themselves. Eventually they'll get over what happened at the wedding." The words came out before Izzy realized that he wouldn't know what the wedding was, but at the same time...Alec knew several other things that he wasn't supposed to...that made this all about twenty times more confusing than it needed to be, probably, but there it was.

[angelic_archer]

"Yes, he's a Herondale. Valentine took the Herondales’ son and raised him as his own.” No matter how much Alec hated how Valentine treated Jace, the man was still his parabatai’s father in every way that mattered. Jace still thought of Valentine as his father even if he was still coming to terms with a legacy that he hadn’t known about. “No one except Hodge knew the truth. Even our parents thought that he was a Morgenstern. It’s complicated but it’s true.” Which was an understatement considering all the impossible things that had happened to them in the past few months.

Why didn’t Izzy know about his date with Magnus? She was the first one he’d told after he’d gotten back from Magnus’ loft. She’d helped Alec choose the right shirt to ‘match his eyes’ and then fussed over his hair before giving it up as a lost cause. Izzy had been the only one to know about the relationshipo but now she acted like the past few months hadn’t happened. Alec knew that Izzy had been angry over Magnus breaking up with him but she wouldn’t pretend that it had never happened. Even if she was, she’d been too proud of him finally coming out to pretend that the past didn’t exist.

Unless it didn’t for her.

He hadn’t met Magnus until recently...

It was one of those details that Alec couldn’t ignore. The type that he was learning that he needed to put into context and vocalize instead of letting his siblings take the lead. Like the word Edom that no one else had noticed and realized was more than just a colorful description. She thought he’d met Magnus when he was in his twenties, she didn’t remember the dragon demons. They all should remember that since everyone believed they were extinct until Jace had found a nest of them.

"I'm pure at heart. It repels the dirt.” It was a casual comment that Izzy had made after that hunt but she'd been so pleased by it, and by the fact that her brothers had ended up absolutely filthy while she'd been spotless. She wouldn't have forgotten that comment. Unless someone - something - had altered her memories. Like Clary or Simon.

Or she wasn't actually Izzy. There were other possibilities but if a shapeshifter wanted to pretend to be his sister, it would look like a seventeen year old Izzy, not a version of her that was older than Alec. Memory loss of some kind made more sense. Wishing that Magnus was here, he tried to think of some way to remind her of what had happened.

“Jace left with Valentine?” he asked slowly while he shrugged out of his leather jacket and hung it up next to the door. It almost slipped from his hands when she mentioned Sebastian. She didn’t remember. She had to remember. None of them would ever forget… Even if her memory had been altered, someone – Jace, their parents, Clary – would have told her about Max. They all missed him too much for anyone to simply forget to tell her about their little brother.

It felt like the floor went out from under him. Grief caught in his throat, choking him momentarily. Dread settled over him, like it had when he’d walked into the Penhallows’ house and instantly known that something was wrong. Pushing aside the grief and memories, he reminded himself that he had to be strong for his sister. He knew he was too pale, as he swallowed hard, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Izzy needed him. That was important now. Whatever had happened, they’d figure it out and he’d help his little sister.

Eventually, he’d tell her but not right now. Alec couldn’t just blurt that out in the entryway while he was dealing with his gear. “I’ll make some coffee and try to explain.” It was such a stupid, mundane thing suggest but he needed something routine to focus on while gathering his thoughts.

Hopefully he’d managed not to look like Izzy had punched him as he headed for the kitchen. Max wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss yet. Not like this. Soon, he promised himself. “The wedding?” Looking over his shoulder as he puzzled that out, he assumed she meant Jocelyn and Luke’s. “I didn’t do anything embarrassing at the wedding. I thought they were past the whole ‘he’s dating a warlock’ issue. I was civil to Robert even if I was still angry.”

Alec had the feeling that wasn’t what Izzy meant. She’d been furious when he’d told her about his conversation with Robert but no one had been angry at him over what had happened. He hadn’t done anything worth getting angry over, unless their parents were still going to have fits because he refused to hide his relationship.

When he entered the kitchen, he turned toward his sister, studying her thoughtfully for a few seconds. Slowly he considered all the strange details of what she’d said. He’d met Magnus in his twenties. She didn’t remember the dragon demon hunt. She didn’t know about Max or Sebastian. It was like she was living in one of the demon dreams they’d all been caught in but she hadn’t broken free. Could that be what had happened to Izzy?

It had taken a shock, some detail that was so wrong that their minds couldn’t shuffle it into the fictional reality to bring them out of the dream. Maybe that would work now.

“No, I’m not stripping.” It wasn't the best attempt at a joke but he had to try to reassure her in some way that he was trying to fix this. Pulling up his t-shirt, he lifted the hem enough that the faint, jagged scars that ran along his chest were visible.

Watching her carefully, he began to speak, letting the fabric fall when he was sure Izzy realized how dangerous the injury had been. “When I was seventeen, I stepped in front of Jace when a Greater Demon attacked him. The wound was mortal. I would have died if Hodge hadn’t asked Magnus for help. He saved my life. I met Magnus before that but everything changed that night. As soon as I could sneak out of the Institute, I went to his apartment to thank him and I asked him out. Is that how you remember me meeting Magnus?”

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian stopped and looked up, surprised anyone would be speaking to him. It had to be a mistake, but just to be sure he should probably find out. Looking around for someone the question was meant for he realized it really was him this young woman was speaking to. Young woman who reminded him strongly of Alec for some reason.

"Must see?" Was she referring to attractions like a tourist? "The...opera house just opened. And...there is a new Jedi Temple. Although, I wouldn't really call it a must see the way one would the Golden Gate bridge or The Morgan Library and Museum. It's a temple. Like a church, I guess."

Not really sure he was being helpful he wandered a bit closer and asked curiously, "Is there something specific you have an interest in?"

[withstyle]

Izzy nodded, a bit of amusement pulling at the fact that he had to repeat her question. She supposed she could have been clearer about what exactly she was looking for, but the truth was that Izzy didn't know what the hell she was looking for quite yet. She was relatively open when it came to suggestions at the moment. Anything that was popular, big, or particularly visible would make for a good reference point when it came to making her way around this place, she knew that much. "Yeah, must see. Anything, really." Izzy knew that clarification didn't help much, so she offered a bright smile to make up for that fact.

Izzy filed the options into her head quickly. Opera house, jedi temple.... Izzy definitely froze at Jedi Temple. It made her think of Simon immediately. Star Wars was one of the things that he was into. So, she had to push that thought away, nodding to acknowledge the options that the guy had given her. "Well, if nothing else I'm pretty sure that it'd be impossible for me to miss a jedi temple." Izzy murmured to herself, somewhat amused.

Simon would probably have a spazzy fit right about now, she was sure.

"I just arrived, so I'm just...exploring and trying to check things out." Izzy offered with a bit of a shrug. She had no clue if it was a normal occurence for newcomers to wander the way that she was at the moment, but she wasn't overly worried about what other people did when they arrived, if she were being honest with herself. Izzy, as always, did everything that she decided on with confidence. "I'm not all that sure where I'm going or what I'm checking out yet, hence the question." She elaborated further before moving slightly closer and holding her hand out.

"I'm Izzy, what's your name?"