Moment by moment, the situation devolved. Mandy's fingers tightened on the plastic baggie. She tried to make herself loosen her grip, for fear of breaking right through the thin material, but had mixed success at best. Her breath was getting quick again, and she gently leaned the umbrella against the shelf so she could have her other hand free.
Seo-yun had to leave. She had to run. She should just get out of there, and she was trying, but they weren't letting her. Maybe they'd never let her. If Mary could turn so quickly and try to hurt her friend, what were two relative strangers? And Mandy was here, frozen, not doing anything, and she couldn't do that again. She couldn't leave Seo-yun alone.
Her free hand reached over to the bag and undid the top, and even the faint scent was enough to get her nose running. She stared at the shelf full of keychains in the shape of stylized numbers (one per season, each sort of evocative of an appropriate iconic weapon) as if she might look straight through it and melt whoever was on the other side with her laser eyes.
Doing something could be even more dangerous than letting things continue to unfold uninterrupted. Mandy knew that. There was a real chance that her actions could get her—or, worse, Seo-yun—seriously hurt, and if that happened, she'd never forgive herself. But she'd never forgive herself for the consequences of sitting idle either, and at least if she acted she could know she did her best.
She'd just create a distraction, draw their attention, hopefully knock them out of commission for a moment, and then she and Seo-yun could run. Easy peasy.
So Mandy popped up from behind the shelf, giving out a cry that was less fearsome and more unsure, and swept her arm in a wide arc. She held the bag of powdered pepper by the bottom, and it billowed out in a thick red cloud towards Virginia and her terrifying shotgun.
Consumer Culture
(cw for eye stuff) noonish, private because y'all already know wtf going on!!!!!!
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MurderWeasel
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VoltTurtle
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Seo-yun wasted no time taking advantage of the chaos that erupted in the wake of Mandy's attack. There was no time to think, or really consider what she was doing. Now was the time to improvise, and let her instincts guide her.
With her heart hammering in her ears, she rushed forward, and whipped the pan as hard as she could at Abel's head.
With her heart hammering in her ears, she rushed forward, and whipped the pan as hard as she could at Abel's head.
Abel cocked the pistol, glancing over at Virginia again when she called his name. If he could've just bought time for them to get out of there or scared Seo-yun away from them and whatever she was plotting, that's all they needed. Though, if the bullet actually went through the prima-donna, well, that's just the way the cookie crumbled on occasion.
He barely had time to register that little twerp popping up behind the shelves before his face got smashed in with the frying pan.
He'd been in a fistfight before back in middle school, hardly a fight even and more like a row with hands involved. It was nothing that made him a punch drunkard or anything of the sort considering the poor technique 13 year old boys tended to have in general, but at the time he thought that experience of getting his face beaten in was just about the worst.
This was worse than that.
He grimaced and recoiled back as his glasses were knocked off his face.
His finger slipped and fired the pistol. The explosive bang reverberated within the confines of the shop boat.
He barely had time to register that little twerp popping up behind the shelves before his face got smashed in with the frying pan.
He'd been in a fistfight before back in middle school, hardly a fight even and more like a row with hands involved. It was nothing that made him a punch drunkard or anything of the sort considering the poor technique 13 year old boys tended to have in general, but at the time he thought that experience of getting his face beaten in was just about the worst.
This was worse than that.
He grimaced and recoiled back as his glasses were knocked off his face.
His finger slipped and fired the pistol. The explosive bang reverberated within the confines of the shop boat.
Gun cock. Yell. Movement. Fire.
Metaphorical fire as Virginia's vision went red on one side and then literal fire as burning pain erupted in her eye. She cried out herself in shock more than anything, but her inhale brought in more of whatever had been released into the air, and then her lungs were on fire too.
Movement. Movement. Seo-yun and Abel and the newcomer that had- attacked her? She was under attack.
Gunfire.
Virginia spun back in the direction of whoever had attacked her, away from Abel and Seo-yun. A blur of yellow under the red cloud obscuring her vision. Her mind was a whirl just like her sight. Her finger found the trigger and squeezed.
The shotgun roared, and Virginia was choking out another cry underneath the sound, because the recoil had slammed the butt of it right back into her stomach when she tried to fire it braced against her body. Still choking and half-blind, and now with the wind knocked out of her, Virginia's knees buckled, and she went to the floor.
Unlike out on the crates, she dropped the gun. Instead, she doubled over, one hand bracing against the floor and the other folded against her abdomen as she struggled to draw in a proper, non-burning breath.
Metaphorical fire as Virginia's vision went red on one side and then literal fire as burning pain erupted in her eye. She cried out herself in shock more than anything, but her inhale brought in more of whatever had been released into the air, and then her lungs were on fire too.
Movement. Movement. Seo-yun and Abel and the newcomer that had- attacked her? She was under attack.
Gunfire.
Virginia spun back in the direction of whoever had attacked her, away from Abel and Seo-yun. A blur of yellow under the red cloud obscuring her vision. Her mind was a whirl just like her sight. Her finger found the trigger and squeezed.
The shotgun roared, and Virginia was choking out another cry underneath the sound, because the recoil had slammed the butt of it right back into her stomach when she tried to fire it braced against her body. Still choking and half-blind, and now with the wind knocked out of her, Virginia's knees buckled, and she went to the floor.
Unlike out on the crates, she dropped the gun. Instead, she doubled over, one hand bracing against the floor and the other folded against her abdomen as she struggled to draw in a proper, non-burning breath.
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MurderWeasel
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For a moment, Mandy was ecstatic. The trick had worked. Virginia cried out as the cloud of powder met her face, and Seo-yun moved, taking advantage of the distraction. It was all going to be over just like that, a nice clean getaway.
But Seo-yun wasn't retreating. Instead, she darted forwards, bringing the skillet crashing into Abel's face, and his gun went off and Virginia turned and Mandy's slightly-watery eyes went wide. She ducked back down just as there was an incredible explosion, and a piece of shelf not where she'd been but still too close for comfort (although honestly that was a pretty ride range) exploded in a shower of splinters and fragments of knickknack glass.
Mandy yelped and didn't hear herself, grabbing the umbrella from where it had toppled to the floor. She scrambled on hand and knees in the opposite direction as the one now coated in shards of glass and rough wood, popping out next to Virginia. Mandy raised her umbrella, pointed it, and pressed the button, and the device engaged, popping out and springing open, except one of the arms had been shattered when she was clubbing Mary with it so the whole thing had this sort of pathetic, deflated appearance.
No time to worry about that. It was nothing but a diversion anyways, something to stop Virginia from immediately blowing Mandy away with the shotgun that was...
Actually, the shotgun was lying on the ground a few feet away while Virginia bent over, maybe to go for it. Just like that, salvation was at hand. Mandy raced forward and grabbed at the girl, scrabbling for purchase, something to stop her from getting back to the gun. An attempt at a bear hug didn't get anywhere, but Mandy was able to get a grip on the sides of the backpack, and pulled as hard as she could, looking to bodily haul Virginia away from the lost weapon.
But Seo-yun wasn't retreating. Instead, she darted forwards, bringing the skillet crashing into Abel's face, and his gun went off and Virginia turned and Mandy's slightly-watery eyes went wide. She ducked back down just as there was an incredible explosion, and a piece of shelf not where she'd been but still too close for comfort (although honestly that was a pretty ride range) exploded in a shower of splinters and fragments of knickknack glass.
Mandy yelped and didn't hear herself, grabbing the umbrella from where it had toppled to the floor. She scrambled on hand and knees in the opposite direction as the one now coated in shards of glass and rough wood, popping out next to Virginia. Mandy raised her umbrella, pointed it, and pressed the button, and the device engaged, popping out and springing open, except one of the arms had been shattered when she was clubbing Mary with it so the whole thing had this sort of pathetic, deflated appearance.
No time to worry about that. It was nothing but a diversion anyways, something to stop Virginia from immediately blowing Mandy away with the shotgun that was...
Actually, the shotgun was lying on the ground a few feet away while Virginia bent over, maybe to go for it. Just like that, salvation was at hand. Mandy raced forward and grabbed at the girl, scrabbling for purchase, something to stop her from getting back to the gun. An attempt at a bear hug didn't get anywhere, but Mandy was able to get a grip on the sides of the backpack, and pulled as hard as she could, looking to bodily haul Virginia away from the lost weapon.
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VoltTurtle
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Everything that followed once Seo-yun rushed forward was an adrenaline fueled blur. There were gunshots. A ringing in her ears. No pain, must've missed. Keep going, do or die. Nothing was in her mind but killing intent.
She slammed herself into Abel, and they both went to the ground. Virginia's gun clattered to the floor a ways behind them. Something for later.
She grabbed the blade he was clutching. Wrestled for it. It dug into her hand, stung. Didn't matter. Ripped it out of his grasp, pointed the barrel at his face. Pulled the trigger. Nothing. Jammed the point into his eye instead. Heard a scream. Ripped it out. Plunged it into his chest. Once, twice, three times. Choked cries, then gasps, then the smell of blood.
She jolted up, knife in hand. Spun around, eyes locked on the shotgun. Abel was done for. Virginia was next.
She slammed herself into Abel, and they both went to the ground. Virginia's gun clattered to the floor a ways behind them. Something for later.
She grabbed the blade he was clutching. Wrestled for it. It dug into her hand, stung. Didn't matter. Ripped it out of his grasp, pointed the barrel at his face. Pulled the trigger. Nothing. Jammed the point into his eye instead. Heard a scream. Ripped it out. Plunged it into his chest. Once, twice, three times. Choked cries, then gasps, then the smell of blood.
She jolted up, knife in hand. Spun around, eyes locked on the shotgun. Abel was done for. Virginia was next.
Abel kicked at Seo-yun's leg before she could get too far away.
She crashed to the ground along with the cutlass pistol. It skittered along the floor of the shop boat.
Now he had to work quick.
Through clenched teeth, Abel squirmed through the brain fog and the numbness and the jabbing pains to free his daypack sandwiched between his back and the floor.
He lost- well, no, he quit. You can't lose if you quit; he learned that a long time ago. But he'd make damn sure Seo-yun didn't have a flawless victory, either.
She crashed to the ground along with the cutlass pistol. It skittered along the floor of the shop boat.
Now he had to work quick.
Through clenched teeth, Abel squirmed through the brain fog and the numbness and the jabbing pains to free his daypack sandwiched between his back and the floor.
He lost- well, no, he quit. You can't lose if you quit; he learned that a long time ago. But he'd make damn sure Seo-yun didn't have a flawless victory, either.
Tears were streaming down Virginia's face, dragging inky black trails of mascara and eyeliner over her cheeks and rolling down to her chin. She was gasping for breath still, and her vision had only cleared a little, and God, Satan, or whoever, she could hear Abel getting stabbed, there was no mistaking that sound for anything else, and all she could think about was her fucking makeup getting ruined.
It was the small things. She could only focus on the small things like that, so that she didn't lose her mind screaming in a panic. Finally she was able to draw in a breath without coughing too much, and she raised her head. One hand slid out to where she thought the gun had gone, encountering shards of glass that nicked her fingertips. Tiny stings to compliment the burning of her eye and the bruise that was probably already forming just under her ribcage.
She didn't get to the shotgun before she was yanked back by a hold on her backpack, and she let out a wordless noise of frustration and despair. Instinctively, she lurched forward away from it, but that didn't do much with her arms through the straps. She had to get out of it, or she'd- Abel would-
Small things. Get out of the tangle. Scream and cry later, God, please, keep it together for just a second. Virginia twisted to the side instead of trying to struggle forward again, attempting to get at least one arm out of the backpack's strap so that she could get away if nothing else.
It was the small things. She could only focus on the small things like that, so that she didn't lose her mind screaming in a panic. Finally she was able to draw in a breath without coughing too much, and she raised her head. One hand slid out to where she thought the gun had gone, encountering shards of glass that nicked her fingertips. Tiny stings to compliment the burning of her eye and the bruise that was probably already forming just under her ribcage.
She didn't get to the shotgun before she was yanked back by a hold on her backpack, and she let out a wordless noise of frustration and despair. Instinctively, she lurched forward away from it, but that didn't do much with her arms through the straps. She had to get out of it, or she'd- Abel would-
Small things. Get out of the tangle. Scream and cry later, God, please, keep it together for just a second. Virginia twisted to the side instead of trying to struggle forward again, attempting to get at least one arm out of the backpack's strap so that she could get away if nothing else.
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VoltTurtle
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Seo-yun hit the ground hard, her elbows taking the brunt of the impact, the pain shooting through both of them dwarfing the ache in her bleeding hand and sending reality crashing back around her.
This wasn't fair, he was dead, nothing he did now mattered at all anymore. He wasn't supposed to keep fighting for, for what? Revenge? Spite? This couldn't keep happening to her, she was Seo-yun, she was the star, she was supposed to do everything with style. Yet a dead man just made her look like a fool, as if she hadn't had enough of that today already.
Whatever, whatever, whatever. Abel got his second wind, or rather his dying gasp. Maybe she should've stabbed him more and kept him from doing anything else, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. She had her prize just a few feet away, and another person that needed killing.
She scrambled forward, powering through the burning pain and the numbness to launch herself at the shotgun, her blood-slick hands quickly finding purchase around it.
She flipped herself over, pumped the shotgun, took aim.
Bye-bye, Virginia.
Pulled the trigger.
This wasn't fair, he was dead, nothing he did now mattered at all anymore. He wasn't supposed to keep fighting for, for what? Revenge? Spite? This couldn't keep happening to her, she was Seo-yun, she was the star, she was supposed to do everything with style. Yet a dead man just made her look like a fool, as if she hadn't had enough of that today already.
Whatever, whatever, whatever. Abel got his second wind, or rather his dying gasp. Maybe she should've stabbed him more and kept him from doing anything else, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. She had her prize just a few feet away, and another person that needed killing.
She scrambled forward, powering through the burning pain and the numbness to launch herself at the shotgun, her blood-slick hands quickly finding purchase around it.
She flipped herself over, pumped the shotgun, took aim.
Bye-bye, Virginia.
Pulled the trigger.
Virginia wasn't even looking at Seo-yun; it was only luck that she wrenched herself out of the backpack's strap and pitched forward a fraction of a second before the shotgun blast rocketed by, close enough for her to feel the heat of it on her back. Something to her other side shattered, and she shrieked, though it was lost in the roar. A few wisps of ginger hair drifted to the floor, torn loose by the shot.
She was still blinking away tears of pain and panic, but something coalesced into solid vision on the floor in front of her. Abel's gun.
Virginia lunged for it, uncaring this time of the debris that caught at her sleeves and threatened to cut her through the fabric. Turned, yanking her other arm free of the backpack. Brought the red-stained blade up, swinging it in a wide arc at the blurry yellow figure behind her, trying to drive it back.
She was still blinking away tears of pain and panic, but something coalesced into solid vision on the floor in front of her. Abel's gun.
Virginia lunged for it, uncaring this time of the debris that caught at her sleeves and threatened to cut her through the fabric. Turned, yanking her other arm free of the backpack. Brought the red-stained blade up, swinging it in a wide arc at the blurry yellow figure behind her, trying to drive it back.
Abel tried to focus away from the blood that moistened his face and his skin and drained onto the floor. He tried to focus away from the blurry and violent dust cloud scramble going on in front of him as if it were a Looney Tunes short.
All he could do was fight for those precious few seconds of consciousness he was given just to spite Seo-yun.
And so he did. He freed his bag and flung it at the waifish red-haired blob he was fairly sure was Virginia. Though, "flung" was being rather colorful; it was more like he could barely push it across the floor but you get the point.
"Quickly... go...," he said, unsure if his own words were loud enough to reach her or if he actually even said anything. He felt the back of his head drop onto the rather gross floor again.
And that was about it. He couldn't keep up with the fight anymore to see if Virginia actually made it out or not. He thought about commenting on how terrible of an actress Seo-yun was or threatening her with saying how he'd get her and her little dog too but even if he had the strength left it probably wouldn't work as well as he'd intend and he was dead at that point anyway so it was probably rather unsportsmanlike. So instead, he settled and just thought about the blood that kept spewing out from his torso and ruining his clothes in the last few moments he had.
It was a $40 shirt.
All he could do was fight for those precious few seconds of consciousness he was given just to spite Seo-yun.
And so he did. He freed his bag and flung it at the waifish red-haired blob he was fairly sure was Virginia. Though, "flung" was being rather colorful; it was more like he could barely push it across the floor but you get the point.
"Quickly... go...," he said, unsure if his own words were loud enough to reach her or if he actually even said anything. He felt the back of his head drop onto the rather gross floor again.
And that was about it. He couldn't keep up with the fight anymore to see if Virginia actually made it out or not. He thought about commenting on how terrible of an actress Seo-yun was or threatening her with saying how he'd get her and her little dog too but even if he had the strength left it probably wouldn't work as well as he'd intend and he was dead at that point anyway so it was probably rather unsportsmanlike. So instead, he settled and just thought about the blood that kept spewing out from his torso and ruining his clothes in the last few moments he had.
It was a $40 shirt.
Abel Kuntz - death and taxes
11 Buccaneers are left.
11 Buccaneers are left.
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MurderWeasel
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Virginia was thrashing wildly, and it was all Mandy could do to hold on to the pack. She was, as she was becoming more and more aware, smaller than the other girl by a considerable margin, and her advantage in positioning didn't do nearly eneough to offset that disadvantage. Mandy wished she had a skillet of her own, something to knock the girl over the head to make her just stop moving for a second, but all she could do was brace her heels against the deck and try to keep control.
And then the resistance went away, and Mandy was falling backwards, Virginia's backpack still clutched tightly in her hands, as there was once again a roar of gunfire. She landed on the floor with a thump—ow—and pushed herself backwards two scoots before scrambling back to her feet, bringing the umbrella with her. She hadn't been shot, but neither had Virginia. There was no time to follow anything else.
Mandy barely got her assigned weapon into position just in time to deflect the wild swing Virginia took with the bladed gun that she'd pilfered, which yanked the umbrella to the side, crunching more of the flimsy metal arms and tearing the fabric. Mandy yelled, which was ever-so-slightly more dignified than screaming, and jerked away from the girl, half carried by the momentum of the strike, half backpedaling to avoid peril.
It took her just far enough for her foot to catch something on the ground and send her toppling backwards onto her butt once more. Eyes wide, Mandy whipped her head back and forth, trying to see what Seo-yun was doing, hoping for something to bail her out.
And then the resistance went away, and Mandy was falling backwards, Virginia's backpack still clutched tightly in her hands, as there was once again a roar of gunfire. She landed on the floor with a thump—ow—and pushed herself backwards two scoots before scrambling back to her feet, bringing the umbrella with her. She hadn't been shot, but neither had Virginia. There was no time to follow anything else.
Mandy barely got her assigned weapon into position just in time to deflect the wild swing Virginia took with the bladed gun that she'd pilfered, which yanked the umbrella to the side, crunching more of the flimsy metal arms and tearing the fabric. Mandy yelled, which was ever-so-slightly more dignified than screaming, and jerked away from the girl, half carried by the momentum of the strike, half backpedaling to avoid peril.
It took her just far enough for her foot to catch something on the ground and send her toppling backwards onto her butt once more. Eyes wide, Mandy whipped her head back and forth, trying to see what Seo-yun was doing, hoping for something to bail her out.
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VoltTurtle
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So, fun fact: Seo-yun had never once fired a gun in her life.
She understood the basics. Guns were instruments of murder, they needed bullets or slugs or pellets of some kind as ammunition, and you pointed them at whoever or whatever you wanted to kill and pulled the trigger. What she did not understand was that shotguns had quite a bit of recoil when fired, and that lying on the ground was a very poor way of bracing oneself for a gunshot.
She learned her lesson the hard way when the gun came crashing into her face immediately after the shot, bouncing off of her head and skidding across the ground two feet behind her.
Between the stars in her vision and the pain in her face, elbows, and palm, it didn't register immediately that she missed the shot at Virginia. It was only the continued noise of scuffling that she could barely hear over the ringing in her ears that tipped her off that Virginia was still very much alive.
Needless to say, this was not according to whatever plan she thought she had going into this situation.
Not wanting to waste any time and potentially let her second kill of ten get away, she flipped herself over and scrambled once again for the shotgun.
She understood the basics. Guns were instruments of murder, they needed bullets or slugs or pellets of some kind as ammunition, and you pointed them at whoever or whatever you wanted to kill and pulled the trigger. What she did not understand was that shotguns had quite a bit of recoil when fired, and that lying on the ground was a very poor way of bracing oneself for a gunshot.
She learned her lesson the hard way when the gun came crashing into her face immediately after the shot, bouncing off of her head and skidding across the ground two feet behind her.
Between the stars in her vision and the pain in her face, elbows, and palm, it didn't register immediately that she missed the shot at Virginia. It was only the continued noise of scuffling that she could barely hear over the ringing in her ears that tipped her off that Virginia was still very much alive.
Needless to say, this was not according to whatever plan she thought she had going into this situation.
Not wanting to waste any time and potentially let her second kill of ten get away, she flipped herself over and scrambled once again for the shotgun.
Virginia's swing missed, and the momentum kept her going, flopping onto her side with a gasp.
Something softer than a gun or person bumped into her with just enough momentum to guess that it had been pushed. A backpack. Abel's backpack.
Beyond it lay the blurry shape of Abel himself. Bloodied. Unmoving.
It was an unfamiliar and unique kind of agony that wrenched through Virginia at the thought that she was taking all that was left of him. That and RUN were all the coherent thoughts she had time for now. With the yellow blob girl on the ground and Seo-yun scrambling on the floor for the gun or another weapon now, Virginia swung her free arm through the bag's strap and marionette-motioned herself back to her feet. Everything hurt, but she stayed standing. She was half-blinded, but only half. It had to be good enough for now.
She ran, and she wouldn't stop again until she collapsed.
((Virginia Burns continued in In All My Dreams I Drown))
Something softer than a gun or person bumped into her with just enough momentum to guess that it had been pushed. A backpack. Abel's backpack.
Beyond it lay the blurry shape of Abel himself. Bloodied. Unmoving.
It was an unfamiliar and unique kind of agony that wrenched through Virginia at the thought that she was taking all that was left of him. That and RUN were all the coherent thoughts she had time for now. With the yellow blob girl on the ground and Seo-yun scrambling on the floor for the gun or another weapon now, Virginia swung her free arm through the bag's strap and marionette-motioned herself back to her feet. Everything hurt, but she stayed standing. She was half-blinded, but only half. It had to be good enough for now.
She ran, and she wouldn't stop again until she collapsed.
((Virginia Burns continued in In All My Dreams I Drown))
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MurderWeasel
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The bail out came. Kinda.
Mandy was left sitting there on the floor and wasn't cleaved or shot or bludgeoned until her brain came dribbling out of her ears, but not because of anything anyone actually did. Virginia just took the moment to run, and Abel just sort of lay there in a heap not moving. There was a puddle of blood around him—yeah, Mandy knew it was blood, she wasn't lying to herself.
The floor of the shop boat was a total mess. Exploded kitsch shrapnel was strewn everywhere, splinters of wood too, and the surfaces were slick from snow globe juice and ambient moisture and, yeah, the blood. The air was heavy with humidity and displaced dust and lingering particles of powdered pepper, and way more of that was smeared across the floor like a sand mandala after a windstorm. Mandy wasn't touching it but still her nose felt runny and her eyes prickled.
At least Seo-yun looked more or less unharmed. "Alright" would be too big a stretch, but she'd taken custody of the shotgun, and she had some blood on her but it probably wasn't hers. She'd just been through hell, but she still seemed more put together than Mandy had felt ever in her entire life.
Slowly and carefully, Mandy pulled herself upright. Her umbrella was really a wreck now, tattered and shattered, but she tried to retract it again anyways, not even paying conscious attention to what her hands were doing. She got it to something like a starting state because the snap was still there, but it was now lumpy and lopsided even undeployed, and a frayed flap of fabric hung off of it.
"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at Seo-yun with wide eyes while pressing the tip of the umbrella against the floor. And then she turned and looked at Abel again, and he still wasn't moving, and that was actually an awful lot of blood.
Mandy sniffed and took a step closer to the boy. Her sense of smell was all messed up from the dust and the pepper, but still she could swear she could detect the blood. There was this sinking feeling in her gut. She'd been proud of it when she acted, and she still was happy that she'd done something to help save Seo-yun, but even after all they'd talked about she wasn't really sure she was ready to face the reality of it.
"You think we should tie him up?" she asked softly, almost hopefully. "So he, so he doesn't attack us again?"
Mandy was left sitting there on the floor and wasn't cleaved or shot or bludgeoned until her brain came dribbling out of her ears, but not because of anything anyone actually did. Virginia just took the moment to run, and Abel just sort of lay there in a heap not moving. There was a puddle of blood around him—yeah, Mandy knew it was blood, she wasn't lying to herself.
The floor of the shop boat was a total mess. Exploded kitsch shrapnel was strewn everywhere, splinters of wood too, and the surfaces were slick from snow globe juice and ambient moisture and, yeah, the blood. The air was heavy with humidity and displaced dust and lingering particles of powdered pepper, and way more of that was smeared across the floor like a sand mandala after a windstorm. Mandy wasn't touching it but still her nose felt runny and her eyes prickled.
At least Seo-yun looked more or less unharmed. "Alright" would be too big a stretch, but she'd taken custody of the shotgun, and she had some blood on her but it probably wasn't hers. She'd just been through hell, but she still seemed more put together than Mandy had felt ever in her entire life.
Slowly and carefully, Mandy pulled herself upright. Her umbrella was really a wreck now, tattered and shattered, but she tried to retract it again anyways, not even paying conscious attention to what her hands were doing. She got it to something like a starting state because the snap was still there, but it was now lumpy and lopsided even undeployed, and a frayed flap of fabric hung off of it.
"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at Seo-yun with wide eyes while pressing the tip of the umbrella against the floor. And then she turned and looked at Abel again, and he still wasn't moving, and that was actually an awful lot of blood.
Mandy sniffed and took a step closer to the boy. Her sense of smell was all messed up from the dust and the pepper, but still she could swear she could detect the blood. There was this sinking feeling in her gut. She'd been proud of it when she acted, and she still was happy that she'd done something to help save Seo-yun, but even after all they'd talked about she wasn't really sure she was ready to face the reality of it.
"You think we should tie him up?" she asked softly, almost hopefully. "So he, so he doesn't attack us again?"