And then the glock came out of Verity’s bag, pointed right in Bacchia’s direction.
“Don’t move. Don’t fucking move.”
In Dreams You Will Lose Your Heartaches...
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Wham Yubeesling
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MurderWeasel
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"Hey, hey. Whoa, guys, let's take it down a notch, okay?"
Keegan felt like he was making a nice dramatic entrance from the corner, but really the effect had been enabled by everyone else having their hands full with... whatever this was. A confrontation. A mistake. Truth be told, taking in the scene arrayed before him, he felt a little better about the whole failing-to-finish-off-Ivan thing. At least that had been an honest accident. He'd sort of tried.
The tableau was primed to explode at any moment. Bacchia was almost frozen mid-lunge, the long saber brandished menacingly, its gleaming handle and polished blade catching the light from the chandeliers overhead. A half dozen steps behind her, back at the table, James held the weapon she'd been assigned aloft, calling threats as the unmistakable pineapple-shaped explosive shell tried to command the attention his voice could not. In the background in the other direction, so close to the door she could've faded back through it had she been a little smarter and moved in the proper heading instead of away from it, stood Alyssa, a junior girl cooler in the conventional sense than just about anyone Keegan hung out with, armed with something that would've looked right at home in the hands of Aquaman and/or Satan.
And central to it all, the hub around which these other spokes revolved, was Verity, pointing a handgun right at Bacchia, bag haphazardly slung over her shoulder, a wild look about her that split the difference between in-trouble and making it.
Verity was the reason this was a mistake. Keegan didn't have a whole lot of friends, and especially not good ones. There were people he'd hang out with, people who vibed with his sense of humor or shared a hobby or were just decent to talk to. He was fond of people like N, or Jasper, or whoever, but all the same, they weren't Verity. He'd known Verity just about as long as he could remember, and quite frankly she mattered in a way that other people didn't. If she turned around and walked out of the room and left Alyssa on her own, Keegan wouldn't feel particularly compelled to lift a finger to intervene in whatever came next, but what had happened to Ivan was absolutely not on the table when it came to Verity. He wouldn't allow it.
It was like he'd said to his mentor a minute ago, the thing the man just couldn't seem to understand: Keegan was going to watch out for his friends. That meant each and every one of the Respects, certainly, but it also meant Verity.
She might be able to pull the trigger before Bacchia got in her face and started hacking. She might even hit. The odds of that pistol having enough stopping power to put the other girl down before it became mutually-assured destruction were low on anything other than a perfect shot, though. Keegan had watched enough SOTF to know that some people sort of froze up and became useless after taking a wound, but from what he'd seen out of Bacchia so far, somehow he didn't think she was going to be one of them. If this didn't deescalate, he'd probably be stuck watching two or more of his friends tear each other to bloody shreds.
Somehow, despite the stakes, Keegan found his voice came easy and his manner remained naturally relaxed. He pulled the mask the rest of the way off his head with his left hand; the right was occupied balancing the narwhal horn against his shoulder like a ceremonial pike. He took quick strides across the room, ducking between high-backed white chairs and linen-covered tables adorned with silverware and glistening wineglasses, raising his voice but only so he could be heard better.
"I think there's a little misunderstanding here," he continued. "Verity's good people, Bacchia. We don't want to hurt her."
Keegan shoved the mask loosely into the back pocket of his jeans like a dishrag. Good thing he'd just fixed his glasses, even if he probably had mask hair. He slowed his pace as he slipped past James, approaching where Bacchia and Verity were engaged in their stalemate, not even sparing Alyssa a glance. The girls were only a couple steps away from being able to touch each other. Close enough it'd be hard to miss with a gun. Close enough it'd be easy to reach with a sword.
"And you don't—well, none of us, really—want what James has going on, Verity," Keegan said, meeting his friend's gaze. He tried to give that classic smirk, but it felt strained. "Don't make this a fight. Let's all back up and call it a day."
Keegan felt like he was making a nice dramatic entrance from the corner, but really the effect had been enabled by everyone else having their hands full with... whatever this was. A confrontation. A mistake. Truth be told, taking in the scene arrayed before him, he felt a little better about the whole failing-to-finish-off-Ivan thing. At least that had been an honest accident. He'd sort of tried.
The tableau was primed to explode at any moment. Bacchia was almost frozen mid-lunge, the long saber brandished menacingly, its gleaming handle and polished blade catching the light from the chandeliers overhead. A half dozen steps behind her, back at the table, James held the weapon she'd been assigned aloft, calling threats as the unmistakable pineapple-shaped explosive shell tried to command the attention his voice could not. In the background in the other direction, so close to the door she could've faded back through it had she been a little smarter and moved in the proper heading instead of away from it, stood Alyssa, a junior girl cooler in the conventional sense than just about anyone Keegan hung out with, armed with something that would've looked right at home in the hands of Aquaman and/or Satan.
And central to it all, the hub around which these other spokes revolved, was Verity, pointing a handgun right at Bacchia, bag haphazardly slung over her shoulder, a wild look about her that split the difference between in-trouble and making it.
Verity was the reason this was a mistake. Keegan didn't have a whole lot of friends, and especially not good ones. There were people he'd hang out with, people who vibed with his sense of humor or shared a hobby or were just decent to talk to. He was fond of people like N, or Jasper, or whoever, but all the same, they weren't Verity. He'd known Verity just about as long as he could remember, and quite frankly she mattered in a way that other people didn't. If she turned around and walked out of the room and left Alyssa on her own, Keegan wouldn't feel particularly compelled to lift a finger to intervene in whatever came next, but what had happened to Ivan was absolutely not on the table when it came to Verity. He wouldn't allow it.
It was like he'd said to his mentor a minute ago, the thing the man just couldn't seem to understand: Keegan was going to watch out for his friends. That meant each and every one of the Respects, certainly, but it also meant Verity.
She might be able to pull the trigger before Bacchia got in her face and started hacking. She might even hit. The odds of that pistol having enough stopping power to put the other girl down before it became mutually-assured destruction were low on anything other than a perfect shot, though. Keegan had watched enough SOTF to know that some people sort of froze up and became useless after taking a wound, but from what he'd seen out of Bacchia so far, somehow he didn't think she was going to be one of them. If this didn't deescalate, he'd probably be stuck watching two or more of his friends tear each other to bloody shreds.
Somehow, despite the stakes, Keegan found his voice came easy and his manner remained naturally relaxed. He pulled the mask the rest of the way off his head with his left hand; the right was occupied balancing the narwhal horn against his shoulder like a ceremonial pike. He took quick strides across the room, ducking between high-backed white chairs and linen-covered tables adorned with silverware and glistening wineglasses, raising his voice but only so he could be heard better.
"I think there's a little misunderstanding here," he continued. "Verity's good people, Bacchia. We don't want to hurt her."
Keegan shoved the mask loosely into the back pocket of his jeans like a dishrag. Good thing he'd just fixed his glasses, even if he probably had mask hair. He slowed his pace as he slipped past James, approaching where Bacchia and Verity were engaged in their stalemate, not even sparing Alyssa a glance. The girls were only a couple steps away from being able to touch each other. Close enough it'd be hard to miss with a gun. Close enough it'd be easy to reach with a sword.
"And you don't—well, none of us, really—want what James has going on, Verity," Keegan said, meeting his friend's gaze. He tried to give that classic smirk, but it felt strained. "Don't make this a fight. Let's all back up and call it a day."
She couldn't understand what was happening anymore. Her mentor was trying to push her, and she was trying to ignore him. Verity suddenly had a gun. A guy with a bag on his head came out between the groups, and then- it was Keegan. Wasn't he Verity's best friend? She had mentioned it. But he was on Alyssa's team. But he was allied with the other two. But, he was defending them?
Alyssa's head pounded and her throat felt dry. This was too much Her feelings couldn't keep up with her brain and her brain couldn't keep up with anything. It was like how she felt when she had just woken up, only now the danger was more present. And she just knew they had to leave.
"V-verity. Let's listen to him." she pleaded. "We can just leave. Right now. Please..."
Alyssa's head pounded and her throat felt dry. This was too much Her feelings couldn't keep up with her brain and her brain couldn't keep up with anything. It was like how she felt when she had just woken up, only now the danger was more present. And she just knew they had to leave.
"V-verity. Let's listen to him." she pleaded. "We can just leave. Right now. Please..."
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Primrosette
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Having a gun pointed at Bacchia was a pain, Keegan playing the peacemaker and taking his mask off too was a pain, hearing voices from the girls' collars' was a pain, James being ignored for his warming was a pain. But this could be a better opportunity.
Bacchia had to catch Verity and Alyssa off-guard. She wasn't going to make a move this time as that hadn't worked out so well.
"Hmm. You really are too much of a sweetheart, Keegan."
She pondered over what she should do for a few moments. She lowered the sword to her side slowly and she pushed the strand out of her black hair out of her face. She needed a clear look at the two allies and she let out a soft sigh.
"Fine, fine. Since she is your friend, Keegan, and I think she won't shoot anyway. I'll be nice and let them both go. As long as they won't tell anyone about this little misunderstanding. Right, Verity?"
She smiled with a small shrug and she focused her eyes back on Verity. Not giving away what she was planning on doing.
Bacchia had to catch Verity and Alyssa off-guard. She wasn't going to make a move this time as that hadn't worked out so well.
"Hmm. You really are too much of a sweetheart, Keegan."
She pondered over what she should do for a few moments. She lowered the sword to her side slowly and she pushed the strand out of her black hair out of her face. She needed a clear look at the two allies and she let out a soft sigh.
"Fine, fine. Since she is your friend, Keegan, and I think she won't shoot anyway. I'll be nice and let them both go. As long as they won't tell anyone about this little misunderstanding. Right, Verity?"
She smiled with a small shrug and she focused her eyes back on Verity. Not giving away what she was planning on doing.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
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Just as everything seemed to have completely fallen apart, with Verity pulling out a fucking gun and aiming it at Bacchia, Keegan finally showed up to save the day.
James let out a deep breath, and only then realized just how hard his heart had been pounding in that whole fucked up mess. He’d known that Bacchia running in was a bad move, but at least now there was a way to just slip right out of this without anyone getting fucked up.
“T-Thank you, man.” James breathed as Keegan slipped passed, before being sure to add his voice to Bacchia and Alyssa, who had also jumped on the ceasefire bandwagon.
“Yeah, we’d all benefit from just letting this one go, I think.” He smiled, attempting to appear more confident in that position than he really was, since Verity could still conceivably just unload on all of them.
James let out a deep breath, and only then realized just how hard his heart had been pounding in that whole fucked up mess. He’d known that Bacchia running in was a bad move, but at least now there was a way to just slip right out of this without anyone getting fucked up.
“T-Thank you, man.” James breathed as Keegan slipped passed, before being sure to add his voice to Bacchia and Alyssa, who had also jumped on the ceasefire bandwagon.
“Yeah, we’d all benefit from just letting this one go, I think.” He smiled, attempting to appear more confident in that position than he really was, since Verity could still conceivably just unload on all of them.
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Wham Yubeesling
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And then Keegan came in.
And then suddenly there was a whole room around Verity. There was an Alyssa that had since left the corner of her eye, who Verity couldn’t see but was somewhere behind her. There was a James standing past a table who Verity now remembered actually existed, holding up something that… god, that was a grenade; she’d really been going up against a guy with a grenade. There was a Bacchia between James and Verity, lowering a sword to her side and saying stuff that Verity was making a point not to actually listen to. There was a Keegan who had come in right behind Bacchia, trying to talk this down, trying to make this stop.
And in the middle of it all there was a Verity. Her bag had fallen from in front of her to back around her side, and she was holding a gun up. Right at Bacchia. Right at Keegan, now. He’d placed himself in the frame of the muzzle. Verity was holding a gun up right in the direction of one of the only people she could actually call a friend.
Verity was holding a gun up right in the direction of one of the only people she could actually call a friend.
How had that even happened? It was so quick. Her body had hit Bacchia with the bag and then she’d been yelling at Alyssa and then she was thinking about the guns in her bag as she tried to get one out and then she got one out just as Bacchia was about to do something again and then her hands had pointed the gun up. Her mouth had shouted. It was like a hundred-word-long sentence without any punctuation: something had happened and then another thing had happened and there was no time to pause and think about each individual item on the list. She’d just moved. She’d just done the first thing that popped into her mind.
And that was to point a gun and threaten to kill someone.
What would have happened if Keegan hadn’t stepped in?
(well)
What would have happened had this continued?
(can’t blame yourself too hard)
(you know how hard it is to change who you are, after all)
She took a breath.
She took a breath.
Because the point was that it hadn’t. Things hadn’t continued. Keegan had stepped in. Stopped this from becoming a fight. Now Verity didn’t have to defend herself. Now she didn’t have to answer violence. Send her response. Make this worse than this already was. For everyone. For her, especially. She didn’t want to hurt again. She didn’t want to burn.
She took a breath.
She took a breath.
And she lowered the gun. Took a step back. Took a breath.
“Okay,” she said, looking at Keegan and not at Bacchia. Listened to him and not to Bacchia. “I’ll... stop. I’ll put this down. I’ll…”
She took a step back. Took a look at Alyssa.
“We’ll… be on our way?”
Turned around. Faced away. Left her back wide open.
And then suddenly there was a whole room around Verity. There was an Alyssa that had since left the corner of her eye, who Verity couldn’t see but was somewhere behind her. There was a James standing past a table who Verity now remembered actually existed, holding up something that… god, that was a grenade; she’d really been going up against a guy with a grenade. There was a Bacchia between James and Verity, lowering a sword to her side and saying stuff that Verity was making a point not to actually listen to. There was a Keegan who had come in right behind Bacchia, trying to talk this down, trying to make this stop.
And in the middle of it all there was a Verity. Her bag had fallen from in front of her to back around her side, and she was holding a gun up. Right at Bacchia. Right at Keegan, now. He’d placed himself in the frame of the muzzle. Verity was holding a gun up right in the direction of one of the only people she could actually call a friend.
Verity was holding a gun up right in the direction of one of the only people she could actually call a friend.
How had that even happened? It was so quick. Her body had hit Bacchia with the bag and then she’d been yelling at Alyssa and then she was thinking about the guns in her bag as she tried to get one out and then she got one out just as Bacchia was about to do something again and then her hands had pointed the gun up. Her mouth had shouted. It was like a hundred-word-long sentence without any punctuation: something had happened and then another thing had happened and there was no time to pause and think about each individual item on the list. She’d just moved. She’d just done the first thing that popped into her mind.
And that was to point a gun and threaten to kill someone.
What would have happened if Keegan hadn’t stepped in?
(well)
What would have happened had this continued?
(can’t blame yourself too hard)
(you know how hard it is to change who you are, after all)
She took a breath.
She took a breath.
Because the point was that it hadn’t. Things hadn’t continued. Keegan had stepped in. Stopped this from becoming a fight. Now Verity didn’t have to defend herself. Now she didn’t have to answer violence. Send her response. Make this worse than this already was. For everyone. For her, especially. She didn’t want to hurt again. She didn’t want to burn.
She took a breath.
She took a breath.
And she lowered the gun. Took a step back. Took a breath.
“Okay,” she said, looking at Keegan and not at Bacchia. Listened to him and not to Bacchia. “I’ll... stop. I’ll put this down. I’ll…”
She took a step back. Took a look at Alyssa.
“We’ll… be on our way?”
Turned around. Faced away. Left her back wide open.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3450
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Slowly but inevitably, the strain melted out of Keegan's expression, replaced by a faint but natural sadness. It was that easy, because in the end they were friends. They were pitted against each other by this place, by the expectations placed upon them by society and the entertainment industry and their own preconceptions and all that bullshit, but it wasn't enough to transform them into something they weren't. Not yet, at least.
Keegan just wished this was happening in a slightly different way. He watched the postures relax, watched the reflected light shift as the point of Bacchia's sword drift down to the ground, watched Alyssa hover impotent in obvious anxiety, watched the fight physically drain out of Verity, because she was a lot of things and tougher than anyone gave her credit for but surely not the sort to find anything but terror in this sort of confrontation. And that was precisely why he wished things could be different.
In another world, he'd run to her and then awkwardly not hug her, because it wasn't really their style, and it would all be okay. In a more realistic but still improved world, one where she hadn't gotten off on such a bad foot with the group and where Alyssa wasn't there (and he only now registered that Alyssa was the one he was supposed to actually care about; Malcolm was probably kicking his chair over if he had any inkling of Keegan's priorities), Keegan would be slowly and carefully but honestly and candidly explaining precisely what he and the others were doing, why he was choosing to trust and follow Fisk, and why it was smart. In that world, he would offer Verity a chance to link up with them, would explain to her how it could make things better, even if it didn't work the way the others hoped it would. If she wanted to come along, if she could extend that much confidence, he was sure he could talk the others into accepting her.
But this world was one already too far gone, so he just had to hope she understood in her own way. With the weapons mostly lowered, the room looked more like the setting of an elegant and frightfully dull party, the sort of place where none of them would've ever been unless dragged by their parents. It was weird to think about that kind of banal thing now.
Keegan raised his free hand up to clean his glasses again, but paused halfway when he realized he could still see perfectly, then let it drop again.
"Right," he said. "Yeah. Let's all forget about this. Just an unfortunate mistake."
He nodded. That could've been it. Should've been, probably, if he was actually going to get what he was asking for (all parties involved pretending this meeting had never occurred). But as far away as that other, better world he'd imagined was, he still couldn't quite shut it out entirely. He couldn't quite hope they never saw each other again.
"Take care of yourself, Verity," he added.
Keegan just wished this was happening in a slightly different way. He watched the postures relax, watched the reflected light shift as the point of Bacchia's sword drift down to the ground, watched Alyssa hover impotent in obvious anxiety, watched the fight physically drain out of Verity, because she was a lot of things and tougher than anyone gave her credit for but surely not the sort to find anything but terror in this sort of confrontation. And that was precisely why he wished things could be different.
In another world, he'd run to her and then awkwardly not hug her, because it wasn't really their style, and it would all be okay. In a more realistic but still improved world, one where she hadn't gotten off on such a bad foot with the group and where Alyssa wasn't there (and he only now registered that Alyssa was the one he was supposed to actually care about; Malcolm was probably kicking his chair over if he had any inkling of Keegan's priorities), Keegan would be slowly and carefully but honestly and candidly explaining precisely what he and the others were doing, why he was choosing to trust and follow Fisk, and why it was smart. In that world, he would offer Verity a chance to link up with them, would explain to her how it could make things better, even if it didn't work the way the others hoped it would. If she wanted to come along, if she could extend that much confidence, he was sure he could talk the others into accepting her.
But this world was one already too far gone, so he just had to hope she understood in her own way. With the weapons mostly lowered, the room looked more like the setting of an elegant and frightfully dull party, the sort of place where none of them would've ever been unless dragged by their parents. It was weird to think about that kind of banal thing now.
Keegan raised his free hand up to clean his glasses again, but paused halfway when he realized he could still see perfectly, then let it drop again.
"Right," he said. "Yeah. Let's all forget about this. Just an unfortunate mistake."
He nodded. That could've been it. Should've been, probably, if he was actually going to get what he was asking for (all parties involved pretending this meeting had never occurred). But as far away as that other, better world he'd imagined was, he still couldn't quite shut it out entirely. He couldn't quite hope they never saw each other again.
"Take care of yourself, Verity," he added.
Alyssa breathed a sign of relief and lowered the trident. It... it was over. They just had to walk away and then Alyssa could put this whole incident out of her mind. She gave Verity a tired smile and then turned to Keegan. He'd pretty much saved them. He seemed like a good guy, and Alyssa had no idea why he was hanging around with the other two.
"Th-thanks." she mumbled.
As Verity turned to leave, Alyssa followed. She kept turning to look back over her shoulder. Bacchia and James looked like they'd been calmed, but she couldn't be sure...
"Yeah, come on." she said to Verity. "Let's go somewhere else."
"Th-thanks." she mumbled.
As Verity turned to leave, Alyssa followed. She kept turning to look back over her shoulder. Bacchia and James looked like they'd been calmed, but she couldn't be sure...
"Yeah, come on." she said to Verity. "Let's go somewhere else."
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Primrosette
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Never turn your back on the enemy.
Bacchia's dad had told her that while growing up and when she used to be the victim of bullying. But this time, she was the one in control of the other's fates and she rather have things going her way. She wanted to sacrifice as many people as possible and she knew that she would be seen as irredeemable to some people watching her. She wasn't sure what her parents would think of what she was doing. But she knew that they would both watch her journey and well, she was doing to make a stubborn choice right now.
James and Keegan would be upset with her but she was willing to be seen as the bad influence of the group.
Maybe they would forgive her, maybe they would not.
She turned her head to James and she gave him a small smile and a nod.
"James...."
She glanced back at the two girls' backs that were currently present to her.
"Throw it...! NOW!!"
She moved forward with a quick step.
Bacchia's dad had told her that while growing up and when she used to be the victim of bullying. But this time, she was the one in control of the other's fates and she rather have things going her way. She wanted to sacrifice as many people as possible and she knew that she would be seen as irredeemable to some people watching her. She wasn't sure what her parents would think of what she was doing. But she knew that they would both watch her journey and well, she was doing to make a stubborn choice right now.
James and Keegan would be upset with her but she was willing to be seen as the bad influence of the group.
Maybe they would forgive her, maybe they would not.
She turned her head to James and she gave him a small smile and a nod.
"James...."
She glanced back at the two girls' backs that were currently present to her.
"Throw it...! NOW!!"
She moved forward with a quick step.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
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Almost as soon as James had managed to relax, Bacchia turned around and went right for another attack.
It was frustrating, terrifying, seeing her in that instance. She called for him to throw the grenade, but his body locked up, stiff with indecision. James wanted to call out, to tell Bacchia to stop, but the words caught in his throat.
He wanted to do something, anything that might turn time back a second to where Keegan had managed to fix up their stupid mess. But it turned out that all James really could do was just stand there, brain short circuiting as he felt an encroaching sense of doom that he could do nothing to abate, a doom that would crawl out from the pit of his gut and strangle each of them where they stood.
“Stop.”
But his voice was merely a whisper.
It was frustrating, terrifying, seeing her in that instance. She called for him to throw the grenade, but his body locked up, stiff with indecision. James wanted to call out, to tell Bacchia to stop, but the words caught in his throat.
He wanted to do something, anything that might turn time back a second to where Keegan had managed to fix up their stupid mess. But it turned out that all James really could do was just stand there, brain short circuiting as he felt an encroaching sense of doom that he could do nothing to abate, a doom that would crawl out from the pit of his gut and strangle each of them where they stood.
“Stop.”
But his voice was merely a whisper.
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Wham Yubeesling
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James didn’t get to throw the grenade. Nor did Bacchia get to move further forward. When the words entered the room Verity froze. Snapped her head up. Sreamed:
“Alyssa! Run!”
Nobody in the room got to move before Verity did. She spun back around. Raised the gun.
Let rip.
“Alyssa! Run!”
Nobody in the room got to move before Verity did. She spun back around. Raised the gun.
Let rip.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3450
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Mistakes. Goddammit.
It had all been going too smoothly by far. Keegan was no blind optimist, and in this particular set of circumstances disaster held a certain inevitability, but in this one single moment he'd been almost convinced it might work out. But of course, Bacchia brought that all crumbling down.
He should've expected it. He knew what he was getting into. He knew what she was capable of, after what they did to Ivan if not before. He was alright with it, at least when it was pointed in the proper direction. And yet, now it was going to cost them.
Yes, they would be the ones paying the price for this betrayal. Keegan knew Verity. He knew how she worked. He knew her body language. As soon as Bacchia started speaking, he saw Verity's posture shift and knew what it meant. By the time the girl was calling out to Alyssa, Keegan was figuring a plan of action. Because, at the end of the day, he had to do something. He'd messed up with Ivan. He'd been the one to break the stalemate with Verity, allowing them to come to this point. Oh, there was blame to be shared when it came to Bacchia's recklessness, but that would—and would have to—come later. For now, Keegan was the only one who realized what was about to happen, and the only one who could intervene.
Nobody in the room moved before Verity did, but Keegan burst into action at exactly the same moment.
The narwhal horn tumbled from his grasp as he took two long, loping strides towards Bacchia. At the same time, Verity whirled, her arm coming up once more.
There was a dull thumping clatter as the horn bounced off the carpet, knocked into a table, and came to rest against a chair. There was a faint grunt as Keegan collided with Bacchia, pushing her off-balance and to the side, out of the way. There was a hellacious rattle of gunfire, and a softer shattering of a glass pitcher and set of cups, a splintering of wooden table, a tinkle of dislodged silverware tangling with itself en route to the floor. And then there was a louder thump as Keegan hit the ground himself, gasping inaudibly.
The impact hurt a lot less than the sudden burning in his side that he clutched at uselessly.
It had all been going too smoothly by far. Keegan was no blind optimist, and in this particular set of circumstances disaster held a certain inevitability, but in this one single moment he'd been almost convinced it might work out. But of course, Bacchia brought that all crumbling down.
He should've expected it. He knew what he was getting into. He knew what she was capable of, after what they did to Ivan if not before. He was alright with it, at least when it was pointed in the proper direction. And yet, now it was going to cost them.
Yes, they would be the ones paying the price for this betrayal. Keegan knew Verity. He knew how she worked. He knew her body language. As soon as Bacchia started speaking, he saw Verity's posture shift and knew what it meant. By the time the girl was calling out to Alyssa, Keegan was figuring a plan of action. Because, at the end of the day, he had to do something. He'd messed up with Ivan. He'd been the one to break the stalemate with Verity, allowing them to come to this point. Oh, there was blame to be shared when it came to Bacchia's recklessness, but that would—and would have to—come later. For now, Keegan was the only one who realized what was about to happen, and the only one who could intervene.
Nobody in the room moved before Verity did, but Keegan burst into action at exactly the same moment.
The narwhal horn tumbled from his grasp as he took two long, loping strides towards Bacchia. At the same time, Verity whirled, her arm coming up once more.
There was a dull thumping clatter as the horn bounced off the carpet, knocked into a table, and came to rest against a chair. There was a faint grunt as Keegan collided with Bacchia, pushing her off-balance and to the side, out of the way. There was a hellacious rattle of gunfire, and a softer shattering of a glass pitcher and set of cups, a splintering of wooden table, a tinkle of dislodged silverware tangling with itself en route to the floor. And then there was a louder thump as Keegan hit the ground himself, gasping inaudibly.
The impact hurt a lot less than the sudden burning in his side that he clutched at uselessly.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
They were going away. They could have just left. Bacchia didn't need to threaten them. So why...?
The gunfire was so loud. Alyssa wanted to cover her hears, but her hands were glued to the trident. She backed up against the wall, pointing it in front of her.
Verity told her to run. But if she ran, she'd be alone. So she couldn't run. She couldn't do anything
She could watch.
They were going away. They could have just left. Bacchia didn't need to threaten them. So why...?
The gunfire was so loud. Alyssa wanted to cover her hears, but her hands were glued to the trident. She backed up against the wall, pointing it in front of her.
Verity told her to run. But if she ran, she'd be alone. So she couldn't run. She couldn't do anything
She could watch.
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Primrosette
- Posts: 902
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:59 pm
- Location: In Her Dark Abyss
She shouldn't have been so greedy.
She should have known that her excitement of wanting to scare others and to hurt them was going to get her into more trouble than it was worth. She had been too selfish, too bloodthirsty, too stubborn, too uncontrollable. If only she hadn't gone against what Keegan had wanted to do. She just didn't want to miss the opportunity of scoring more kills and she hadn't thought things through with a clear state of mind.
She had been knocked down to the ground onto her side with a slight thud and she had released her grip on the sword, trying to keep herself down and hidden behind one of the tables. The gunfire was a lot more terrifying in person than when she would constantly watch it on the screen and she felt herself suddenly not worrying about herself. But about Keegan. She should have known that he would do something so foolish, so brave, so naive, so self-sacrificing. Why her?
She shouldn't have been saved. She wished he had saved himself.
"Keegan...?" Her voice came out uncertain and she turned her body slightly, looking over her shoulder to look at him. She saw the blood. She couldn't breathe for a second and she knew that she should have been protecting him. Not the other way around. Fisk was going to be mad at her for her failure. But right now, Keegan was her main concern. "Keegan."
She wasn't smiling anymore.
She should have known that her excitement of wanting to scare others and to hurt them was going to get her into more trouble than it was worth. She had been too selfish, too bloodthirsty, too stubborn, too uncontrollable. If only she hadn't gone against what Keegan had wanted to do. She just didn't want to miss the opportunity of scoring more kills and she hadn't thought things through with a clear state of mind.
She had been knocked down to the ground onto her side with a slight thud and she had released her grip on the sword, trying to keep herself down and hidden behind one of the tables. The gunfire was a lot more terrifying in person than when she would constantly watch it on the screen and she felt herself suddenly not worrying about herself. But about Keegan. She should have known that he would do something so foolish, so brave, so naive, so self-sacrificing. Why her?
She shouldn't have been saved. She wished he had saved himself.
"Keegan...?" Her voice came out uncertain and she turned her body slightly, looking over her shoulder to look at him. She saw the blood. She couldn't breathe for a second and she knew that she should have been protecting him. Not the other way around. Fisk was going to be mad at her for her failure. But right now, Keegan was her main concern. "Keegan."
She wasn't smiling anymore.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 7:40 pm
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
This thing, this fight, this whatever? It should have been over once Verity pulled that gun out. It should have doubly been over once Keegan went and stepped in. James wasn’t some trove of SOTF lore or a master of strategy, but he had enough common sense to figure out that much
Now everything had gone way, way worse than it had to because nobody could figure out when to back the hell down and get over themselves, it seemed. Keegan getting shot was entirely avoidable, and yet James had let it go down all the same.
Bacchia was trying to check on Keegan or something. Maybe James should have joined her, or even checked on Bacchia herself, but instead he quickly made his way over to the sword his ally had dropped and scooped it off the ground.
Maybe James was mad at Bacchia, he wasn’t sure. That was something he’d have to figure that out later.
For now, it was pretty likely that the gunshot was going to draw Fisk and the others from elsewhere on the ship, and that was quite possibly going to make everything even worse.
“I really think you guys should get out of here.” James spoke, his tone still nervous, giving away just how on edge he was as he turned to face Alyssa and Verity with the sword at his side.
“Like, now.”
Now everything had gone way, way worse than it had to because nobody could figure out when to back the hell down and get over themselves, it seemed. Keegan getting shot was entirely avoidable, and yet James had let it go down all the same.
Bacchia was trying to check on Keegan or something. Maybe James should have joined her, or even checked on Bacchia herself, but instead he quickly made his way over to the sword his ally had dropped and scooped it off the ground.
Maybe James was mad at Bacchia, he wasn’t sure. That was something he’d have to figure that out later.
For now, it was pretty likely that the gunshot was going to draw Fisk and the others from elsewhere on the ship, and that was quite possibly going to make everything even worse.
“I really think you guys should get out of here.” James spoke, his tone still nervous, giving away just how on edge he was as he turned to face Alyssa and Verity with the sword at his side.
“Like, now.”
