coming at you fast, midnight

[cosmiccon]

Comments

[lengthened]

I do sense something below us.

( But nothing past that. )

Tell me, are we confirming, retrieving, or confiscating?

( Or an as of yet, unnamed option. )

[cosmiccon]

Confiscating. I've got a collection of curse boxes ready for them when we get back to the apartment, and then Abernathy will take it from there, but all of these items need to be off the streets.

[Will it stem the magical artifact trade at all? No. But will it make the streets of New York a little bit safer? Probably.]

[lengthened]

This will take time, then. How many guards?

( She does wonder if those guards are currently enraptured with the siren's song, that should make things just a little easier. )

[cosmiccon]

The crew has between five and ten at any given time, and none of them are on the floor.

[Yep, he already thought about that, unfortunately.]

And unfortunately Serena's magic doesn't carry through the speakers. We're going to have to handle this the old fashioned way.

[lengthened]

Your penchant for incapacitation and my good looks?

( She jokes, but she is not the fighter of the two. She can hold her own, but she is no Nyssa-Al-Gul. )

Odd for their front to be a cute little nightclub.

( Little is more belittling than anything. It does contain multiple levels. But, it's just trying to be something it's not. )

I always preferred Vegas.

( Especially when it was a fledgling little strip of land. Those were the simpler times. )

[cosmiccon]

Vegas certainly has more glitz.

[He reaches for the (non-alcoholic) drink he's been nursing, as he glances towards the sound of an opening door.]

But I think they were making due with what they had. A lot of this operation seems to have popped up fairly quick -

[His voice trails off when he lays eyes on the person coming in the door. He had been aware, tangentially, that Doc was in New York. Jeremy keeps him updated on the group's movements and he's aware of the latest hits. Alice is going to college, Doc got married (not to Wynonna, that was a surprise) and had another kid. But he isn't prepared for the man to walk into the club he's preparing to rob.

His voice drops and he immediately turns away from the door, gritting his teeth as he hopes he isn't seen.]

Shit.

[Naturally, this gets more complicated.]

[lengthened]

( A sudden pop-up is an obvious front, especially with minimal and poor advertisement marketed. Alys did her research beforehand. She agrees how slapdash this all feels. The outburst of emotion from the usually unflappable Dolls is what she doesn't expect.

She looks in the direction Dolls looked (13) for spot, and (11) to hide her very clear gaze around them.

But she gets a wasted nat (20) recognizing. )

Did you call in Doc Holliday?

[cosmiccon]

I did not.

[He's not even supposed to know Dolls is alive. It's making this relatively simple job way more complicated than it needs to be but hopefully Serena will have him distracted with the rest.

Will save, Doc?]

[lengthened]

( Doc's will is strong, but not as strong since the angel cured him of his vampirism (13). )

You would think as old as I am, coincidence would have lost its' irony.

( But, coincidences have been consistent throughout history. )

[cosmiccon]

I don't believe in coincidence.

[Doc may not be here on purpose to see him, but he does think he's here for a reason, and that doesn't sit well with him.

While not completely enraptured, Doc does find the sight before him rather enticing. Serena isn't a true siren, so all she can do is offer suggestions, and right now the suggestion is to sit, get comfortable and enjoy the music.]

We might have to rethink the plan.

[cowman]

( Well, 'Don't mind if I do,' his movements convey as he takes a seat at a nearby table missing his six degree connection thanks to her dulcet tones.

Alys turns back to Dolls, curiously.

"You believe him to be a hindrance?" )

[cosmiccon]

Not if Serena's spell holds. Which means we should probably get this done sooner, rather than later.

[He nods towards the doors that lead down to the lower level, gesturing for Alys to move ahead of him. He tries, as delicately as possible, to get around Doc's attention, but their path crosses just past where the gunslinger sits, and one of the waiters jostles him just enough that he very delicately bumps the table.

His breath sucks in through his teeth as he tries to turn his head away, hoping he isn't recognized.]

[cowman]

( The waiter is on a roll tonight and a man crossing his path will not stop him from serving an order (16), but that concentration bumps Doll's trajectory right into Doc's.

Doc's head lulls to the side as Serena sings but he freezes in his tracks, the low-level trance breaking in seconds.

There is no mistaking it. Doc's nostrils flare as he propels himself forward out of his chair and around that same waiter who spins around the cowboy on a mission (16) )

Xavier.

[cosmiccon]

Damnit.

[It's muttered under his breath, and he flashes Alys an apology, before turning to face him again. As he turns he can see Serena's brow furrowing in confusion as she continues to sing, but sorry, you're on your own, buddy.

Dolls takes a deep breath, and unfortunately blows his cover.]

Doc. Can we not do this here?

[cowman]

Well, I would do this in the afterlife, where I and several close acquaintances believed you to be.

( There is no nicety. There is no friendly air of days gone by. Because there are many days. )

Would you prefer to do this outside these grounds?

***

( Meanwhile, not one needing to be in the middle of drama, Alys attempts a stealth check to slip through the door they'd been eyeing. (14) )

[cosmiccon]

I would, yes.

[He lets Alys slip ahead and keeps his attention on Doc, not wanting to make this job anymore complicated than it already is. He gives Serena a nod, and gestures for Doc to lead the way out to the alley nearby.]

[cowman]

( Doc clocks that look, and Alys slipping away (19) but he is far more concerned with the ressurection of his fallen frenemy.

Outside, he waits for an explanation, or any indication of this not being the Xavier Dolls he remembers. )

Tell me why I should not this very second phone Wynonna and bring her down here.

[cosmiccon]

[Dolls holds up his hands because god, the last thing this situation needs is Wynonna Earp.]

Please don't do that. What is she doing here? What are you doing here?

[He should know this - Jeremy said he would keep him in the loop. But the last time he talked to Jeremy was much longer ago than it should have been. Apparently forcing your friend to go back and live away from the people he cares about doesn't help maintain said friendship.

Not that that was ever intentional on Dolls' part. He loves Jeremy and would always be there for him if he asks. He just didn't feel the onus to reach out as much anymore.]

[cowman]

We do not owe you the explanation in this scenario.

( Doc remembers how blurred the lines became between he, Wynonna, and Dolls, how Alice's parentage could have been a floating question mark between them. Xavier and Wynonna carried as much chemistry as Doc and Wynonna, but in different forms, and it ultimately proved fleeting. Or, so they thought.

The blur of their partnership bites at Doc's tongue as he holds back everything family, Alice and Henry, and Rebekah. )

[cosmiccon]

[He takes a deep breath because fair. Very fair. Running a hand over his face, he glances around the alley to make sure no one's coming.]

I wasn't ... one hundred percent dead. Jeremy figured it out. He smuggled me into Black Badge and by the time I was conscious again, you, Wynonna and Waverly were six months into your eighteen month stint in the Garden. Jeremy thought it would be best if I stayed under the radar.

[And then, when he was well enough, he funneled himself out into the Underground because staying any longer as a Black Badge lab rat was making his skin crawl.]

[seirenes]

[Serena watches from the stage, still confused, but she lets the scene play out, to keep doing her job. She also notices, as Doc and Dolls exit the room, that Alys is not going unnoticed (18 for the guards).

She glances over to the piano player and smiles.]

Why don't we give them a real standard, Bobby?

[The opening chords of Moonriver floats through the room and she dials up her focus to give Alys room to escape (18). It seems to do the trick, as both guards seem to be drawn back in to the rest of the crowd (4, 4).]

[lengthened]

( Unaware, Alys slips behind the door, closing it behind her. What's beyond? )

[seirenes]

[What's beyond is a long hallway. It features some bathrooms, a manager's office, and a door that leads to a staircase. From what Dolls told her, the stair case is what's most likely to lead her to her destination.]

[lengthened]

( Because she is one to perform every sidequest (she's a completist when it comes to the games Crash gets her to invest in), she first slips into the manager's office and does a cursory search for anything useful (16) )

[seirenes]

[All the door takes is a jiggle and it opens, revealing a standard office. Computer, file cabinets, printer, etc. No people, just record keeping. But if she pokes around the desk, she might find the rather hefty bribe the crew has been using to hold their business here.]