soon you'll see the sky fall

[bibrid]

Comments

[patrols]

[Welp, the witch was doing so well until he wasn't (4). He lets out a cry of pain as he hits the ground, but does his best to keep his wits about him. He raises his hand and attempts to do the aneurysm spell (5). He doesn't really succeed.]

[unforgivably]

( Damon deflects (10) with a patented arm jerk. )

Nu-uh.

( With gymrat in his clutches, Damon hopes that whatever hold he has on his friends might dip. )

Guys. I'd try those bindings again. Unless you'd rather lift them and keep the arm.

[patrols]

[Lindsay pops her manacles easily (20), smiling a bit as she does.]

That's much better.

[She then makes her way towards the ritual Stefan is wrapped in, but flinches back when she feels a tiny zap - a warning sign not to go further.]

Didn't work for your brother though.

[persistingly]

( The vervain is still in his system, but Rhett manages to push against the sizzle (14) and the chains snap in several places, dropping to the ground. )

Much obliged, Damon.

( Getting to his feet, he gets to brushing the dirt from his suit. What, this suit was not meant for close contact with dusty basements.

"No, she wouldn't be stupid enough to trust this Guido to enchant my brother. She'd do that all by herself, wouldn't she?" Damon asks, pulling harder on gymrat's arm to get an answer out of him. )

[prettyclothes]

["She wanted to make sure I didn't fuck it up again!" Gym Rat protests, not really getting out much more than that, before the door blows open.

Mostly because someone is flying through it.

Hippie witch hits the ground hard (1), but tries to keep hold of her spell anyway (15). Coming in not far behind her is the familiar click-clack of Scarlett's heels, hands rested firmly on her hips.]

I'm not sure what manners are being taught these days, but in my day, we were taught it was rather uncouth to keep people against their will.

[persistingly]

Except in conversation. Scarlett, my dear.

( "Lift the spell or your assistant loses an arm," Damon says, doing his very best at intimidation (11) )

[prettyclothes]

[The problem is, you'd have to be threatening a minion she actually cares about (19). She scoffs from her position on the floor.

"Go ahead. You'll save me some effort later."

The grunt lets out a cry of protest, and Scarlett's eyes narrow.]

She's the type who only cares about herself, apparently.

[The witch sneers. "The fuckup has it coming."]

[unforgivably]

Maybe, you shouldn't outsource your dark dealings, including taking my brother and bleeding him - for - what, this time? His doppelganger prowess?

( What did you need, hag? )

[prettyclothes]

["We all do what we have to do when the time comes. When you're about to go to war, you get yourself the best weapons possible."

Scarlett makes her way closer.]

And if you'd actually lived through a war, you'd know that you don't go borrowing trouble where you can't afford it.

[unforgivably]

Wake. Him. Up.

( Don't make him say it twice. )

[prettyclothes]

["Nah." The witch smirks. "Think I'll wait and see."

Scarlett starts to charge forward but Melanie catches her arm. "She's not scared. Which means she may have a contingency."

The witch regards Melanie. "At least one of you is paying attention."

Scarlett crouches down to eye level.]

I'm fairly certain I can get what we want without killing you.

[unforgivably]

You die and you can't fight a war.

( But, he has to reason with her, right? Damon takes the second to shove the gymrat's head against the ground to knock him out so he can lord over the Scottish witch. )

What do you want with my brother?

[prettyclothes]

["Correction. If I die, I don't have to fight the war, which works out just as well - I'm just a little bitter, so might as well make sure you don't get what you want in return."

She leans back under Scarlett's imperious gaze.

"So either way I win. And he's a doppelganger. What do you think I need him for?"]

[unforgivably]

What I want is my brother alive - so to speak - and in one piece.

( He pauses. )

Ask her what happens if we yank out his IV because I'm just about done here.

( Buffy, finally, knocks out another witch up above, lets herself in and then down the stairs.

"You might need to go on Indeed, I hear good witch help is hard to find," she says, stepping down. )

[patrols]

I think the bigger problem is getting to the IV.

[Lindsay holds out a finger on the edge of the circle, and shows the little blue jolts as she tries to pass her hand through.]

My guess? The circle's some kind of protective magic.

[attainathons]

Hi, I'm Buffy, the vampire slayer. And you're magically bleeding my boyfriend out. I'd like it if you stopped now. Or, one of my three vampire friends can make everything a lot harder for you. Have you ever seen a handless witch?

( She's bluffing, but she tries. (2) )

[patrols]

[Yeah, this witch isn't flinching (18). "See, love, what you missed is that if anything happens to me, you're never gettin' your boyfriend out."

Lindsay sighs, before toeing her way around the circle. There has to be some kind of weak point that maybe she can exploit (4), but she is not the expert in this situation.]

Any chance you brought Beck with you?

[attainathons]

( There's a cry from above, not Beck's. And another witch tumbles down the stairs unconscious.

Beck steps down and then over their body. )

As a matter of fact...

( Beck takes a minute to get his bearings.

"What have we here?" )

[patrols]

[Oh good. She flashes him a smile, before nodding to their setup.]

Some kind of magical force field. Gives you a little shot and apparently she's got it rigged so that if she dies it'll still hold up and Stefan'll never get out.

[telegraphs]

( Beck, happy his fiancée is okay, turns his attention to Stefan. Unfortunately, watchers all have various levels of knowledge and this one eludes him (3), Damon gets a (9) and Buffy a (13) to suss out what might work.

Does any of this yield anything? )

[patrols]

[Buffy gets kind of close, at least in terms of the kill switch. She looks up, and notices that there's a mechanism structured above him that looks like it might tip some kind of molten fire down onto the unconscious vampire below.]

[telegraphs]

( Buffy peers upward, pointing above them.

"How very Carrie. Anybody have a ladder or a catwalk?" )

I.

( Beck bites his own tongue, not remembering anything above them, having been in a brawl. He brings his fingers to his tongue which is now bleeding.

But, Damon does (20), pushing through whatever memory mind whammy she sent him.

Upstairs. )

[patrols]

You used to be a cheerleader, right?

[Lindsay braces herself in front of her mentor and cups her hands.]

Should be easy enoguh.

[attainathons]

For like less than a week in one semester in high school.

( Don't get her started on Amy. But, she's also a slayer. So, she cracks her neck, steps a foot onto Andy's cupped hands and attempts to vault upward with a natural... (1) )

[patrols]

[Lindsay tries to keep a hold on her to keep her from falling too forward, but unfortunately she's not prepared enough, and finds herself stumbling back into the barrier with Buffy (2).

They collide with it, with much more force than before, and electricity runs through both of them sending them both slumping down to the floor.]

Ow. Okay, that wasn't my best idea.