i'm leaving you my last curse

[bravebartender]

Comments

[somanyadjectives]

Couldn't have been all vamps. Otherwise how did they get inside?

[Most vampires need to be invited in, and Slayers, despite Stefan's presence in the castle, are very careful about who they give that too.]

There have to be humans involved.

[madskilled]

Rarer, humans and vamps holding hands. You think they targeted the slayers?

( They had to have. This unholy alliance. She makes sure Leeandra is also okay. She considers something. )

Maybe we send em packing. Just in case there's more. Get away, let the other cells know what happened?

[somanyadjectives]

I have to go back inside, see if I can find Dawn.

[And Buffy. And his brother. He needs to try and get to the people inside, the people he can't see. He doesn't want to run the other way.

Lee glances down at her watch. "What time is it in Star City? Mia might be up. She can do damage control with the other cells."]

[madskilled]

You two stay here, keep an eye out. Stay outta the way. Call Mia. Anything goes tits up, you call it. 911. And, you get screams? You run. Okay?

( She lets go of Clara's shoulders, turning back to Stefan.

She wasn't talking about running, but letting the other two slayers make tracks. Having them there won't hurt if shit hits an even bigger, hotter, fan. So, she steps up. Like she always does. She barely even feels sore. )

I'm right behind you, Hero Hair.

[somanyadjectives]

[Lee and Clara toss them a salute before heading off toward the trees for additional ammo. Stefan gives Faith a nod in return, before making his way back towards the front of the castle.]

We'll have to move slow. In case the rubble shifts.

[madskilled]

I'll take your lead. ( Time to talk strategy. ) Let's count it. Buff. Danny. Bonnie, the wolf. Dawn. The marrieds. Gone with the Vamps. Your brother. The others. Think some girls were still upstairs. ( But she was up front. ) You had hungry ones, too. So, fourteen not including ours. With ours, thirty.

( Thirty could be buried. Or dead. )

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods, keeping that number in mind. He knows that Buffy was in the kitchen when he left, and if she still had been when the explosion happened ...

... He can't think about that right now. He needs to focus. He tries to ignore the rock sinking in his stomach and makes his way closer to the nearest piece of rubble.]

I'll lift, you let me know if we're clear.

[Perception checks please, for as they work their way through.]

[madskilled]

You got it.

( Perception 14 to start. )

[somanyadjectives]

[It takes some time as they work their way though slowly. The heavy outer walls provide the most casualties, it seems. Each body they manage to pull out features a broken neck or crushed chest. Each of them a Slayer, each of them so young it makes Stefan's chest ache.

But none of them are a member of their dinner party.

Eventually they make their way into one of the hallways, where the walls are thinner and it's more likely there'd be survivors.]

Can anyone hear us?

["Over here!" The voice comes from somewhere nearby, but he can't quite pinpoint where, not yet.]

[madskilled]

( Death's never easy. Faith lived on the other side of it for a long time. She worked toward her redemption, broke out, and has been doing penance ever since.

She has to turn away from a particularly gnarly flattening. But, she stays the course.

One more perception check for good measure (11). Does Faith recognize the voice?

[somanyadjectives]

[No, actually. Faith does not. Stefan doesn't either, but it's hard to tell sometimes without a face to attach to it.

As Faith scans the rubble, she sees one of the nearby pieces shake, just slightly. Almost intentionally.

"Please! I don't know what happened, but I'm not good with small spaces."]

[madskilled]

Stefan.

( Carefully, steps over to where the rubble shakes. )

Give me a hand?

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods, moving closer to other side of the rubble, and shifting to lift it out of the way, giving Faith room to reach in and grab whoever it is.

The girl is not one of the slayers. She's thin and her jewelry gives away some of her Wiccan tendencies. But Stefan doesn't know the witches as well, and there are witches that come and go in the castle so it doesn't raise any red flags right away.

"Thank you." She holds out her hands for a hand up. "What happened?"

[madskilled]

( Jewelry and choice of fashion in the Scottish highlands. But, Faith's never hated a chunky necklace.

Faith grabs her hand to steady her.

And, for good measure makes an Insight check (13) to suss out what she's doing here. )

Castle went boom. Nice necklace. Little overdressed for Turkey Day.

[somanyadjectives]

[It might be easy to dismiss this as being part of the situation at hands, but this girl seems nervous. Only there's something of an edge to it, as her eyes glance between Faith and Stefan as she seems to be debating her next move.

"Just coming to pick something up. Didn't realize it was a thing."

The lie is wobbly (2). Even Stefan picks up on it (11).]

Not usually. You want to try that again?

[madskilled]

( Faith's twin roll to beat her deception (11) has her hackles raised, too. )

Coming to pick something up? You should be happy we ain't cops and you didn't just happen to be here.

( But she didn't just happen to be here, did she? If she tries to move, a hand shoots out and blocks her path on the left. )

Going somewhere?

[somanyadjectives]

[Her eyes glance back and forth as she tries to see what her outs are.

"I want to get out of the pile of rubble. You have a problem with that?"]

[madskilled]

Soon as you tell us what you were doing under the pile of rubble, Betty. Maybe what you were picking up? Don't tell me. Taskrabbit. It's a gig economy.

( INT of (13) just because she's quippy and she's dressed like Faith. But she tries to intimidate. )

[somanyadjectives]

[Well, she's definitely intimidated (1). Unfortunately, she's a bit reactionary, so she grits her teeth before raising her hands.

"Should have just let me go."

And with that she flings her hands out, intending to send both of them flying (14). Stefan does looks his footing, getting sent back into a wall (9), and he scrambles to get back on his feet and back into the fray.]

[madskilled]

( Faith's slayer agility has her kick up rubble that goes flying instead (18).

She attempts a fan kick straight down at her face. (22) )

[somanyadjectives]

[The witch takes the kick hard (12), stumbling some from the blow, before gritting her teeth and trying to throw Faith backwards again (20).

Stefan recovers, climbing to his feet and zooming closer to try and pin the witch to a nearby wall (16 vs. 6) and the remaining structure cracks some as she collides with the side.]

What did you do?

[She bares her teeth with a smile. "The fact that you're here, in this place full of people that are supposed to kill vampires should be all the answer you need."

Stefan raises an eyebrow.]

You want to kill vampires, so you work with vampires?

["No. I wanted to kill hypocrites."]

[madskilled]

( This time Faith goes flying over a pile of blown up castle (13).

She gets to her feet climbing up the rubble and jumping back down in front. ) )

By dropping a literal castle on them? Ever heard of overkill, Betty? How many of you are there?

[somanyadjectives]

["Enough."

She raises a hand to try and aneurism (3 vs. 6), but Stefan pushes her head back into the wall, forcing her to lose concentration on the spell before it can do damage.

He tightens his hand on her throat.]

How many?

["There are five other witches on the grounds. I don't know how many vampires."]

[madskilled]

Unholy alliance, lady.

( Faith steps up behind Stefan. )

This part of the plan, too, or did you fuck up your genius timing?

[somanyadjectives]

["Thought you were the vamps coming to clean up. Guess I misjudged."]

Yes. You did.

[He glances back at Faith and raises an eyebrow. Does she want this one or should he take it?]