[She nods at Rhett's answer, rubbing the back of her neck as she does. "My family's been part of it for a while. Once you're in, you don't really get out."]
And, for the cheap seats in the back, this whole attack is pre-Gauntlet.( He addresses the group. ) There's a lot of that going around. ( Looks back to Christa. ) Early discharge.
( Hunters everywhere. Now witches and vampires in league working with each other.
Buffy makes a face, looking away. She gets his point, but, graphic. Back on topic.
"So, the Inner Circle, Wallace, Corsair, partnered with the Ivory Tower. Are they still working together?")
["Wallace and Corsair have been rubbing elbows with the Ivory Tower forever. They're basically in charge of maintaining that relationship for the Colony." She glances over at Brannigan's body on the ground. "I don't they expected Brannigan to get taken out."
She then pauses because something Damon said sticks out to her. "It's not pre-Gauntlet, though. Two Inner Circle members are already dead. All of the heirs have been accounted for and informed. The Gauntlet is in progress."]
( Damon's veins ice over. He has a friend who's a witch. This kid's a witch. He steps closer to Rhett, looks at Wes. He doesn't know who knows what. He knows he and his brother were caught in the crossfire. )
So, this is your opening salvo. Kinda sucked if you ask me. ( A sigh. ) You should know I wasn't even involved. Peripherally. Maybe. But, now? Oh, I'm very involved. ( She gives a sympathetic look before starting to walk away. ) But, you won't be. Come on, Danny.
( She doesn't want to hear it. Doesn't need to. If they let her go, she will report back. Or, bring reinforcements. She puts an arm around Danny's neck, letting her eyes close just for a second. One of the vampire will do something. She doesn't need to see it.
Not far up ahead, she sees one, two, three figures she recognizes. She's not even limping anymore. )
[Danny lets Buffy lead him away, because yes, he knows what's about to happen but that doesn't mean he wants to see it. He may be the leader now, but he's also still a kid. And he feels like there's been enough carnage today.
But he also understands why they can't let her walk away.
He also takes in the shapes coming closer, and his eyes widen with relief when he sees one of them.]
Bonnie.
[Stefan cuts ahead, holding out his arms to Buffy as Danny moves past him, pulling her in close and holding her tightly. She's okay. He knew she would be but part of him was still worried.
"Dawn's okay. She's got a broken leg but Isaac took her to the hospital so she should be fine."]
[Scarlett does not care about the carnage so she will slip past to go see her family. Stefan glances past her over her should and decides that no, he doesn't want to know.]
Clara and Lee were sent into town with Isaac and Dawn. Lindsay and Beck found Whitney and got her out too. But ...
[He doesn't want to tell her this, because these are her girls, and he knows she takes a lot of responsibility for them. But at the same time, she needs to be prepared.]
( Faith turns right back around, almost as if on a dolly, hands coming up. Not at all her circus. She pats a hand on Danny's shoulder.
"Good to see you, Harry."
Buffy takes that in. Twenty-odd exceptional women unable to live their lives because of a vendetta that had nothing to do with them. She leans forward again, giving herself a moment to grieve in his arms.
[Wes sees that look from Damon, wiping some of the blood from his lips as he takes a breath, before rubbing his eyes. He doesn't actually have much information. But he knows enough to know that if the Inner Circle's involved ...
They pass the witch off to Melanie - she's still not completely one hundred percent, and once he's sure the girl is dead and isn't going to carry this information elsewhere, he turns to Rhett:]
( Maybe longer. A few decades. The years tend to bleed together. )
But, he's not involved.
("Hi. Hello." Damon whistles. "Vampire. Party of one. Sitting in the clueless section. Who's Rusty and how might he be of help and not the person responsible for Slayerfest 2031?")
Rusty ... it's complicated but he's got a big score to settle with the Inner Circle.
[He's not going to spill the whole sob story, it's not really his to tell.]
I think you should call him. Find out how not involved he is. Because while I agree, he didn't plan this attack, she said two Inner Circle members are dead. Do you really think he's not involved in that?
[He likes Rusty, he really does. But he also knows he's wanted these people dead for a while.]
(He's not involved in this," he says, gritting through his teeth. This. This attack. "Once we are above again, I will give him a call. But, he did not send Brannigan or those witches.")
Yeah, I don't have a horse in this race and I don't know Rusty, but if his actions brought them to Buffy's doorstep, then yeah - Rhett. He's involved in this.
( Rhett speeds, wrist clamping around Damon's neck, pinning him to the wall.
"Damon Salvatore, I am older and I have little to no patience, you know this about me, so when I say I'd like you to drop it, what I mean to say is, fucking drop it." And he let's go. )
[Wes stumbles backwards as Rhett goes to pin Damon, and Melanie's "time to calm down Rhett" voice comes into play: "Rhett. I - "
Before she can get very far, however, Scarlett's voice cuts through:]
Is that Brannigan?
[She had planned her and Rhett's dramatic reunion another way, but she can't help but be distracted by the body in front of her, as she stands, bloody and barefoot, in the carnage the rest of her family wrought.]
(He leaves Damon catching his breath, getting his voice back, meeting Scarlett halfway. That is Rhett. Hand around Damon's neck one second, kissing the love of his life breathlessly, the next.
[Melanie frowns, but nods. Wes does give him an apologetic look, because he should have known that would set Rhett off.
Scarlett melts into his hold, relieved that he's whole and in one piece, because even when they're angry with each other, she doesn't want to do eternity without him. She pulls back from the kiss with a frown and looks him over.]
Better not that you're here. But, we have do something with your naked ankles. ( Her feet deserve expensive shoes. ) Damon, if you're done getting on my nerves, I think we should all get out of here. What do you say, Mrs. Butler?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bravebartender) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2025-03-12 08:39 pm
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Which coven?
( "The Colony?" Rhett muses, asking for a friend, really. But, needing confirmation. He will need to make a call if indeed this is them. )
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( Hunters everywhere. Now witches and vampires in league working with each other.
Buffy makes a face, looking away. She gets his point, but, graphic. Back on topic.
"So, the Inner Circle, Wallace, Corsair, partnered with the Ivory Tower. Are they still working together?" )
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She then pauses because something Damon said sticks out to her. "It's not pre-Gauntlet, though. Two Inner Circle members are already dead. All of the heirs have been accounted for and informed. The Gauntlet is in progress."]
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So, this is your opening salvo. Kinda sucked if you ask me. ( A sigh. ) You should know I wasn't even involved. Peripherally. Maybe. But, now? Oh, I'm very involved. ( She gives a sympathetic look before starting to walk away. ) But, you won't be. Come on, Danny.
( She doesn't want to hear it. Doesn't need to. If they let her go, she will report back. Or, bring reinforcements. She puts an arm around Danny's neck, letting her eyes close just for a second. One of the vampire will do something. She doesn't need to see it.
Not far up ahead, she sees one, two, three figures she recognizes. She's not even limping anymore. )
Hey.
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But he also understands why they can't let her walk away.
He also takes in the shapes coming closer, and his eyes widen with relief when he sees one of them.]
Bonnie.
[Stefan cuts ahead, holding out his arms to Buffy as Danny moves past him, pulling her in close and holding her tightly. She's okay. He knew she would be but part of him was still worried.
"Dawn's okay. She's got a broken leg but Isaac took her to the hospital so she should be fine."]
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( Bonnie holds Danny close, hand around his head, breathing him in.
Buffy takes the bruising-on-both-sides hug and leans back. )
Thank you. ( Hurt, but okay. She kisses Stefan quick, but ends it in time to hold a hand out to Faith. )
You don't want to go back there. Damon, Rhett, Wes, and Melanie will be along shortly.
( She will enter general mode once they're above ground. )
And everyone else?
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Clara and Lee were sent into town with Isaac and Dawn. Lindsay and Beck found Whitney and got her out too. But ...
[He doesn't want to tell her this, because these are her girls, and he knows she takes a lot of responsibility for them. But at the same time, she needs to be prepared.]
Beyond that, not a lot of survivors.
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"Good to see you, Harry."
Buffy takes that in. Twenty-odd exceptional women unable to live their lives because of a vendetta that had nothing to do with them. She leans forward again, giving herself a moment to grieve in his arms.
Bonnie leans back. ) Are you okay?
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Danny nods as he pulls back to look at her.]
Yeah, I'm okay. My magic protected us from a lot of it. Are you?
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( "Yeah," Buffy says. "We don't know how stable everything is. I know I'd feel better with grass beneath my feet." )
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[And with that they will all venture out onto the grounds and start truly assessing the damage.]
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They pass the witch off to Melanie - she's still not completely one hundred percent, and once he's sure the girl is dead and isn't going to carry this information elsewhere, he turns to Rhett:]
Talk to Rusty lately?
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( Maybe longer. A few decades. The years tend to bleed together. )
But, he's not involved.
( "Hi. Hello." Damon whistles. "Vampire. Party of one. Sitting in the clueless section. Who's Rusty and how might he be of help and not the person responsible for Slayerfest 2031?" )
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[He's not going to spill the whole sob story, it's not really his to tell.]
I think you should call him. Find out how not involved he is. Because while I agree, he didn't plan this attack, she said two Inner Circle members are dead. Do you really think he's not involved in that?
[He likes Rusty, he really does. But he also knows he's wanted these people dead for a while.]
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Yeah, I don't have a horse in this race and I don't know Rusty, but if his actions brought them to Buffy's doorstep, then yeah - Rhett. He's involved in this.
( Rhett speeds, wrist clamping around Damon's neck, pinning him to the wall.
"Damon Salvatore, I am older and I have little to no patience, you know this about me, so when I say I'd like you to drop it, what I mean to say is, fucking drop it." And he let's go. )
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Before she can get very far, however, Scarlett's voice cuts through:]
Is that Brannigan?
[She had planned her and Rhett's dramatic reunion another way, but she can't help but be distracted by the body in front of her, as she stands, bloody and barefoot, in the carnage the rest of her family wrought.]
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Damon waves at Melanie. He's fine. )
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Scarlett melts into his hold, relieved that he's whole and in one piece, because even when they're angry with each other, she doesn't want to do eternity without him. She pulls back from the kiss with a frown and looks him over.]
Are you alright?
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He cups her face, runs a hand through her hair. )
Better not that you're here. But, we have do something with your naked ankles. ( Her feet deserve expensive shoes. ) Damon, if you're done getting on my nerves, I think we should all get out of here. What do you say, Mrs. Butler?
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[But with that, they will gather themselves and head back out into the setting sun to tally their losses.]