( Her smirk wanes as her sibling approaches. It's gone fully when they crouch at her feet. They're trying to bargain. They're afraid. They should be.
"I told him I tracked you down. Bruno had designs on Kieran, that was not my doing. I was his backup." She shrugs. "I was pissed. You got out. You got a shiny new toy, powerful friends - 'Take Vita with you,' he always says. Not, go with Vita. Not listen to Vita." She grits her teeth, looks behind her sibling and then finds Crash's eyes. "He doesn't know where you are, okay. He just knows where I am." She lifts a shoulder, like what of it. )
[That will tell them how much time they have. Kieran is safe back at the Abattoir with Kol, but if Vita's gone radio silent, then the protocol is to send someone there to clean up the mess.]
("How long has it been? Maybe an hour before we dropped in on Kieran." Looking like Crash was all her doing. She thought it was cute. Hilarious even. Needle her one-time brother. "I didn't even mean to find you. Bruno stumbled onto his old friend and lo and behold, not even six degrees away, there's nonbinary Kevin Bacon. What are the odds.")
The sing-song tones give them away. Harley is clean up crew, nothing more. Which means things are about to get messy before they get better.]
Long time, Harls. Does it really gotta be like this?
[He shrugs, before swinging his eyes over to Julian. "We can make a little small talk first. Who's the pretty boy?"
Crash's eyes dart to Vita's. They're close enough to free her from the chains. Give her an advantage. Who's side is she going to be on if they do? She knows as well as they do that Harley isn't discriminating.]
( a nat (20) to both convince her sibling and fool harley. she knows harley is all clean-up. and that includes her. she's off the reservation. bruno's awol. she's got very little life to live if she doesn't team up. She turns "fearful."
"Crash's new boyfriend. But, careful, he and that Original over there took out Bruno." She turns serious. "Harley, they're crazy. Kieran has people in high places. They tied me up and left me to die. If you didn't show up, I don't know what they'd do to me." she pleads. )
[Crash very delicately releases the clasp on the chains (17 vs. 8), letting it fall away under Harley's view. The chains are probably the strongest weapon they have, so they stay close, waiting for Harley to make a move.
"Aww, V. Sounds like you had a bad day." He does believe her fear (19), but he's unmoved by it. He fishes the silver-plated knife out of his picket, tossing it casually in his hand. "Too bad I'm here to make it worse."
He flings it, aiming for Crash's head (10 vs. 11), and Crash feels the sizzle of the silver against their ear as they dive out of the way.]
( Those chains will make a great weapon if Crash grabs a hold of them. And to keep Harley occupied, V cowers. She's going to unpack how Harley isn't at all touched by her pain, but she knew what they had isn't serious. She thought he had some loyalty. At least.
V in Mickey skin grips the loose chains, ready to attack.
Jules attempts to drop Harley to the ground, but one hand is still bandaged and his chi is still all over the place. (6)
Kol moves to attack, but hears someone behind him, turning to catch the arm holding a stake (19). He grapples Harley's partner (18 vs nat 20) and the other shapeshifter drives the stake into his heart. This only incapacitates him, but he does go gray and collapse against the shapeshifter not ready to hold an Original.
"You brought Arielle," Vita asks, tears drying up. Standing, the chain drops and she tries grappling Harley with it, but it's still at her feet and longer than she anticipated. (5) )
[Harley just barely manages to side step Julian, even with the warning (7). Possibly because he isn't expecting the witch to come at him all the same. So much so that he stumbles right into Vita's clumsy grapple (3).
It's not her fault. Mickey wasn't really built for strength or speed. But she manages to succeed just enough and get the chains around part of his chest. Crash picks up the other end of the chains and twines it once around Harley's neck, but Harley manages to get one hand under it to keep it from landing on his throat, skin smoking (11 vs. 15).
Crash tightens his grip, before glancing over at Julian, then at Arielle.]
( That belief and promise into what he can do fuels Julian. With a (15), he flings the embedded knife back at Arielle. The knife spins so that it turns blade-first in her direction.
Vita holds the chain taut, her own hands burning, as she "climbs," it, pulling her closer to her former paramour. She tries a propulsive and emotional bitchslap, but likely from her burned hands, she doesn't get the angle she wants.(5) )
[Arielle just dodges to the side (17) to miss the knife, before starting to charge towards Crash to get them off Harley (1 vs. 13), but whiffs it big time, off balance from dodging the knife.
Harley tries to force both of them off him. He manages to dislodge Vita (10), but Crash manages to keep him pinned (18 vs. 6), tightening their grip on the chains and increasing the smoke.]
[Arielle manages to break through Julian's spell (18), but Vita manages to catch hold of her, slamming her into the bookcase. "Bitch," she hisses, before throwing an elbow back to try and catch her in the face (15).
Crash keeps they focus on Harley (19 vs. 9), holding the chain in place until Harley stops moving. And holds on even longer until Harley begins to melt into a pile of gross skin slop so they can be sure he's dead.]
[Arielle can't get enough leverage to pull away (10), and she slams back against the bookshelves. She also tries to scrabble and keep hold of Vita (4), but she slips through Arielle's fingers.
Crash gets up and finds the knife, reaching forward to try and pull Vita back but maybe can't get a good hold on her (2).]
( Vita's (nat 20) propels her back with her sibling as the bookcase crashes down on Arielle, smashing her into the floor. She doesn't move, doesn't struggle underneath. The bones cracking make it clear it was fatal. Blood seeps out from the sides.
Julian breathes heavy.
Vita wrests herself out of Crash's hands, but her look at least says thank you. She approaches the bookcase, looks over at the pile of goo that used to be her sibling-boyfriend. Don't ask, it's not how it sounds.
And Kol in the entryway pulls the stake out of his back, sits up and cracks his neck. )
[Crash exhales, running a hand through their hair before looking over at Vita.]
Looks like you've got two choices left, V.
[Because going home? Probably not an option now.]
You can stake out on your own, or you can come back with me.
[Coming back with them has it's rules, but it's certainly more safe, versus being able to do whatever she wants on her own, but not having anyone to watch her back.]
("We both know I go out on my own and it's only a matter of time. So, why shouldn't I follow my big - whatever we call you wherever you're going. You must have a nice setup, or else Daddy'd come knocking," they say. "Fine. Yeah. Take me to your leader, or whatever."
"Technically, they pulled my girlfriend into this, too. I wouldn't have been far behind. Speaking of, I should be getting back to her. Are you all set?")
("TTFN." And with that, Kol will leave Crash, their partner and their -- sibling. He's a little fuzzy on the details, but there's a familiar connection. Same father and all that.
Vita brings their hands up.
"Don't look at me, I have the clothes on my back. Go. I won't be going anywhere." They crouch down, pulling a book out from under the wreckage. "See. Light reading." They sit on the book shelf, food accidentally stepping in blood. The run their foot along the corner of the bookshelf. These were good shoes.
Julian winces, following Crash into the other room, pulling his bag up onto the bed. )
[Crash runs a hand through their hair as they start pulling out suitcases so they can begin packing the various aspects of their closet. Then they realize that Leroy is likely going to be more conspicuous than they want, and starts shrinking down into a slim girl with mousy brown hair, changing up the look entirely. They're now swimming in Leroy's attire, but at least it's a new face.]
Dad had us pick all new names when we joined the family. Supposed to be all about fresh starts. That's the one thing he taught us that I actually liked.
It felt appropriate at the time. Dad was also all about themes when it came to personas, and a lot of mine were getting their names from songs, so I figured why not. I was crashing into most people anyway.
[That's a joke. But they'll get back to the serious stuff.]
Shapeshifters are kind of like cuckoos. The birds that just leave their eggs in other birds' nests? Only we have a lot more sexual assault involved. Dad would dress up as a woman's husband and make it seem as though they're home early from a trip or something and knock her up and then come back for the kid like a decade later. I was nine? And like, I had figured out I could tweak my appearance, but I didn't know why, and I couldn't talk to my parents about it, because they had no idea. And then all of the sudden there was this guy showing up after school and being like ... look at me. I'm just like you.
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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"I told him I tracked you down. Bruno had designs on Kieran, that was not my doing. I was his backup." She shrugs. "I was pissed. You got out. You got a shiny new toy, powerful friends - 'Take Vita with you,' he always says. Not, go with Vita. Not listen to Vita." She grits her teeth, looks behind her sibling and then finds Crash's eyes. "He doesn't know where you are, okay. He just knows where I am." She lifts a shoulder, like what of it. )
You are where Crash is.
( "And whose fault is that?" )
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How long ago did you last talk to him?
[That will tell them how much time they have. Kieran is safe back at the Abattoir with Kol, but if Vita's gone radio silent, then the protocol is to send someone there to clean up the mess.]
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How long do you have?
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The sing-song tones give them away. Harley is clean up crew, nothing more. Which means things are about to get messy before they get better.]
Long time, Harls. Does it really gotta be like this?
[He shrugs, before swinging his eyes over to Julian. "We can make a little small talk first. Who's the pretty boy?"
Crash's eyes dart to Vita's. They're close enough to free her from the chains. Give her an advantage. Who's side is she going to be on if they do? She knows as well as they do that Harley isn't discriminating.]
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"Crash's new boyfriend. But, careful, he and that Original over there took out Bruno." She turns serious. "Harley, they're crazy. Kieran has people in high places. They tied me up and left me to die. If you didn't show up, I don't know what they'd do to me." she pleads. )
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"Aww, V. Sounds like you had a bad day." He does believe her fear (19), but he's unmoved by it. He fishes the silver-plated knife out of his picket, tossing it casually in his hand. "Too bad I'm here to make it worse."
He flings it, aiming for Crash's head (10 vs. 11), and Crash feels the sizzle of the silver against their ear as they dive out of the way.]
Jules, pin him!
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V in Mickey skin grips the loose chains, ready to attack.
Jules attempts to drop Harley to the ground, but one hand is still bandaged and his chi is still all over the place. (6)
Kol moves to attack, but hears someone behind him, turning to catch the arm holding a stake (19). He grapples Harley's partner (18 vs nat 20) and the other shapeshifter drives the stake into his heart. This only incapacitates him, but he does go gray and collapse against the shapeshifter not ready to hold an Original.
"You brought Arielle," Vita asks, tears drying up. Standing, the chain drops and she tries grappling Harley with it, but it's still at her feet and longer than she anticipated. (5) )
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It's not her fault. Mickey wasn't really built for strength or speed. But she manages to succeed just enough and get the chains around part of his chest. Crash picks up the other end of the chains and twines it once around Harley's neck, but Harley manages to get one hand under it to keep it from landing on his throat, skin smoking (11 vs. 15).
Crash tightens his grip, before glancing over at Julian, then at Arielle.]
Get the knife.
[The one Harley threw at his head.]
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Vita holds the chain taut, her own hands burning, as she "climbs," it, pulling her closer to her former paramour. She tries a propulsive and emotional bitchslap, but likely from her burned hands, she doesn't get the angle she wants.(5) )
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Harley tries to force both of them off him. He manages to dislodge Vita (10), but Crash manages to keep him pinned (18 vs. 6), tightening their grip on the chains and increasing the smoke.]
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( Julian tries holding Arielle in place, but the painkillers are kicking in and his concentration bleeds (3).
Vita tries to grab Arielle and spin around around, hand on her jacket to slam her into the bookcase. (10). )
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Crash keeps they focus on Harley (19 vs. 9), holding the chain in place until Harley stops moving. And holds on even longer until Harley begins to melt into a pile of gross skin slop so they can be sure he's dead.]
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Julian turns toward Arielle and Mickey-Vita, moving to the bookcase to pull it down. ) Move!
( Color starts to seep into Kol's form, the veins retracting.
Vita tries to let go and get out of the way of the bookcase and it's books (10). )
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Crash gets up and finds the knife, reaching forward to try and pull Vita back but maybe can't get a good hold on her (2).]
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Julian breathes heavy.
Vita wrests herself out of Crash's hands, but her look at least says thank you. She approaches the bookcase, looks over at the pile of goo that used to be her sibling-boyfriend. Don't ask, it's not how it sounds.
And Kol in the entryway pulls the stake out of his back, sits up and cracks his neck. )
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Looks like you've got two choices left, V.
[Because going home? Probably not an option now.]
You can stake out on your own, or you can come back with me.
[Coming back with them has it's rules, but it's certainly more safe, versus being able to do whatever she wants on her own, but not having anyone to watch her back.]
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You win. )
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[They glance over at Kol, giving him an apologetic look.]
Sorry you got pulled into this.
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"Technically, they pulled my girlfriend into this, too. I wouldn't have been far behind. Speaking of, I should be getting back to her. Are you all set?" )
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Tell her we'll call when we get back to base.
[Even if Julian doesn't, Crash will. They then glance over to Julian before tipping their head towards the bedrooms.]
C'mon. We should pack.
[And probably have that conversation they've been delaying.]
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Vita brings their hands up.
"Don't look at me, I have the clothes on my back. Go. I won't be going anywhere." They crouch down, pulling a book out from under the wreckage. "See. Light reading." They sit on the book shelf, food accidentally stepping in blood. The run their foot along the corner of the bookshelf. These were good shoes.
Julian winces, following Crash into the other room, pulling his bag up onto the bed. )
So that's Vita. Vida?
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[Crash runs a hand through their hair as they start pulling out suitcases so they can begin packing the various aspects of their closet. Then they realize that Leroy is likely going to be more conspicuous than they want, and starts shrinking down into a slim girl with mousy brown hair, changing up the look entirely. They're now swimming in Leroy's attire, but at least it's a new face.]
Dad had us pick all new names when we joined the family. Supposed to be all about fresh starts. That's the one thing he taught us that I actually liked.
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( It means something. He still has to say his own peace. He owes something. But, he also likes this little peek into his partner's life.
He starts to pack, too, but keeps an eye on them as they talk. )
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[That's a joke. But they'll get back to the serious stuff.]
Shapeshifters are kind of like cuckoos. The birds that just leave their eggs in other birds' nests? Only we have a lot more sexual assault involved. Dad would dress up as a woman's husband and make it seem as though they're home early from a trip or something and knock her up and then come back for the kid like a decade later. I was nine? And like, I had figured out I could tweak my appearance, but I didn't know why, and I couldn't talk to my parents about it, because they had no idea. And then all of the sudden there was this guy showing up after school and being like ... look at me. I'm just like you.
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( Maybe Crash can give themselves a little more credit. They're a great person. )
... He kidnapped you?
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i don't know what that grammar or spelling was, also 🎀