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[h1]Unwise[/h1]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/Sphdpir.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/n1b6iEd.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/EqVwCQa.png[/img]

[h2][color a2d9ce]Callan[/color] | [color 00ffbb]Lawrence[/color] | [color ff57ff]Siena[/color][/h2]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img] [hr][color=silver]𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖   / /  ~𝟘𝟝𝟛𝟝[/color][hr]
[sub]Collab with [@Baklava], [@Snagglepuss89], and [@PapiTan][/sub][/center]
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As soon as she had reached Lawrence and Hazel, Callan wasted no time in lifting the aberration girl's limp body, slinging her carefully over one shoulder as easily as one might move a sack of styrofoam peanuts. As much as she distrusted Hazel for what she'd done, she of course would never consider leaving her behind. Doing her best to keep Hazel facing away from the sandstorm's source, she extended a hand towards Lawrence, offering to lead the way since the piercing bits of earth, though distracting, didn't seem to cause her actual harm. "[color a2d9ce]Ready?![/color]" she shouted above the abundance of noise.

Lawrence took the hand with relief, glad that they seemed to finally be doing the sensible thing and pulling back. The old adage 'No plan survives contact with the enemy' was one thing, but it seemed like every conflict they involved themselves in ended up in an uncontrollable cluster fuck that finished worse than it began. They had, seemingly, accomplished nothing again, although that was hardly surprising given who they were trying to take down. There was a [i]reason[/i] he had stopped Zoe from running out, now in spite of that he wasn't even sure she was still alive.

Still, a few of them were, and they needed to salvage what they could.

“[color=00ffbb]Yeah, let's get out of here quick as we can.[/color]”

Callan gave a curt nod and pulled Lawrence to his feet, shifting her grip to his arm. She held on tightly, pulling him forward at an almost uncomfortably fast pace considering the piercing sandstorm. The lighthouse wasn't too far away, allowing the three mages to reach the door without much trouble otherwise. Sand and storm violated the room as soon as Callan turned the knob and the heavy door flew open with a loud crash. Laying Hazel down, she made quick work of closing it. With a shuddering sigh, she turned around to survey the room. The bloodied yet uninjured Lily stood amidst the majority of her classmates, one new face, and a few staff members. Only a few.... "[color a2d9ce]Oh-- fuck![/color]" she gasped.

Honestly, it was a bit of a relief to Lawrence seeing how many of their classmates were left. While he wasn't going to say their lives were worth more than the people on the island, he still at least had a more personal connection to the team than the locals. While not [i]everybody[/i] had gathered there yet, a lot of the ones that would have the hardest time surviving had, and that was almost as good as he could hope for.

So, in contrast to the mage beside him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“[color=00ffbb]Looks like most of us made it out.[/color]”

Most, but not all. Not a number Callan felt satisfied with. Especially considering how many they'd already lost.

"[color a2d9ce]There's some staff missing,[/color]" she said, tense, "[color a2d9ce]I can't just leave them out there.[/color]"

“[color=00ffbb]Do you even know where they're at?[/color]”

Most people Lawrence would oppose leaving- and even would actively prevent from doing so. Callan wasn't exactly someone that was easy to kill under normal circumstances though, and he wasn't exactly keen on abandoning people to die even if he himself wouldn't make the attempt under the current circumstances. He was keenly aware of what his limits were.

Callan paused, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to her. She remembered where they'd [i]been[/i]. Then that aberration boy appeared and the sandstorm picked up. She hadn't seen any of them since.  

"[color a2d9ce]No, but I'll find 'em. They can't be far. Probably just couldn't find their way back to the lighthouse in the storm.[/color]" 

“[color=00ffbb]Yeah, but if they can't find their way to a large building in the storm, how are you going to locate them? You can't stumble around blind Callan.[/color]”

Ungrateful was perhaps one word to describe the look Callan shot Lawrence in response to his remark. With a derisive scoff, Callan turned and reached for the doorknob. 

"[color a2d9ce]I'll be fine,[/color]" she said sharply, "[color a2d9ce]Got you and Hazel back here without any trouble, didn't I?[/color]"

Another group of people that had made it, and Siena couldn't help but feel some faint surge of relief, but the Arbiter had to flick her eyes through the faces. People she recognized as teammates, a few stray faces that were blurry-but-familiar memories of the estate, a face she didn't quite recognize. Was that safe? A cool reaction to the chaos at hand. There were still faces missing. Zoe, for one. Chris too, but in their situation, he would have changed forms, right? A dragon was more durable than a human in most aspects. Crimson eyes flicked back up to take another headcount. Hazel was unconscious, and--[i]oh no[/i].

[i]'[color=ff57ff]What is she doing?[/color]'[/i] The thought hadn't even managed to clear before Victor's influence took over. A sharp lash of pain, carefully measured, carefully imitated, and calmly dispensed as though it were simply a scolding. Not enough to completely shut someone down, but enough to [i]stop[/i] the average person. Victor's influence, her actions. Siena felt her eyes widen a fraction as she registered exactly what she was doing. Surprise and horror melded into a new being, stronger and more vicious than either one on its own. The girl took a sharp, quiet intake of breath, started to remove the sensation, but then felt a chilling demand stop the action. 

[i]'[color=f7976a]Continue. They'll never listen if you don't show them how monstrous you can be.[/color]'[/i] It was hard to distinguish whether those were her own thoughts, but it was easy enough to obey them. If she could have averted her gaze from her target, she would have. Didn't want to see the reaction. [s]Didn't want anyone to see that she might revel in creating a new tapestry that they would never know.[/s] Instead, the brunette clenched her fists, grit her teeth, and wished she hadn't started what she didn't want to finish.

It took a moment before Callan realized the bad feeling as her hand wrapped around the door's handle was far more literal than she was comfortable with. She froze, retracting her hand in alarm as if the metal could be the source. What the hell was that? Like the distant memory of a dull ache in her muscles. Her previous injury? No, not that. Brow furrowed in confusion, she reached for the door again. 

The feedback was...not nearly enough. Siena shouldn't have been surprised, but the brunette couldn't stop herself from blinking once or twice in surprise. In the back of her head, quietly, there was the soft influence again. Victor's distance, her father's influence, a desire left behind to fix, protect, [i]heal[/i]. Had Siena not stopped the second attempt before it could start, she was certain that Vale wouldn't have hesitated to increase the output. That [i]she[/i] wouldn't have hesitated to let it get worse to prove what she could, [i]would[/i] do if she had to. 

"[color=ff57ff]Callan, wait.[/color]" The words came out flat again, not quite there again. The gap between herself and her emotions. Crimson eyes didn't tear away from her roommate, holding back the instinctive urge to use pain to convince instead of words. Not her. Or...her? Lines were blurring too quickly. "[color=ff57ff]It's...unwise to go back out there.[/color]" 

[i]'[color=ff57ff]Because I can't guarantee that I won't go further.[/color]'[/i]

The feeling came again, followed by Siena's voice. Even then, Callan didn't put two and two together until she turned around and noticed her fellow arbiter staring at her with crimson eyes. A look of stunned betrayal crossed her face before she could try and mask it. Unwise? Zoe... Hazel... now Siena? Her temper flared, but she resolved not to address exactly why. Now wasn't the time.

"[color a2d9ce]I'm not letting anyone else get left behind![/color]" Callan retorted stubbornly, "[color a2d9ce]So whatever the hell you're trying to do, you can stop now.[/color]"

"[color=ff57ff]It's not a matter of leaving them behind.[/color]" Siena did her best to ignore the look of betrayal that crossed Callan's face, felt a pang of relief over the fact that Victor [i]couldn't[/i] feel things like guilt or remorse without a thick blanket stifling it, and kept her own expression as level as possible. Necessary. This was absolutely [i]necessary[/i], she told herself. She withdrew the pain, held herself in check, and crafted the next words with carefully calculated precision. "[color=ff57ff]With Hazel unconscious, our only immediate offensive potential if we meet the group from the estate is Sander, and I doubt that what people are combat ready are going to be enough to protect those that aren't.[/color]" 

Crimson eyes flicked toward the door, thought of the people outside briefly. 

"[color=ff57ff]Chris is probably not foolish enough to stay out there without becoming a dragon. That should be enough to protect and retreat with the others.[/color]" After all, he'd already carried three on his back once. There was little doubt in the Arbiter's mind that he would be able to manage it again if necessary. Cautiously, the girl crafted a lie. A pristine one, immediate and unflinching. "[color=ff57ff]The strongest barrier I could produce couldn't stop one shot from the group at the mansion. If we come across them, we'll need you.[/color]"

Siena spoke and Callan listened, though she was taken a bit off guard by her way of speaking. The idea of putting so little faith in the other offensive mages and yet so much in Chris alone wasn't enough to budge her resolve, nor her expression. Siena's final statement did, however, carry with it a visual impact. Brent and Siena had witnessed what was on the other side of the tunnel. What had killed Greg and likely several soldiers by now. It was a strategic retreat after all. It wasn't ideal, but what else could they do?

But still-- it didn't [i]feel[/i] right. Callan couldn't get the image out of her head. A short, measly row of mages in black and white standing between them and an unknown enemy. Risking their lives to try and keep them safe. Was it vain to assume they weren't capable of handling themselves? She grit her teeth, knuckles white. Maybe it was the wrong decision... but it was how she had to do it. Nobody else needed to die here. She could do both.

"[color a2d9ce]I understand... but I can't. I'm sorry, but I have to go! They need help![/color]" she declared, trying to keep a level head. Stay. Go. She could do both. "[color a2d9ce]I'll be right back![/color]" At that, Callan spun back to face the door, wrenching it open.

[i]'[color=ff57ff]No, no, no![/color]'[/i] Everything fell apart in one fell swoop. Siena tried her best to piece things back together, Victor demanded that she either let go or cut loose. She could stop Callan. Probably. If she stopped holding back how far she was willing to go. If she dropped everyone in the immediate area and sacrificed control of output, then even with Cal out of sight, then...! The Arbiter felt the surge attempt to rise, felt herself plucking at strands of memories of how many times she'd experimented with the sensations that she could create while Vale was guiding her, and then everything ground to a screeching halt when her attention was brutally wrenched back to ground level by the sound of their cuffs coming to life with voice.

"[color=a187be]They have Angel, at least... I think they do. Anyway, I have a plan. Though, it could easily kill Angel if they do have her, so if anyone has a better plan, share it. Otherwise, Chris, I'll need you to land near the lighthouse. Prepare for takeoff immediately. Zoe and Kusari, you'll need to be ready to jump on immediately.[/color]"

[i]What?[/i]

She had nowhere else to turn that surge, so she pulled it in, turned it against herself, and bit her lip until she tasted copper, grimaced and swore under her breath as she just as quickly dampened it into a dull ache that kept her where she needed to be. Too late. Callan was gone, lost in the static of the outside and far beyond her ability to accurately pinpoint with Victor's draining presence, and the others were going to be pulled into a suicide mission just as reckless as the one she'd agreed to with Brent. [i]Damn it.[/i] Her fingers scraped at the screen of her phone, the dull ache sharpening into something more severe to hold back another wave of heat that threatened to close the distance that Victor had created. Through grit teeth, she searched for a new mark as the crimson started to slip back into the storm.

As soon as she'd swung the door shut behind her, pulling against the harsh sands with ease thanks to her super strength, Callan bolted towards the place she last remembered seeing any of the staff members. It was a relief not to feel the unsettling itch of Siena's ability as she left. Perhaps that wasn't the best sign that she had Siena's blessing, but it was better than being attacked. She was getting pretty fed up with having to keep an eye out for both her foes and friends. Allison's transmission alone was certainly enough to send her nerves into a tumultuous offset, however. What kind of plan was that? Jump on Chris and start flying to the ferry? They had no idea what was over there!

[color a2d9ce][i]One thing at a time!,[/i][/color] she urged herself with a curt shake of her head, resuming her run through the raging sands, searching for any sign of white ruffles and black fabric. [/hider]