[right][code]House of Cards Warehouse[/code][/right]
It was fucking [i]cold[/i]. Should’ve been expected from what was essentially a dungeon… but Linqian was used to her ‘dungeons’ being filled with a lot of heat-inducing moving. [i]And[/i] the cold generally wasn’t a problem when you could control your body temperature. 

But clearly the table she was strapped to had some fucking anti magic lining or some shit. Which was great. Tied to a table in a revealing, not made for the cold dress and no way to get out. That wasn’t even the worst thing. The worst thing was that her brother was fucking in here with them. 

Biting her lip, her head twisted to the side to make sure Henri was alright. He’d gone quiet a short while ago… Not that her or Greyson had much interest in holding a proper conversation at the moment. Unlike the two of them, he’d been put in a [i]cage[/i]. Maybe it was an upgrade to tied to a table, seeing as he’d managed to squat down and close his eyes.

Linqian couldn’t tell if he was actually asleep or not. Hopefully…

Either way, it meant she could deal with something that had been on her mind the whole time they were stuck here. She’d held it in, with willpower she normally didn’t have, just to not have to involve Henri. 

[color=CD5C5C]”I can’t [i]believe[/i] I let you fucking convince me to bring him along.”[/color] Her head moved back around from looking at Henri, neck awkwardly craned, to her other side. Eyes narrowing at the [i]cause[/i] of her brother being here in the first place. If he hadn’t started fucking meddling- telling Henri shit he didn’t need to know… he wouldn’t be here! And it would be fine. She could rot down here for all she fucking cared, but her brother? No. 
[color=CD5C5C]”All that shit about keeping him safe! He’s in more fucking danger cause [i]you[/i] put shit in his head about helping- fuck! I [i]knew[/i] something like this would fucking happen and that’s why I fucking kept him out of shit. But no! You just [i]had[/i] to fucking stick your nose in.”[/color]

Greyson was trying his absolute best to think of a solution that didn’t involve selling them off as slaves to the Elite. There was a level of hope that Dollhouse would send someone crashing through the wall sooner rather than later, but it was a dull hope. They weren’t even sure where they were, and he hadn’t exactly given them much to be excited for anyway. Fucking… For what? What the fuck was it all for? How much did he really care about what was happening? How much did he love that goofy mop-headed boy in the cage, or his aggro-loving sister for that matter?

As it turned out, a lot… Enough that the Sympathater regulating his emotions was having a hard time stopping him from Wildcasting. Physically, he was calm and collected, but inside he was waging a war against the machine with Love as his army. So, to have her sitting there and barking at him now? Now, when he was just getting into the groove of things?

[color=F5388C]”Linqian… Can you try harder? Longer? Please? God, please, literally anything but this right now, seriously. You being mad at me is only going to make you feel good; it’s not gonna cast a spell. Think about what you’re fucking doing.”[/color] he responded quietly, trying to pull his head up from the Anti-Pink strap they had to include on him as a Mono-Adept. 

He wanted to see Henri… To smile at him. To tell him not to listen to her, and that getting hemmed up was all part of really being in a situation. That this was good practice, and that all he had to do was stay positive. That his Lux would be the thing that takes him further, and gets him out of there… 
That if he could muster up a strong enough smile, maybe [i]he[/i] would be able to save them. Sapping power out of the machines from outside… He didn’t know if there was a Sympathater on that cage, but if there was? Maybe it was weaker…

 [color=F5388C]”Mother of God… Like a fucking- Henri? Little Brother, talk to me… We’re gonna be alright Henri! This is all part of it! I promise, this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a bad spot! We’re gonna get out!”[/color]
Of course he didn’t know. How could he? Life was no guarantee, and the only option was to try and try again if the need arose. Come Hell or high water, they’d be together until the end at least…

There was a pause, before Henri's response came. His voice was more muted than before- tired. After all, he'd only had that tiny nap after they rescued Greyson… he was exhausted. 
[color=ffe63b]”I know, I believe you… someone’ll rescue us like we rescued you, won't they? Like- like Aryin! They'll realise we’re not home…”[/color]

Linqian wasn't so sure. Aryin would realise, yes, but would she be able to find them? And there was a chance it'd somehow gone well for the rest and she was absolutely drunk out of her mind at a crazy celebration. She didn't feel so hopeful about them getting out. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Try harder? What the fuck do you think I'm doing,”[/color] she muttered, hands flexing. Unlike Greyson, she wasn't trying to wildcast. They hadn't taken her channeler- couldn't. The ring didn't fully melt with her temperature shifts, the metal on the inside had heated up and stuck to her skin years ago. But even as her anger finally flared up- strange slowness not something she connected with the magic suppressing- it was like she couldn't access it. The connection between her emotions and her magic just didn't seem to be there. 
[color=CD5C5C]”Remember what fuels my fucking magic, asshole- what're you gonna do, Pink Lux bomb the place so we're calm when- fuck! Yi-er, can you do anything?”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”N-n-no… I've been trying the whole time, Jie! I-I used up all the light I had left but it didn't do anything… I don't think I can… I- I'm sorry!”[/color] He sounded obviously off. Scared, tired… Linqian forced herself not to twist her head to look again. It'd only make her feel worse. Fuck. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Don’t fucking apologise, Yi-er. It isn't [I]your[/I] fault.”[/color] It was theirs. Hers and Greyson's. It wasn't Henri's job to get them out… he shouldn't even fucking be there! It just pissed her off more. For a moment, it felt like there was a spark of heat in her fingertips… then it was gone as quickly as it had been there. If it even had. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Fuck! I'm going to shove a burning hot foot up your fucking ass if it's the last thing I fucking do.”[/color] 
Trying to get that fucking spark for her magic to work… but it just came across as normal, unproductive Linqian aggression.

In Greyson's mind, there was a lot of stuff that could happen. So why Linqian was getting so hopeless when this was Greyson's second time being kidnapped in a week. He had a hard time matching her fear and panic…

Maybe because he didn’t watch Henri grow up from a literal baby. He'd never held the boy in his arms or changed his diaper because Mom needed him to. No, none of that. Maybe if she'd been the one with Pink Lux, she'd have broken the machine by now. Overloaded it.

[color=F5388C]”Linqian's right, Henri… Don't ever apologize for shit that isn't your fault… Doin’ that makes you look guilty, and we know you ain't guilty of anything besides being a good man. Understand me!?”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”I- I understand!”[/color] Henri nodded vigorously.

As the young man spoke, Greyson was quietly straining against the headband keeping his head held down.
[color=F5388C]”Listen, Buddy… Look up! Look, look! Your cage, there's that thing on top! Can you get your arms through to grab it? If you can break it, your magic will come back!”[/color]

There was some movement and clattering. 
[color=ffe63b]”Ow, my head- I see it! I'll try get it!”[/color] Henri's fingers grasped at the cage. How did he get through? The bars were too close together for him to get through easily. If he could use Green Lux, develop a spell- but he couldn't! They were depending on him, his sister was depending on him. He managed to get his fingers through, but it wasn't enough to reach whatever it was Greyson had pointed out. He'd need to get his whole hand through, then his arm-
[color=ffe63b]”I- I can't! It's too far away, I'd need to shove my thumb through. Maybe if I break-”[/color]

[color=CD5C5C]”Don’t you fucking dare!”[/color] Linqian snapped. No way was she letting him hurt himself… For what, to just get his magic back and maybe get them out? No. 
[color=CD5C5C]”If you can't get it, you can’t get it- stop trying to make him put himself in more danger!”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”Jie, it's fine-”[/color]
[color=CD5C5C]”It’s not! Fuck.”[/color] Linqian pushed her wrists up against the bindings as if they'd budge anymore than they already had. Like she hadn't been straining the whole fucking time. The longer they talked, as her brother's voice got more panicked, the more pissed she got. Pissed and scared and so fucking upset that she might lose him [I]just like Jinhai[/I]. 

There was a spark of magic at her fingertips. They started to burn- but it was uncontrollable, limited to the extremities as she pushed against it. It didn't move further down her fingers- she had no way to use it to get through the bindings. Red without enough Green… the smell of burning flesh permeated the air. 
[color=CD5C5C]”[I]Fuuuckkk[/I], fuck this fucking table! Fuck this whole fucking plan, why the fuck did we do this shit?! Why the fuck did I let you convince me to bring him along?!”[/color]

The worst kind of prison was one that counted on preventative measures to keep the population in line. The ones that needed special tools and specifically designed places to keep people from doing what came naturally. It was far better to trick the prisoner. Make them think they could get away with anything. It presents far fewer points of obvious weakness in the system.

All that was necessary to break from the Sympathaters was doing some kind of damage to the machine. The system overload was easiest, but dealing some kind of physical damage was far more doable in their situation… Though, from the beeps on the monitor that he could see, Linqian was really starting to strain her side too.

[color=F5388C]”It's about options, Linqian! Nothing will make him feel better than actually fucking doing something, so quit butting in! I don't care if he's your brother right now, because he could be our only hope!-”[/color]

Greyson struggled again, this time vocally straining as he tried to lift his head just an inch more to get a better understanding of the situation. The bars were tight, but…

[color=F5388C]”Your shirt! Take it off and pull it up through the bars as much as you can. Get it around that tower piece, just try to like… [i]Toss it up.[/i] Y'know, you can see it! Just get it around that piece, then tug from both ends! It's gonna break, I swear! These things are super delicate, I've seen them before! It's why they have us strapped down!”[/color] he tried to explain through gritted teeth.

[color=CD5C5C]”I don't care that you don't-”[/color]
[color=ffe63b]”I understand, I’ll try! I- I think I can!”[/color] Henri interrupted Linqian. It was maybe just a little bit on purpose… He pulled his shirt off, before twisting it to form something like a rope. It was like some sort of game… like he was trying to hit a target! Like baseball, but not like baseball at all… it was fine. He could do this! 

[color=CD5C5C]”Fuck, try then- but don't tell me what to fucking do and butt into, Greyson! You butting in is the whole fucking reason he's stuck here! He shouldn't have to be our only hope- fuck!”[/color] The burning smell got stronger, the flesh on her fingertips singing away as the burning spread along them. More and more Red Lux as she pushed desperately against the machine, rage increasing. 
[color=CD5C5C]”My brother's the only fucking reason that-”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”I’ve got it! I've got it, I can- I did it!”[/color] There was a shattering sound as something fell onto the ground and smashed.
[color=ffe63b]”What do I do now, there's no light?! I- I need fuel!”[/color]

There was a smug grin that crossed Greyson's face. Henri the Hero… 
[color=F5388C]”Look at me. Look close. Get low if you have to… There’s a little blinking red light here. Right above my head. Just take. Take as much as you can from it!”[/color] He instructed with great joy in his voice.

[color=F5388C]”God, good fucking job… If we listened to her, you'd be eating crayons somewhere! You got this, Henri Baby!”[/color] Greyson encouraged.

[color=CD5C5C]”Just see if you can keep acting smug when I get out off this fucking [I]table[/I],”[/color] Linqian snapped, her fingers curling inwards to start the painful process of burning through both the bindings and her own wrists. 

[color=ffe63b]”I see it! But that's such a tiny light, big bro, I'll barely be able to do anything with it…”[/color] Henri crouched down, finding the light in question. He began sucking it in, stopping it from ever turning back on… and beyond that. He tried to grab the energy behind it. Whatever was powering it sucked into his body.
[color=ffe63b]”Oh, oh, there's more to it than I thought! I can totally blast out with this!”[/color]

There was a pained grunt from Linqian, close to acknowledgement. 
[color=CD5C5C]”... good job, Didi…”[/color]

The machine around Greyson began to vibrate and shake until he felt his own Lux flood back into his body. Instantly, there was a massive burst of Pink that was meant to calm the three of them, just like Linqian had so harshly joked about earlier.

But as it washed over them and tried to linger with its benefits, the wave continued outward into the facility at an unprecedented rate. Pink tendrils snaked along every surface they could, hunting for signs of life everywhere. There were Guards right outside, more down the hall. Further in the facility, he felt dozens of Adeptal signals and other magics that weren't his. Weren't familiar…

But… One was? As the machine reactively released his arms and legs, Greyson pulled the headlock off and sat up like a board. His legs were weak, but he slid forward and made way for Linqian's machine. Breaking it apart, he braced himself for a walloping.

[color=F5388C]”Try and keep it short… I think our cavalry may be here. Unless this is the craziest betrayal of all time coming up.”[/color] he intoned, the wildcasting leaving his face swollen and full of veins flush with Pink Lux. Even his sclera took on a gingery pink hue.

Linqian immediately swung herself up and off the table, grabbing Greyson by his shirt. The top half of her fingers were a horrific, raw red that had been spreading towards her hands. The edges where her skin pulled back were darker, nearing black. Heat radiated off them and she stopped burning her own flesh now she had complete control. Instead it started to singe through the fabric she was gripping. 
[color=CD5C5C]”Did you seriously try to fucking Pink bomb us the moment you could?! You think that was going to make me any more fucking calm?!”[/color] 

[color=ffe63b]”Oh my God, Jie, can you just skip to the part where you kiss and make up?”[/color] Henri burned through the bars of the cage with light, moving towards them. He hovered a bit away, not wanting to get in the range of Linqian’s anger. Her fingers looked so painful… but he’d have to touch her to heal her!

[color=CD5C5C]”That is [i]not[/i] what fucking happens. [i]Seriously.[/i] ‘Try and keep it short?’ You think I care who the fuck interrupts?!”[/color] While Linqian was clearly pissed off, she wasn’t actually [i]hurting[/i] Greyson. Just yelling at him.

In Greyson's opinion, their savior was so right. Rather than let her continue, he figured he'd piss her off a little more… But, at least it'd be redirected. His hands slipped up, grabbing her by the shirt and pulling her tightly into a kiss before pulling away slightly.
[color=F5388C]”I love you. Now, [i]please[/i] go take this out on the people who deserve it. There's two outside, both Adepts. Thankfully they haven't heard us fucking around in here or they-”[/color]

The door opened carefully to where they were, swinging open with a creak as a gun came round the corner… Then started firing.
Greyson's first instinct was to wrap around Linqian and move her… He tried to shove her down under the table for cover, but she was so strong and pissed off that he gave up almost instantly in favor of covering their favorite labradoodle. He pushed off Linqian, diving into Henri and tackling him to the ground.

Henri let out a sharp yelp of surprise, not stopping Greyson from shoving him onto the ground. He hit it with another panicked cry, hearing the gun before he’d even seen it. He’d thought they were safe! He couldn’t see Linqian either, had Greyson shoved her down first, no he couldn’t have, what if she was hurt?!
[color=ffe63b]”[i]Jie[/i]!”[/color] 

The temperature in the room plummeted further, frost creeping across the ground. 
[color=CD5C5C]”You’re [i]sooo[/i] fucking lucky you didn’t hit my brother. I won’t fucking burn you limb by limb till you’re begging for fucking death!”[/color] Linqian’s attention had been successfully redirected, shifting entirely towards the gun poked round the corner. She’d been hit a few times, but only one had properly landed before she dropped her temperature and toughened her skin. The sluggish bleeding from where a bullet was embedded into her shoulder quickly stopped as the wound was frozen over. 

She ducked down, using the frost she was accidentally creating to slide across the floor. As she reached the door she swiftly swapped her temperature, shooting right up from the negatives to the hundreds. It didn’t matter that she was hot enough now that her clothes started to smoulder. More burns crept up her arms and legs, but she easily ignored the added pain. Her hand shot up to grab the gun, melting underneath her superheated fingers. 

Then her hand went further, grabbing the guard that had been holding the gun. There was a scream as she burnt through his flesh. Her body slammed into the door, completely melting through it before hitting the shooter. There was only so much someone could do when a near thousand degree body tackled them unexpectedly, especially one so fueled by rage. Whatever his magic was, it was useless. Or just [i]weak[/i]. He died all the same to horrific burns.

A shield flickered into life in the corner of her vision. The second Adept. Yellow Lux. She pushed herself back up with a grimace.
[color=CD5C5C]”How fucking long till the rescue appears?”[/color] She tilted her head back to shout over at Greyson.

Henri squirmed on the floor, mumbling under his breath.
[color=ffe63b]”I’ll need a lot more light to heal her after this…”[/color]

There was a cacophonous bellow that echoed through the concrete hall outside their door. Greyson had already rendered a guess as to what the fuck that was coming through.
 [color=F5388C]”It’s our fuckin’ secret admirer!”[/color] he yapped, squeezing Henri’s shoulder to muster himself.

His gaze passed upward, locking eyes in a brief instant with the Yellow Adept. Yellow… It was never easy, but Greyson had already felt this guy close by. Yellows required a great deal of consistency to be at their most potent, and whatever was going on in this guy’s life wasn’t good for his mental game. A fat crack up the middle let Greyson’s magic penetrate near instantly, ripping the guard’s mind asunder and causing the caster’s entire face to flare up into a bright pink lightbulb. 

For a moment, Henri would be able to see Greyson’s Emotional Field physically, its surface criss-crossed with lotuses like a Louis Vouiton bag. His face kind of lost its shape to the light, with everything suddenly the same level of transparency as he screamed out in utter pain at the backlash of killing another Lux Adept without a Channeler. Rolling away from Henri was a reaction, as was the bashing of his arms off the floor as he howled in pain.[hr]

Ears twitched far from there. This old and rundown power facility, its many rooms and hideaways magically dimmed, seemed to stretch on and on as Leon, Cass and a small squad of Leon’s personal Temple associates made their way through. It was exhausting, and for each Adept they slayed there seemed to be a dozen or more Third-Eye combatants equipped with magically enchanted weapons of some kind or another. 

Well equipped and armed to the teeth, however, there was little that the loose magical mercenary force hired by the Elite could do to prevent a truly coordinated magical assault. This wasn’t a coven of glory hogs with separate agendas trying to blast through some field of zombies… They were some of Leon’s closest and most trusted. People who had fought in the war against Das Sonnenrad, and who had killed just like he had during the Serpent War. Casey wasn’t the only veteran in their family… Just the only one to give his time up to an underappreciating government. At least, that’s how Leon felt…

[color=C67C12]”Cass!”[/color] Leon roared as he pushed through the thick of it to her side.
[color=C67C12]”I heard someone screaming further in! I need you to get ahead and in there to get to them! So that we know they’re not killing them!”[/color]

Leon’s hand reached down to her.
[color=C67C12]”I’ll give you a boost! I’m trusting you to be safe and fast!”[/color] 

Cass’ wolf ears twitched as she forcefully stopped herself from constantly moving: ducking, weaving, slicing and punching. She may not be as trained in magical warfare as everyone else here, but it was like she was in her element. It wasn’t much different from beating people up- just magic. 

[color=629c3f]”Got it! Speed’s my speciality, get me in there, big guy!”[/color] She could guess what he meant by [i]giving her a boost[/i]. Her arms shot up above her head as if she was about to dive into a swimming pool- but streamlined was best! At the same time, the tough scales she’d had on her arms to block hits spread across her whole body. She was completely ready to be picked up and presumably launched.
[color=629c3f]”I’ll get ‘em and keep ‘em safe, don’t worry!”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Remember what I said! Greyson, and Linqian! You’re with Leon!”[/color]

As he wrenched her up off the ground, his body shifted to kiss her slightly before spinning and ultimately hurling her up and over a great deal of the main area that the combat was taking place in. In her trajectory was an individual who seemed to be hiding, or something like that… Maybe taking a rest? Either way, they weren’t ready for a flying croco-wolf woman…

[color=629c3f]”Whoa, wrong place to rest, buddy!”[/color] Cass twisted herself around as she came down, going feet first into whoever it was. It softened her landing slightly, the scales across her body dampening the rest of the impact. Sharp claws finished off the job that her slamming right into them hadn’t done. 

Her ears twitched, close enough now to hear the screaming Leon had mentioned. Scales pulled back away to just her lower arms, replaced by cheetah spots to enhance her speed. She took in a deep breath, enhanced nose beginning to pick up the scents of people up ahead.

Not as many as she’d flown past… but there were a few. But she was pretty sure it wasn’t far. 

A door was kicked down, and she was met with what seemed to be… stairs down? Presumably down. Made sense they’d lock them up central and downwards. But speed was important! Not time to think about the fine details. 

In a blur, Cass skipped most of the steps entirely, jumping off the edge and downwards with a thud. Scaled calves took the brunt of the force… not that it was as far as she’d thought. Barely a floor. More like a strange half? Whatever!

Another door kicked down, and she was met with a long, concrete hall. Four smells… four guards at this end.

They were caught by surprise by her sudden appearance when, as far as they were aware, the fighting was much further away. She ducked under a rock covered fist, enhanced knee coming up to slam the guy right in the balls. As he automatically curled forward in pain her hand came up, claws slicing right through his throat.

[color=629c3f]”Oh fuck!”[/color] She just narrowly avoided getting hit by a blast of fire, dodging to the side as it whistled past her ear and singed the fabric covering her arms. The other two smelt a bit different, raising guns to shoot at her.

Not magical? Not as magical? Didn’t matter. 

She ducked and rolled, avoiding more blasts of fire shot at her as she got in closer. A hand came up with superspeed to block a bullet. Thank [i]fuck[/i] she’d spent a bunch of last week training with Leon. 

Without hesitating, she shot up directly towards the Red Adept. Fire sprayed out of the woman’s fingertips. Cass smelt it before it reached her, strengthened legs flexing before launching her up and over. They wrapped around the Adept’s neck and Cass leaned forward to bite her. Sharp teeth tore through flesh, the woman’s screams almost deafening. 

It wasn’t pleasant, but Cass twisted herself to swiftly bite her throat. 

Then, just two Blinds. Magical guns of some form, but still just guns wielded by Third-Eyes. Cass had pushed her durability to the point that she could tank a few hits from Leon now- which meant bullets like this didn’t feel like much. It wasn’t like they were [i]Casey’s[/i] bullets… or at least she’d been told he made some real awesome ones.

Dodge, tank, block… then two more throats were sliced. 

Cass grimaced slightly as she waved her hands to get the blood off, before running down the rest of the corridor. The screaming was getting louder, and she could smell three people… just three? That was what she was looking for, right?

[color=629c3f]”Whoa, fuck, you already killed em?!”[/color] Cass screeched to a halt in front of the three strangers she presumed were who she was looking for. There were two bodies: one burned within recognition, and another with no visible wounds at all.

One guy on the ground, another bending over him in panic - his hands were glowing with light. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Who the fuck are you?”[/color] The source of the burns, the curly haired woman at the front, shifted into a defensive posture in front of the other two.

She was also naked… what the fuck?

[color=629c3f]”Oh! I’m with Leon! I assume you’re Linqian… and one of ‘em is Greyson? Fuck, y’need healing, pretty sure I got one of the healing packs on me somewhere…”[/color]

Greyson could only hear things in a very abstract kind of way. Everything sounded like it was in bubbles surrounding his head in every direction, and sometimes they popped and he could hear what was inside, but most of it was muffled. There were plenty of voices that didn’t belong in the situation. His own Mother. Britney’s. He was pretty sure he could hear the audio from the podcast he’d last listened to… All sorts of memories clouding his mind into nothingness. 

But hearing “E-O” jogged his memory. It was just clear enough, and in just the perfect consistency of a pattern, that he recognized the name he’d heard and said a thousand times over. Leon. Leon usually meant Temple support. That meant things like the green sludge… Whether or not it could help him with this current overloading problem, however, he didn’t know.

[color=F5388C][b]”GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!?!?!”[/b][/color]

Like a total vegetable, Greyson’s glowing pink arm reached out to where the noise came from, eyes unable to see. He slurred the only word that came from his mouth as if he were the victim of a massive stroke. It was something like that. Wildcast overload was nothing to play around with. Had the Adept been stronger, a reactive move like what he’d done may’ve killed him too… But he’d had so much magic built up, the slow but crushing pressure against the previous machine causing his mind to swell like a pimple with Lux.

That reservoir, combined with the weakness of the Adept, meant Greyson didn’t send a total kill signal through himself by accident. He truly was lucky to be alive.

[color=629c3f]”Green? I am- Oh!”[/color] Cass realised what the fuck he was slur shouting about, reaching into one of her pockets to pull out a little packet of green sludge. Whatever had happened to that guy had done a real number to him. Torture? Would explain why one of them was naked too.
[color=629c3f]”This?”[/color]

[color=CD5C5C]”Give it to me,”[/color] Linqian held out a hand as her temperature dropped back down to normal. More than the name drop, the appearance of the green packet told her this woman was with the Temple in some way. So unless the Temple, and Leon, wanted to kill them… which seemed unlikely.

Cass shrugged, tossing it to Linqian. Her ears twitched, constantly aware and listening out for someone approaching. She constantly hopped from foot to foot, struggling even more to stay still with all the adrenaline pumping through her.

Linqian caught the packet, turning around and making her way back to Henri and Greyson. She assumed he wasn’t going to be as fucking [i]aggressive[/i] as last time, but she sure as shit didn’t trust him to hold and drink it himself. But he was moving his mouth enough to scream so he could drink it himself.
[color=CD5C5C]”I’ve got this, Yi-er, move back.”[/color]

Henri nodded, shuffling back from Greyson and to the side. The light glow on his hands from trying to heal him, and doing nothing, subsided.
With a surprising gentleness, her arm wrapped around Greyson to prop him up against herself. But there was absolutely [i]no[/i] gentleness in the way she shoved the packet into his mouth and squeezed the green goop right in.

Greyson felt [i]immediate[/i] relief as the world came rushing back around him. The sludge seemed to be good at a lot of things, so Greyson could never quite pin down what it actually came from. Leon had been incredibly vague about it.
[color=F5388C]”Oh mother of God… Thank Christ… My fucking… Where are my fucking [b]glasses[/b], Jesus!?”[/color]

Greyson didn’t waste any time returning to a state of frustration at the situation. And he [i]really[/i] wasn’t wasting any time making problems.

[color=F5388C]”Where the [i]fuck[/i] are my guns too!? Piss in my eye, I’m gonna rip these fuckers apart!”[/color] 

He was still glowing like a lightbulb… Big pink head, displaced cranium as the pocket formed and pushed his brain around. He still had to offload all that Lux, but with no channeler it wasn’t going to be good. He tried to get around, but it was still incredibly dark in here to prevent Henri from doing anything too drastic. Ultimately, however, he figured their stuff probably wasn’t here. So, he moved back to Henri and helped him up. Then he hugged him, with both hands finding the sides of his face.

[color=F5388C]”You didn’t give up. You didn’t give up, and we’re both proud of you. We’re gonna throw you a party, buddy… You earned it!”[/color]
Then he turned, finding Linqian naked and raising an eyebrow.

[color=F5388C]”Baby, clothes damn you! We gotta get you some smolderproof fabric or something… Dragon skin panties.”[/color] he laughed, throwing his arms around her and kissing her neck before finally looking at Cass.

[color=F5388C]”Fine, fine… Where’s the big man, out fighting? Who else is here? Can you help us find our shit?”[/color] 

[color=629c3f]”Yup, like, six other people, and I sure can! Ain’t sure that’s what he threw me over for, but I ain’t fond of just waiting around kicking rocks.”[/color] Cass replied to everything in order, with nods punctuating it. Just finding their shit was fine… she couldn’t smell anyone else nearby. She’d already taken out four on the way by herself, it was fine!

[color=CD5C5C]”Find me some fucking fire proof clothes and I’ll [i]consider[/i] wearing them,”[/color] Linqian grumbled. But the Adept murder seemed to have calmed her down, and she was just fucking relieved Greyson was moving around again, as much as she wouldn’t verbalise it. Her body went slightly lax as she leaned into him, one arm slipping around him. She turned her head towards Henri, who was absolutely beaming. 
[color=CD5C5C]”Yeah, you did great, Didi. Greyson’s actually not talking shit for once.”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”Hell yeah I did!”[/color] Henri bounced with happiness a little bit. Linqian snorted.
[color=CD5C5C]”Don’t let it get to your head, or you’ll end up with one as big as his,”[/color] she intoned, free hand pointing up to Greyson’s enlarged cranium. 

Cass’ body swung back and forth for a bit as she tried to think about where their stuff could be. Probably not down this corridor… 
[color=629c3f]”There’s a bunch’ve rooms back up the stairs, maybe your shit’s in one of those. What’re we looking for… guns, glasses? Anything that, like, has a smell?”[/color] she asked, before a hand shot up into the air.
[color=629c3f]”Oh! I’m Cass, by the way!”[/color] 

Greyson stuck his still litebrite ass hand out to shake Cass’.
[color=F5388C]”Cass! Greyson Devola, this is Linqian and Henri Han.”[/color]

Giving her a firm shake, he quickly moved to grab Linqian something to wear. He ripped the shirt off his kill and wrapped it around her.
[color=F5388C]”Sorry, Mama… I promise I’ll let you punish me later. Just… Can we please get through this without any more arguing? Cover yourself up, or I’mma be too distracted by that ass to think straight.”[/color]

He rubbed Linqian’s shoulder for a moment as he spoke to Cass again.

[color=F5388C]”Here-”[/color] One wrist was held out. It stunk like expensive cologne. [color=F5388C]”- I keep a bottle of my cologne in my jacket [i]and[/i] my plate rig. For shit just like this, in case the dogs need to find my shit… Glad Leon’s making more!”[/color] he joked, a slightly evil grin crossing his face. 

Giving Linqian’s ass a pat to usher her forward, he turned back.
[color=F5388C]”Come on, Henri! We’re almost home free!”[/color]

Linqian pulled the dead guy’s shirt around her, which was thankfully big enough to fall midway down her thighs. She swiftly did it up before flicking her hand out to bat Greyson’s away. 
[color=CD5C5C]”Hands off. Not exactly avoiding distraction, are you?”[/color] She rolled her eyes, but her lips tugged up into a slight smile and she moved forward just as he'd been signalling her to do. 

[color=ffe63b]”Coming!”[/color] Henri immediately trotted up to Greyson, back to his normal bright self - if a bit sleepy.
[color=ffe63b]”Can we grab food on the way out? I’m really hungry!”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”Ooo, you can buy me food for all the energy I used up rescuing ya!”[/color] Cass laughed. She’d been completely unphased by Greyson’s joke as she leaned forward to take a deep sniff of the cologne. Fucking strong shit. Her lips pulled back into a return grin, revealing sharp, slightly bloody teeth. 

[color=629c3f]”I ain’t giving Leon [i]any[/i] credit for this shit. I could do [i]all[/i] this shit before I met him, he just helped me perfect it. You seriously think the wolf thing is unique enough it’d all come from him? We can’t just be two magical wolves meeting in the wild and shit? Anyway, c’mon.“[/color] Laughing, Cass led them back down the corridor. She sniffed the air as she did, trying to catch another whiff of the cologne. It was there… but faint. One of the rooms up the stairs. Nearby, since they clearly hadn’t expected an escape. Of course, she chatted as she did.

[color=629c3f]”We definitely ain’t at the stage of making more- or even talking ‘bout it, that ain’t a certainty. But since you’re so interested, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know if we fuck raw!”[/color] Cass cackled, immediately throwing away any social boundaries. Normally she at least waited to see where shit would land… but hey, he’d been a bit of a dick. And the Sycamore two clearly weren’t prudes.

Greyson laughed loudly to himself as they tried to keep up with her down the hall.
[color=F5388C]”Kinky… I’ll be sure to pick up a recording from their publisher when it comes out.”[/color] For being someone whose head looked like a deep sea fish, Greyson was still a smug fucker.

[color=F5388C]”So, you’re an Adept? No shit… I mean… You’re his girl though? Y’know he can do the… [i]Biting[/i] thing, right? I’m not talkin’ kinky shit, I mean straight up werewolf shit! Or, so I hear at least. That his Apparition has the power to do it!”[/color]

Cass hadn’t known that. Not that it changed anything. As far as she was aware, there weren't a bunch of mini Leon made werewolves running around the place. There was no way he'd do that… At least not when he was in control. She didn't bother confirming or acknowledging the her being his girl thing, cause she really couldn't be bothered to get into the intricacies of their relationship. It was true enough.
[color=629c3f]”I didn't know that, but I ain't surprised- Who says that can't be kinky?! Hot night with a super sexy guy, loads of biting, then you wake up with the urge to howl at the moon. That's some kinda movie ass shit right there."[/color]

[color=CD5C5C]”I’m surprised there aren't more werewolves running around the city if he can do that,”[/color] Linqian snorted, side-eyeing Greyson. Thank fuck, honestly. She could deal with the wolf ears in front of her, and a certain degree of the freaky shit from Leon, but as soon as it started getting full wolf? No.

As they got to the end of the corridor and up the small set of stairs, it started to get lighter. At least, there were dull lights illuminating the stairs and beyond. Cass sniffed the air again, not finding any new, nearby human scents.
[color=629c3f]”No way every bite turns someone- it ain't ever like that in fiction. That'd be real inconvenient!"[/color] 

[color=ffe63b]”Wait!”[/color] Henri exclaimed from the back, causing Cass to automatically stop and snap her head around. Was there a problem?
[color=ffe63b]”Werewolves are real?!”[/color]

[color=F5388C]”There are no werewolves in St. Portwell [i]specifically[/i] because Leon’s here! He told me the Temple cleared the last Pack from their den years ago. Now the only ones who are, are Lone Wolves who are big players like Lelou, or the Bike Packs who have a complicated territorial situation going on all around.”[/color]
Greyson had had the conversation once or twice, mostly because they dealt with far more Packs in the Midwest where the forests were cold and dark. He did business with more than one personally.

Rather than waiting, Greyson’s hands wrapped around Henri’s shoulders while his legs torqued them both forward without shoving. 
[color=F5388C]”We do [i]not[/i] have the time for this!”[/color]

There was a terribly loud howl from whence they came, like a hound of Hell raging with flame. Then, a massive explosion rocked the building, and again from the direction they came, a massive ghostly dragon had cleaved through the walls, making a straight path into the main area of the warehouse they were in.
[color=F5388C]”Oh my fucking God! These fucking- Go! Go! Our shit can’t be much farther!”[/color]

[color=629c3f]"Holy fuck, that's fucking sound!"[/color] Cass exclaimed, staring at the massive dragon with a wicked grin. She managed to keep moving swiftly towards their destination. Sure, she should probably be worried about it… But it was super awesome! A whole ass dragon! 

[color=ffe63b]”I don't want to be eaten by a dragon!”[/color] Henri wailed, survival instincts kicking in enough to set him running again. 
Linqian just rolled her eyes, temperature already starting to tick down. 

But they were getting closer to the room with their stuff. A room off the main area, it's steel door sealed shut. Cass skidded to a halt right in front of it, hand shooting up to tell the other three to stop. She sucked in a deep breath. 
[color=629c3f]"Oh shit, there's-"[/color]

[I]BAM![/I]

The door was thrown off its hinges, slamming directly into Cass as she wasn't fast enough to avoid it. Its momentum knocked her back and onto the ground before it fell on top of her. 
From the gap where there'd been a door stepped an over six foot tall… panther man? Jet black fur covered oversized muscles, and he grinned. 

[color=ffe63b]”What the fuck?! A dragon and a panther man?!”[/color]

Linqian shot Henri a glare, temperature shooting down until her whole body hardened against attacks. Green Lux user or Adjoined- didn't matter, she could take it. Not the dragon, though… fuck! She'd try pull the panther man adamantly standing in the doorway away from it.
[color=CD5C5C]”You two, try get in the room- Fuck, Yi-er, make sure fucking bobblehead doesn't use any magic! None- I swear to god, Greyson, if your massive head explodes I'll bring you back to life and strangle-”[/color]

[color=629c3f]"Fuck, that was fun!"[/color] With another loud crash, the steel door was flung to the side, and the woman Linqian had assumed was knocked out climbed back to her feet. 

Of course, Cass wasn't completely unhurt. There was a bit of blood dripping down her temple, her nose was probably broken- but that just made it more fun! The fucking thrill! What was the point if everything was easy! A finger shot out to point towards Linqian.
[color=629c3f]"Her plans still solid though."[/color]

[color=F5388C]”Fuck the magic, I’ll blow holes in you, you piss-”[/color]
 
The Panther Man roared like one would assume he could, though the bass seemed to be turned up far higher than expected. He was a massive specimen, after all, with enough strength and speed to rip the metal railing from the stairs at a three foot length and hurl it at Greyson like a short spear before anyone could react. He didn’t bother waiting for it to connect, rushing forward on the heel of the makeshift projectile like a speeding bullet toward the soft belly of the group. The clearly wounded and the non-descript who seemed to be protected by the women.


[color=CD5C5C]”Fuck-!”[/color] Linqian didn't get a chance to catch the spear, but she was already in between the Panther Man and the two idiots. She jumped to the side, putting herself in the way of him and them- arms coming up in front of her to take the full brunt of his movement. It was like getting hit by a moving car… but Linqian wasn’t weak herself. Her whole body was enhanced for durability, a spell she was improving fight after fight. 

Her bare feet practically screeched across the ground as she was pushed back, but stopped him from getting any further.

The lights behind them went out, light sucking into Henri’s body as he grabbed Greyson and threw them both to the ground with super speed. The speed of it would be enough to knock the wind out of Greyson… but as the spear whistled above their heads, narrowly missing, it was clearly the better option. 

[color=629c3f]”Ohhh, you fucker, tryna take out an invalid!”[/color] 
Cass leapt at the Panther Man from the side, legs wrapping around his waist as her claws sliced at his neck. He roared- as if just uttering human words would break the cool panther illusion- one hand grabbing her and throwing her off. Cass twisted midair, legs bending as her feet hit the barely remaining wall. The force of it shot up her body, and hurt like fuck- but she ignored it as she pushed right back off the wall. 

Sending her towards him like a human spear, sharp clawed hands aiming for his face. 

At the same time, Linqian shifted from her defensive stance- he was now fully engaged with them. There was no way past them without showing his back… Her ice cold knee shoved up into his gut, frost spiralling from her body across the area.

The knee to the gut riddled the Panther Man’s body with frost, cells seizing up and dying at the surface of his skin. Reeling, he clenched up on the knee and tugged at Linqian in a desperate attempt to suplex her by ramming her head first into the metal grate floor they were now precariously fighting on. His hope was to either force the wolf woman to hit her partner, or to outright dodge the oncoming impact by dipping to the floor and letting her hit the wall next to him.

Meanwhile Greyson, still trying to catch his breath, was trying to get Henri to let up enough that he could fully extend his chest for a breath while also trying to urge him toward the locker room ahead. He could even see the silhouette of his plate carrier in the light of a lamp… They just had to get there! His foot shoved against the floor, and he pushed hard against it, dragging Henri’s weight along with his.

[color=F5388C]”Up and in! Up and in, God damn you!”[/color] he managed to squeak out from between a crushed rib cage.

[color=ffe63b]”You’ll get killed!”[/color] Henri was adamant in not letting Greyson up, even as he pushed up his body enough to let the other man breathe. Sure, Linqian had said to go into the room… but that was before a spear was thrown! Before the Panther Man had started targeting Greyson! Normally, Henri would immediately do what he was asked but… it just didn’t seem like the right decision!

[color=CD5C5C]”Are you fucking with me?!”[/color] Linqian gritted out, freezing hands reaching out to grab the Panther Man and try to keep them both up through sheer strength. But she could never match a pure Green Lux user in that aspect. She was lifted up and off the ground, over him. All she could do was prepare for the impact. 

But non clawed hands grabbed the shirt she was wearing, tugging Linqian and the Panther Man back forwards. Cass hadn’t been able to stop her motion- of course not- but she wasn’t some loser full panther who was [i]stuck[/i] with claws. No! It was super easy to turn her hands back to normal. Scales coated her entire body, making her heavier as she used her momentum to throw them all in the other direction. 

As Linqian’s foot hit the ground again, she ripped her knee out from the Panther Man’s grasp. It immediately dropped, shoving forward right into his crotch. Cass didn’t even bother with the floor… She was, after all, a master in climbing things. Linqian’s shoulders made an easy jumping off point. The wolf woman went right over her head, claws growing back as they went to dig into the Panther Man’s shoulders. Her fierce grin split as sharp teeth aimed for his throat.

The Panther Man howled out in pain at the crotch kicking, tilting his head back and ending in a pained choke as the teeth sunk into his throat. At first he had the energy to struggle, but there wasn’t much left after he managed to pull Cass’ mouth away once. He lost grip, and she dove back in more wildly the second time, eventually no longer able to hold her weight up as he collapsed under the blood loss.

[color=F5388C]”Hen-ri! UP! [b]PLEASE![/b]”[/color] Greyson moaned, hands trembling as he was becoming more and more nervous about not being able to see what was going on. 

It was only once he heard the noises stop with a loud flop of the Panther hitting the ground that he found himself able to actually fully catch his breath.

[color=F5388C]”Jesus fucking Christ! Alright, we’re safe Henri, let’s fucking go dude! We’re okay, you did okay! We’ll talk about it later!”[/color]

Above their heads, there was a buckling of the stone wall between them and the main warehouse. From it, Leon’s shimmering wolf form stretched across the forming gap and shattering his way through with a howl. Accompanying him shortly after, and driving him through the subsequent wall out into the night, was some enemy combatant dressed in a smart black suit. But they didn’t stop for the little group climbing the stairs… There was a commotion outside, then the same suited individual was hurled back through the hole and up through the roof in a single motion.

[color=F5388C]”Oh, fucking go gettem Leon!”[/color] Greyson cheered, getting a decent picture from under Henri’s arm.

Henri’s head twisted round to look over his shoulder- and it was only when he [i]saw[/i] the prone body of the Panther Man that he relaxed. He rolled off of Greyson, immediately reaching out a hand to help him up. 
[color=ffe63b]”Sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt yo-”[/color]

[color=CD5C5C]”ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME?!”[/color] Linqian’s shout cut through Henri’s apology, and his head immediately shot towards his sister. She was standing just behind Cass, with a look of pissed off dismay as her hands grasped her now blood stained curls. The blood splatter had caught her, leaving her face, hair and chest splattered with it. 
[color=CD5C5C]”Do you know how fucking hard it is to wash this shit out?! I swear to fuck I-”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”It ain’t that bad! I got curls too, c’mon!”[/color] Cass just flashed a grin at the woman who’s anger had turned towards her, kicking the prone body of the Panther Man to make sure he was dead. Her enhanced eyes followed the flying body with an even wider grin. 
[color=629c3f]”Fuck yeah, Babe, rip ‘em to shreds!”[/color]

She was in an even worse state than Linqian. She must’ve hit an artery- blood coated her head and upper body. Like all the Panther Man’s had somehow ended up on her. She was completely unbothered by it, a slightly less blood hand going up to wipe some away from her eyes. She used her other hand to gesture to the door. 
[color=629c3f]”Go ‘n get your shit… Leon and his ‘buddy’ have made us a handy hole to exit outta!”[/color]

Greyson did so without words, pushing forward with Henri’s shoulders back in his hands.
[color=F5388C]”Come on, I need your hands.”[/color]

The two disappeared into the room, and a few moments later were coming back out with all of their missing possessions and more.

[color=F5388C]”Jesus, Linqian! We gotta get back to Britney!”[/color] he said emphatically, trying not to draw too much attention to the satchel of notebooks in his hands. 

He had his gun clenched tight in the other hand, stock tucked under his arm to keep it stable in case He needed to rattle someone’s bones. His face said urgent, but not so urgent he couldn’t make some pleasantries to avoid this random woman asking any questions about what they were rushing out with.

[color=F5388C]”Listen, Cash, it’s been great! Thanks for the quick rescue, but we’re gonna make ourselves scarce before we cause anymore trouble! You know, the objective’s been complete and all, as soon as we get away, you can call off the… Uh… [i]Dogs.[/i]”[/color] he smiled gingerly.

[color=629c3f]”It’s Cass… And the biggest wolf ain’t gonna be too happy if you just scarper off.”[/color] While Cass was all smiles, but she wasn’t stupid. Unfortunately for Greyson, she was smart enough to tell he was hiding something. Who would immediately run away after being rescued? It wasn’t like they had a car parked where they’d been imprisoned… Her eyes subtly narrowed. What was he trying to hide? 

[color=CD5C5C]”Oh fuck you, Greyson. Go back to your main fucking girlfriend if you’re so fucking worried about her after nearly getting my brother fucking killed!”[/color] Linqian’s hand came up in an aggressive gesture, anger redirected from Cass and her bloody hair right back towards Greyson. Doubly unfortunately for him, she wasn’t the best at picking up subtle queues [i]even[/i] when perfectly calm. It was like a fucking slap in the face! Of course, Linqian was perfectly happy with how their relationship was… she fucking liked Britney too. But him wanting to flee back the moment the coast was clear? When they were the ones that’d been kidnapped?!

Fuck that. 

[color=CD5C5C]”Go walk your pathetic ass back, I’ll fucking wait!”[/color]

Triply unfortunately for Greyson, Henri was also no help. Instead he was proceeding towards his zen state: the state he was beginning to perfect for when his sister and mentor fought. His head tilted up towards the ceiling so he didn’t have to watch if they started to make out.

Greyson’s face didn’t break. Well, it couldn’t… It was still far too swollen to be anything but a single expression of confused pain. But even beneath the skin, he was far too ready to go to let it be a problem. The only words that left his mouth were very clear, calm, and intentional.

[color=F5388C]”Linqian… These are the [i]notebooks.[/i] In the best interest of all Sycamore members? We’re going to be leaving with these notes. Britney, Jack, Fucking Luca? I don’t care who we go to. But we need to get to friendly territory [i]STAT[/i].”[/color]

Linqian froze. [i]Kari’s[/i] notebooks? The ones they’d been looking for the whole time? That could lead to them finding Father Wolf… Jinhai’s killer… Her hand dropped, and the explosion anger died down to a simmering need for vengeance. Deep pain and sorrow buried under layers and layers of it. 
[color=CD5C5C]”[i]Fine[/i], but-”[/color]

[color=629c3f]”[i]The[/i] notebooks?”[/color] In a blink of an eye Cass moved past the somewhat dazed Linqian, skidding to a halt right next to Greyson. She knew exactly what he was talking about. The notebooks their whole coven had been trying to find. Failing to find. Had meant to find on the island that had ended up as a disappointment. 

[color=629c3f]”What, you don’t trust Leon? You Sycamites really do suck. Oh, I’m sure it is in the best interest of all the members that you run off with them… No need to worry ‘bout the others, huh?”[/color] Cass asked almost casually, tone not so friendly anymore. 

If Greyson could’ve given Cass a look of disgust, he would’ve.
[color=F5388C]”You’re talking to the [i]wrong[/i] person when it comes to Leon, Britbong. I’m not sticking around to debate with you about shit you don’t know or understand. Linqian, Henri, come on.”[/color]

Without making much of an effort to sidestep, Greyson started to walk forward toward the open hole, looking down the three floors to the ground. There was another landing below them that wasn’t broken, meaning there was a chance they wouldn’t need too much help getting down completely. 

[color=F5388C]”You wanna interrupt Leon and ask him about my credentials? Or why you’re here in the first place? Leon’s breaking out a [i]friend[/i]. Not some random fucking covenmate. Think about it.”[/color]

Cass let out what was almost a laugh, moving with Greyson. Close enough to be a threat, not so close that she was touching him. Of course she wouldn’t [i]hurt[/i] him. Pin to the ground if it seemed necessary, maybe. But he really did think she was stupid, didn’t he? Cass was used to that… And all the assumptions about not knowing anything. Sure, she wasn’t a coven member. She didn’t know [i]everything[/i]. But she knew enough. And Leon had told them who they were, at least. 

A friend, sure, was one way to put it. Trusted in spite of being a ‘not great guy’ was more what Cass had in her mind. 

It wasn’t Leon she was worried about. Leon could handle himself - and Leon trusted Greyson. He’d probably let him go. Cass probably should too. But [i]she[/i] didn’t trust Greyson. He absolutely reeked of manipulation and lies. The smooth talker type that Cass really didn’t like. If Leon got pissed off at her about it later, she could handle it. But she didn’t trust this guy to go off and solve things.

More importantly, she [i]knew[/i] what most of Sycamore thought of Trisha.
[color=629c3f]”I know your ‘credentials’, why we’re here, and why those notebooks are so important.”[/color] Cass spoke calmly- something that would’ve been unnerving for people that actually knew her. She didn’t rise to anything provocation. 

[color=629c3f]”Lemme rephrase it. Are you gonna make sure to use those notebooks to hunt down your killer before he gets anyone else? Or d’you only care ‘bout your ‘friends’... Not random fucking covenmates?”[/color]

Linqian was strangely quiet, eyes fixed on Cass as she followed behind Greyson. She was still upset enough at Greyson to not bother getting pissed on his behalf- and beyond that, was stuck back in the mire of grief and revenge. Cold and silent… But watching close enough to stop him getting his ass beaten at least. Henri obediently followed at the back- utterly confused, and trying not to stick his nose into things [i]he[/i] didn’t understand.

Greyson’s hands were occupied, so his Italian expressiveness was cut in half. But that didn’t stop him from making an exaggerated swing of his torso back to Henri and Linqian.
[color=F5388C]”Can you fuckin’ believe this? Sister, you are [i]so[/i] lucky the big guy is your boy. Now, I would go run along, make sure he’s not getting-”[/color]

There was a tremendous noise as Leon smashed back through the roof and into the room they’d been occupying, sliding half through the door and half through a fresh hole practically into the group’s feet. Funnily enough, he groaned aloud before slowly bringing himself back to a sitting position.

[color=C67C12][b]”Grrrrrrreyson… Ken’s missing. So’s Drake. Don’t let us down here, hey?”[/b][/color]
Of course he’d been listening. He had enough sensory perception to listen to them, everyone else, and still smell what the old lady was cooking down the street. And with Lelou in the processing seat, he knew it’d all get filtered out to his brain intelligently.

[color=F5388C]”Then Jack’s the only option to get into their secret hideout… Britney’s got his fucking number! Linqian, see! I wasn’t being a fucking asshole, this shit is- Fucking… You! You, you-”[/color] Greyson raised up again, both hands shaking away despite being occupied by carrying things. He was clearly redirecting to Cass.
[color=F5388C]”-Fucking, every woman I meet, it’s like a fucking clowncar of crazy. One wants to accuse me of being a scumbag, the other one wants to accuse me of being a scumbag…”[/color]

Leon stood up, body still pale and shimmering from the power of the unified transformation. His bleach white hair rippled practically on its own, the telltale plume of steam revealing Lelou’s near weightless form draped atop him like a jockey.

[color=C67C12][b]”Consider this, my dear friend… You [i]are[/i] a scumbag.”[/b][/color]

[color=F5388C]”I understand, and I’m trying very hard to [i]not be[/i] these days!”[/color] he replied with a loud grumble.
[color=F5388C]”Now can we fucking leave?”[/color] 

[color=CD5C5C]”You’re doing a [i]great[/i] fucking job at not being a scumbag. Calling me crazy is practically a fucking compliment.”[/color] Linqian sneered sarcastically. Though there wasn’t that normal uptick of volume that came with her getting fully pissed off… Or the literal heat. Sure, she was still annoyed, but at least he’d admitted to it… Even if the actions really didn’t fucking reflect the words.

[color=ffe63b]”Hey, hey, Jie, not the time to flirt if we gotta leave!”[/color]
[color=CD5C5C]”In which fucking fantasy world do you see me flirting in?!”[/color]

[color=ffe63b]”This very real one- Oh!”[/color] Henri stepped forward with a bright smile, glad that things seemed to be calming down. He couldn’t really raise a hand in a wave, carrying the rest of their shit Greyson didn’t have… so he was forced to just give Leon a nod. 
[color=ffe63b]”I’m Henri, thank you for saving us! These two are thinking the same thing they’re just too embarrassed to say it!”[/color] 

[color=CD5C5C]”Greyson literally already fucking thanked her.”[/color]
[color=ffe63b]”... Well then he’s not the one embarrassed to say it, is he?”[/color]
Linqian just rolled her eyes at her brother.

Cass had stepped back when Leon crashed through into the room, shifting to be more at his side instead of right on Greyson’s ass. She listened, head tilting up towards Leon. Since he was there now, there was no leaving to protest about. At the end of the day she trusted that [i]he[/i] meant it about his brother and her friend being his priority. 

[color=629c3f]”Sure, sure, let’s get going since the big guy himself finally made an appearance.”[/color] She waved a hand in front of her, before stretching both of her arms above her head. That normal Cass bubbliness still wasn’t back… She wasn’t generally a paranoid person, but she was someone who’d tear the world apart from the people she loved. Those concerns would remain until everything was sorted. 

[color=629c3f]”And hey, don’t worry, no hard feelings since you called me crazy and I called you a scumbag! That makes us even.”[/color]

Greyson nodded, sticking his hand out again.
[color=F5388C]”You were just doing what you felt was right.”[/color]
Of course, the master of not having hard feelings hadn’t thought about any sort of negative things to say before finally picking the nice guy dialogue. 

With Cass accepting the tenuous hand, Greyson was the first one out of the hole and down to the rooftop platform below. Ten feet was a lot longer than one first thought, but he hit the roof with most of a roll like he’d intended. Ready to accept the others, he assumed they’d daisy chain one another down. Satisfied, Leon turned to Cass.
[color=C67C12][b]”Good work… You got ‘em out. We weren’t expecting the fuckin’ notes to be here, but I suppose they were the ones handling them. Unlucky, they did enough that we got involved… You okay?”[/b][/color] he asked, looking down at her with posthuman features as his body and face were edging ever closer toward the middle point of androgyny. He almost looked like some Tolkien fantasy elf like this…

[color=629c3f]"Course I am! You worried cause've the blood? It ain't mine."[/color] Cass's grin was just as bloody as her face, as she began to regain her normal energy. She stared up at him, taking in his shifted appearance. Course, she loved how he looked normally, but the almost androgynous ethereal beauty was pretty damn hot too. She couldn't help but look further down, towards his chest… 

[color=629c3f]"Fuck, you seriously don't get tits like this? Not at least a lil?"[/color]

Henri almost dropped Linqian from nearby, where he was helping her down towards Greyson after finally convincing her to let him. His head snapped towards the two with wide eyes, before adamantly turning back towards the hole. Best to not ask… 

Leon grinned widely.
[color=C67C12][b]”Sorry, Love. The tits come with fur. Now, come on! There’s still a few shitty fucking traitors who need lessons in manners.”[/b][/color]

He cut right, almost sliding back down the stairs on the remaining railing and hitting the floor below. His head turned to wait for her, body freezing in place and almost posed as if offering to catch her.

Cass grinned. Of course, she could easily jump down herself… but she wasn't going to waste any opportunity to be close to him. A little bit of clinging was the least she deserved after dealing with all of that!

She completely bypassed the railing… Instead the stairs were completely cleared by a magically boosted leap right towards Leon. He'd catch her… and if he didn't, she'd just catch him with her body. 

Rather than fully catching her, Leon only really had time to pop up into the air like a stable place to grab, allowing her to hook onto him and scramble up by the time they hit the ground. Then, they were off and running into the fray once more, to bring down the House of Cards with one last huff and puff.
[hr]
[right][code]Leon's Apartment[/code][/right]
By the time they got back to Leon's, it was nearing midday. Cass wasted absolutely no time in stripping off… and getting right in the shower. She was, after all, covered in blood after ripping out various throats. Washing something like that out of her hair was a hassle, but it wasn't the end of the world since she was due a proper hair wash anyway… 

Plus, Leon's shower was large and luxurious enough that Cass could practically live in it. They'd spent plenty of time having fun together in it too… But she'd been adamant that wouldn't be happening right now and told him to stay outside. She actually needed to wash this time! And she really couldn't stand smelling the blood on her for much longer… heightened senses really were a double edged sword. 

The adrenaline from the fight only really started to dim as the warm water washed over her. She stared down at the red pool that formed at her feet before going down the drain… And it really started to sink in a bit. She'd been in her first magical fight. It'd been pretty fucking awesome! She'd beaten a whole bunch of people, rescued who they wanted to without anyone dying… on their side. The other side, however? 

A lot had died. She'd killed a lot of people today. She could still taste it in her mouth… the blood and flesh she'd torn out. She hadn't even thought about it at the time. It was them or her. But now… shit. She'd killed people. Discomfort settled in her gut, making her feel just a bit nauseous. All this blood she was scrubbing off that wasn't hers, but other people's. People with families, maybe. Shitty people, sure, but did they deserve to die? 

That made her a murderer, didn't it? 

Cass vigorously scrubbed shampoo through her hair, grimacing. When she was satisfied that she was completely clean, she stepped out and grabbed a towel. She slung it over her shoulders without bothering to actually dry herself. Instead she went over to the sink, leaning over to fill her mouth with water. Once, twice, three rinses and an extensive brush of her teeth before she was satisfied. That taste of iron wasn't lingering anymore… 

[color=629c3f]"Hey, [I]Leeee-oooon[/I]! I'm done!"[/color] Cass called out, not bothering with raising her voice much. If he wanted to he'd hear… even if done was standing half assedly drying her hair with a towel still over her shoulders. But she'd washed all the blood off, which was the important thing. 

Assuming he was listening wherever he was, Cass kept talking energetically as if he was already in the same room, her own feet taking her towards the half open bathroom door. 
[color=629c3f]"You do that shit a lot? Raising warehouses full of gangsters?"[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Usually its Bikers. Other werewolf packs. The occasional ne’er do well visitor to St. Portwell. Sometimes I ask for a portal to a different part of the world if Lelou’s acting up.”[/color] Leon admitted freely.

He was permitted by his Sister to use their bathroom, and found himself in a much smaller and more intimate situation. There was all sorts of fun graffiti on the walls of this bathroom, mostly drawn by Mia, which depicted all manner of women in various surmised sex positions. So was the style, that they were vague enough so as to only be fully observed by someone with a poorly adjusted libido. The images almost dared the observer to make a claim that they were sexual, only so they could spit in said observer's face for having the gall to assume the truth. 

Though, he’d already finished that part. Now he was [i]cleaning[/i]. The girls weren’t actually home, so Leon was taking the chance to make sure that places like behind the toilet and inside the cupboards were actually clean. He couldn’t exactly hire a cleaner, and the guy who used to keep the place military-spotless was now seventy feet above them… Actually, he was miles away on an island, or maybe headed home? His perfectly tracked circadian rhythm told him it was closer to noon than to one, so Leon presumed they were in transit.

But Cass was finished, so whatever spare time Leon had was out the window… At least until they reconvened for the next plan. Quickly popping out of the bathroom, he made way around the U shape of the apartment back toward his side.
[color=C67C12]”Why, just curious? Or are you ready for the next time?”[/color] he giggled. 

[color=629c3f]"Oh yeah, I miss the taste of blood in my mouth already! And all the thrill's gone now that I've showered!"[/color] Cass laughed in response. Much as she did miss the adrenaline- though there were plenty of other ways to get it- she wasn't asking cause she wanted to jump into another fight. Not that kind of fight at least… 

Satisfied that she'd dried herself off enough to not drip water everywhere, she slipped out of the bathroom and into Leon's room. Her destination was her suitcase, which she'd kicked into a non sex toy filled corner and deemed it a good enough area for her clothes for now. It was much fuller than it had been when she first arrived thanks to their shopping… which meant she actually had options! A whole pile of clothes to start rummaging through to decide what to wear. 

[color=629c3f]"Mostly curious… Do you normally kill ‘em like that?"[/color]

Again, Leon shrugged. He was [i]totally[/i] naked, with very little shame overall, and waltzed into his room with the confidence of a man who owned the place. 
[color=C67C12]”Like what? With my hands? Or just… Killed like killed?”[/color] he asked simply.

[color=629c3f]"Just killed like killed."[/color] Cass replied equally simply, looking up from where she crouched in front of her wardrobe flinging clothes on the floor with a slightly more serious expression than normal. Just a bit. 

It was a little difficult to be serious when she'd pulled the towel up over her head, wearing it like a hood-cape while not caring about the fact that it didn't cover her front half at all. It was to protect her hair rather than to cover herself up, after all. 
[color=629c3f]"It's just a bit strange. I've never actually killed someone before today, so I dunno how to feel about it."[/color]

Leon’s face scrunched slightly. 
[color=C67C12]”N-never? Seriously? You took to it so well, Dude… Kinda scary.”[/color]

Not that he could hide the [i]other[/i] reaction. However, unflinching and near unable to feel shame over a natural reaction, he simply crouched down until he could sit bare-assed on the floor near her. His long mane of black hair was still strung with water, making him look somewhat like a sad lion lacking in majesty. His hand stretched out.

[color=C67C12]”Would it help if you knew who they were? I do try to keep from killing those who don’t really deserve it… But going down that road is a pretty slippery moral hill: The question often ends up being ‘What gives me the right to decide?’.”[/color] he tried to explain to her as best he could.

But, he’d killed his whole life. Always with his hands, too… It was the most up close and personal kind of killing, where you had to see the light of consciousness leave the other person’s eyes. In a way, he was far harder than his younger brother. While he’d seen real war, most often it was man against man no matter what. Here in St. Portwell? Things were never so clean. Man was often not of his own free will, and would maybe end the war on a personal level if they felt they could escape.

But here, there was blood paid, and blood taxed. Both came out of every faction’s pocket, and if that meant even the mundane Blinds got dirty? It’s why he had his own visions of escaping this place. Of taking the show on the road, and living like he’d always talked about with his Father. The Nomadic Warrior, living on the bounty of broken hands and swollen ears. Not the death of a group for the benefit of another…

[color=C67C12]”I’ll say, some people objectively deserve it. Those are the ones I like, because it’s practically free… And in my philosophy, tonight was a debt paid to society practically; getting rid of that den of thieves does nothing but boost the property value and lower the crime rate.”[/color] he admitted, tone shifting slightly to a matter of fact nature.

Cass nodded as he spoke, giving up on her clothing hunt for the moment in favour of turning around to properly face him. One hand came up to rub the towel into her hair a bit more as she really considered it. It really was that moral dilemma… What gave her the right to decide? What gave her the right to take another life? Should she have tried to disable them first?

But they would've killed her without a second thought. Just like she did in the heat of the moment.

[color=629c3f]"That sure does make it easier. If you'd turned around and said I slaughtered a warehouse full of actually nice guys- well, shit, that would've been something to process!"[/color] Cass shook her head with a half laugh. 

[color=629c3f]"I ain't sure I care so much about property values but the less crime the better. Honestly, I ain't sitting here feeling like the worst person around… well, it's a lil hard to figure out. I guess it's more conflicted? Like you said, a moral thing- does it make me a murderer? Dunno. Would I do anything different? Well, no… They'd've killed me first. I ain't aboutta die to some gangsters… But then it's like, shouldn't I feel more bad about it?"[/color] She threw a hand up in the air. 
[color=629c3f]"I dunno, dude… It's not like I started thinking about it till after the fact. Shouldn't I have had my moral panic earlier?"[/color]

Leon automatically shook his head.
[color=C67C12]”Not a chance. Not you. Y’seem kinda… [i]Built for it,[/i] if that makes any sense? Like, you seemed really down to go on a Rescue Mission, because you said something like ‘No way I’d pass up the opportunity to kick ass with you!’. But I don’t think the average brain considers what that really means until it’s in the middle of it. Never mind a brain as beautiful as yours, Cass…”[/color]

He held out his hand in an offer of comfort, knowing that if she took it, it could be for anything… He just hoped it wasn’t to pull him into a slap. She didn’t seem terrible with things like this, but they were still fresh and he found himself being incredibly frank in the moment.

[color=629c3f]"Beautiful? That's a new one- most people'd say crazy."[/color] Cass laughed slightly, seeming to brighten up a little. It was pretty comforting to hear that she wasn't some psycho killer for not thinking about it until after she'd killed a whole bunch of people… sure, he'd said in the middle of it, but it was just extra delayed for her! Like when she was coding some shit for hours and realised she was absolutely starving only when she was done. 

She took the offered hand, using it to pull herself towards him. She shifted from squatting to cross legged mid motion, stopping where their legs just touched. Closer to him now, she was seemingly ignoring that incredibly obvious natural reaction... Or at least not reacting herself. She knew it'd still be there for when she wanted it after getting over her moral dilemma, after all! 

[color=629c3f]"Not sure how I feel bout ‘built for it.’ Like, I didn't really think about there being any killing involved! Just ass kicking- which yeah, I've been doing since I was like…"[/color] A hand gestures to her side, to about the height of an average five year old.
[color=629c3f]"This size. Course I'm used to it- and I ain't gonna miss out on that kinda fun! Beating people up is just part'a my life- it ain't something I worry about anymore. But it ain't ever organised like that, or so… deadly I suppose. It was real fucking thrilling… Which is what worries me a bit, y'know? But I guess I'm here worrying about it instead of going on some killing spree, ain't I?"[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Well, that’s just it, right? The only reason I follow through with actions like that is because I’ve got someone else who needs placation. That’s why I do my best to make [i]our[/i] problem a problem that only people who deserve it have to deal with. If I went about all willy-nilly without temperance or a sense of justice, then… Yeah. I’d be a murderer. But I think Batman’s a crock of shit: If I go ‘Oopsie’ and break some Mobster who kidnaps and tortures people and extorts others for money, God knows what else? Them being gone and me being here with their blood on my hands is not equally tragic.”[/color]

Leon’s free hand stretched out, pointing down into the direct middle of Cass’ chest.

[color=C67C12]”But, you have what’s right and wrong in here too. You know that you’re not ready to go to the Maternity ward for some chew toys. You’re not on your way to the old folks’ home with a pail of homemade napalm and a lighter. Hell, you don’t even seem super interested in being told that there [i]is[/i] plenty of post-legal murdering available for you as a guilt free passtime. Even the magical Federal agencies can’t keep us all from beefing so hard that corpses turn up. They just expect people like us to clean our messes, which we usually do.”[/color]

[color=629c3f]"Well yeah, I ain't raring to go kill people. If you told me there were loadsa non murder magic fights I could hop into? Hell yeah! But I'd only do the kinda shit we did today if it's like… well what happened today. Someone's kidnapped, or someone I care for is gonna get hurt. Like if anyone came for Trisha, or my other friends? Ooo I'd burn the whole place down."[/color] She clenched her fist, getting pumped up just thinking about it. 

[color=629c3f]"There seriously that many all out magical wars going on us normies- well former now- didn't know bout? Like yous are throwing fireballs and turning into wolves in abandoned fields all gang style? I suppose Coven's are really just magical gangs but damn… I didn't realise that shit was so common. The insane, dead body fights."[/color]

Leon was happy to actually [i]teach.[/i] If there was anything that he knew about, it was the general premise of magic in their world. It was hard to remember that he had been a brilliant Adept even as a teen, whose combinations of Orange and White Lux were creative masterpieces that still existed in the Richoux Tomes today. 

[color=C67C12]”Until you’re directly affected by some sort of magical source, you don’t even know anything’s happening. Most of the time, even after, you don’t get to perceive the magical world around you. There’s a relatively small amount of people who can do what you can, and those who can’t can only hope to have some sort of contact with a Phantom, or Apparition, that is cool with letting you piggyback off of them. Stuff like that gets chalked up to natural disaster, or some random anomalous phenomena. People who can’t perceive still know, obviously… But they can’t prove it. Otherwise, uh… We use a lot of force multiplication.”[/color]

He giggled thinking about what that was exactly to someone who didn’t know. But, rather than take the exploration from her, he allowed her the chance to search her own whimsy.

Cass tilted her head, visibly thinking it through. Force multiplication… It took her a moment to remember what the fuck that was. But it was kinda in the name, so she got to that but… How was it used here? 
[color=629c3f]”Like… Throwing more magical gadgets- Artifacts, thats the word- onto people and just throwing em at shit? Or like, some elite fully kitted out team? I dunno, dude, that could mean a lotta things or oh- do you mean force multiplication to keep it hidden?! Like, you got a couple of fucking extra useful guys who just hide that shit where no one else can?”[/color]

She threw a hand up, doing a Cass classic and almost smacking him in the face as she did.
[color=629c3f]”Or d’you mean like… that green goop shit you guys use? Or you not talking about you guys specifically? I bet there’s something in pairing the right magic together to get way better results… Or the right people. Shit, that could mean a lot. C’mon, don’t leave me hanging, am I even near right?!”[/color]

Grinning to himself, Leon swept his hand out to visually display the wide range of things he [i]could have[/i] meant.
[color=C67C12]”I feel like all those options are good! You get it; it’s pretty much any dirty little trick we can use to not necessarily waste the best of the best. So, packing a bunch of artifacts onto someone who otherwise isn’t so strong? Viable. Sending a small team like who we were with, who are some of the best of the best, to do a big job in secret? Also viable. [i]Most[/i] of the time, there’s Adepts and Aberrations who feel confident enough to play God, and love making their own soldiers and toys.”[/color]  

This was a subject Leon was incredibly familiar with, as he had the same training as his other siblings. And, like all Richoux before them, a basic requirement was a Clockwork Automaton. One didn’t have to [i]make[/i] the incredibly intricate doll; that was a job one specialized in. But, breathing basic life into it was the necessary job. He’d practiced the spell a thousand times across the span of his toy collection; and when his were no longer usable, he simply went for Casey’s.

[color=C67C12]”Like my family. We all learn how to make basic enchanted Constructs. Little machines that use Lux to reproduce basic scripting. Like some computer stuff, except magical. A real Artificer learns how to store Lux into batteries, power sinks, basically things that will let their spells last longer or produce a bigger burst of it at once. Otherwise, I mean… Zombies, plant monsters, wild animals, captured ghosts, elemental spirits, brainwashed mundane folk… Anything that can act as a proxy in between two or more individuals who don’t want to die. Really, not much different than politicians.”[/color] he giggled, shaking his head.

[color=C67C12]”Otherwise, us killing one another directly? It gets dicey. You can only make so many Adepts a year. Aberrations are [i]easier[/i], but that’s almost inhumane. Any manner of forcing a spirit onto someone who doesn’t know what they’re getting into, or actually [i]forcing[/i] onto them without consent, is usually not actually good for the person involved. People from our old Coven, there’s this chick who… [i]Did that[/i] to a lot of our fellow teens. Because we needed people to fight; there simply weren’t enough Adults interested in the problem and available to assist.”[/color] Leon intoned, now sounding a bit more serious and losing quite a bit of his [i]natural reaction[/i] to the sad memories of people hurt and lost.

Cass nodded along, paying rapt attention to what Leon was saying. She’d been filled in a decent amount on Adeptal magic and shit from Reyna when she first kindled, then the last week or so, but Paranormal combat hadn’t really been a topic that came up. Rey was a magical ‘pacifist’ or whatever, so not exactly out fighting other Adepts. The whole ‘only make so many Adepts a year’ thing made her pause… Like, did they have some kinda Adept breeding factory? Fucking wild - but something to come back to. 

As Leon’s mood visibly dropped, in more ways than one, she reached over to comfortingly pat his thigh. 
[color=629c3f]”Dude, that’s pretty fucked. I mean, the whole group of teens fighting world ending threat instead of adults was already [i]fucked[/i]... But sticking a buncha shitty ghosts on people? I get desperate times call for desperate measures, and I assume she was a teen too but… fuck…”[/color]

She shuddered a little bit at the thought. The whole Adjoined thing already sounded like a bit of a shit deal. Stuck with a constant voice in your head and magic attached to it? Like, her own voice was fucking noisy enough! 

Cass rubbed the back of her neck, thinking a bit more about it. It was fucked. It wasn’t shit she’d do, but…
[color=629c3f]”D’you think it was completely fucked up, or that was a lil bit of… justification, considering the possible world ending thing?”[/color] She looked at him with complete openness, genuinely wanting to know what he thought.

Leon shrugged with an accompanying frown. It wasn’t an easy topic to go into, but he’d done enough work to understand that running from it or answering without genuineness was pointless in a moment like this.

[color=C67C12]”I… Feel like it was necessary. Some of those unwilling Adjoined became the most diehard and piss-filled motherfuckers we had. I guess… I was probably one of the first people to bring this to the group. I didn’t suggest we do it [i]then[/i], but… Britney just fucking took initiative. At the time? I helped. She was scared, and I knew a bit more. I was one of the older kids. I… Should’ve done something. Instead, I encouraged her. Helped her get what she needed. I made sure it was as safe as it could be; but fuck me if I didn’t just let it happen.”[/color]

He’d never [i]sounded[/i] like this. Not in front of Cass. All the light and love in his voice had died, and what was left was somewhat hollow. His eyes almost sunk in, cheeks pursing into his mouth. He couldn’t even look at her. After a moment, he took a deep breath and tossed his hand onto his face.

[color=C67C12]”I’m sorry… Probably not the thing you actually wanted to hear. Especially not from a guy attached to a Ghost that he didn’t really want to be.”[/color] his voice cracked just a bit. Just enough for Cass to hear.

The question hadn’t been asked because Cass wanted to hear a specific answer- but he was right that it was a difficult one to hear. Hard to react to as well. There was the natural want to comfort someone she liked… But she wasn’t a liar. She wasn’t going to sit there and pretend it was perfectly fine. 

She could see both sides. They were stuck in a war against a creature far stronger than them. It wasn’t a situation any teenagers should be in, so she could understand why [i]in the moment[/i] he wouldn’t do something to stop it. She could understand the logic behind it. But that didn’t mean those innocent teenagers deserved to be stuck with ghosts. 

It wasn’t one of those clear cut situations. 

[color=629c3f]”I ain’t the one you should be apologising to… I mean. I ain’t gonna sit here and tell you that I think it’s fine. It’s still [i]fucked[/i]. But I get why you did it… It ain’t a situation you all should’ve been in. Like, it probably was necessary. It’s one of those fucking things they used to say ‘bout the war… Necessary sacrifices or whatever. Pretty fucked to hear about someone you love dying, y’know? But it's the few versus the many.”[/color]

Cass was watching him directly, though she didn’t make any move to force him to look at her. It was still that same gaze… Genuine and calm. As calm as she could be, at least. 
[color=629c3f]”Who am I to judge something like that anyway, but… Did you guys at least help the victims after?”[/color]

Leon only looked more dejected.
[color=C67C12]”Usually, you don’t want to stick around someone who took your agency and left you hitched to an incredibly oppressive weight. I wouldn’t expect a victim of a crime to seek the perpetrator’s comfort and assistance after the act. I have offered at this point; but just like them, I’m attached to a corpse. Nobody wants the help I can offer, because it all comes with a caveat. Involvement with the Temple. There’s this one guy, Luca… Nicest guy you’ve ever met. Was one of those people who probably would’ve done anything they could to help had they been involved… But they weren’t. Not until they were randomly attacked by the Stygian Snake’s Apparitions.”[/color] he began to explain, almost fading into a different place than they were sitting in.

He remembered it like yesterday… They’d been looking for someone or something to take on The Rot knowing full well that it would be an incredibly potent weapon to use against the Stygian Snake. Too hot to handle, there was no way they were going to foust the monstrosity on someone whom they actually knew. 

[color=C67C12]”Luca would’ve died if we hadn’t stepped in. And, in turn, he… Paid a price. We needed someone to use this crazy Apparition we were holding onto in a seal. We Adjoined them, saved his life. Made it so he could go on living, and we charged him with using the Apparition’s powers to fight the Snake. He played an incredibly pivotal role in ending the fighting… But because of how the Rot works? He probably would’ve been better off dying. That’s [i]why[/i] we didn’t use it on someone who was healthy. We didn’t want to lose our own. We knew… And, now? Just like a lot of the others, Luca stuck with the other victims. They formed their own Coven. Any bridge that was there, that we maybe could’ve helped him through, or Emily, or Vashti… Was gone. Because there was no trust. I haven’t been able to repair it since.”[/color]

Poor guy. Cass didn’t need told about the Apparition’s magic to guess what it did… It was in the name. The Rot… And they’d known. They’d saved his life and cursed him to suffer. Or something like that.

Much as she disagreed with what had been done to him, and the others, she still understood [i]why[/i] Leon and this Britney girl had done it. She also understood the victims wanting nothing to do with them. It was easy to sit there and berate him as an outsider. Tell him that he should’ve done more, that they should’ve made amends… But if the victims didn’t want to see the people who’d forced Apparitions on them, they shouldn’t have to. 

[color=629c3f]”Honestly, I can’t blame him- or them. If it’d been me, teenage me, I probably would’ve tried to kill you after.”[/color] Cass was bluntly honest about it. It hadn’t been her, of course. Never would be… And Leon had the adult Cass sitting in front of him now. Still pretty fucking hotheaded, but not so angry. 

[color=629c3f]”You obviously carry around a lotta guilt with it… I think I’d feel a whole lot different about you if you didn’t.”[/color] More blunt honesty.
[color=629c3f]”I get both sides. You guys were doing everything you could to stop the Stygian Snake… of course you’re gonna use the powerful spirits you got. But the victims have every right to be as pissed as they clearly were… Which you seem to get. Like I said before, the whole situation’s [i]fucked[/i].”[/color]

Her hands flung out in a frustrated motion. 
[color=629c3f]”You did what you thought was right, and now you know it wasn’t, right? You gotta live with that guilt like he’s gotta live with that ghost…”[/color] She brought her hands back in, one going to rub the back of her neck. She didn’t quite know where to go from there. It was a lot to think about. Did it change her feelings about Leon? No. She could clearly see how much it was tearing him up, even after ten years. 

But it was still some fucked up shit. So she couldn’t really comfort him about it… So she didn’t do anything else, going back to watching him calmly.

Sitting there quietly, Leon contemplated what he really wanted out of his life. Whether it was redemption, or simple peace. It had to be redemption; how could he carry on with his life as it stood? There were only so many places he could hide as an actual famous person, and for the sake of those who had to deal with the memory of what he’d done, he had to make things right.

[color=C67C12]”I was taught about justice. Heroism. Stories about my own ancestors, and people in my bloodline committing to Justice. Doing the right thing. Probably just a bunch of fuckin’ bullshit. But, the point was to temper my morality. To teach me what was right and wrong. Now the only thing I can do is make what I can right, fix what I can, and hope that the others can make peace in their own time. Right? That’s all I can do…”[/color] he tried to bargain, maybe not with Cass, but with his own conscience.

At this point, he just wanted things to be put right. His position in the Supernatural world made him a pariah to most of the people he otherwise would’ve been friendly with; and while whoever he knew from the Temple may’ve had love for him, it was all predicated upon just that… His position in the Supernatural world. The same thing that made him loved by some, made him hated by all the people who had mattered to him. 
Stormy didn’t call. Sully didn’t call. Drake didn’t call. Baron was dead. Ashley was dead. Daisy was… [i]Gone.[/i] And anyone who could’ve been considered a fresh start? They took one look at the Temple, and anyone with half a brain ran the other way. 

His life couldn’t start again until this was all over. Father Wolf, and then… 

[color=C67C12]”You uh… Really don’t mind hanging around with freaks like us? I mean, after what Trisha said about not wanting you involved? I’m never gonna tell you that you can’t be right where you want to be…”[/color] he finished, holding out his hand to her in a gentle way.

[color=629c3f]”Dude…”[/color] Cass stared at him like he’d just asked something absolutely ridiculous. Surely the answer was obvious in that she was still here? She hadn’t even fucked off when he’d just admitted to sticking a bunch of ghosts on innocent teenagers. If she didn’t want to be somewhere, she wouldn’t stick around. 

It wasn’t like it was just because of being a fan, or Trisha’s involvement in the freaky cult too. Sure, Trisha was a small part of it… But she liked Leon. They just [i]clicked[/i]. All those worries about him turning out to be an absolute dick, the whole ‘don’t meet your idol thing’, didn’t come to fruition. Well, sure, he could be a bit of a dick - but who wasn’t.

[color=629c3f]”You’re asking like you’ve tied me up in your dungeon and are feeling guilty about it or some shit!”[/color] Cass laughed, slapping her hand into his. It wasn’t exactly gentle, but it was very [i]her[/i]. Typical energy. 

[color=629c3f]”If I did mind I’d be back in San Francisco, tearing my hair out about somebody’s shit fuckin’ code. I get Trisha’s worried but… I’m a grown woman, I can make my own decisions! I [i]am[/i] where I wanna be… At least for now.”[/color] She flashed him a teasing grin.

Leon almost blushed, tucking his head downward a little bit and letting his hair slide in front to block his face. He even had a smirk, as if he couldn’t be any more coy. But it was a clear joke, his face turning back to look at her from the front with a grin. Not sly, not motivated by anything other than a tender care that he’d buried so deeply.

[color=C67C12]”I uh… I thought about whether or not it was weird… What the moral implications would be for involving you in all [i]this.[/i] I was worried. Worried that I was taking advantage of you, or that you were somehow infatuated with me because you were a fan. But, now I know it ain’t that. So, thank you… For being honest with me. And I’ll always be honest with you.”[/color]

Pushing from his seated position to his knees, then up into a squat. Both of her hands still in his, he started to stand.

[color=C67C12]”Now, come on… How can I help you feel better?”[/color]