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dada_dragon • 26 September 2016 at 6:36 PM
Kita pulled out of the apartment's parking lot. She hadn't seen Vladan in a few weeks, not since some dinner he'd held at his house, and she had only really gone as James' date.A lot had changed since then... Her hair had grown out a bit, and now featured a thick streak of red on the left hand side. She had been working out too, and there was some muscle showing through her previously scrawny frame.She looked down at her left arm, a sleeve tattoo now decorating it, an intricate Celtic knot design surrounding a red Chinese dragon. She had told James about it, but what she didn't tell him about was the spiderweb of scars it was hiding.She hadn't been completely idle, despite what she constantly told James. She had been working on honing her abilities, extending her three minute time limit to nearly ten minutes with the help of some members of their old gang. Needless to say, James didn't know about that either.During a sparring match with an electricity-wielder, a poor hand movement had resulted in a nasty electric shock and a trip to the hospital, leaving her with a wicked scar.Not wanting to let on what she'd been doing, she used it as an excuse to finally get a tattoo, telling James she'd done it on a whim, which wasn't exactly a lie...She looked down at her left hand, which was barely gripping the steering wheel. The nerve damage might be harder to explain, but she would think of something.She pulled into Vladan's driveway, greeted by his dogs, who had become accustomed to her at least, though they wouldn't stop barking. She patted one on the head as she got out and approached the door, hitting the doorbell and waiting anxiously for Vladan.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 27 September 2016 at 2:50 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~It had been a long time since someone had rung his doorbell. Ever since the whole fiasco with Russel and his thugs, he had been reverted back to his same old, lonely self. Kita had moved back to her apartment, he assumed and James was probably living with her as well. Teiv had been missing for a while, but that wasn't anything that out of the ordinary. The mysterious man disappeared often, and for weeks, sometimes even months at a time. Dawn had almost but disappeared off his radar, and Vladan assumed she was off to no good once again. But what she did, was none of his business.The barking of his dogs reminded him that he had things to do. Vladan shook his head, disappointed that he would allow his thoughts to consume his current tasks once again. It had been happening a lot lately, and the young man had daydreamed off during meetings that were important for his career. He didn't know why, but he assumed that it was because of everything that has happened with Russel. Yet, it still felt like there was something else to it too... Perhaps the argument with his father, or maybe even Torch's flames dredging up bad memories, or ...Sleep had been hard to come by recently, and his drinking problems had only gotten worse. Ever since Kita had stopped staying nights, the violin remained untouched. Dust coated the shiny wood as the instrument lay unused in the piano room. He shook himself out of his revelations, but knew that along with the phone call this morning, Vladan would eventually lose himself.He straightened his tie out of habit, then opened the door."Come on in." He said blankly, his thoughts obviously somewhere else.
dada_dragon • 27 September 2016 at 8:37 PM
Though everything about his attire was so well put-together, Vladan was obviously far from okay. She could recall him looking tired at the dinner where she'd last seen him, but this..."How are you doing?..." she asked quietly.She could tell that he'd gone back to his old ways... His eyes were bloodshot and distant and his face was devoid of any expression... not even a scowl...She wanted desperately to know about James, but she needed to address this first...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 28 September 2016 at 1:25 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"I'm doing fine." Vladan said. He didn't bother asking her how she was doing back. That wasn't extraordinarily out of the norm, considering how he was known to be an egotistical, rude, self-centered jerk but...He turned around and headed to the main room, where he sat down on the couch and began to file paperwork. Vladan had been working on these sheets a few days ago, but had given up out of misery."I don't know where James and the rest of his crew are." He said as nonchalantly as possible. "He's in Russia, far up North. But that's about all I know."
dada_dragon • 28 September 2016 at 1:46 PM
Kita rubbed her arm as she sat down on a couch across from him, awkwardly searching for words. She had expected that meeting up with him would be uncomfortable... but this..."Russia..." she said quietly. What on earth was Vladan doing sending him to Russia? She probably didn't want to know.She looked Vladan over again. As much as Kita herself had changed, Vladan was almost a whole other person... She had assumed at first that he had just fallen back into his life-destroying habits, but this was worse...There was none of the usual attitude or arrogance that she had come to expect. There was just... nothing. Just an empty, blank face...She walked out of the room, into the kitchen. It was in disarray, filth everywhere... She grabbed a couple of clean mugs and made coffee. She needed it just as much as he did at this point...She brought the two mugs into the room, holding both handles in her right hand, not trusting her damaged left hand to keep a solid grip on it, and set one down in front of Vladan."So what is the plan then?" she asked, sitting down across from him. "How are we getting them back?"@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 29 September 2016 at 3:12 AM
@dada_dragon~~~Vladan silently acknowledged her statements, but shrugged it off as if it was unimportant. Instead, he reached forwards, almost as if to grab Kita's arm, but settled on the mug instead. When had she gotten that tattoo? he wondered fleetingly to himself. It hadn't been there when he had first seen her, or even the last time he had seen her. He remembered when he had had decided to get his tattoo...."Why did you get that tattoo on your arm?" He asked in an attempt to change the subject. The thing was, he didn't have a plan. He didn't know how he was gonna get them back, if he wanted to bother getting them back anyway. Vladan was a little worried about the wasted time and lost revenue, but that was about it. As for James... He would be a liar if he said he minded the loss.
dada_dragon • 29 September 2016 at 8:49 AM
Kita was thrown off by the change of subject."A week and a half ago I think?" She said.After the burns were healed enough..."It was kind of an impulse thing..."Yeah... Didn't know when James would be coming back, and I needed to hide the scars... Maybe that was overkill, but if he knew what I was doing...She took a sip from her coffee. She couldn't help but think he was avoiding the subject of James and the others... Would he really be so cruel as to leave them behind?"Never mind my tattoo though; it's unimportant." She said. "We need a plan, Vladan."
bunnyshadow • 29 September 2016 at 12:46 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan sighed. He leaned back, hands over his face, holding his breath as he forced himself to think. "I don't think you understand, Kita. If we try to get them back, we have to break into a heavily guarded military base, find them... Assuming they are there, breathing and alive, and find our way back... breathing and alive as well.""It's cold up there, Kita. It's winter, and heavy snow is not uncommon. The soldiers up there--my client's soldiers, outnumber any sort of group I can throw together under the government's radar.""I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do."
dada_dragon • 29 September 2016 at 1:21 PM
Kita's hands shook. No. She was not going to accept that."I don't care, Vladan. If you're not going, fine. But I have to do something. I've already left one friend behind, just to have them die... I'm not..."She was suddenly aware of the tears streaming down her face... The coffee spilled all over the table from the cup that had fallen from her hand... Her heaving breaths...She turned away, embarrassed, shielding her face with her arms. She hadn't let herself cry like this in a long time... at least not in front of anybody... she'd cried plenty on her own when James and Xavier had been arrested... when Xavier had died... all those nights alone, not sure how she would pay rent, wondering if she'd be killed by some vengeful member of the gang she had left...She wanted to say something, but she had nothing left. Vladan was right... James was going to die... just like Xavier... and it was all her fault again...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 29 September 2016 at 1:37 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan watched, mesmerized as the spilled coffee trailed off the table in rivers of steaming fluid, flowing in between the broken glass of the shattered mug. He broke his gaze off the ruined mug, then stood slowly, before moving over to Kita's heaving form. The young man ignored the glass cutting into his knee as he knelt down on one leg.He looked up at her, before very carefully and very cautiously resting his hands against the sides of her face. Vladan gently pulled her towards him, forcing her lightly to look him in the eyes. They were beautiful orbs, creamy caramel in color and with short hues of cinnamon, dark hickory and tawny.Vladan forced himself to focus on her, to focus on her thoughts and feelings and emotions and everything in between. She was hurt, he could read. She had trusted his words, believing him one hundred and ten percent that there was absolutely no hope.He felt remorse."It's not your fault, Kita." Vladan mumbled in an attempt to be comforting. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, before letting go of her face."I'll try my best to figure something out."
dada_dragon • 29 September 2016 at 3:52 PM
Kita nodded, still shaking. She knew what he was doing... reading her... she could sense him using his power. She hated how vulnerable she felt whenever he did that... She hated not being able to hide things from him... And yet, it was nice to not have to talk... to know that he could just look at her and understand... It was uncomfortable, but it was also a relief..."Thank you..." she said quietly. "I just... I can't lose someone else..."She leaned down, picking up the broken pieces of glass from the floor and setting them on the table, fumbling with her left hand, though she pretended it was just because she was still shaking. She looked down at it in frustration. How was she ever going to hide that from James...?Picking up the last of the pieces, she sat down again."I know James wanted me out of this whole mess, but what whatever you come up with, I want to be a part of it. I've... I'm a lot stronger than last time we... Than when I was captured..." she said, trying to force the thoughts of Puppet and Russell from her mind. "I can handle myself now... and I won't hold you back..."
bunnyshadow • 29 September 2016 at 5:13 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan smiled halfheartedly at Kita. One that was forlorn, one that only someone that was lost could give someone that he wanted to be found. How Kita felt now... How she felt about James and how she didn't want to lose him. It was how he felt about...The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. He picked it up, and his eyes landed on the caller ID. It was a number, and not with his area code. Not within the country's code either... Could it be? He let the call ring for a bit more, though he spoke over it towards Kita."I have to take this call." Vladan said. "Finish cleaning this up while I'm gone." He commanded before accepting it and making his way out of the room."Hello." Vladan said coldly into the device.
dada_dragon • 29 September 2016 at 5:26 PM
"Mr. Vietkov... It's James."He hated calling him Mr. Vietkov like he had any kind of respect for the man... But he was the boss and he felt obligated to... "They would like me to inform you that they are not making a payment... and they're not releasing us. They say they aren't satisfied..." he said, keeping an eye on their captors. "Your orders... sir?"He received a slap from one of the men."Vietkov is not your boss anymore, boy." He yelled, grabbing the phone. "They are our men now, Vietkov."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 30 September 2016 at 3:12 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan ran a hand through his hair stressfully. He leaned against the wall, picking at the shards of glass still stuck in his pants from when he knelt down in front of Kita. If it was anything else, he probably would have sighed and nonchalantly let his soldiers be stolen from him.But for Kita..."I need them back." Vladan said through grit teeth. He hated this feeling, this feeling of uselessness... Telling the other man what he needed like he couldn't take care of himself. The feeling of holding back and stepping back to get something that he didn't necessarily even want.
dada_dragon • 30 September 2016 at 4:08 AM
"I don't think you understood me, Vietkov." The man said. "It was not a request."He snapped his fingers. James felt two of the men grab him from behind, holding him in place."These men belong to us now." He repeated. "Should you attempt to retrieve them..."James was caught off-guard by a strong blow to his side. He cried out in pain, leaning forward, but was lifted back up for more... His howls of pain echoed in the small room.
bunnyshadow • 3 October 2016 at 5:08 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"Shut up, Kita!" Vladan said aggressively. He placed his hand over the speaker, almost as if in an attempt to stop James's captors from hearing her desperate plees. The young man wrapped his arm around her stomach and pulled Kita's frantic form against his body, shushing her angrily as he did so.He focused on the call... or attempted to. However, his thoughts had become a jumbled mess due to Kita's loud interruption. James's painful yells fell upon Vladan's deaf ears when he spoke next."You need him more than I need them." Vladan said through grit teeth. "You dumb russians aren't going to last long, the war is lost for you." He said arrogantly. "If you weren't so desperate for an upper hand, you wouldn't have gone for a freelancer like me to provide you with soldiers." He hissed.
dada_dragon • 3 October 2016 at 5:53 PM
James flinched as he heard Kita's voice. What was she...She was with Vladan.The colour drained from his face. Why was she with Vladan? Why was she with him? In his absence, was she really...?He slumped in the arms of the guards holding him. It wasn't true... Kita wasn't like that... she would never betray him..."You're a child, Vietkov." Replied the man. "You have no power here... no matter what you think, it is irrelevant. We will not be contacting you any further. If you or your men are seen anywhere near us, there won't be anything to rescue."He hung up.
bunnyshadow • 6 October 2016 at 1:08 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan leaned over Kita, lowering his head so that it was a few measly centimeters over her slumped shoulders. "It'll be fine, Kita." He mumbled. "Go get some rest, I'll have everything figured out by the time you wake up." The young man straightened up, placing his hands on her shoulders as he did so--almost as if to steady her to make sure she could stand on her own."I'm here if you want to talk but... I might not be the best person at the moment."
dada_dragon • 6 October 2016 at 3:35 PM
Kita nodded, not able to conjure up words, and walked slowly to the familiar bedroom. She hadn't been in here in months... not since James was released...She climbed up into the bed, not bothering to change. She stared blankly up at the ceiling until she managed to drift off into sleep...
bunnyshadow • 18 October 2016 at 2:36 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan tapped his pencil slowly against the translucent, glass desk. The sharp clicks rang out noisily throughout the large enclosure. The heavy wood door was shut tightly, though he could see shadows flitting across the small cracks. He assumed it was Odilia, and got back to work.Two large packets and several printed out pieces of paper lay spread out across a mid-size map of northern Russia. Each of the packets were filled with laws, rules and regulations that both him as a corporation, and him as a person had to follow to avoid arrest. The handbooks were filled with tiny text speaking about weapons trading, human rights and military aggression rules.A tiny piece of paper contained a list of the battles that Russia had participated in during their current war against Europe. In the beginning, it was looking up for Russia, but as the years proceeded, the losses began to pile up for the russians. Vladan knew better, and he knew that Russia had to be desperate to have decided to hire US soldiers to work for them(although they were super powered).He sighed. Time was ticking. He needed a plan now.--"Kita?" Vladan called out. He knocked on the door once, twice... Then entered the room. The young man peered down at his watch. It was a little past midnight.When he looked up, he saw what a mess Kita was. Her hair was tussled, and the young man could tell she had been tossing and turning throughout her unrestful sleep. Vladan pretended to overlook it."Pack your bags, Kita. Nothing more than you can hold please."He pursed his lips."We leave tonight."
dada_dragon • 18 October 2016 at 6:46 PM
After Vladan left the room once more, she made her way to the closet, jamming some clothing into a large purse, whose price tag made her wonder if it was made of unicorn leather or something...She noted that there was nothing new in the closet since last she'd stayed here. Was Vladan really that out of sorts?She grabbed the warmest coat she could find, flinging it over her shoulder and left the room, meeting with Vladan in the main hall.She looked him over... he looked exhausted. She knew she was asking a lot of him. She was selfish. But James... She couldn't lose him..."Vladan..." she said hesitantly. "Thank you..."
bunnyshadow • 1 November 2016 at 5:15 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"Not a problem." he replied bluntly. "There is no way I will let that russian commander throw my soldiers under the bus. I may be a bad person, but I'm a good employer." Vladan pulled his coat tighter over his body as he headed up the winding staircase. His dark boots clicked noisily against the stairs. He had a duffel bag swung over his shoulder. His hands pushed heavily against the heavily armored steel door that led to the roof of his mansion, and it finally opened with a loud creak.The young man dropped the bag onto the rooftop floor, and the loud thwacking noise in the air signaled the arrival of a helicopter. It was the best he could call on such short notice, and he gave Kita a sideways glance as the machine hovered uneasily over the edge of the roof. He picked up his duffel bag, and tossed it in with a noisy thump(and a few suspicious clicking sounds). Vladan climbed in, and reached out a hand to help her up.
dada_dragon • 1 November 2016 at 8:27 PM
Grabbing Vladan's hand, she pulled herself into the helicopter, quickly strapping herself in as the door closed and it took off.She looked out the window for the majority of the ride, silently taking in everything. The full weight of what was happening was weighing down on her. James, being held capture by who knows who, and her, unable to fight to defend him...Lost in thought, she absentmindedly traced the intricate spider's web of scars under her tattoo with her fingers. The sharp pain in her arm had faded to a dull throb, which was easily ignored. Staring out the window, she began to drift off.
bunnyshadow • 5 November 2016 at 12:49 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan's knuckles were white from how tightly he was holding on to the armrests of his seat. Though he was sitting completely still, his heart was beating heavily in his chest. He would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bit afraid of what could happen if they were caught. He was staring at Kita, but not actually looking at her. His mind was somewhere else, but he was jolted out of his blank daydream when he felt a set of eyes land on him."Yes?" He said, with a short sigh. The young man didn't know how to feel about Kita anymore. He was confused, that was for sure. Every time he was with her, he could feel himself being drawn towards her. But when she wasn't around, he could find himself messing around with other woman or diligently working.Still he wondered. Was it because he was over Kita, or was it so that he could forget her?
dada_dragon • 5 November 2016 at 2:49 AM
Kita turned away when he noticed her staring."I'm sorry... Just thinking about... things..." she said dismissively, turning away. She was already being demanding enough, but..."It's just... I'm worried about him is all..." she said quietly. "It's like I just got him back and he's gone again... Not that it really felt like he was back anyways... He's been so distant since he came back...""And I guess I feel guilty... He wanted me to stay out of anything dangerous and... I... I might have gotten involved with our old gang again... Nothing huge... Not like the old days... But I'm not proud of it..." she said quietly. "And now... I've gotten much stronger, but... I... there was an accident."She told him the whole story... How she'd nearly died... How she'd woken up several days later in the hospital... how..."I can't use my left hand anymore for my powers... I don't know if it was the nerve damage or what, but... I can't use any powers requiring both hands... and I can't mimic using that hand... I was dumb... I should have listened to him...""He's already angry with me... I know it... I just wish I knew why... It's like he doesn't trust me anymore..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 7 November 2016 at 5:13 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~A pang of guilt hit Vladan in the chest at her words, but he forced himself to shove it aside. His hands moved from their tight grip on the arm rest to being entwined in one another. He twiddled his thumbs subconsciously as he soaked in the woman's words. "You should have someone that can always be by your side." He mumbled as he peered into her eyes. Vladan knew he was implying himself, but he also knew that the reason James was never around for her was also because he made sure the other man was overseas as much as possible."Willow..." He trailed off at the thought of the blonde woman, and stopped his thoughts from straying too far towards his imagination, as it would only bring back the herd of painful memories of her touch. Vladan turned away, glancing out the window of the small plane. The clouds were flying swiftly by, and there would be hours before they would arrive at their destination. He didn't know why he cared that much, but he hoped that her name would imply enough.Vladan cleared his throat, and though he kept his head turned away from her, he reached out his hands towards Kita. A decorative silver ring was entwined around one of his fingers, and it glittered in the dim light. His motions were a gesture for her to place her hands on his, and he bit his lip for a split second before opening his mouth to speak again."We can practice." He said hesitantly as he turned to face her. His multicolored eyes drooped a little, giving off a dejected vibe almost but he forced himself to maintain eye contact. Immediately, he could feel a surge of her emotions. Grief and guilt and... Genuinity.He realized that he was so focused on how she was feeling that he didn't know how he was feeling himself. There was a mixture of everything, Vladan supposed. "Tell me how I feel."He almost cracked a small smile at that, and wondered lightly how could he expect her to know how he felt when he didn't even know himself.
dada_dragon • 7 November 2016 at 5:39 PM
Kita placed both hands hesitantly on his. She focused on mimicking, but she could only feel the cold chill of his abilities in her right arm... She hated that feeling... it felt incomplete... like the usual flow of energy was disrupted... almost like a large rock in the middle of a stream...She looked up at him, feeling another set of feelings aside from her own."Guilty... conflicted... and sad..." she said quietly. "But this hand..."She let go with her right hand and focused on the energy that she could sense within him... but there was nothing. She gripped his hand tighter, as if it would help, but all that this accomplished was sending a shooting pain down her own arm. She released his hand suddenly, holding her arm tightly against her chest."It's alright..." she said after a while. "But you... what's going on with you? You've changed. You haven't made a single condescending or sarcastic comment this entire time. Did something happen?"@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 8 November 2016 at 1:37 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~He could feel his heart stuttering a bit when she placed her hands on his. The young man's eyes trailed her tattoo, and he had to admit that the intricate designs fit her perfectly."Nothing." Vladan lied. "I've just come to accept my emotions for what they are." He knew that he couldn't control his feelings, and those were one of his weaknesses that he had learned to admit of. "It's not a big deal, I'll get over it eventually."
dada_dragon • 8 November 2016 at 2:10 PM
She frowned."You know I can tell you're lying, right?" She said. "I don't need your powers to know it either."She sighed. "I get it... Talking about it makes you vulnerable... and in your line of work... and mine... it's dangerous to show weakness." She said seriously. "So you build a wall around yourself... Pretend that nothing affects you... But under it all... Well... People like us all have our skeletons, right?"He was looking away from her... he obviously didn't want her to read him anymore... or did he? He let her mimic him, after all..."Whatever it is... you don't have to tell me... but you should talk to someone." She said quietly. "You're just going to hurt more if you keep blocking everyone out..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 5 December 2016 at 1:44 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"You lie a lot." Vladan said bluntly. He pulled his hands back quickly, and used them to brush some invisible specks of dust off his coat. "Other people will believe anything you say, but I can see right through it all." The young man turned away from the window, to face her once again. His eyes narrowed in concentration, almost like he was reading her. "You call me vulnerable, but I'm a lot stronger than you are." He said defensively. "You don't have to keep things from me like how you've been doing with James." Vladan said those words, and took a breath in realizing he probably overstepped the line. He was too riled up now to stop."There's a reason things haven't been the same." He was assuming now, but he kept pushing forwards. "Maybe it just isn't meant to be, you and him. You need someone you can open up to--to talk to. Someone that isn't a mess like him."Someone like me...