The Enabled (Role-Play)

dada_dragon • 14 December 2016 at 8:18 PM

"I think we both know I'm not a 'good little girl', Vladan. Clean it up yourself." She said, setting the now empty bottle on the table with a clink. "And you obviously care a lot more than you say you do. Why else would you go and save the person you hate most... and don't tell me it was purely to take back what was yours, because we all know that's a load of crap."

"You say you don't care about anything... I think you're starting to believe your own lie." She said, her fingertips again tracing the scars on her arms as though they were a mystery that she was trying to decypher. "So tell me, Vladan... why don't you want to care about people?"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 12:13 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan was undoubtedly surprised at Kira's harsh words. "You think you know me but you don't." He said coldly. "I only saved him because it was convenient." The man stood, making his way towards the cabinets.

He opened it, scanning the bottles of liquor inside for one he liked. Vladan gave Kita a sideways glance, before closing. It again. He didn't feel like having her waste another bottle.

"Caring requires too much energy and emotion that I just don't want to give anymore." He said quietly. "Everyone I allow get to me only ends up getting hurt or worst. I'm just surprised that it's always someone close to me that dies, and not me instead."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 12:26 AM

"Crazy how that happens, right?" She said thoughtfully. "We hurt those we love most because of our own mistakes... And yet we step out of the wreck unharmed..."

"You're trying not to care, aren't you? But no matter how much you tell yourself that you've let go of your feelings, they have a funny way of getting to you, don't they...?"

She smiled to herself.

"The sooner you admit it, the less it hurts... if you tell yourself that you don't care about someone, and then you lose them... You don't shield yourself from grief... and you add regret to your misery."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 12:46 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

He changed his mind. Vladan picked out a bottle from the many lined up inside the cabinet. The cap popped off with ease, thanks to the bottle opener placed conveniently near by. He rifled through the shelves, but found that there were no more glasses left.

Vladan drank straight from the bottle, before placing it protectively besides him. Warmth flooded his veins, and he allowed the liquor to do its job.

"You're very strange, Kita." He said more to himself than to her. "You are just within reach, but every time I attempt at you, I get pushed away."

"Everytime I feel as if I'm getting closer to you, and I try moving things forward, you take several steps back and it's like I'm further than I was when I first started." Vladan couldn't stop himself from talking now.

"Maybe you should give it a chance." He said. "James is barely around enough to be there for you, much less take care of you..." Vladan trailed off, before looking at Kita. "We both know I'm a much better choice than him."

"I don't understand how you're so unobtainable...that in itself just drives me mad." He took another swig from the bottle, before pushing it across the table. Vladan arched his brow as an implication that she should take a few sips.

"Enough games Kita. Stop playing hard to get. I could have any woman I ever wanted but it's you that I need."

"He'll never know a thing."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 12:58 AM

Kita pushed the bottle aside.

"At least you're honest now." She said, sitting closer. "Now tell me... why on earth are you so determined to be with someone like me? Is it just your desire to be in control of everyone you know, or is there another reason?"

She placed her hand near his... nearly touching, but not quite making contact.

There was a slight twitch when she did this, a flicker of fear on her face, but this soon vanished under a mask of indifference.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 1:21 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I don't know..." He trailed off, genuinely concerned that he wasn't sure why she meant so much to him. Vladan went silent for a bit as he thought about it.

"Maybe it's because I know you don't have any ulterior motive." He said quietly. "You're not here for my money. You aren't here for the fame. You aren't here because you need to be here." Vladan breathed in sharply at how closely she was besides him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see something flash across her face. It looked something between agitation and panic. He turned towards her timidly, slowly, unsure. It was the first reaction he had seen since they infiltrated the camp.

"Are you okay?" He asked, moving his hand over hers in an attempt to be comforting. Vladan knew he didn't care what her answer was--he asked it merely out of politeness.

He leaned in closer as he awaited for her reply.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 8:14 AM

Another flash of panic as he touched her hand, but again, it vanished a second later.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?" She said quietly, not moving away as he moved in closer. "Perhaps my motivation is adventure... it's something I've been missing for a long time... Catching petty criminals is fun, but it grows dull after a while..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 12:17 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan knew he didn't believe her, but he wanted to so therefore he did. "I could give you anything you'd ever wanted." He whispered. "You don't have to fight anymore. If you make the right choice, I could give you all the adventure you'd ever want--I could take you anywhere in the world, and you could have anything you see, whether it be impulse or not."

He smiled now, though it was bitter and maybe a bit forlorn, but also absolutely not sober at all. Vladan reached up with his free hand, cupping her cheek.

"What do you say?" He said softly. Vladan wanted to read her, but he knew that for once, he wanted to hear someone say it.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 1:12 PM

Kita smiled in a way that was completely unlike her and moved in closer, resting her head on his shoulder. Her body tensed up briefly, as if something inside her was resisting the contact, but she relaxed moments later.

"That's quite the offer there, Vladan... I might have to take you up on that."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 1:33 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I thought so." He said with a satisfactory smirk. Vladan put his arm around her, pulling her a little bit closer to his body. He noticed her tenseness, but thought nothing of it other than that she was hesitant and maybe a little bit unsure. She had James to worry about after all. He rubbed her upper shoulder and upper arm with the one he had around her, before placing his head gently above hers.

Vladan sat like this for a little bit, before taking another swig from the bottle. He stood then, almost suddenly even.

"But I hope you know, darling..." he trailed off now, before gently pushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I'm no second choice--" Vladan smirked lightly now, before patting her on the cheek.

"It's either James or me, and I hope you realize that I'm not a patient man--and I don't wait forever."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 1:52 PM

She sat back in her seat, watching Vladan's movements with apparent interest.

"I think you're doubting me, Vladan." She said, smiling. "He's a nice guy... but that's the problem, isn't it? I'm not one of the 'good guys', am I? It would never work."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 2:10 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Then I don't see an issue of you ending it with him for good." He said coldly. Vladan was unsure of how to feel of Kita. It just didn't feel...right. Not in the way it was with Ero, but in an entirely different way all together. It didn't feel like her. In the past 24 hours she had nearly torn him apart. She had made him angry, irritated him, mocked him and now it almost felt like she was toying with him.

He stepped back, before turning and leaving the room. "Clean up the mess." Vladan called over his shoulder.

He headed for his room, and when he got there, he opened the door hesitantly before shaking his head and stepping inside.

The man closed the door loudly behind him, his frustration and exhaustion showing the second he was in the safety of his room. He sank to the floor, his head in his hands. Vladan hated it. He hated Kita for being her, hated her for being everything he wanted to be, but now hated her for being the way she was tonight.

She had changed him so much in so little time, and he realized now that he had let her get to close--to close for comfort. He had always been the one on top, in control... Vladan stood and tore a painting off the wall. He wasn't going to let her get to him anymore.

Not a chance.

Not anymore.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 2:44 PM

James woke up and made his way to the kitchen the next morning. Kita was already there, making herself a coffee. There was an empty bottle next to her on the counter and a half-full bottle on the table.

"Those aren't yours, are they?" He asked, concerned.

"No. Vladan was drinking again last night." She said casually. James wondered if she had seen him do so or if she was just assuming... the thought of her sitting with Vladan...

He poured himself a glass of milk from the fridge and sat down. Most of the chairs were pushed in, but there were two that he noticed that were not, and they were awfully close to each other.

Maybe he was just paranoid.

Eventually, the other men showed up, visibly distancing themselves from Kita, and obviously anxious about the impending meeting with Vladan.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 2:55 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan woke late. Was there a late if there wasn't a set time in the first place? He stepped into the shower, enjoying the warm water rushing through his hair. His head was pounding, and he wracked his brain for the previous night's occurrences.

"Right." He said to himself as he stepped out of the shower. "You're over her. Get over it." Vladan said tensely. He took in a heavy breath as he got dressed.

By the time he had headed downstairs, it seemed that everybody was already up and about. He stepped into the kitchen, taking note that it was clean. Vladan ignored the anxious face of one of the men, and headed over to the table.

The others were having either coffee or water, but he helped himself to the bottle. Vladan reached inside a cabinet for a glass, before remembering that they were all broken and inside the trash bin.

"How is everybody feeling this morning?" He asked plainly before taking a drink from the bottle. "Tired? Sore?" Vladan motioned to the small group to meet in the living room.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 3:20 PM

No one spoke. The men seemed to not know whether or not they were in trouble, James wasn't speaking to Vladan because he was still annoyed at the idea that he was spending time with Kita, and Kita herself seemed to be indifferent to everything around her.

It was an uncomfortable silence.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 3:36 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I love talking to myself." Vladan said very coldly and very sarcastically. His eyebrows furrowed in obvious irritation. He opened one of the 5 the manila folders in front of him. A decently large stack of papers sat inside, and a mugshot of the dead enabled was clipped onto the front. He flipped it towards the group.

"Which one of you got him killed?" Vladan asked, slowly moving his gaze from person to person.

Coley spoke first, albeit a bit timidly. "N-none of us. The commander killed him."

Vladan slammed the table with his fist. "Wrong." He said. "Maybe if I reword the question, you would understand." Vladan looked at everyone. "Which of you guys screwed up, got on Sochuv's nerves, and forced me to come retrieve you idiots because he was..." He trailed off now, leaning back as he made air quotes. "unsatisfied with the merchandise."

Vladan tilted his head towards James, with a knowing smile. "It was probably James wasn't it?" He said, picking on the healer. "No surprise..he's always screwing things up."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 3:56 PM

James stood up, slamming his hand on the table.

"I did my job, Vietkov. I kept my head down and did as I was told... and let me remind you, I took a beating for you." He said, his suspicions about Vladan and Kita fuelling his anger. "That guy made his own decision, and as for Sochuv, he just didn't want to pay and figured he would cheat you out your own men."

He sat back down, but glared up at him.

"Don't you dare pin this on me."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 4:08 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

The 3 enabled looked at James with something that resembled both awe and fear. Vladan grit his teeth, not willing to let someone like James disrespect him in front of his own soldiers.

"And did I not take one for you back?" Vladan asked rhetorically. "I took several actually. The first infiltrating the base, the second when I got caught, and the third you all saw." He scoffed. "I care about my men." Vladan said. "I care about them enough to go from here-" He tapped the table. "to Russia, just to get you guys out of there."

Vladan took an unusually long drink from the alcohol, before passing it to the enabled sitting closest to him. The man seemed hesitant, but didn't want to refuse Vladan's offer. He took a tiny sip from the liquor, before putting it back on the table.

"You better show me some respect." He glowered. "I could send you back to the prison in a heartbeat." Vladan cracked his neck, before motioning at everybody excluding Kita.

"The five--" Vladan arched a brow, before correcting himself. "The four of you are a team, and if one of you wants to show me that you need more discipline, the other 3 of you get the same. Exact. Treatment." He said with a sly smile.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 4:24 PM

James crossed his arms, not apologizing, but not antagonizing Vladan any further. He could have sworn he saw something of a satisfied smirk on Kita's face, but when he looked again, there was nothing.

He ignored the gazes of the other three, keeping to himself like an injured animal. He didn't want to back down, but he also didn't want them to pay for his resistance to Vladan.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 4:43 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan smiled satisfyingly. He closed the file, before placing it under the table--it was unneeded anymore. Later today, he would find himself placing it in a cabinet with dozens of other deceased.

"After this little fiasco, I don't know how much I can trust you guys anymore." He said straightforwardly. "I want you to meet your new member." Vladan said lowly.

"Introduce yourself." He called out, shooting Kita a knowing glance.

~~~

The woman faltered slightly, stepping out from the hall and into the living room. She pulled back the hood of the dark outfit Vladan had provided. Her dark hair spilled out, flowing over her shoulders as she stepped forwards.

"I'm Willow." She said curiously. "I look forward to working with you 4."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 4:56 PM

James looked up at the woman. She seemed harmless, but he knew better than to assume anything about anyone... Kita didn't look as powerful as she was, and James himself had a deadly ability that he kept hidden...

Kita had a look on her face like she was trying to recall where she knew this new girl from for a brief moment, but then went back to her usual blank expression.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 5:24 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan moved over a little bit when Willow perched herself on the couch besides Vladan. The man felt uneasy at being so close to her, and his face probably showed a bit of panic when she neared. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I expect all of you to give her the same amount of respect that you give me." He said in a tone that was almost sickly sweet.

~~~

Willow smiled lightly, though completely unaware of Vladan's restless movements. She had remained quiet throughout the man's words, but entered the conversation excitedly once he had finished.

The woman lifted her hand slightly, giving Kita a slight wave as she did so. "It's been quite a while!" She said. "You look..." Willow trailed off as she leaned forward.

How strange..., she thought to herself. Her eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if she was squinting to get a better look at Kita.

The last time she had seen the woman, the tiny aura around Kita had been a bright white entwined with the average red to be expected from enabled. This time around, there seemed to be a struggle as a dark muted tone of black splashed about. It was almost as if a darkness was beginning to consume the purity of the white. She pursed her lips, unsure of what had happened.

"Different." She finally said. "Anyway, it's lovely to see you all. Like I said before, my name is Willow. I'm a healer."

~~~

Vladan shifted his gaze from Willow to James, searching for a reaction of some sort.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 5:32 PM

James raised an eyebrow. Another healer? That was an unusual move for Vladan... Although, judging by the way Vladan seemed uncomfortable around her, that likely wasn't her only ability...

Kita also seemed a bit uncomfortable watching her, despite the cheerful greeting she'd been given... This new healer seemed to notice something odd about her though... perhaps James would have to talk to her later... Maybe she had an idea of what was going on...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 5:38 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"I'd better get going." Vladan said suddenly. He stood up with a flourish. "Enjoy your time together, I have to go to work today." The man placed a pile of clothes on the table. "New clothes for your next mission--I expect it to be in the next two weeks. You have free time until then."

Before he left the room, he glanced over at Kita. It was the first time he had acknowledged her that morning. "You're not needed here. Leave whenever you want. The rest of you can stay here if you have nowhere else to go."

~~~

Willow stared at Vladan's retreading back, before turning to face the group. The majority of them had been silent since she had entered the room, and she noticed that one or two of them seemed a bit confused.

"What?" She asked self consciously.

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 5:46 PM

The other men simply grabbed their clothes and left. They were trained fighters and didn't seem interested in petty conversation. Kita also left, presumably going off to do her own thing. Only James and Willow remained.

James stood up, a gentle smile on his face.

"My name is James. I'm also a healer. It's nice to meet you."

He held out his hand to her.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 5:55 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Willow seemed disappointed that the party had been cut short. Though her mouth opened into a surprised 'o' at James's introduction. "That's interesting." She said. "I guess he's dumber than I initially thought." Willow said with an eye roll. She took his hand gently.

"Nice to meet you too, James."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 6:11 PM

Realizing he didn't quite know how to ask his question, he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, feeling a sort of awkwardness sitting in the pit of his stomach.

He wasn't really a social person... he was good with confrontation, but not so great when it came to actual human interaction... Kita and Xavior had always teased him about that...

"Um... so you know Kita then?" He said, immediately regretting his question knowing it made him sound like an idiot...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 6:23 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Willow giggled. Her laughter was light and airy, resembling a set of crystal wind chimes tinkling in the wind. "I guess you could say that." She said with a forlorn smile. "It was quite an adventure we had. I'd only seen her a few times, and never longer than it took to do my job and leave."

"I'm not very fond of that egotist of a boss you have."

dada_dragon • 15 December 2016 at 6:59 PM

"Neither am I." He said, smiling.

Her cheerfulness made him more relaxed. The others had seemed apprehensive around her, but she seemed alright.

"Look... I dunno how to ask this..." he said, slightly awkward, but a little more comfortable. "Kita... she's been acting a bit strange the last couple days and you seemed to notice something about her... I was just wondering if you had any clue what's going on..."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 15 December 2016 at 7:26 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Willow arched a brow in surprise at his concern. She stared at him, humming lightly to herself as she took him in. His aura was undoubtedly very red. He was powerful, she could tell by how bright the color was. The women knew so far that he was a healer, but there was something else as well.

She overlooked that for now, and focused intently at the other part. He was a good man, she could tell from how bright and white it was. Yet, Willow was unwilling to disclose information that easily. "Perhaps." She agreed.

"I would be wary of her." She said thoughtfully. "Kita is more like Vladan than ever before, if not worst." Her words must have seemed a bit like a riddle to the other healer, but she made no move to explain any further.

"Anywho..." Willow trailed off. "What are you to her? You seem very...worried."