Register
dada_dragon • 25 January 2017 at 12:44 PM
James parked the car near the bar Willow had directed him to. It had been a mostly quiet drive, which was unusual considering Coco was with them...He climbed out, opening the door for Willow."You lead the way. We'll follow."
bunnyshadow • 25 January 2017 at 1:36 PM
Willow showed her ID to the bouncer, giving him a small smile as he ushered her in. She waited for James and Coco to do the same, before heading over to bar. "Hello." Willow greeted the man, ordering a drink for the three of them. "Aurora." She said as the bartender brought their drinks. He slid the glass over, and Willow picked up her drink before motioning for Coco and James to follow. The three of them headed into the main room, and Willow pushed aside a curtain by the wall. It revealed a door, and she opened it quickly then stepped in. Past the first door was another.Once it shut behind the trio, she stuck her fingers inside the drink and pulled out a tiny key. Inserting it inside the door, she pushed it open.A flight of stairs led down, and after two stairwells, they arrived at another door. This one had no handle, as it could only be opened from inside."Dawn?" Willow called out, knocking on the door. The door opened, and Dawn ushered the three of them in.Teiv was unconscious on the couch, One was eating what seemed to be soup, and Dawn was holding a wad of tissues over her shoulder."Tell me what happened." Willow said bluntly."We tried breaking Vladan out, and Kita attacked us. She did this to me, and that--" Dawn motioned at the bloody wound on Teiv's chest. "To him."---"It gets lonely." Vladan said, watching as Verity edged away. "Excluding physical exercise, I seek mental stimulant as well. I can tell you're a clever woman, Verity.""I'm sure you can provide me the intelligent conversations and the company I've been craving." He took several steps towards her, closing the gap Verity had put between them. Vladan had cornered her. "You've been such a good girl for Lee. I'm sure he both trusts you and gives you lots of off time." He arched a brow."Come keep me company when you can."
dada_dragon • 25 January 2017 at 2:28 PM
James stared in shock at Tiev's wound before rushing over and placing his hands on his chest. Tiev's body had already begun repairing itself, but James worked on speeding up the process. This was no simple knife wound... Had she...?"This is not Kita..." Coco said, uncharacteristically quiet. "And I'm not just talking about her personality... I've seen her fight with knives... She doesn't usually stab like that... much less twisting the blade... She uses slashes... She always has... What did they do to her...?"James didn't respond.
bunnyshadow • 25 January 2017 at 2:34 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"We almost got him, you know." Dawn said as Willow bandaged her wound. "It was either him or Teiv..." She sighed. "At least we know the relative layout and interior of the building. Where the holding cells are, stuff like that. It would have been a lot easier, but Vladan was held in a completely separate area from most others.""I know." Willow said irritably. "Vladan's father spoke to the head, requesting for him to be transferred to better quarters."One swirled the spoon in her soup, watching with curious eyes at the newcomers. She placed the half eaten bowl on the table, tugging the blankets closer around her body.---"Thank you, dear."
dada_dragon • 25 January 2017 at 8:45 PM
James finished healing Tiev and sat down on a chair."So Kita did that?" he said. "That's... unbelievable... I don't understand..."He had never seen Kita do something like that... it was so vicious... so savage... Kita could be aggressive but this..."Surely she was being controlled or something... It's just so out of character for her... She isn't like that..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 25 January 2017 at 10:11 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Teiv could hear the voices swirling around him, and he forced his eyes open. "That was her." He said tiredly. "She kept saying how she didn't want 'this' and how she wanted the pain to stop. Whatever 'this' is..." The man propped himself up, slowly getting on his feet.He walked over to One, putting his cloak around the young girl's trembling shoulders before making his way back to his original spot. "You didn't have to, but thank you." Teiv said quietly to James.Dawn snapped her fingers, earning her a small glare from Willow as the latter blonde finished caring for the wound. "She kept telling us to leave. There was some hesitation. Kita didn't attack me until it was completely necessary." "She was crazy." One added. "She had the crazy eyes.""That's not nice." Teiv said disapprovingly. "But they're right. Something feral about everything. The way she moved and the way she fought."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 12:10 AM
Coco shook her head."Something is definitely up then... I'd been training with her for months before all this and she was always so precise about her fighting... Andy always made fun of how intense she would get while practicing..." She said. "Not to mention she's far to headstrong to hesitate like that... if she wants to fight, she'll get right in there, and if she doesn't, she'll go on the defensive...""The only time I've seen her like that was..."She looked over at James, who looked away."She used to... Well... We dealt with a lot of illegal goods when we first got involved in our old gang... She used to steal some here and there until James and Xavior caught on..." she said quietly. "Do you think..."James was shaking now, his head turned to hide his face. How could he have let her go? Why hadn't he tried to convince her otherwise. No matter what she'd said... No matter how badly she wanted it... Why had he let her go?Hot tears streamed down his face and he wished they wouldn't... He couldn't let himself break down now... They needed to figure things out, and it was bad enough without him losing his cool... He had to pull himself together...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 12:41 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~"I'm going to bed." One said, standing up. She held the blanket around herself as she meandered down the hall. Teiv shooed the girl away quickly, before turning back to face the conversation with a much more serious look."Do you think what?" Dawn pressed onwards.Willow gave the other blonde a warning look, but Dawn ignored it. "You can talk here."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 12:54 AM
Coco looked over at James, concerned, but continued."Andy and I knew what she was doing long before James or Xavior did... We'd show up to help deliver stuff and we could tell that she- well she wasn't herself..." She said quietly. "At first, we just assumed she was just upset, because this was just after she'd left home, but then we heard some stuff had gone missing and..."She glanced over at James, who walked away, walking down the hallway, too upset to stay in the same room."Maybe they're not controlling her directly... Maybe they have something... Something that she wants badly enough that she'd even attack her friends..." she said.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 1:24 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~"It makes sense." Willow said, thinking hard. "Substance abuse, right?" She pulled out a chair, taking a seat on it while motioning for Coco and James to find a spot as well. "There's no way that the feds will give anyone something like that...""There has to be something else." Dawn said. "She's probably relapsing. Going back to old habits, but with something new." Willow said. "The question is what?""We can't find out without using both Dawn and One to get inside again, and I doubt it's a good idea to go back so soon." Teiv muttered."I have a way to speak to Vladan. We can let him know what's going on, and we can find out as well. I've been sending him messages through his 'paperwork'. Maybe he can try sneaking something out through his contracts." Willow said excitedly.
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 1:42 AM
Coco sat with Willow, but James stood apart from the rest, his back to them."If you can get in contact with Vladan, then do it... Tell him what we suspect..." she said. "See if he knows anything more than we do...""And try another push at your contacts... The attack might have set your efforts back slightly... They were saying us enabled were a threat to society and an attack on a government facility isn't exactly proving them wrong."She glanced at Dawn and smiled. "I don't blame you... I wanted to run in there too, but we need to be more careful..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 2:14 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Willow gave Dawn an accusatory glance at those words, before clearing her throat. "Yeah, I'll give it my best shot." She said. "We should head out before it gets any darker.""I don't think that would be a good idea." Dawn admitted. "I've noticed some strange behavior from some patrons around here lately. Possibly some undercover agents..." She shrugged. "They probably know something is up. I recommend staying here for the night and leaving tomorrow when the bar starts filling up."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 3:11 AM
Coco nodded and left in the same direction as One, looking for somewhere to sleep, but James didn't move from where he stood.He was leaning against the wall, a helpless look in his tear-streaked face. He didn't often cry... he preferred internalizing his emotions... he was so used to being strong for others, especially Kita, but lately he felt weak...He wanted to protect her always... How had this happened...?@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 3:20 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Willow's eyes wandered from Coco's retreading back to James. She stood up, taking a step towards him, but stopped when she felt the sharp tug at her wrist. The woman turned to see that Dawn had grabbed her.She shook off Dawn's hand, a small frown crossing her face. Dawn motioned towards Teiv's direction, and Willow sighed before leaving the room with Dawn at her tail.---Teiv pursed his lips as everybody else ventured out of the main room. He watched James with concentration, brows turning downwards to match the small frown on his lips. The man sat for a bit more, before finally standing and taking enough steps in James's direction to land himself besides the other man."It's okay to be upset." He said quietly. "Fate has a knack for cursing those that have suffered the most." Teiv let out a bitter chuckle. "Crying does well, but it's no use to worry about things you can't fix.""Time is your closest friend after patience."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 3:46 AM
James kept staring straight ahead."I didn't want to leave her..." he said quietly. "But I left, like a coward... And now she's suffering for it...""I promised myself after we found out what she'd been doing... I would never let her suffer like that again, but when it truly mattered, I was never there..." he said. "She's so strong... I've always admired her for it, but seeing her like that..."He needed a moment before he could continue."Seeing someone so strong falling apart like that... it's so... painful." He said. "I never fear for my own life... my greatest fear is seeing her in pain... and being unable to do anything..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 3:51 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~"Maybe you should finally let her go." He said, though he winced at how harsh those words sounded. "Emotionally." He added in an attempt to lighten them. "For now." Teiv said quietly."Try not to think on what you could have done. Instead of focusing on the past, try instead to change the future." He reached out now, placing a comforting hand on James's shoulder."We're at a bar." Teiv said, cocking his head to the side. "People come to bars to forget." He laughed awkwardly at his own joke. "Maybe a drink or two before we sleep for the night?"
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 8:21 AM
James shook his head."Thank you for the offer, but no... I'm going to go to sleep..."James smiled sadly and walked over to the couch, laying down. He thought about Tiev's words. He should let go...? It wasn't in his nature to let go...Ever since he'd known her, he would worry about her safety. She would tease him relentlessly about it, but he cared far too much for her to stop...
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 11:49 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan paced the room in an attempt to kill his boredom. It had been three days since Dawn had come by the facility. The last time he received the contracts was around two more days before that. He sat down on a stool, staring intently at the door. That meant his next contracts were supposed to be brought in today.Almost as if his thoughts were heard, the door opened up. A soldier stepped in and dropped paperwork atop the metal desk. Vladan tried not to make it seem like he was waiting for it, but he honestly was.The door shut behind the soldier, and Vladan silently paced over to the files. He brought it towards the wall, where he sat against it. The cot was too uncomfortable for him to stay in for any long period of time.Vladan flipped through the pages slowly, skimming the paragraphs for any clue that Willow may have given him another note. Around a third of the way through, he spotted it.The man forced himself to retain a straight face as he read Willow's assumptions about Kita. Substance abuse? He closed his eyes, placing the papers aside as he thought hard on what little interactions he had with Kita. Willow was right in that Kita had been more feral, more moody, and more unstable lately. He closed his eyes, thinking hard."Your reward, as promised."Vladan opened them now, sudden realization hitting him. Verity.It was Verity.
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 12:27 PM
Kita sat in the corner of her room, her eyes closed. Verity had not been by in several days now. How many? She didn't know... Everything was a blur.She sat up in anticipation when she heard the door open, but it was only Mr. Lee. He looked her over, seemingly content with what he saw. "Miss Altobelli, I have a job for you."She looked up."One of our employees has a young daughter, ten years old, who we suspect is enabled. We would like you to check."Kita nodded. If he was getting her to do this, Verity would be there... She stood up and let the soldiers lead her.She was surprised when they led her to a different room than usual. Typically she would stand behind the mirrored window, separated from the suspected enabled, but when she entered the room, both the girl and her father were there right in front of her. And where was Verity?"This is Miss Altobelli. She will be determining if your daughter is enabled or not.""She isn't! I swear she-""Then you have nothing to worry about."Kita was confused. They were putting her directly in front of them and not putting her under Verity's power... what was going on? What were they playing at?She looked at the girl. She was enabled. There was no doubt about it... The father looked at her with pleading eyes. Would she receive her reward if she told them? Would they know if she lied?"Miss Altobelli?""The girl is enabled.""NO!"The man yelled as soldiers dragged the girl away. He fought as they held him back. The girl screamed in terror. And Kita sat there."Well done, Miss Altobelli. Verity will be waiting for you back in your cell."As the soldiers escorted her back to her room, Lee smiled.His plan was working.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 1:16 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan picked up the pen from off the table, flipping to about halfway through the paperwork. He took off the cap, scribbling on a line that was meant for his signature. Instead, he wrote the word 'Verity' across the line instead of his name. He put the packets on top of one another, before walking over to the door. Vladan banged on the door noisily, until he got a response."What do you want?" One of the soldiers yelled irritably from outside. "What's all that racket?"Vladan considered banging the door again to anger the soldier a bit more, but decided against it. "I'm done with my papers." Vladan yelled past the door."You don't have to scream at me, I can hear you just fine." Came the same annoyed voice. "What do you want me to do about it? Your papers don't get sent out until the next time your receptionist arrives." "Can you take them out now? It's an important contract that is meant to be turned in as soon as possible." Vladan lied. There was silence, almost as if the soldier was contemplating his life's decisions. Then there was scuffling, and the door swung open."Here." Vladan said, handing the papers over.The man grabbed them, making to step out. Vladan grabbed the soldier's arm, and the soldier reached for his pistol. "Wait." Vladan said, releasing his grip from the man."I'm not afraid to shoot." Came the soldier's reply."Can you do me a favor?" Vladan sought to look into the other man's eyes, but couldn't see past the tinted SWAT helmet. He didn't wait for a response before pressing onwards. "I want to see Verity..."The soldier scoffed. "Have a crush on her or what?""Just... If you see her on the passing, tell her I want to see her. I'll make sure you're off my hit list.""Fine." The soldier said thinly as he left the room.
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 3:18 PM
Verity stepped into the room, unguarded like the last time. She looked nervously at Vladan, still a bit leery around him."What do you want?"She had just been to the girl's cell when they'd called her down to visit him. She had obtained more information from her as requested, asking seemingly asinine questions, though she knew Lee never did anything for no reason...Being around the girl was unnerving... She had fought Verity's power when she'd first arrived... now she seemed almost desperate when Verity came. It was downright frightening...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 3:59 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan sat on the side of the cot, motioning for Verity to take a seat on the stool in front of him. "Verity." He greeted with a tiny wave. "Sit."He stared at her now, seamlessly observing the other woman as he thought over her question. "I want you...." Vladan trailed off now, before giving her a wide smile."To show me what you can do." He leaned forwards towards her. "I'm curious really. How does it feel?"
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 5:40 PM
Verity looked at him incredulously."Are you sure?" She asked, hesitant. "Most people find it unpleasant... intrusive... You have no control over what you say if I do this... No secret is safe..."She silently hoped that he would not become dependent as Kita had... that this was only curiosity and would not become addiction... On the one hand, she suspected that it was merely the repeated use that had caused Kita's dependence, but on the other hand, she was hesitant to test her theory...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 6:11 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"It's fine." Vladan said, waving her words off as if it were nothing. "Think of it as an experiment. I'm not strapped down, I'm sure I would be able to pull myself back should you ask anything too..." He trailed off, eyes flashing. "Intruding.""Go ahead." Vladan said, a bit impatiently to say the least. "Try me, Verity. Ask me what you want to know of me the most."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 7:05 PM
Verity hesitantly placed her fingers on Vladan's temple, feeling a chill go down her spine indicating that it was working.She looked him in the eye."Tell me your name and..."She hesitated, not knowing what to ask him. Unlike Lee, she had no interest in uncovering the secrets that people kept hidden. She then thought back to his question to Kita when he had been presented with the opportunity to question her himself..."What does Miss Altobelli mean to you?"@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 8:18 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan felt his messy thoughts get rushed out of his head as a wave of calm hit him. It was calming, and he felt his body relax significantly from Verity's touch. "Vladan Veitkov." He said.The feeling was good to say the least. Almost too good. Words exited his mouth serenely, completely unperturbed by the uncomfortable edge licking in the back of his skull. "She means--" Vladan found himself somehow mustering the strength to pull back from Verity's touch. It was difficult, and required more effort and mental exercise than he had expected. The man fell silent, finding himself eye to eye with Verity for several long moments until he finally spoke."It's not for me." He said, perhaps a bit more aggressively than he wanted. "The tranquility is flawed." "It is not real."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 8:40 PM
Verity watched, surprised as he withdrew from her touch. She had never seen anyone able to fight her control like that. Perhaps his ability gave him an edge... Mental manipulation likely required a lot of focus, which would be useful against her power."Most don't care for it... Many will actively fight it... Miss Altobelli is... she is a strange case..." She said thoughtfully. "She was already psychologically unstable when she arrived... I saw her medical report..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 9:16 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan reached up slowly as not to startle Verity. He brushed a loose hair away from her face, pulling it gently behind her ear. "You want to know a little something about Kita Altobelli?" Vladan asked, pulling back from her suddenly."Your ability is like a drug to her." He whispered with a small smirk. "You are destroying her faster than Lee can."
dada_dragon • 26 January 2017 at 9:33 PM
"I know." She said quietly. "I've noticed. If I had the choice, I wouldn't... Lee is not a man to be trifled with...""The things Lee is making her do... She asks for it now... Lee knows how badly she "needs" it... He's been keeping me away from her just so that she'll be so desperate that she'll do anything he says...""When I first met her... they had to tie her down because she would fight it... Now they tie her down because she's too eager... I'm... I'm really sorry..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 26 January 2017 at 10:15 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"It's only a matter of time, Verity." Vladan said gently, voice contrasting with the dark smile spreading across his face. "You saw what happened several days ago, didn't you?" He leaned forwards again, maintaining even eye contact with Verity."I have people working hard. It's only a matter of time until I get out." He paused for effect. "And when I get out, everybody else gets out.""I would hate to be known as one of Lee's lap dogs when all perdition breaks lose." Vladan smiled now, placing a hand over Verity's."You wouldn't want to be roped in with Lee when my men raid and destroy the entire building, would you?" Vladan threateningly.