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⋆⁺₊⋆ Micheal Jasper Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Miner ⋆⁺₊⋆
╔. ✦ .═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════. ✦ .╝City of Voxthain * The Outer City Path ⋆⁺₊⋆ After Lunch
Micheal wandered down the path aimlessly, coming from the diner. The winding dirt road around him was quiet with the lunch rush having ended a little while ago. Now, it was deserted of people, not that he minded. Micheal preferred less people and less socialization. He had been her for his daughter, Sapphira, and now that he'd gotten to eat and catch up with her he was going home back to the Asterath mining caves.
The birds chirped on trees as the sun burned down on the path. God he hated it. God he hated how bright the sun was. The pain it caused him, the headaches, were splitting. He despised it but, he'd push through it for Sapphira and her mother. Other then that, he was back to the darkness of the caves where he didn't have headaches trying to murder him.
The path was empty as he walked, thinking of his baby girl. She was struggling, struggling so much in her new position as a councillor. It broke his heart to see her in such trouble. He could try to help, but that could only go so far. He wasn't here in Voxthain to be a knight in shining armor or anything but while he was here he'd be a gentlemen and offer he assistance, all because he loved her so dearly.
The empty path was catching up to him. The breeze blew through his hair and he glanced around. It was eerily quiet. The silence taking over. The birds stopped chirping and the wind stopped. "Hello?" he asked, partially nervous but mostly believing he was tripping himself out. Of course there was nobody here except him. The weather of Voxthain just had a mind of it's own. Nothing creepy.
His spine still crawled as he walked. Past one tree with drooping leaves, almost paying it's respects to him. The birds started singing again but the tune was more solemn. The breeze was gentle, carrying the song him him and far away.
This was just mind games. Nothing was happening to him. Nothing was wrong. He was just being paranoid for no apparent reason. That annoyed him. Why was he suddenly so paranoid. Why was he suddenly so sure that something would go wrong? Nothing would go wrong. He'd just eaten lunch with his daughter and he'd be back in two weeks time to do the same thing again like he always did. There was nothing scary or creepy about it. Absolutely nothing.
And then the wind stopped again. The birds stopped chirping, and everything froze. Even seeming like time froze. This world did have magic, something he wasn't the best acquainted with, but he was sure that there was no spell to freeze time. At least, that was his thoughts. And he did live inside a cave inside a massive rock so he could totally be behind on his magic knowledge. But wasn't time control a bit overpowered.
The breeze blew through his hair and then he heard it, a snap. Like a twig or a branch breaking behind him. He turned slowly, fear trailing down his spine, this had never happened to him before. What was happening? "Hello?" he asked, a small shake in his voice as fear seeped into his skin.
Mod
𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗛𝗜 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi had never been a very calculating man. In fact, his assassinations were often pure luck and the stars aligning just right, sometimes a dash of pure ruthlessness or charming redirection.. His only calculations were made when he was trying to figure out if flirting with one of his new Runalithe friends would get him shot in the head. So imagine his surprise when the Runalithe crew made plans for him and sent him on his way. Even in his former affiliation with an assassin gang had anyone ever ordered him around—they had information on tasks and targets relayed to them and independently accepted them. Bodhi couldn’t tell if he was relieved he didn’t need to plan or annoyed that he was just a weapon to them.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Probably both.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He had left the base an hour prior to his current situation, having been told to head over to the Lantas View Diner and scope out the individuals who were uppity enough to eat out at the most popular restaurant. These idiot cities use the worst names for places, Bodhi thought, disgusted at the . . . well, the ridiculousness of their “magical freedom”. That was his first thought—the second one was in relation to the way things worked. He knew they didn’t use currency like Runalithe did, like any other city did on the moon, but the hierarchy system confused him to no end. Normal citizens with little magic ability went to this diner, he noticed as he snuck around the outside watching people come and go.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He’d have to report back to his team with that information. They’d have to be part of the cities—or kidnap someone who was—to know who held the most magical prowess. Bodhi would never be able to tell by looking at any one of them, which was infuriating to him. He wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, so having visual indicators of someone’s class was useful to him.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀It was midday, so he couldn’t “sneak” the way he wanted to. He casually strolled along the path, darting to the side with uncanny speed when nobody was around so he could try to piece together the dynamics. It appeared to him as if this wasn’t a place for the nobles only, which was the original assumption. Were the cities this tolerant and inclusive? It was foreign to Bodhi, somehow admirable, somehow ridiculous. They created a haven for everyone—even if he knew there would always be inner turmoil—that nowhere else had managed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Pity that he’d have to help destroy it. But something deep within him tingled with vicious joy. He hadn’t killed anyone since he left Runalithe, and as twisted as it was, he was going through withdrawals. His crew wouldn’t be upset if he were discreet—which he was, and so very effortlessly, too. He needed to try out his new cylinder of . . . whatever the hell Nahri had made. He’d been told to open it and press a button near an incapacitated target. That was it, but he was curious to see it in action.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi was growing tired of pacing, excitement dancing its way up his spine as he observed those coming and going with a new intent. He reached down into his boot quickly, hand finding the object he always kept on his person. He turned it in his hands a few times, smirking softly to himself. His brother had made it for him, as someone who was keenly aware of Bodhi’s inability to be discreet sometimes—it was a silencer. He’d used it many times to conceal himself and a target while in an open space as well as to silence the area they occupied within the invisible sphere. Somehow perfect for where he was at that point, enabling his dark plan to form even further.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A young woman with a horrific haircut? No, surely that haircut was worse than death. An old man with too many prosthetic body parts to count? No, he could probably punch pretty hard. This was Bodhi’s thought process for a solid twenty minutes as he watched about seven people come and go. It wasn’t too busy, but it was such an open space that he needed to think for once.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And then there he was. A crazed look in his eyes nobody else would see aside from the target Bodhi had just locked onto, he twirled the gadget in his hands a few times before following casually behind the man that had just emerged from the building. Something about him screamed innocent, and Lantas forgive him, those were somehow the most satisfying kills.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi wasn’t about to wait until they reached the end of the path. A large rock towered to the left—a perfect place to activate his tool.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Even being the magic capitals of the moon, Voxthain and Asterath could never be this cunning with their technology. Though Bodhi guessed they didn’t need to—those leeches, drinking up the magic from the moon and never using their brains for anything.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With fury and the thrill of a soon-to-be-kill in his mind, he twisted the gadget in his hands, a loud crack, a pulse of techwave emanating from it. The man startled, turning slowly. It casted the two men into an invisible net about ten feet in all directions. Bodhi slowly approached the man who had twice now said “Hello?”, looking as terrified as he should be. In the sphere, it would only be Bodhi and him. Nobody else would see or hear them, not unless they walked through the invisible net by accident. Wherever Bodhi went, the net would follow, as its core was attached to the gadget. To avoid accidental visitors, he needed to act fast.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“Hey there,” he said lightly, as if engaging in normal conversation, smiling brightly before bringing a foot up to kick the man straight in the stomach, flinging him backwards. The intent was to cause the man to crash against the rock Bodhi had aimed for, and it worked. Bodhi slowly approached the hopefully winded man, pushing the black cloak over his head down slowly so the man could see his face. Least he could do, right? Let the man who was about to die see his killer’s dashing features before he passed.
⋆⁺₊⋆ Micheal Jasper Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Miner ⋆⁺₊⋆
╔. ✦ .═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════. ✦ .╝City of Voxthain * The Outer City Path ⋆⁺₊⋆ After Lunch
Turning around had been both his worst and best idea. Behind him had stood a young gentleman, one he didn't recognize. For a split second he'd believed the boy to be a citizen. But that thought faded when he'd cracked some gadget and a weird magical force had come over him.
Instinct had told him to run. Run for his like and get out of there. That hadn't been possible. A foot hit him hard, knocking him flat on his back. Shock ran through him. Someone was here, attacking him, and possibly trying to kill him. His gut feeling had been right, something wasn't right.
Thoughts rushed through his mind. The suspicious nature of the fine gentlemen. How quiet the man was being was quite intriguing. Perhaps it was to keep his identity concealed. Or maybe it was to speed up the process and keep it quick.
There was also his daughter. His fierce, sweet, adorable daughter. His baby girl. He'd made the mistake of leaving the diner before his daughter. That meant that if she was close behind then she'd either find him hurt or dead based on the body language of his attacker.
From the ground, he was useless. The only thing that he could use was magic. And he knew very minimal magic. Would food and water help him right now? No. Would telekinesis help? Perhaps but probably not. Would creating machines help? Absolutely not. Would mobility and agility help? Maybe it could. Micheal watched his attacked close in. The man was young and he was getting into his later years. There was an obvious biological difference.
Even though he didn't know much magic, he knew how to use the spells he had. A deep breath and the intent to use agility filled his body with warmth. His muscles loosened and he felt strength filling his muscles.
With his newfound strength, Micheal rolled back onto his shoulders and used the momentum to bounce back onto his feet. The movie wasn't meant to intimidate but if it did, he'd take the brownie points. He'd need everything to get out of this with as little harm as possible.
"You picked the wrong fight today buddy..." Micheal said as he slowly begin to circle the attacker. He knew that that was probably wrong, but did the attacker? No. Take what you can get and run with it. Do everything you can to survive.
Mod
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi had a moment of hesitation, eyes narrowing as he observed the man. He had learned not to assume weakness comes with age—many times had an elderly assassin kicked his ass in sparring matches. But this one gave off an aura of weakness not attributed to age, but from lifestyle. He’d just eaten, Bodhi assumed, and had been caught off guard so easily. This man was not a fighter.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This would be easy and would require very little effort, Bodhi reassured himself, leaning against the rock that he’d just kicked the man into. He’d gotten up quickly from such a powerful blow—but Bodhi was glad it wasn’t going to be that easy. He was a vanilla killer, as the assassins had labeled those like him, but he knew how to toy with his prey all the saame.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi was not one to indulge himself in torture or drawn-out deaths, but something told him he’d have to do something outside of his normal comfort zone when he pulled out the magic device that Nahri told him to Quickly twist counterclockwise, pull up, twist clockwise twice, was not, in fact, working. He did what she told him to do, twice in fact, as the man circled him. She also said to point it at the target and, having never used the device before, Bodhi wasn’t sure if it was on or not. He clipped the forcefield projector on his belt loop, sighing heavily as he ridiculously pointed the magic-sucking object at the old man.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nothing.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“Uh, shit, hold on,” he said, leaning up from the rock and backing up slowly from the old man for a moment as he clipped the device on the opposite belt loop, shrugging as he locked eyes with his target. “I’m trying to kill you in a very specific manner and it’s not working. Bear with me for just a moment,” Bodhi said lightly before darting forward with lightning quick speed, ducking under the man’s arm to grip his shoulder with one hand, his wrist with another, pushing on his shoulder. A dull pop sounded, the sound of either dislocation or breaking occurring.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi let go after shoving the man down to the ground, ready to either receive an unexpected fight or to hear the man scream in agony.
⋆⁺₊⋆ Micheal Jasper Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Miner ⋆⁺₊⋆
╔. ✦ .═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════. ✦ .╝City of Voxthain * The Outer City Path ⋆⁺₊⋆ After Lunch
Slow and steady. Never take your eyes off the prey. Surely because he was more active he'd win right? Surely because he was a build caveman miner form Asterath he'd win right? Surely because he'd been born in raised in the dangerous gang-run society right?
All of his hopes and dreams of seeing his daughter and wife again flashed before his eyes. Just as he prepared to use telekinesis he froze listening to the man. His mind, body, arms, everything except his legs froze. I'm going to die today...
Dread filled his body. No hope was left. His mask of confidence dropped in a second. And the next second, the man was on him, holding him, applying pressure somehow.
Pop.
Pain. Pure pain shot from his shoulder. While he'd felt the ache of bones in the mines, nothing ever compared to this feeling. This wasn't tired muscles or something grinding against something it shouldn't. This was just pure pain.
Before any more could be processed, a force shoved him to the ground. Sharp rocks from the path pierced his back and that broke his shell. "AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" He screamed a bloodcurdling cry of pain. In the same moment, his head hit the ground, recoiling from the power the man had shoved him with.
Crack.
Micheal lay frozen. He'd heard the crack. And now he felt the dizziness. But he didn't know what was happening. That was until he saw a fuzzy pool of red surrounding him. Some of it came from underneath his body, where the rocks pierced his back. However most of it came from his head, right where his skull had cracked and busted open.
There was no way to survive this. Micheal knew that. He knew he was dying. I should have ran! I should have fucking ran. Now Sapphira is going to come and find me...
Mod
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi watched on as the man screamed and fell, transfixed although clearly detached and devoid of any sympathy or regret. He killed more for a specific purpose than he did for enjoyment, but he’d be lying to himself if he said it didn’t stir some deep feeling of violent joy within his soul at the sight of the man on the ground. Blood pooled behind him, his eyes were burning with absolute fear. Bodhi felt a shiver run up his spine as he grinned, kneeling beside the man after taking a few steps forward.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“I think that might have hurt a little, don’t you?” he asked, voice low and husky. It was as if he were talking to a lover, but his lover was death at the moment. He leaned across the man’s limp body, grabbing the exact same shoulder he’d just severely dislocated, yanking on it to pull the man forward. For a moment, it could’ve seemed as if he were helping push it back into place. No, though—he was pulling far too hard and definitely the incorrect way. He knew the man would start screaming again as Bodhi sat the man up against the bigger rock, eyeballing the smaller rocks stuck in the man’s back with pleasure.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“Or a lot, it might hurt a lot,” Bodhi added in a low whisper, eyes dark and shiny with the excitement of it all. He patted the man on the back in a seemingly friendly manner, head tilted, but the pats were rough and clearly doing the man’s rock-littered back no favors. Blood streamed down, down, down, the man’s shirt covered with the ruby liquid slowly turning to a deep maroon. The most interesting part, to Bodhi at least, was the gaping crack in the man’s skull. Oh, the sight of it sent Bodhi into a trance-like state.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He placed a hand on the back of the man’s head, the blood that immediately coated his hand a welcome sight. Normally he would have never done this, would never have enjoyed it, but Bodhi . . . well, he was feeling different. Maybe he’d regret this later, but for now, he needed it. Being cooped up in that dull, cold cave where the Runalithe team had taken up residence drove him to the edge. The leap was right here, all but torturing a man, the edge far behind him now.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“I could’ve done that for you, old man,” Bodhi said, voice low and kind but dripping with something sinister as he rubbed the back of the man’s head. The blood wouldn’t stop, the crack opening up wider and wider with Bodhi’s slow, almost reverent ministrations. “This isn’t really fun or exciting. You’re doing my job for me. Don’t you see how rude that is?”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi pulled out his knife from the inside of his boot with his unbloodied hand, slowly bringing it towards the man. Bodhi doubted he could move if he tried. Massive head trauma and unexpected amounts of pain to the back? Bodhi would be stunned if he could.
⋆⁺₊⋆ Micheal Jasper Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Miner ⋆⁺₊⋆
╔. ✦ .═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════. ✦ .╝City of Voxthain * The Outer City Path ⋆⁺₊⋆ After Lunch
dead... The thought process was broken as the man looked down at him. Oh to fuck it hurt! But he wasn't going to tell the man that. In fact, he was gonna to the exact opposite. If Sapphira heard his screams, she'd be even more traumatized to have found him dead. Giving this emotionless-- and apparently incompetent since the machine he held he had no clue had to word-- cold-blooded snake-like murderer anything he wanted would only result in his satisfaction. Sure it might drag out his inevitable doom if he didn't give him what he wanted, but that also left the slim chance that Sapphira would stubble into this and have a better clue on who murdered him.
It was a terrible plan really. Having his own daughter find him while he was being murdered and have to choose between saving him life and catching the murderer however... there was no however. Poor poor Sapphira. She was going to be heartbroken after finding him dead, or watching him die... Ruby would be spared that pain, but none the less, his beloved wife would still have to bear the rest of her life without his support from the mines. GOD, if only he had given the few sapphires he had in his pocket to Sapphira. He'd mined them the day before and hadn't cleaned them so he didn't want to but given the jewels value, he hadn't wanted to leave them at the mines either.
A yank dragged him back to reality and he screamed again. His shoulder was not a shoulder, bent at almost a 90 degree angle. He'd seen dislocations in the mines, but never something so gruesome. Thankfully, his strong stomach didn't gift his impending murderer his lunch along with the screams and pleasure. The blood on the ground made him sick at the stomach. There was so much. There was too much. It was almost like he was dying... He was dying...
The rock in his back was piercing deeper into him. Who knew what vital organs were getting damaged by it at this point. It could be his heart, lungs, stomach, or anything else he'd never been educated enough to know. Regret was the next emotion to fill him. He hadn't lived his life how he wanted. His dreams of attending Cogsworth. His dreams of living with Ruby once more. His dreams of watching Sapphira have kids. His dreams of retiring. Everything he hadn't done in his life were being torn from him. Anger was a possible emotion, but it wasn't a possibility anymore. Micheal had already accepted the truth: he was going to die. Anger wasn't going to save him, sure regret wouldn't either but, it was the only thing to keep him stable as pain split through his mind.
The world around him was getting blurrier. Everything was phasing together. It was from bloodless obviously, but it wasn't what Micheal had expected. He'd though dying would be... less painful and more peaceful. The difference between his imagination and reality was that he was being murdered. Remembering of the murderer, he became hyper-aware of his body. The pain splitting from his head became clear as he felt it being pulled open by the man. God this person was insane. He could only hope that Sapphira and Ruby stayed far away from him so that they also didn't suffer the same fate.
Remaining quiet was his only job. He put all his energy into it. His vision kept blurring, the blades of grass were now just a green splotch and the path was a gray one. The pain in his head kept growing, begging him to let out an ear splitting screams. The pain in his back as the stone wedged deeper, scraping against the bones of his spine. It was unbearable, but he'd always been strong. Sure he was dying, but he'd be strong on last time to save his daughter from whatever pain he was suffering so she didn't.
Mod
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi heaved a sigh, realizing that the old man’s fight had left him. The excitement drained from him, leaving deep annoyance in its wake. The knife he’d pulled from his boot glinted in the sun, the shield Bodhi had placed to conceal their presence and sound allowing every bit of light through. Bodhi pulled his hand away from the man’s head and threw the knife to that hand, the blood sticky enough to allow the transfer seamlessly. Bodhi’s eyes went cold, face went slack—he was growing bored of this man’s cowardly approach to the whole murder situation he was in. Did the Voxthain and Asterath citizens have such disregard for their own lives? Impressive, but boring.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“So . . . you’re not going out with a bang?” he asked for confirmation one more, bringing the knife up towards the man’s face, stifling a yawn. He enjoyed the sight of the blood, but inhaling that iron and coppery smell was making him lightheaded. “Pity. Well, if you have any last words, now’s the time. I’m too noble to let you go on without that gift, obviously,” he offered, voice laced with sarcasm and annoyance. The temptation to go for the man’s neck was almost too much, but Bodhi’s twisted mind latched on to another idea that had formed. He needed a symbol, something that he’d be remembered by. The terror of the cities needed to mark his prey.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Before the man could answer, Bodhi leaned over and brought the knife to his forehead, slowly carving a choppy letter B alongside a triangle. Simple, not quite unique, but bloody enough to be memorable.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“Alrighty, old man, speak.”
⋆⁺₊⋆ Micheal Jasper Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Miner ⋆⁺₊⋆
╔. ✦ .═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════. ✦ .╝City of Voxthain * The Outer City Path ⋆⁺₊⋆ After Lunch
Life was a gift apparently and that gift was being ripped right out of this hands by a bloodthirsty murderer. Micheal's vision was less of a blur and more of a black splotch. That meant his vision was effectively gone.
One of five senses was not too terrible. Sadly, that wasn't all of his pain. His hands and feet tingled, not receiving enough blood since it all was rushed out of his head. The cold warm substance was running down his neck, causing chills even though it was warm. His ears were ringing, screaming at him to stop. He couldn't stop.
Memories from Micheal saving men in the caves took over. When caves collapsed, everyone rushed to make sure the miners were okay. Sometimes they were badly injured but savable, sometimes you had the sit with them as they died. This is what they felt like...
There was loneliness. Everything was lonely. He had nobody. No miners to take care of him. His wife was off running her dream business. His daughter was living her life as a councillor. And here he was alone, with nobody. The regret for abandoning them and leaving back to the caves was so great. He wished he had more time. He wished to take everything back. He wished he could have lived with Ruby longer. He wished he'd had more children. He wished he'd spent more time with Sapphira. He wished he'd raised his daughter and experienced fatherhood.
“Pity. Well, if you have any last words, now’s the time. I’m too noble to let you go on without that gift, obviously."
The voice was so irritating but Micheal couldn't open his mouth. All he wanted to say was 'I love you' one last time for Ruby and Sapphira. As he searched for the strength, everything gave out.
His world went black.((Jesus Christ this man is insane and doing everything I asked double what I asked for lmao. thanks this is honestly amazing and idk how you keep coming up with it. just don't channel that energy at me please :) ))
Mod
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi couldn’t—and wouldn’t anyways—conceal the eyeroll and sigh that accompanied the man’s sudden unconsciousness. “You didn’t even beg for your life, old man,” he said, voice again carrying that almost unnoticeable tone of warmth. Mostly, though, there was annoyance. If the man wouldn’t put on a show, Bodhi couldn’t entertain himself.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Without any further need to speak or need to find a way to make this enjoyable, it was as if the malice just left. Like a gentle breeze through the cave Bodhi had lived in for so long, the fog was lifted from his mind. He sat back on his heels, eyebrows scrunched together as he really stopped to take in what he’d done. Even without the entirely random surge of violence that had swept through his mind, he didn’t quite care. Fun was had, but he did have a task to fulfill. That was the most important part, certainly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi patted his belt down, searching for the device, eyes trained on the man’s cracked skull. It was as if his eyes were frozen but the rest of his body was not. Finally, he felt the rough edge of the device and the round buttons around the side, pulling it off of his belt loop with some struggle. Twisting it free, he slowly brought it up and dragged his eyes away from the gruesome sight before him, eyeballing the buttons again. Why hadn’t it worked the first time? Nahri had said to twist it and—oh. Oops?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi gritted his teeth together, eyes rolling yet again. As he had acknowledged long ago, and as many of his Runalithe counterparts had liked to acknowledge on his behalf, he was never the sharpest tool in the shed. Even further from intelligence was memory—his lacked in more ways than he cared to, er, remember. “Quickly twist counterclockwise, pull up, twist clockwise twice,” Nahri had said. “It’s a safety precaution that I can only hope you’ll forget, but also press down the three buttons to activate the ten second countdown. Get at least ten feet away from the device and let it do its thing for thirty seconds.”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀At “safety precaution,” Bodhi had effectively tuned her out. She had a nasty habit of insulting him and wishing death on him, anyways, and he preferred to ignore that bit of her instruction. Now, though, he remembered the instruction and did as directed, twisting, pulling, twisting again. Holding down the buttons. The device made a low buzzing sound, particles flying in a loop around the cylinder, the countdown initiating.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Bodhi looked around for a safe spot to place the cylinder, pausing as his eyes locked yet again with the gaping slash in the old man’s head. He should’ve thought of a place before activating, he soon realized as the timer hit seven seconds, six, but it was too late to worry about that. He moved quickly, placing the cylinder directly on the gash, still cascading with blood, tilting the man’s head so it rested against the piece of skull there and the rock behind his head.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀With that, Bodhi spun around and galloped away like a parading horse, grinning. He heard the three second warning beep just as he got into place ten feet away, turning to watch as the machine gently blossomed open like a new spring flower, the spinning particles freezing in the air around the man. For a moment, Bodhi thought it might be beautiful. For another moment, he shivered at the thought of how it must feel for someone who hadn’t died yet. Because he didn’t kill the man, aware that the machine would.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Then, the particles, hardly visible, began to rise and fall in the air. Together, they seemed to be forming a chain. A dancing chain, floating in the air, so . . . ethereal, somehow. Bodhi had never seen it in action, so he watched, hand smeared with now-crusted blood rising to push his hair from his face. The particles stopped without warning, disappearing. Bodhi estimated that it had been twenty seconds, so ten more and it should be done. What could it do in ten seconds, though, to drain someone of their magic so en—
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Oh, ouch. Bodhi thought, cringing away at the sight before him, all of it happening so fast. Too fast. The particles had formed a necklace around the man’s neck, clear but reflecting with every color of the rainbow when you looked hard enough. Translucent, bringing to mind something beautiful. But the old man’s body was turning gray, shriveling up, the sound of cracking and popping bringing even Bodhi to the beginning stages of nausea. He couldn’t take his gaze from the scene, though, instead focusing on it harder. The necklace of clear particles seemed to be . . . inhaling the man’s very life. They were slowly turning gray, slowly losing the beautiful reflections of color that bounced off of them, becoming terrifying abysses of drained life.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Then it was over. Bodhi cautiously stepped forward as the necklace disbanded itself, each particle seeming to fall into line as the orbs of black made their way back to the tube. It clicked shut once they were all in, falling off of the man’s cracked skull and slowly rolling down the rock. Bodhi gagged at the stench of the man as he picked up the tube, teeth clenched as he headed for the outer ring of the sphere that concealed the murder. He glanced down at the cylinder in his hand, the black orbs no longer spinning around the inside of the bottle like the particles had—no, they were now dropped lifelessly in the bottom. Bodhi had a brief moment of doubt—how could drained life become so desolate and appear like a . . . a void? Bodhi couldn’t describe the sheer terror the orbs evoked, especially after thinking their original form was so beautiful.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀But he was never the thinker. He killed and reaped the rewards after—he didn’t ask questions. So he wouldn’t, he resolved, glancing around as he emptied his mind of the events that just happened. Nobody was coming up or down the path yet, so he withdrew the sphere quickly and dashed down the slope where nobody walked. Towards the distant forest, towards that damned cave.
Mod
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Sapphira Kiah Daenerys ⋆⁺₊⋆ Voxthain Councillor
Lunch with her father had been pleasing as always. She'd gotten to catch up with him nicely and they'd spent some well-needed time together. Sapphira had missed him so much. She knew he never meant to hurt or abandon her and her mother, but Micheal living in another city entirely made things hard. Very very hard.
Today she'd proposed an idea she'd been pondering for a little while: Micheal retired and lived in Voxthain. He hadn't been too keen on the idea except that it would allow him to spend more time with her. Sapphira may be selfish in that sense. She loved her father and wanted him to be happy, but she also wanted him around during his older years. She spent so much time with grandparents and elderly folk in Voxthain but she never got to spend such time with her own parents. Well, she did with her mother, but not her father. She wanted those years with her father desperately. Maybe, just maybe, they could make up the time they'd lost in her first 20 years of life. She really hoped that him thinking on it would convince him to agree by their next lunch.
The Lantas View Diner was behind her as she approached the hill to wander down her mind running through her councillor duties. She'd had a good productive morning with the elderly and a meeting with Councillor Hayden that went... not terrible? Now though, she had work to do. Mentally she began running through her never ending to-do list.
1. stop by the factories to check working conditions
2. ask a few of the workers about compensation
3. make drafts for the proposal at the office
4. be back to the square in time for the food dri-
Everything stopped.
Everything.
E v e r y t h i n g J u s t S t o p p e d.
At the bottom of the hill along the path was blood. So much blood. It was pouring from a man's lifeless body. One that was gray and crippled.
Immediate horror rushed through Sapphira's body. She'd never seen anything like this before. Never. What the heck? How was there a body lying in the middle of the path here? Her mind was blank until memories from council rushed through her mind.
'murders...'
'lifeless...'
'magic drained...'
That was all she could manage to remember before the realization hit her: somebody had been murdered here, very recently.
Her instincts were fighting inside her as the shock wore off and adrenaline kicked in. This place was dangerous. Somebody had just been killed. Either the murderers had run or they were waiting to pounce again. Her gut feeling screamed, RUN. Her adrenaline filled mind stopped her. The murderers won't stay and risk getting caught. That was all it took to make her run down the hill along the path to see if she could do anything to save the person.
Approaching the scene up close was terrifying but she shoved it down. If she could help, she would help. It was her job and her life. Do anything she could for the people. This was an opportunity for that. This was her opportunity to help the people when they needed it most. She wasn't going to turn her back on them and run now. She would brave her fear and be a leaderly example as she should be.
Fuck leadership. This was terrifying and worse. The wrinkled face looked familiar as she approached. She had no clue why. She also had no idea why she had suddenly started thinking in very profane language. The sight of the dead body was probably just messing with her mind but she couldn't shake the chills of how it seemed so familiar.
The body was mangled. There was blood coming from the back of the head and back. The wrinkled skin sent shivers all the way to her bones. This was creepy. Whoever's poor family he was a part of... She felt guilty for not being fast enough. Maybe she'd have stumbled upon it and stopped it in time. If only, if only.
Sapphira knelt to the ground, picking up a shrivelled hand to find it cold. There was not a single hint of life left. She crept back, looking mournfully at the body. She couldn't do anything now. She was helpless.
As she stood to go find a Militia soldier to clean the mess, a glint caught her eyes. It shone in the light unlike the lifeless body around it. Curiously, she reached in, pulling it from the crevice of between the man and the ground and cradled it in her cupped hands. She cleaned it on her leg, feeling rough edges scratch her skin. Then, she held it up in the sun in her hands and saw exactly what she didn't want to see.
She was holding a sapphire.
Emotions crashed down at once. Sapphira dropped the sapphire in her hands, letting it fall to her feet. She stared at the face, the shrivelled familiar skin making sense to her all at once. That dead bleeding magic-drained man in front of her, was her dad. Her dad was dead.
"AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"
A scream of heartbreak ripped from her. She fell to her knees grabbing the wrinkled hands searching desperately for any type of life. Luckily, she didn't know how similar her scream had been to one that cried only mere minutes ago. Instead, her hands worked feverishly, doing everything in her power to lift him up and hold her father in her arms. The heavy body didn't help along with the sensation of his cold blood running down her arms.
Finally, she suceeded and held on to her father for what she knew and dreaded as her last time. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she poured her heart out. "I love you dad. I'm so sorry. If I'd been quicker I could have saved you. I'll avenge your death I promise. I know we both have regrets. I wish I could have told you them all today so we had more time, then it wouldn't have been you killed." The body slipped in her arms from the blood and fell to the ground with a thud. She looked down at her arms and saw red stained across them. What if someone thought she'd killed him? That fear ripped through her. She had to be done here fast. She didn't want that to be in the papers or public gossip.
Sapphira hovered, bending down one last time to kiss her father's wrinkled cheek. The breeze blew as she came back up again. It was wild, whipping her hair around.
Getting to her feet, Sapphira let the tears run. There were going to be plenty more to come. She turned to run from the scene for a guard but hesitated, a Force pulling her towards the sapphire she'd dropped. She picked it up, cradling it in her hand and went to her fathers side one last time. There, she found two more sapphires, which she grabbed and shoved into a pocket.
Backing away from the body one last time, she stared down at it. Who would do such a cruel thing? Taking a life, a beloved life, from a family? Sapphira had no clue who. But she hated whoever had. Revenge was on her horizon whether it was a part of her character or not. But the grief of having the one man who supported her ripped out her heart.
They will find you and blame you of killing your own father Sapphira. You must run for help before it's too late. She had no clue where the thought had come from but it resembled the aura of her late father. It was the last thing that urged her to run, sprinting down the path holding her skirt in search of a guard.
Mod
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Lacey was on her way to her grandmother and sister's house. As usual, it was going to be a lovely visit, and she was glad to be able to spend time with them when she could. She wanted to spend the day chatting and having a wonderful lunch with them. That was the highlight of each visit; she looked forward to her grandmother's homemade cooking every time, and that was something that she missed while she was away. She never revealed to them the true reason that she stayed in Asterath, though; that she was a member of the Arachniad and went undercover as a Snake. The only person who knew that was her grandfather. And he was dead now, a secret which he took to his grave. To the Snakes, she was Sierra Fox; but to the Spiders, she uses her real name, Lacey Reinhart.
Their house was near the outer city path, and Lacey walked along it, reflecting on her thoughts. This spot was a crime scene mere days ago. She had read the front page of the newspaper: the victim was Michael Daenerys, father of the newest Voxthain councilor Sapphira Daenerys. The description of the murder was gruesome: head split open, a 'b' carved on his forehead, stones all over his back that broke his spine, blood everywhere, and even the suggestion of torture. She shuddered at the thought. But the most unusual thing about this heinous act was that Michael's body was gray and drained of magic. What did the 'b' stand for? And why was his body drained of magic? She heard that the militia had suspected Club Serpentine, which was fair. They were notorious criminals, after all. But despite her hatred of Club Serpentine, she wasn't convinced it was them. At least not yet. Not enough evidence, in her mind.
She felt sympathy for councilor Daenerys. She experienced losing loved ones herself. She lost her brother, who didn't even have a chance to live his life, so cruelly taken away; her parents, who were killed by Club Serpentine, resulting in her hatred of them; and more recently her grandfather. She was tempted to send her condolences to Sapphira, but she probably didn't want sympathy from a random stranger that she didn't even know. Fair enough, she supposed.
Now, the area was cleaned up like nothing had happened. But she still had to be on her guard. With the string of recent murders, no one knew who the next victim will be or when it will happen. She was worried about her grandmother and sister. Between this and the shadowfog, Voxthain seemed more dangerous than ever. But the question was, who was targeting these people, and why? Why target a middle-aged man who was the father of a councilor? Why target some unknown member of the Night Riders? If whoever did this could kill them, then they sure as heck had no qualms about killing an elderly lady and her young granddaughter. She had discussed this with her family, wanting them stay safe and stay inside as much as they could. She never knew when the culprit could strike next.
༉‧₊˚. juliette rostova.
outer city path; after conversation with clarissa.
honestly, juliette had lost count of how many times she had followed suspicious, supposed members of her gang out of the club serpentine base and uncovered their secrets, and sierra fox was not going to be an exception. she had seen her sneak out enough times without reason for sierra to be quite high on juliette’s hit list, and she finally had time to follow the girl out today. undoubtedly, she wouldn’t have been going to the same place each time, in fact she may have been carrying out missions for the most part, but juliette was like a cat. the more mysteries there were, the more curious she got, and she was absolutely certain the unknown was going to be the death of her. tracing sierra had led her into voxthain - and a recent crime scene at that. curiouser and curiouser.
if juliette could choose sierra’s name for her like she chose clarissa’s, she wouldn’t change it - except maybe add a ‘trot’ to her last name. sierra foxtrot. s and f on the phonetic alphabet. juliette absolutely loved puzzles and linking everything, and just thinking of the name sierra made her immediately think of ‘tango’, and subsequently the rest of the phonetic alphabet. romeo and juliet were also part of the phonetic alphabet, much to her delight. honestly, she should have been born in november, not october. november was ‘n’ on the phonetic alphabet. o was oscar. less nice.
juliette ran her fingers along the brick wall of the outer city path. michael daenerys, dead. she wasn’t surprised at his death, only the manner of it. drained of magic? it didn’t sound like a snake, or zyx and cadmus at all, and it definitely wasn’t the style of any of the other gangs of asterath, and she was sure everyone would have known if the shadowfog had made it this far into voxthain. and plus, who would want a lowly miner dead? the only reason would be to get at his daughter, the councillor sapphira daenerys, and stir trouble within the council - as if it needed anymore stirring. the council was troublesome enough as it was: anymore and juliette was certain murder of councillors would occur, not their fathers. plus, half of them didn’t have fathers in the first place.
but that begged the question: why was sierra here? in fact, why was she in voxthain in the first place? juliette had seen a note drop from sierra’s pocket, and it was something about family. was it possible that sierra had family in voxthain? it wasn’t rare - that she knew, but sneaking off without saying anything? juliette stayed out of sight, masking her footsteps with nothing but stealth. she hadn’t needed to learn abjuration in cogworks when she was naturally skilled at keeping quiet - in fact, probably quieter and stealthier than people who used abjuration - and she had focused entirely on enchantment, and a bit of conjuration. she hadn’t been that focused on her studies, instead devoting much of her class time to running more errands for the gang and practising non-magical abilities. having finally graduated earlier this year, her schedule was packed as busy as ever.
she’d had to squeeze space for sierra. she had tasked rosalind with updating celia - which was what her free time today had been originally planned for - and decided that not seeing her sisters for a week would be manageable. after all, if something about sierra was really dodgy and juliette didn’t find it out, she may never see her sisters again, and if sierra was just a normal snake being too suspicious for her own good, at least juliette knew she had an ally. as if she needed allies. juliette rostova was a lone wolf, and a lone wolf she would remain for the rest of her life. unless something went terribly, terribly wrong. but usually, serpentine assassins stuck to themselves.
deciding to give up on waiting, juliette teleported to right behind sierra - commanding her to stop using enchantment - and breathed into the girl’s ear “watch where you’re going, my dear. i would hate for you to get lost in such a dangerous little alleyway, wouldn’t you?” actually, i would rejoice if you took a little stumble right now and fell to your death. pity you won’t though. juliette tapped her newly manicured nails on sierra’s shoulder, digging not quite deep enough to draw blood but close, and then she vanished the same way she came. teleporting. she disappeared into the abyss just like that, travelling back to where she had hidden low, watching the girl. it was in times like these juliette wished she had learnt illusion magic, but it was too late now. oh well.
The sounds of birds chirping were pleasant to the ears. And Lacey took in the calming melody, as if she was listening to music. She hummed along with the birds to herself like they were some sort of choir together. Even with her chipper mood though, she still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. A murder did occur here a few days ago, so it wasn’t completely safe. In fact, all of Voxthain wasn’t completely safe. Part of her wished that her family’s house was further in the city. At least there, she thought, that they would be somewhat safer. Maybe she could convince them to move. She doubted it, though. Her grandmother lived there her entire life, and she practically raised her and her sister there. They worked so hard to build the life they had, and she was sure they weren’t about to give it up that easily.
There were two reasons that Lacey chose her alias. One; with her undercover work, she felt like she had to be a fox in a way; sly, sneaky, and crafty. And two; her father was an Asterathi councilor, so he was well-known among its citizens. If the Snakes knew her true identity, they could easily connect the dots and figure out that she was the daughter of Sebastian Reinhart, which would no doubt result in her imminent death. Lacey knew that she was playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse; Club Serpentine were the cats, ready to pounce on their prey at any minute; and she was the mouse, who was unknowingly right under their noses. But she couldn’t - and wouldn’t - get caught. No. Sierra Fox was far too crafty for the Snakes to figure out.
Lacey still had the question lingering in her mind; why murder Michael Daenerys? Unless the murderer knew he was the father of a public figure - a councilor at that - it didn’t make sense to her. What made her doubt that it was the Snakes was the drained magic from his body. Why would they want his magic? They had no reason to - everyone in Asterath and Voxthain was made of magic, so it wasn’t like they needed it. She knew them well enough to know that it wasn’t their style, or the other gangs for that matter. Something didn’t add up. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. It was a big mystery with a missing puzzle piece to it. It frustrated Lacey, in all honesty. She didn’t know why, though. She wasn’t a militia member. But maybe it was because of her parents.
Michael’s murder reminded her of her parents’ own deaths. She would never forget the day that she read the newspaper about them. She didn’t know which Club Serpentine members did it, but she was ready to find out. Patience. Revenge will come soon. This was why she chose this life. She looked at her locket, engraved with her brother’s name. Remy, how I wish you were here. She opened the locket, revealing a picture of her parents. I’m doing this for you, Mama and Papa. I hope that you understand. She quickly closed the locket, brushing off her thoughts. While she did leave to go on missions - both for the Snakes and the Spiders - she wanted to see Deondra and her grandmother today. In a way, she was glad that her sister wasn’t old enough to remember their parents when they died. She didn’t want her to go down the same path that she did. Oh, Deedee. You’re too sweet and innocent for gang life. You’d never last a day in any of them.
It had been around two weeks since she saw her family. She was used to it by now, though, And they were too. She still communicated with them when she was away through messages, so it made not seeing them often more bearable. Transmutation came in handy for that. Of course, she sent the messages in secret whenever she was in Club Serpentine. It didn’t hurt them, so it was none of their business. But sometimes, a hand-written note was just as good. Didn’t want to be too suspicious.
The birds stopped chirping. It was dead silent now, as if they knew something was off. Then suddenly she froze in her tracks, as if she couldn’t move. Someone had used enchantment magic. She should know - that was her strongest magic and main focus at Cogworks as well, along with transmutation, abjuration, and illusion. A voice whispered to her. It sounded familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint who it was. She could feel nails dig into her shoulder, but she ignored the pain. She turned around, pulling her sword out just in case. “Who’s there?” No one. Someone had followed her - but how did they know that she would be here? They must’ve used conjuration to teleport themselves to her and back to somewhere else, or illusion to turn themselves invisible. She wasn't sure which. Now she wished she focused on conjuration at Cogworks. It would’ve been useful for situations like this. She walked carefully, continuing on the path with more caution then before. Stay on your guard, Reinhart. You never know who that could’ve been.
༉‧₊˚. juliette rostova.
outer city path; after conversation with clarissa.
‘who’s there?’ juliette almost snorted - almost, she would have if she didn’t have as much self-control as she did now. really? ‘who’s there?’ is the best thing you can think of to ask or do right now? pathetic. a real snake was fearless. a real snake stood their ground. a real snake didn’t go around asking unnecessary questions. surely sierra wasn’t that dumb. and she was wondering why she was drawing so much unwanted attention from the more eagle-eyed members of the gang such as juliette?
juliette knew that this was potentially dangerous, but she practically lived for dangerous. sierra was more powerful than juliette and could essentially overpower her, but juliette was, well, juliette. if juliette couldn’t find a way then no one could. and she had the upper hand, and intended to keep it. and there was always the reassurance that if any snake had to pick between her and sierra, they would pick her. she was also more trained and stealthy than sierra, which was always helpful, and so was having a sister in the fighting ring.
speaking of which, juliette needed to get back early today, as rosalind had a fight tonight that she had promised to go and watch - not as if she wouldn’t go anyway if she hadn’t promised: she never missed any of rosalind’s fights - and the extra benefit, celia would be there tonight. they hadn’t told rosalind, but it was going to be a surprise, both sisters turning up to watch her fight against a sword mage - khaos sanguini, who had a bit of a nasty history with the snakes that juliette had not forgotten. she knew every snake, still a snake or not, and even many of the ones now in their graves. she made it her business to keep the gang intact and void of any, well, intruders, and that others and ex-snakes stayed far, far away.
which led her back to the prey in front of her - sierra foxtrot. she wasn’t exactly sure why she had picked on sierra, but she had seemed odd from the start. different. somewhat distanced, and way too nervous. juliette had to admit it - the girl really tried hard to mask her fear, but the mask was no match for juliette. she wasn’t sure whether it was the tensing of her shoulders, or the way she practically seethed at everything to do with club serpentine, and juliette had been observing sierra for long enough to begin doubting. naturally, every person who joined serpentine would no doubt be at least a bit nervous in their first couple of days - herself included - no matter how well they masked it. but sierra had seemed especially nervous, and not just in her first couple of days.
juliette teleported behind sierra again, smiling. “here, not there. or anywhere.” she didn’t fail to notice the locket sierra had briefly taken out before she had first revealed herself and quickly snatched it from the girl before disappearing into thin air. god, i really should have learnt illusion. instead, she teleported very quickly in a circle around sierra, never lingering in a spot for longer than a heartbeat, and said “what’s this? looks interesting.” all sierra could see of her was her black hair billowing with… no wind. it was horizontal because of her rapid movement, and after wrapping around sierra twice, juliette went back to her original hiding spot.
she opened the locket silently. it was a picture of what she assumed were sierra’s parents, and a name engraved on the side. interesting. juliette committed both to memory before closing the locket without making a sound, as she was used to. weird. she could swear on her life that she had seen the people in the locket before: they seemed very familiar, too familiar. maybe you’re getting confused with sierra, if they indeed are her parents. well, juliette intended to find out. she teleported behind sierra again. “remy. what a nice name,” she said, nails tracing around sierra’s neck where the locket belonged, before she retreated again, locket still firmly grasped in her hands.
The silence was deafening, and Lacey took note of it. Maybe this was a bad idea. I should head back to Asterath. No. You made a promise to them that you would be there. You can't take it back. She couldn't figure how the person - whom she deduced was a girl based on her voice - could've known where she was going. Sierra Fox never left any trace of herself - at least she thought she didn't.
She felt uneasy, unsure of what would happen next. For all she knew, it could've been the culprit behind all of the recent murders. But maybe not. She recognized that voice, and surely they wouldn't be dumb enough to attack someone they knew or recognized. It seemed like they went after random strangers for some reason based on the victims. But who could it have been? I should've learned conjuration. Would've helped to teleport there and be at their house already.
Being in the fighting ring definitely came in handy. She wasn't much of a physical fighter, though she did learn a bit. Weaponry was Lacey's specialty, so she relied on that more than her hand-to-hand combat skills. She knew Rosalind and Khaos from being in the fighting ring - plus, Rosalind was a Snake as well. And while Khaos wasn't a Snake, she had heard from other Snakes that he was a former member of Club Serpentine before he left. She didn't know what exactly happened, but it must've been pretty bad for him to leave. Which reminded her. She had a match in a few days, so she figured that she should start training more when she got back to Asterath.
Lacey remembered the day that she joined the Snakes. It had been a year ago when the Aracniads had given her the mission to spy on them and report back anything noteworthy. She was nervous, naturally, and still was sometimes. She always tried her best to remain calm, though she was sure even the most trained spies were nervous and almost had their cover blown. Fotunately, that part hasn't happened. At least not yet. And Lacey intended to keep it that way. By day, she spent most of her time in Club Serpentine, stealthily gathering information on them; and at night, return to the Arachniads and give her intel to them. It was ironic, really. Her parents would've been against it if they were still alive. And in a way, she was against the gangs as well. But she had a reason to be involved with gang life; revenge.
Then she heard the voice again. Suddenly, the girl grabbed Lacey's locket, circling around her and teleporting somewhere else before she could say anything. She put her sword away, looking for the girl who stole her locket. Not the time for this to be happening now. The only thing she had of her parents and brother, gone just like that. But she wasn't about to walk away without it.
She heard the girl's voice again from behind. "Remy? What are you talking about" Then it hit her, and she froze. Oh no. She must've looked at it. Which meant that she probably opened it. A part of her panicked and wanted to scream, but she didn't. She always left her locket at home when she was at Club Serpentine, knowing that it would be a giveaway if the Snakes pried and wanted to know what was inside. But apparently, she was stupid enough to wear it today. A big mistake. And she probably saw the picture of her parents. And even if she didn't know their names, Lacey was sure that she recognized them. Not good.
༉‧₊˚. juliette rostova.
outer city path; after conversation with clarissa.
juliette was very aware that she had to tread carefully here. she had already established that, yes, but sierra was now highly alert, and juliette had lost her element of surprise - willingly, of course. there was also that factor, the element of uncertainty, in the mix. sierra didn’t know who juliette was, and most definitely not her motives. at least she had the upper hand in that. and juliette was going to use that to her advantage, of course. but how?
and of course, sierra didn't know she was the more powerful one out of them either. the minute she did, juliette’s plan would go out of the window, and if there was one thing juliette hated in her current situation more than sierra and her own lack of illusion magic, it would be improvising. sometimes improvising was helpful, even juliette had to admit that, but she would absolutely detest to have to use her improvising skills today. improvising was for rosalind in the fighting ring, or celia when her sister was busy making excuses. juliette had never seen a need. her job as an assassin and infiltrator meant she had to plan everything meticulously beforehand and just execute the plan perfectly, in which she did. spying was a different matter, but still that didn't really need improvising either. juliette saw no reason as to why she ought to test her improvisation skills today.
juliette had never been one for fighting, either - well, at least compared to rosalind, so if sierra decided to draw her sword, juliette was getting the hell out of the alleyway. but then again, she could teleport, and she had never seen sierra teleport. maybe she could use that to her advantage if combat was going to happen. she knew it was unlikely, but juliette prepared herself for everything, because it never hurt to be over-prepared. the last thing she needed today was to be caught off-guard. sierra was a fighting ring fighter according to rosalind, and that was not good for juliette. as skilled as she was in blades, she was no match for a sword fighter in the ring. well, she’d have to see what sierra would do.
“i was hoping you’d be able to tell me,” juliette countered, keeping her tone even and masked it so it was as unrecognisable as possible - which was honestly pretty hard for her. “who’s remy, miss fox?” the casual slip of the words ‘miss fox’ indicated to sierra that juliette knew exactly who she was, and she didn’t know who juliette was. let her feel scared. the more scared sierra was, the more advantage she gave juliette. it was one thing juliette herself hated - the unknown - and it was likely to be the end of her. but for now, as long as she was in control of things, she was fine.
after retreating again, juliette studied the locket once more. she had most definitely, one-hundred-percent seen those people before. because one of them used to be a councillor, and the other was his wife. she only remembered them vividly because… they were known enemies of club serpentine. interesting. and if sierra was truly their daughter, she surely wouldn’t have joined the snakes without some reason that didn’t seem good for them. juliette wanted to laugh at how easily she had unraveled the entire story, but it wasn’t over. not until she knew what sierra’s motive was, and who she worked for. it wasn’t over yet. far from it.
sierra fox, who really are you? “sebastian reinhart? and why would you have known him?” juliette retreated once again, intrigued. she was so close to finding out the truth about sierra it was honestly quite funny. she was startled at her own speed and progress, but also the utter ease. there has to be a catch. this can’t be it. no, it wasn’t. it didn’t explain why sierra was in voxthain. but one truth led to another, and juliette was certain it wouldn’t be long before sierra’s entire damned history came spilling out.
Lacey was more alert than ever now. She had to be - someone did follow her all way here, after all. She still wondered how in the world this girl knew where she was going or why she would care so much to follow her to Voxthain. Did she seriously have nothing else better to do with her day besides stalking her? She scoffed at the idea, but she was determined to find out who this girl was.
Lacey wasn't one for improvising, either. It came in handy for her work as a spy for the Arachniads, though. Of course, the girl didn't know that she was a spy. And Lacey intended to keep it that way. The minute that the girl found out, if she did, it was done. Her cover would be blown if that happened. Another reason to practice to improvising skills more. She had to figure out a way to get herself out of this situation that she found herself in. But how?
Lacey had one advantage that the other girl didn't; her experience in the fighting ring, though she wasn't sure if she was aware of that fact or not. She was tempted to bring out her sword again just in case, but she decided against it. She didn't want to end up fighting with the girl when she was about to be at her grandmother and sister's house soon. Really regretting not learning teleportation now. If she would've she thought, she wouldn't be in this situation right now. She knew that even Deondra was learning conjuration since she told her. She felt like Deedee was smarter than her in that regard.
Miss Fox. Well, she definitely knew who Lacey was. Although she supposed that it was obvious considering that she followed her, otherwise she probably wouldn't have if she didn't know who she was. But she didn't know her real name. How fortunate for her. At least for now. She considered how to answer the girl's first question. "Someone very dear to me. That's all I'll say." Did she really think that Sierra Fox would tell her the truth just like that? Very naïve of her to think that if she did. She wasn't going to get the truth out of her that easily. But she was still cautious. She didn't know what would happen next.
Maybe she didn't need to tell her, though. She already partially figured out Lacey with just the locket. Which was she needed it back now. Should've just left the locket at home. What was I thinking? Lacey had made a lot of mistakes. Of course, it was natural. It's in human nature. But this was probably the biggest and dumbest mistake of her life. And it was all because of that darn locket that she had to wear today.
She froze when she heard her father's name. Sebastian Reinhart. She hadn't heard his name in years. That confirmed her suspicions that the girl him. She remained calm as she spoke, though. "That's for only me to know. Better stay out of my personal business, fellow Snake." She deduced that the girl was a Snake, knowing that she was aware of her alias now. "Now let me ask you a question. How did you know I was here and why are you following me?" She couldn't believe that this was happening. Her true identity could possibly be revealed just like that at any minute now. And she managed to be so careful not to having her cover blown for a year. She just hoped that nothing else would be revealed to the girl.
༉‧₊˚. juliette rostova.
outer city path; after conversation with clarissa.
juliette kept her breathing minimal as she let the silence drag out between them. she thrived in silence, but for sierra, silence would not be what she would like right now. sierra’s words echoed around the alleyway before dying away, leaving them both to eerie silence. juliette’s boots made a ‘clink’ing sound when she walked, which was not necessarily to her advantage right now, but one thing juliette excelled at was mind games. and silence was her best friend when it came to these games.
she would have hated to use enchantment on sierra, but juliette saw no other way to make the girl talk. she should have known - all snakes were stubborn and cunning - but sierra wasn’t really a snake, was she? the locket with sebastian reinhart and his wife was all the proof she needed. after all, why would someone who had a clear connection to them join the snakes, when the snakes had been the ones to kill them? not just any snake, but juliette’s father himself. juliette had been young when the incident had happened, but her father was proud and a faithful snake until the end. lorenzo rostov loved keeping photos of everyone he had killed or brought down for the snakes in his office, and since juliette had taken over that office, she had seen no reason to wound her dead father’s pride, so she had lived with those pictures for years.
she had not been very close to her mother, alessia rostova. alessia had trained the twins to take over her job, and lorenzo had been in charge of training juliette. she had learnt the ruthlessness from him, but also how to love and trust family, which was ultimately lorenzo’s downfall. friends are the family you choose with your heart, they say, but juliette had no friends, only sisters. and that was enough for her. one more person close to you, one more person to potentially be used against you. and that was what was going to bring sierra and her lies down, juliette was sure. just wait and see, miss fox. just wait and see. as juliette rostova, romeo or sansa chen, it didn’t matter. as long as this was solved.
“a reinhart, perhaps? i was told they had children.” she knew exactly what to ask now. reinhart’s name had had an effect on sierra, and now she had given juliette a sign, that was all she needed. the plan was forming in juliette’s head at lightning speed as she watched sierra like a lion watching its prey. or a wolf. wolves attacked in the dead of night, like juliette. a lion, the proud animals, attacked in broad daylight. juliette would not risk it. even now, she relied on the darkness for cover, but luckily for her, asterath was underground. voxthain, however, was not, which was why the mask of sansa chen was so vital for her work in the city. but not today.
juliette was careful that her identity didn’t slip. her voice was unlikely to cause her any trouble - she had mastered accents at a young age, and she rarely spoke in club serpentine - with the exception of that afternoon of course. clarissa was a faithful snake, and even juliette could see that. but sansa chen’s identity was well-known among powerful snakes, and sierra had made herself into that circle recently. romeo was less well known, but juliette wasn’t going to risk her secret cover for sierra. it simply wasn’t worth it.
she smiled, even though she knew sierra couldn’t see. “alas, dear miss fox, your personal business is currently mine.” she had guessed that juliette was a snake, which was fine, but she couldn’t afford for her to know any more. there were lots of snakes - but few could pull this off the way juliette was able to. sierra was smart - she had to give her that. she would figure it out one day, but that day wouldn’t be today. and that was a promise. “should i say that i should be the one asking questions? i’ll give you this answer - faithful snakes stick together.” let her interpret that in whatever way she liked. juliette liked being cryptic. “the world has moved on from the reinharts. why won’t you?”
Lacey could hear the clinking of the girl's boots as the silence between them filled the air. She was definitely nearby, but she couldn't see her. Obviously hiding somewhere, though she wasn't able to pinpoint her exact location. Typical of a clever Snake. Letting their presence be known but won't show their face. How sneaky of her.
This girl was very clearly a spy, and a good one at that. Fine. Let her play her little game. Let her have a little fun. Lacey wasn't stupid. She'd figure out who this girl was. There was doubt in her mind about that.
She had to remind herself once in a while that she was doing this for her parents. She couldn't wait for the day to find the killer. And if they were still alive, it would be even more satisfying to plunge a knife through their heart. But she could've sworn that she recalled reading that there were two Snakes that killed her parents. Unless in her grief and anger she misread it. Either way, she wanted justice for her parents. Even if their killer or killers weren't alive, so be it.
Oh, she's good. "I must admit, you're pretty clever. Maybe he was a Reinhart, maybe not. I'll just leave that up to you." Okay, maybe she figured out Remy. But she couldn't afford to let anything else get revealed. It would surely be a disaster if more of her secrets got out. She supposed that there was no point in denying that fact, though. Remy's name engraved on the locket surely gave it away. "Though you seem to know the Reinharts as well as I do. How's that so?" The girl probably wasn't going to talk anytime soon. She was tempted to use her own enchantment magic. No. Wait until later.
What Lacey had noticed while observing the Snakes was that they were loyal to each other. Loyalty was a big deal among them. And she could tell just by speaking to them. Like Clarissa. She spoke to her a few times, and she knew that she considered them a family. A twisted one, but a family nonetheless. And there was Julie and Levi Wang-Liu, the twin children of a fellow Snake. She had to admit, they were the more kinder members of the gang. They still couldn't be fully trusted though. They were still Snakes, after all. Loyal may be important to the Snakes, but she could say that about the other gangs as well. Like Celia. Celia was one of the few people that she truly considered a friend. And that she was more open with. She didn't know much about her though, but she truly was a kind and genuine person. Lacey was aware of Sansa Chen's identity, the girl who was well-known among Voxthain for claiming to want to be a noble. It was honestly laughable how easy it was to get some of the Snakes to trust her. Which was perfect. All according to plan.
Lacey couldn't help but laugh. "It is, is it? Well, I guess it is now, then." But apparently this girl had to be nosy and get in her business. Guess she never heard the concept of privacy, then? Whatever. It wasn't like she could just teleport away to her grandmother and Deondra's house now. Such a pity. "Faithful Snakes stick together? I suppose you have a point." She flashed a grin, even if the girl couldn't see her. The world has moved on from the Reinharts. Why won't you?" Those words stung Lacey. Admittedly, she was right. She would never forget them, though. Even if everybody else did. But Sierra Fox wasn't about to let that get the better of her. "The Reinharts are more important to me than you'll ever know. Let's just leave it at that."
