I will not bow, I will not break | June Catchall

[lasergrenades]

Characters: Pepper Potts, Devin Parker and you!
Date: Throughout June
Location: Keeliai
Situation: Pepper is busy with police work, Devin is being Devin.
Warnings/Rating: Mentions of blood because vampire. Others will be added as needed.


A. [Pepper] KPD | Throughout June | Open

Pepper is busy. Very, very busy. After the attacks, she seems to spend more time away from home than ever. She can't just go full tilt the whole time on her own, though. There's a department to run and people are turning to them for assistance, so when she's not helping with recovery she's organizing shifts and crews and coordinating logistics with some of the gangs that have called a truce and offered their help, as well as other groups across the city.

She doesn't sleep as much as she probably should, and it may occasionally be possible to spot her snoozing at her desk.

B. [Pepper] Jade Dojo | Early June | Bakura

Despite positively throwing herself into work, Pepper still made a point to visit the dojo when she could manage it. The last week in May and the first week of June don't give her much time to practice, but she would drop by to see Bakura and maybe help with weapons maintenance if she was there around sunset. There had been enough scolding attempts that Pepper had in fact gotten a few hours of sleep every night, but at some point even that wasn't enough. She reached the dojo a bit after dark, intent on curling up next to her favorite thief and unwinding over dinner, but only made it as far as the couch before she fell asleep almost immediately.

C. [Devin] Water Sector | June 1 | Heather

While Devin was not exactly thrilled by the arrangement that he'd made with Heather, but having multiple donors in a city where Foreigners have a tendency to vanish at the drop of a hat is the smart choice. There are a great many things and a great many people more important than his ego. The Healers Guild seemed the safest place for the experiment, and after an initial taste test doesn't send him careening into a frenzy, he's satisfied that her blood will do.

As requested, Devin goes to meet with her not long after. Unlike their previous meeting he's not quite so composed; there's something wild at the edges of him, and a sharpness in his gaze when he spots her and crosses to where she's sitting.

D. [Devin] Metal Sector | Mid June | Open

Keeliai isn't huge, but it's large enough that it's going to take some time for Devin to learn every street and alleyway. The act of memorization gives him something to do when he'd not at the police headquarters and keeps him busy enough that he doesn't stay at the Hotel much. Eventually, he'll move out, but he needs enough money for things like furniture. The Metal Sector has his interest currently, and the vampire winds up and down each street, occasionally stopping to take notes in a small journal. He looks pensive most of the time, and can usually be convinced to chat.

E. [Pepper] Turtle's Head | Mid June | Valdis/Gene

So, the past month or so has kind of sucked, and Pepper rarely found herself needing peace and quiet but... well, she needed some now. Jade Dojo and Bakura usually fit the bill there, but the serenity that the turtle's head offered was tempting enough that she took a hike out there a few times. Pepper brought her deck with her, as had become her custom, and was working with Vee to summon her in a smaller size. It wasn't too difficult, but getting into a habit of it seemed like a smart idea. The ka also consented to sit with Pepper after a certain point, sans much of her armor, and discuss deck orientation and strategies, remarking that the calm of the turtle was evident to her as well. It was a little easier to breathe here.

F. [Devin] Sky Sector | Early June | Valdis

In anticipation of her home becoming a potential cultist target, Devin had warded Valdis' house so that only she could come and go. Recent events - namely Valdis getting mildly possessed - suggested that having access to her home in the event of a similar emergency might be wise. The sword, Revelations, could have been useful to assist her and instead he ended up warding her into a room at the Healers Guild (although that might have been necessary anyway). All told, it's made him realize that he might want to alter the wards at her house somewhat; Devin has zero interest in handling Revelations ever again, but he can't deny that if he needs to use it, he ought to be able to reach it.

The vampire arrived at Valdis' house a little before sunset and knocked sharply on her door to announce his presence.

G. [Pepper] Earth Sector | Early June | Raine

Pepper has been working really hard since the attacks, and has had to be reminded to slow down (which she doesn't always listen to), and she knows that Raine and the other healers undoubtedly have been going near non-stop as well. Raine in particular has a way of spreading herself thin at times like these. So, if Pepper is going to get nudged by those around her to take a break, she's going to pass the nagging on. It's not as though she hasn't already made a habit of appearing at Raine's apartment or work with treats in hand, and today is much the same. The difference this time is that some of her tiredness is showing, even though she's smiling broadly when she knocks on Raine's door.

OOC note: let me know if you want a specific starter or add your own!

Comments

F is for...Fish?

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis happens to be home. More often than she is used to since all she has is a few classes at the Dojo. She was sitting in a chair, rereading one of the few books she possessed when she felt the Vampire approaching. His essence was unique enough that it was impossible to mistake and she didn't even bother getting up to answer the door.

"Come in," She called from the living room, knowing full well that he couldn't actually come in due to the wards he had placed on her home. Despite recognizing that it had been necessary, her irritation over being locked in a room at the Healer's Guild hadn't faded and she would be sure to let him know that. She hadn't even spoken to him when he had let her out, just swept out of the Guild without a single word to anyone.

Fiiiiiiish again yes good

[annihilist]

Devin rolled his eyes at her reply, which she would surely feel as unbridled annoyance. Yes, he imprisoned her, but the alternative was her wreaking more chaos and killing people. They both knew it had to be done.

"Petulance doesn't suit you," he said to the door.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Perhaps not," came her reply, but Valdis still made no move toward getting up and going to the door. His annoyance did nothing more than give her a sense of satisfaction.

"What do you want?"

[annihilist]

Really, she was going to play it this was? Fine. Her immaturity was not his problem.

"Your incarceration has made it clear that the wards on your home being fully impermeable may not be to our advantage," Devin answered, folding his arms across his chest. "It could have been useful for me to retrieve your sword, for example. I can undo them with time, but I'd like to propose an alternative solution in case time is not on our side in the future. A backdoor."

[redlightgreenlight]

It was her turn to roll her eyes, but Valdis finally stood up, setting aside her book and walking over to the door. She still didn't open it, however, simply crossing her arms.

"You do realize that my having my sword may not have been helpful at all," she stated, "There is every possibility I might have turned it on myself, I have done so before."

Though that had been to stop the Void from attacking Bakura, the fact that the sword might have forced the entity out wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

[annihilist]

He could hear that she'd gotten closer. "I did say 'could', and not 'would'. That does not change the fact that, as one of the few people on this wretched reptile who can handle Revelations, having access to it is not unwise," Devin pointed out. "For any number of reasons. Or in the unlikely event that you become incapacitated or are otherwise in a life-threatening situation inside these walls, not having to spend several hours carefully trying to avoid electrocuting myself to reach you would be preferable."

Brute forcing it would result in a lot of pain. Devin would, he supposed, be willing to do that if it became dire, but a simple addendum to the existing wards would be far easier.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Oh, I didn't know you cared." Her tone was light, definitely sarcastic, as she reached for the door handle, unlocked it and then pulled it open.

"I do, however, see the wisdom in granting certain people access."

Valdis, for one, actually liked this wretched reptile, the fact that Devin could handle Revelations was less desirable, though useful in some ways.

[annihilist]

Lovely. An adult interaction, finally.

"I told you that I don't like wanton destruction. Ensuring your safety may better ensure that of others." Read: this was not because he had any fondness her whatsoever. "And I assumed it would be better to ask permission than forgiveness."

[redlightgreenlight]

She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "Funny, I kind of had you pegged as the opposite, though I suppose you wouldn't have survived long with that mentality. Perhaps you are more calculating, that is a bit more in line with the amount of death clinging to you."

Time to poke the bear apparently.

cw: murder, death

[annihilist]

Contrary to what Valdis might have been expected, Devin actually looks faintly amused. She's trying to throw him off, or at least get a rise out of him.

"Yes, Valdis, I've killed a lot of people. That's not exactly news. And each time, it's been a conscious choice." It was almost true, with perhaps one exception. "Neither of us would like to see what happens when it isn't." In both their cases, an utter lack of control would mean an extraordinary amount of death. "You are correct, however - I prefer to stay alive, and I do what I must to survive. Now, are we done with the attempts at insulting me?"

CW continued

[redlightgreenlight]

Insults? No. Never.

"Ah, so you are just a mass murderer then, I thought you didn't like killing humans...which means you aren't killing humans. Hmm. So I can only assume that you are killing off some other race in your world. Is it genocide? Are you an angel of death to your own kind?"

She could have brought up other things she was curious about in an attempt to piss him off, such as his bias against redheads, but that felt like too sensitive of a topic.

"Because that seems like a dangerous job for someone who wants to stay alive."

cw probably just. for the rest of this thread.

[annihilist]

There was more truth to her statement than she could possibly realize, and he looked a bit chagrined. This was not the time to be delving into his secrets, and Devin had zero intention of sharing them with her. Nevertheless, her damned empathy would tell her more than he liked.

At best, he could mask it.

The vampire shrugged, allowing some of that discomfort to surface visibly. "Someone has to do it. But since you've asked, it's both genocide and murder. Humans are, regrettably, not fully exempt." Devin's expression hardened. "But let me make one thing very clear, and if you ever imply otherwise you will regret it: I do not enjoy killing." Consider your next words carefully, Valdis. "If you're simply going to continue to make attempts to bait me, I'll come back when you've decided not to hold your stupid decision against me."

She had, after all, been the one to venture into the ritual chamber and that act had resulted in her getting possessed. If she hadn't done that, he wouldn't have had to lock her away.

YEP

[redlightgreenlight]

She seemed to have struck a nerve with just the right key to make it sing, though his irritation seemed deeper than he displayed.

"I'm an empath, Devin," she replied, "I know you don't like killing and I'm well aware that what happened was my own fault, but some things leave a bad taste no matter the circumstance."

Like the cage that she kept dreaming about, and the memories that she'd rather not have surface now, not when she was so far from that reality.

[annihilist]

As it turned out, being a one man army led to a lot of guilt.

"Then say that instead of calling attention to my broad portfolio of atrocities," Devin said sharply. "I took no pleasure in caging you, but we both know it had to be done. Have you considered that directly stating your grievances might be more productive than getting your digs in for spite? It wasn't personal, and you're making it that way."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis' eyes narrowed, "I am a very broken creature, Devin. Have been for twenty-three hundred years, and I don't remember the two hundred years before that. So which ones would you like me to air. The one where the soul I had was stolen from me by demons, or when my will was taken by the Void. Or perhaps the one when my freedom was taken by Fenrir. Those are the memories drudged up by that cage."

And that wasn't even the end of it.

"So perhaps it wasn't personal to you, but it was to me."

[annihilist]

Devin could empathize with her plight, to a point, but he continued to stand in stony defiance of her barbs. Her explanation would not be accepted as an excuse.

"That does not justify attempting to open my wounds in order to salve your own," the vampire said flatly. "I can wish that it didn't unearth all of that for you, but I will not apologize for what I did."

In part because it was still her own damn fault for going down there, and in part because it was right.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Oh, please, if I was trying to soothe my injuries I'd read a book."

Which she had been doing, up until this oh-so pleasant interruption.

"I'm not looking for an apology either, I'm glad I didn't kill anyone and that is in part because of you. But that does't mean I have to like it."

She could have kept pushing his buttons, she felt she had plenty of ammunition, but it was best to not piss off the only person on the turtle who could probably use her sword to its full ability.

[annihilist]

"I'm not expecting you to like it. No one enjoys being caged against their will," Devin remarked dryly. "That's still no cause to drag my actual misdeeds out into the open like playthings."

It was one thing to be irritable with him and another to try and hurt him. 'Disproportionate response' was the term.

"Can we return to the matter at hand?"

[redlightgreenlight]

It may not have been cause, But that wasn't why she was doing it. She simply missed the chaos. Returning to the 'matter at hand', however boring, seemed to be the wisest course of action.

"You can alter the wards for yourself and Raine."

Those two made the most sense anyway.

[annihilist]

This entire conversation could have gone much better if she had stuck to the reason he was here in the first place, but that was neither here nor there.

"Thank you," he said, not particularly caring if his exasperation was evident. Without another word, Devin pulled out his utility knife and moved closer to one side of the door frame where he had previously etched wards and ran his fingers along the outer edge of them.

He eventually stopped beneath a particular symbol and very carefully began altering it. "Tell me if I'm singing my hair off," he requested idly, since he was leaning towards the doorway where the wards currently prevented him from entering.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis rolled her eyes and headed back toward her living room to retrieve her book. She flipped it open to the bookmark and started to read as she returned to the front of the house, settling on the stairs.

"You think I'd smell it before you do?"

There was every possibility, but his hair was short and burning hair smelled horrible.

[annihilist]

Look at that, she was still deigning to speak with him. The wards were not, in fact, designed to cause that kind of damage. They were walls, at their heart, and would only hurt someone if there was a serious attempt to break through them with force.

"I was joking," Devin replied dryly. "If I do this wrong, I wouldn't get that kind of warning before I got electrocuted." His tone was almost too grave to be entirely serious. "What book did I so rudely interrupt?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis hoped for a brief second that he would get a shock from the wards, but the thought passed quickly and she didn't wish really wish him harm. She didn't look up at his question, but without missing a beat.

"Twilight."

[annihilist]

"Oh, come on. You have better taste than that," Devin groused without pausing in his work. The only reason she would possibly read that book (if it came to Keeliai at all, which he didn't think the turtle would allow) would be to tear it apart. "Besides, if you were reading that, it wouldn't have been a rude interruption but a welcome one. Let's be clear on that point."

[redlightgreenlight]

"True," she laughed, "I did try reading it once though. I didn't get very far."

She flipped the page, continuing to read even as she spoke.

"And I never understood why it was so popular."

Jane Austen was a far better writer.