Anton Shudder (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gistful) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tushanshu_logs2015-06-25 12:41 pm
gistful) wrote in tushanshu_logs2015-06-25 12:41 pm
[FORWARD DATE] Trembling, crawling across my skin
Characters: Anton Shudder, Jintou; initially CLOSED but will have an OPEN thread later.
Date: FORWARD DATED to 27 June 2015 (2016 in-game)
Location: Water Sector
Situation: Anton's made himself a target. Someone's coming to collect. (The taggening of this reward request here.)
Warnings/Rating: Violence, potentially some gore, drugging.
All things considered, and given that Anton had in recent days made a target of himself both by housing Jintou and by retrieving Malcil, things were going relatively well. That was usually when they went south, which was why Anton was especially on guard whenever Jintou wanted to go outside the Hotel.
The man was in a difficult position. Anton knew that, understood that. But just because nothing had happened didn’t mean nothing ever would. It always did. Eventually.
Jintou had some friends to visit in more than one sector, so it wasn’t an unpleasant day, wandering around the city and picking up meals from the stalls—always the stalls where food was made right in front of them. Just in case. It wasn’t unusual for Jintou, having said he was going out, to take advantage by not going back to the Hotel until evening. Babysitting duty, maybe, but Anton had never minded babysitting duty. Not too much, anyway.
Some of the visits didn’t go well. Old contacts, people affiliated with the Snakes and not, people unhappy that Jintou had been a member at all. Anton didn’t keep track of whether any were family members so much as how likely they were to be informants or potential assassins. He suspected that a number were just an excuse to avoid going back to the Hotel, in any case.
No one sprang at them from houses, shadows or other avenues, and they swung past a food market in Earth Sector to get a bite to eat before making their way back to the Hotel’s Earth Sector entrance. The crowds had thinned but Anton still kept them at the edges. It was all too easy for someone to stick a knife in their target’s ribs and walk away surrounded by people; an alley was more ominous, but made danger more overt. Whoever wanted Jintou gone was unlikely to make an obvious play.
The light wasn’t quite fading yet; in fact it seemed especially bright, and Anton had to squint to make out the shapes of some of the buildings ahead. Then they turned the corner and he realised it wasn’t the angle of light that had been casting the glare, because it was getting worse; the shades of the stone seemed brighter than they strictly should have been, and when he glanced toward Jintou the man’s clothes made Anton’s temples throb.
That wasn’t normal. Nor, Anton realised, was the tingle in his fingers. He took a breath and his heart thudded, but slow, too slow—even slower than it should have been walking through the city.
Food? No. He’d watched them prepare it. But the utensils, or anything he might have touched over the course of the day—
“This way,” he said quietly to Jintou, and gripped his arm to take him down an alley instead of the roundabout but public ways on the main streets. There were fewer people in the alleys, yes, but that just meant people would stand out if they tried to come close. The light was drilling into Anton’s eyes now, making his head swim; he was going to need the clarity. They needed to get back fast, before any ambush happened. That meant shortcuts.
Date: FORWARD DATED to 27 June 2015 (2016 in-game)
Location: Water Sector
Situation: Anton's made himself a target. Someone's coming to collect. (The taggening of this reward request here.)
Warnings/Rating: Violence, potentially some gore, drugging.
All things considered, and given that Anton had in recent days made a target of himself both by housing Jintou and by retrieving Malcil, things were going relatively well. That was usually when they went south, which was why Anton was especially on guard whenever Jintou wanted to go outside the Hotel.
The man was in a difficult position. Anton knew that, understood that. But just because nothing had happened didn’t mean nothing ever would. It always did. Eventually.
Jintou had some friends to visit in more than one sector, so it wasn’t an unpleasant day, wandering around the city and picking up meals from the stalls—always the stalls where food was made right in front of them. Just in case. It wasn’t unusual for Jintou, having said he was going out, to take advantage by not going back to the Hotel until evening. Babysitting duty, maybe, but Anton had never minded babysitting duty. Not too much, anyway.
Some of the visits didn’t go well. Old contacts, people affiliated with the Snakes and not, people unhappy that Jintou had been a member at all. Anton didn’t keep track of whether any were family members so much as how likely they were to be informants or potential assassins. He suspected that a number were just an excuse to avoid going back to the Hotel, in any case.
No one sprang at them from houses, shadows or other avenues, and they swung past a food market in Earth Sector to get a bite to eat before making their way back to the Hotel’s Earth Sector entrance. The crowds had thinned but Anton still kept them at the edges. It was all too easy for someone to stick a knife in their target’s ribs and walk away surrounded by people; an alley was more ominous, but made danger more overt. Whoever wanted Jintou gone was unlikely to make an obvious play.
The light wasn’t quite fading yet; in fact it seemed especially bright, and Anton had to squint to make out the shapes of some of the buildings ahead. Then they turned the corner and he realised it wasn’t the angle of light that had been casting the glare, because it was getting worse; the shades of the stone seemed brighter than they strictly should have been, and when he glanced toward Jintou the man’s clothes made Anton’s temples throb.
That wasn’t normal. Nor, Anton realised, was the tingle in his fingers. He took a breath and his heart thudded, but slow, too slow—even slower than it should have been walking through the city.
Food? No. He’d watched them prepare it. But the utensils, or anything he might have touched over the course of the day—
“This way,” he said quietly to Jintou, and gripped his arm to take him down an alley instead of the roundabout but public ways on the main streets. There were fewer people in the alleys, yes, but that just meant people would stand out if they tried to come close. The light was drilling into Anton’s eyes now, making his head swim; he was going to need the clarity. They needed to get back fast, before any ambush happened. That meant shortcuts.
no subject
"I'm not going to die," he says, but firmly and more for Erskine than anyone else. He won't die like this; poisoned, taken by surprise. He won't die the same way Hopeless did. He refuses.
He listens to them go descend the stairs behind him, and takes another breath, and lets it out, and waits for others to arrive.
no subject
Despite the lack of obvious major injury, she will not be particularly satisfied with what she finds. Still, mindful of what he said on the radio, she proceeds to the actual meat of taking a sample -- a few small ones, for redundancy's sake. "I take it you were poisoned, if that's your concern. Then will you let me heal you?" Her tone is brisk, cool, any genuine fear hidden away in favor of mild exasperation.
no subject
Anton had unleashed his gist and had still lost Jintou, but Valdis could care less about the former Snake at the moment. She moved around Raine, waiting until the woman was finished taking blood samples, before releasing a sharp, worried chuff. Then she gently pushed her way between Raine and Anton and laid down, resting her head on his lap.
no subject
"Hey boss, you all right?"
He then took a moment to look around, seeing the damage to the surrounding buildings and the Kedan trying to pick things up.
"Damn... what happened here?"
no subject
Unless you were paying attention, it would be pretty hard to notice Shay Cormac approach the scene, since he was quite adept at being stealthy. Still, he drops down into the alley from atop a pile of rubble, mask pulled over the bottom half his face.
"I can help track the ones who did this." Assuming his Sense co-operated. It's been hit-and-miss ever since he came to Keelial. He nods to Raine. "Since I'm assuming he's in the best of care."
no subject
The wolf's head in his lap wasn't even all that much of a surprise, taking into account the time Larrikin had brought a litter of puppies into camp and forced them on each of the Dead Men. Anton had gotten used to having a rottweiler flop in his lap for those two decades.
"I did," he said in answer to Yuri, pausing to breath. "Too slow." The frustration was audible. This shouldn't have happened. "Took him down." He turned his head enough to indicate the yawning stairs behind him. "Two left that I saw." His brow furrowed and he lifted his head enough to at least indicate he was squinting at Yuri. "Who's watching the Hotel?"
Aqua was invested in Jintou. She wouldn't stay away. If Valdis and Yuri were here ... maybe Tadashi, or one of the kedanese ex-gang-members Anton trusted.
no subject
He hadn't answered her question. She didn't blame him for the dodge, really, since there were urgent matters at hand, except that she considered his health also an urgent matter. "I assume you wanted to be sure whatever was used to poison you could be analyzed," she said, quiet but no less intent for it. "In twenty minutes at the most, whether I have your permission or not, I am going to heal you before I can no longer purge the poison from your system."
She didn't elaborate why, only directed a significant glance at the hound. Which Anton might well miss, exhausted as he seemed.
Shay and Yuri each received brief nods in turn, but her attitude was terse, her focus almost entirely on Anton himself, looking for the slightest sign that he was worsening. Jintou was important, but right now, a secondary concern: there were competent people who could handle it. Anton was currently her priority.
no subject
He smelled wrong, not strong and healthy like usual. He felt wrong, his normally stable state out of kilter. Her ears picked up his irregular heartbeat and she felt each shiver that wracked his body. She slowed her breathing, taking deeper, longer breaths, hoping to coax his breathing into matching hers.
Anger simmered beneath her calm and concerned surface. Anger at the ones who had done this. The responsible party would regret provoking her ire and when she found them, they would die agonizing deaths. But for now, she tried to keep the anger in check, stopping a growl in her throat from rising too loudly. Anton's safety was more important than her revenge and her anger would only place stress on her other allies.
If anyone not a foreigner moved too close to Anton, they would get no warnings, only teeth. Shifting her head slightly, she opened her eyes to look at Raine, her irises a bright, blood red. The woman was the only one here she trusted to heal Anton, and probably the only one to realize what might happen should Anton die.
no subject
"The Hotel? ... I dunno. Shouldn't that Skull digging guy be there?"
This said as he started scratching at his arms absently. Anyone that looked would see dark blotches on his arms, chest and neck. Obviously though, the idea that the Hotel would need watching hadn't crossed his mind. Did it need watching? There should be plenty of people there right?
His eyes then focused on Valdis.
"That's a big dog."
No really, she makes Repede look tiny. He didn't recognize Valdis at all, having never seen her in her hound form. But he knew dogs and she didn't seem like a threat. To them at least.
Sorry this is so late!
Shay's momentum is temporarily stopped as he realises that. Anton wouldn't have asked if he knew Skulduggery or Erskine were still there.
"Uh, I can..." He looks in the general direction of the building. "If you want, I can run back and watch over it?" He looks to Yuri. "Unless you...?"
and then i failed too, sorry all orz
He opened his eyes again, focussing on Raine. He'd heard her, almost forgotten to answer. "How many do you have?"
No one present were technically or medically minded, except for Raine herself. Perhaps the resources of the Guild would be enough.
no subject
Anton was her priority for now. "Three, and the materials for more if necessary, though I'd prefer not to." He was already weak. His mystery condition was on her mind, too, though that had lain more or less dormant for centuries. Still, compounding the poison with much more seemed imprudent.
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Yuri lifts up his hands in apology to... the... dog. Or whatever it is. "Sorry, nothing personal."
But back to Anton. "Are you expecting an attack, or something?" Because Yuri can help out there too, especially if the bone guy has already gone on ahead.
no subject
And, with a nod to the others, he's going to start heading back to the hotel.
feel free to make your tags wrap up tags, i think this is about as far as we're gonna get
"Perhaps," he answered Yuri after a moment. "Malcil is there. It should remain guarded."
But he wouldn't tell Yuri to go back. Wasn't sure he did; his words trailed off, his ability to think slowing bit by bit. He wasn't going to die. He knew that. He just felt terribly tired and pained, and knew he was losing the ability to think coherently.
No one else seemed to be coming. When Raine healed him, he definitely wasn't going to object.
o7
The same old white circle spun only briefly, quick and steady. "Recover." The result was a pale light that settled over Anton, cool as it purged the poison from him. When she was done Raine sat back again, watching, and she did not plan to let Anton out of her sight until she was sure he was all right.
Still. He would be in good hands, wouldn't he?
no subject
no subject
It didn't look like he was needed here anyway. He wasn't exactly a healer, and apparently Skullduggery had already gone after whatever had attacked Anton. He'd probably be of most use back at the hotel like he'd been asked.
So with that, Yuri takes his leave, but not without scratching at his arms again. Darn that squid ink.