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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Sept 6, 2023 0:43:28 GMT
A call came through on Cleo's phone. From Haleema.
Ariella, Griffin, and River stopped moving and looked towards them. Looks of worry, anger, and anticipation crossed each other faces as they waited for the phone to be answered.
Once the call was picked up, a familiar cocky voice started speaking.
“So many text messages begging for me to stop. You know the water girl did the same thing before that photo I sent. And I mean... look how she ended up," he mused. He sounded way too pleased with himself. "Though she doesn't have everything we want.
"Oh, but your little worm friend-as the dog called her-sent some nasty messages just now. No filter or self-control on that one. Almost insisting I slit their throats as retaliation."
River flinched and curled into himself, shaking hard and finding it hard to catch his breath. His injured and shaky hand went to his throat and he had to place a hand on a nearby wall to stabalize himself. His brow furrowed and he had to turn away slightly to try and regain his composure. He didn't push Ariella away when she went to comfort him this time.
“Should really get ahold of your subordinate’s, Cleo. God forbid you make it any more fun for me." Ripley threatened. He let the threat hang in the air and then took a breath to continue his thoughts. "Though its very entertaining to watch how uncoordinated you all are. Especially yesterday. Your people getting tossed around like that when trying to break into our home. Saved a couple videos that I can send if you want. Learn from your mistakes,” Ripley offered, the smug tone dripping with venomous delight.
There was a pause and a bit of shuffling on his end for a moment. He pulled the phone away from his ear as he spoke his next words. “Echo dear, stop squirming that only makes him hungrier. I don’t care if her blood is dripping on your face, get over it.” He sounded like he was scolding a child that did something bad and was on punishment. Completely uncaring of how his prisoner might feel. He seemed to bring the phone back up to his ear and smiled. “Ready?”
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Sept 6, 2023 3:10:35 GMT
Clementine Lester
Cleo looked between the others in the room and looked down as their phone began to buzz, nerves on fire as they expected more carnage from the Exiled.
Their eyes widened as they saw Luka's strongly worded messages. Amidst the panic, the girl started openly mocking the Exiled and they held their breath as she did so. She was practically begging the Exiled to do something at this point, or, one could assume, calling them on their bluff.
One message turned to two, than to three, and the final one had names on it. Cleo stared at the three named listed, looking between the messages and the others. They didn't know whether to feel pride or anger at the girl.
Then the phone rang, and they froze, eyes falling on the device in their hand. They noticed some of the others staring at them expectantly, and flicking the phone to speaker, Cleo answered the call.
Luka was right in her presumption of it being Atticus, Gwen, or Ripley. Ripley's voice started filtering through the room, and Cleo listened to the words. "You know the water girl did the same thing before that photo I sent. And I mean... look how she ended up," he said, and Cleo bit their tongue to keep from saying something angry back.
"Oh, but your little worm friend-as the dog called her-sent some nasty messages just now. No filter or self-control on that one. Almost insisting I slit their throats as retaliation." Ripley said, and Cleo feared such a thing. Luka knew just where to poke people to irritate them. Cleo knew that from experience.
They could only hope Ripley wound do no such thing to any of their friends, but their friends were at his mercy. They looked at River, who seemed to react strongly at the words, and they winced. Ripley had done just that to River, hadn't he?
"Should really get a hold of your subordinates, Cleo," Ripley continued, and Cleo's throat closed up. It was like facing a cruel reality, they were never meant to be the main leader, but they pushed everyone away and even the Exiled knew it, it seemed. A pedestal fitting for how they acted, as if everyone was below them.
They listened as he finished his words, staring at the others as the voice wafted around the room. They looked at everyone, stunned to silence themselves, watching as Guinevere's eyes widened in horror and as Ariella comforted River.
He said something to Echo, and distantly Cleo could hear the girl cry out in terror, sobs escaping her hysterically in the background, and they felt sick to their stomach. Finally, after everything, they found their voice. It was broken and pleading, looking at the phone in their hands as if it could fix everything, "Please Ripley, what do you want? Just stop, please stop hurting them."
They closed their eyes at the words, willing their emotions to calm. Panic would do them no good now, and it sure as hell wouldn't help anyone.
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Post by pallas on Sept 6, 2023 8:42:58 GMT
The phone call had arrived moments after they’d been able to make the move to the main meeting room. When Cleo’s phone had begun to ring, Lucien and Dillon’s eyes had fixed on it nervously. They looked at it as if the phone were like some kind of bomb.
It didn’t take Chiara long to get some picture of what had happened when Ripley’s voice came through the speaker. The ascendants all listened to the exchange with the exiled, the room feeling empty of oxygen with how they held their breath.
When Ripley made his threat about slitting the throats of the prisoners, Lucien’s gaze moved instantly to River. He knew that might get to him, and surely enough it had. The other boy had a very strong reaction to Ripley’s words.
Lucien approached to comfort him too, though he didn’t want to crowd River and he let Ariella take the lead. She was far better at emotions stuff than him. Lucien was mainly just there to block River from the view of the others to let him compose himself with some privacy and to offer whatever kind of support he was able to. The other man’s words were still ringing in his head about how much pain he was in, about how it hurt to breathe. Lucien wished he could take that pain away, but he knew all too well that River was also in the kind of pain Lucien’s abilities were powerless against.
Ripley went on, and Lucien’s skin crawled with every new thing he said. But his head snapped back towards Cleo and the phone when he mentioned Echo, though he did not move from his spot near River.
”Echo?” he repeated, not sure if he were terrified or furious. He couldn’t abide the thought of her suffering, and her whimpers and cries in the background made his stomach twist. ”If he touches her-“
But he cut himself off. Luka’s words had already gotten them off to a bad start and Lucien didn’t want to dig them into a deeper hole. Not to mention that he knew if he’d finished what he had wanted to say it would have only made Ripley want to hurt Echo even more if he heard it and he would not put a target on the girl’s back.
Ripley finished what he wanted to say, and Cleo responded more visibly upset than Lucien thought he’d seen them. He himself was trying to think of how best the leaders could respond to this whole situation when he unexpectedly heard Dillon speak up. The British boy seemed to not be in shock any longer, though of course he still looked pale and worried. He seemed simply to have regained his ability to think straight.
”Okay so now we’ve done the attempts at intimidation maybe we can actually talk.” the boy answered ”No need to hurt them, you’ve got our attention. What do you want?”
He put a hand on Cleo’s shoulder for a moment, a brief gesture that he was there to support them. He didn’t want Cleo to have to feel like they were on their own in this conversation.
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Post by Nari on Sept 6, 2023 12:59:25 GMT
When the two were still in medbay, and Fenrir’s voice came through the phone, Theo didn’t utter a word. After all the times the beast stared him down like a piece of steak, it felt safer to not let his presence be known for the time being. Especially while Luka was already making herself known by insulting the wolf. It felt good to listen to at first, especially since the two weren’t in any immediate danger, though the feeling didn’t last long.
“Yeah, who gives the dog a phone,” Theo muttered once the call ended. It may have been an amusing image if it were a better situation, “well we should probably-”
He trailed off when he noticed Luka had started furiously typing something into a group chat. Leaning his head into see, he suddenly froze as if a ball of panic was dropped from his heart to his gut, clawing and ebbing as he realized what she was doing. By the time she finished her third text, Theo snatched the phone from her grip and held it out of reach.
“D-don’t do that!” he breathed, clearly in a panic, “the worst thing you can do is provoke them! Did you forget what happened with Chiara’s arm?” If the exiled decided that her tirade was offensive enough, there was nothing stopping them from taking it out on the prisoners. Haleema’s condition was enough proof of that.
When Dillon’s voice rang through the intercom, and Luka prompted them to go as well, the boy simply nodded. He pocketed Luka’s phone and the two walked to where the meeting room was. Until he was sure everyone was safe, or if Luka exhibited some restraint, he wasn’t intending on handing her phone back to her.
As they finally made it to where everyone else was, and the man behind the messages spoke through Cleo’s phone, the anxiety Theo felt intensified. Luka’s messages had caught their attention, and the man (Ripley as everyone seemed to call him) toyed with the idea of killing one of the prisoners in retaliation. It took a lot of self control on the champion of Bauldr’s end to not raise his arms at the threat in a ‘told you so’ fashion. Instead, he stood where he was, watching Cleo and Dillon do their best to defuse the situation.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Sept 6, 2023 17:05:31 GMT
Luka Ravina
Luka glared at Theo when he took her phone, her green eyes blazing fury as she lunged for her phone back, but severally overestimated the amount of blood and strength her body has left after being sucked dry of the stuff. Wobbling in place, she pointed at him instead, "give me my phone back," she growled at her friend.
Dillon's voice caused her to end her tirade, and the girl walked with Theo to the meeting room. She walked in, glaring ahead of her, blood leaking through the fingertips of her right hand. It wasn't much, just a few drops down her arm. However, 'tis was the consequence of pulling out an IV.
Walking in, she seemed to take notice of a voice, some douche bag was on the phone with Cleo, and she found her right eye twitching in annoyance. Strangely, however, she bit her tongue for the moment.
Then they brought Echo into it, and she was pushing herself closer to the phone, her voice dripping anger, "Ready? We've been ready, you fucking idiot, get with the program," she commented, ignoring Cleo's aghast and panicked look as she grunted in annoyance once again, "just state the terms of service already-"
A hand was slapped over her mouth and Luka fought against the person holding her down and covering her mouth.
"Ignore her, please," Cleo replied, raising their voice to drown out the girl who was insisting on insulting the man. She was still out of it, obviously, and her anger was palpable. "she doesn't represent us, she's...low on blood right now. Please, what do we need to do?"
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Post by pallas on Sept 6, 2023 17:23:37 GMT
When Luka burst into the room, blood dripping down the arm that had previously had the IV, Chiara looked over. She noticed Lucien also turn to see his friend, relief flashing across his face to see her up and on her feet only to look momentarily concerned when his eyes flicked down to the bleeding arm.
But then Luka started going off on a fresh tirade, and Chiara moved across the room to the girl as quickly as she was able. Theo had already put his hand on her mouth, but Chiara stopped in front of her and put her hand on her friend’s shoulder.
”Luka, I know you’re angry and you’re scared, I appreciate that. But this situation is far too delicate for you to be running your mouth.” began the girl ”This man is volatile, he’s unpredictable, and he will take out what you say on the others. So I know you don’t fucking listen to me but now would be a really good time to start. If you don’t shut up, they could die. Do you understand?”
Her voice was not angry, she was not shouting. But it was very firm. Luka wouldn’t listen to anger or raised voices, Chiara had learned that of the other girl. But perhaps what she needed in that moment was to be talked to calmly. Or as calmly as Chiara was able in that moment.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by Nari on Sept 6, 2023 17:43:00 GMT
Theo really wished Luka knew when to keep her mouth shut. It was bad enough with the phone earlier, but when she started running her mouth again, the boy was just about ready to explode from anxiety. As quickly as he could, he positioned himself behind her before wrapping his arms around her to hold her in place. One arm was over her shoulders while his other hand landed roughly over her mouth to stop her from talking.
“Luka can you shut up!?” He whispered harshly, angry and panicked. Chiara had placed herself between them and the phone, trying to make her see reason. Theo then began to drag her to the other side of the room and further away from the room. If he got the inkling that she was going to start raising her voice again, he was ready to take her out of the room.
“You’re at a 16 and I need you to be at more of a 7.”
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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Sept 6, 2023 18:15:07 GMT
"Shut up! Everyone just shut the fuck up!" River snapped angrily though his eyes landed directly at Luka. He was hunched down on the ground, still shaking hard. One hand on his chest trying to control his erratic breathing. It sounded raspy and his eyes were wide as he recounted the knife against his skin. He could feel it cutting him all over again. River hoped none of them had been put through what he had. He hoped that Haleema wasn't actually dead and they were just trying to freak them out.
Ariella was rubbing her hand along River's back. She was trying to get him to call down but it was only getting worse. He seemed to flinch under every touch. Griffin was pacing off to the side trying to figure out what to do. What he could do. At the moment it didn't seem like anything.
Ripley laughed as everyone started speaking over each other. Yelling for specifically Luka to be quiet. "See? Uncoordinated." Ripley teased. "I'm having so much fun learning about you all. Especially, with your little Venice group you left behind, Dillon. Irene got dropped from Zeus?" Ripley sucked his teeth and paused. "That sucks. Might wanna go check on them, Atti just got back and you know how he feels about Irene. But, fine I'll hurry up. Have to get back to the boyfriend anyway," He seemingly shrugged and changed the subject as to why he was calling.
His tone darkened slightly into something somewhat more serious. But there was still a smile on every single one of the words. A glee that only seemed to grow at each thought. “I’m going to send a location and a time. You’re going to come with a handful of people no questions asked. I get a single question from anyone, I kill another of your friends. You plan to attack us at this meeting, I kill another one of your friends and whoever you bring. You try to break in again, I kill all of them in front of you. Dumb bitch over there speaks again i'm killing specifically Laurie next. Really Cleo get it together," Ripley scolded with a tut tut tut of his tongue.
There was shuffling on his end as he stepped on something wiggling. He shushed the person under his boot and continued speaking. "You so much as breath wrong, you'll see me very soon with little Echo's head in my hands," Blows landed with each word of his next sentence. "Isn't. That. Right. Echo?"
He sighed heavily and crouched down next the the girl. He put the phone up to her ear and distantly could be heard encouraging her to speak. Softly, like he hadn't just kicked her several times as hard as he could. He let her have a few moments. Proof of life and all that nonsense.
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Post by pallas on Sept 6, 2023 19:10:02 GMT
Lucien had been relieved at Luka’s entry until he saw the blood running down her arm. Fuck, she’d ripped out her IV. Not great. But then she started afresh on a tirade. Chiara and Theo went to try and stop her but it only made River worse.
He didn’t know what to do. Go to River or Luka? Both needed help. But he judged that Luka had two people around her; right now she didn’t need another. Plus he was already with River.
So he crouched in front of River, trying to remember what he’d learned about panic attacks. His mother used to get them, there were these breathing exercises she’d always done.
The boy didn’t say anything at first, just caught River’s eye and began to breathe the way his mother used to do. In for four, hold for four, out for four. He counted the sets of four on his fingers so River could follow it he wanted to.
The teenager tried to think about what else might help. At least it was distracting him from Ripley’s voice coming through the phone. He laid his hand on the floor, surprised at the coolness. If River followed that movement too it might help ground him.
But Lucien knew he was out of his depth here. This was more than he knew how to handle, however much he wanted to help. His eyes strayed over to Theo, who was holding Luka, and in a split second seemed to have made some nonverbal agreement with the other boy without even speaking.
He rose to his feet, heading over to Luka and letting Theo hand her over to him. He didn’t put his hand over his friend’s mouth this time, trusting her now that the others had explained. If he needed to he could cover it again. Instead he positioned himself behind her as Theo had, but held her in a hug. A steadying, stabilising embrace that could restrain her if he needed it to.
He made soft hushing sounds at first to try and calm Luka down, to try and offer whatever form of comfort he might be able to conjure up - which was limited.
But he quickly moved to the only way he could think of to help defuse how Luka was feeling.
”You had to yank the IV out, didn’t you?” he joked quietly after a moment ”that took me ages, you ungrateful menace.”
Anything to distract her, break her anger. He was trying anything.
Then instructions came through from Ripley about a meeting. About all the things he would do if the instructions weren’t followed or if the ascendants tried anything. Lucien tried to push down the flash of anger he felt when Ripley called Luka a dumb bitch, desperate not to react after the girl’s angry outburst, but his grip tightened on his friend momentarily. Partly to stop her from reacting and partly out of his own anger.
And then Ripley threatened Echo. Lucien had to turn his head away from the phone, as if that would help him not have to hear it, tensing with every blow. He clenched his jaw, hot anger rising in him at the thought of Ripley hurting Echo like that. Echo who would never hurt a fly, who was the least deserving person of pain that Lucien could possibly think of.
The list of exiled Lucien would like to use as target practice now had its third member.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by pallas on Sept 6, 2023 19:29:41 GMT
Dillon’s relieved exhale came down the phone the moment he heard Irene’s voice. The fear that it would be an exiled’s voice he would hear abated, and he felt at least a little more like he could breathe.
Now, he wasn’t the type to say ‘I told you so’, especially in these types of scenarios. So he stayed quiet when Irene acknowledged that he’d been right about the risk of an exiled attack. Instead he listened eagerly for what she said next, desperate to know if they were okay.
”Thank god you’re alright, he told me and he sounded so fucking smug and I-” a tumble of words spilled from his mouth, the boy so happy to know his friends were okay but so unsettled by what Ripley had said.
Then Irene told him that she’d gotten texts and asked him what was happening back at the Pantheon.
Dillon didn’t even know where to begin explaining the horrors of that morning, but he took a shaky breath and did his best to begin.
”Ripley Gates is happening.” Dillon replied gravely ”He sent us those horrible pictures and now he’s on the phone with Cleo. He was threatening to hurt Echo and the others. I didn’t hear it properly because I came out to take your call but I think they want some sort of meeting. We clearly have something that they want.”
He couldn’t think what. The exiled already had about half a dozen of the ascendants and Dillon had no idea what it was the ascendants had that the exiled could want. Apart from maybe the Pantheon, but he didn’t get the feeling that was what they were after this time.
”I don’t know what’s going to happen, but you need to be careful in Venice. You’re still at risk out there and the exiled are getting far too bold.”
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by Nari on Sept 6, 2023 19:41:28 GMT
Theo winced at River’s sudden outburst, momentarily shutting up and shifting his attention from the phone to the other boy. There was something uncomfortably familiar with his reaction to everything. He wasn’t doing good and it only seemed to be getting worse as the Ripley guy spoke.
It reminded him of himself. Reacting to some awful memory that wouldn’t go away. The difficulty breathing the fear… that wound on his neck seemed to be doing him no favors.
He had an idea what to do, but he didn’t want to take his attention off of Luka in case she tried to say something stupid again. Watching Lucien step forward to help the man, he tried briefly before turning to Theo. Their eyes locked and without saying anything, the two made a plan. The champion of Baulr pushed Luka into Lucien’s grip before he walked over to where River sat.
“Ariella, can you give him some space please?” Theo asked his friend gently. It was obvious she was trying to comfort him, but River’s reaction to her touch wasn’t helping him calm down. When she finally moved, he knelt down to the other boy’s level.
“River, it’s Theo,” the champion began softly, “I want you to focus on my words okay? Nothing else.” Hopefully if he could distract River from the call going on, it would help what he’s currently going through. He was usually able to use his powers to calm himself down, so this couldn’t be much different than that.
“Think about where you are right now. Whatever hurt you isn’t here right now. Now I want you to clear your mind and just breathe. Clear mind and breathe.” He repeated the final sentence over and over, the words blending together to a drone as they got replaced by feeling. Just the feeling of calm and slow breathing. He wouldn’t stop the assurance until River was able to calm down.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Sept 6, 2023 21:57:26 GMT
Echo Deirdre
Echo was terrified, perhaps more terrified than she'd been when that gun had been pointed at her and Nephthys had stepped in to help her.
Her eyes stared vacantly ahead, tears escaping them. She was hyperventilating, and soon, she was fighting against her restraints. It was so much worse when Haleema was taken, with that wolf dangling her friend over her.
It started like rain. Lukewarm and hot, it fell in droplets like rain in the middle of a muggy summer afternoon. It hit her cheek, running down like her tears did. But it wasn't water, and it wasn't rain.
It was blood, and she closed her eyes as it fell, terrified wails escaping her as she started fighting against her restraints. Anything to get out of this nightmare. She wanted to go home. She wanted River.
But he was gone, and a new onslaught of tears fell from her eyes. Ripley had told them he was gone. River was dead, and she still hadn't come to terms with it.
"Echo dear, stop squirming that only makes him hungrier. I don’t care if her blood is dripping on your face, get over it," she heard Ripley say, and she wiggled more, trying to get away from him and the wolf. She wanted to go home. She wanted Lucien and Luka and Theo and Chiara and she wanted River.
She cried out again as more blood fell, but fell silent soon in fear. Ripley was talking to someone, she knew that much.
Then something stepped on her, and she fought more against her restraints. It was a sentence, then it was a pain. Four words, four kicks to her side, and she cried out in pain as they landed. The first was the first, followed by a lighter kick that had her hoping it would stop then, but two more followed, both like the first, and she felt something in her chest break, crying out for him to stop to no avail.
The phone was by her when she reopened her eyes, and she stared at it as if it would save her. As if it would save them all. She tried to stop her panicked breaths and cries for a moment, she needed to communicate with them, "I'm okay," she got out, the lies slipping past her softly, the words shaky and barely able to be heard, "please, help us. I want to go home. I want River," the last words were eclipsed with a sob, and she laid her head back down, closing her eyes again against the pain and fear. She wanted to go home. More than anything she wanted that, and she wanted River, but River was dead, wasn't he? But she could hope and dream regardless.
She wanted to go home.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Sept 6, 2023 22:18:18 GMT
Luka Ravina
Luka had been surprised when she had been grabbed, her anger increasing before it gave way entirely to something else. Her bloodied fingers slid down her arm and she froze, the crushing grasp around her body felt like it was tightening by the second.
Her limbs, already shaky, started to shake a bit more, and the look in her eyes went from angry and scared to just plain terror.
What was crushing her? What...what was causing her to bleed?
Chiara was in front of her, and Luka was worried for her. Her arm. Her arm was bleeding wasn't it. The wolf got her arm again.
The words, however, seemed to get to her. Her eyes were stinging, Echo was crying out (cries, that happened yesterday, Fenrir attacked all of them), River was panicking, and Laurie....Ripley just threatened him.
Her eyes wavered over Chiara's form, and she tried to nod, but something was dragging her and without her knowledge, her fingers went to dig into whatever had a hold of her. It was too much pressure. It was closing in, and she couldn't stand it. She wanted it gone. She thought about biting at whatever was over her mouth, but she realized belatedly it was only Theo.
As soon as he left to change places with Lucien, she wavered in place, looking down at her hands and narrowing her eyes at them. She wasn't in any pain, but she felt a terror under her skin that seemed to alleviate as soon as Theo left.
It was back again when Lucien got to her, but it wasn't nearly as bad. The hug would normally be appreciated, but any pressure on her torso terrified her. It reminded her of the fangs, of being unable to escape, of the pressure.
It was only Lucien and Theo though, and they were only there to help. She took a few deep breaths and stared at Chiara then Cleo who was on the phone still. When Lucien joked with her, she opened her mouth to joke back, but found herself unable to. She feared if she tried to speak, it would unclog the tears in her eyes, and she couldn't stand to cry in front of anyone.
Instead, she forced a smile at his words and squeezed his arm back in retaliation, but also in a silent request. Her breaths, while nothing like River's panic attack, were faster and shallower than usual, as if she didn't want to extend them too much and cause her body to crush any more. She felt so close to panic, but it seemed having people around was helping keep her from approaching the stage River had.
Still, her arms gravitated to leg and torso, as if checking to make sure they were no longer injured. She let her body gravitate to sit on the ground to recover, facing away from Lucien as she forced her voice to work, "I'm...so-" she stopped, wincing, apologizing wasn't something she was good at, and instead she switched directions, "I'm good now, I-I don't want him to hurt her anymore. I'll stop," she commented, before her voice came out slightly hardened, but quiet, "let go."
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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Sept 6, 2023 22:58:25 GMT
Pain sliced through his skin, across his arms, his chest, his face. Especially his throat. The cold knife pressed against his jugular, the kid to his back and ribs. The heavy boot that stomped down on his hand over an over and over again over and over again. The hit to his nose as he tried to crawl away on that dusty freezing factory floor. His body screamed in agony. Telling him to run to get away.
He gasped out breath, as if he could no longer take it unconsiously. He pulled into himself tighter as the laugh echoed in his ears. Every tease and taunt telling him to get on his feet. But he couldn't his legs didn't work.
He couldn't stop the tears running down his face, he couldn't stop staring at the ground around him. Unblinking, wide-eyed terror. He hated that Ripley was on the phone. It could have been from anyone else. Any of the other exiled leaders could have called why did it have to be this piece of shit. He hated knowing that Laurie was there with them or possibly-
His hand went to touch the bandages at his neck, as if they would help him find a way to breath easier. But his breath would always be raggedy and harsh. He was still recovering. It was how he was breathing that he needed to get control over. So he started listening to Theo. In and out slowly. In and out.
His breath sounded worse than what was actually happening. But it was slowing. Calming down to a point where he wasn't frozen against the wall.
Then he heard Echo.
Immediately, he started trying to get up. "Echo-" he started softly but Ariella stepped back in. She didn't touch him because Theo was right, and not touching him seemed to be helping him much more than before. But she held her hands out and stood in front of him. Blocking his path.
Her eyes were sympathetic as she whispered her words. "Stay quiet."
River paused and remembered the situation. This wasn't his time to speak. Sitting back down, he covered his mouth with both hands and rested his head against the wall. Still crying very hard but calmer. And so much angrier.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Sept 6, 2023 23:44:04 GMT
Clementine Lester
Cleo felt a mounting panic in their lungs, and they stared at the phone in horror as Echo's voice and subsequent sobs came through. When she cried about wanting River, Cleo looked up at him, seeing his reaction to the words. They could tell he wanted to go to her, protect her from harm, and their heart broke more at that idea.
They hated the thought off meeting this lunatic, but the had no other options. Looking between the others in the room, they clicked the phone off speaker and held it to their ear, their gaze hardened and voice back to that stoic, professional one.
"Understood," they only uttered that word, waiting to see if Ripley had anything else to say.
They had to get everyone back, they needed help, urgently.
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