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Post by Thea on Jun 17, 2023 2:57:16 GMT -5
Jasper led the way to his room, dropping his emptied plate into the sink with a mumbled, "Thanks," to his uncle Tim. Silent as a shadow, he walked with a purpose up the stairs. He should be skeptical of his estranged brother. Yesterday he came with a missive to assassinate Hallie. Before then the only interaction he and his siblings had with them is through gifts that were magicked to them. The young shifter was putting faith in someone that hadn't earned his trust but gained the ire of both Thea and his mother.
Maybe he was desperate. Jasper sure as hell didn't care about the potential dangers of being seen by Hagar the Reaper. Instead he was ... hopeful. It bloomed in his chest, timid as the first flower of Spring. Up until now, he felt like he was running on auto-pilot. Everything had been bleeding together like watercolor paints. Now it was all coming into focus.
He was going to see his mate again.
Before Jade disappeared, Jasper always liked to keep his door closed. Much like Dimitri, he favored privacy. Afterward he hadn't really cared. Not even when he crashed with Thea at the Guild. He barely slept. Didn't tinker with his metallic projects. His gaming PC was collecting dust from his disuse. For the first time in a long while he was actually seeing his room. And how cluttered it was. Between the loose gears peaking out from under his bed and the grease stain by the window, however, it was easy to pick out the pale pink jacket of Jade's she left in his room when it was still cold outside. Her scent had long since faded away - fingers crossed that Jackson didn't need it.
With gentle fingers he tugged it from under his pillow. The jersey material was still soft. "Now what?"
***
Each Guild associate had a phone designated for work. There was no personalization on it. No photos, no music. Only one app, whose sole purpose was to make things easier for the assassin in an ever growing - and ever watchful - outside world. Designed by the IT portion of the Guild, it helped assassins and rescuers alike to communicate, collaborate, and recon with their teams. Soloists like Lark were able to accept simpler jobs. The Healers were able to tap into medical charts and see patients' vitals. The geeks were able to hack mainframes and dismantle firewalls from it, too. As director, Thea was able to access everything.
Did she use it? Not really. Only in times like these, it seemed, when it was supposed to be her weekend off. Not for the first time, she cussed her absent cousin out for leaving her to the role of leader. Of which Thea hated vehemently. Most days she felt like she was drowning. Fighting so hard to keep afloat when half of the people she was supposed to be in charge of hated her with a passion. With hatred came insubordination. Insubordination led to revolt.
She hoped it never came to that. That was why, when she requested for a hack into the outlet mall's CCTV footage, she channeled her diabetes-drinking mother and added a "pretty please" to the message.
"Where shall we look first?"
Thea snapped back into reality with a scowl and a slam of the trunk. Up next in her list of people to cuss out was the Universe - God, Source, whatever - for bringing Rikara into her life. She hated her not-twin. Many times she's found herself fantasizing about choke-slamming her into a pit of vipers. If her mother could hear her thoughts she was sure the Southern woman would admonish her. Tell her that Rikara did nothing wrong and to give her a chance. To stop being so hateful.
But she couldn't help it. Rikara was everything Thea wasn't. Thea wore dark hues. Rikara, pale-toned colors. Whereas Thea was a jagged stone that someone could cut their hand on, Rikara was a river-skipping rock polished and smooth. If Thea could describe her doppelganger's laugh, it would be like Tinker Bell's farts. The princess looked as if she never saw any hardship, let alone experienced it.
She was too proud to admit even to herself, but Thea was jealous.
So instead of mocking Rikara's accented proper English like she desperately wanted to do, the she-wolf rolled her eyes and pressed the camera icon that emerged in her app. "Nowhere right now."
Her answer was gruff and not very friendly. Silence stretched for a few moments as Thea searched for the camera facing the outdoor food court. Then Rikara spoke again. "But is what we are doing urgent? Finding the child?"
"No point in looking if we don't know where. If we're at one end of the parking lot and the perp is at the other, we'll spend more time trying to close the distance than actually catching them."
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rikara frown, then swivel her head one way then the other. Good. Let her keep watch until she could find any suspicious activity in the feed.
"Why do you not like me?"
That had Thea pausing in her search. "What."
Rikara repeated it, a bit louder this time, as if Thea was having trouble hearing. She couldn't help her frustrated grunt. "Because you're annoying."
"Annoying?"
"Oh my fucking god," Thea hissed. "I don't have time to give you a vocab lesson. Shut up so I can focus."
She probably never had someone speak to her like that. Thea was sure the princess had all kinds of courtiers bending over backwards for her on her home planet. The look on her face screamed that she was offended.
"Jackson was right about you."
"Tell him I said to keep my name out of his fucking mouth."
"You are a very prickly cactus."
"And you -" Thea's mouth started to move around poisonous words, but was swiftly cut off by a baby's distressed crying.
Rikara was off before Thea could think, feet flying over the dark asphalt toward the sound. Thea growled low, casting her eyes back down to her screen with the intention of continuing her search. That cry could be any baby, she rationalized, most likely in need of a nap and a bottle. But then something told her to look back up. What she saw made her curse.
Guys, I think we found the kid.
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Post by Ventia on Jun 27, 2023 14:11:41 GMT -5
"Lay down kid, get comfy." His voice had softened, he had already loosened the restraints of his demon nature on the walk up the stairs and having entered Jasper's bedroom he couldn't not notice the painful emotions hiding in various places throughout the room, patches of gloomy blues and raging black and red auras collided, yet around the pillows there was a yearning violent haze and when his younger brother pulled out the jacket, holding it as if it'll break, Jackson felt the strangest urge to embrace the young lad.
He didn't, because that would be gay, but if he wasn't determined earlier he sure as hell was now. He accepted her jacket and waited for Jasper to do his thing while taking another look at the room. Nate was there of course, having followed them since the beginning and seeing as how Jasper made no mention of him being there, Jackson didn't either. He also didn't completely hate Nate's presence these days.
With a little magic, Jackson brought the computer chair out from under the desk towards him and after scooting some things over with his foot, it was safe enough to drop it down. Tossing the few clothes that were laying on the chair like a second closet onto the floor, and Jackson was free to sit down comfortably, it wasn't like he was going to sit on the bed-he scoffed to himself.
"What? Your room's already a mess." He scooted closer, till his knees touched the bedframe.
"I'll keep it simple, think of her. Dream of her. It's okay if it feels like you're sleeping, contrary to what I said down there. What's not okay, is your ability to not focus on me while I'm with you in the dreams. I'll be honest with you, I think you have a good chance at getting it right the first time, if this room is anything to go by. Put that all into longing, for her, and I'll be there to be the bridge for you two to meet again."
"Cool? Cool. Now close your eyes, picture her face in your mind, her scent, her smile, the way she says your name, everything, every last memory, detail, hold on to her, you're going to feel sleepy soon, don't fight it, she's waiting for you on the other side Jasper, that's it, just like that. Sweet dreams buddy." His magic lulled Jasper into a deep sleep, his voice hypnotic and serene, promising the young man everything he wanted.
The room was silent, Jackson shivered only now realizing how long it has been since he's had to use this side of himself, his body felt both hot and cold, he felt sensitive to the emotions, the room feeling more depressing the longer his incubus nature kept growing, he felt Nate's worry and hope flaring, it zigzagged downwards, picking up the emotions of the others, the desire and longing each couple down there was feeling, it tried stretching even farther but Jackson reined it in, letting it crawl back to who mattered most.
The jacket in his hands was soft, worn out, one of her favorites, he brushed his hands over it, they trembled here and there from the sheer pain and heartbreak, ugly shades of blacks and greys, yet similar to Jasper, there were happier colors as well, sexual ones too, passionate reds and pinks, soft blues and purples, greens and oranges, he felt Jade's longing for Jasper and once having that, he reached over and laid his hand on Jasper's chest.
Closing his eyes, blocking the world out, he let himself go and found himself falling down into a black abyss.
-
They had just finished checking most if not all of the stores, regrouped with everyone but Thea and Rikara, when Thea's voice rang in their ears. Relief filled them, to say the least, Harley decided to find Lisa again while Katie and Lynn made their way to where Thea sent a ping notification. They would have to get the cops involved, Katie thought for a second and had a foul taste in her mouth because of that.
One of the many things she'd figured out during her seven years as a rogue, was who her grandfather was. Or at least one of them, she still had no clue who Ivan's father was. Or Dad, she should say, but was still feeling some type of way in that department. It didn't help that she still barely saw him these days. She rolled her eyes at herself, great now she had both mommy and daddy issues now. Though really, she guessed nothing's changed, just that he was back from the dead.
Putting her head on do-not-disturb she and Lynn used the Marshall's exit doors and took a pause to glance at this side of the parking lots.
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Post by Thea on Aug 24, 2023 22:26:34 GMT -5
Jasper was – at first - in that weird, funky-feeling stage between slumber and consciousness. His ears picked up his older brother’s movements, his soft instructions. Without even trying, Jasper did as he was told and thought of everything about Jade. Her soft skin, her sweet plum scent. How well she fit tucked beside him. The way she laughed – not just her polite giggles, but the hearty guffaws that sprang from her unexpectedly. He recalled vividly the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled at him. And as Jackson’s hand landed on his chest, the last thing he remembered was feeling Jade’s small hand at the small of his back – as if she was comforting him even now.
Then he was falling. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, just faster. In the physical realm, his body lay deathly still. But inwardly, Jasper flailed desperately to get his feet under him. “Jackson!” he yelled, voice laden with shocked discomfort. Though as soon as he called for him his feet hit solid ground, body no longer feeling suspended in the air.
“Holy shit.”
**
Thea knew logically that time marched ever onward at a steady pace. But when she zeroed in on a balding man carrying the baby they were searching for, all things seemed to slow. Even Rikara, who ran in front of a moving vehicle with not even so much as a glance toward the shell-shocked driver, seemed to go at a snail’s pace.
This was a familiar feeling. Like clockwork, her wolf roused from its cave within her mind, hackles raised. The white beast was ready, almost eager to be called on. If there wasn’t a baby involved, she would have used her animal counterpart’s savagery to enhance her own. Being the head of the Guild, she’s learned that it took more – and often required – than that in touchy situations like this. Because despite her subpar hearing, her other senses picked up a glint of metal in the perp’s waistband and the scent of unadulterated fear from the baby.
“You there! Stop!” Thea heard Rikara’s thickly accented voice call to the man before following him around a corner and behind a row of stores. With Thea right behind her, she noticed that a car – she presumed the man’s – was already there with the engine already running.
If the man didn’t have a tight grip on the baby’s head and pressing her face into his shoulder, she would have been screaming to be heard halfway across the country. The man himself looked as if he was about to, with cracked lips parted to allow him to hyperventilate. Hollow sockets sported glazed blue eyes, his face pock-marked in the tell-tale sign of a drug user. Thea could tell that whatever he was on, he was under the influence currently. “Don’t you fucking come anywhere near me, you fucking bitches!”
Did you guys see where we went? Thea asked the group.
Behind the shoe store, right? Lynn asked.
Yeah, this dude’s high. And has a car parked here. You guys come around the other side. If we can block him in maybe we can keep him occupied until the police get here.
Got it.
“Put the child down,” Rikara demanded, taking a threatening step forward. It resulted in a gun being pointed at her face.
“I said, don’t fucking come anywhere near me!”
On instinct, Thea reached out toward Rikara and grasped her forearm. Step quietly when you guys come around the corner. Aloud she said, “All right, we hear you. We’re not going to move.”
Rikara’s head spun around, eyes wide with incredulity. “But he has the child!”
“Yes, I know, but he also has a metal stick that can blow your face off with one press of a trigger,” Thea whispered, despite the desire to yell back at her face. She felt her forearm tense, then flex. Instinctively she looked down to her doppelganger’s fingers, then down to the ground when movement caught her eye. The concrete ground was cracked and uneven. And in those cracks were stubborn blades of grass and weeds – Mother Nature’s fingers desperately trying to reclaim her domain. At first, she figured that there was some sort of breeze moving them about. She was about to dismiss it when something told her to take a closer look.
The greenery started moving.
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Post by Ventia on Nov 17, 2023 16:14:51 GMT -5
"That's one way to describe it." Jackson said from behind him and glanced around at the crazy maze of well Jasper's life. Every mind Jackson merged with was different so he never knew what would be in store for him once he did make contact, the things he would see sometimes...well there was a reason why Jackson didn't use his incubus abilities more than he needed to these days. He avoided certain memories that were playing out randomly on big screens in the infinite space before them.
It was as if Jasper was collecting every moment every second of his time with Jade, clutching at each and every tendril of connection he had for her in a desperate attempt to make this work. His heart swelled for the kid, sweet that was what it was, Jackson thought as he watched Jasper look both stunned and dumbfounded by what was going on in front of him.
Jasper began to step forward towards a certain memory and suddenly the world shifted, with the faintest sound of a mechanical tick. They were in the middle of a school hallway, teenagers walked and talked past them completely oblivious to their presence.
"Where is she?" Jasper asked, "What do I do? What's going on?"
"These are your memories playing out, you should know where to find her...look there she is."
They both turned to see the Constantine bunch walking out of a classroom, Jade and Hallie were in the front with Hallie chatting away excitedly and Jade just smiling along, Jasper Lucian and Dimitri close behind the girls. Soon they were passing each other in the crowded hallway and as Jade past the present Jasper, time slowed and she turned towards him, as if she was drawn to his presence.
Which was ridiculous because Jasper was right behind her, Jade thought, and the hallway was empty besides from her fellow students and yet...another mechanical tick chimed, and the shadows shifted and for a second Jade thought she saw a split in the seams in this crowded hallway and was that Jasper calling her name so desperately? But why? She and him barely said ten words to each other how could he call out her name with such...emotion in his voice? And why was her chest hurting so much?
She tried to reach out but then the sound chimed again, and she forgot all about that desperate lovely voice.
The world spiraled away, and Jade was sitting alone and very uncomfortable looking on the Constantine's couch. It didn't help that everyone else was busy doing something and only Jasper was in the room with her. She shifted her legs, she had a crush on him even if he felt very hard to approach, and knew she was probably being given alone time with him by Hallie and one of her crazy yet appreciated 'get-closer' plans. It seemed like she had gotten her whole family in on it too.
"Umm...Jasper?" She spoke his name tentatively and glanced up to look where he was but instead of being seated halfway across the room like he was a second ago, he was suddenly standing in front of her, looming down looking at her with an unreadable yet pained almost face.
"What's wrong?" She asked, instantly worried.
Prior to this, Jackson pulled Jasper to his side. "We'll try something different this time around, I want you to talk to her, try and bring out the present Jade, even though this is your conscious she is here, it's your bond, I need you to pull on it. Don't get caught in the moment though, if you do, you'll be lost to this world and even though it might feel nice to stay, the real Jade is waiting for you to save her. We might have to do this a couple times so don't get dishearten, and don't push her too much either or she'll break away. Now get in there and say hello to your sweetheart."
-
Though Lynn and Katie were sneaking their way to where Thea needed them to be in the parking lot, in reality they knew as of this moment they could only watch and wait to see what was about to go down.
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Post by Thea on Nov 18, 2023 13:51:01 GMT -5
There were many things Jasper inherited from his father. His height, his eyes, his facial structure, for example. Yet the gift of gab wasn't one of them. Nathaniel could sweet-talk anyone out of anything. The rare occasion his mother was angry with him didn't stay that way for long. When Hallie got in her head over a stitch not coming out right he was able to soothe her with the patience of a saint, convincing her to try again and again.
Jasper didn't have that ability. How he landed Jade with her sweet smile and even sweeter disposition was still a mystery. Yet she never seemed to mind his silence.
He did, however. Especially right now, with Jackson's instructions in his head, it was imperative that he used his words. Maybe it was the lump that was starting to form in his throat, big as a boulder and prickly like a cactus. Or the way she - and everything around her - looked so real. It didn't feel like a memory. It was the present. Before she vanished. She was looking at him with those doe eyes, dark and trusting, if a little bit confused. Before he failed to save her. He could just ... stay.
"Focus, Jasper," came Jackson's voice, about as far away as the ground from the sky. A part of him registered it, and acknowledged what they were here to do. "Remember this is just the memory."
Jasper took a shuddering inhale. He wanted to ease Jade's increasing concern. Reassure that there was nothing to fear. He was just taking a stroll through his rather painful memories of her to seek where she was spirited away. "I love you," was all he could manage, those three words full of desperate longing. "I-"
"You-?"
They both paused their next words, like they usually did. Waiting politely for the other to finish their sentence. You go ahead. No, what were you going to say? Her hands, though, had gone to her chest, a sign that she was shocked or nervous. "You ... love me?"
"With everything I have," he answered honestly.
The next few moments happened in a blur.
Jackson clamped a hand on his shoulder. Jade pressed her back against the gray suede of the couch. Jasper blinked the tears from his eyes. And the memory faded to black, ending with a mechanical click, like a gear turning in one of his work pieces.
"Didn't Pops tell you not to profess your love on the first date?" Jackson's tone was deceptively light. But the comforting squeeze Jasper felt betrayed the sympathy that lay underneath his nonchalance.
"Shut up," Jasper said, voice still thick with grief. A funeral procession of tears tracked down his cheeks, silent and slow. It was as if he lost her, all over again. He placed a palm over his chest, then curled his fingers inward as if he could rip his heart out. Or cradle it as it bled for his mate. "Let's try again."
***
"What the fuck are you looking at?"
Thea's eyes snapped up to the addict, facial features schooled into a look of placidity. "You have a stain on your pants."
He was too preoccupied to notice that her gaze had been too far away from him for her attention to be on a stain; his face screwed itself into a feeling of discomfort, lips moving fervently to help stimulate saliva. After a few moments he spoke again. "Who gives a fuck? I'm trying to save the fucking world, who gives a fuck about my pants?"
I hear sirens, Lynn reported, though there was nervousness in her voice. God I don't want to have to talk to the police.
Thea ignored her cousin's anxious talk. Instead she latched onto the man's words. I'm trying to save the fucking world. Her mind was like an engine, trying again and again to turn over and start. The sight of the weeds moving consciously had thrown her off. Was she going crazy? A quick glance to Rikara revealed the alien princess's stoic form, mouth pursed in concentration. She wasn't sure what she was doing - it wasn't like Thea could ask. Anything Rikara is or does was out of Thea's expertise.
So she turned her attention back to the man. Because of Thea's lack of hearing, she didn't hear sirens yet. She just hoped that the police would be here soon. Was Brooklyn working? Gods, she hoped. This would make things so much easier. "Well then why didn't you say so?" Thea asked, mustering as much camaraderie in her voice. She cracked a shit-eating grin, shoulders dropping as she raised her hands out in a placating, "we're all friends here" gesture. "We came to help!"
"The Society sent you?" he demanded. His words were brick-hard, seemingly distrusting. But he lowered the gun all the same, and the baby's screams were slightly less muffled.
"Yes." Thea dropped her hands to her waist, posturing like a person of great importance. "They wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan."
"But they said that I was going to have to do this by myself. That I was the only one that could do it!" In jerky movements he brought the butt of the gun up and hit himself in the head with it, hard enough for him to grimace in pain.
"Now hold on!" Thea barked. There must have been something he saw within her that had him stopping from giving himself blunt force trauma. "You are doing it by yourself. Just lower the gun and listen. You are the only one that can, that much is true. We're here to help you along. Because the police were called, the nosy fuckers." In her time as Guild Director she's had a run-in or two of goody-goody detectives. Despite her respect for Brooklyn, the rest of the police force can shove it. "We have to hurry."
Slowly, the disheveled man nodded. "What should we do?"
Before Thea could reply, something green shot up from the bottom corner of Thea's vision and wrapped around the addict's arm holding the baby. There was a shout of alarm as his arm was forced to let go of the child. Without thinking Thea half-dove, half-ran to catch her, breathing a sigh of relief when she did within seconds of disaster. Three shots rang out in abandon, causing her to roll to the side of the car with the hopes of using it as a shield for herself and the baby. "Kate!" she said sharply. "Lynn!"
"On it," she heard her best friend call, then came pounding feet on metal before Kate somersaulted over the hood of the vehicle. Kate made quick work with dispatching the addict, strong-arming him to drop his already-loose grip on the gun before wrestling him to the ground. The man had a good six inches on the short shifter; in the eyes of the shell-shocked Lynn, her mate's sister didn't let that deter her from dispatching her.
There they stayed, Lynn by the car's tailgate, Thea trying to shush the traumatized baby, Kate on top of the incapacitated perpetrator, and Rikara leaned against the outside wall of a store clutching her bleeding arm until the openings of the alley was lit up with reds and blues, sirens blaring obnoxiously.
What a mess.
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Post by Ventia on Nov 19, 2023 17:25:31 GMT -5
Jasper's memories played out countless times after that, sometimes the memories swept by like a crashing wave fast and quick, others they slowed to a crawl dragging on and on, some scenes got repeated over and over each new start ending in a different way. They stumbled in a lot, and in the others, they were so close that Jackson could almost touch Jade's spirit, the thread that would lead them into Jade's consciousness. In the beginning Jasper kept getting frustrated but it wasn't long he was finding a rhythm to the dream walking.
They were cuddling on the bed, watching a movie on Jasper's TV with the door closed, they had been dating for a few months now and the comfort Jade had felt from the beginning of her relationship with Jasper to now was completely different. She was so comfortable around Jasper and his family, truly considering them her own-even if she still kept that part to herself and knew without a doubt that they accepted her as well. Shoes off, wearing one of her boyfriend's shirts and cuddled under the blankets, Jade was perfectly content as she rested her head on Jasper's chest.
As much as she enjoyed the movie that was playing, her mind wandered away focusing on Jasper's steady beating of his heart, it was so soothing she thought, closing her eyes and just enjoying the moment. She wanted to marry this man. She wanted to have his child. Those two thoughts shocked her, what was she thinking so randomly now? A blush covered her face, and she made a little groan sound as she hid her face into his chest more, wrapping her arm over his stomach and curling her leg over his a bit more too.
She couldn't even deny the thoughts though, she would love to marry Jasper, to start a family with him-a family that she should have been raised with-a family like Jasper's, where they would have happy children and she would love them with her whole heart and never ever make them feel like it was a curse to be born. She knew it was a fairytale, that if her parents were really right that none of this would ever come true, but she could live within her dreams, couldn't she?
Tears slid down her cheeks as she shifted in the dark bedroom, curling into her side alone as she hugged her swollen stomach, still asleep she kept dreaming of Jasper and the dreams she wanted to live out with him.
The sound of a baby giggling caught her ears, and she glanced up from Jasper but he was gone, taking all the comfort away with him leaving her alone in a dark place a cold place, where was Jasper? Where was her baby? She could hear his laughter but everything around her seemed so confusing and dangerous. A golden light suddenly clicked into existence in the dark, that mechanical tick ticking, she could hear her name, could hear a familiar voice calling for her, even if she didn't know who it was that was calling her. What she did know, was that it was safe and warm, and felt like home.
The golden light enveloped her and Jade was standing in a open field, soft green grass covered the world, blue skies and a gentle breeze. The sound of her child laughing came again and Jade began to walk towards it, enjoying the sun on her face as she came down the gentle hill. There she could see a little boy standing knee high to...to Jasper. Before Jasper could turn around and see both of them, the little boy smiled at Jade and blinked back out from view.
"Jasper? Jasper!" Jade didn't care if it was all a dream, when was the last time she had dreamed about Jasper? He didnt let her dream, it was a miracle one came to her tonight and Jade fully intended to enjoy it. Finally, she reached him and as he turned towards her, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight, her eyes already feeling like they were burning.
"Gods I've missed you, I miss you so much Jasper!"
-
John Black didn't take on calls as much since becoming Chief of Police, his duties kept him stuck in his chair at work, but he had been coming back from a group breakfast and decided to follow the others when the call came in. The need to stretch his bad leg out was apparent with the locking pain it kept giving him. He was getting old but that didn't stop him, still in prime shape for someone of his age, John could still chase down someone half his age if he needed to. Not that he'd enjoy it as much as he used to, how unfortunate.
Getting out of the car, he watched as the younger ones did their thing, shaking his head at the mess that was in front of him. Civilians trying to be heroes. He scoffed, he bring them all down to the station and teach them a thing or two about the law. Still, he waited using this as a test to test his fellow men in arms.
Katie cursed under her breath as they all got surrounded, the exits being blocked off and some officers already drawing out their guns while others had a firm hand on their holsters, they were told to put their hands up in that drastic frantic shouting cops usually did whenever a gun was involved. Even if said gun was lying innocently five feet away, and yeah what a smart idea to let go of the raving lunatic. She sighed, knowing better to fight with a cop. They could be worse than rogues.
"Put your hands up!" One sneered at her, pointing his gun at her, and Katie had to bite down to stop herself from snipping back at him.
Instead, she nodded said her 'yes sir' and regretfully let go of the kidnapper, raising her hands as she was told and instantly regretting it when the crazy man knocked her aside and scrambled for the gun. She could have stopped it but would have probably gotten shot for it.
"Don't move!" The same cop boomed at the man and when it was apparent crazy Karl didn't care, dummy cop number one and two of his buddies ran at the man and tackled him back to the ground, kicking the gun away all whilst dog piling and restraining the man. Pained shouts left crazy Karl's lips but Kate couldn't really find it in herself to care. Righting herself, she eyed the crowd of black and blues hoping she'd see something that would get her a get-out-scot-free card but wasn't that hopeful.
It was a good thing this wasn't her first rodeo. She began to look away until her eyes settled on a man at the back of the crowd, her spine went rigid, and she had the faintest urge to shift and spill blood.
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Post by Thea on Nov 21, 2023 2:07:56 GMT -5
With each memory they walked through, Jasper had to fight the growing urge to stay. To be with Jade, when he didn't know that she was supposed to be her family's payment for trapping an ancient death entity. The longer he and Jackson walked through his mind, the more the past became the present. The one thing that kept him from slipping away into the arms of ghosts was Jackson, whose presence was a necessary nuisance that kept him from succumbing. The Jiminy Cricket to his Pinocchio.
He was frustrated but grateful.
Especially when the scenery changed. The mechanical chime sounded, now a familiar noise for him. He blinked once, and when he opened his eyes again he took in the serene view. It reminded him of The Sound of Music, and he half expected Julie Andrews to come twirling into view. He knew that there was no way this was part of a memory. So would this have been the domain of his beast? His haven? His mother mentioned once or twice about her own place, a part of her subconscious that she met her wolf.
He didn't sit and think about it for too long - he heard a faint giggle, a distant animal call ... then her.
His breath made like a convict, stealing away from his chest so quick his body wasn't sure how to get it back. If he wasn't sure this wasn't a memory a few minutes ago he did now; Jade hardly ever was the one to initiate contact, and so desperately too. Her arms held him against her with such force, her voice was so clear in his ears as she said she missed him. He's done so much crying - too much for a macho man - already, but his throat burned. As his arms enfolded her eagerly, he cleared his throat. "I miss you too. I was - I was afraid I wouldn't see you again."
There they stayed, locked in each other's embrace - if not for the gentle sway they had one would think they were statues, eyes filled with such emotion that neither of them could form into words. A phantom breeze passed by unbothered, tickling Jasper's nose with his mate's sweet-plum scent. Impossible, one would have thought. But when he finally inhaled again, he stowed it away deep in his lungs, like a man packing rations for a long journey.
He wasn't sure who finally peeled away first, him because Jackson was just over Jade's head silently urging him to hurry it up, or her with her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Regardless they stayed close together, too afraid to move too far lest a chasm erupted between them. "I know everything, baby. Your parents told me. About your ancestors, the sacrifice, everything." His jaw clenched hard remembering her parents. How they were just willing to throw their daughter away to this reaper guy. "But I'm going to find a way to get you, okay? Don't worry, I'm coming."
***
Thea had very little qualms about killing. No, she hasn't done it in a while, but she was not shy to picking it up again, starting with Rikara.
She heard her mother now: "Rikara was doing what she thought was right. Remember, she's not from here. How she handles things could be totally different than how we handle them." A voice of reason, always. While she knew that Rikara was just trying to be helpful, whatever she did opened a whole can of worms that Thea wasn't sure how she was going to get them out of.
With the child still wailing in her ears, she reached for her phone, praying that a cop didn't round the corner of the car just yet to see her texting the same operative she asked for camera footage earlier to wipe said footage and her phone clean, just in case they were all detained or thrown in jail for the night. Surely not, she thought through her hazy daydream of ripping the alien princess apart. If they told the cops as honestly as possible that it was a citizen's arrest under the impression of illegal drug use, attempted kidnapping, and misuse of a firearm (was that even a law?) the most they would have to do is go under oath during a trial and be cross-examined by hoity-toity attorneys.
Breathe in, breathe out, she demanded herself, clicking her teeth repeatedly to dispel the tension in her jaw. Then slowly, she stood inch by inch until her head peeked over the car to survey the disaster.
"Hands up!" someone demanded.
"I have a child," she all but snapped.
"The kidnapped child?"
"She's clearly not kidnapped."
"Stand up and move away from the vehicle," then as an afterthought, "ma'am."
Thea did, phone back in place in her pocket, child still in her arms. As she did so she made eye contact with Rikara, then Kate. She moved her gaze to her cousin, whose quaking hands were in the air, chest heaving in short bursts. Lynn, Thea said sharply via the pack link. Lynn look at me. It took a few tense moments, in which their gazes locked before Lynn looked forward again. Use your bond with Jareth. If you can, tell him what's going on.
"That's my baby!" someone shouted above the din, but Thea paid the distressed mother no heed. Instead, she looked in vain for a familiar face in the crowd. Didn't Brook say she was working today? Half the police force is out here, where the fuck is she?
Ma, Ventia, we got a problem. We've been roped into a search-and-rescue mission gone sour. We might be heading to police headquarters, the one Brook works at. Could one of you meet us there?
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Post by Ventia on Dec 20, 2023 12:19:01 GMT -5
It was a wonderful dream, Jade thought her eyes stinging with tears, all her selfish wishes and desires coming out of Jasper's lips. A flash of shame and embarrassment smacked her when he brought up her family, she looked down feeling guilty for the feeling only to last mere seconds before her heart leaped with hope at his last words. So foolish to dream, Jade knew but she clung to Jasper and his sweet as honey words like a man dying of thirst.
"Alright." She whispered sweetly, agreeing with him holding onto the dream like possibility that Jasper could save her from this horrible nightmare she was living in. He was so sweet, so heroic, always ready to save her. She reached up cupping his face in her palm, taking a good look at his face. Only then did she see how haggard he looked, dark circles under his eyes and hallowed cheeks, he seemed to have lost a few pounds since she's last seen him.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her concern shifting to him focusing on him, she felt a wounded feeling, and spread her palms one across his cheekbone and the other against his chest, feeling his ribcage shuddered as he breathed. She heard a bird cry and glanced behind her in search of it, only to see Nate standing behind her.
"Let me stop you right there sweetheart, the name is Jackson. Nate's firstborn and look-a-like. Anyway, this is a dream but everything in it is quite real. You got sucked into a pretty nasty little prison didn't you, but thanks to lover boy over there, I might just be able to track you down. You look confused, I don't blame you. Seems Jasper still needs to fill you in on some things, but we don't have the time for it. If I may, your hand?" Jackson was next to them now, holding his hand out for hers.
Jade glanced at Jasper and at his encouraging smile she gave her hand to Jackson. Of course, she's heard of the infamous Jackson but never met him up till now and having her first meeting with him in a dream and said dream being real was disorientating enough as it was without everything else he was saying. It hurt to think. So, she didn't.
Jackson took her hand and Jasper's, his body hummed as magic poured out of him and into the two of them building a bridge for the two of them to cross during every dream. He had to sink Jade's link deeper, past the surface level so the reaper wouldn't notice, he had to leave a mark of his own on her as well-something he wouldn't mention to Jasper as it would dissolve once the need for it was over. He wouldn't tell Rikara either, he thought though wondered just as quickly if she'd get jealous of the idea of some other woman having something she didn't. He tsked at himself, getting distracted.
Keep her safe. Jackson told the child who had surprisingly been a big help and left a fail-safe just in case before pulling away and letting go, he felt drained from such delicate work but was confident enough that he could now track down her location. Opening a portal to such location-well that was a problem for another day.
"You two should sleep now, in each other arms. You can take your time to ask your questions in another dream. Don't get scared if the dream ends, wake up knowing you see each other again as soon as you fall back asleep. Jade you should be safe to dream now, He wont find out and if he does, I'll know about it and try my best to fix what he broke, but you should be fine. I'll leave you two alone now, so dream together for a little who;e more. You're safe here."
Jackson winked out of existence and felt himself surge back into focus in his own body, sitting by Jasper's bed. He eased his hand away from Jasper's and stared at the boy for a moment, watching him sleep.
"He looks peaceful now." Nathaniel spoke soft.
"Yes, he's dreaming with her. He should sleep peacefully for a few hours if he doesn't force himself to wake up the moment she's gone." Jackson turned to face his father, he had so many thoughts going through his head. Just what did he think he was doing? Going out of his way to help the man he's hated for years? Helping a family that wasn't even his, that didn't even want him. He knew it was more complicated than that, most of this was because of him acting selfishly and barging in uninvited much less unwanted.
"What is it?" Nathaniel asked sensing the change.
"I don't know." Jackson said after a moment, truth was he didn't know. Or maybe he just didn't want to admit it. Admit everything he was thinking, everything he was dreaming for. Pushing away the thought, Jackson stood up and stretched his neck out.
"He should be fine, I'm going to go crash the girl's outing. Call me if anything."
"Okay-wait Jackson. Something's happened with the girls. Sounds like they're getting arrested."
"What?" Jackson snapped and disappeared from sight in the next breath.
-
They began handcuffing all responsible parties, putting the deranged kidnapper in the back of an police car by himself, and separating the girls handcuffing them and trying to intimidate them into obdeience as they spread out and tried to get everything under control. Katie was also immideately put in the back of an cop car, while Lynn was forced to sit on the curb with her hands cuffed behind her as well as Rikara and Thea also getting the same treatment.
Then came the waiting, as people were asked questions and cops went back and forth getting the same answers. It ended with all responsible parties getting dragged mostly in handcuffs back to the station. With Harley following close behind, feeling all her nerves on edge. What a way to start the day.
-
The mention of the police station felt like ice chilling her bones, but her concern for her Pack and her daughter outweighed her personal matters. She reached out to Jewel to see what she'd be doing, while getting ready to leave herself as well.
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Post by Thea on Dec 21, 2023 22:10:03 GMT -5
Thea was allowed to keep both her work phone and her personal cell. They weren't being arrested. At least, she didn't think they were since they weren't read their rights or had any personal effects taken away. Thea was suspicious of Kate's treatment, however. Had it been because she took the addict down that she was treated sterner than the rest of them? The police might have taken pity on Lynn, whose answers to their questions - while the same as the rest of them - had been issued between shaking and shallow breaths. Thea didn't want to be separated from her, but if she kicked up a fuss, she surely would have escalated their already strenuous situation. She just hoped that Jareth was calming her down through their link and that he was on his way with the rest of her pack.
Both of them, however, she trusted not to say too much to the police. Rikara on the other hand? She wished the alien would have more sense than what she thought she did. There was no way for her to tell Rikara not to say anything or to break under the pigs' intimidation tactics. With an irritated exhale through her nose she pulled out her personal phone - it had dinged a few times in rapid succession. One was a link to a TikTok from her school friend Iggy, while the other two were from Baker Boy.
Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Followed by a winky face. Then But I'm dying to know what you're doing now. Are you thinking of me the way I'm thinking of you?
Despite her situation, Thea felt her face grow hot. She leaned forward and rested her head against the divider. The cop didn't ask her what she was doing, which was a plus. The last thing she needed was some douche barking orders at her. Now I am. But before you texted me I was trying to devise a plan to get out of being arrested.
Arrested? he texted back after a brief pause. So he was probably off today. Or taking a break. I knew you were a trouble maker. This was punctuated with a smirking face. On what charges, pray tell?
Unsure, at this moment. I think we're just being detained. Despite her better judgement she found that she was explaining herself to him. And adding a few of her own emojis to the conversation, starting with little eyerolls. Long story short it was a citizen's arrest some drug addict thought it would be a FUN idea to kidnap a baby. I'm sure itll be in the news. The cops don't think it was a CA. Or if they do idk what they're doing. Tryna scare us prolly lol.
They wouldn't dare! Outrageous. Then another text popped in as fast as the first. Are you scared though?
Thea couldn't help the chuckle. It had her chaperone asking harshly, "What's so funny?"
You're face, was her original, and rather juvenile, answer. She thought it best to say, "A joke."
"Was that supposed to be sarcasm? I hope for your sake it wasn't."
Breathe in. Breathe ... out. "No it wasn't, officer." His title came out with a bite; she couldn't help it.
"Keep it down back there then."
They should be scared of me. she finally texted back, tacking on a purple smiling devil and then a laughing-crying face. Tho in all seriousness I'm sure we're going to need a lawyer before the end of this. Know any good ones? lol
As a matter of fact, I do!! Let me make a call.
Luc I was kidding..
I'm not. An innocent-looking smile.
Luc don't worry about it, I said I was kidding!
But he didn't respond after that.
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