Setting
- 68 posts here • Page 3 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
But she didn't have time to dwell on it, because things took a dive south quickly. It started with Darius suggesting Ash used his powers, and ended with Luciana pulling a knife. She could see Darius was shaping something with glass, and Ash had also drawn a knife. Instinctively, she stepped between them all, putting herself between Luciana and Ash.
"Enough. All of you. I swear to god, I've found a bunch of testosterone fueled alpha males easier to babysit than you lot," she snapped. "You're giving them what they want. The way you're all behaving, we don't need to worry about them because you lot will end up killing each other before they get a chance. You all need to grow up and act like freaking grown-ups. Or else I'm out of here. So we're going to sit the fuck down and have an actual grown up conversation, you all hear?" She ordered. "Or at least we're going to put away the freaking knives." She said with a pointed look at Ash and Luciana. Ash stared her down for a second, before sliding the knife back into his boot. "Thank you."
"Right. Everybody is going to lay things down on the floor. Luciana doesn't have the serum." She took the serum out of her pocket and held it out. "I do. She gave it to me as an act of trust, and I'm telling you all I have it as one. I have no interest in using this, and you all know that. Now. Ash. Darius. Tell us what you were talking about."
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
And then Elena stepped in. Elena, who had no physical powers and who was shorter than all of them. And she was fearless. Ash stopped in his tracks, mostly because he was taken aback by her. She glared at him until he put the knife away, and so he did. He had to grit his teeth as she revealed that Luciana had given her the serum. But Elena didnât seem all that interested in using it, at least. But then she asked him what he and Darius had been talking about, and he shot a glance at Darius.
âHer behavior was strange. First, she appeared to genuinely consider turning Elena in before Darius intervened, and then we thought her smashing the vials when we both knew the serum was what she was interested in was strange. We didnât trust her. And while I canât speak for Darius hereâŠâ he stared at Luciana for a second or two. âI still donât. Listen. Iâm not exactly an upstanding member of moral society. But when it comes to the lives of me and my allies, I understand that the truth is what keeps us all alive. Youâre putting us all at risk by lying to all of us, over and over.â
He looked back at Elena. It felt strange, trusting two heroes over a fellow villain. But, frankly, if it had been any other villain, he might have been able to trust them more. But it was something about Luciana that just left him unsettled. She didnât trust him, and she made it impossible to trust her.
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius wasnât sure who was going to act first, but he could feel the tension building up more, watching as Luciana flipped the knife in her hand. Not in a position to lunge and try to cut someone, but herself so she could use her powers. Elena stepped between Ash and Luciana to try to stop them, Darius went to step forward to try to pull her back but both the villains seemed to loosen up a bit. She had asked them to act like adults and put their knives away. He glanced between them and was surprised Ash put his weapon away first, he stared at Luciana. He realized she wasnât going to back down so he set down the glass cup that had been shaped into a shard.
He took a step back and relaxed once Luciana set her knife down. He was surprised to see that Elena had the serum, that Luciana had actually gotten it from the man during their altercation. âSee!â Darius said as he stepped forward to Ash but backed off when Luciana gave him a death stare. When Elena had asked about what him and Ash talked about, they exchanged a look before Ash started speaking.
After Ash had finished speaking, everything he had said he had agreed with, Darius stepped forward. âI warned you Elena, weâre just worried about how much we can trust someone who isnât open with us. We all know what we want out of this, sheâs the odd one out.â He said to her, feeling the female villainâs gaze on him. He took a step back as Luciana stood up and let out a deep breath. She then tried to explain her own actions, but still holding information back. He was going to ask again why she wanted the serum but she had already left to go to the bathroom.
Darius watched as Elena also left before turning back to Ash. âWell⊠I guess that could have gone better. At Least Elena has the serum and not her.â He commented as he walked towards the counter and poured some more coffee.
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LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Seeing Ash have his own knife in his hand, Lucy flipped the knife in her hand ready to cut her skin to start using her powers if anyone made a move, whether that would be Ash or Darius with his glass powers. Though what she didnât expect was Elena stepping between her and Ash again, telling them to calm down and have a conversation. She glanced between Darius and Ash not lowering her guard until the other two did, and then lowering the knife onto the counter. âFine.â Lucy said walking and grabbing a chair and throwing her feet onto the table.
As Elena spoke she didnât take her eyes off of Ash, giving a smirk when Elena had backed up her comment about not having it, but it slowly retreated as Elena revealed the serum and telling them she had given it to her, shooting a look at Darius explaining that he knew. Luciana took her feet off the table and leaned forward as Ash and Darius were told to reveal what they were talking about, this is what Lucy was interested in.
Lucy just rolled her eyes when Ash spoke about her appearing to be genuinely interested in the offer. That was the point, to show she was interested for them to lower their guard, to get closer and learn more. But she was a little surprised when Ash said he knew she wanted the serum. She turned her head with a quizzical look. She knew Elena wouldnât have told him, so her gaze slowly went to Darius as he would be the only other one to tell Ash. Her eyes squinted, she knew heroes couldnât keep their mouth shut, their feeling of good and having a conscious they had to live with made them weak.
As Ash and Darius finished defending their actions and about how she wasnât trustworthy, Lucy stood up and let out a breath starting to speak in a gentle tone. âI wouldn't have given up Elena to those people, I trust her, IâŠâ Luciana trailed off, staring softly at Elena. Because I felt a connection with her, for some reason I care about her, and I donât know why. But I wonât let anything happen to her. She thought to herself thinking back to the other night and remembering the soft touch of her fingers across her scars, how she laughed, and how for once it felt like someone didnât hate her for her powers, but seemed to care about her. Elena wanted to say what she thought, but knew she couldnât, and wasnât sure how the others would feel, especially Elena. She turned back to Ash. âIâm not sorry for not telling you about me wanting the serum, I had a good reason. Your powers arenât exactly something I feel comfortable with, Iâve seen what they can do. I will let you know that I donât plan to use it on any of you, Elena can back me up.â Luciana finished and walking to the door. âJust go finish with the man in the room, whatever other information we might need. But leave him alive. Iâll be freshening up in the bathroom.â She said before walking out and down the hall.
After entering the bathroom Lucy just stood in front of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. âGod. You couldâve taken them. Instead youâre just being pathetic. And now he knows about how you feel about his powers. And now Ele-â Luciana quickly cut herself from speaking to herself off when hearing the door and looked back and saw Elena. She cleared her throat before turning on the water and running her hands through it and splashing some water on her face. âHeyâŠâ
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Dariusâ comment made Elena grimace, before Luciana attempted to explain herself and stormed out. She was clearly upset, and clearly trying to hide it. Elena shot a look at Darius, before following the villain out. Thankfully the bathroom wasnât far, because otherwise Elena felt that she would have gotten lost in the twists and turns. But she followed Luciana in.
âHey.â She stayed silent for a minute as Luciana splashed her face with water. âTwo grown-up talks in one day. Thatâs a lot,â she remarked, leaning against the wall and smirking a little, trying to lighten the mood a little. âListen. Everyoneâs emotions are a bit high. The truth always comes out in these circumstances, and it never comes out in a nice way. You and Ash were friends. Or friendly, I donât know the ins and outs. But you still are. Youâre both just angry and frustrated, and thatâs driving a wedge between you. Give it time,â she said. She didnât know what it was about Luciana that made her give a damn for once. Maybe it was because Elena could already see how similar they were, and sheâd never met anyone else like that. Someone who got what it was like.
âYou two are going to have to have another grown up discussion though, hate to break it to you,â she said with a grimace as she straightened up. âDonât worry about Shatter. He trusts me, and weirdly enough, already seems to trust Ash. If we both trust you, heâll come around. Heâs like a puppy. Will follow whatever his people do.â
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
âMm. Although... I donât know if Luciana would use it on us. Not you, anyway. She can handle you. I think if she was going to turn it on any of us, sheâd turn it on me. And I feel like it would only be if I tried to use my ability on her which...â He wouldnât do. Not usually, anyway. Not unless she gave him reason. And therein lay the problem. Theyâd constantly be waiting for the other to turn and then theyâd destroy each other.
âWhatâs it like, working with heroes? Because the vast, vast majority of villain relations seem to be like this. Vague distrust and just... waiting for the other to betray you. No honor among thieves and all that. And sometimes, all you want is someone who you know has your back and would never think about plunging a knife in to it. Instead, we all constantly have our backs pressed to the nearest wall.â He mused. There was something about Darius that highlighted all of the issues his working relationships used to have. Darius trusted Ash so easily. He had complete faith in Elena. Ash had never had that much trust in any one. Not even himself. But Darius put his life in their hands without even looking back. There was something... vaguely nice about that. Possibly foolish, but it was nice to see that not everyone wanted to kill everyone all of the time.
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius blew to cool off his coffee and took a sip as Ash talked about Luciana using the serum. He gave a slight pout face when he said the Red Witch could handle him, but he did understand. His powers were easier to combat than Ashâs, much like in the tunnel earlier when she was able to block some of his glass shards. He felt bad that Ash thought he was the only one Luciana would use the serum on. Darius wasnât sure if Luciana would use it on any of them, he didnât know her well enough, he only knew of what the Red Witch had in the past in Scarriden and the small interactions they have had since they all started working together.
As Ash started asking about how it was working with heroes, Darius raised an eyebrow and set down his coffee, He listened as she described what it was like working with other villains. âWell, it definitely isnât like this. Weâve had some disagreements with some heroes about what to do when we capture villains. There are still some, well âold fashionedâ heroes that donât believe in just locking up villainsâŠâ Darius trailed off, not wanting to say what the other option that they wanted was. âBut we do trust each other. We know we can rely on one another to back us up. It seems like villains almost always look for ways to betray each other, or a way to keep that from happening. No offense.â
Darius walked over to the couch and leaned against the arm of it next to Ash. âAnd Iâm sorry youâre not able to trust people. I think you can tell Iâm pretty open with who I trust, well except for you know how.â Referencing Luciana, he leaned closer to Ash staring at him. âBut you must know, I wonât plunge a knife in your back Ash, I do trust you. I just feel like I can, But this who-â Darius was interrupted when the door opened and he saw Luciana, she seemed to him, and spoke directly to Ash, calling him by his villain alias before closing the door. âWell, I guess time for you to do your thing. Iâll stay in here.â He said with a smile and sat down on the couch flashing a smile at Ash.
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LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
As Elena started talking, Luciana could quickly tell she hadnât heard much of what she had said. While she listened to Elena, Lucy turned back to the mirror and stared at herself, taking in everything she had said, thinking about how to reply, and thinking back to when she considered some villains more than just someone she could call for their specialties. âAsh and I use to be close, call each other in for missions. Sort of how it works. Though more recently heâs been slipping away from Ash and more into his alias of Editor. The things the Editor makes his enemies do, makes the Red Witch seem goodâŠâ
Luciana walked over to Elena as she finished talking, ending up face to face with her. [color=#571616][b]âJust, sucks not being able to trust anyone, been betrayed over and over. But you Elena,â she paused for a second then looking up to Elenaâs green eyes. Lucianaâs eyes were a little red, and watery, though with how she just washed her face most would assume it was from just that. She gently reached and grabbed Elenaâs hand. âWe havenât known each other for long, but I donât have many people I would consider a friends, thank you.â Luciana said with a light smile coming across her face, a type of smile that wasnât worn by the Red Witch. There was a long quiet moment between the two, many more thoughts going through Lucyâs mind, almost wanting to do more than just be holding her hand, maybe a hug. Maybe more. Though she didnât know how Elena felt exactly so she quickly brought herself out of her thoughts and let go of her hands and stepped back. âI guess we should rejoin them. And Iâll talk to Ash later. Promise.â She said before bending over to bring her hair forward and stood back up rubbing her hands through it and rubbing her face.The smile gone when the hair was no longer in her face.
Luciana gave a nod to Minerva before walking out of the bathroom and down the hall. She tugged at the door to the interrogation room and felt it was still locked. Ash wasnât in there and must of been in the break room. She poked her head in to see the two males. âEditor, mind talking to our guest, so we can get out of here? Iâm going to stay in the hall while you do your thing.â She said before closing the door and leaning against the wall in the hallway.
When Ash came out, Lucy put out her arm to stop Ash. âLeave him alive for me, please? We can talk after, just you and me, but I want to relieve some steam.â She said before unlocking the door for him, looking back to Elena. She had asked that Lucy would talk to Ash, so Lucy would.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
xxx
She smiled a little as Luciana admitted that they were friends. She knew it was a strange relationship, she had never expected to become friends with a villain this fast. But despite Lucianaâs flaws, she found herself considering her a friend. That smile on Lucianaâs face was the first real smile that she saw, not a grin, not a smirk, just a smile. There was a thought that flitted across Elenaâs mind, just for a second, where she found herself wanting to be ever closer to Luciana.
And then Luciana stepped back and Elena snapped out of it. She nodded as Luciana promised to talk to Ash. She trusted her, and trusted that she would. The small, genuine smile disappeared, and the Red Witch was back. They headed back out to the break room, where Ash was still sprawled across one of the couches, apparently not having gone in yet. Luciana asked Ash to go in, and Elena went in to sit down across from Darius as Ash left the room. She just sighed as the door closed behind the villains, retrieving her coffee and swinging her legs over the arm of the chair. She wondered at that moment between her and Luciana, wondering if it was real of just her tired mind inventing things. But she couldnât go there. That would just make things messy, messier than she could bear to think.
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
And of course Darius trusted Ash. Of course he did. For now. If there was one thing that Ash had learned about Darius, it was that he seemed to trust wholeheartedly. He wondered how long that would last, how long it would be until Darius saw what Ash was becoming, saw the Editor for who he was, and began to distrust Ash in the same way that he distrusted Luciana.
Luciana stepped in, asking him to go talk to their hostage. He sighed and nodded, getting to his feet. His original plan had to be that the two of them would go back in and make it look like they were still a team, but it was clear that wasnât going to happen. This would be the quickest and most painless way of dealing with it.
He just nodded as Luciana asked him to leave the man alive. Usually, once Ash was done with a subject and had gleaned as much information out of them as possible, theyâd get a swift death. Or sometimes, not so swift. But clearly Luciana had the latter in mind, and Ash wasnât going to judge that. He stepped inside, staring at the man.
Things... got a little out of hand. The Editor took control for a while. Ash left him alive, but the man certainly wasnât untouched. Heâd just been hurt in the least essential places when he tried to fight back against Ash. Heâd headbutted Ash in his already broken nose and Ash could feel the blood streaming down his face again and the beginnings of a black eye. But the man looked considerably worse. And heâd gotten all of the information he needed. Names, locations, dates, times, everything they needed to know. And Ash had learned a while ago that in this scenario, it was worth recording the conversation as heâd never be able to remember it all. Emailing the recording to himself and uploading it on to his cloud storage, he stepped out of the room. âAll yours. Careful. Heâs a feisty one.â He said to Luciana as he stepped outside. Instead of going back to the break room, he went to the bathroom to try and wash the blood off his face.
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
A slight frown came over Darius as Ash walked out but then shook himself back to reality as Elena sat across from him, but he could tell something was on her mind. âEverything okay Elena? Something seems to be on your mind.â Darius asked. The two of them haven't really spent time together since meeting up with the villains, usually one of them paired up with one or villains. He didnât mind it tho, he enjoyed spending time with Ash, he was just worried about Elena and how much time sheâs been spending with Luciana who has shown to be not as trustworthy as the others have been.
There were a couple yells and even some screams coming from the interrogation room that would bleed into the break room. Darius wasnât sure if it was caused by Ash or Luciana it even both of them. He tried to keep his attention on Elena as they tried to relax for a minute in between all the chaos that has been happening so far. The two heroes were quickly interrupted when the Red Witch came in asking about Ash. Darius raised his eyebrow in confusion since he thought they were both together. âNot sure, he didnât come in here? Thought you two were in there doing more interrogating.â He quickly replied and Luciana nodded her head in response and closed the door.
âWell, seems like we can leave.â Darius said as he stood up and walked to the exit to the break room and opening the door for Elena. âHopefully we can finish this soon with whatever information they got from him.
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LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana messes on her phone while Ash did his thing. She thought it would go quickly but she could hear commotion of movement against walls and the table and some louder voices. She chuckled as she thought to herself of the man trying to fight back against Ash, or well against the Editor. Luciana has seen people weave and try to get around the Editorâs words and powers, but ultimately always being defeated.
Hearing the door open, Lucy looked up as Ash spoke to her and gave herself the all clear to enter. She slid behind him and into the room as the door shut and locked the door behind her. When she turned around she put on a fake pouty face looking at the man. âWell, guess you just had to anger the Editor.â She said as she walked closer to him. The man looked defeated and beaten, obviously done by Ash. She man went to try to say something but Luciana quickly stopped him. âNo. No more talking. You had your chance. Now, Iâm just going to be honest with you. Iâm going to kill you. You arenât walking out of here. But until then, I need to relieve some steam, and Iâm a little upset.â Lucy trailed off, as her pout turned into a wicked smile, bringering her arms and hands to begin using her power, but the manâs blood.
A couple minutes later or the Red Witch essentially painting the room with the manâs blood, barely keeping him alive from bleeding out. She pulled the knife out of her jacket from earlier and held it up to the manâs throat. âJust before I kill you, Iâll let you know a secret. Minerva was just here. We handed her your phone to wipe. Her name is Elena. And you or your organization will never touch her.â She whispered as she slid his throat and the man finally died, from drowning in his own blood and bleeding out. Luciana took a step back and admired her work and quickly used her powers to clean the blood off of her and out of her clothes, another small benefit of her power. She walked out of the room and poked her head into the break room.
âHey, whereâs Ash? Need to talk to him. Itâs important.â Luciana asked only seeing Elena and Darius, giving a small smile to Elena. Darius answers her question about Ash. âWell weâre done, just donât go in there.â Lucy said with a wink and left. She quickly assumed that Ash must of gone into the bathroom to freshen up. Lucy walked down the hall and walked into the menâs bathroom, not caring what she would see. But quickly seeing Ash at the sink and mirror. âIf you donât mind, we should talk.â
Luciana walked over and hopped onto the sink counter to sit. âWell I told Elena wanted me to talk to you, should trust each other more. And Iâm assuming you wonât want to open up first so I will.â She let out a breath and a sigh. âIâm here to help for two reasons. First off, as you know I was the serum. And while the thought of using it on a hero or some villain has crossed the mind, itâs not for them, but for me.â She said slowly, keeping her eyes low and not wanting to make eye contact with Ash. âThatâs all Iâm saying about that. But the other reason Iâm staying is because of Elena.â Lucy finally looked up at Ash. âI feel something, something I haven't felt before. And Iâd appreciate it if you donât make fun of it, or even tell her. As well as not telling your boy toy.. Iâve seen how you look at him, and been protecting himself and staying on his side with argument. Iâm not judging, just telling you youâre being obvious, and just because you like him, doesnât mean I do, heâs very stereotypical hero.â Luciana finished speaking and watched and listened to Ash, wondering what the heroes were talking about.
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
But not Luciana, Ash reminded himself. Out of everyone, he could trust Lucy. He needed to be able to trust her. And she, at least, seemed to trust him. Her spilling the truth about Elena made him glance over and raise an eyebrow, almost subconsciously. But she didn't give him a chance to actively comment on it, just staying talking. Ash could feel himself calming down, regaining control.
And then she brought up Darius, and the flare of anger snapped any little control he did have. "Seriously, Luciana?" He asked, straightening up and turning to face her. "You're judging me? After admitting that you've got those funny little feelings in your stomach about the first hero who flutters her eyelashes at you and pretends she doesn't want to murder us? Funnily enough, you not being able to keep it in your pants and giving your number to any pretty girl who asks is what got us nearly killed." He snapped. Somewhere, deep inside, he winced at the harshness of his tone, but he was too far gone to stop. "And just because I treat Darius like a goddamn human being doesn't mean shit. When all you do is attempt to tease him and annoy him, one of us has to play good cop. If it wasn't for me, he probably would have left at this point. They're tools, Luciana. A means to an end. Do you really think we're all going to be the best of friends after this? Like they won't try and turn us in the moment after we're all safe and sound? They're still heroes, Luciana. And we need to trust each other more than we trust them. Don't lose your head."
Turning off the water, he exhaled, running his hands down his face. "My couch is free if you want it tonight." He said, his voice level and even, before turning and leaving. The short distance between the bathroom and the break room gave him time to regain his composure. "Come on, time to get the hell out of here," he called as he passed, not stopping to chat. He wanted to leave this evening behind for now.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
xxx
And with time, it seemed to fade, Elena telling herself that it had all been a figment of her tired, stressed imagination. Time apart helped as Luciana and Ash compiled what they'd been told and Elena and Darius attempted to track down any other potential sources of information, as well as making sure that the man's disappearance got buried. It was a few days later when they met up again for the first time in person. And, in an uncharacteristic turn of events, Elena was running late.
They'd had a stressful few days. So, when some of her non-hero friends had suggested a night out, Elena hadn't hesitated before she'd said yes. Even if it had been the night before their meeting, Elena was so goddamn tired of doing hero work and of seeing hardly anyone except Darius. So she'd made sure there was plenty of food in the fridge and had told him that she was staying with a friend instead.
She'd ended up across town in the apartment of some French diplomat or something. She vaguely remembered him discussing it at some point, but mostly she just remembered them flirting in French and... then when they'd gone back to his place. It was, of course, the other side of town to where they were meeting, and public transport was not working in her favour. She'd texted Darius to let him know she was running late, and had used the time to throw on some makeup and make herself look a little less exhausted. So she arrived to the little, obscure café about fifteen minutes late, but still managed to compose herself. "Hi guys. Sorry, had a few things I needed to sort out this morning," she said, flopping in to the seat at the table with her mocha and muffin in hand.
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana was taken aback at what Ash had started talking about, she wasnât trying to be judgemental about him and Darius. She sulked a little when he talked about it being her fault since she gave her number out and that was the reason they were attacked. Another reason why she wanted the serum, so she could do basic human things like try to go out and have fun or make friends without worrying about being a person with powers that may or may not being hunted. What Ash said next though caught her attention, that the heroes were just tools and a means to an end as well about them not being their friends and likely to turn them in. He was right, and the heroes possibly thought the same. Minerva probably did her research and played her and was probably delighted when Lucy gave her the serum, basically giving the heroes a weapon to rid of villains. The conversation quickly ended with Ash offering his couch for her to stay, since he knew she wasnât one to try to stay at her own place. Though Lucy had plans to ask Elena if she could stay with her, but Ash was making her doubt herself.
Lucy straightened herself up. âThanks, and youâre right.â She said quickly before Ash walked out. She had to stop being Luciana, and go back to being the Red Witch. She followed behind Ash and quickly left the place, not taking time to say bye to the heroes but making sure they left the hideout. Her and Ash didnât converse much that night, and she left early in the morning before he woke up.
The time between the interrogation and the next time they met up Lucy kept Ash updated with what she had learned, mostly working by herself to follow lead and to exchange information. She didn't message Elena or Darius much at all. She wanted to message Elena multiple times as the moment in the bathroom between the two stole most of her attention away, but what Ash had said stayed in her mind, convincing her not to and always erased and deleted whatever text message she had typed, only ever messaging her to confirm the next time they meet.
The night before the group was supposed to meet up, Luciana went out to drink to calm her nerves. She went to one of her normal spots across town and set up in her usual seat, dark side of the bar of the establishment so she wouldnât be seen by many people and able to scope out the area in case she needed to dip. What Lucy wasnât suspecting was seeing Elena, along with some others but none she recognized as heroes or other people with powers, though she wasnât sure. She debated whether or not to go talk to her for five or so minutes before she saw a gentleman walk up to her and they start interacting, getting friendlier and friendlier, hearing the man have some sort of french accent. Luciana snuck out the back door of the bar as she realized the intentions of the two, leaving payment for her drinks and a little extra. Spent the rest of the night walking back to her place before passing out trying to get the thoughts of Elena out of her head.
The morning of their meeting Luciana was going over the information she had uncovered and what possible plans they have. She decided she wanted to get the cafe early and set up, secure them a good seat, plus she was anxious and didnât want to be late. As she arrived she ordered a light salad and sat in a booth towards the back but not too far back so there would be suspicions. Lucy was hoping Ash would arrive first so she wouldnât be stuck with either of the heroes, but was disappointed when Darius arrived early and before everyone else. Be nice Luciana, they need us more than we need them. She said to herself as Darius sat across from her and greeted her. âHey, could be better.â she replied before the waitress came over and took his order. âSo, you two learn anything?â Luciana asked, though before he could answer Ash showed up and Luciana couldnât have been happier. She scooted over to give him some room to sit. âNice outfit.â She whispered to him as he sat down before they started talking.
âI say letâs get started, maybe Elena isnât showing up.â The Red Witch said after the group sat for a couple minutes past the agreed meet up time. She rolled her eyes as Darius explained where she was. âWell, I have only been able to learn a little bit in between my days. More recently they have been trying to recruit other people with powers, Iâve noticed itâs mostly villains who want to rid of heroes, since the story about the heroes being captured spread like wildfire. Others were promised to be spared of more power. I doubt this organization wonât turn on them once they get what they want, they are just using them⊠A means to an end.â Lucy finished as she shot a glance at Ash.
Out of the corner of her eye the Red Witch noticed Minerva walk in and slowly turned to look at her, seeing the cute black skirt she was wearing and heels that made her legs look beautiful. She stopped staring and announced to the table. âSheâs here.â Before Elena sat down, apologizing about being late. âThey can fill you in on what I said if they want, Iâm getting some coffee. Though Iâll probably stay away from the french roast.â She said as she scooted out the other side not wanting to ask Ash to move, and throwing a little bit emphasise on the word french. The Red Witch was only gone for a minute tops as the coffee was self serve at the counter before coming back and sitting down. âWell?â
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Elena and Darius didnât talk much about the situation while waiting for Ash and Luciana to finish up, but mostly just stuff to pass time while the two villains do their thing, before hearing Ash shout that it was time to leave. He raised an eyebrow at Elena and then quickly got up and followed them out, a little curious about what had happened. Afterwards the heroes and villains seemed to just disperse, agreeing to meet up at a later date to discuss things and give everyone some time to themselves, which made Darius feel bittersweet.
Darius mostly stayed with Elena, just out of ease and a little bit because he knew her place was safer and more secure than where he lived, plus gave them time to work together and try to learn more about who and what they were against. During the time Darius had also tried to text Ash a few times but not getting much back and mostly just sticking to trading information, he wanted to talk about more than just that but didn't receive that feeling back. The night before the four of them was suppose to meet up to discuss more things Darius was surprised to hear Elena was going out. He didnât mind and joked about being a child left home while their parents go out when Elena was discussing going out and making sure he had food and such. He spent most of the time just watching tv and movies and fell asleep on the couch, setting an alarm to give himself enough time to get up and get his things together before the meeting.
Darius woke up before his alarm as the sun came peeked through the window and hitting him in the face. He wanted to just turn over and go back to sleep but couldnât fall back asleep so he just decided get up. He wasnât sure if Elena was going to be back or not before the meeting but knew if she wasnât going to show up she would warn him, he made some coffee and left some extra incase Elena came by. He got ready pretty quickly and decided to get to the location early as he was getting bored sitting around his friendâs apartment.
When Darius arrived at the cafe it took him to notice any of the people he was supposed to meet, and a little disappointed when he saw it was only the Red Witch. He walked over and gave a slight wave. âHey, how is everything?â He asked, hoping to just have a calm get together since he knew she didnât like him and seemed to just about hate him. He shrugged when she replied about it being better and luckily a waitress came up asking him what he wanted to break the tension. âOh, just a bottle of water and bagel please.â He said before turning his attention back to Luciana sitting across from him. She quickly asked what he and Elena had gathered but before he could say anything Ash had arrived. âMorning Ash.â He said with a smile as he sat next to his fellow villain.
They all exchanged some pleasantries and what they were doing besides trying to get information as Darius wanted to wait for Elena to arrive. But Luciana quickly spoke up saying they should start since it seems like Elena wasnât coming, which seemed weird as he thought the two girls were on good terms. âShe had spent the night with a friend, wanted to relax a little bit I guess. Sheâll be here.â He said, though Elena just dismissed his information and started talking. He was a little surprised with the information she brought, he couldnât believe that others would work with this organization and believe they wouldnât be betrayed or their promises granted, before he could say his opinion Luciana quickly spoke up about seeing Elena. âHey! Good to see you, and no worries.â He greeted Elena, but surprised again as the female villain exucsed herself, something about french roast and such. âWell, she was just talking about how some people with powers are being recruited by the people are against, still canât believe it.â
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
He was surprised, however, when Luciana suggested they get started when Elena was only a few minutes late. Huh. Maybe she was starting to toughen up. His food arrived just as Lucy started explaining the situation. He tuned out for a few minutes as he took a bite of his bagel. He was already familiar with the information, so frankly the bagel was more interesting at that point in time. He did smirk as Lucy glanced at him as she spoke about means to an end.
Then Elena arrived, and Lucy excused herself with a smart comment. Elena looked surprised, but Darius filled her in. "Mm. But they seem to be very picky about who they want. The Editor was never on their radar, because he's just too unpredictable, too self serving. Sounds like a smart guy to me. It's either they want your ability, or they want somebody who can be convinced by A. not dying, or B. money. That's why heroes aren't all that attractive to them. Too many morals," he mused.
"So, speaking of which, what did you two find? Anything useful?"
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
"Uh, yeah, actually. We've got numbers and names for a few others who seem to be fairly high up in whatever this organisation is. The guy we dealt with? He's senior, but he sure as hell wasn't the top. And they all seem to do what the person at the top says, no matter what. He says jump, they wouldn't dare question how high. I have a rough track of their movements over the past few days," she said as Lucy returned with her coffee. "None of them are exactly high ranking in the grand scheme of things, but at least one of them has connections to people who are, and we're pretty sure we know one person who calls some shots. Tells them who to target next. And..." she glanced at Darius for a moment, unsure of how this news would go down, how they'd react. She and Darius had agreed caution, but she highly doubted that the two villains would be so co-operative.
"We think we found their headquarters. A location they've all visited at least three times in the past week, for most of the day. I looked it up, most of the companies there are registered businesses, sure, but they don't have websites or any contact details I can find."
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
As Luciana sat down, Elena talking about some high-ranking officials or something, she just sat back and drank her coffee, black. She wanted to ignore what Elena was saying, try to keep her out of her mind, but couldnât ignore the sound of her voice, though there was one thing she did say that brought her out of her slump. The person calling the shots, and their location. She lowered her coffee and made eye contact with Elena for the first time in awhile.
âIs this âlocationâ legit? How do we know they didnât know you were tracking them and arenât just setting up a trap for us. I donât trust it.â Luciana said leaning forward setting her coffee back down without breaking eye contact with Elena, though after hearing Darius once again back up Elena, made her slump back and rolled her eyes. Not exactly at hearing what Dariusâ voice, but about Elena knowing what she was doing. There was a moment of tension between them all, and she knew she had to back of a little. âFine, sorry.â Mostly apologizing to Ash and not the two heroes.
After what Ash had told her, Luciana wanted this to be over as soon as possible, then she could get the serum back from Elena, and leave this city behind, move on to somewhere else and keep running as she always has. She looked over at Darius. âAnd this person calling the shots? Have a name, maybe someone me or Ash might know or heard of? I say we just cut the head off the snake.â She said before looking back at Elena. âWould be nice to get this over with and back to normal things, you know, some of us can go back to hiding from the public in between robbing places, and others can go back to partying and living it up. Think Ash would agree with me with getting this done and done.â She said shooting words at Elena again and looking back at Ash for a second.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius could feel something going on between Luciana and Elena, some sort of tension that wasnât there before, but he didnât pay much attention to it as Ash added some more information about what his fellow villain had said. He wasnât much surprised by the fact that these people wanted to get other people with powers that were easy to control. Though he wondered if he would have said what he said if Luciana was at the table, about how they only wanted certain people they could control and how they personally wanted the Red Witch.
As Ash had asked what they had learned Darius wasnât exactly sure what to say or how to say it, didnât know how much Elena would want to tell them since they were both surprised about what they had learned. Luckily Elena spoke up and told the other two what they had learned, who the guy was they captured and interrogated, about a couple people they had followed and tracked, even about how they are pretty sure who was running everything, or at least currently giving orders. Darius gave a raised eyebrow as Elena trailed off, not mentioning the information about the, and she glanced at him. He gave a slight nod to agree that they should tell him, even though he was the one mostly worried about how they would react, they needed to be open and honest with them.
Darius was a little offended when Luciana ahd questioned whether or not their information was good or not. âItâs real, and itâs not a trap. Elena knows what sheâs doing, done it before.â He quickly replied, a little annoyed at Luciana rolling her eyes, but nodded as she seemed to apologize for her behavior before speaking again, which he actually appreciated. And as him and Elena expected, Luciana wanted to act now and attack. âLucy, we canât just attack them head on. They probably are heavily guarded and have security against such things. Plus you even said it earlier, other villains and such have joined them.â
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
Ash could feel both Luciana and Darius looking at him. He took his time answering, taking a long mouthful of his coffee first. "Well. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to get back to my old ways of mischief," he started. "And we certainly shouldn't hang around for too long, because we don't want them getting used to our tactics. But... we don't want to rush this either. We should investigate this... location of yours. I propose we scout out the location for a while. See if it's likely to be a set-up or if there's something more going on. And then, if it's legit, we get inside the door. We find out what the hell is happening, and then we go as close to the top as we can. Shouldn't take more than, mm, what, 72 hours?" He mused, glancing at Elena as he knew she'd have plenty of leg work to be doing. She just shrugged.
"I can do a bit of digging, see if there isn't some way I can't get you guys inside officially. You'll probably have to make yourselves look... well, a little less like yourselves so they don't immediately recognise you, but I can figure something out. 72 hours sounds reasonable enough to me," She said. She glanced at her phone. "If you lot get moving on the surveillance, you could even start it today," she retorted.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
"So, me and Luciana can go scout out the place, you and Darius can get cracking on finding us a back door," Ash said, almost getting ready to leave. Elena glanced at Luciana, remembered the venom in her voice remembered glancing her at the club last night, and shook her head. "No. You and Luciana hanging around? You're too conspicuous, more likely to get spotted and remembered. Bring Darius instead. Not to mention Darius might stop you from doing anything too stupid," she said with a smirk. For a moment, there was something in Ash's expression, a flicker that was there then gone. Then he shrugged, glancing at Luciana, raising an eyebrow just a fraction.
"This isn't a discussion," Elena said, a little firmer than she anticipated. "You were the two saying we don't have time. And unless either of you wants to explain why you wouldn't agree with those pairings...?" She said, raising an eyebrow and looking almost straight at Luciana, waiting for her to say something.
She didn't know for sure that it had been Luciana. But given the way the other woman had said French... maybe Elena was overthinking things, in which case, there still shouldn't have been an issue. But if Luciana did have a problem, Elena wasn't going to stand for back-handed comments and pettiness.
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana smirked upon hearing Ash saying to get up to some mischief, been a week or two since she had done anything illegal to scratch that itch that she constantly felt, the rush of doing something bad. The ambush and interrogation was all fun, but there was some tension and it was for a good cause, at least with Ash they could get a little out of hand without the heroes around. She chuckled when talking about trying to sneak into somewhere, she knew the Red Witch and the Editor wouldnât sneak anywhere, would be too tempting to have some fun. âGood, now lets get started.â Luciana said as she slipped out and stood up, she was already behind the booth her and Ash were sitting at when Elena said no.
Luciana turned around with a raised brow and then rolled her eyes when Elena objected to the two villains working together, especially annoyed with the comment about Darius not letting Ash do something stupid. So you just want to babysit us? That sounds great. Lucy thought in her head and wanting to say out loud, but knew better. She laughed under her breathe when Elena said that unless they had a good explanation, then the discussion was over. Luciana put her arms on the booth and leaned over. âI do. Me and Ash work better together. Know what we can do.â She paused for a second, leaning in a little bit more and getting quieter, not taking her stare off of Elena. âWeâre villainsâŠâ
There was a beat or two of silence before Luciana spoke again changing to a softer tone, standing up. âBut fine. Darius and Ash can go do whatever together. You can go sit safe and sound in your apartment and look at a computer screen. And I can work on my own. Sounds perfect to me.â Lucy said with a smirk and patted Ash on his shoulder as she walked past him to leave before being stopped again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius sat back and relaxed while the Ash and Elena discussed what to do. He was glad that Elena kept stepping up and taking control of these meetings, but it seemed like Ash was doing the same for the villain side. He liked that Ash seemed to have control and composure, along with some leadership qualities to himself, if only he wasnât driven to being a villain. And Luciana just wanted to go out and do whatever, but seemed more like she wanted to leave the cafe than anything.
Luciana was quick to get up and Ash was getting ready to leave when Elena stopped them, talking about how she thought it wasnât smart to leave the two villains together, which Darius agreed with. Though he was surprised with Elena threw Dariusâ name with Ash, but not upset, a slight smile came onto his face before Lucy spoke up, leaning in and saying that she and Ash would work better together, but more so speaking directly at Elena and ignoring the rest of the table. Darius swallowed a lump in his throat during the silence before standing up and agreeing, but saying her and Elena would work solo doing different things.
âLuciana. I donât think thatâs what Elena meant. Iâm pretty sure when she said pairings she meant me and Ash, and you and her.â Darius said stopping Luciana, who was now at the edge of the table, looking at Elena for confirmation. âPlus itâs better to work together rather alone in case something happens.â He continued as he watched Luciana glance at Elena before looking back at Darius. âFine. Letâs go then.â Lucy said quickly towards Elena, tossing some bills onto the table to cover her order and headed towards the door and looking back at the table.
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
But the heroes weren't having it. They refused to let that happen, and Ash just leaned back. Huh. They really were just as stubborn as Ash and Luciana, weren't they?
"Something might happen? Or we might do something?" He asked, almost casually. But Luciana stopped fighting and agreed, getting to her feet and throwing some money on to the table. Elena rolled her eyes and got up, looking apologetically at Darius before following her out.
"Well, you better know the address, because I sure as hell don't." Ash said, putting down some cash for his own order and a tip. "And Luciana is in a bad enough mood without me ringing her to ask Elena for the address."
Working with Darius, the two of them scouting out a location together was... not ideal. He would have much rather been working with Luciana or hell, even Elena. But nope. It had to be Darius. There had to be something working against him. He made himself a promise to keep his walls up, no matter what. He couldn't afford to let them drop.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
xxx
"Hey." Elena called as she followed Luciana out of the cafe. "HEY!" She called again as she caught up to Luciana, catching up to her and catching her by the wrist for a moment. "I don't know what the hell your problem is. But I didn't miss your French comment earlier and I'm not an idiot. I'm also a goddamn grown woman who is entitled to do whatever she wants with her own body. If you have a problem with this, go home and sulk on your own damn time. I won't tell Ash or Darius. But if you want to be useful, get over yourself, and come help me. I'm going back to my own apartment, it's up to you if you meet me there."
She turned on her heel and stormed back to her apartment, not waiting to see Luciana's response. She wasn't going to work with somebody who was going to make their lives much harder by throwing a tantrum. Darius was worrying about something happening? Well, it was up to Luciana if she wanted to stick with the safety of numbers or go be reckless over some petty grudge.
She let herself into the apartment and flopped on to her couch, already starting to hook all of her laptop up to the screen. This had better be worth it, she thought to herself. If they all ended up as lab rats after this it would have been too much work.
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana heard Elena call after her but ignored her as she walked out of the cafe and made a turn down the street, she was thrown off when she felt Elena grab her wrist and stop her. The feeling of her soft hands, reminding her of the night after their first meeting. But the thoughts left her head as soon as Elena spoke at her. Luciana almost sulked when Elena just about yelled at her by how she was acting but she kept up her stone cold look on her face, even if she didnât feel that way. Before Luciana could say anything in response Elena turned around and head off.
Lucy stood there a little shocked at what was said to her as she watched Elena walk away. Any other time if someone yelled in her face she would have easily said some remark back or gotten physical, but something about Elena didnât make her feel that way. She was standing there in a sort of awe before she brought herself back into reality and followed after Elena who was already about 20 feet ahead of her, but not running to catch up and staying a big behind. Even if she did lose the hero, she knows roughly where she lives.
As the two got to the apartment Elena didnât seem to hold any door open for her, but also didnât closing them all the way behind her, as if she knew the villain was following. It wasnât until Lucy followed Elena into her apartment and closed the door behind her until the two seem to acknowledge one another since the cafe. She took off her jacket revealing just a black tank top she was wearing that showed her scars and hung it up as she slipped her boots off. She wasnât one for wearing shoes with heels and didnât know exactly she wore them to her meeting. Luciana slowly walked over and sat on the couch next to Elena, though sticking closer to the corner.
They sat there for a moment as Elena did her thing on the laptop and showing it all on the big screen. Luciana sat there and watched Elena work, sort of weird how she made typing on a laptop and moving things around on a screen seem beautiful. She let out a deep breathe before finally speaking to Elena. âSo, is there anything I can do to even help you at this point? You seem to have the whole electronics thing down.â She asked, watching the screen. âAlso, you were right. Iâm sorryâŠâ Luciana apologized, a soft tone in her voice as she let down her rough exterior.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius sat a little shocked as Elena stormed off after Luciana, hearing her call after her as they both got outside the door. He turned his attention back to Ash as she talked about not knowing the address, and then followed it up about Luciana being upset and not wanting to ask her to ask Elena, which made him chuckle a little. âYeah, could tell something was different than her this time around, but wasnât quite sure if that was normal for her, at least she didnât seem too mad at me this time.â Darius said with a light smile as he pulled out his wallet and left some cash on the table as well. Usually he wasnât one to carry cash and liked using a debit card, but Elena made him start using cash since the ambush they wouldnât be tracked down as easily.
As he stood up Darius looked back at Ash and nodded towards him. âBut yeah I have the address. Assuming you want to head there now to get a look at it? There is an apartment complex across the way from it with easy roof access.â Darius said as he began to walk out and towards their destination, the suspected headquarters for the organization they were against.
During the walk Darius tried to make some chit chat with Ash as much as he could, but felt like the villain was trying to push him away, almost like he was a different person than he had worked with the previous week or so. âSo what did you and Luciana tend to do since the last time we met? I mean, besides securing information.â Darius asked, a little curious about what Ash does in his free time. âWe didnât do much, Elena went out one night, I mostly stayed in, not wanting to be caught out and about you know?â
The two approached the apartment complex from the rear and Darius referenced the unlocked entrance. âWe can take the elevator up to the 11th floor and then two flights of stairs up to the roof access. Place isnât locked up tight.â Darius finished as he opened the door for Ash with a smile.
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
So Ash kept his walls up as they walked, answering Darius' questions as coldly as he could, making as little small talk as he could get away with. He just shrugged as the hero asked what they'd done. "All we did was research. Think Luciana might have done other stuff. Not sure. I mostly just either worked on this or on other stuff." Ash hadn't had a proper social life in years. For the most part, he hadn't wanted one, or at least that was what he told himself. The occasional night with a stranger filled any craving for affection he did have. And he was fine with that. He didn't have space for anyone in his life.
He nodded, having to bite back a reflexive smile as Darius smiled at him. He had one of those smiles where your face responded almost before your brain got a chance to intervene. But Ash was used to it by now. The building was thankfully empty as they stepped in to it and made their way over to the lift. But as they made their way up in the elevator, the paranoia started to sink in. They couldn't take that for granted. It was entirely possible that there was an ambush somewhere. They just needed to be ready for that.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
Elena wasn't exactly surprised to see Luciana following her into the apartment. The villain seemed to fit in to the space almost too easily as she kicked off her shoes and took off her jacket. Elena just pulled off her hat and flung it onto the nearest empty seat. Her apartment was a little messier than it had been the last time Luciana had been there, mostly because both Elena and Darius had had their mind on other things. She'd turned her attention back to the screen when Luciana spoke.
"Uh, yeah, electronics are sorted. Uh, I'm pretty sure I have some paper files printed out for the fake companies somewhere? I was going to get Darius to go through them at some stage, but you're here now. See if there's anything we could use to get a foot in the door. Any professional bodies we could impersonate and stage an inspection or whatever." She said, almost on autopilot as she finished calling up all of the relevant files. Lucy's apology almost took her aback for a second.
"Listen, it's fine. No hard feelings. Just... what I do in my personal life, when I'm away from you guys? My own damn business." She said, shrugging a little. "I've had too many people try to tell me what I should and shouldn't do, and life's too damn short. So, if you really want to make it up to me, you can brew us a big pot of coffee and we'll get working on this, okay?" She said with a smile. She really had never met anyone else like Luciana. She didn't claim to understand her. And that... intrigued her. She told herself that was all it was. Intrigue.
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana nodded when she stood up and walked to the kitchen. âYou got it, but itâll be black. Donât really know how to make anything else since itâs all I drink, besides alcohol.â She said with a smile as she started making the pot of coffee. While in the kitchen Luciana didnât say much as she just quietly made the coffee. She wanted to tell Elena why she was upset, but she wasnât entirely sure why she was upset with Elena going out. It wasnât because she was having fun and she wasnât Lucy could care less about heroes going out and enjoying themselves, actually preferred it since it meant they werenât on the streets trying to stop her and other villains.
The coffee maker made a slight ding noise that almost startled Luciana as she was in her train of thought. She opened a few cabinets looking for wherever Elena kept her coffee mugs until Elena called out where they were, saying the on a higher shelf. âOh, thanks.â Luciana said, as she reached up to grab the mugs, getting on the tips of her toes and bending her other leg to reach higher. After grabbing the mugs she poured the two of them the coffee and brought it back to the table. This time instead of leaving a cushion between the two Luciana sat next to Elena.
After a few seconds of Luciana just watching Elena work and drink her coffee, she spoke up to break the silence. âCanât blame you for trying to have some fun and relieve some steam. Though you wouldnât catch me dead with a guy, let alone a frenchman. Had some bad run-ins with a few before.â Luciana said with a smirk, not exactly realizing she had just dropped the knowledge to Elena that she wasnât straight. âSo tell me more about these people you think are in charge and stuff. And as you said before, Iâm not exactly one to fit in and sneak, so might be harder for me to blend inâŠâ Lucy trailed off. She had unique look about her that she wasnât afraid to show off, especially if her scars werenât covered up. âI feel like I have a better chance going through the front door than sneaking in.â She said with a giggle towards Elena, for a second looking into her eyes before turning away thinking back to what Ash had said, just pawns. She picked up the pile of papers on the table about the fake companies and going through them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
The elevator up to the higher floors mostly quiet, besides the buzz of the elevator. Darius wanted to say some more stuff but could just tell that Ash wasnât about it, with his short answers, his stature, his remarkable facial features. Darius had to catch himself from staris at him, luckily the elevator door opened. Darius peaked outside to see if there was anyone standing gaurd. âIt seems clear, lets go.â He said as he stepped out of the elevator and quickly up the stairs to the left that lead to the roof. âHonestly, was expecting a little bit of security, or atleast something.â Darius said looking back at Ash as he opened the door to the roof, and bumping into someone as he stepped outside.
Darius gasped as this guy in a black hoodie and sweatpants turned to look at them, a radio in his hand. âWhat are you doing up here?â The man said, but before either of the two could say anything, he spoke up again. âYou arenât supposed to be up here, Iâm being paid to keep watch, suppose to give a guy a call if anyone comes up here.â He said as raised the radio to his face. âWait! Weâre, uh,â Darius looked back at Ash for a second, almost begging him to do something. âWe came up here for the view. I have a friend who used to live downstairs. I believe it was E8, or something. We donât want any trouble, if you could just leave us up here for like 15 minutes. Iâll-â Darius walked up to the man, pulling out his wallet and handing him a couple of twenties. âNot much i have, but I would appreciate it.â The man pocketed the money and walked past Ash and down the stairs. âWow, didnât think that would work. Donât exactly like lying. But hey, atleast didnât need to get violent.â He said with a smile as he walked to the edge of the building.
âNow thereâs the building, from what we scouted, looks normal, but every hour a new set of people take breaks outside on the terrace, entrance, and back alley. Some look like a coffee break, smoke break, or just venting. But itâs every hour, so i doubt its normal breaks, probably under covered guards.â Darius said as he pointed to each area. âTheres a garage entrance in the back, requires keycard, Minerva could probably make a copy if she had her hands on one. But we donât know what it looks like on the inside, think she was trying to get blueprints but having trouble.â He stopped for a second before looking to his left, at Ash. âWell?â
ASH HATFIELD
xxxeven while we sleep, we will find you
xxxacting on your best behaviour
xxxturn your back on mother nature
xxxeverybody wants to rule the world
xxx
He walked over to the edge of the building to watch their target. He pulled out his phone and took a few pictures as Darius explained what theyâd learned. It looked just like another office building. If Ash hadnât known it was a cover up, he probably never would have expected anything. Even to the point of people coming in and out.
âA cloned keycard would be an option, but weâd need to get our hands on an original first. I could deal with that, get one of them as theyâre leaving in the evening. But these guys are smart, weâve seen that much. They might be expecting that.â He mused, watching the building for a few moments longer. I think we need to get in as a scout first. Somehow get in undercover and get a better idea of the inner layout of the building before we strike.â
Ash whirled around as he heard someone coming back up the stairs, and it sounded like several someones. âSounds like we might have a fight. Are we gonna talk our way out of this or are we gonna fight our way out?â He asked, looking at Darius.
ELENA RAMSAY
xxxyou want the heart all to be saved
xxxbut even good guys still get paid
xxxso watch my back and keep the blade
xxxi think it got you laid
They sat in silence for a bit, before Luciana spoke, commenting on her choice of man. She laughed. âIâm half-French, so be careful what you say about the French,â she teased. Then Luciana got back to business, asking about who she thought was in charge.
âItâs hard to get any dirt on them. Because above the surface, theyâre squeaky clean. My betting is that all this is going on as the dirty underbelly of some perfectly legit company, which makes it harder to find anything. And trying to hide would probably just make you more conspicuous if weâre being honest. Mostly, Iâm looking for something⊠incriminating. If I could find a file called ânefarious anti-super plansâ it would make my life a lot easier, but mostly Iâm just weeding through email and text histories, trying to find if thereâs anything useful. Uh, I think I have paper files on all of my main leads⊠somewhere if you want to try and find them,â she admitted, looking around at the piles of paper scattered around the apartment.
LUCIANA MORRISON
xxx Yeah someone pour it in
xxx Make it a dirt dance floor again
xxx Say your prayers and stomp it out
xxx When they bring that in
xxx Bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away
Luciana let out a chuckle when Elena commented on her being half-french. âYeah, but youâre a woman. That makes up for the french side I guess.â She said as she watched the hero click through numerous folders on her screen and typing in commands faster than Lucy could read them. She had to admit, she was good at this. This line of work was definitely safer than what Luciana was used to, and more comfortable. Being able to relax on a couch with a coffee was a change of pace of usually being in the middle of the city causing chaos.
As Lucy finished her coffee she sat her mug down and stood up to look at some of the papers Elena had referenced scattered around her apartment. Though she couldnât really make a comment on the organized chaos Elena had, Lucianaâs apartment wasnât much better organized than this. Digging through the papers there was a photo that was buried underneath everything, of Elena. But it wasnât just Elena, but her kissing another woman, and more than just a friendly kiss between two friends. Wait⊠so sheâsâŠ
Lucyâs thoughts were interrupted as Elena made a sound and startled her, quickly putting the photo down, hoping she didnât see her staring at the photos. After grabbing a random stack of leads, she walked back to the couch and sat down and flipped through it, stopping on a cover page of paper with a heading that looked familiar to her. The Nullify Project
âHey. This Project Nullify or whatever. Was this some of the information you found in their drives? There was talk of a substance called N I heard about in one of the previous cities I use to be in-â Lucy paused for a second, thinking back to her previous city. âThis serum might be it, though not entirely sure what else we can find out about it.â She laid the papers down infront of Elena.
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Darius Jori
xxx All alone in the glass house
xxx Lie awake 'til the sun's out
xxx Pink sky when you come down
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI don't know
Darius kept his eyes on the building, watching the people walk around and in and out of the front door, then he noticed a van pulling out of the gate scanning a card to open the gate to get out of the garage. Probably the same card to get into the garage. Darius thought. âThey seem to use key cards to get in and out of the gate as well as the garage, could probably get a keycard from one of the vehic-â He was cut off when Ask pointed out the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
âWell⊠I guess we can do it your way now, donât think I have enough twenties to pay off numerous people.â Darius joked as he snuck around the side of the door, to try to surprise whoever it was that opened the door. If it was just some civilians, nothing would happen, if it was them he would have the advantage. As the door from the staircase opened up and three armed men came through the door and faced Ash, who put up his hands in a fake surrender. Before anyone could act Darius smashed a glass bat he had formed while waiting for the men to come up across the back of one of them, quickly taking him to the ground.
After taking out the first guy, Darius assumed Ash could take the other, but he noticed they had a sort of ear bud in, probably for a radio, but might block some sound. Fuck⊠Ashâs powers might not be as efficiant. Before Darius could do anything he was tackled to the ground and him and another of the men rolled a few feet away exchanging hits. Darius was on his back as the man pulled a knife and was trying to get it to his throat, Darius was fighting against the man's down strength, but could feel the sharp edge of the knife touching his neck.
The next thing Darius knew the man was next to him and he watched as Ash hit the man until he was unconscious, looking around and seeing he had already dealt with the other one. âS-sorryâŠâ Darius stuttered out as Ash helped him up, âBut thanks, so might be good to say we should head out before backup arrives?â
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