166 Near Disasters

[cal_sitter]

[Niko's first duty after midnight is to move the body. The woman goes somewhere she'll be safe when she revives, somewhere far from the apartment. His second duty is to ruthlessly scrub the area clean. Better for Cal to smell the stink of chemicals than a death that he caused while in the mindset of the Auphe. The third task Niko performs is to

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[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

[Still holed up in the Underground, Cal- no, Caliban now -has the foresight to at least make that call home. One of only two messages that are getting out today, from him.]

Nik?

[ooc: /will also be kind of awol till much later <333]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

Cal.

[Calm, composed, as though the City hadn't elected to revisit one his nightmares. Everything is fine, because Niko isn't going to accept anything less.]

Where are you?

[ooc: ♥ Sorry I had to be out so much yesterday.]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

I don't- [he cuts himself off, and all that's audible is the sound of feet crunching through dirt and gravel]

The Underground...somewhere.

[and it's followed by an almost silent] ...they're still here.

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

[At least they aren't repeating the refusal to be found nonsense, Niko notes with relief.]

I'll meet you shortly.

[But Cal's last statement is an excellent way to worry big brother.]

Who's still there?

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

[there's still just footsteps for a while, as he heads away from the corner he'd previously holed up in]

Toys.

[or the parts that were left]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

[Niko has his coat, his knives, and his keys. The apartment door slams closed behind him.]

Above ground. Now.

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

[there's a grumble under his breath; something along the lines of "you don't have to tell me twice". But other than that, he's silent as he makes his way towards the fresh air]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

[Stays on the phone as a precaution. Under other circumstances he'd hang up after telling Cal to wait for him.]

Landmarks?

[Voice level and steady, though he picked up a jog as soon as he hit the street.]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

That vampire bar. It's up ahead.

[There's the tell-tale sound of a gun being cocked. A precaution and nothing more.]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

Ten minutes.

[Niko's footsteps pound faster as he picks up the pace.]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[halfed]

Right.

[And that's his last word as he makes his way up and past the bar. The blood staining his clothing is enough to get a few heads- noses -turned in his direction. But they're quick to realise that he wasn't the best choice of snack, right then. If ever.]

[phonecall]⇒[action]

[cal_sitter]

[Once he's close, Niko slows to a walk. He doesn't look like he's run at all when he finds Cal. It's even difficult to see that he's worried, but some things can't be hidden from little brothers.]

You need a shower and some sleep.

[action]

[halfed]

[It isn't relief when Niko finds him. It's confusion; why was Niko bothering again? Revulsion; at himself and how he'd acted. Fear; at how he'd felt. And it's that combination that has him stalking off with a renewed vigour, wanting to make some distance between them]

They're not coming back.

[The bodies. He'd made sure of that the previous night.]

[action]

[cal_sitter]

[Not so fast, Cal. Niko grabs the back of his brother's jacket to rein him in.]

You don't know that. More to the point, it wasn't you.

[action]

[halfed]

[Damn that grip, Niko. Cal's forced to stop, though he's then quick to spin an arm round to try and hit that hand away. He doesn't want to be there or anywhere.]

You don't get it, do you? That was me. And the sooner you realise that-

[The sooner he could realise what a mistake he'd made all those years ago]

[action]

[cal_sitter]

[Lets go, but only to deliver a stinging swat to the back of Cal's head.]

I didn't raise an idiot.