I just want to start a flame in your heart [OPEN]

[madlikegravity]

[ Characters ] The Joker, Oysters, and YOU
[ Location ] Twinklebat
[ Date/Time ] April 28th, Afternoon
[ Warning ] None.
[ Content ] Burning oysters are sent running through Twinklebat.

Comments

[letheal]

Takaya was lost. Clueless about the exact location of the house he was trying to visit, he'd resorted to wandering up and down the streets looking for buildings that matched vague descriptions like 'seemed kind of new' or 'might have two bedrooms.' He was just about prepared to give up-- it hadn't been that long since he'd heard from his Second anyway --when the shouting started.

Picking up speed, he dashed back towards the outskirts of town. As he came closer to the source of the commotion, indistinct noises became definite cries. Fire? Water? What the fuck was happening back there? He broke into a full-out run.

Something snapped the air just as he turned the final corner, met him from the opposite angle and hurtled over his shoulder. Gunshot! his mind supplied, seconds too late. The bullet had flown past him, just a few inches away. Ignoring everything else in the street, his eyes locked on the girl with a weapon in her hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

[letheal]

"Well don't shoot!" he shouted back. But the rest of the scene was registering now: buildings already ablaze, tongues of flame spreading down the street and oysters streaking from place to place like mobile coals. He bit back another curse.

[letheal]

"Forget it." Geez, she's just a kid. Takaya shook his head, waving off her apology and the thought. He couldn't pick who got thrown into this place, or who his next ally was going to be. If nothing else, she'd be safer with him than on her own. And he'd know where the bullets were coming from.

"Maybe we can just chuck water on them too. They're still alive." And they definitely shouldn't be, considering. Takaya looked around. "But a place like this isn't going to have hydrants . . . dammit. Bucket chain?"

[letheal]

Takaya nodded sharply, resisting the urge to stomp the next fireball that ran too close to them. Bad plan. "You live around here?"

[letheal]

"Right. They're faceless, not stupid," Takaya agreed. He tried to remember, had there been any streams or pools outside of town as he walked here this morning? He was still too thrown by the weird scenery to be sure, but a pump or a well seemed like a better bet. He pointed down the street in opposite directions. "You go that way, I'll go this way?"

[letheal]

Takaya had to run quite a bit further before he found anything, and in the end he definitely wasn't anything like the leader of the band of mostly faceless people that converged on the nearest fountain, several of them having had the same idea. He liked to think that he'd helped them organize at least a little faster than they would have on their own, at least. But even with a full complement of workers and several tubs and pots pressed into service, the fire brigade was terribly slow compared to the spreading of the flames.

Takaya glanced down at the chain on his belt. He'd been experimenting these past few days; his shifter seemed to still channel a little of his power. Could he do anything with that?

[letheal]

With a snap of his wrist, the shifter became his sword again. The townspeople fell back. Some shouted, others began looking around worriedly for another foreigner, clearly afraid they were about to have a fight on their handsf. Takaya ignored them. If he still had enough psychic power, then . . .

He threw his arm out. Following the flashing arc of his swordpoint, the jet of water from the fountain twisted and flew through the air, propelled towards the fire.

[letheal]

Takaya slumped over, back hitting the edge of the fountain. The pool was empty, the fires extinguished . . . at least in this particular square. The faceless townsfolk had disappeared, hopefully off to help their neighbors and not running away from the stranger who had tried to help them.

He should do the same. Get up, find another water source, rinse (heh) and repeat. But he wasn't so sure he could manage too many more tricks like that one today.

Dammit, I'm so weak like this.