Day Twenty-one - I don't Understand

[lies_unspoken]

Who: Damion, Pepper, Wes, Tris C.
Where: Outside
When: Late afternoon
Rating: R

Status: Closed, completed
Summary: Damion tries to harass Pepper and Wes, and is moderately successful (with Pepper, anyway) before Tristan comes in to chase off his brother.

Comments

[yes_miss_potts]

Pepper was still a little nervous. She knew it was silly to be out of the dorms on a day like this when they had the Riverfellian leaders here and she'd ventured out anyways, claiming cabin fever and attempting to find someone to go with her just in case. After all, she sort of had a history of getting into tough spots. Running across someone who looked very, very much like the man who haunted her in her nightmares - or had, at any rate - had not helped her nerves either. He'd seemed prepared for it, though, and she couldn't say she was surprised; after all, she wasn't the only one Tory had taken his derangement out on here

[and_snow_fell]

Dark eyes caught on the redhead, and for a moment he wondered how Tory had ended up here - had Laurel been allowed to open a portal? But when he stepped closer, he realized it was simply a case of body-doubles, and he rolled his eyes.

Unless he was mistaken though, the redhead was one of the recent victims. The one attached to ... his eyes swept around curiously, searching out the witch. He saw no sign of him, though he reasoned that didn't mean anything. Not here. Not today.

Glowering and generally in a foul temper, Damion strode toward the beach. He did note the makeshift ... stage? and he scowled at that. How dare they.

He decided that he didn't much like being on this side. It was irritating, and Belle had kept him from learning too much - even going so far as to possess someone's mind to keep them from talking to him.

Stepping onto the sand, he relaxed his face into a neutral, almost pleasant mask. "Afternoon," he called to the pair.

[yes_miss_potts]

Pepper looked round at the sound of a voice speaking, a full minute passing before realization dawned and pale eyes began to widen in a combination of surprise and fear. She wondered if her heart was really thundering that loud or if that was just the rush of adrenaline in her ears and she unthinkingly shrunk behind Wes, a small sound that might have been meant as a warning easing from her lips.

Wesley raised a brow, glancing over. He didn't recognize Damion, but given Pepper's reaction ... well, he had to assume the worst. Guardedly, he regarded the other male.

"Afternoon," he agreed quietly, though he made no move to extend the greeting further and was hyper aware of the firearm just inside his jacket.

[lies_unspoken]

That was better. There was the fear he'd been after. At least someone had some damn sense around here. He continued over toward them, gesturing toward the stage set up on the beach. "What's going on here?" he inquired politely, as if he were just some random guy who'd fallen in.

Well, he had just fallen in, though he was far from random.

He smiled to Pepper, dark eyes briefly narrowing with the motion before he turned his gaze to the Tory-twin. This close, he could easily see the differences, but he wondered all the same if he couldn't use that to his advantage at some point.

[bullet_curve]

"One of the residents is organizing a contest," he ventured, tone still guarded, though Damion's attempt to blend in worked significantly better on him than it seemed to be doing on Pepper.

But then, perhaps it was because he was new and he didn't really understand the full potential of what the other male could do, didn't realize what he was dealing with. He'd gotten the vibe that this was one of the Riverfellians, but beyond that ... well, inexperience with the situation was his downfall even if he was on edge.

Pepper didn't return his smile, pale eyes flicking worriedly about, exploring her options if this turned sour as she suspected it would. Sure, he was playing nice now, but how long did this last. As it was, there was a lot of open ground between her and any buildings so she had to trust that Wesley would live up to his aforementioned prowess with a gun.

She wondered if it would even make a difference.

[lies_unspoken]

"Organizing a contest," he echoed, his eyes shifting to Pepper as he grinned slowly. "You're brave, aren't you? Being out here without Chase." The grin briefly broadened before Damion shook his head slightly.

"I mean, anything could happen out here," he continued. "You could even die." He spoke the words casually, as if he were talking about nothing more exciting than the weather.

"Suppose it's a good thing no one would let that happen," Tris murmured as he stepped up to the group. Grey eyes flicked to his brother. "Long time no see, Dame."

Damion straightened and narrowed his eyes at the psion. "Was hoping to keep it that way."

"Yeah, but... gosh, what fun is that?" he continued before he settled on the sand near the other two, watching Damion carefully. In a fair fight, he could keep Damion occupied long enough for them to take off, if it came to that - but he didn't imagine Dami would fight fair.

[yes_miss_potts]

Her eyes had widened significantly at Damion's words, and the redhead took a couple of steps back in the warm sand, grains of it squishing between her toes in a way that might have been nice if she weren't so distracted by him.

"Brave," she agreed, "Something like that. Or maybe I'm just not afraid of what you might do."

That was a lie, of course, but she had come escorted and now had Tristan here as well. It didn't make her any less afraid, mind you.

Wesley instinctively drew his weapon, not yet firing it, but taking comfort of the feel of the gun in his hand; the reassuring weight of it in his palm, the way the trigger rose to meet his finger. He had little to say, really, choosing simply to observe for the time being.

[and_snow_fell]

Tris shook his head toward Wes when he saw the gun. "Won't help," he said. It was true enough; Dami could partial shift easily enough, or be fully shifted in the blink of an eye. Perhaps not fast enough to stop a bullet, but fast enough it wouldn't matter if it hit.

Damion glanced to his half-brother before he swept his eyes back to Pepper. "Perhaps you should be afraid," he pointed out. "Maybe I won't hurt you, right now, but maybe I'll find something to do to Chase." He smiled coldly. "Something to make him turn away from you," he continued.

Gazing down at his hand, he summoned up a swirling ball of black energy. "Something to pull him over to my side. It's where he's supposed to be, isn't it?"

[yes_miss_potts]

That hit her in the gut as if someone had punched her there, and Pepper stumbled back a couple of steps with the force of it, the rendering of his words drawn out upon her in the physical as well as mental. A hurt expression crossed her features and she looked away from Damion, blinking back tears. He had her there; it had been mentioned several times - and she could hardly argue the point given Chase’s abilities and occasional darker nature - that he might be better suited to Riverfell. She very well knew she herself had thought it at least a couple times despite her better judgement.

Wes nodded to Tris but didn’t stow the weapon. Even if it was of no use, he felt better with it in his hand.

“Still,” he ventured to the dragon as if that were an explanation for why it was still in his hand before his gaze swung back to Damion, eyes cold.

[and_snow_fell]

So much better. Damion smiled to Pepper, almost cheerfully. "In fact, since I imagine he's not exactly occupied with you at the moment, maybe I'll go pay him a visit. See what he's up to."

A slow grin curved the Sixth's lips before he glanced toward the dorms. "I think Ace lost a couple others. Maybe I'll see what they think about coming back under new management."

He wondered a little if Ice was doing a little recruiting of her own, and that made his grin slip slightly. There were at least a couple over there with questionable loyalty; would they give in if she attempted to recruit them?

Tris watched Damion, the way his expression shifted and wondered what he was thinking. Either way, he wasn't leaving yet, so Tris reasoned he'd be here to torment them a bit more.

He nodded to Wes to show he understood. If he relied on physical weapons, he'd want them in hand even if they supposedly couldn't do anything against his enemy.

[yes_miss_potts]

She wouldn't look at him, wouldn't give him the benefit of seeing how hurt she was by the mere possibility of that. Her lips twisted into a grimace as she found something else to focus on, settling on somewhere to the left of Tristan, looking but not really seeing.

"They won't," Wes returned, "None of us will."

Could he really say that? No. He had precisely nothing to base that on. But he didn't think anyone would, not even those that had started out in Riverfell.

[lies_unspoken]

"Is that a challenge?" Damion murmured quietly, dark brows elevating slightly. He did study Pepper, and while he'd had no plans of actually talking to Chase - he was actually one of the people Damion was keen on avoiding - he thought he might readjust his plans to include that in the schedule for the day.

He did intend to talk to those who had deserted Riverfell - as well as any other DauphinMarians of questionable loyalty - before the day was done.

"Ah, Dame. They know better than to challenge you," Tristan replied as he moved over to Pepper. He eased an arm around her shoulders, hugging her lightly against his side. No, he didn't know her well, but she looked like she could use a solid presence against her.

[bullet_curve]

He did think to point out that actually he didn't know better, but he supposed he did after this encounter. His grip shifted on the gun, though it wasn't pointed at anything but sand just then.

"Just a statement," he countered quietly.

She jumped a little as Tristan materialized - or so it seemed to her - at her side, almost shying away when he touched her before realization dawned that she was all right. She looked up slowly, managing a small smile before she rested her head against him, letting her gaze flick to Damion, studying him, though for what reason she couldn't say.

[lies_unspoken]

"Sweeping statement. I wasn't aware DauphinMare had chosen a spokesman," Damion murmured before he splayed his hands in a shrug. "Maybe I'll have to go find out for myself, what people think." He offered them a sweeping bow before he turned to start away.

Things weren't nearly as interesting when his sibs stepped in. And Belle was keeping tabs on him, so one of his sibs would always be around.

Very, very annoying.

Tris watched Damion as he started off, relaxing slightly only when he was sure the other dragon wasn't going to turn around. "Sorry," he murmured as he released Pepper. He meant sorry for getting all touchy-feely, but it could be taken as an apology for Damion's existence.

[yes_miss_potts]

"It's fine," she assured him, "I ... thank you."

She managed a light smile, though still shaken, and she wondered if there was any way she could get to Chase before he did, to let him know ... but know what, exactly? That the Riverfellian leader was going to try to trick him to the other side? Not that he probably wouldn't already see through that kind of thing, but she suspected Damion's tactics. What would he say to drive Chase from her? She shuddered, eyes closing a moment. That was all too viable and she wanted to grasp at it before it slipped through her fingers.

Wes looked after Damion for a while before he turned to the other two.

"Is he always that friendly?" he asked, and while his tone was light, he was actually curious.

[justified_sins]

"Damion? Nah. He's usually a right bastard." Tris grinned, then shrugged. "He's ... pissed, because people aren't cowering in fear. So he's ..." the psion gestured vaguely. "Trying to stir shit up. Obviously."

Slate eyes fixed on Pepper, and Tristan grinned. "Don't ... worry about Chase. Belle's already given him a heads up. If Dame even goes to find him. Honestly, I think Damion's a little afraid of him. I mean, Chase did pretty much level a building over in Riverfell, right?"