because you're mine

[solittleeffort]

Characters: Maia, Harley, Jinx, Phoenix and later Ironhide and (maybe?) Anna.
Location: Library.
Date: Backdated to the 16th. Right after the end of this thread.
Warnings: Maia. Lots of Dark Eco, pain, and general unpleasantness. This isn't going to be a superhappyfuntimes log (unless you're Maia).

Comments

[hesmypuddin]

Harley watches the whole bit rather attentively, not really noticing Jinx's unease as the good stuff kicks in. She's never really seen Maia at work, nor does she have much of an idea as to how the whole 'dark eco' thing works. So .. it's all new and exciting for everyone's favorite harlequin!! Oh, certainly there were far better ways for her to spend her free time than taking enjoyment in the torture of another person, but she couldn't think of anyplace she'd rather be right now.

She rests her elbows on her knees, chin resting in her upturned hands. If this is what Maia wants to do, then this is what they're gonna do; no matter that it could be completely the wrong thing. That kind of stuff doesn't bother Harley and never really has. She slept with her professor for a better grade in college, after all.

And Phoenix had been a bad, bad boy. Killing Maia had pretty much put him on Harley's shit list, even though she was sitting things out for the time being. She didn't feel useless, as she'd done an excellent job in wrangling Phoenix and doing a bit of a number on him before hand. She happens to catch the movement next to her, right around then, looking over to find Jinx covering his ears as another scream rings out across the room.

There are several beats of silence as she studies her cohort by association. Her head tilts slightly to one side, baby blues wide and curious as she speaks to him.

"Ain't much yer thing, is it?" She gestures in the direction of Maia and Phoenix, though she doesn't look away from Jinx. "Ya don't mind being a bit rough, but this ain't what ya signed up for, huh?"

Cogs turning as Harley takes this into account .. she really doesn't want to have to beat up Jinxy if it comes down to it. She was rather fond of him .. as far as Harley's fondness stretched for anyone. "Havin' doubts now that it ain't all fun an' games anymore ..?"

[solittleeffort]

Maia pays no attention to whatever it is Harley and Jinx may be chattering on about. Right now, the only thing she cares about is screaming right beneath her, and she couldn't be happier.

The feeling of the Dark Eco crackling in and around her body is a painful one, but it's also a feeling that Maia has grown to appreciate. However, Phoenix isn't as lucky as she is. For him it's nothing but horrible, excruciating pain - and she has no intention of letting it end any time soon. Maia closes her eyes and sighs contentedly as she continues to send pulses of Dark Eco through his body.

This moment is perfect. It's everything she hoped it to be, and there is nothing she would do to change it.

"You know, Phoenix...I've been wanting to do this since I first met you." Her voice is quiet. Far too quiet to be heard over the sounds of Phoenix's screaming, but if the room had been silent, then one would be able to hear how genuinely happy Maia sounds.

"I'm so glad that I finally have the chance."

[ecopiracy]

If Maia was expecting a response from Phoenix, she was going to be sorely disappointed - or more than well pleased. Her words rush right past Phoenix's ears, not even registering as scream after pain-filled scream tears itself out of him. He throws himself back, to the side, arching and thrashing desperately to get away from her, but there's no escape. The Dark Eco relentlessly sears through his skin, corroding and twisting and ripping him apart until every cell in his body screams.

[standardpackage]

He sighs then uses a moment to collect his thoughts. His gaze doesn't break from the floor and the only movement, outside of his pumping heart, is his hand drawing the cigar to his lips.

"No, not really."

His voice is almost silent, barely audible over that screeching from Phoenix.

[hesmypuddin]

Harley is kind of tuning out the whole screaming noise while she speaks with Jinx, her baby blues never leaving his face. She feels for him, watching as he lifts his cigar to his lips. It's more than apparent that her pal is a far gentler soul than he'd like to admit.

"Well .. then it's best that ya don't involve yerself, bubs," she says plainly with a little shrug. She's not one to get butt hurt of such, actually preferring that he not get in the way if his conscience is getting to him.

"So, I'll do ya a little favor. For ya own good, ya know? Ain't no point in ya gettin' in any more trouble than ya already have, yeah?"

She's smiling at him, and he's really not going to get anymore warning than that before she pistol whips him solidly across the back of the head.

"Nighty night, Jinxy!"

[solittleeffort]

Maia doesn't miss Harley knocking Jinx out, although it really isn't her main focus at the moment. It's probably for the best that the munitions expert miss the rest of this, anyway. It won't be a pretty sight.

She finally stops pumping Phoenix full of Dark Eco - for the time being, at least. As much as Maia loves that screaming, she wouldn't want him to lose his voice so quickly. Better to let his vocal chords take a break before continuing with their little session. Maia will make him scream again, but for now a little bit of smalltalk will do.

"There you go. Now that's just one more thing that you and I have in common!" She turns her attention away from Phoenix for a moment and looks at her partner, "Harley. Be a dear and bring me one of the jars of Dark Eco. The energy from my body is strong enough, but I think trying something more concentrated may be a bit more fun.

"And don't worry, Phoenix. The amount of Dark Eco inside you isn't enough to make you change...or perhaps it is! Truth be told, I wasn't really paying attention."

[ecopiracy]

Even after Maia stops, the Dark Eco he's already absorbed continues to rage through his body, angrily racing through his veins like a caged, living thing. Bile rises in his throat as his stomach rebels - it almost makes it out of his mouth before he manages to swallow it back. Sick, shaky, and now incredibly pale, it's all he can do not to sag in his chair as much as the ropes will allow.

"We are... nothing," he bites out, after several ragged breaths, "nothing alike." Anger. Anger is a good emotion to feel. It masks the cold shot of fear he feels at Maia's casual words.

...enough to make you change...

No!

Growling, he forces himself to sit up straighter, glaring his defiance though his muscles still spasm from exposure. "No matter... what... you do to me... I will never... be like... you!"

[hesmypuddin]

Harley looks down at Jinx's crumpled form, actually feeling a bit badly that she was forced to do so. However, it was all for the best at the end of the day, and she really hadn't wanted him to try to interfere, had she? Besides, he had that whole 'plausibly deniable' thing going for him now.

See? Harley was a genius. She beams to herself and then her gaze flits to Maia as her biffle calls to her. She brightens, even her headpiece seeming to perk up at the summons and she nods.

"Ya got it, Maia!" she replies in practically a sing-song, literally skipping over to where the jars of Eco are. It's not hard to find the jars Maia is talking about and she brings it over to where the precursor is playing with Phoenix, smiling sweetly as she holds it out to her.

She glances at Phoenix as he bites out a snide remark, sniffing disdainfully. "Ya would be so lucky," she snipes back at him.

[solittleeffort]

"Mm. Thank you, Harley." Maia takes the jar from the other woman and presses a small kiss to her cheek before looking back down at Phoenix. "Efficient little thing, isn't she?"

She takes a moment to unscrew the lid, gently coaxing the toxic substance out of the container and willing it to float around her. None of the Dark Eco will drop onto Phoenix unless she wants it to. "Now, I've been awfully curious about something, Phoenix. The last time we spoke you seemed to enjoy dropping hints about having something of mine, even though I never explicitly said what I lost over the communicators. Now, I have every right to suspect you, but if you really did take what was lost, then you'll have no problem answering this question. So - what did I lose?"

[ecopiracy]

Phoenix's stomach heaves at the sight of the eco floating around her, but whether it's from nausea or from the eco itself roiling in anticipation inside him, he isn't sure. The blood drains from his face and his heartbeat pounds. Again, he struggles to free himself, almost frantically for a moment, but it's useless. The ropes are too strong!

That leaves him with anger as his only defense, and desperately he latches onto it, fanning it even stronger. "I fail to see," he snarls, "why I should answer to you!"

Only he did see. The threat is plain in her hands. She would torture him if he didn't tell her what she wanted.

His eyes narrow grimly. She'll torture me anyway.

I'll be sitting quietly at the sidelines now! I'll jump in when needed. :3 xoxoxo

[hesmypuddin]

Harley lets put a delighted giggle at the kiss and beams at the praise, moving where she can watch without getting in the way. This whole Eco thing was new to her, although Maia spoke of it often enough. Seeing it in motion, though, was altogether a different bowl of wax!

When Phoenix refuses to tell her that he has her notes from the library, she can only sit back and watch eagerly for the shit to hit the fan.

roger! o7

[solittleeffort]

Phoenix is definitely right in his thoughts. Maia plans on torturing him no matter what he says or does. Quite frankly, she's just teasing him right now.

"Well. It's just a minor inconvenience, anyway." No, it isn't. It's a very big inconvenience that Maia still needs to sort out. Still, she smiles once again and looks down at Phoenix. "No point in letting such a thing ruin an evening of fun!"

Maia allows one of the clusters of Dark Eco fall, only to have it freeze in the air just centimeters above Phoenix's chest. She slowly summons it up to her arm, hissing slightly as the murky poison sank right into her skin.

"It's interesting, isn't it? Enough exposure, and the body can take in a high concentration of Dark Eco with hardly any effort. Of course, even with everything I just put you through, this would still be quite a bit to take in. Still, I think it could be very educational to see what would happen, regardless. Don't you agree?"

[ecopiracy]

Phoenix jerks back involuntarily, his heart hammering in his chest. His eyes, wider than he would ever admit, stay focused on the glimmering threat until it disappears, then jerk to Maia's face before he catches himself.

He was giving her what she wanted.

Fanning the flames of his anger, he tries to snuff out his fear. The Dark Eco roils inside of him...

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he snaps, "if your intelligence has been crippled to the point that you need to repeat a lesson you should by rights have already learned."

[solittleeffort]

Phoenix really isn't doing anything to help the situation - then again, even if he was, Maia would still be the one with the upper-hand. She'd still be standing above him, Dark Eco and all, and he would still be completely at her mercy. After all, no matter what he says, the plan is still the same.

"Well. While it would help me learn about your own body's reaction to Dark Eco, I must admit that the pursuit of knowledge really isn't why I'm doing this. Like I said before..."

Maia allows for several large drops of Dark Eco to fall onto Phoenix's chest.

"This is all for the sake of my enjoyment."

[ecopiracy]

The effect is like acid eating into his skin, liquid, living fire burning itself through him to join the Dark Eco he'd already absorbed. Another short, agonized cry escapes from his mouth before he can clamp his mouth shut. Only a few drops...

But it's far more concentrated. It hurts - oh dear Makers, it hurts! - more than anything he's ever experienced, and even after it fades, the Dark Eco is still there, clinging thickly just beneath his skin. It buzzes angrily, like a swarm of wumbpees, and hungrily reaches for more...

No!

Panicking, he throws himself to the side.

But only manages to make the chair topple.

"Nngh!"

[solittleeffort]

Maia just laughs as Phoenix topples over, this whole ordeal is really far too much fun! She saunters over to him, a hand on her hip and a smile on her face. "Feel free to lick my boots while you're down there."

The Dark Eco is still floating above her, and she crouches down to look at Phoenix. Quite honestly, Maia is perfectly content to simply watch him like this. Angry, afraid, helpless...oh, she just loves it. Still, she has so much more she wants to do with him, and it won't get done if she just stares!

"It's really pointless to try and resist, you know." The Dark Eco draws closer to him as she speaks.

"If anything, you should be grateful! I'm...improving you. Making you more like me. Really, I suppose one could say that I'm recreating you." Maia grabs Phoenix by the hair and yanks his head forward for another kiss. Her body is crackling with bolts of dark electricity, but that's all from her own excitement.

"I own you, Phoenix. You belong to me, now, and you always will." That mad smile is still there as Maia breaks away from her captive, and the rest of the Dark Eco that had been floating above them showers down on Phoenix.