02

[pkeccentric]

[Action → Greased Lightning Garage]

[outwardly, Ray doesn't seem any different from usual. he comes to work early, dresses in the blue coveralls he's been wearing to the garage for the past several days and jumps right into his daily routine with no questions asked, cheerfully working on today's project with single-minded intensity that should be

Comments

1127 Taylor

[expiatrice]

[Oh...

She's been around town during the day though, so she's already gotten wind of the strange doppelganger incidents that have been occurring to people all over town. She just got home herself, but he seems busy, so...

Oof, that looks like it'd hurt, but she'll just stand by the side and watch, until he either notices her or is done beating the crap out of his evil alien twin. Whiiichever comes first.]

[pkeccentric]

[the position they're in now is more than a little awkward, especially from a distance. and seeing as how they're both covered in that green pod goop, it's pretty difficult to tell which is the real Ray right now until the one with his hands wrapped around the other's neck looks up and spots Ciel.]

Hey, honey! How's it going? [the Ray he's pinning beneath him kicks his legs up wildly, trying to throw the other him off.] Why don't you go back inside and get dinner ready? I'm starving!

[expiatrice]

[Oh dear.

Bringing a hand to rub her temple. Well, opening his mouth made it obvious now.]

Will you be okay with dealing with that...? [DOES SHE CALL HIM MR. STANTS OR RAYMOND OR RAY... She'd offer help, but this looks... er... personal...]

[pkeccentric]

[from underneath his double, the real Ray looks over at her and opens his mouth to scream for help only to receive another punch to the face. whatever words he was trying to form are lost in the ensuing shriek.]

Oh, I'm almost done here.

[and for good measure, the doppelganger grabs him by the shoulders and hammers his hand down into the ground over and over until, after what feels like a very long time, Ray stops putting up a struggle. he coughs wetly and his double lets him go with a satisfied smile, turning his attention back on Ciel briefly.]

- Say! Do we still have those cinder blocks in the garage, pumpkin? Would you mind getting me one?

1/3

[expiatrice]

[...Oof, the tides turned fast. But he already gave himself away by being just a tad too comfortable in calling her pet names as if they were really married. She'll just stare back blankly plainly, as if seriously considering.]

Um, let me think...

2/3

[expiatrice]

[This'll be easy. In a heartbeat, a thin rapier-like sword will materialize in her hand. Not that Ray would have time to process it, let it be doppelganger or the real one, before she just as quickly flings it forward. Oh, it won't come close to touching him. The blade'll just be planted through the ground, but right by his feet and through his shadow. Meaning that no matter how hard he tries now, he won't be able to move; his shadow is stuck, hence by extension, so is he. She's spent enough time here to regain all of her assets, and Black Keys are definitely among the most practical.]

Please stay put for a while and catch your breath; that looked taxing for the both of you.

3/3

[expiatrice]

[And without batting an eyelash at him, she'll turn her back to him and focus her attention to the real Ray. ...Yeah those bruises don't look good. She'll quickly make her way over and kneel down, frowning lightly with concern as she examines any very visible wounds - scrapes, open ones that may be bleeding, anything.] Can you sit up?

[pkeccentric]

[doppelganger!Ray lightly frowns, arching a brow and looking down at the sword like it's only a minor inconvenience. if the real Ray was in any position to comment let alone speak, he'd find this entire spectacle extremely fascinating and would no doubt grill his not!wife on what kind of spell she used to augment the rapier.

instead, he just coughs again and blinks, blood steadily trickling down the back of his head and making him feel even more weirdly damp.]

- Nnh. Y-Yeah, I think...

[he tries to sit up, visibly disoriented and sick.]

[expiatrice]

[It's just to put him in place and lock him down there, it doesn't really have any other purpose beyond that. If doppelganger!Ray wants to pick a fight with his not!wife, he's by all means welcome to later on - but what sort of pleasant and passive aggressive husband would he be to get violent with a lady, and his own wife at that!!

...Well no okay they'll have to take care of him eventually, but for now, patching up Ray comes first. Odds are she'd still beat him pretty fast though. Ray may deal with supernatural things too for a living, but Ciel's job is to literally hunt down and exterminate vampires with superhuman speed and agility. HE CAN ASK HER ABOUT IT SOME OTHER TIME when he isn't bleeding and just got beaten to a pulp.

She'll gently put a hand on his shoulder and help him steady.] Take your time and don't move too suddenly. I can take care of those wounds, so please sit still for a bit and catch your breath too. It'll be quick.

[Hopefully he won't ask too many questions and do as told; she can ease most of the pain and

[pkeccentric]

[after all of that, he's in no position to speak let alone object to doing what he's told. his ears are ringing and his head aches something fierce, making even the slightest bit of concentration difficult without sending waves of nausea over him. still, he listens to her and slowly forces himself into an upright position, hissing when he reaches to touch the back of his head where it hurts the most. he pulls his hand away and sees blood on his fingertips.]

Got me good, didn't he...? Heh. [he exhales shakily, looking from Ciel to the now very noticeably irritated double who is still trying to yank himself free. the latter strikes Ray as kinda funny so he laughs, his voice cracking.] All over the front lawn, too. S-Sorry...

[expiatrice]

Don't worry about that! [There's a chiding tone to it now.] What's important is that you recover first. I'm sorry for not stepping in earlier too, it looked like you were going to be okay for a moment...

[That said, it does seem like he's calming down, so she'll place a hand hovering behind where the bleeding part of his head is. She won't touch him, but he is going to feel a permeating and cooling sensation while the pain gradually fades away. It won't be long before it's completely gone; the wound was on surface level, so it's easy to heal.]

Are you hurt anywhere else?

[And the doppelganger will continue to be ignored, yes. They'll deal with him once they're ready; there's no hurry.]

[pkeccentric]

[with the entire town going crazy, it's hard not to worry. he's still aware of that much, and that it must be horribly inconvenient to wedge yourself between two clones who're making a terrible mess of the yard. Ray offers her an awkward but genuine smile - the first he's had all day - and doesn't object to her moving one hand close to his head. maybe it's his usual naivety talking, but he doesn't feel very threatened right now.

it's a very nice contrast.

whatever Ciel is doing is starting to take effect. Ray sighs softly, enjoying the cooling sensation and feeling a little sad that it fades so quickly. he moves his head around and reaches back to touch it again, and there's no more blood. his expression turns to one of delighted wonder when he looks back at the other.]

Um, yeah... Just my neck. It's no big deal. [BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...] Was that magic? Real magic?

[expiatrice]

[Chaos and bloodshed is something that everyone has to get used to once they arrive in Mayfield. Fortunately and unfortunately, Ciel doesn't come from the most peaceful and stable of backgrounds, so she's already got her share of practice dealing with these sort of events. And if experience, both here and from home, proved one thing to her time and again, it's that it helps a lot to stay calm and act as both voice of reason and pillar of support to those around her when times get bad. ...The most and best that she can do here, even, which suited her fine.

Her demeanor does softens too though, once it becomes apparent that he's doing better.]

That's a relief to hear. Aha... We don't exactly call it 'magic' in my world. It's more akin to thaumaturgy, but understandably, you can refer to it as such. Can you stand now?

[pkeccentric]

I only thought saints were capable of performing that. [he responds to the next portion of her question by getting to his feet - a shaky effort, but a stable one nonetheless.] Makes sense. You sorta feel like my guardian angel right now.

Don't listen to him! He's a fake!

[any good mood on Ray's part diminishes right then and there. he looks over at the doppelganger and then down at the sword.]

How long will that hold him?

[expiatrice]

It may have something to do with what type of world we come from. Even if it's the same planet Earth, there are still alternate versions. [She chuckles faintly.] It's a bit complicated, but we can talk about it once things calm down, if you'd like. ...And it's fine, you don't have to put it that way.

[She'll resume a more serious expression too once the topic shifts back to the fake, though.]

He doesn't have the power to remove it. Left alone, the Key will stay for a few hours - that, or whenever I decide to dispel it. What would you like to do with him?