open to the east dorm.

[truemask]

CHARACTERS: truemask, bestlieutenant, inquisire and the residents of the East Dormitory
DATE: September 18 (Day 10/11)
RATING: PG-13 - R. Violence is likely!
SUMMARY: The East Dormitory is held hostage, and raids are conducted.

Comments

[evilcanwait]

Giles at first was not impressed - he's had far more frightening intimidation methods used on him - but when his makeshift weapon turns into a snake in his hand, he yelps and throws it away. His reflexes are fast enough that he throws it toward the Malfoys, on the chance that it will retain its form, though he presumes that if this man has the power to transfigure it in one direction he can do it in the other.

"Less of a hero and more someone that recognizes dark magic when it crawls along the walls," he answers, more or less composed despite everything. There's a hint of a sneer to his words; Giles feels nothing but contempt for those that resort to dark wizardry. His gaze flicks over to Draco, then - he'd recognized his voice, as few British accents as he's run into here. "I should've known that nothing good would come of an attitude like that. Do you really think this won't have repercussions?"

Not from him, necessarily, of course not. Giles has no illusions about his importance in this scenario. But he also knows that no one can steep themselves in this amount of power and not feel it later, feel it bone deep and wrenching.

..... Action tagging because nobody owns us. We do what we want.

[striderswag]

Repercussion number one, comin' right at you.

[Dave tells himself he wasn't looking for the old man, because he probably wasn't. Jade and Rose haven't been answering his attempts at communication for days now, so he'd gotten worried when the attack hit home at the eastern dorm. The worst thing would be for them to get caught in any crossfire, so here he is-- playing knightboy as he traverses the halls looking for the dumbfucks that thought they had a right to get rough on his turf.

Here's two of them and he's lucky to have turned a corner that led him to standing behind the younger. Something's familiar about that tone and that ice-blonde hair, but he can't remember the name for the life of him. Whatever. They'd only spoken once or something. He won't spare him much sympathy.

Caledscratchis in his hand and Dave was going to attack without the cheesy pseudo-avenger talk. He was! Then he realized who it is these bastards have surrounded. No good.]

Hey, grandpa. Glad I could come save your ass.

[egotrippings]

[He scowls, flushing slightly at the comment, briefly looking past Giles and at his father, before returning his attention to the - he’s a muggle, then; Draco can’t help but feel a little disappointed.] Don’t speak to me as if you know me. [The words sound childish, even to his ears, but he barely has time to amend his utterance before hearing a voice from behind him and he starts, spinning on the spot to face whoever it is.

The voice is vaguely familiar, but he doesn’t bother - have time - to dwell on that, his attention is immediately taken by the blade in the other’s hands. He lifts his wand - for one moment, one ridiculous moment, he thinks of Moody - Crounch Jnr., whoever - and his exclamation of how cowardly it was to attack someone from behind -] Expelliarmus! [It occurs to him, as he’s partway through calling out incantation, that it might be more effective to immobilise the boy, but he doesn’t want that weapon anywhere near him and if, if he has to rely on that, then he’s hardly going to be a threat without it. Non-wizarding individuals.

It’s almost remarkable how many of them there are.]

NEVER MIND MY PROSE im just html lazy

[truemask]

Lucius wand comes up in a sharp swipe, and in tandem, the writhing snake lifts from here it was thrown to pitch down the hallway, flying by Giles' ear, over Draco's head, and set straight for Dave -- a very angry, two foot long, black scaly snake with nothing better to do. It used to be a teapot, until all these people showed up.

Don't talk to my son like that is a thing Lucius didn't get an opportunity to say before the dynamic became more complicated, and so he hopes the sentiment is made clear when a flash of red leaps from his wand to catch Giles' low at his torso -- a flash of bone-deep pain, fiery, and Lucius maintains it with a point of his wand that he twists in the air, as if it were a knife buried in that same location.

"Enough!!" he barks through the room, though he keeps up the suffering as he glowers from his end of the hallway. His other hand comes up, opens, and shows the token trapped against his palm by a thumb. "You must know what we want. If you've nothing to surrender, then yield."

IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER TO ME ANYWAY.

[evilcanwait]

Grandpa? he thinks to himself indignantly, but before he has time to vocalize anything there's pain in his gut, wrenching and-- this isn't nearly as bad as Angelus, he tells himself. No, it probably isn't; the world would've ended then if he hadn't borne it.

"I don't have any," he gasps out, staggering forward a step. A hand reflexively covers his stomach, to protect the wound, but of course there isn't any blood and nothing's spilling out. "And if I... did, this wouldn't g--get you them. Bloody bastards." Giles starts to get a hold on the pain, to adjust to it within his mind, and adds, looking at Dave, "Could really... use that saving now."

Tell me if any of this isn't okay!

[striderswag]

[Oh no, grandpa! 8O

Don't worry, Mr. Giles, Dave has this one-hundred percent under control. That bolt of power coming out of Dickwad Jr.'s wand does the trick and his hand snaps open, allowing Caledscratch to fly rapidly behind him. Almost as soon as its out of the kid's hand, the blade shifts and-- there's only half of it left. Eh. Explanations can wait until much later when nobody's about to have a snake thrown in their face.]

Whoa-- [That back bend of Dave's to dodge the reptile? That's a movie involving people hooked up into machines-worthy. Mad flexibility up in here-- at least when the other option is venomy bites.]

Hold out. I'm gonna take out the kid first.

[And now he's racing toward the 'kid' (who must be older than him), weaponless until he's moving to slash horizontal at his middle. None of his hits are plotted out to be lethal-- if anything, he'd like the idiot to move out of the way so he can get to grandpa and stop his magical bout of hemorrhoids

Now he's got a more whimsical blade in his hands, by the way. Let's see how many Dave's got on him-- or. Doesn't have on him until he calls them from hammerspace his Sylladex.]

it's all good with me. also, likewise!

[egotrippings]

[Any smugness he might have felt at the sight of the snake heading for Dave is short-lived, his smirk fading quickly into wide-eyed fear and surprise. He moves backwards, immediately regretting his decision to simply disarm the - boy? - in front of him. He has enough time to wonder where the second blade came from, but not enough to entirely regain his balance from the sudden movement and he stumbles slightly, refusing to take his eyes off of Dave for the time being.]

Crucio! [Red light this time. Aim takes a backseat, and he utters the spell almost before he’s had time to think about it - hasn’t thought about it - the conviction isn’t really there; he’s really only interested in ensuring that he doesn’t end up hurt or otherwise injured. It’s an ironic, if not hypocritical aim, all considered.]

saaame. also dave i pmed you back, happy to plot!

[truemask]

In that case--

Black rope spins out the end of Lucius' wand, tangling through the air to Giles in a simple incarcerous hex which has thus far proven useful -- distracted, though, and so the living-ish ropes do not immediately bind the other man. They go for the throat to coil tight, its rough texture burning against skin as it tightens -- but it can and will be manhandled away.

But this is the least of Lucius' concern. He moves passed Giles' at a careless shove, a hissed out of my way scraping imperious from his throat. "Impedimenta!" is a lot louder, designed to throw Dave back with as much force as Dave bears down on them--

And of course, if that doesn't work, if it misses in Lucius' own haste, his hand is already closing on Draco's sleeve and pulling him-- and himself-- out of their enemy's path.

[evilcanwait]

The pain is starting to fade (due to Dave distracting them, he has no doubt), but before he has time to appreciate that there's something wrapping around his throat. Giles is grasping at it immediately, trying to calm his breathing and treat this rationally and get it away with the least amount of fuss, but raw animal survival compels him toward more desperate, jerky movements.

He's been attacked by a lot of different things - truly an incredible variety - but this is a first, and it trips him up for the moment. But he's getting annoyed at being so readily discounted, no matter how true it is, and with them both focusing on Dave it should leave him an opening. At this point Giles doesn't care how crass it is to try to punch someone in the back of the head, even a teenage boy. Sometimes you just have to knock people out.

[striderswag]

[Dave always has time to appreciate irony.

The first spell hits him straight in the gut and-- oh. He feels that-- feels every cell revolting against the mere act of standing on his own two feet. A full body shudder wracks through him, the kind that has thin limbs wavering all over the place-- human jello, topped with whipped aching. He'd be screaming if he still thought in terms of personal discomfort during fights. Dave would thank Big Blonde if he could for launching that second attack. When it throws him into the hallway wall, the first whatever from Little Blonde gets all short-circuited. Wires cross and Dave doesn't hear any bones crunching as he slides down to his ass, feet yet flat on the ground.]

Ow.

[Dave frowns, all rough like his lips haven't curved in the decade. Someone coat that mouth in oil or it's bound to creak.]

Shit. Rose would love this.

[Yeah, two-- er-- wizards? That's a hairy situation. But he's vaguely fond of grandpa, so he'll keep up the good fight. In one smooth flip, he's back on his feet and shaken off the memory of the pain, accounting only for how much the physical wear is bound to slow him down.]

Change in plans.

[A flip of a mental switch and he's got the timetables hovering around him.]

I'm gonna get serious.

[And he's heading back into the fray, lightning quick, a lunge of sword through Big Blonde's side in mind. It ain't no thang. Not true. Ow. Ow. No sweat off his back but ow.]

Now I'm here.

lemme know if this isn't cool...

[illinest]

[Three assholes are storming the dorms and two of them made the mistake of fucking with one Dave Strider.

Even though he's not in Sburb, he's got this dumb intuition link with Dave like the best of a Lifetime special, and despite this shitty island trying to cap his abilities, he's heading up the instant Dave gets struck.

There seconds later, another figure in the cramped hallway. Much taller than Dave but still sporting some ridiculous shades and a mass of bright blonde hair.

And a katana.]

Shit. We LARPing now?

[He's already poised to attack and it doesn't take long to figure out who the enemy in the situation is; there's a direct charge at Lucius, not aiming to kill him but the blade'll slice the air precariously close. A pretty clear indication to back off, yet deftly avoiding Dave's lunge, as if this whole thing were practiced. Some choreographed piece of shit they worked on all week, but nope.

Just pure Swag.]

[egotrippings]

[He’s almost entirely forgotten about Giles, otherwise utterly distracted by Dave in front of him, and then by Lucius pulling at his sleeve, dragging him up. He staggers after his father, moving as quickly as he can considering the darkness and the relatively cramped corridor.

And then he’s reminded of Giles’ presence rather suddenly and forcefully.

He’s never been particularly physical - he’s always had Crabbe and Goyle for that, and he’s always been too small, his build too slight, not to mention how entirely undignified it would be for someone like him to get involved in physical scraps like some pathetic muggle who knew no better. The blow makes him feel slightly sick, and he immediately moves to check that he’s not bleeding or something, his penchant for melodrama doing him absolutely no favours before turning to face Giles.]

Petrificus Tota-. [He doesn’t get as far as finishing the spell before hearing the third voice, though he doesn't bother to look at who it is; it's not his aunt, so it hardly matters. His attention shifts to Lucius, staring at him with wide-eyes.] Father-! [They ought to leave, he thinks, get out of here before anyone else decides to arrive.]

[truemask]

Two swords is two too many swords. Especially in a corridor.

He misses entirely Draco getting a punch to the head by the time a new voice has entered the dynamic, turning sharp and immediately pointing his wand -- the disarming spell cracks like electricity through the air towards the second Strider to knock his weapon from his hand, his attention focused first on the one he'd believe to be disabled less before he turns to confront the first as flashing steel-- or whatever these things are made of, where did they come from anyway-- stabs through the air as Draco shouts the less formal of his titles. There's a sharp, guttural yell from Lucius, although all that's wrapped around Dave's blade is churning black smog by the time it's done.

The mass of intangible black moves like a dervish to suddenly flood around Draco, reforming into Lucius where he has an arm secured around Draco's shoulders. In the dim light of the corridor, his left hand is bright scarlet where blood has come gushing wristwards beneath his sleeve. His other arm extends passed Draco's ear to point his wand down the hallway at all three, even as they both suddenly begin to disintegrate into that same black smog for vanishing purposes. The younger wizard will hear it clearer than anyone else, but it's certainly audible when Lucius hisses;

"Avada kedavra!"

And bright green light flashes through the hallway.

OOC: Okay so! That was a killing curse you may have heard of it. Dave, feel free to bend time accordingly, or-- anyone can do whatever works! Lucius' intention is to Disapparate himself and Draco out of there like bam due to being a giant coward -- Draco, feel free to do whatever to make continuity work for you. (I'm thinking it'd be good if Lucius took them directly to the mall but if you have other threads that come after this one here, presume Lucius tossed him into a quieter corner of the building because, you know, not a lot of time to think anyway. LET ME KNOW, MY SON.)

Unless we don't escape immediately due to shenanigans, which is good too, but if left to his own devices, this is what happens. Oh goodness SO MANY WORDS from me.

IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS PM ME WITH THEM or plurk yo.

[evilcanwait]

It's instantaneous and reflexive, his urge to translate what he just heard-- and that last spell, that short, one word one is only now filtering through his ears to his brain, the delay of fast paced heat of the moment combat making everything so slow-- Giles realizes that crucio is from Latin for crucify or torture, and Dave got hit with it to save him.

He realizes that avada kedavra sounds like abracadabra, an old Aramaic spell for vanquishing illness, for destroying-that-which-is-before-you but it's twisted here, somehow, he never heard that it was supposed to be green--

In movies you have time to say something, to yell a protest or a warning when someone is about to die. But as Giles knows from experience... in real life, you just stand there. You stand there and the next moment it's your fault and they're dead.

[striderswag]

[Dave will tell Bro he doesn't need his help later when he remembers not to be relieved to have it. They strike in a motion synchronized from thirteen years of learning each other's cool moves-- from thirteen years of stairwell scuffles and rooftop rumbles. The sound of his guardian's voice is an invisible hand that rights his grip and reminds him that he favors his left side you fucking idiot. Others might have perceived him as an interruption or a scratch on the track. An adult breaking in on a kid's coming-of-age story.

Dave's never thought of him that way.

His brother or that guy but never in the way.

Anyway.

Big Blonde is lucky Dave isn't any older or more cocksure. He'd be skewered if the boy was running on longer legs. Because of his age and because magic-- which exists here for sure-- there's black smoke on the Knight's machete when it should have hit a homerun. Fucking wizards.

Next time he sees Rose he's giving her a harder time than granite.]

Runnin'? For real?

[The timetables whir a whispering suggestion of continual rotation. Like the earth should have kept going 'round the sun, before there were asteroids and before bodies started piling up. They're a stabilizing sound like raindrops pattering against Dave's childhood window when he woke up. A reminder that, yes, it can rain-- even in Texas.]

That is so fucking weak.

[Why did it have to be a green burst of light? Dave hates green unless it's an indication of Jade. Green is his least favorite color. Green makes him think of bad suits he regrets alchemizing and one soon two of the times he's died. Green's the color of frogs that can't be perfectly bred and tough decisions brought on by someone he'd almost made the mistake of trusting. There's no love in Dave's heart for green.

His eyes roll and he flashsteps forward toward more black smoke that hits the air and-- Jesus. How grimdark can someone be? How pompous and sure?]

I only just got started.

[Green touches him. Licks at him with reaper flames and he realizes it's not the same sort of spell as before. This one's not going to toss him to the ceiling or make his arms itch.

He desperately would like to timejump-- timefreeze-- timequit.

No. Someone else has all the luck.

His eyes roll again, this time back into his skull as he crumples.

Takes more than a new game to stop Dead Daves from piling up. Who would've thought?]

[illinest]

[The light burst isn't that big of a deal at first. Just lame flashy shit that can't stand up to steel made to kill, wielded by expert hands. Dave can handle himself and he's been trained for this kind of thing. For things less than this, for straight-up obvious death and blades coming at him. Magic wands? Ain't nothin'. And then the targets are gone, as predicted, in some magical disappearing act Bro couldn't care less about and...

Wait, what the fuck.

Bro glances over at Dave. Sees him start to fall. But it can't be that bad, just some spark that knocked him off his feet a little. Right?]

Yo--

[Pause.

The kid's resilient. Dave's never one to fall over unless he's facing some serious asskicking. He's the type to take it, wince and tense up and fight every urge to collapse just to keep that cool facade going strong. Just like his adoptive brother. Just like he's been trained to.

But that's not happening right now.

What was originally thought to be a stumble, nothing more than dirt off both their shoulders turns into something serious and Bro's at his side in half a second. Tries to catch him before he falls facedown on the floor. Keep those shades from cracking. As if that's the biggest issue here.

He can grab that much, arms going around Dave's side and waist. And then there's silence.

Dave isn't breathing. His body's still warm, but there's nothing inside keeping it that way. Not for long.

Bro's face doesn't give way to anything he's feeling right now. Intense, unironic surges of rage, despair, guilt for obviously not acting in time. He looks completely unaffected as he holds Dave's body. Nothing but numbness.

Can't see or hear or make sense of anything else going on right now but the fact that Dave's dead. Just like that. Five seconds ago he was alive and now he's not.

His older sibling is still. Holding that body like it's the most important thing in the world. And honestly, without any sort of irony to speak of, it is.]