VERY OPEN

[goodlucksoldier]

Who: Alex Shepherd and... OPEN
Where: The edge of the world
When: Shortly after Elle's death
Summary: Cain kills Abel and so the chapter closes on our little murder mystery...
Rating: PG 13?

Comments

[thinkin_man]

He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to point the large gun in Rion's direction. His muscles tensed, but he didn't fire one of those nasty rivets in the other's path. Delta only attacked when he knew what he was attacking. The thing that ran towards him could be a person, for all he knew. He kept his muscles tensed regardless, finger still on the trigger as he approached. It was in times like these that he really wished he could vocalize other than various grunts and wails. He didn't blame people who viewed him as an animal at first. From a distance he sure seemed like a monster.

A step was taken towards Rion, various weaponry strapped to his back rattling like a rusted wind chime. Make no mistake, he was anything but hostile. The massive male was just trying to figure out what was going on.

Attention was soon drawn to Ryu. Delta nodded once to explain he heard the shot go off as well. They could sit here BSing for a while, but he wanted to figure out where the noise came from. He turned away from the pair and headed further inside. His flashlight provided a decent way to see in the dark.

Slowly he peered into different rooms for any sign of life. He found nothing at first but eventually moved towards the back of the house. The familiar scent of blood blared into his senses. Anxiety clutched at his throat, even if he was so used to the scent and the awful feeling of plodding around in the dark. The floor below creaked heavily against his thudding footsteps. The man's bulky weight was seen in the loud noises each movement made.

He then turned towards the bedroom and allowed the light to cast upon the dead figure. He shifted to illuminate the rest of the room, and instantly let a loud whale-esque call escape his chest. The call was simply sounded to notify to any others his location.

Gingerly he knelt down and pressed two fingers against the masked man's wrist. He found no regular beat of his heart, only a terrible silence.

[quietestheart]

Having a giant gun turned on him is generally not the way Rion wants to be greeted, and he jumps the fuck back. Yeah, that's Delta, he knows the guy sorta, but seriously - there's a gun aimed at him. He's going to back away, one hand up in the air like "SERIOUSLY BRO DON'T SHOOT ME", the other going down to a Pokeball - not that he'll be able to command it anyway, his guitar's not with him, and neither is Ketara, so...

One quick sidelong glance at Ryu - a glance that says he's not entirely sure about the man who's with them - and then he steps in, wincing at the sight of of what's happened; one masked man, who Delta appears to be checking on, and Alex, who ... one would think would be the bigger concern. He crouches down as well, checking his pulse at the wrist too - hopefully there's still time, though this is definitely beyond the meager first aid skills Rion's picked up from Zelda.

Oops. Sorry. Er...is there a posting order to this?

[lolli_angel]

Lollipop had closed her eyes and carefully followed her sense, but the loud, almost animal-like moan made them snap open and head towards the noise. A beam of light shone though the gloom, illuminating a dead body in a halo of dust that twinkled like stars, and the massive hulk of what could only be Johnny. As far as Lollipop knew, none else in World's End wore a suit like that.

A soft, sad "Oh" escaped her lips at the corpse, and her eyes flared like cerulean gas flames. The smell of death didn't bother her, as she was depressingly used to it, the metallic tang of spilled blood passing almost unnoticed along the back of her throat. Still, her Grace pointed the way to her left, her power ignoring those that were beyond aid. A familiar face looked up at her, along with an unfamiliar man who seemed grievously wounded. She, too, knelt and took a deep breath. "You might wanna close your eyes."

OOC -

[lolli_angel]

if this is a private party just let me know and I can delete this! I don't want to be a bother

[dragon_savior]

Ryu kept his sword trained on the masked man, observing him until Delta checked his pulse. He certainly seemed dead, but one could never be completely sure. If he was dead or not, at least, Ryu doubted he would risk trying to get back up when Delta was right above him. His attention turned to Alex, although he recognized the man, they hadn't known each other very well.

"Two are better than one." He said to Lollipop, kneeling next to Alex. The damage was severe indeed, but this was one life he had no intention of letting slip away. He sheathed his sword, concentrating on Alex's injuries. A violet-blue orb of light began forming between his hands, setting his strongest healing spell to work.

An incredibly slim chance was still a chance all the same.

[thinkin_man]

Delta didn't know either of the floored men. He wasn't one to judge on appearances, either. The masked man's life was just as important as Alex's to him, even if he fit the killer's appearance. Delta also had to be positive the male was dead before giving up any rescue efforts.

Sure enough Harry was dead as a doornail. He lowered the cadaver's wrist and stood back up.

Alex was being tended to with much better care than he'd be able to give. Now Delta had some flashy abilities, but healing skills were far beyond him. The most he could do was bandage someone up. He still provided a source of lighting from his flashlight while the pair of them worked.

They were doing something good for poor Alex, right? Delta wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't think those two would harm a downed man.

His gun was held to his side as they continued, no longer at held at the ready.

[quietestheart]

Rion is a bit at a loss for what to do here - once Ryu gets to work, he'll step back, starting to type something out on the communicator. It'll take a little while before he's finished though. He can't really heal the same way Ryu can, he can't ... really move the body, but what he can do is motion to it, then out the door, like 'hey someone might wanna move this'.

[lolli_angel]

Lollipop was thrilled to see that she wasn't the only healer on site. She grinned at Ryu, her smile suddenly making her seem quite young. "Totally."

Gently, she placed her tan fingers on the worst of the man's injuries, and began to pray. Though her words were very soft, they carried joy and not a little reverence in their tone.

"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, 'an he leads me beside the still waters. He totally restores my soul, and leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

She began to glow. The light from within her skin was pale and golden, making the feathers of her wings throw tiny rainbows onto her companions and their dilapidated surroundings. Grace added to Ryu's considerable magic, and the worst of the injuries began to heal, though the change was rather like watching a flower bloom; slow enough to remain unnoticed from one moment to the next, but steady enough to help, given enough time.

im in ur log fucking up ur posting order

[xxredfieldxx]

It felt like a blur as the events began to unfold. First Elle's death, then Alex going missing. The sound of a gunshot ringing out through the air and then the quiet plea for help. It gave no indication to where he could be, except in the company of the killer perhaps, and sooner or later people had found themselves on the far end of the city. She only knew one person who lived out there. The one person that fit the profile for the killer, too.

Tom.

Shit.

Rion had fired her a short message confirming that was indeed where they were and she was out the door and on her way, grabbing her things in a panic and taking off down the street.

She should have known better. They knew something was wrong with Tom, they knew he had this in him, they knew he had done it before, and yet they still didn't do anything. Alex had even gone the extra mile and taken Tom to the station to lock him up.

But-

It was stupid to have thought that his bracelet was still active. That they were friends and that made it all ok. That Harry wasn't a danger anymore. It was stupid. Stupid stupid stupid!

And now for all she knew they could both be laying there dead and there wasn't a thing Claire could do about it. This shouldn't have gone on as long as it did. They should have bit the bullet and taken him in regardless of the proof, and just.... She didn't know. The worst case scenarios were running through her head and the guilt was almost crushing as Claire ran towards Tom's house.

The door was open, and there were faint noises coming from inside.

"What happened?!" She demanded, voice higher than usual, fingers trembling from the adrenaline and fear as she stood in the doorway.

"I-is he..?" Voice shaking, she couldn't ask the rest.

o hay, crashin' ur party

[vaterunser]

Leaving well enough alone wasn't working. Vergil wasn't the type to run in and play hero, and he never would be, but with Dante simply gone and Lady's hot head there was very little chance he could stay completely uninvolved. The smell of blood grew daily, tugging at that part of him that he'd actually attempted to hide the first month he'd been present (foolish, in retrospect), and arousing a curiosity to follow his nose.

Which was exactly what he'd done.

And the first thing upon his approach was Claire's voice, and the simple tension that pulled him forward on silent footsteps, one hand resting in a deceptively idle fashion upon the hilt of Yamato.

"This is where that fool Tom resides, isn't it?"

[dragon_savior]

"...Dead." He said, momentarily looking away from his work and motioning his head towards the body. Ryu glanced to Claire, keeping his hands close to Alex's injuries. "We might be able to save him, though. It's slim."

With that, Ryu returned his focus to Alex's injuries. Whatever it took, he wouldn't let another life slip away while he still drew breath.

[thinkin_man]

Delta looked at the body when Rion motioned towards it and to the door. It appeared like he'd have to move the cadaver. Blood wasn't exactly pleasant, but he wouldn't complain. The big ol' brute leaned down and hoisted the corpse over his shoulder fireman style. A grunt sounded in the room as he took on the weight, but he seemed more than able to carry it.

Then another small group of people arrived. He gazed at Claire first, sensing the panic in her voice. Delta frowned under his helmet and did feel bad for her, even if he gave off nothing but an expressionless facade. He was truly sorry this all had to happen.

After picking up the body he attempted to weasel his way out of the crowded doorway. This was easier said then done.

During this mess he silently wished for Alex's recovery. The medics had to know what they were doing.

[quietestheart]

It's not like Rion could really lift it himself, though. There's not too much for him to be doing, but what he can do is fill Claire in in a way that's not going to be interpreted by anyone else (Ryu, maybe? can pick up a sign or two, but he's probably too busy to pick it up anyway). Rion's hands start moving, gesturing to Claire in what's unmistakably sign language:

[I think Ryu and Lolli will be able to help Alex. That, though - I don't know who it is, but it's the murderer. It looks like Alex got him.]

A more careful look shows that Rion's shaking a little bit - as much as he's trying to be brave and strong, unlike everyone else in the room he's not used to death and killing and murder. Even with his time in World's End, he's just not used to things dying and ... all this.

[I can't really help with the healing, miss Claire. Do you want me to send a text out alerting everyone that the murderer is dead?]

[lolli_angel]

Lollipop felt her focus stray ever so slightly when she heard a woman's voice, followed by a more familiar one. It was the man who had gotten his jollies by insulting her for nearly a half hour, straight. Silently, she hoped he wasn't here to cause trouble. She was thankful for Johnny's presence, as she had faith the deep-sea diver would keep her and Ryu's efforts free from interference, and Rion, she knew, would try to inform the woman of their goings on.

With redoubled effort, the young angelic focused all her energies on the wounds she was trying so fervently to heal. The glow beneath her skin intensified somewhat, and she could have sworn her hands ached under a cold fire. A trip to the church was definitely on her to-do list after this, as her efforts would undoubtedly be more taxing than was wise.

Steadily, under the enigmatic workings of magic from two very different sources, the victim's bleeding slowed, then stopped. Organs that had felt the kiss of a blade re-knit, and this....Alex.....took a single, merciful step back from Death's door.