log; closed; and everything changes

[tainted_loyalty]

When; Friday afternoon
Rating; PG
Characters; tainted_loyalty, deathofdelilah, allinhishands
Summary; Riff gets sick. Alexis and co. decide to... help him.
Log;

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[allinhishands]

It would be unfortunate for something to happen to Riffael when he could provide him with aid. Of course it would also be unfortunate to lose a valuable tool. So he'd been keeping track of the manservant's movements, deciding that today would be an opportune moment to...collect him.

Lingering in the shadows with Jezebel, Alexis watched the young man heading back for the Opera House. He was weak in this moment. It would be the perfect time to strike.

"Just knock him out, Jezebel. We can take care of him once we have him somewhere safe."

[deathofdelilah]

Jezebel was moving before the words had fully left his father's lips. It was a split second before Jezebel was on him, nearly leaping on Riff as he moved towards the other man and clapped the chloroform rag onto his face, smothering his mouth and nostrils. His free hand jerked Riff's arm up at the elbow, pulling it so that if Riff squeezed the trigger the shot would sail safely above the crowd.

[tainted_loyalty]

Knowing what was coming didn't make it any easier to avoid, especially not when every movement had to be forced from his aching body. Riff didn't try to pull the trigger, but he did fight, moving even as he was grabbed in an attempt to slam the metal weapon into Jezebel. His other elbow jerked backward, again in an attempt to strike the doctor, while he twisted his head away forcefully.

It wasn't working, and one could only hold one's breath for so long. He gasped, and as the blackness began to close around, Riff could only be content with the fact he'd at least fought. Jezebel would at least have a few nasty bruises, in the end.

But his only real thought as he lost consciousness was of Cain, and how Cain would wait, and how Cain would worry, and how he'd utterly failed his master for putting him through this.

[allinhishands]

Once Riffael was secured, Alexis turned to the crowd and bowed to them. "I do apologize for his behavior. If you will excuse us, we will take him somewhere that he can get the treatment he requires."

A charming smile and he went over to take the gun from the man, slipping it into his jacket. That was better. "Jezebel, if you would help me carry him, we'll take him home."

[deathofdelilah]

Jezebel nodded. "Of course." Despite his illness, Riff had managed to get a few good hits on him. Jezebel was not the best of fighters without some element of surprise; there would be some interesting bruises blossoming on his chest and shoulders later.

For now, there was the matter of getting Riffael back to Alexis' penthouse. Jezebel grabbed him by the arms, lifting him beneath his shoulders off of the ground.

[allinhishands]

Alexis moved in front of his son to make sure that no one got in the way. He didn't want anyone slowing their progress. Fortunately it seemed that the crowd wanted to aid them. It was a perfect opportunity really.

So they moved through the streets to his building then to the elevator. "We will take him to the private room I had you in when Cassian killed you."

[deathofdelilah]

There was the slightest of winces at that particular memory, but Jezebel nodded, carting Riff in the direction of the room he'd awoken in after the curse. When they reached it, he managed to hoist Riff onto a laboratory table with some difficulty. When he was done, Riff was still unconscious and limp, sprawled on the flat surface helplessly.

[allinhishands]

Once Riff was on the table, Alexis moved over to draw his son into his arms for an embrace. "You've done well, my son. You are giving me every reason to be proud of you." Releasing him, he smiled before looking over at the other man.

"Now we must find a way to awaken our friend. But first, take care of his body. It wouldn't do to wake him up to a body that is fading from existence."

[deathofdelilah]

The embrace threw him, and for half a second he did not respond. But then there was a surge of pride -- his father was proud of him. He was pleased with his performance in this. The words made him grin slightly, feeling a rise of confidence in his actions.

"I'll see that he's restored," Jezebel said with a nod before turning to handle Riffael. He needed blood, mainly, to keep his doll body from decaying utterly. There was an IV line on a pole in the room that he quickly pulled alongside the table. Jezebel had had the foresight to plan for this and retrieved blood he'd collected that would suit Riffael's requirements, inserting the line into the bag of blood before preparing Riff's arm and sliding a needle under his skin.

[allinhishands]

"Very good. I will be in the next room. Make sure he rests until we can properly wake him up."

That was all that was necessary. Now it was just a matter of finding a way to bring Riffael out. He wanted a little visit.

[deathofdelilah]

"I shall," Jezebel said as he hooked Riffael up to the IV and letting blood flow through the line and into his arm.

As a precaution for later, Jezebel found a rope in the laboratory. When the blood had drained fully from the IV and the line had been removed, he tied Riffael's hands together above his head before attached the knot to a fixture in the wall. They didn't want Riff to get unruly and cause issues once he was awake, after all.

He injected Riff with a low dosage of drugs that would clear any lingering effects of the chloroform once he awoke. After that, it was a matter of waiting.

[tainted_loyalty]

He would have to wait for some time. Riff awoke hours later, still feeling groggy and weak and entirely lost. He groaned, trying to move-- and found himself on his back on a hard surface, hands going numb where they were tied above his head. It took a few moments longer to get his bearings past the dizziness, and then there was panic and anger all at once.

Riff gasped, eyes widening as realization snapped back into place, and began to pull at his restraints frantically, barely even noticing that he felt stronger now and simply attributing it to the adrenaline rush.

[deathofdelilah]

Jez had been distracted, having gone to work on other things while Riff lay unconscious. But the gasp snapped his attention back, and he strode over from the other side of the room, discarding his surgical gloves as he walked.

"Ah, welcome back to the waking world," Jezebel said serenely, looking over Riff as he struggled. He seemed to be a healthier color now that the blood had been reintroduced to his system. Good. "And how are you feeling now?"

[allinhishands]

There was no reason to hide that he was the one responsible for this. Riff was already very well aware of the situation. So when Alexis heard Jezebel speaking to the man in the secret room, he left his study to enter it, shutting the door behind him. It wouldn't do to have Cassian interrupt this.

"Has our patient woken up, Jezebel?" he asked, already aware of the answer. He had the pipe in hand and it was already lit. A sure sign of his satisfaction with the situation.

[tainted_loyalty]

Seeing Jezebel and Alexis only made him struggle more. For once, despite the lingering unpleasant feelings left by the chloroform and the ache in his arms, Riff looked absolutely furious.

"Release me immediately!" he demanded, ignoring Jezebel's question. "How long have you detained me here? Untie me this instant!"

[deathofdelilah]

"You seem stronger than you were before," Jezebel said mildly, still observing Riff while ignoring his demands. He certainly flailed with much more energy than he would have been able to possess without the renewed blood. "Good to see you return to health."

Turning to Alexis, he said, "He's just woken up and should be restored. Except for a few symptoms from the chloform, he should be all well."