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+---- Thread: you led your saints & sinners (/showthread.php?tid=10408)
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Pierce - 12-02-2024
He’s what, Flora? Use your words.
Wondering how bad his luck could be that he still hasn’t slashed for the very movement that had taken a beloved dragon down from Starfall, Pierce doesn’t seem fazed by it as he takes in Flora’s quieter cry.
The blade lifts again, though, and suddenly Jack’s there — slashing into open air that has Pierce’s deep baritone of a laugh escape him. “[say]Cute.[/say]” He drawls, rolling his eyes. But, while Pierce was mostly known for his brawn and not his brain, he utilizes it here and now as his electric gaze now fixates on Jack.
“[say]Oh, I get it now.[/say]” He says to Flora like it dawns on him. “[say]Thought your old man was the white knight?[/say]” It’s asked casually like a conversation, like he wasn’t still keeping the barrier in place and focusing his efforts on whipping the blade around to try and stab Jack right in the stomach.
Maybe this was the better lesson learned, hm?
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Court Official - 12-02-2024
Pierce's attack hits but isn't fatal.
Flora HP: 408.7/546
Pierce HP: 1755/1755
Jack HP: 163/300
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Flora - 12-02-2024
[say]"No-"[/say] The word was a whisper as Flora realized what it was Pierce meant to do. Naively she thought that because she had been the one Dahlia had wanted him to go after, that Jack wouldn't be targeted. Only in a cruel reversal of what the captain had feared about Flora being used to get to him, now the Doubletake was the one whose affections were being used against her.
[say]"-JACK,"[/say] unable to help the panic that rendered her scream shrill and almost ear-splitting, Flora endured the seconds and thundered heartbeats between the moment the blade sliced into Jack and when she next saw him take a breath, the sight of which had her gasping with a brief spasm of relief.
[say]"You asshole."[/say] Flora's eyes flicked to Pierce—his lazy smile and effortless power—and a cold rage began to burn beneath the fear, melting away some of the ice that had kept her from reaching for her daggers. She'd been so inaccurate lately that she could barely trust herself to hit anything, let alone someone as fast as Pierce, but with the barrier around them, she really had no other options. If she couldn't be accurate, she'd be relentless; she'd keep Pierce occupied, make herself the target, anything to keep him from hurting Jack again.
Lifting her hand, Flora flung one of her poisoned daggers, aiming for Pierce's chest.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Court Official - 12-02-2024
Flora's attack misses.
Flora HP: 408.7/546
Pierce HP: 1755/1755
Jack HP: 163/300
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Jack - 12-02-2024
It might come as a surprise to those who know the captain and the scrapes he's liable to get himself into, but this is the first time he's ever been run through with a blade. And honestly? He doesn't care for it. His breath hitches around the sudden taste of blood, the force of Pierce's strike almost enough to lift him from his feet, and he grits his teeth around a grunt of pain only for Flora's scream to hit the air instead, the sound one he'll hear in his nightmares for a long time to come.
[say]"Flora-- you have to run,"[/say] he tries to choke out, staggering back as the sword is drawn out (and whether that contributes to the Doubletake's attack missing is best left up to interpretation). Pressing a hand to his middle even as blood soaks through his back in a crimson blossom, the captain levels a glare over his shoulder at her that's absolutely to do with the situation rather than Flora.
[say]"I can't use magic."[/say] In case she hasn't noticed. [say]"Just go."[/say]
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Pierce - 12-02-2024
The blade sinks in and that shadowed blade becomes darker than seems possible with the scarlet that coats it as he withdraws, his deep baritone laugh leaving him to hear Flora scream at him. Pierce wonders whether or not she’ll listen to the Captain’s cry, whether she’ll run if he keeps focusing on her. Of course, she had been the target, but something tells him Dahlia wouldn’t be too upset to see how this played out. The barrier stays in place as he makes his next move.
“[say]You sure you wanna run and leave your boy to the wolf?[/say]” Pierce drawls, stepping forward and ignoring Flora aside from his voice to try and grab Jack’s shoulder, aiming to ram the rapier back into his stomach again, as if taking out the captain meant that he’d be giving Flora a better lesson than potentially killing her.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Court Official - 12-02-2024
Pierce's attack hits but is not fatal.
Flora HP: 408.7/546
Pierce HP: 1755/1755
Jack HP: 94.5/300
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Flora - 12-02-2024
There's no time for tears to sting Flora's eyes as rosettes of blood weep out across Jack's sweater, and thorns of crimson drip down between his fingers, not when the amount of adrenaline in her body has her feeling on the verge of vomiting.
Cold horror dawned on Flora as Pierce laughed; he means to kill one of us. Gods, he actually meant to do it. A plan briefly takes root in the queen's mind as she reaches for Jack with cold and trembling fingers. She could make a show of using her compass, before turning invisible and placing it into his pocket, that way he could go back to Torchline and get reinforcements while she hid among the trees.
I can't use magic.
[say]"There's a barrier,"[/say] Flora whispers in response, her words sharp and shivery; there's no where to go.. [say]"My dads will be able to find me."[/say] She adds, assuming Jack would be able to put two and two together: if one of us is going to die, better it be me.
[say]"I'm not leaving."[/say] The queen snaps, and now it's her turn to foolishly position herself in front of Jack, both remaining feathers drawn. [say]"If you kill either of us you won't get a moment's peace on Starfall, not with all of Torchline against you."[/say]
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Jack - 12-02-2024
[say]"Fuck--"[/say] The worst part, Jack realises as Pierce drives the blade into him again, is that this is the sort of shit he'd do. Regardless, the blow this time is enough to bring him to his knees, blood trickling from his nose and the corners of his mouth as he fights for a breath he can't seem to catch.
And gods, but he hopes Flora will forgive him for not being able to put any amount of numbers together right now; pain and blood loss and the dawning realisation that he really might be about to lose his life would make him more reliant than ever on his magic, if it was there for him to use.
There's a barrier.
[say]"What are you doing?"[/say] Hissing the question out through clenched teeth as she places himself in his way rather than running, the sort of helplessness that's beginning to carve itself into his bones is transformative in all the worst ways, and gods help the Family if he gets out of this. Gods help anyone who gets in his way.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Pierce - 12-02-2024
“[say]You say it like it’s a threat.[/say]” Comes Pierce’s rumble, a horrible grin blooming onto his face. “[say]Who do you think I got this nice blade from?[/say]” Ding ding ding, dear old dad.
The blade pulls away, slick with hot and sticky blood, but Pierce’s grip is tight. He doesn’t have to advance forward, not with how Flora positions herself in front of his target, and his electric gaze dances over her and her terror and fury.
“[say]I mean, I could just kill both of you, but where’s the lesson learned there?[/say]” Because remember Flora, there’s a reason for this. There’s a reason he’s keeping the barrier up. And as such, he reaches up to try and push Flora out of the way, stepping forward to try and drive the blade back into Jack.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Court Official - 12-02-2024
Pierce's attack hits but is not fatal.
Flora HP: 408.7/546
Pierce HP: 1755/1755
Jack HP: 26/300
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Flora - 12-02-2024
What she was doing was trying to protect the man she loves the only way she knows how: by immediately opting for martyrdom the way nearly everyone in her family would have rather than thinking things through. For instance, if Pierce's blade retained its magical abilities (though given that neither she nor Jack was dead yet was perhaps evidence it hadn't), then it might have been worth at least trying her compass or ring. Of course as the rapier once again sliced clean into Jack's stomach, every thought flickered out from Flora's mind as her limbs grew leaden and her heart threatened to stop.
"[say]Jack,"[/say] recovering from how Pierce had shoved her aside, the queen immediately spun, tripping over her own feet to collapse in front of the captain. "[say]No, no, no, no—"[/say] Flora's breath caught in her throat, her entire world narrowing to the sight of him covered in so much red. Her fingers brushed his cheek, trembling as she cupped his face, her eyes searching his for some sign, any sign, that he was still there. "[say]Jack,[/say]" she choked out, her voice cracking as tears blurred her vision. [say]"Stay with me, okay? You're going to be fine."[/say] She whispered frantically, her confidence overbright in light of how spectacularly everything had come crashing down.
She pressed her forehead against his, her breath hitching, tears spilling onto his skin. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of fear, love, and desperation, her heart pounding with every second that slipped away. Her hands moved to his stomach, pressing down in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.
Turning toward Pierce, the queen swallowed back a sob. [say]"Please,"[/say] she said, the word bitter on her tongue. [say]"I'll never touch the void again. I'll leave it alone, I swear."[/say] Her gaze fell to the ground, her voice barely more than a whisper, the promise heavy as it left her lips.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Jack - 12-02-2024
[say]"Oh, come on--"[/say] Never let it be said that the captain can't complain even at the point of near death, Jack struggling - and failing - to avoid the blade that comes snipping through the air at him again. He barely has the energy to register the pain this time, his body convulsing instinctively as the sharp edge passes through him and out, just about managing to try and curl in on himself as crimson spills greedily into the earth beneath him.
With his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps through bloodied lips and his vision haloed in the sort of darkness that's starting to look really inviting, he notices Flora pitifully too late, glazed blue eyes flitting between her face and the figure hulking somewhere overhead. [say]"Don't cry, love,"[/say] he chokes out, covering her hand with his own, slick and red with too much blood.
RE: you led your saints & sinners - Pierce - 12-02-2024
“[say]Jack, Jack, Jack.[/say]” Pierce says with a tsk, tongue clicking into the air heavy and full of copper and the salt of Flora’s tears. “[say]Y’know… I’m pretty sure he’s not gonna be okay.[/say]” Ignoring the fact that the two of them have crumpled to the earth, to the blood that pools around them in a dark circle, spilling into one of the pools.
He walks a few short steps to end up behind the two, this time where Jack’s back faces him and he easily ignores the pleading from the queen. “[say]I want you to remember this moment the second you think anything about the void or the Family.[/say]” Pierce says before he lets his gaze linger on Jack’s hunched form. “[say]Oh, and speaking of… The Family sends their regards.[/say]” The deep baritone voice still seems bored but it’s with an edge of dark glee; the blade lashing out for hopefully one last time, hoping to take Jack's life.