[ There's no warning, and the sound of the gun going off so close to him is jarring. But it doesn't stop him, swarming on the vampire Carver's just shot to grip them by the chin. A bullet would not stop them permanently, only delay the inevitable. That's why Larus uses both hands, getting one in their mouth and pulling hard in one sharp, fast motion so that he rips the top of their head from their bottom jaw. There's no strain as he does it, clearly something he's used to doing, and for safe measure, once he tosses the head, he tears out the thing's heart.
The odd part about it all is that there's no real blood, just dark stains on his hands, and when he drops the body, it seems to simply melt back into the ground with the other shadows like it had never been there to begin with.
[ The concept of vampires is still new. There are things he doesn't know. Sure, Carver's read Dracula. He knows the stories. There's a logic to follow, even if he can't get all of it just yet. But there's accepting that, and then there's watching Larus tear some fucker's head in half.
So.
That happens.
Carver lowers his gun, scanning the alley for movement. Nothing yet. ]
There more?
[ There's not nearly as much blood as he expected. ]
[ He shakes his head, wiping his hands absently on the dark material of his jeans. ]
I don't know. You can't really hear a vampire unless they make some noise, and this– [ He turns, looking in the direction Carver's facing. ] This isn't normal. There should be —
[ More blood. But he doesn't get a chance to say it as several more come from the darkness and try to box them in.
It's not a good situation, not when there are so many and Larus can't keep track of his movements as well as Carver's. If they stay and fight, chances are they're going to die, and there's too much he has yet to say to Carver, giving his sleeve a tug to indicate that they should run. At least for now, until they have a better idea of what's going on and why. ]
[ Even as it escalates, Carver starts thinking up strategies. Larus is fast and strong but there’s only one of him. He could get overwhelmed, brought down. A gunshot isn’t enough to put these things down but it hurts them, and it makes them slow. Combine that, Carver thinks as he reloads. Play it out, come up with a plan.
It’d be easier with a sniper, with Montanio or Jenson, but it’s just the two of them. Carver could soften them up, he thinks. Gunshots to the head, the throat. Maybe the knees. Enough to slow the enemy down and give Larus enough time
Only thing is, the enemy keeps coming. This isn’t normal, Larus says, and there’s something worried and tense there.
Carver doesn’t question it. There’s no room for that now. He just runs, dodging around corners and down alleys, he knows this place. He scouts it out when he can’t sleep, he knows every fucking alley in this city. He keeps close to Larus, though, watching their corners.
Always watching the corners. ]
There’s a lot of them, [ he observes, once they’ve slowed. ] What’d you mean, this isn’t normal?
[ They run until it's obvious it isn't helping anything, and by then, Larus doesn't really know what else to do. They could fight them, yes. It wouldn't be the first time he's had to kill a multitude of vampires, but when that had happened, he'd had Jericho with him. Even a half-breed werewolf is still stronger than a human (or whatever it is Carver is now), and that thought sits with him heavily until Carver's question draws him back. ]
They– we bleed. There's no blood. [ He shows him his hands as he listens to everything around them. ] Maybe it isn't real.
[ Not in the way they'd think it would be. Because Larus hasn't met another vampire like him, only other vampires. Similar parameters, not quite the same. And all he does is shake his head, searching the darkness around them for any signs of their pursuers. Right now? It's oddly quiet. ]
[ All Larus does is shake his head, staring out into the darkness and trying to pinpoint anything that moves. There's nothing, and for a moment, he wonders if they're both starting to go crazy. ]
I don't know. But being down here isn't going to help. [ He glances over at Carver, considering, and then, quietly, he sighs. ] We should head back to the rooftops.
[ Carver scans the area, searching for moment. For enemies in the dark. There's something there but they don't go down. Sometimes, he thinks he hears the dry groan of rotters advancing on them. But earlier there were vampires, more than a few, and none of them bled.
But they hurt. That was real, he thinks.
Maybe. ]
They follow us up and we get overwhelmed, it's gonna be a bad time.
[ He loads his pistol. He's ready, either way, and he doesn't have a better idea. ]
They slow down when I shoot them. I can line them up for you. C'mon.
[ It's a quiet comment, giving Carver a careful look before decidedly taking them in a different direction than the original roof they'd met on. He knows this area decently, and there's a building he enters that doesn't need breaking into, climbing the steps quickly and grateful that they make it to the top without being followed.
That doesn't mean they're safe though, double-checking the door as soon as they're both outside again. ]
It could be magic, [ Larus says quietly, detesting the idea but entirely ruling it out. ] Has anything like this happened since you've been here?
[ Hope's a dangerous thing to rely on. Carver thinks it, giving Larus a long look, but doesn't say it. They're in this now. Larus knows the score. Saying that shit like he's a green newbie doesn't get them anything but frustration. Carver follows without a word, climbing up behind Larus and then checking the roof. The horizon line. They can see plenty far up here, which is good, but there aren't many exits if they need to bail.
A balancing act. So it goes.
Carver sucks on his teeth, running a hand through his hair. ]
[ It is dangerous. All of this is dangerous, and it's especially true of everything that's between them currently. They haven't talked, the tension more than obvious, but still, they follow each other. Maybe that speaks volumes of the trust they still have in one another. Maybe it's something else. Larus doesn't want to think about it anymore than he has to right now, moving over to the ledge and glancing down.
If things got bad, there's a rickety fire escape off to the side. Or he could hold onto Carver and climb down. Variables and thoughts, turning his head to glance at him. ]
Any kind, I guess. I don't know a lot of people here who use it. [ There's a pause. ] But it could also be the city doing this somehow.
[ Larus doesn't say anything for a while, mouth thinning into a frown as the comment about it being 'that time'. He can't say he hasn't noticed, but sometimes, it doesn't feel like there's a design to it either. There's a quiet sigh, still watching Carver carefully out of the corner of his eye. ]
Is there a better place we should go?
[ He could, technically, bring them both back where he's staying now, but that would also mean explaining that he'd formed a contract with someone that night he'd left Carver standing on the beach. It's a cold thought, one that sinks through him the longer he stares. ]
[ That's the question, isn't it? Carver just thins his mouth and doesn't say a word. He could bring Larus back to Frost's place, with the wards and the traps, but that would involve explaining this shit and how do you explain any of this? And then there was Larus's promise last time - one that he hasn't acted on, so far as Carver can tell, but proximity does funny things. Pushes people toward extremes.
[ Larus thinks he knows why Carver doesn't offer, but there's still something about it that bothers him. He wonders if that means Frost is more important than he is or if there's something else he hasn't told him about it. Part of him wants to ask, and the other parts of him want to ignore it all. They have something to focus on. He shouldn't be thinking about any of that.
And yet — ]
We'll find one. [ It's an attempt at reassurance. ] Have you seen or heard anything else?
[ If not, then maybe they should discuss what's going on between them. ]
[ We'll find one, Larus says. Carver watches him for a moment, then nods. He wonders if that's a comfort, knowing that they're in this together - at least for now. The last time they spoke didn't end so well, did it?
But they're talking now. Standing close. ]
Just what I told you earlier. People screaming. Rotters in the dark - maybe. Couldn't be sure.
[ He wouldn't leave him, is the thing, and that settles almost viciously inside him in a stark moment of clarity before he crosses his arms lightly over his chest and looks away. Whatever this is, it's more difficult and certainly more complicated than anything he's ever had before. He still aches from it, wishing they could come to see things without fighting about it.
At least this is something. ]
I think that about a lot of things we do together. [ There's never been any doubt there. ] Brandon –
[ He hesitates too, turning just enough to see him. ]
I trust you. [ It's not what he wants to say, but it's all he can manage right now. ]
[ Oh, Carver thinks, and his throat goes suddenly tight. What do you say to that? It doesn't feel like a lie. They move well together. It's not just the sex. When they're in proximity, it feels -
Good. Even in a moment like this, when Carver can smell the gunpowder and his adrenaline's still up. When they're standing together and aren't touching what they said on the beach. That ending.
[ The question catches him off-guard, hands dropping to his sides as he unconsciously moves a step closer.
Of course he does, he wants to say, but it doesn't come. There's nothing for several long seconds, casting a glance over the edge of the roof before moving in to purposely stand close to him. Maybe the vitals he's come to recognize as solely Carver's are different now, but it's still him. This man he trusts with his life. Who's saved him when he could have left him.
Larus thinks about that. ]
Does it feel like I don't?
[ That's the answer he wants, maybe.
Although, realistically, he doesn't really know what he wants. ]
[ There's a lot hanging unspoken between them now. About Frost, the blood, this thing they're doing that they haven't named. That maybe there isn't a name for. It wouldn't have been allowed back home but Carver still asked Larus to fight with him, and Shaw. To stand with them. And maybe it would've been okay if they all found a way back. It's harder with only three but they could've made it work. Operated at night, found a place they could keep and defend. Fought the dead, and whoever was stupid enough to cross them.
But he's dead, Carver thinks unhappily, and maybe this city is all he's got now. ]
You think I made a mistake. That Frost - took advantage of me, or something. He didn't. I wanted this.
Larus hadn't given as much thought to it as he should have, trying to avoid the very thing that caused him all that pain before. He remembers the bitterness, the way it had stung as he'd cried. How he'd wanted to have Carver close but also shove him away, build up those walls again until nothing remained but distance. He can't do that now, gaze settling on Carver's face long before he even considers answering. ]
I don't know if it matters what I think. [ Would it have changed things if they'd talked about this before? Doubtful. ] You made a choice. You can't take that back.
[ And it's clear he wouldn't, which might hurt more than anything else. ]
[ He says it simply. Maybe this is going to be the dividing line between them. Maybe this is one thing the two of them just can’t see the same way. Carver holds very still, fighting the urge to stand at attention. Somehow, he thinks that would make it worse. ]
[ Slowly, Larus turns to face him then and slowly flexes his fingers. ]
Look at me. [ He squeezes his hands tight. ] None of this I chose, and worse– Because someone else decided I needed to fall in line so they could control me, I died. What do you really know about Frost? I mean, really. Maybe he's told you everything you've always wanted to hear. Maybe you even believe him. But people like him? [ Larus shakes his head. ] People like me? They'll use you if given the chance, and it won't matter. You won't matter.
I don't want you to throw your life away for something like that.
[ For promises and what-ifs. Perhaps he is stronger and can better take care of things he feels are important, but at what cost? Larus had already given his life unwillingly, and to watch someone he cares about do it without a second thought? It pains him in a way nothing else ever has. ]
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The odd part about it all is that there's no real blood, just dark stains on his hands, and when he drops the body, it seems to simply melt back into the ground with the other shadows like it had never been there to begin with.
Larus stares at Carver. ]
We need to go. [ And that isn't a suggestion. ]
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So.
That happens.
Carver lowers his gun, scanning the alley for movement. Nothing yet. ]
There more?
[ There's not nearly as much blood as he expected. ]
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I don't know. You can't really hear a vampire unless they make some noise, and this– [ He turns, looking in the direction Carver's facing. ] This isn't normal. There should be —
[ More blood. But he doesn't get a chance to say it as several more come from the darkness and try to box them in.
It's not a good situation, not when there are so many and Larus can't keep track of his movements as well as Carver's. If they stay and fight, chances are they're going to die, and there's too much he has yet to say to Carver, giving his sleeve a tug to indicate that they should run. At least for now, until they have a better idea of what's going on and why. ]
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It’d be easier with a sniper, with Montanio or Jenson, but it’s just the two of them. Carver could soften them up, he thinks. Gunshots to the head, the throat. Maybe the knees. Enough to slow the enemy down and give Larus enough time
Only thing is, the enemy keeps coming. This isn’t normal, Larus says, and there’s something worried and tense there.
Carver doesn’t question it. There’s no room for that now. He just runs, dodging around corners and down alleys, he knows this place. He scouts it out when he can’t sleep, he knows every fucking alley in this city. He keeps close to Larus, though, watching their corners.
Always watching the corners. ]
There’s a lot of them, [ he observes, once they’ve slowed. ] What’d you mean, this isn’t normal?
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They– we bleed. There's no blood. [ He shows him his hands as he listens to everything around them. ] Maybe it isn't real.
[ Not in the way they'd think it would be. Because Larus hasn't met another vampire like him, only other vampires. Similar parameters, not quite the same. And all he does is shake his head, searching the darkness around them for any signs of their pursuers. Right now? It's oddly quiet. ]
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Maybe it’s another trick. ]
I’m open to suggestions.
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I don't know. But being down here isn't going to help. [ He glances over at Carver, considering, and then, quietly, he sighs. ] We should head back to the rooftops.
[ At least they'd have an advantage there. ]
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But they hurt. That was real, he thinks.
Maybe. ]
They follow us up and we get overwhelmed, it's gonna be a bad time.
[ He loads his pistol. He's ready, either way, and he doesn't have a better idea. ]
They slow down when I shoot them. I can line them up for you. C'mon.
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[ It's a quiet comment, giving Carver a careful look before decidedly taking them in a different direction than the original roof they'd met on. He knows this area decently, and there's a building he enters that doesn't need breaking into, climbing the steps quickly and grateful that they make it to the top without being followed.
That doesn't mean they're safe though, double-checking the door as soon as they're both outside again. ]
It could be magic, [ Larus says quietly, detesting the idea but entirely ruling it out. ] Has anything like this happened since you've been here?
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A balancing act. So it goes.
Carver sucks on his teeth, running a hand through his hair. ]
No. Not like this. What kind of magic?
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If things got bad, there's a rickety fire escape off to the side. Or he could hold onto Carver and climb down. Variables and thoughts, turning his head to glance at him. ]
Any kind, I guess. I don't know a lot of people here who use it. [ There's a pause. ] But it could also be the city doing this somehow.
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[ And they're due for trouble right about now. ]
There are good sight lines here. But we can't stay here all night.
[ Not once the sun comes up. ]
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Is there a better place we should go?
[ He could, technically, bring them both back where he's staying now, but that would also mean explaining that he'd formed a contract with someone that night he'd left Carver standing on the beach. It's a cold thought, one that sinks through him the longer he stares. ]
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It wouldn't end well, either way. ]
I don't have one, [ he says finally. ]
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And yet — ]
We'll find one. [ It's an attempt at reassurance. ] Have you seen or heard anything else?
[ If not, then maybe they should discuss what's going on between them. ]
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But they're talking now. Standing close. ]
Just what I told you earlier. People screaming. Rotters in the dark - maybe. Couldn't be sure.
[ He hesitates, watching Larus. ]
We did a good job fighting together.
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At least this is something. ]
I think that about a lot of things we do together. [ There's never been any doubt there. ] Brandon –
[ He hesitates too, turning just enough to see him. ]
I trust you. [ It's not what he wants to say, but it's all he can manage right now. ]
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Good. Even in a moment like this, when Carver can smell the gunpowder and his adrenaline's still up. When they're standing together and aren't touching what they said on the beach. That ending.
His fingers twitch. He exhales slow. ]
Do you?
[ Mostly, he just sounds tired. ]
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Of course he does, he wants to say, but it doesn't come. There's nothing for several long seconds, casting a glance over the edge of the roof before moving in to purposely stand close to him. Maybe the vitals he's come to recognize as solely Carver's are different now, but it's still him. This man he trusts with his life. Who's saved him when he could have left him.
Larus thinks about that. ]
Does it feel like I don't?
[ That's the answer he wants, maybe.
Although, realistically, he doesn't really know what he wants. ]
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But he's dead, Carver thinks unhappily, and maybe this city is all he's got now. ]
You think I made a mistake. That Frost - took advantage of me, or something. He didn't. I wanted this.
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Larus hadn't given as much thought to it as he should have, trying to avoid the very thing that caused him all that pain before. He remembers the bitterness, the way it had stung as he'd cried. How he'd wanted to have Carver close but also shove him away, build up those walls again until nothing remained but distance. He can't do that now, gaze settling on Carver's face long before he even considers answering. ]
I don't know if it matters what I think. [ Would it have changed things if they'd talked about this before? Doubtful. ] You made a choice. You can't take that back.
[ And it's clear he wouldn't, which might hurt more than anything else. ]
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Do you understand why I did it?
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I know why you believe you had to. [ Larus presses his lips thin. ] But I don't think you understand why I can't just accept that it's happened.
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[ He says it simply. Maybe this is going to be the dividing line between them. Maybe this is one thing the two of them just can’t see the same way. Carver holds very still, fighting the urge to stand at attention. Somehow, he thinks that would make it worse. ]
I’m trying, but I don’t.
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Look at me. [ He squeezes his hands tight. ] None of this I chose, and worse– Because someone else decided I needed to fall in line so they could control me, I died. What do you really know about Frost? I mean, really. Maybe he's told you everything you've always wanted to hear. Maybe you even believe him. But people like him? [ Larus shakes his head. ] People like me? They'll use you if given the chance, and it won't matter. You won't matter.
I don't want you to throw your life away for something like that.
[ For promises and what-ifs. Perhaps he is stronger and can better take care of things he feels are important, but at what cost? Larus had already given his life unwillingly, and to watch someone he cares about do it without a second thought? It pains him in a way nothing else ever has. ]
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Cw for torture, cult bullshit
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Cw for torture, cult bullshit
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