In collaboration with
@Atrophy as Sully.
Location: 7:00pm Friday Kari's House -> Docks"Thanks." Sully turned but the kid was already gone, his jacket left neatly folded on the ground behind him. Sully called out for Clancy but there was no response except for the wind rustling the branches. He pulled on his jacket and turned back to his arduous task of hunting for his keys.
It was down in the mud, dirty fingers haphazardly rifling through shoots of grass, knees begging him to give up and get up, that Sully realized he had a history of making unwise choices. Worse, he had a history of repeating them. It was little less than a week ago when he’d wandered off into the woods to take a private leak and instead got his ass beat by a peeping tom. Yet here he was again: in the dark woods, away from his friends, practically defenseless. A shiver ran down Sully’s spine as the real danger of his failure to learn his lesson the last time set in. Lyss had just been killed the other day. Father Wolf was still out there. Stalking. Hunting. Waiting for the right time to strike; a time like this.
Sully stopped rustling through the grass just in time to hear a twig snap behind him. He spun around, still on his knees, with his hands out in front of him like a martial artist ready to deliver a mighty karate chop, bellowing out a loud
“Yah!” as Tayla asked him what he was doing. Sully immediately threw his hands up as if in surrender, exhaling a sigh of relief. He was glad to see Tayla, just like he was glad to have the cat-like reflexes of a taxidermied calico. He would’ve been devastated if he had actually thrown hands at her.
“You know I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately,” said Sully, propping his hand against a tree to support himself as he stood up.
“You don’t happen to have my keys, do you?”Tayla looked at him questioning his odd response to being sneaked up on. Like what the hell would that have done? She snorted and shook her head.
“No, I don’t have your keys. Last I saw them you were handing them to me, then a monster fell out the sky.”It was getting dark out; the sun on the horizon. If his keys were in this forest, they weren’t going to find them in the dim light.
“Want me to hotwire your car? I still need a ride if the offer’s still on the table.” She had no desire to ride the bus wet like a drowned rat. She’d have to walk to the stop, get off at the next stop, get on another, get off, walk to the daycare, pick up Siwan, then catch a boat ride home from the ferryman. It’d be easier to get dropped off at the ferry, then get Siwan and go home.
“Yeah offer is still there but…” Sully frowned at the idea of someone hotwiring his baby, having seen his fair share of jacked up cars in the past during a failed stint as an auto mechanic. Tayla would probably be a bit more gentle than a car thief, and he could always patch it back together with a bit of duct tape and gum. His face brightened up with forced enthusiasm.
“Fuck it! Let’s go steal my car!”Tayla didn’t need her headphones to notice Sully didn’t seem enthusiastic about her hotwiring his ride, but it beat being stuck here for longer than she wanted.
“Now the good news is that I left my window down, so we don’t have to break any glass. The bad news is that I left my window down, so, well,” said Sully, leading Tayla to where he had parked his junker. He grew nervous as he saw a downed tree halfway in the street, a casualty of the storm. Miraculously, the exterior of the rusting pickup truck was unharmed outside of a few loose branches on the hood or bumming a ride in the bed. The interior was not so lucky. A couple of leaves and twigs had hopped in through the window, but the real nightmare was the inch or two of the rainwater pooling around the floor mats, straw wrappers and crumbled receipt papers floating in it like icebergs.
“Oh, man, this sucks…”She followed him to his truck and whistled at the state of it. The outside was fine. The inside though, yikes. It was completely flooded. She wasn’t sure if she should be doing any type of wire work with water everywhere.
“Big sucks.” Sully reached in through the window and popped the lock, opening the driver’s side door so Tayla could do her thing. He leaned against the side of the car, elbow’s resting up on the bed, and chewed on his cheek. Now probably wasn’t the best time to ask, but he felt like if he waited until they were in the car going fifty miles per hour and then broached the subject it would’ve felt too much like a gotcha.
“So, uh, this Dean cat? Crazy stalker? Jealous ex? What’s the deal?” asked Sully, sounding unsure about the line of questioning.
She stood out of the way when he opened the door. Most of the water came out, leaving the floor soaked, and the rest that didn’t pooled in the mat. She pulled that out and dumped it on the ground. She wouldn’t work in dirty water. She’s wet and dirty enough as is. She sat on the floor and pulled out her house keys. Attached was a mini multipurpose tool kit. She pulled out a flathead screwdriver and jammed it into the piece under the steering wheel for the wire panel. She’s glad his truck is old. She wouldn’t be able to do this with anything new. Dean only knew how to hotwire old shit. New cars came with tracking and apps that could deadlock cars. Too risky to bother with the technology. Speaking of Dean, Sully had questions. Ones she didn’t want to answer, but they’re here and Dean beat the shit out of him twice. It’s whatever at this point.
“He was technically my pimp and dealer. Went to him for oxy soon after James died. Got passed around to whoever was willing to pay for my habit. We started dating when I turned 18. More of the same shit, except he loved me or whatever.” She rolled her eyes. She never believed his feelings for a moment. She still had her Lux then. She knew the truth of him, but he made her feel less alone and funded her drug of choice.
She rubbed her hands together to get them dry. She wasn’t touching the wires with wet hands. She got back to work.
“I OD’d two years ago. Decided I would get clean, and have done my best to stay off his radar ever since. I haven’t heard anything about him, until y’all fucked around at the club.” She gave him a pointed look.
“That’s pretty much it.” She won’t tell him about her son. She didn’t know what Dean could beat out of him the next time they met. She wasn’t taking that risk. Bad enough he wants to find her.
“Oh,” was about all Sully could manage to say, caught off guard by Tayla’s candid response. Back in the day he would’ve called James a friend, and like the rest of his friends that had died in those final days against the Stygian Snake James hadn’t been forgotten. Rather the memory of him had been drowned in cheap beer, like a body disposed of in a lake, except instead of stones in its pockets to keep it down it was Rolling Rocks, and when it resurfaced in his memory it sent ripples of old pain felt anew across the surface. Sully frowned and looked down the street.
As sad as it was to be reminded of James, what was even more painful to hear was what Tayla had gone through. He had watched plenty of people have their entire lives nuked because of a little pill or some powder. Sully distinguished himself from being an addict by qualifying it as him being a problem drinker (often accompanied by some lame, rib nudging line like, “but the real problem I got is how I ain’t currently drinking, har har har”), but still, it wasn’t anything he had the right to judge. He realized he should probably say something supportive to Tayla, but what could he say that she probably wasn’t already tired of hearing?
“Well, shit.” Good. Fucking Shakespeare, Sullivan. He should probably say more than that.
She snorted.
“Well, shit indeed.”“In my defense, I was with the crew trying to get people to stop fucking around at the club. We just wanted to see some boobs,” said Sully in a joking tone, having never been able to approach a serious subject without first trying to deflect it with humor. He felt like a jackass the moment the words left his mouth. Sully sighed.
”Look, man, I ain’t even going to pretend like I could understand what you went through, but I’m sorry it happened. That sounds, uh, fucked,” he laughed nervously.
“It sounds really fucked. Sorry for digging up the past like that.”Sully loudly cleared his throat.
“I know it sounds weird, Tayla, but thanks for telling me. I can get why you don’t want me running my mouth about that dickhead in front of the others, but I think you’re underestimating the rest of the squad. They’re good people. They’d want to help. They’d want to hear about how you’re kicking ass by being two years clean. I mean a few of them are dicks but those ones don’t matter,” said Sully. Then, tugging at his collar and almost mumbling under his own breath, he added,
“Plus, Dean is stalking me now too and I’m pretty sure he’s going to cut off my balls or something if we don’t handle this sooner rather than later…”Tayla stopped what she was doing and peeked at him from under the wheel. She sat up and looked him right in the eyes.
“I’ll level with you Sully, it’s because of the dicks that I don’t want to say anything. With the way the Coven takes personal digs at each other when they don’t like someone, I don’t want any of that. I can’t remember if you were there for when our supposed new hideout got burned down by the Feds. That one girl that had the nerve to say Linqian deserved to have her brother die, is the reason I’m not saying anything. I don’t like getting emotional about shit, but the moment one of them says I deserved what happened to me when I was a kid. Or disrespects Jamie’s memory to get at me, all bets are off. I’m walking or I’ll kill ‘em or hell, I don’t know.” She got a little misty eyed and sniffed. She wasn’t going to cry. She’d done enough of that for a long time already.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done to keep myself clean, but it’s hard not to back slide in all of this. The new stress and anxieties got me antsy lately. I can’t go back to Dean looking for a new fix. I’ll figure something out about Dean. You don’t deserve to be stalked because of me.” By figuring something out she means asking Shayton what the hell he’s doing letting Dean shake down a Coven member for information. Him trying to find her is the opposite of the Dollhouse trying to keep him off her ass.
She got back under the wheel. A few seconds later the truck came to life.
“Mind dropping me off at the ferry?”“Yeah, I got you,” said Sully, sliding into the driver’s seat once Tayla moved over.
Sully swung the truck out of the parking spot and carefully guided it around the fallen tree. He mulled over what Tayla had said. Sure, the Coven had been petty before in the past, but he’d figured they would be able to set everything aside and focus on getting the job done. He was shocked to hear that someone would be so cruel to tell Linqian that she had deserved to have her brother die. It sounded like something only Sloane would say. Sully decided not to ask. Pushing for gossip now was so obviously the wrong call that even he was aware of it.
Tayla slid over into the passenger seat. Somehow sitting on top of wet was worse of a feeling.
“Tayla, if you want to be the one who handles this, then I’ll let you be the one who handles this, but I want you to know that I got your back. Dean’s been trying to get me to give him the scoop on where you are and what you’re doing and I haven’t said a thing and I will keep on not saying a thing. But listen,” Sully lowered the radio so that his point was undermined by Jimmy Buffett singing precisely about how he liked his cheeseburgers made, glancing at Tayla as they came to a redlight.
“I’m not getting stalked because of you. I’m getting stalked because of Dean. He’s the only one to blame. Just because you were once close to a piece of shit before doesn’t mean you are one.”“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about me. I got some good people in my corner that can help keep an eye out for Dean if he tries anything with me,” said Sully, talking about Greenwood as the light turned green and the truck started chugging along again towards the ferry.
“Actually, if you want, they’d be willing to help you too since I could vouch for you. None of them used to be Sycamore, so you wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to take any personal shots. “Tayla propped her elbow on the window. She never regretted not remembering her time with the Coven. She’d forgotten faces and names and events. None of it mattered after James’s passing, but maybe she should’ve remembered Sully. He’s a good dude. She knew it wasn’t her fault Dean’s looking for her, but at the same time she felt like it was. If she had stayed with him after ODing, then none of this would be happening to Sully. But her baby probably wouldn’t have been born and if he was he’d be dependent on drugs and being raised by Dean. She’s thinking nonsense now. She’ll regret not remembering Sully, but nothing else about her decisions.
“You’re a good man, Sully,” she said looking at him.
“A really good man. Thank you.” She smiled a little bit. She must have looked crazy with her lipstick smeared and faded from the rain.
“How about this, you tell your new friends about your situation with Dean. Have them watch your back. Dean doesn’t like trouble that’s more than it’s worth. If you stick with a group of people, then he won’t bother you. He’s smart. He’ll bide his time to get you alone, so never be alone. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can on my side. I’m not looking to join another group. The one we’re in is dysfunctional enough for me.” She’s also part of Dollhouse. Two is more than enough.
“Dysfunctional? Sycamore? Pfft, what do you mean we did…we did great back there,” said Sully with a wry smile.
Tayla made a good point, though. The best thing for Sully to do right now would be to lay low with Greenwood, especially since if he couldn’t fix his phone he’d have no way to contact Dean and feed him some bullshit before the deadline. He had been on a pretty good streak of not getting his asskicked as of late, but ever since the meeting at the flower shop he could never get the “Days Since Last Incident” counter to reach double digits. Even with a supernatural cup of heal juice getting punched in the face still massively sucked.
“Anyway, I’ll tell them,” said Sully, hoping that it would ease any concern and guilt Tayla had.
“And while it probably wouldn’t matter to them, I’ll keep your name out of it.Wouldn’t feel right airing out your dirty laundry.” Sully pointed his finger at the top of the vehicle and made a circular motion
None of this leaves the truck of trust.”Tayla laughed. The Truck of Trust. She liked the sound of that. It seemed everything would be okay for now. Sully’s got people he trusts to have his back. That’ll stall Dean for sometime at least.
“Now how’s that for some timing?” said Sully as he turned the wheel towards the docks and coasted to a stop before the arriving ferry. He shifted the truck into park and turned to Tayla.
“Now look, if you need anything don’t hesitate to call…oh, except my phone might be broken. Um, just stop by the camp, it’s…oh, well, it moves around a lot, actually, so…find me somehow. I don’t know, call Auri or Britney and they’d probably figure something out. They always do.”“Anyway, homie,” Sully held out his hand for a fist bump.
“Fuck Dean.”“Sure. I’ll be sure to track you down somehow.” She hesitated before saying the next part. So far she’s not told anyone where she worked, but given that Sully doesn’t have his phone he might need to reach her somehow. She trusted him enough to tell him.
“If you need me, I work at the Maritime Museum everyday, but the weekends. Nine to five if you need me. And don’t tell anyone else. I don’t need Coven showing up at my job causing trouble.” She fist bumped him.
“Fuck Dean. I’ll be see you.” She got out the truck. Right before she closed the door she said,
“Oh and don’t turn your truck off, before you get to a mechanic. You’ll have to hot wire it to get it started again. I’ll be seeing you. Thanks for the ride.” She closed the door. It’s not until he pulled away and she could no longer see his truck, that she made her way to the daycare to pick up Siwan.
~~~~~~
Edict 
In collaboration with
@AtomicEmperor as Greyson.
Location: 8:00am Saturday at the DocksTayla had dropped Siwan off at daycare an hour ago. She didn't know what information he got out of her head. She wasn't volunteering anything else. She sat in wait for him on a fishing boat. He wouldn't be able to see her, but she could see him. She blended in with all the other fishermen out on the marina in a yellow raincoat and bucket hat. Just like them she ate a sandwich and laughed at jokes. She'd filled them in on everything a Blind would understand. She's fortunate her father wasn't here. That he went further south to follow the fishes migration with some others. He'd be devastated if he thought she was involved in gangs again. Given the violence that went on with 8th Street, might as well be.
It was the morning after the raid, not even an hour after he sent a text message to a particular person, and Edict was out on the Marina front in a low-visibility set of clothes. At first, he figured he’d get no response. But after a quick grilling and letting her know that her preferred haunt was now a coal dump, he was scheduled to meet Tayla Choi here. There were dozens and dozens of fishermen crowding around the spot, just like she wanted.
I’ll scream. They’ll kill you.Good thing they wouldn’t be putting that to the test. Even if she couldn’t know his intentions were good, she’d either trust him or she wouldn’t.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t wearing his vest beneath his sweater. An amateur would probably still stuff a gun into the chest before they would blow someone’s face off. If he was real lucky, then all this was going down without a hitch, and maybe he’d at least have regained someone’s trust.
A little closer to the goal.
So there he sat, on a bench in wait for his fate. Like all classic Gangsters, he thought for a moment about how if she was going to kill him, he’d have no time to think. No time to react. Just darkness.
When Greyson arrived, they all became alert and moved into a position where everyone could see him clearly. She told the men she was with to hop into a neighboring boat. She wanted to be alone.
She saw Greyson approach the marina. She quickly took off her hat, put on her headphones, then put the hat back on. She got all the fishermen's thoughts and his coming in. It was easy to block out the noise. She grew up on these docks. Knew these men and women. What they thought about, she didn't need headphones to know.
She heard Greyson’s passing thoughts of having good intentions and knowing she didn't trust him. Also that he had a bulletproof vest under his sweater. She didn't think that would work against shotguns and pistols firing at him all at once. And if it did, he wouldn't be moving quite fast. Heard a gunshot still hurt like a bitch even with a vest on. His only way out was back the way he came or to jump into the sea before he got shot.
She pulled out her phone and called him. It was on speaker, the volume low. She didn't need to hear him. Her headphones amplified voices and thoughts. It was so he could hear her. She got straight to the point when he picked.
“First thing's first, you keep one hand on your lap and the other on your phone at all times. I told them to shoot you if you reach for anything in your pocket. You got me with the glasses last time, Greyson. Can't get me with the same trick twice. Second, I told the owner and everyone else here I know who burned down the Drunken Starfish. I also told them that I knew someone that would donate the funds to rebuild it brand new. Part of you walking out of here alive comes with rebuilding what you destroyed, since you've come with ‘good intentions’ and all, right?"Edict wasn’t one to joke around about a few dozen guns pointed at him. When push came to shove, the bullet beat his magic.
Well... Assuming you're fast enough to stop me from taking their minds. I always tried to get you to learn how to cast without your Channeler. Its easy when you get past the pain, Tayla. Pretty neat trick; headphones, right? I think I saw them in a meeting once. Someone else was wearing them. I’m not going to pussyfoot around Tayla. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Because before you could read my mind? The night of the meeting, where I gave everyone a quick vibecheck and stumbled into your defenseless head?My first thought was that I didn’t want you involved in any of this. What I saw? What you went through? I’ve seen it happen to so many people. Too many. Your Lux is gone, Tayla. And you want it gone. So why the fuck would you make such a dumb decision? Dollhouse!? You can’t possibly know who they are, or how dangerous Luis is, or what they’ll do to you when you’re no longer useful to them! I don’t care what they promised they’d do for you, they won’t… And don’t even ask me why I’m with them or how I know. I’d be lying if I said it was all good. But I’m gonna trust you, and I’m gonna trust that we can work something out together, Tayla. And I’m sorry… I’m sorry about James. I… He didn’t give me shit. Not like some of the others. He didn’t deserve to go, and you didn’t deserve to lose him.And for my reaction… I was trying to be sincere, but your judgment hurt, and I did what I always do. That’s not an excuse for what I said. Whatever price you want me to pay, it’s done…The silent man leaned backward, hand on his lap and phone at his ear. But his breathing was a bit ragged, like he was nervous. It was hard to tell, since once he stopped talking through his mind, there was now only a very clear recording of a popular song from their teens. He wasn’t going to let her have any more than he wanted, and did his best to layer thoughts beneath the projected music.
It wasn’t a magic trick, but it had everything to do with the years he spent training in Pink Lux. The study of thought structure.
She let him go through his speech. She remained calm even through the parts that would normally get a nasty reaction out of her. She's got the upper hand here. She didn't need to fear with the headphones on. He won't get in. He won't manipulate her. They're on her turf.
“That was long winded I have to say. I assure you Greyson, if you can stop them from shooting you today, you'll have to watch your back for the ones that aren't here tomorrow.” Some fishermen were off in deeper waters. There's also the ones that are retired. She's got quite a few people that would be willing to help her out. Maybe Greyson knew that. She's not sure what exactly he gleaned from her mind. A lot of shit happened to her in the last 10 years.
She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then relaxed back in her seat.
“I'm surprised you don't know why I joined them. You're like them, aren't you? Willing to exploit desperate people for selfish gain. And don't say you aren't. I know you're paying Linqian. For what? I don't know, but she's broke and she needs the money. If it weren't for that, she probably wouldn't have stopped me from busting your head in with that bottle. Can't let her paycheck bleed to death.”She dumped the ashes on her cigarette into an ashtray beside her.
“Given what you've seen in my head, I'm sure you assume I'm working for Dollhouse in part for my baby. I mean, Auri got the clan back together and what do we have to show for it? Fucking, nothing. Father Wolf is out here killing us and we're no closer to figuring out who he is than we were that first night. They'll watch my back as long as I'm in their employ and my baby won't lose his mother to some magical bullshit. The other part…take a guess on who else I need protection from. He's been the star of the show in my memories for eight years. Did you count how many times he beat the shit out of me and raped me? Or had other people do it all for a pill, so I could forget? If you did, you're more fucked up than I thought.” She kept her tone calm and level. She gave nothing away about how she feels in anything she said.
“Let's not bring up Jamie again, yeah? Cause I see what you're doing. Trying to soften me up by bringing up the love of my life. Admitting your fault to make me think you're not such a bad guy. All while talking to me at the forefront of your mind, but burying your true feelings in the back where I can't hear it over your noise. I didn't train with my Pink Lux as much as you did, but I know how it works, Greyson. Shitty song choice by the way. No use trying to hide. I got through your defenses too.” She wouldn't tell him when or how. Not that she had to fight any defense. At the time, he was an open book. She's not sure how much he knows about the headphones. She's not volunteering information.
“Your price is to take a long walk off a short pier. The existence of my baby is only known to those I've told personally. You knowing he exists is a danger to my person. I don't doubt you'd sell everything you know about me out in a heartbeat if it meant protecting someone you love. So unless you can magic that memory so deep down inside you it'll be like trying to remember the day you were born, we'll never be square.” She sounded absolutely serious. She gave him two options. Kill himself or truly forget Siwan's existence.
Edict's chuckle was audible and real. He laughed aloud. The music faded away, and everything came crawling in very slowly.
The day before, at the 8th Street raid, everyone had certain visions. He let his trained vivid memory start to wash in through the headphones. The sound of kids playing. Britney's voice was audible in the background. Edict's deepest desire; a family and a legacy. Stability. Love.
You're in pain. Paranoia is all that's left. That's the only thing I can think of, because right now you sound like a paranoid crazy person. Protect you and your baby. From what? Some fucking gutter punk and his jumped up smoke ghost? You're fucking Severed! Do you hear me? You were fucking free! You could've ignored Auri, you could've not risked your life, because in the end it has no meaning here! You can't even regain your memory of the Sycamore Tree… You wouldn't be a target.Edict's hand with the phone slipped forward and dabbed his forehead.
Like, Jesus Tayla… You think I give a fuck because you're some central figure in my plans? I give a fuck because at one point we were friends, and because you deserve better than this! You don't deserve to get roped back up in the life that you feel only took from you! And honestly, hearing you talk about me taking advantage of Linqian?! When the exact same thing is happening to you? Did you not hear yourself, Tayla?! You are a desperate person ready to do desperate things! But you are not important to them! I'm only important because they know that I was the one who sealed our memories away. They think I can reverse the effect, but I fucking can't, Tayla… And they're gonna kill me for it. I don't have long left to make things right, and I won't get my dream come true. Please, let me fucking help you… I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. But the Greyson you knew isn't here anymore. Not now. I'm here, and I'm going to do everything I can to help the people I love, even if they don't love me back or want the help. I'm done doing the wrong thing.Tayla didn’t care for Greyson laughing. His little vision of his desires were cute. Something he could still achieve if he wasn’t such an asshole. If he didn’t do terrible shit for the sake of gains. Maybe he should’ve played this good person card from the start. Never let her know that he knew about her son. She still wouldn’t have believed he’s a good person. She knew of his family from back then. Heard rumors about the shit they did and decided she would keep her distance. If he was better at fooling everyone, maybe she’d foolishly give him a chance to redeem himself. That chance was shot to hell now.
“Abuse and sex trafficking tends to leave you paranoid, Greyson. It’s kept me from Dean’s radar for two years. Y’all’s the ones that cucked that up for me. Had to be the dumbasses that went after Wolfpack with nothing but word association,” she whispered the last part. She was still pissed about that and probably wouldn’t stop for the rest of her life.
“I never took you for stupid, but damn you’re proving me wrong. No one knows I’m Severed, Greyson! Only you and Dollhouse. That’s it. We don’t know what Father Wolf knows, so as far as I’m concerned I can’t ignore text messages about the Coven dropping like flies. And before you get another stupid idea, no we shouldn’t tell anyone else about me being Severed. I’m the most likely one to be damsel in distress in this group and like hell I’m gonna get kidnapped, so y’all can give enemy number fifty-five a reason to steal me away to be rescued.” She didn’t care about proving Greyson’s point. Paranoia’s a necessity. The only good thing she learned from Dean about covering her tracks.
“I know exactly how desperate I am. I wouldn’t be here right now if I wasn’t.” She got quite the surprise learning he couldn’t undo their memories. Yikes. To save his own skin, he lied and said he could do it to stall for time. Father Wolf is giving them plenty of it. Dollhouse wants to know what’s going on with the Coven. They believe Greyson can’t undo the memories, until the Father Wolf thing is resolved. They’re not any closer to finding out who he is, so that’s more time to figure out a way to not end up dead by their hands.
“Greyson, you can’t pretend like you aren’t a horrible person. Good people don’t burn down someone else’s livelihood, because they’re butt hurt. Good people don’t take advantage of someone in desperate need. Good people don’t run around doing shady shit behind other people’s backs.” She didn’t know what else he did other than the conversation with Phantasia, but she’s being vague on purpose to A. get him to think about whatever else he did and B. to make him think she knows more than she’s letting on. She can play this game too.
“You wanna be a different person, a good person, then stop being shady. No more mind reading, no more manipulation, no more taking advantage of desperate people. I’ve seen bits and pieces from the ones in the group you’re working with. Let us all in on it. Tell everyone about the Dollhouse and their goal. Tell us everything. Stop keeping us in the dark. Apologize to the people you’ve hurt and make amends with action. For starters, you can give Linqian money out of the deep, deep kindness of your heart. No work on the side. None of that. Maybe I’ll believe you when I see it with my own eyes. And no, you’re not getting me to forget I want you dead by giving you another chance at life to make things right. I might still want your head at the end of it.”Edict smirked. A gentle pink mist curled from his mouth, Lux building up in the throat and lungs as he held himself back from the gut reaction he always had. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was worse to not let it out. Without a Channeler, it had nowhere to go and disperse, but since he wasn’t casting anything actively, it just pooled up.
Before long, he was hacking up a lung, and spat a wad of shimmering pink mucus onto the ground.
You know it’s not gonna be that easy. For starters, Linqian’s been telling me about the meetings I’ve been missing. Because of this kind of treatment. The idea that you all feel like I can’t change, and that I’ll never change, makes it pretty obvious that I’m not welcomed. Auri may have asked for my return, but I know nobody else consented. Say I follow your instructions, right? Come clean to everyone all at once. Blackmore severs my head, or Kenshiro breaks me in half. Do I deserve it? Yes. God, I need a fucking cigarette…Edict’s thought ended on that, echoing out into the darkness for a few moments, before several images of how he could get to the cigarettes in his pocket without getting shot. Once he went through a thousand iterations and found he didn’t like his odds, he gave up.
But you know that if you want me in the end, I can’t tell the whole group right now. So let me do things quietly. For you, for Linqian who is the only other person that’s given me the time of day besides Britney… For the people who are dead, those affected then and now. Meet me halfway, and I’ll bring you Dean Walker. Not dead. Alive, and Severed. A declawed dog with its teeth bashed in. You get closure, and your boogeyman is gone.He gritted his teeth, taking one more deep breath.
But you don’t want to kill me. I promise you don’t. Because I may not actively be able to reverse the memories, but there’s a surefire way of collapsing the ritual component keeping the tree locked away. It’s me. It’s why I’ve been so careful all this time. Not taking risks, stacking the deck, making the life around me entirely beholden to my own will… If I die, it’s all over. It all comes rushing back to Linqian, to Anya, to Sully and Amara and Auri… And Emily G. Reed. So, at least control that urge until after we’re safe. For everyone else.There was a flood of vivid memories. Lux equation and developmental work he’d done for years to finish the sealing of the Sycamore Tree’s final resting place. Each one, evidently, ending in failure.
“Sounds like there’s a good reason to keep you alive. You can tell the group that when you come clean at the next meeting.” She wasn’t trying to hear his excuses. Facing yourself and the people you’ve wronged, sucks and it hurts. She does it every day her father gets worried when she doesn’t come home on time, because he thinks she might be back sliding. She deserves to be treated skeptically. It’s not been enough time to prove she’s changed.
“Proving you’re a better person is hard, Greyson. You have to earn everyone’s trust back and that can take years. I’ll be honest with you, my father doesn’t trust me. Every time these meetings go longer than my self-imposed curfew, he thinks I’m relapsing. It fucking sucks that he doesn’t have faith in me after being clean for two years, but I did that. I wanted to forget my pain and it cost me more than just my body and mind. It cost me the only constant relationship I’ve had since the day I was born. I’m working hard to get that trust back. You’ll have to do the same. If you love us like you say you do, then you’re going to have to put in the work and that starts right now.” She’s gonna regret offering him a hand, but she’s still that kind girl way deep inside.
“If it helps, I’ll vouch for you. They think I still have my Lux. If I say some shit about you letting me in to prove you’re sincere, they’ll believe it. Especially if you let me ‘in’ right there in front of everyone. It should help with your credibility, considering they know I don’t fuck with you. Be brave and face what you’re afraid of.” She couldn’t keep her unattached tone. She sounded the slightest bit like she wanted to help him. She didn’t, but she’s gotten a second chance at life. She’ll give Greyson that grace. But she swears if he wastes and backslides, she’ll kill him. Consequences be damned.
Tayla learned that Greyson didn’t truly see all her memories. He got highlights at best. The worst and best moments of her life, because he didn’t know Dean like he thought he knew Dean.
“If you plan on bringing me Dean alive, you aren’t helping at all. He did everything he did to me without magic. There was nothing magic related about our relationship. All I know is he’s Adjoined. With what, I don’t know. How it works, I don’t know. He has a tendency to handle business with his hands and a smile. It’s rare for him to use his magic. Trying to kill him might put you in hot water with Dollhouse, considering he’s on their payroll. Part of me working for them involves Shayton promising to keep Dean off my ass. Any good that did, since he beat the shit out of Sully looking for answers.” Greyson grimaced, finally standing up. He turned slowly, looking out toward the lake and the docks.
”You people want your bar back? I’d like a cigarette… So, I’m gonna take one out of my pocket, and tomorrow some guys in hard hats from Capponella Construction are gonna come by… Start surveying. Get everything up and running again. Six months tops, the Anchor’s back in business. So, I’m gonna reach into my hoodie pocket! And I’m going to get my cigarettes! I will move so slowly, you’ll be able to count the hours with my shadow! Capice!?” he called out, taking a deep breath and slowly moving his hand.
It was like a slow clockwork.
God I promise its just a fucking cigarette, please aim center of mass you crazy fishermen… What, do you work with these guys or something? If they’ve got your back like this, why the fuck ain’t they at the Veni tearing shit up?Glacially, his hand carefully moved, never slipping more than a couple of fingers in to grip the rough metal surface. A lighter, attached to a small magnet, clung to the little silver box, and he popped it open out far for everyone to see.
He was making it so painfully slow and deliberate… Clear malicious compliance? Or desp-
It’s desperation! I’m fucking dying here, I’m trying to talk about emotional shit, my Lux is getting up because I can’t cast because how could I right now!? All it takes is for one person to think they’re saving you from a threat that isn’t there… God… I’ve been so fucking angry this whole time. I’m… I’m so fucking sorry, Tayla. It was never people like you. You didn’t deserve my ire. And, for the record…He let the cigarette hang out of his mouth, flicking the lighter.
I think he’s proud. Or, he will be when he can know and understand the struggles you’ve gone through. Your son, I mean. I… Linqian’s brother. Henri? He’s like us now too. Her and Jinhai never would’ve let him around us, but… I’ll have to tell her. I’ll have to admit that making a bond with him is behind this. I’ve been going back through it all with him. Showing him what we saw. What I saw. It’s helped me recontextualize some of this shit. He’s just so positive…It was the first time in a long time that something more than smoke and bullshit came out of Greyson’s mouth. As much as the headphones could pick up emotional signals, his was filled with sincerity and fear. The lighter flicked, and for an instant his face was engulfed with flames. There was a shimmer of wetness on his cheeks.
But I still don’t think telling everyone will be worth it. Not everyone. Key people. Like you, who is going to need to deal with Dollhouse, especially if they get to me first. Or Auri, whose supposed to be leading us. Or Stormy, or fuckin’... I don’t want to tell Britney. Too many people with the info means that too many people become targets. I’m just-As he drew a long breath, the cigarette mixed with the Lux, and he exhaled a large cotton candy colored cloud.
I guess it really doesn’t fuckin’ matter. I may live this meeting, and you may tell me everything I want to hear. But, you’re in my head right now. I’m not in yours. I can’t know that you’re not just going to hightail it back to the club downtown and spill your guts to Shayton or God forbid fuckin’ Luis. If they even knew we met… They’d have both of us locked away, and I don’t know about you but I’m only a step or two above Severed. So, you’re only safe if you go and you tell. My life is in your hands. I’ll call Auri, tell her we need to meet. Put that bit of info out there. Maybe it’ll even paint a target on me, for Father Wolf to focus on… I’m your bait, Tayla. For a happy life. Take your pick on how I get used.Tayla never thought she’d see the day Greyson would cry in front of her. She let him getting his cigarette go. She’s in his head. She knows he’s not bullshitting. It’s weird to have her feelings change from ones of hate and anger to a little understanding.
“Fucking A, Greyson. You got her brother involved? She may never forgive you for that. This is a lot, but I have a plan. I’ll hold your hand through all of this if you want me to, but I swear to God if you screw me it's a bullet between the eyes. The Tree be damned. I can assure you, your end won’t be met by the Dollhouse dealing with me. I’m not a snitch and I’m not a user. You’ve been in my head. How much of a liar am I?” Not to say she’s never lied, but she has integrity. She says what she means and she stands on that.
“I will sell you out if Dollhouse threatens my baby, so if they show up at your door and they say I told them everything I know about you, that’s ‘cause of the position they put me in. Short of that, you’re safe with me. For now, let’s get you an outlet. Aim your power at me. With these on, you won’t do any damage and you won’t get more than my favorite color, hobbies, and other random shit. After that, we’ll come up with a plan.” Instantly every single tendril he could release came directly from his throat like a wretched pink monster. The million roots of the Pink Lotus were on top of the veil that the strange Abstraction provided its host with instantaneous urgency and a vague ferocity. It was like the worst kind of hangover vomit.
He was constantly bombarding her with uncontrolled tendrils that smashed and slammed, hungry for more but unable to break through. It was almost as if Greyson’s spells had developed a mind of their own over time, the untapped, unfettered and constant uncapped usage had given his ever expanding mind carte blanche to do as it pleased.
He coughed and choked, hacking up a lung as the buildup spilled out into unfettered hunter’s instinct, but eventually the storm subsided and the pink faded away.
”Y’know Tayla, that really makes me feel a lot fuckin’ better… Maybe we can make a plan to keep that from being an issue? I don’t care how much money I need to drop, we’ll put that baby in a concrete bunker six hundred feet underground if we have to. Because I’m not getting fucked because you feel like you don’t have a choice. This is something we’re in now. And if I’m fighting for you, I’m fighting for that kid, and your Dad, and your future. Please, God, mine too… I don’t really want to die, Tayla, I wouldn’t be spilling my guts like this if I fuckin’ did… Please, let me see if money can’t take care of the problem a little bit.”Looking down at his ruined cigarette, he immediately popped the pack open for another one and lit it.
”And maybe after all this… I’ll quit smokin’ too.”His Lux outburst didn’t feel like anything at all. Barely a tickle in her brain. It seemed to help a lot, even though he vomited on the dock. Feels like a withdrawal response. She’s all too familiar with that. She nearly choked on the smoke she inhaled when he offered to do whatever it took to protect her child. She knew it hinged on his survival, but there very few would actually offer that kind of support. Knowing he meant it too, she was slowly hating him a little less. She looked down at the cigarette in her hand.
“Yeah, maybe I should quit too. I have another appointment soon. We’ll talk more about how to help each other out. In the meantime, stay out of trouble.” She called off the fishermen and let Greyson go. She didn’t take off her headphones, until she could no longer hear his thoughts from him getting out of her range.
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