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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
imeanforever
wormcan
Jack makes his entrance half an hour early, smiling. He jumps up the side of the building; it's a lot easier to be spring-heeled when holding hands with the Siberian. (The person holding her other hand is much less happy about it.)
He looks around, sees the empty roof, and speaks. "Hello. If you'd be so kind as to show yourself, there's no reason we can't get started early."
He looks around, sees the empty roof, and speaks. "Hello. If you'd be so kind as to show yourself, there's no reason we can't get started early."
imeanforever
Promise sighs. No reason to make the poor mortal wait, and she didn't find a cache of hostages she wants the extra thirty minutes to evacuate, or anything. He's not looking in her direction, so maybe he's just guessing, but making him look slightly silly to one ally and one terrified victim for doing so would be pointless.
She hovers behind the party, arms folded, and appears.
She hovers behind the party, arms folded, and appears.
wormcan
"Ah, there you are. I must say, I was expecting to be walled in by gates to nowhere by now. Does this mean you've decided to play ball?"
wormcan
"Yes, but most heroes would have tried. It did at least inconvenience our mutual friend when you did it to her."
imeanforever
"The Siberian is holding hands with him." Promise indicates Liam.
As an afterthought, she tries to slightly grow a little bit of Liam's hair longer, on the opposite side of his head from the one the Siberian's watching.
As an afterthought, she tries to slightly grow a little bit of Liam's hair longer, on the opposite side of his head from the one the Siberian's watching.
wormcan
A little bit of Liam's hair grows slightly longer.
"Really? You're that opposed to acceptable losses? In that case you'll love the test I've got in mind for if you don't earn an exemption."
"Really? You're that opposed to acceptable losses? In that case you'll love the test I've got in mind for if you don't earn an exemption."
wormcan
"No, not at all. Everything would be technically self-defense, if that makes it easier.
But I assume you'd rather avoid it? All you have to do is tell this adorable child to step off the roof, after canceling whatever or whoever you've set up to catch him of course."
But I assume you'd rather avoid it? All you have to do is tell this adorable child to step off the roof, after canceling whatever or whoever you've set up to catch him of course."
imeanforever
"What, am I supposed to guess why it's not real? Maybe someone else named him before his mother and father got to it. Maybe they disagreed on it and the losing party's preference is the one that stuck for fairy purposes. Maybe he's adopted. Maybe it's a nickname. I don't know. I can tell him to jump off the roof anyway if that'll satisfy."
wormcan
"Well. Lucky for both of us that's so easy to test, then. Here, watch this." He flicks a knife toward her face. She doesn't get cut, but the air acts as if a knife had physically moved through the space in front of her. In what would be the blink of an eye if not for her force field rendering blinking unnecessary, a grip appears around her right arm and drags her to Jack and Liam.
"Hit her," Jack tells his other hostage.
The Siberian does not bother about Promise's comfort while holding her still.
"Hit her," Jack tells his other hostage.
The Siberian does not bother about Promise's comfort while holding her still.
imeanforever
Okay, she's not going to be able to argue her way out of this.
Names, names. Siberian more usefully than Jack, but she checks both. Ni. Paige, pay, age -
wormcan
The kid isn't exactly happy about the situation either, but after some prodding from Jack he does weakly slap her Siberian-free arm.
"See? That wasn't so hard. Now you have, oh, ten seconds before I start motivating the both of you."
"See? That wasn't so hard. Now you have, oh, ten seconds before I start motivating the both of you."
imeanforever
She should have brute forced these names sooner, she probably wouldn't accidentally think of that many other people - rin, ke, ri, in, ink, ke -
"You're not going to tell me what happens if I don't send him off the roof? Just in case I underestimated you?"
"You're not going to tell me what happens if I don't send him off the roof? Just in case I underestimated you?"
wormcan
"Well no, that would be telling."
"...three, two one..." And both hostages are bleeding from their respective shoulders. The boy screams.
"...three, two one..." And both hostages are bleeding from their respective shoulders. The boy screams.
imeanforever
Promise heals both injuries, hissing. How sure is Jack that Liam was trying to hurt her -? "Jump off the roof," she totally fails to enforce.
(and, ers, an, de, der, ders, er, ers)
(and, ers, an, de, der, ders, er, ers)
wormcan
This time the knife wound doesn't hurt at all. She's being stabbed by a child instead of a villain who will never be a supervillain, and it's a child who can't hurt her.
Jack laughs, apparently his newly armed hostage ineffectually stabbed him first. "Do you really want to prolong this part?"
Jack laughs, apparently his newly armed hostage ineffectually stabbed him first. "Do you really want to prolong this part?"
imeanforever
Yes, she actually kind of does want to prol-
(li, am)
"If he jumps you'll stop?"
That last word is very important. It'll tell her what she needs to do with the Siberian next.
(li, am)
"If he jumps you'll stop?"
That last word is very important. It'll tell her what she needs to do with the Siberian next.
wormcan
"I'll let you go, and call off the real test. Even tell you what it was going to be, if you still want to know. As for everything else, well, the game's still afoot."
imeanforever
While he's saying that, Promise figures out where the Siberian's face is. She's not physically intimidating and isn't being held like she is, and the Siberian can't grab her hand too hard and doesn't know it yet -
She moves her hand through the air in the Siberian's line of sight, trailing fairy lights. Listen.
"StopletusgokillJack," she exhales.
She moves her hand through the air in the Siberian's line of sight, trailing fairy lights. Listen.
"StopletusgokillJack," she exhales.
wormcan
One human reaction time after "killJack," the Siberian rips off Jack's left arm and sticks his own fist through his head. Or she plans to. One human reaction time after Listen, Jack twists away from her and ducks. He starts heading for the edge of the roof, casually dodging all the Siberian's blows and holding Liam between them. His knife is glancing off Promise's force field multiple times a second, in hopes that it'll get through and blind her.
imeanforever
"Don't hurt Liam," Promise adds to the Siberian urgently. Her forcefield holds. She likes her forcefield.
The knife is simpler than Jack is. Can she just - unsharpen it - simple sorcerous reshaping -
The knife is simpler than Jack is. Can she just - unsharpen it - simple sorcerous reshaping -
wormcan
It continues bouncing off her force field exactly as before. Jack swaps it out for a sharp one.
"Well played! Offer's still open."
"Well played! Offer's still open."