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Tamara is beginning to be concerned.
There's a pattern here. She knows there is. But it's subtle, it's so subtle she thinks she might be imagining it. A flyer appears on the wall of the coffee shop, announcing that his band has a show there that week. There's so few details that she thinks she must be mistaken, someone else here must have decided to use that same band name, it wasn't that creative- but she goes back to look again the next day, just to see, and it's gone.
She finds a jelly doughnut left on the hood of her car while she's out shopping. They're Kevin's favorite, and she has to talk him out of eating it- they don't know where it came from, it can't be safe, just throw it out, see how someone's already cut it open? It's oozing red jelly out over the roof of the car.
Little things, one at a time. Spaced apart enough that she's never quite sure they're related to each other. A week before something new happens? Two? Once there's two incidents in three days, then nothing for almost a month. She could be imagining it.
...maybe.
She finds a stuffed dog in their front yard. It's very generic, one of those silly plush dogs you can get at any store for a few bucks, and it's arguably, plausibly, a dog toy. But the tag on the dog's collar says 'Tammy'. And it's been torn almost to shreds, viciously. And none of her neighbors have dogs.
Tamara calls the Watcher's Council. And then she calls Bella.
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older_and_wiser
cross_and_bow
Meanwhile:
"Fan out," Bella calls to her sister, and they take different directions through the debris. Bella has no supernatural senses to guide her, but she was very close on his trail and she is very fast and nimble. If she's wrong about where she's going Soph still has a shot at setting the guy on fire once they get into more open ground and the line of sight is better.
"Fan out," Bella calls to her sister, and they take different directions through the debris. Bella has no supernatural senses to guide her, but she was very close on his trail and she is very fast and nimble. If she's wrong about where she's going Soph still has a shot at setting the guy on fire once they get into more open ground and the line of sight is better.
Charles clearly knows his way through the chaos on the floor, and is sprinting through it at high speed. Anyone else may be having trouble.
After a short time it may be obvious to those keeping pace that he's headed towards an exit towards the back of the building. Since the back is on the west side of the building, there's some shelter from the sun still. And, more relevantly, an entrance to the Sunnydale steam tunnels.
After a short time it may be obvious to those keeping pace that he's headed towards an exit towards the back of the building. Since the back is on the west side of the building, there's some shelter from the sun still. And, more relevantly, an entrance to the Sunnydale steam tunnels.
cross_and_bow
Bella makes reasonable progress towards the exit, trying to copy his steps.
keyed_up
Soph, on the other hand, twists an ankle.
"I'm out," she calls to Bella, "go on -"
And then she hops back to where Tamara and Kevin are supposed to be -
"I'm out," she calls to Bella, "go on -"
And then she hops back to where Tamara and Kevin are supposed to be -
Charles isn't paying close attention behind him. That would interfere with the flat out sprint he has going. But the one time he does glance back, he mutters something insulting about Slayers who were supposed to be more inconvenienced by the debris.
older_and_wiser
There's a Tamara here, at least. She's still on the ground sobbing, and trying to nudge a scattering of dust into a more coherent pile.
keyed_up
"Ta-" Soph stops, leaning on the wall. "-mara," she finishes, almost inaudibly.
cross_and_bow
Bella's not that inconvenienced by the debris.
And she finds a shortcut - there's a chain strung high across this path, high enough to be awkward to jump and heavy-draped enough to be hard to go under, but she has her shell knife; she cuts, she runs, she intercepts.
And she finds a shortcut - there's a chain strung high across this path, high enough to be awkward to jump and heavy-draped enough to be hard to go under, but she has her shell knife; she cuts, she runs, she intercepts.
This was not in the plan.
Charles takes a couple of swings at her. As punches they're not horribly effective, but they'll keep him moving towards his exit.
Charles takes a couple of swings at her. As punches they're not horribly effective, but they'll keep him moving towards his exit.
older_and_wiser
Tamara doesn't respond to Soph when she arrives. She's having trouble drawing breath already; it's sneaking up on her, the feeling from crying too hard and too long, and running out of air. She gently smooths the last of the dust into a tiny pile- so tiny- and stares at it helplessly. She reaches for it, and then draws her hand back. She- she's not sure what to do, now. Except cry, and see if she can still inhale, in this world that doesn't have her son.
cross_and_bow
If he's going to get within range of making attempts to punch her, he's going to get within range of her knife.
It won't kill him unless she manages to decapitate him with it, but even a vampire will be distracted and less effective if he loses a hand.
Well, "loses". She doesn't have a lot of live-fire knife practice yet and doesn't make a clean cut through his arm. It's still attached, but pretty uselessly. So when she grabs it and yanks it finishes coming off, but throws off his balance in the process.
And then she clotheslines him and throws him at a different exit. On the sunnier side of the building.
It won't kill him unless she manages to decapitate him with it, but even a vampire will be distracted and less effective if he loses a hand.
Well, "loses". She doesn't have a lot of live-fire knife practice yet and doesn't make a clean cut through his arm. It's still attached, but pretty uselessly. So when she grabs it and yanks it finishes coming off, but throws off his balance in the process.
And then she clotheslines him and throws him at a different exit. On the sunnier side of the building.
keyed_up
Soph doesn't know whether to try to hug her or - anything.
She compromises with a hand on Tamara's shoulder, tentative.
She compromises with a hand on Tamara's shoulder, tentative.
And as he sails out the door, with a shriek, Charles goes up in flames.
older_and_wiser
Tamara shudders slightly when Soph puts her hand down, but doesn't object.
keyed_up
Soph - stands there. On one foot. With her hand on Tamara's shoulder.
And sniffles.
And sniffles.
cross_and_bow
And Bella strides out the door and stands over Charles and watches to make sure he doesn't put himself out.
He tries, and he makes a scramble for the door. But he's too far away, and sunlight is efficient. Shortly, there is nothing left of him but dust.
cross_and_bow
Right then.
Back through the warehouse.
To the chair and the pile of dust and "Oh fuck -"
The chair has a note scratched in it.
Did you know children turn faster? ❤
Did you know children turn faster? ❤
cross_and_bow
Bella flicks her knife out and cuts a furrow into the words until they're illegible.
She waits, a minute, before saying:
"Soph, can you fix your ankle or do you need to go to a doctor?"
older_and_wiser
At the reminder that they might leave, Tamara visibly tries to pull herself together. It doesn't work very well. But after a few gulps, she at least manages to choke out, "Soph, I- do you- a container?"
cross_and_bow
"On it."
Bella goes. Bella comes back with an empty jar.
Bella goes. Bella comes back with an empty jar.