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xp_logs2010-12-02 03:01 pm
x-staffofone.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2010-12-02 03:01 pm
The Gift Part 3 (2/12), Nico, Dori & Crystal
The girls and teacher wake up only to find themselves captive by Nico's parents.
Backdated to December 2nd due to massive fail.
Cody, Wyoming, was like many other towns along the Rockies. Once a thriving mining community, once the ore started running out people had moved on, leaving behind a town surviving on tourism and small local businesses. In the hills above the town there remained the mines themselves - few, if any, had a reason to go there and locals discouraged explorers due to potential cave-ins and the like in the abandoned shafts.
The Minorus, however, hadn't asked permission. They'd just moved in.
The chamber they'd chosen as their main base was larger than most, having been used once as a place for storing machinery and as a kind of break room for the miners themselves. Far enough in to avoid the worst of the Midwestern winter chill, it was still cool and a bit dank, the industrial-guage spotlights that had been set up only warming the space a little. Most of the floor was taken up with a spellcasting circle, intricate symbols drawn onto the stone in black and red - it was in the centre of this circle Nico's unconscious form lay. Over to one side, in two metal mesh cages once used to lock up explosives, were Crystal and Dori. The mesh of the cages shimmered ever-so-slightly; to the untrained eye it seemed like a momentary trick of the light.
Crystal pushed herself up, taking in her surroundings, frowning at the circle and the motionless Nico. A person didn't have to know a lot about magic to understand that such a thing really wasn't an ideal situation. Crystal was not familiar with magic. She was aware of a wide range of mutant powers, but magic was something entirely different. She had been unprepared for the magical attack at the airport, and although she didn't know it yet, there were more unwanted magical surprises in store for her.
Doreen came to slowly, feeling like she was waking up after an all night raid and someone had hidden away all the caffeine. She had a hand on her head, "Owwwww," she muttered. It was about the only thing she could think of to say.
"Dori, are you all right? Have you been hurt?" Crystal wasn't physically injured and hoped the same was true for the students. She didn't know what their captors had planned for any of them, but at least for the moment they were all together and breathing. Nico's placement on the circle was a bit disconcerting, although being locked in a cage wasn't exactly pleasant.
"You're awake." The voice was Nico's father, coming into the chamber. He was wearing a rather ominous-looking black robe, his hands tucked into the sleeves against the chill and the hood pulled up to cast his face in shadow. He spared a brief glance at the two caged girls before focusing on his daughter. "We said we'd come for you, Nico. I wish you hadn't forced us to take such drastic measures. Your friends shouldn't have to suffer because of your stubbornness."
Nico couldn't talk. Not because a gag -she wasn't gagged- but due to the sheer rage that was filling ever inch of her being. It wasn't even directed at her parents, but to the couple in front of her. "Leave them out of this." It was her fault, all her fault. Always her fault. She had had the chance to leave it all behind, to make her own life, and now she had ruined everything, and her friends were going to suffer. Because she believed her father, even when she wished she didn't. "Please, let them go."
"You know we can't do that, Nico. And not just because they would tell their people where we are." He sounded disappointed at her lack of thinking. "We need them now, to ensure your good behaviour. You will cooperate this time, or your friends will die. It's as simple as that."
Doreen wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew enough about Nico's family to know that this was bad news. But she wasn't worried for herself, she was more worried for Nico, "Hey, you leave her alone!"
"Or you'll do what?" Robert spared a brief, withering glance at Dori. "You're just a child. Your powers won't help you here."
Crystal frowned at the man and his words. Who was he to speak to Dori that way? How dare he do this to them and threaten their lives? With a thought, she sent air rushing at him to send him flying across the room for a personal meeting with a wall.... except the man didn't move.
"Eeek!" What happened instead was the air burst hit Dori, sending her flying backwards, hitting the back of the cage they were being held in. The blow dazing her.
It was a nightmare, and it wasn't getting any better. "Dori, Crystal." She was dropping the formalities for a good while. "Please don't do anything." She would never be able to forgive herself if they were hurt because of her. Turning to her parents, she lowered her head, knowing she was defeated the moment they got her. "I'll do as you say, but don't hurt them."
Dazed, Dori couldn't think of why anything she would do would cause something like that. Of course, it wasn't like there was an abundance of squirrels around here, other than Monkey Joe. ...Where was he, anyway?
"Dori!" Crystal wasn't sure what was happening. Perhaps Nico's father had some sort of magical protection in place to ward off attacks. Had it let him know what she was trying to do, causing him to retaliate against Dori? Well, she'd just see how well his spell held up against an internal attack rather than an external one.
Suddenly, Dori couldn't breathe. She couldn't really figure it out, other than there wasn't any air there. There should have been air. The longer it went on the more light headed she felt. It was so strange, really. And without being able to breathe she wasn't able to really call out for help either.
"By all means, continue," Robert said, watching Dori's struggle to breathe. As she passed out, her head striking the hard floor, he looked up at Crystal. "If you want to kill the girl, that is. Anything either of you try to do to us will rebound on the other."
What?! Crystal's eyes widened, a look of horror coming across her face. Quickly, she released her hold on Dori, allowing her to breathe once more. What had she done? She had hurt Dori. If what Nico's father said was true, she could have seriously injured or even killed Dori. And now, locked in a cage, there was nothing she could do to stop Nico's parents from hurting any of them. All of her powers were useless if all they would do was hurt Dori. "What have you done?"
Tina smiled, studying the two women as she set down a gold embellished mirror that had been placed near an altar. The mirror was smudged with a deep red line right down the middle of it and two dots on either side
"Magical leap frog. You're friends. You share a bond. Now, the bond is so much more than giggling and sleepovers," she said. She smiled.
"You try to cut me, a cut appears on her instead. Steal his breath, you take hers. A beautiful spell. Poetic, really. Yes. Please, try again. I'd like to see the effect on the young one. Or the other one can have a go. The results are quite fascinating."
The insolent ones needed a lesson. She was quite happy to teach it to them.
"You disobey, you get punished. You learn your place and what's right. Isn't that right, sweetie?" she said, turning to Nico.
Nico just gave her mother a dismayed look before looking down again. Her fault, all her fault; the words just kept hitting her in her mind. She didn't have the willpower to answer back.
Backdated to December 2nd due to massive fail.
Cody, Wyoming, was like many other towns along the Rockies. Once a thriving mining community, once the ore started running out people had moved on, leaving behind a town surviving on tourism and small local businesses. In the hills above the town there remained the mines themselves - few, if any, had a reason to go there and locals discouraged explorers due to potential cave-ins and the like in the abandoned shafts.
The Minorus, however, hadn't asked permission. They'd just moved in.
The chamber they'd chosen as their main base was larger than most, having been used once as a place for storing machinery and as a kind of break room for the miners themselves. Far enough in to avoid the worst of the Midwestern winter chill, it was still cool and a bit dank, the industrial-guage spotlights that had been set up only warming the space a little. Most of the floor was taken up with a spellcasting circle, intricate symbols drawn onto the stone in black and red - it was in the centre of this circle Nico's unconscious form lay. Over to one side, in two metal mesh cages once used to lock up explosives, were Crystal and Dori. The mesh of the cages shimmered ever-so-slightly; to the untrained eye it seemed like a momentary trick of the light.
Crystal pushed herself up, taking in her surroundings, frowning at the circle and the motionless Nico. A person didn't have to know a lot about magic to understand that such a thing really wasn't an ideal situation. Crystal was not familiar with magic. She was aware of a wide range of mutant powers, but magic was something entirely different. She had been unprepared for the magical attack at the airport, and although she didn't know it yet, there were more unwanted magical surprises in store for her.
Doreen came to slowly, feeling like she was waking up after an all night raid and someone had hidden away all the caffeine. She had a hand on her head, "Owwwww," she muttered. It was about the only thing she could think of to say.
"Dori, are you all right? Have you been hurt?" Crystal wasn't physically injured and hoped the same was true for the students. She didn't know what their captors had planned for any of them, but at least for the moment they were all together and breathing. Nico's placement on the circle was a bit disconcerting, although being locked in a cage wasn't exactly pleasant.
"You're awake." The voice was Nico's father, coming into the chamber. He was wearing a rather ominous-looking black robe, his hands tucked into the sleeves against the chill and the hood pulled up to cast his face in shadow. He spared a brief glance at the two caged girls before focusing on his daughter. "We said we'd come for you, Nico. I wish you hadn't forced us to take such drastic measures. Your friends shouldn't have to suffer because of your stubbornness."
Nico couldn't talk. Not because a gag -she wasn't gagged- but due to the sheer rage that was filling ever inch of her being. It wasn't even directed at her parents, but to the couple in front of her. "Leave them out of this." It was her fault, all her fault. Always her fault. She had had the chance to leave it all behind, to make her own life, and now she had ruined everything, and her friends were going to suffer. Because she believed her father, even when she wished she didn't. "Please, let them go."
"You know we can't do that, Nico. And not just because they would tell their people where we are." He sounded disappointed at her lack of thinking. "We need them now, to ensure your good behaviour. You will cooperate this time, or your friends will die. It's as simple as that."
Doreen wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew enough about Nico's family to know that this was bad news. But she wasn't worried for herself, she was more worried for Nico, "Hey, you leave her alone!"
"Or you'll do what?" Robert spared a brief, withering glance at Dori. "You're just a child. Your powers won't help you here."
Crystal frowned at the man and his words. Who was he to speak to Dori that way? How dare he do this to them and threaten their lives? With a thought, she sent air rushing at him to send him flying across the room for a personal meeting with a wall.... except the man didn't move.
"Eeek!" What happened instead was the air burst hit Dori, sending her flying backwards, hitting the back of the cage they were being held in. The blow dazing her.
It was a nightmare, and it wasn't getting any better. "Dori, Crystal." She was dropping the formalities for a good while. "Please don't do anything." She would never be able to forgive herself if they were hurt because of her. Turning to her parents, she lowered her head, knowing she was defeated the moment they got her. "I'll do as you say, but don't hurt them."
Dazed, Dori couldn't think of why anything she would do would cause something like that. Of course, it wasn't like there was an abundance of squirrels around here, other than Monkey Joe. ...Where was he, anyway?
"Dori!" Crystal wasn't sure what was happening. Perhaps Nico's father had some sort of magical protection in place to ward off attacks. Had it let him know what she was trying to do, causing him to retaliate against Dori? Well, she'd just see how well his spell held up against an internal attack rather than an external one.
Suddenly, Dori couldn't breathe. She couldn't really figure it out, other than there wasn't any air there. There should have been air. The longer it went on the more light headed she felt. It was so strange, really. And without being able to breathe she wasn't able to really call out for help either.
"By all means, continue," Robert said, watching Dori's struggle to breathe. As she passed out, her head striking the hard floor, he looked up at Crystal. "If you want to kill the girl, that is. Anything either of you try to do to us will rebound on the other."
What?! Crystal's eyes widened, a look of horror coming across her face. Quickly, she released her hold on Dori, allowing her to breathe once more. What had she done? She had hurt Dori. If what Nico's father said was true, she could have seriously injured or even killed Dori. And now, locked in a cage, there was nothing she could do to stop Nico's parents from hurting any of them. All of her powers were useless if all they would do was hurt Dori. "What have you done?"
Tina smiled, studying the two women as she set down a gold embellished mirror that had been placed near an altar. The mirror was smudged with a deep red line right down the middle of it and two dots on either side
"Magical leap frog. You're friends. You share a bond. Now, the bond is so much more than giggling and sleepovers," she said. She smiled.
"You try to cut me, a cut appears on her instead. Steal his breath, you take hers. A beautiful spell. Poetic, really. Yes. Please, try again. I'd like to see the effect on the young one. Or the other one can have a go. The results are quite fascinating."
The insolent ones needed a lesson. She was quite happy to teach it to them.
"You disobey, you get punished. You learn your place and what's right. Isn't that right, sweetie?" she said, turning to Nico.
Nico just gave her mother a dismayed look before looking down again. Her fault, all her fault; the words just kept hitting her in her mind. She didn't have the willpower to answer back.