xp_logs | Somewhere I Belong

Topaz gets a little more than she bargained for when she goes to meet Luca.

This log contains potentially distressing content.

It had been slightly nerve-wracking, sneaking out of the mansion.

Topaz walked the darkened halls constantly, so she had a pretty good idea of the night culture in the mansion. Who the insomniacs were, where to watch out for Mr. Sefton (who liked to patrol the halls), all of it. Usually none of it bothered her. But then, usually she wasn't trying to run away.

She made it out, though. She'd looked up directions to the motel earlier that night - it was a bit of a walk. Not unmanageable, but it still took a while. Topaz kept her head down as she walked, her hands shoved into her pockets. It was a relief when the motel came into view. She found the room Luca had said he was staying in, and was two seconds from knocking on the door when she realized something was off - there were voices talking inside. And one of them was definitely Luca.

Voices? Topaz took a step back, narrowing her eyes just a bit. Who else could be in there with him? She didn't recognize the second voice at all, and he'd cut himself off from all friends and acquaintances after Alice had died. So who-?

Her thought process was abruptly cut off when a rough hand clapped itself over her mouth from behind, and she was shoved through the room door as it opened.

"Easy, mate. No need to be so rough with her." Taboo's admonishment was almost an afterthought, however, as he looked at Topaz briefly, before looking back to the man he'd been talking with. "So we're good? I held up my part of the deal."

Topaz struggled against the hands that were holding her, freezing briefly when she heard Luca's words. What...?

The man holding her yelled as she bit his hand. "Ah! Little bitch," he hissed, shoving her away, and she stumbled back, barely managing to keep her balance as she turned to look at Luca.

"What's this, then?" She barely managed to keep her voice from shaking.

"It's a business transaction, is what it is," Taboo replied. His voice was flat, the same tone that she'd heard last at the Destine house. "And thanks to you, these two gentlemen will be giving me the information I need on where to find those Destine bastards."

"Well that's up for debate," one of the men informed Luca as Topaz looked between them.

"You..." There was no concern in Luca now, none of that regret he'd claimed to have just hours before. Just the same, cold man she'd become far too used to after Alice had died.

"Trust me, you're getting the better side of the bargain, as mouthy as she is," Taboo told the man, before approaching Topaz where she was backed up against the wall. "Look, kid, it's simple. I needed information, these two gentlemen were able to provide it. For a price. Unfortunately, the only thing of any value I had was you."

"She's a bit of a thing," the first man said to his partner. "You think we'll get enough for her?"

Topaz wasn't paying attention to them as they started muttering to each other. Her entire focus was on Luca - Taboo. And trying not to let the feeling of absolute betrayal show. He was trying to sell her. Like she was some sort of...object.

"Glare at me all you want, Topaz, things aren't going to change." Taboo turned back to his purchasers. "She might be small, but she's got power. Plenty of it. And she's still a virgin, so if you've got anything you want to do with that, say a summoning, she's dual purpose."

It was probably stupid that Topaz wasn't paying attention to the buyers and whatever they were saying - something about wanting to make sure they'd gotten their money's worth - her ears were ringing, and after a moment shock turned to anger. Horrible, overwhelming anger. It took surprisingly little thought to summon a shield, using it to shove Taboo backwards and turning to run.

The problem with the anger, of course, was that it was unfocused. And so was the shield - a hasty spell cast in desperation. It was easy enough to shatter.

A rough hand grabbed Topaz by the hair, yanking her back and slamming her against the wall. She blinked through the stars that burst to life before her eyes to see one of the men standing over her, smirking. "She's a feisty one, all right. We'll have to do something about that."

"Tie her up and shove this over her head," said Taboo, tossing a pillowcase from the bed over to the man. "And any damage comes out of your pocket, so watch how you handle her."