THE EVENT HORIZON - DAY TWO

[inferis]

[Something during the night has activated the ship's gravity core. There seems to be no evidence as to what caused it. Everything within the ship remains stable, but the ship itself shakes violently, and deep in the bowels, a ominous rumbling sound can be heard]

[[OOC: Please wait for sections. THE GRAVITY CORE | AROUND THE SHIP | DAY TWO OOC POST | PLOT CHAT | PLOT HUB]]

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[heloise]

[ She doesn't think Steph would ever hurt her in return. She's soft. So she takes her time to lift her dress and pull out another knife strapped to her leg to weigh in her hands. Her eyes are absent, if that says anything, but she still has the faintest smile on her lips. Here is for messing with her. ]

I am not everyone else.

[secondchances]

[There won't be any chance of her making the same mistake twice. She's not letting her use that blade.

If things were better between them, she'd try talking. But talking didn't work with Tim, and it never works with Lucrezia even on a normal day, so she's approaching her like she'd talk to a thug on Gotham's streets.]

Drop the knife. Now.

[heloise]

[ She tips her head to the side in question. Seriously? Ordering her around? That angers her even in this state. She stares her down instead. ]

Take up yours. Last I saw it was on your back.

[secondchances]

Have it your way. I tried, Lucrezia. I've tried more than you probably deserve. [She's not sure where that's coming from, but it's true, right? That's what she's told Ezio, told Tim--Steph has them to focus her energies on. Not a girl that tosses her aside so easily.

She moves forward fast, intending to grab the wrist that holds the knife.]

[heloise]

[ What does Steph know of what she deserves? Doesn't she deserve happiness, the very thing she's taking from her?

The move shocks her, when she thought Steph would only be capable of fumbling with the blade like she does, swing it about like a novice. But she won't let go, gripping it tight and trying to move her arm to slash at her again. ]

I told you to let go!

[secondchances]

Yeah, right! [Like she's letting go of her this close, blade that sharp. Adrenaline keeps her from feeling her injuries.]

Last try. Drop it or I make you drop it, and believe me, you'll wanna drop it.

[heloise]

No, never!

[ Lucrezia is still struggling, but it feels like an amped up repeat of yesterday and Steph is still the stronger of the two. She tries to wrest her hand free one last time, even if it might end up hurting herself, and aims her foot to kick Steph on the shinbone. ]

[secondchances]

[Steph hisses and jerks at the kick, but her grip on Lucrezia only tightens. That's enough. Enough, enough, enough. She twists her arm back, moving with it behind her--a move used to disarm troublemakers, and one Steph has utilized many times to break arms and dislocate shoulders.

She just barely stops herself from using that much force on Lucrezia.]

[heloise]

[ She shrieks in pain and drops the blade immediately. Holding on to it with the wounds on her fingers already hurt, but this feels even more intense. She uses her free arm to shove Steph back so she can stumble away from her. ]

I only wanted to help! She will come for everyone. It would be better--

[secondchances]

[She lets her go, kicking the blade away and out of reach. Lucrezia was (physically) harmless without a knife.]

She? Who?

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia follows that knife with longing eyes. She felt safe before with the blade, and now she is terrified. Who knows what Steph would do to her now that they're alone?

She still tries to calm her breathing, glaring straight at her. ]

You will see. I will not free you. You can see everything for yourself.

[secondchances]

[Crazy, just like Tim. But maybe with a little more information--definitely less likely to knock her out, so Steph begins to stalk towards her again.]

What do you know about all of this?

[heloise]

[ Since she has no knife, she just sharpens her gaze when Steph approaches, stumbling as far back as she can until she bumps into an empty cabinet. ]

I will not tell you.

[secondchances]

Lucrezia! Tell me!

[She grabs her shoulders, this time.]

[heloise]

[ STOP. GRABBING. HER.

Lucrezia moves to push her back as hard as she can, so she can escape her grip and make for the exit, as treacherous as the path is with all the sideturned boxes and tables in the room. ]

[secondchances]

[Lucrezia manages to find a spot that Tim had hit, already swollen and bruising under her shirt. It hurts her enough to make her let go as she cries out in pain, but in the next moment she's shoving it back down to slide over a table and block Lucrezia's path.]

[heloise]

[ With how fast she's running, Lucrezia fails to stop before she crashes into the table and teeters back, holding an arm over her hips. Shit, that hurts. She casts another glare Steph's way, accusing. ]

Why do you seek to hurt me?

[secondchances]

I'm helping you.

[She moves to grab her again, but this time it's with the intent to pull her towards that empty cabinet.

She wants to believe that Lucrezia would be disgusted with what she's done. Who else has she stabbed? Or will stab? Steph will try to spare her the crazy.]

[heloise]

[ The grabbing distresses her, it frightens her to have so little control over herself, her body, and she would hurt Steph the worst way she knows if it would make her stop. She reaches behind her back, grabbing about to find the scalpel so she can pull it out.

Lucrezia is only trying to spare Steph the crazy too. No cabinet would shield her from it. Death would. ]

[secondchances]

[She yelps at the sudden flare of pain--thanks, though. She couldn't reach that on her own to pull it out. Scalpels should remind her of her last encounter with Scarecrow, as that's the most recent memory. Isn't it? Instead, she thinks about Black Mask and the arrangement of blades he used on her with such glee, one being a scalpel. She always wondered where he managed to get surgical tools from.]

No.

[Again, she moves to grab that wrist. She's so mad about being reminded of Black Mask at a time like this that she doesn't care if it hurts.]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia lets out a yelp when Steph grabs her wrist. It hurts, but defeat hurts more. She just breaks into messy sobs as she drops to her knees.

She can't fight. She has tried but it's no use. All of this just reminds her of where she was just hours ago or is it minutes? Hard to tell when it is always dark here. The people there only seek her pain. They hate her, perhaps Steph does too. Hardly surprising. ]

[secondchances]

[She throws this knife into the darkness of the room. Much better.

Lucrezia's tears almost makes her resolve break, but she reminds herself what happened the last time she hugged her.

She pulls her up, and continues towards the cabinet.]

I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I hope you understand, later. We'll get this figured out.

[heloise]

[ She struggles only once she notes the cabinet and realizes what Steph means to do, trying one last time to wrest her hand free, punching at her if that's what it takes. ]

No! How could you? Let me go!

[secondchances]

[She clenches her eyes shut as Lucrezia struggles, but hauls her to the cabinet nevertheless.]

You'll be safe. If things go down--which they probably will--I'll come for you. I promise.

[She opens the doors with the toe of her shoe. Lucrezia and Tim weren't the only ones like this, and she wasn't going to let Lucrezia add to the gore in the ship more than she already had.]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia is screaming bloody murder, even if she thinks this time it will be less effective. Even if her struggling is half-hearted since all the crying has left her hands trembling. She mighty try once or twice to push against Steph but even that stops eventually. ]