DAY FOUR - THE ESCAPE

[inferis]

[The doors have been blown up, finally opening the link between both ships. The tunnel joining the two remains in tact, but space suits will be required to ferry people across. Unfortunately, the gravity core of the Event Horizon has been activated - and soon a black hole will form in the middle of the ship. Destination: Hell. The non-corrupted residents need to get their corrupted friends off the Event Horizon and onto the Lewis and Clark, and they have fifteen minutes to do it in.

Of course, the corrupted residents want nothing more than to ride the gravity core into hell, and they'll meet any attempt to remove them from the ship with extreme force. And that timer keeps counting down...]

[[OOC: No sections! Feel free to make your own | DAY FOUR OOC POST | PLOT CHAT | PLOT HUB]]

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[heloise]

[ Desperation for the only way out of the ship kept her going before, but now the fatigue returns after all is done and every part of her body aches; the bruise on her head throbs, the wounds hurt. The silence that comes after the explosion is strange too. Like a held breath.

Lucrezia settles in a room near the blast, having closed the door before clearing some space on the floor for her brother to rest. He said he's tired. He must be, after days of looking for her. The least she can do is let him rest his head on her lap, hold his hand, and wait. Her other palm settles against his face, stroking her thumb against his cheek. ]

He will be here soon. The one I told you of.

[ The one he drove away, but no longer surely, after this rescue. After a moment, she remembers to sing under her breath so Joshua can find them. Then the three of them will return to the castle and everything will be well. Better, because her brother will be there too. ]

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike isn't sure what exactly happened between the explosion and now. The last few days are all a jumble in his head, and he wonders if he may have had another concussion that's making it harder to piece it all together. That's likely, considering how explosions work in general. Nothing new there.

The coldness that spreads through his limbs is something else though. He's felt it before, and he slowly becomes aware of how his body is shaking as he lie there on the floor. Being held by someone. It's all horribly confusing.

When he glances up and sees the woman holding him, he knows for sure that she's not who he may have imagined the moment before she spoke. But considering the current state of things, she's not a bad substitute.]

That's a nice song. [He smiles, although he can barely hear it past the ringing in his ears. And so he keeps listening as he closes his eyes, concentrating so hard on the sound of her voice that everything else starts to slip away.]

[heloise]

[ Sometimes when her head momentarily clears, Lucrezia can tell that he isn't who she wants him to be. He is too tall, too thin, his chin too smooth to be the one she pines for the most. But she has always lived and breathed on make-believe. They both have.

Her giggle is hollow, barely any voice left in her throat. When was the last time she had a drop of water? A bite of food? The thought makes her feel stronger somehow, invincible. They have both exceeded what is humanly possible and now they are made greater than the rest of them. None can reach them or separate them ever again.

She grips his hair in her fist to feel the curls bunch against her fingers, then lets go, leaning in to bump her nose against his. His breath smells metallic, like blood. Her blood too. They are one and the same. ]

Mother taught me, do you remember?

[gottaknockhard]

[He decides then that he doesn't really mind being mistaken for someone; recalls vaguely the mention of her brother, which isn't an entirely foreign concept. He's been treated like a brother before.]

I can't remember. [His words are getting quieter, more mumbled, but he takes comfort in his own humor. Only a moment later a twist of pain in his abdomen wrecks his smile, and he grips her arm for a tense moment before he relaxes again, unaware of what his own body is doing. It's embarrassing, really, and he sounds apologetic when he speaks again.] I'd like to hear it.

[Their rescue should be here any moment now. She has places to be that are better than this one with him, and yet he's insisting that she stay. Nobody can ever say that he isn't selfish.]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia clenches her jaw at the grip around her arm, dropping her hand to rest it against his neck, thumb rubbing away some stain on his cheek. His heart beats still. ]

She sang for me when I was afraid, and you were away.

[ She knows, she knows, but that doesn't mean it has to be true. The world is as her father, her family, as she says it will be. And she says he is only falling asleep. The days have been long. He is only tired, spent. But Cesare never sleeps, he would allow himself that privilege only when-- Tomorrow morning he might chase her around the garden again and they would laugh at this night. ]

Sleep now, my love. [ She ventures a finger over his lips to feel his breath. For lack of a mirror. ]

[ofhope]

[ It's utter chaos, really, and not easy at all for Joshua to find them. He thought he heard singing for a time, but then it was gone, and there are just too many voices echoing from around corners, screams from elsewhere as people are still attacked and others are dragged away.

When he finds what appears to be a ghost of Lucrezia, Joshua's eyes scan the mess of the state she's in with irritation before settling on the figure sprawled across her lap. He only brought one extra suit... Which he promptly drops, twisting off the helmet so that she can see who it is clearly. ]

We need to go.

[gottaknockhard]

[Time goes by so slowly when you're paying attention to it. After all the running around he's been doing, Spike would have been justifiably tired, so it's easy for him to play along. And yet he lingers there, expecting to feel himself be sucked out into space while still clinging to the one person who didn't disappear. She's patient enough to wait with him.

It can't be more than a few seconds after that his hand falls. He isn't aware of Joshua entering, or even the last thing Lucrezia says. Another moment and debating who gets the suit shouldn't be an issue at all.]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia can't feel his breath. The pretense is over. Cesare would never die.

Still she takes the man's hand in hers and holds tight, no matter that he isn't holding hers back. She snaps her gaze to Joshua at the sound of the suit hitting the floor. He seems so clean, so bright, that she wonders if he is another apparition. Even his voice sounds too clear. ]

He liked the song.

[ She doesn't know what else to say, what is most important, but she reaches her other hand for Joshua, dirty and bloodied as it is. ]

[ofhope]

[ The suit is a little bit clunky, but he's figured out how to move around in it by now, so he doesn't waste time in kneeling down to take her hand. He notices the blood only for the sake of her fingertips, but he doesn't linger on her injuries. He'll heal everything when they return.

A glance to the body, because it is a body now, and Joshua's expression hardly changes. He is actually upset he just watched Spike die, after going through a lot of trouble to keep the idiot alive, but he had said that he had better protect Lucrezia or die trying.

The man always had a death wish. ]

You should sing it for me, but you need to get into this suit first. We can't waste any time on him now, there's only a few minutes.

[heloise]

[ She holds his hand like a lifeline, as if she might die if she slips away now. He is the only one who can take her away from this place, but she drops one last gaze at Spike's face. Spike, now. Then she lets go of his hand and gently slides his body to the ground. ]

I can walk. Will you carry him?

[ofhope]

[ That is not how heroics look in the fairy tales! Lucrezia you are ruining everything. ]

Sure...but there's no point in getting him a suit.

[ At least she's cooperating, which is a surprise. He moves to rip at her skirt, only giving Spike's body a cursory glance. ]

What happened?

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia leans against his hand to stand up, which she doesn't do particularly well, but at least she isn't about to fall flat on her face. Even him tearing at her skirt hardly fazes her. They have taken more from her than just her dress; that she would have given up more willingly if it meant freedom.

Only his question forces her to think back and she stops herself because she would become exceedingly noisy then. But no. She moves closer to bury her face against his chest instead, breathing deeply, relieved. ]

Is it quiet now?

[ofhope]

[ He barely has time to stand before she's against his chest, and that's really hard to turn away. They may be in a rush, but a few extra seconds won't hurt. Besides, didn't he say he would be willing to die on here with her, anyway? It wouldn't be permanent.

Both arms settle about her shoulders, hating that this suit is in the way. She can have all the proper hugs when they return to the castle. ]

It is, but no time to enjoy it.

[heloise]

[ Minutes, he said. The thought crosses her mind that they could spend those minutes here and they might worth the two weeks of sleep it costs. Only everything about this place is sad and maybe he feels the same too. It would not be worth it if he isn't happy. She pulls back and looks to the suit on the floor. No time. Would it be worth it?

She can still manage a smile for him, teasing even. ]

You are here. Now you must save me.

[ofhope]

[ It makes him hesitate. He had promised, but it could mean anything now that there's an actual way out. ]

Do you want to go, or do you want their fingers?

[heloise]

[ It makes her chuckle to know he remembers. She had almost forgotten herself, but nevermind those, she kisses him on the chin before stepping back. The suit. ]

I will show you the fingers I want. Later. You have Spike to carry for now.

[ofhope]

[ Which he doesn't look thrilled over, only because he doesn't have super strength. But he's not weak with as much exercise as he gets, so he sighs and twists his helmet back on. ]

How did he die?

[ Helping her into the suit as best he can. He's not always the best, considering how much he sucks at dressing himself, but being here has forced him to be a lot more coherent for some mysterious reason... ]

[heloise]

[ Lucrezia would be alright with him dragging the body back too really, but isn't he your BFF, Joshua?

She tries to put that suit on by herself, at least slipping her limbs where he directs, though he would have to help with actually fastening it. She wants to buy herself time before answering because she can't keep her memories straight. ]

I stabbed someone... It might have been him or he may have protected me from retaliation. I do not know.

[ofhope]

[ His voice is pretty calm through all of this. At least it's hard to phase a Joshua, whether he has his powers or not. ]

How many did you stab?

[heloise]

[ How many, how many. She reaches to hold his arm as if she might lose her balance. ]

Four or five. There are more but I think they were not flesh and blood.

[ofhope]

Been having some adventures, have you? Stick anyone that deserved it?

[ Well really they all probably deserve it for something, but did she know any personally? These are valid questions while helping her with her helmet. ]

[heloise]

[ She squeezes her eyes shut when he moves to put on that strange hat over her head, though she doesn't struggle. He wouldn't harm her after going through so much trouble.

One name rings loud. ]

Stephanie.

[ofhope]

[ It's strange hearing her voice echo the hollow way voices do once trapped inside these helmets. Joshua remains unsurprised as he squeezes her hand in reassurance, then crouches down to pick Spike's body up. It's a pain to get a dead body on your back, but Joshua is nothing if not resourceful! He uses his tie to wrap around the man's wrists to keep them about his neck, so he can carry him piggy-back. At least it has more dignity that princess style, poor Spike-o. ]

Is she dead?

[heloise]

[ She watches Joshua work listlessly. He can be the productive and resourceful one for once, the more lucid of the two. She does wish she can remember this moment more clearly but her head still spins and there are sounds she shouldn't be hearing.

But dead? ]

No. She locked me away, then Ces-- [ No, no, not her brother. ] Then he found me.

[ofhope]

[ Well good job, Spike. He can get the royal dead treatment or something. What she says reminds him of something, though. ]

According to the law almost all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

[ With Spike balanced properly now, he offers her a comforting smile, sincere in it's tranquility. Now that he's found her he really does feel a thousand times better. ]

Now you can move on.