Backdated to near the end of the event [Voice]

[demiurgos_girl]

Fine. I feel sick, and not just in the physical way.

I'll fight, but only with someone who wants to. Someone I know. It's only... just until you call it quits. I don't think it counts if we hold back, but- no hard feelings. For anyone. Promise me that.

Comments

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

What's this? [She comes to a stop in front of him, grabbing at his shirt.] What is this? [She holds up the candy for him to see. She lets go of his shirt and feels his neck, to see if he's sick.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{Since it's pretty close to the zero hour, he's starting to feel a little clammy to the touch, and is a little unsteady on his feet. But his gaze doesn't waver.}]

Looks like a piece of candy.

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[Her eyes narrow threateningly.] Don't be smart. Here. [She holds it up for him.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

It isn't mine.
[_{He gave his away, after all. He is totally being smart.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[She huffs.] I'm fine, Jack, I've had one already. Look at me. I'm just tired.

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{He looks at her for a long moment, decides she's not lying, and swipes the candy out of her hand.}]

I didn't think you'd get one.

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

Well, I did. [She sort-of glares at him.] I ought to hit you.

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

You could try.

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to, Jack. [She crosses her arms, but it's more a tired gesture than annoyed.] Eat the candy, okay?

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{He eats the candy.}]

I know someone else who probably doesn't have one.

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[She seems to relax slightly as he does, her back no longer held quite so straight and her stare not so intense.] Who?

...Wait, are you about to ask me to...?

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

Mark Meltzer. Maybe. I don't know.

[_{Frankly, it's possible that any number of his acquaintances are entering their death throes. The man he fought and beat for his own candy is quite possibly dying. He frowns and looks at the floor.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

He's a friend of yours?

[She leans forward a bit to get into his view even though he's looking down.] I'm tired, but it's okay, Jack. [Puts a hand on his shoulder.] Hey.

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he is. He's a good friend.

[_{He looks up, smiles a little.}]

There are a lot of people here who aren't fighters. And we can only save one.

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

If that's all we can do, then... [She takes several steps back, still looking at him.] I don't want to hurt you. No hard feelings, whatever happens, okay? [The air around her grows slightly warmer.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

Okay. Same to you.

[_{Fingersnap. Here come the plasmids. He starts out with Electrobolt, his go-to for stunning rather than killing.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[She sees that coming. In her head she's already trying to remember what she's seen him use: fire, lightning, and... bees?]

[Part of a wall between them bursts outward, throwing debris and cement in the way of the bolt. It doesn't stop all of it though, and now Elaine can add electrocuted to her growing list of injuries. She lets out a yelp at the jolt, for a moment finding herself unable to move, but hoping she'd thrown enough rubble Jack's way to delay him.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{It works; there's really not a lot he can do about rubble. He's efficient at fighting his way through it, but he still has to do the grunt work. The wrench comes out, cracking a large sheet of drywall that blocks his view, and then he's through, coughing and dusty.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[Elaine almost hesitates, but she knows this has to be like a real fight. She turns, twisting to bring herself into one of the rooms, her back against the wall, the door next to her. It's dark, and exhaustion comes in waves as she doubles over to breathe hard. She thinks he might follow her in soon, so she backs from the door, ready to send some fire in its direction.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[<sub>He pauses, looking from door to door; one or two are open, and some are hanging from their hinges. He crouches quietly, listens for the sound of breathing.

There. She's winded; that helps him hear her. But she's around a blind corner, and she could throw anything at him.

When he finally ducks inside with a fist full of ice spikes, he has his shoulders hunched and his arms up, to protect his face from the worst of whatever debris comes his way this time.</sub>]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[Those spikes look alarming, but Elaine doesn't give herself time to think about it as she sends some force his way. Just a blast like a brick wall, though to be honest she didn't even know if she could keep up its strength. There's a part of her brain that knows she's fighting and is doing things automatically, guiding her hands and her feet. But the part screaming tired is getting stronger by the second.]

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{It bowls him over--many kinds of raving mutants he can handle, but brick walls are far from a specialty. He throws his ice at her from the floor. His aim is a little wild, but the plasmid's radius is fairly wide.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[It gets her on the arm. There's a rising feeling of panic when she sees her right arm encased in ice, and she tries to do what she did when fighting Minato: there's a burst of heat from her hand, but she's too tired to make it any stronger. The ice doesn't budge at all.]

[She falls to her knees, still panicking, the weight of her arm pulling it down against the floor.] Wait, I- [She clutches at the point of her arm that's not iced over. The arm is rapidly becoming numb, and she has no way to get rid of the ice.]

Okay, okay. You win.

[action]

[kindly-done.livejournal.com]

[_{And just like that, a piece of candy drops to the floor between them. Jack picks it up and pockets it as he limps over to Elaine, kneeling beside her.}]

Are you okay?

[_{He's a little winded himself, bleeding and bruised here and there, but nothing too serious. He snaps on Incinerate, keeping it carefully to a dim glow, and holds it over her frozen arm without touching her.}]

[action]

[demiurgos-girl.livejournal.com]

[The initial panic is subsiding now that things have quieted down, though there's still a lot of adrenaline in her system.] Yeah. Tired. [She watches blankly as he gets rid of the ice, flexing her fingers once they're free.]