entrancelogs | [closed + open] i tried carrying the weight of the world...

Entry tags:

[closed + open] i tried carrying the weight of the world...

Who: Richie Gecko, Kate Fuller, Others
Where: All around the mansion
When: Early Feb, 2017, Event Time
Rating: NSFW, sex also gore whoops
Summary: Richie and Kate try to survive the event.
The Story:

[He hears it first, the sound of the vacuum seal going up around the door. They're not even in their room this morning, but a good way down the hall, in a special place of Richie's making.

Looks like he picked a bad night. He should have known another one of these was coming, but he couldn't have possibly predicted this.

He pulls himself out of the bed, walking over to the door in the front of the room, placing an ear against it to try and hear what was happening outside. He knows what that sound was, but he doesn't really want to believe it. That's impossible.

Then again, this whole fucking place was impossible.]

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[Richie pushes the door to the room open as the water finally recedes, and there's only about an inch left on the floor as he emerges into the hallways. His face looks deathly pallor, his cheeks and his eyes sunken, like he's drying up and burnt out.

But he's too close to Kate and he's too hungry, and he can't risk feeding on her. Not now.

He knows he shouldn't, but the only option is the kitchen and the risk that he's stealing from some random person who's name he'll never know. It's better than her. Anything is better than her.

Richie swallows, his throat dryer than a desert, as he moves with purposeful feel toward the stairs, hoping that he can move fast enough that Kate can't keep up.

He's an idiot if he thinks that will actually happen.]

[Since he has been hoping for a sound like this basically since this started, it's not surprising that Leonard almost immediately leaves the room as well, taking a deep breath for the first time in a while when he enters the hallways. His clothes are still wet, it's not long ago that he was last in the water, dark fabric clinging to him. He has his hand on his gun when he steps outside, actually having pulled it out of its holster, because he doesn't trust Wonderland.

What's next?

He hasn't expected Richie, especially looking like this. He doesn't point the gun just yet, but his weight shifts, stance changing. He is ready for what might come.]

You've looked better.

[Pretty soon, Kate will be calling him an idiot for a lot of reasons but right now she's struggling to get the sweater she's found over her head. It was Richie who insisted that she'd be better off sticking with the swimsuit she had with her but now it was no longer a necessity? It was bad enough being cold, hungry and tired. She wasn't about to be half naked as well.

Peeling out of the room after Richie, Kate huffs in frustration at the distance he's put between them, oblivious to what he's trying to do and just how bad he is right now. Not that she looks too much better herself but waterlogged with bags under her eyes was hardly the same as the Culebra's current predicament.]

Richie?! [Calling out to him as she moves with a purpose of her own to where the two men are.]

[Well, shit.

Richie halts as Leonard steps into his way, his gaze dragging slowly over to him, his eyes partially glazed over.]

I've felt better.

[Understatement of the century. He'd been decent enough at hiding it around Kate, knowing full well what she'd do if she knew, but being in the presence of other people starts to quickly degrade his resolve. He doesn't care about anyone else in the slightest, so says the Culebra side in his head. He can practically sense the blood pulsing through the other man's veins, waiting to be a salve on the fire in his gut.

He hears Kate shout his name behind him, his shoulders visibly tensing, and he looks over his shoulder at her, sees her approaching, and several thoughts assault him at once.

Kate cares about this guy. He knows that distantly, even if he could give zero fucks in the moment. She'll be pissed. On the other, her anger is a hell of a lot better than doing something completely unforgivable.]

Kate, stay back.

[His eyes flick green and slit as he shouts it at her. It's not going to work, he knows it won't, but he has to figure out what the fuck to do.

Richie's body is starting to decide for him, though.]

[It's not as if he can't see it coming, based on all he knows, but he also can't predict exactly how it will go down. His eyes shift for a moment, looking for Kate behind Richie, which is probably a mistake. But even so, his stance has already shifted, his fingers on the trigger.

Waiting for his moment and ready for an impact.]

[For Kate, time seems to slow to an almost stop as she takes in the scene ahead of her, the tension in Richie's body, familiar in a way that haunts her with memories of dead bodies and holes dug in the backyard of her childhood home.]

Richie... [She knows exactly why he's telling her to stay back and maybe, if had been anyone other than Len? She might have considered it but if anyone knew about Kate's ability to completely disregard her own safety for the sake of people she cares about, it was Richie.]

Richie, No. [Her feet already carrying her down the hall and closer to the two men and no sooner does she spy the gun in Len's hand, does she break into a run.]

[If she'd stayed back, he might have been able to reign it in long enough. He might have tried a little harder.

But she's too close now, and he's not taking any chances. He has to put more distance between her and himself, and the only way is toward and through Leonard, and he already knows what's going to happen in that case. His head turns back toward the other man, and he can see his finger on the trigger of a weapon, and he's not going to take a bunch of bullets or lasers or whatever for this dude, because one of them might hit their mark and then he's really fucked.

He doesn't want Kate to have to see him do something like this, but it's the reality of his life. He doesn't have a choice.]

You might want to run, man.

[His voice is strained, as if giving him this one single attempt at an out physically pains him, as scales starts to appear around his now reptilian eyes and on his forehead. As he starts to run toward him, they quickly spread to his neck, a scattering of them making it all the way to his shoulders and upper torso. His fangs are conical and sharp as they descend from the roof of his mouth, and he bares them with a hissing roar in an instinctual attempt at intimidation as he bears down on him, fully intending to mercilessly rip the other guy's throat out.

The attack is powerful, but sloppy in his desperation as he tries to grab him by the shoulders and pull him into the range of his teeth.]

[Maybe if he hadn't heard Kate, even seen her for a split-second, Leonard would have gone for the kill. But he has heard her and it may also be why he reacts a moment too late, allowing Richie to actually reach him.

Bite him. There's enough time for him to think about how bizarre this situation is, even as pain explodes from his shoulder, but the thought doesn't slow him down any further, instead he finally fires the gun, the ice ray hitting Richie, while Leonard also tries to shove him off with his free hand.

He aims at nothing vital and he doesn't go full power, but more than enough to freeze someone, literally, hopefully more than enough to stop this attack.]

[His fangs rip into the man's shoulder, the coppery taste of blood mingled with the flavor of his soul briefly filling his mouth before he gets shot, point blank, with a beam of ice.

To say the least, he expected the sting of a bullet at worst, something he could heal in a couple moments and easily keep trucking, but instead, he can literally feel his flesh stiffening from the cold, his joints aching as they tighten and refuse to work, all while essentially falling as he's shoved and has no way to actually stop himself.

His features shift from monster to man, his expression appropriately startled, before he hits the ground with a sickening smack, still dressed only in a pair of board shorts, and the only sound he's able to make is a grunt before he blacks out, almost instantly unconscious, ice crystals decorating his body and crystallizing the still fresh blood that's splashed across his chin.]

[It's not like violence was new to Kate, especially at the hands of a Culebra but despite knowing full well, what Richie was and what he was capable of; knowing it and seeing it up close were two very different things. This was the side of himself that he shielded her from, for the most part, reduced before her eyes to his most basic instincts. To hunt, to feed, to kill. There'd been times in the past when Richie had scared her but this was the first time, she'd been terrified of him. Of what he could do.

Skidding to a halt only feet away from the men, Kate's hands clamp over her mouth, desperately trying to smother the scream that curdles her insides. She sees blood spread across Len's shoulder and foolishly, is already reaching out to try and pull Richie back but he slows, stops and for one sweet second, Kate actually believes he's managed to get himself under control, her relief as palpable as it is short-lived.

She's seen that look on Richie's face before, the one of complete astonishment before he falls to the ground and in her mind she's expecting to see blood spread out from the middle of his chest, to inhale the scent of gunpowder in the air.]

Richie... [Her voice sounds small, childlike even as horror gives way to dismay, Kate all but completely forgetting about Len as she drops to the floor beside Richie. Her hand reaches out to touch his face just as crystalline webs spread across his cheek and she recoils from the cold, his face a frozen mask of death with eyes that look without seeing, her own one of fear and indecision as her brain struggles to function.]

[The pain is sharp in his mind, thoughts dragged to the surface of glass piercing skin, of the sight of blood and the lesson not to react. Showing no weakness, holding still and yet another scar on his body and the hope to keep a scar off hers. Fear for her life - Your sister. - a ticking bomb and he could fail so easily and once more that feeling of helpless pain that is being a child, until finally the cold gun freezes his father's heart, bridges past to present and with Richie's teeth - fangs? - leaving his body Leonard is back in the moment.

He immediately registers the threat as dealt with, ignores the blood running down his shoulder and falls to his knees next to Kate's friend - changing how he thinks of him, her friend instead of his attacker. Leonard props his gun up against his leg and feels Richie's pulse, only then realising that he's not sure whether he would even have one when moving and talking. He looks up at Kate, his eyes narrowed.]

I didn't aim to kill, a human would have survived. How do we check whether he's alive?

[Or whatever the operative word here is.]

[It's only when Len speaks that Kate's pulled out of her own head, forcing herself to look away from Richie and focus on him instead. She sees the blood that blooms across his shoulder and while she registers what she's seeing as wrong, Kate shakes her head, as if in doing so she might finally be able to process the why.]

He - He has a pulse, he's not dead he's just - [Kate shakes her head, knowing at least that now is not the time for Culebra Anatomy 101.]

You couldn't have killed him even if you were trying to. [He'd been hammering that much home to her over the last few days, insisting that if anything happened to him then she had to leave him behind. She'd been angry at him for talking like that but now? Reminding herself of that fact was what helped her to breathe, to focus on the here and now and not the endless stream of what-ifs that wanted to take over her mind.]

Len... [Finally she registers what she'd seen before, Kate's mouth falling open as the horror of what Richie had done starts to sink in. She should be horrified, she was, and yet? When she opens her mouth the first words that come out of her mouth are anything but condemnation for the unconscious Culebra.]

He didn't - this is my fault. [Foolishly believing that too. Kate would always be there to take on the guilt that Richie might not easily feel.]

He hasn't fed in days and he was worried about me. He wouldn't... [It wouldn't be hard for Len to see the two marks on her throat, the evidence that Richie had been getting his blood from somewhere other than the closets before today.]

He didn't mean to.

I got that part, Kate. Though it ain't your fault either.

[Leonard may not know her that long yet, but already her immediately switching to defending Richie doesn't surprise him. Really a sign of more worrisome tendencies, but he's not about to bring that up right now, when she's clearly got too much on her mind.]

You gotta get him fed, so either you find an asshole you don't mind getting maimed or we need an alternative solution. Am I getting that right?

[Of course, she would find a way to blame herself for what had just happened. If she'd been taking better care of Richie, then Len wouldn't have gotten hurt. She'd known that Richie would choose to sacrifice himself in order to keep her safe so she should have known how likely this situation was but Kate too often felt responsible for the action of those around her, carried the guilt for ever action she considered preventable if only she'd done things differently.

She doesn't fight with Len on that point, however, instead focusing on the problem laying half frozen before her as so much about Kate is exposed when she visibly recoils at the idea of sacrificing another person, asshole or no.]

Nobody else needs to get hurt. [She doesn't include herself in this, though.] I just need a knife.

Because you look like you should lose more blood. I'm already bleeding, Kate. Where's the harm?

[If there is any harm to this, he'd rather know now too. But mostly his eyes are focusing on the two puncture wounds on her neck and this two and two is really easy to put together.]

He can drink my blood, yeah? Shame to waste it.

[Kate's mouth falls open, pulling in a raspy breath and Len would be able to tell she's aware of what he's referring to by the way her cheeks flush with color, a hand coming up to push her hair forward to cover the wounds on her neck.]

I don't know if it's safe to let him feed from you. [Unwilling to meet his gaze as she doesn't even try to deny that she'd intended to use the knife on herself.]

He's only gone this long once and... it wasn't good. [And after what she'd just witnessed? Kate was fairly certain the only reason he hadn't drained her was because it was her.]

Ought to be safe if it's indirectly, yeah? I'm bleeding anyway, we just gotta get a bottle or something. [He's not exactly an expert on feeding vampires, but the way he sees it it's between watching a teenage girl with a guilt complex bleed herself or make use of the blood he's losing already. Seems like a simple enough choice.]

How much does he need to drink and since when have you been feeding him?

It's that bad? [Kate's expression looks pained as her gaze flits between his and the wound on his shoulder, worry lines creasing her forehead and he'd see the indecision in her eyes, but perhaps not for the reasons he might suspect. She didn't know any more about feeding Vampires than he did and between Richie being half frozen and Len's injuries, Kate felt more at a loss than usual.

He'd see her tense at his question, though, Kate's gaze turning back to Richie, very pointedly looking anywhere but at Len for several moments.]

Since we arrived, and I don't know. [Lips pressing into a thin line before Kate refocuses on Len, an almost defiant gleam in her eyes.] He only takes a very small amount every day, but not since the cupboards stopped working.

Don't think he hit anything major, but it's still bleeding. So if a small amount from someone your size is enough for him on a good day, moderate amount from me should do some good. [Leonard wishes he had a bottle or something at the ready, which reminds him of his flask. He pulls it out from a side pocket of his pants, takes a long sip, then holds it out to Kate.]

Finish that off and then your friend can see how much he likes blood spiked with some whiskey.

I... yeah I guess. [Would it be enough? She had no idea. She could hardly admit to Len that Richie had almost killed her when he'd taken blood the last time he'd been starved and frozen.

Kate stares at the flask in Len's hand, blinking a few times before she seems to understand what he's asking her to drink what's in it and hesitation shows in her features as she lifts her gaze to his.

In her periphery, however, she can see the blood that's blooming across his shoulder, can feel the cold coming off of Richie's body and with a press of her lips, Kate takes the flask from Len's hands and braces herself for the burn before lifting it to her lips.

Tears spring forth as soon as the liquor hits the back of her throat, Kate struggling not to choke it back up. Determined to do her part in this she holds up a hand as if to assure him she's got it, draining the rest of the flask before handing it back to Len and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.]

That should be good enough. [Richie would probably appreciate the spiked blood anyway.]

I just made someone who's not legal drink, didn't I? Add that to my list of sins. [To be fair, at least there wasn't much left in the flask, so she shouldn't actually feel much from the effects, but she clearly hasn't been liking it.

Leonard nods and holds the flask to his shoulder, beginning an awkward process of bleeding into it. He opens the wound back up for it, not seeming to feel much in the way of pain or at the very least not showing it.]

You don't trust the closets, eh?

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[closed + open] i tried carrying the weight of the world...

[closed] richie + kate + leonard

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