Hospitalis (OPEN)

[Gleam]

Jacob snorted at Gabrielle's embarassment. It was gallows humor, but any humor at this point was welcome. "Modesty is becoming, but do not place value overmuch on it, Gabrielle." He splinted the shoulder - it was difficult with so little space - and fed the kid a blood thinner, to ease the concussion. Then he turned and glanced over the other two girls.

"Kikime needs to be put down." he said, conversationally, and crossed the room to the storage closet, which he opened with a small key. "Particularly if she is accelerating her attacks in this manner. Did either of you manage to injure her?"

[SarahSyna]

Gabrielle noticed Creda’s questioning looks.

“What?” she said, a bit too defensively. ““I bit her. It was the first thing that came into my head to freak her out. Worked too. She was too busy freaking her fucking head off to actually do any real damage to me.”

Well, nothing that Gabrielle couldn’t have healed from at least. Gabrielle didn’t know for sure, but a few of those had probably come pretty damn close to her heart.

“Like I said, I bit her. And I punched her. Not much I was too busy going what the hell when she whipped out the scissors and tried to split my hand open, to be honest.” Gabrielle said promptly over her shoulder to Jacob, then stopped. The gears in her heads were almost audible as they caught up with what he had said. She rounded on him.

“W-wait wait wait what? Put down? You mean stonecold kill her? She’s like fucking 14! She’s a fucking psycho yeah, but you get people therapy and a good beatdown for that, not a prescription for fucking murder!”

Gabrielle looked from Jacob to the battered Creda and back. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“What the hell am I missing here?”

[Creda Shields]

Slowly, way too carefully to be considered accidental, Creda nodded, eyes still trained on the blood. Gabrielle looked comparatively brand new compared to her savaged back.

Did she really manage to put Kikime away with such little difficulty? Her clothing is ripped to shreds yet no wounds on her at all. She must be extremely skilled. Or maye Kikime did not have the chance to display her powers. Gabrielle would have seen the boy and acted, after all.

Creda looked at Jacob and deliberately nodded.

"Agreed. Her Fate is sealed."

The cold statement hung in the room. It was ugly, but necessary to be looked at. Creda had no qualms in enforcing it.

"I managed to give her several minor wounds but nothing significant. If she hadn't tilted her head at the last second..."

She shook her head before fixing Gabrielle with a slightly sympathetic, but still quite cold look.

"You Look After Your Own." she intoned, like a creed. "These girls are actively destroying young potential Gifted. Ruining their lives, ripping their fates away from them. You Look After Your Own."

[Gleam]

"What?" Jacob said, quiet and pleasant, as he turned around to meet Gabrielle's gaze, a hypodermic needle in his hands. He stuck the tip into a tiny container of clear fluid and started to fill it up. "What prison is there on this island? What reliable therapy is available? What methods are there to prevent this girl from further abusing her powers? Where can she be effectively contained? What options are there if this child preys on others and refuses to stop? Shall I force compliance on one who can extract it from me without my consent?"

Jacob shook his head, that dead-even smile remaining constant on his face. "The best I could do is dose her with an extreme benzodiazepine and restrain her in an unused room. And then what? Wait for her roommate to rescue her and come after me together? You do know that Secernia can teleport, yes? Anywhere?"

Jacob finished filling up the needle, and set it down with a quiet click. His eyes were black and steady. "If she will not refrain from brutalizing other students," he said, "Then I will defend them as violently as need be. So - yes. I converse of murder."

Jacob offered the binder to Gabrielle, with its absences and infirmary reports. "Kikime and Secernia are certainly not hesitant about it."

[SarahSyna]

Gabrielle avoided Creda’s gaze. Like that wasn’t suspicious at all.

“Have they hurt other students? What the fuck have they actually done?” she demanded. Then Secernia’s name came up.

“What the fuck does Rust’s girlfriend have to do with this? I know she’s probably a bitch, but what does she have to do with this? Can someone here please explain what the hell is going on?”

Gabrielle gave them both an exasperated look. “I don’t know what got said before I got here or what you guys have seen or whatever, but I just came across some crazy bitch tossing around a kid with her mind in the woods and brought him here and now you’re mentioning a friend’s girlfriend and killing people like I should know exactly what’s going on. You started a fucking tune and danced off without me here, guys. ”

She took the binder from Jacob, flipped it open and skimmed some of the entries. She looked up at Jacob.

“They’ve... they’ve actually killed?” she said, disbelievingly. She turned away, her hand over her mouth. “If I’d fucking known... I’d have torn that little fucking whore’s throat out with my teeth and tossed her fucking head in the ocean!”

[JDGreat]

"Secernia has a relationship?" Creda questioned instantly. "What does this Rust know about them? He could be vital for information..."

Then her eyes narrowed.

"...or he could know about it already. What if he's another? He could be aiding them on the side. I understand the need to not jump to conclusions, but you are not exactly in a relationship with a murderer and not know about it."

Jacob seemed to have the right head on his shoulders. Gabrielle seemed to be warming to the idea as well.

This is what must happen. It pains me to strike at one of our own, but the greater good must be thought for. God Forgive Us for what we plan...

...I need to tell Him.

Once more, Creda tried to rise, keeping her hand covering her chest as she tried to push herself up.

"Does anybody have a shirt for me? I tire of being exposed and it is clear that Viaris is uncomfortable also. Her priorities are clearly set straight."

A small quirk of her lip was all she indicated of the joke.

[Gleam]

Jacob blinked once, coming back to earth in a rather abrupt manner. "My apologies." he said, inclining his head to Creda, and turned back to the storage closet, opening a drawer. "That is not a condition any young woman should be forced to deal with overlong."

A white overshirt came out of the drawer and Jacob carried it to Creda, offering a hand to get her up to a sitting position without popping more stitches. "Let your patron know." he murmured, too quiet for Gabrielle to hear, and retreated back to Gabrielle's side to explain.

"These two entries -" Jacob said, pointing to a pair of names, " - are students that have simply vanished. Completely. Both had prior incidents recorded with Secernia. Alora, a smaller girl, suffered severe abuse, a broken arm, and a shaved head. She is now devoted to Kikime. Rust - you know of his injuries better than I. He follows Secernia in almost exactly the same fashion as Alora does Kikime. I suspect, Creda -" he turns to acknowledge her statement with a nod - "That he is under some form of mental influence, as every single incident presents some fashion of tampering."

He leans back against the nearest wall, eyes blank and considering. "Save you two. I believe Kikime is quickly becoming irrational if she no longer bothers to cover her tracks."

[SarahSyna]

“No.” Gabrielle said firmly to Creda, though not looking at her since she was getting dressed at the time. ”You don’t know him. Rust’s not like that. He’s a good guy, hell, he’s my friend. She’s giving him the run around or something because he wouldn’t hurt someone like that. He even has a thing about hitting girls. Hell, he ended up freaking out when he hit Secer-.”

Her mouth fell open. “...Son of a bitch.”

Gabrielle really was going to fucking kill her. Take care of your own in-fucking-deed.

She turned to Jacob and rolled up her sleeves. “I’m meant to be meeting up with Secernia and Rust soon enough. I can try see if I can get any information. What should I be expecting from her? The meet up is about an exorcism, do you know anything her being demonic or what? Also. When I was fighting Kikime, she started freaking out even before I bit her, something about me not moving. Does her telekinesis give out or something? I think she was trying to lift me.”

[Gleam]

Jacob sat back down on the bed and raised his hands. "Pause." he said. "We have conflicting sets of information, and we need to sort that out if we are to take efficient action against these two girls."

He takes a notebook and sketches out two pages: one with SECERNIA at the top, and the other with KIKIME.

"Right." Jacob said with a nod. "I know Secernia can teleport. The multiple amnesia reports suggest she can do something with memory - I do not know her precise method or the magnitude of her power."

He marks down Teleportation and Memories (?) beneath Secernia.

"What is Kikime capable of?" he asks. "I heard mention of telekinesis, and Creda mentioned some kind of . . . emotional alternation."

[SarahSyna]

Gabrielle went over beside Jacob to see what he was writing, her hands clasped behind her back.
“She used telekinesis on me and on the kid over there. I didn’t see anything about demons or emotion alteration or whatever, she just went stab crazy on me. She’s able to pick up people at least, that’s how the kid got hurt. It’s different from mine, or at least I think it is. She doesn’t have teeth like me.”

She scratched her head. “I don’t know anything about Secernia, only what Rust told me, that she’s apparently possessed or has some kind of demon problem and wants an exorcism. I don’t know how true any of that is though. I’ll try find out when we meet up, hopefully not get mindfucked or something. Oh, also, an idea.”

She took out her phone. “You guys, give me your numbers and I’ll put them on speed-dial. That way, if I get attacked, I can call you to warn you. You two do the same.”

[Creda Shields]

"She can summon demons. She flat out told me so herself." Creda announced, gingerly slipping the shirt on but thankful that she was covered up. She did prefer modesty, after all. "If you want, I can lead you to the beach where I managed to slay one of them by bisecting it. And she threw it at me via telekinesis."

Her nose wrinkled as she remembered the awful smell.

"Although...she still may have some of my feathers. They may not be her scissors, but they're still sharp." The white eyed girl looked over her shoulder slightly at her back. "You saw for yourselves."

Secernia's involved with demonry as well? This gets further and further twisted the more we delve.

"Kikime also has no sense of close combat whatsoever." Creda noted with a cocky aloof smirk. "It took two hits to send her crashing away and she fights with the skill of a child. She just swings her weapon as hard as she can. Her dangerousness comes from..."

The smirk faded and incredibly, Creda swallowed in nerves.

"She can effect the Strings Of Fate. She went into some sort of trance and all of a sudden, memories of me and my guardian filtered through my mind. She pulled at the air and more would come. It was...harrowing."

That feeling of being so close to losing everything you stand for...it's intolerable.

[Gleam]

"Right." Jacob murmured, and scribbled Telekinesis and Strings of Fate beneath KIKIME, then, triple underlined, Bad Fighter. "It sounds like the most efficient way to deal with Kikime is to get up close and disable her there. She sounds rather formiable from afar."

He handed his cellphone over to Gabrielle without really paying attention - the whole thing was blank, in any case. He remembered numbers manually. "Meanwhile, Secernia can teleport, so I do not believe any form of assualt besides an ambush would phase her. She will be difficult to catch. As for the demons they share - I have no concept how to counter that. Best we not give them time to prepare, should they become directly hostile again."

Jacob set the pad down and glanced at the other two girls. "Additionally - we should stay together." he said, very grave. "The two of you are wounded, and my power is not manually controllable. We would be tempting targets, alone."

[Creda Shields]

Creda nodded.

"I will not make that same mistake again. However, I will also need to be back up to full strength. If my back's as injured as you said it was, then it will be a little while until I can fight as well as I can." she mentioned, nodding slightly. "And I do not know yet the condition of my wings. Unbreakable as they are, if I were not able to utilise them..."

She trailed off, eyes suddenly going wide with that thought, with a slight twinge of fear. She looked for the world like she needed to summon her wings RIGHT then and there and check them, but to do so would most likely tear out the stitches yet again. Trying to calm her beating heart, Creda turned back to the conversation at hand, back of her mind still niggling away at the small possibility her wings would be affected by her injuries.

"And what is your power, if you do not mind me asking, Khorwah?" she questioned. "I still don't know yours either,Viaris. Yet you both know mine. I think some semblance of trust is going to be needed here, especially considering they can alter our memories and relationships. We need something rock solid to keep us from each other's throats."

[Gleam]

"Easy, miss." Jacob said, spotting the brief panic on Creda's face. "They still function perfectly."

He leaned back against the bed, hands folded, and caught his lip in between his lip, chewing on it briefly. Then he smoothed his expression out and glanced somewhere between the two girls, his eyes even and flat. "Upon death my consciousness transfers into the nearest viable human vessel and replaces whatever soul occupies it. I do not know what happens to the original consciousness. It is not under my control and it does not trigger under any other circumstances. For obvious reasons, I would prefer to avoid its use."

[SarahSyna]

“I’ve got two.” Gabrielle said, crossing her arms in front of her. Way to fucking show off, Gabrielle. Well done. Get all the attention, why don’t you?

“My main one’s telekinesis but the reason I’m even standing here is that I have a kind of limited regeneration.”

She held up her right hand. “Kikime stuck her scissors right through my palm and opened them. Almost split my arm in half. Stabbed me up pretty good too. If I couldn’t heal so fast, I’d be pretty dead.”

She looked over at Jacob.

“Alright, I am not fighting next to you.” She managed to say after a while. She was at a loss as to what else she could say? Wow, that’s a pity. Tough luck? Get away from me, you body stealing monster? Like she had much room to talk, she'd tried to eat a girl not an hour ago.

[Creda Shields]

Creda just stared at Jacob.

Oh My God... That power...

Kikime's and Secernia's powers were dangerous. Jacob's was unreal. To just completely eradicate a soul with the loss of a life. And to be functionally immortal as well. Truly this man was Blessed beyond her wildest expectations. To be unable to be killed without extinguishing another...

Fate has done more than smile. Fate has actively reached out and marked him...

Creda managed to bring herself out of her stupor to look at Gabrielle.

"Maybe your telekinesis managed to somehow counteract hers?" she offered, confusion marring her features. "But that regeneration... He'll be pleased with an ability like that."

She smiled serenely at Gabrielle at the mention of Him, a euphoria taking over her again. However, the winged girl frowned slightly, thinking to herself again before she spoke.

"What will happen if they realise the net is closing in around them? I would not wish to see what they will be like if they feel as if they are cornered. They could be even more dangerous."

[Gleam]

Jacob's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "Right then. Gabrielle, if we run into them again soon, you are assigned to Kikime. Smack her in the face with something. Keep her occupied. I will doubletap her once she is distracted."

He nodded to Creda then. "You will be the most mobile of us, if it comes to that, so you attempt to take on Secernia if we encounter her. I do not not if you can throw your feathers - attempt that. She will be significantly more difficult for me to shoot."

Jacob leaned forward, placing his elbows atop his knees. "It would be fair to presume that Kikime, at least, realizes that you are both loose ends. We need to secure anyone that can be used against us - I suggest we move to find Rust immediately before he spends more time with either of the girls."

[SarahSyna]

“Maybe that’s it.” Gabrielle said and nodded. “I’ve never actually met another telekinetic except my mother and she didn’t make a habit of trying to throw her kids around. And, uh, great. Nice to know he’ll be happy, I guess?”

She pulled herself up a chair for herself, settling into it. This looked like a full on war meeting now, and she’d be damned if she stand for it all.

“Sounds good to me, Jacob. I’ll bring a tree to a scissor fight. Though I have them now.” She said, looking at the pseudo-hedge clippers. The blood had gone properly dry by now. “You know, I might snap off the blades and make them into knives or something, just to piss her off. But, thinking tactics, I’m guessing we should try dividing them and taking them by surprise, right? I mean, you might find it easier to shoot Secernia or Kikime if they don’t know you’re aiming.”

Gabrielle scratched her head. “I don’t suppose you know how to make bombs, either one of you? I’m pretty sure there’s fertiliser and stuff somewhere in the school. I don’t mind a little property damage if it keeps people safe.

“As for Rust, I’ll call and warn him. He’s my friend. I don’t know if he’ll ch-trust me over his girlfriend but, well,” she gave him a weak smile, “I have a better chance than anyone else here, right?”

[Creda Shields]

"I have no clue as to what Secernia looks like." Creda countered. "And my battle was not with her. I can eliminate Kikime easily enough, if I can get in close."

She was being contradictory, yes. But Kikime had said it herself. She was fated to meet Creda, as Creda was fated to meet her. They were opposites. Creda could not allow her to go unpunished. As God's servant, it was her duty to see this through to the bitter end.

Yes, she was being an unreasonable cow. But that's Creda for you.

"As for bombs, no, I have never needed the use. Khorwah here seems more suited to that kind of work. Though I suspect he may be versed well in many fields of study, considering his power." The white eyed mutant replied to Gabrielle's question. She noted the slight change in word when she spoke of Rust and sighed.

"If the boy has been completely controlled, we may have to put him down as well, regardless as to both of yours relationships with him." the raven haired girl said coldly. "If you so wish...I will do it. I do not want to put either of you two through the emotional pain of putting down a friend. However, it's a possibility that may bear fruit. We have to be prepared."

She looked to Gabrielle.

"What are his powers? His weaknesses, if need be?"

[Gleam]

"Explosives would be detrimental." Jacob replied, his smile souring. "As Secernia can teleport away and Kikime can throw any explosive at us before it goes off. I am better using tools that will not harm either of you."

He nods to Gabrielle. "Call Rust. Ask him to meet you somewhere privately. I would prefer you not warn him - if Secernia is near he will immediately tell her simply because of his own nature - but I will leave that judgement call to you, as you appear to know him best."

Jacob glanced at Creda next, his nose wrinkling faintly. He granted her a shrug anyways. "Luck willing, we will have to fortune to encounter either girl on their own first. Should that happen, then please do aid Gabrielle. That said: Secernia is an athletic red-headed girl. Outwardly rather kind. Very prone to touching during conversation."

His eyes sharpened. "And if Rust is completely controlled I will tranquilize him." Jacob answered. "There are enough innocent lives lost already. I will not add him to the body count. We are convening, ultimately, to save lives, not end them."

[SarahSyna]

“I don’t mind fighting Secernia, if that what Creda prefers.” Gabrielle said, secretly a little glad. It was one thing to fuck with some stranger, another to mess with a friend. “If I act all nice and shit, I might be able to get in before she realises anything. But if she tries to touch me, I’ll kick her through a wall. I don’t like that touchy feely shit.”

She turned to Creda. “If anyone is going to ‘put him down’” she said, doing the little airquotes with her fingers, “Then it’ll be me. I’ll be able to tell if he’s acting like a freak or not, you won’t. And for all you know, the mind shit could wear off. Don’t start writing a death warrant for someone who could be an ally. He’s got a floaty blue arm, so I’m pretty sure he’d be good at helping smash their faces in.”

She gave Jacob a smile at his little defence then gestured to the corner of the room. “I’m going to go make the call, alright?”

[Creda Shields]

Creda nodded curtly at the description, committing it to memory. Athletic red head. Should be easy to spot.

"I forsee no problems now other than the actual upcoming take downs." she contributed, closing her eyes and trying to think for a moment. Her necklace glimmered slightly in the light as she grasped it, using it to calm her down some. With a deep breath, she opened them again, just in time to hear the defence of Rust from both Jacob and Gabrielle.

She raised both her empty hands. The international sign of peace. Her guardian had usedit all the time and it seemed adequate here.

"Alright then, Viari-Gabrielle. Do what you will."

Floaty blue arm? An astral projection of some sort?...Oh My God...Like Him?!

Her eyes widened a little at the description. That was way too close to sound normal.

What is it with these fantastic powers coming out now? After two weeks of dullards and unremarkables? Have I passed Fate's trial?

...not yet. Kikime still lives.

[Gleam]

Jacob's hand slid under his shirt and drew a M1911 smoothly from an underarm holster. He drew the slide back and checked it, then fed a magazine into the stock with a chilling click. "I do not foresee problems." he said, in that same even tone he had used the entire conversation. "Make the call, Gabrielle. I am ready."

[SarahSyna]

Gabrielle dragged her chair over to the corner, perching on the very edge of it. She wasn’t quite sure why Jacob decided that this was a gun-worthy endeavour. Maybe in case of Secernia? As long he kept it the fuck away from her, she was okay.

She scrolled through until she found Rust’s name and double-tapped it. It started to ring. She out it to her ear and waited.

“"Uh, hey, hi, Rust! How-how are you? J-just calling to say hi. What are you up to? Anyone around? Okay, I need you to listen to me, because this might sound kind of weird. Can you come meet me at the infirmary. And please don't talk to Secernia on the way. I'll explain, but you really need to get the fuck over here right now. Please.”

She scowled. “No, this has nothing to do with the party or after it, and I told you to forget that anyway.”

Great. That’s what was needed. Dirty fucking laundry in front of these two. Really helping the cause there.

She sighed and tried again. “Rust, please trust me. I wouldn't be acting fucking weird if I didn't have a real reason, not some mopey one. No, it fucking can't wait! Rust, your girlfriend is a mindfucking evil bitch who kills people and you're in danger! Now get the fuck away from her!"

She realised soon as she said it that it was probably the exact wrong thing to say, and then she was left with a dial tone. She stared at the phone. He hung up on her. She’d kind of expected it, but it had hurt a lot more than she’d thought. Oh my God, you idiot. I’m trying to keep you safe here.

She held down the call button and the phone redialled.

“Come on, pick up pick u-“ she winced. “Sorry, sorry. Bad joke, alright? Used to do it to Arty all the time. Your boyfriend is a serial killer, hahaha. I should have known better, I know."


"I don't think you'll take me seriously over the phone. Look...”

She bit her lip, brain scrambling to come up with something, paused and counted to three in her head. Saddest things ever. Bambi’s mom getting shot in the head for fun. Mufasa dying because Scar’s a dick. Wave goodbye to mother, she’ll watch over you in heaven if she can ever crawl that far out of hell.

“Look, please.” Gabrielle pleaded, her voice breathy and choked with tears. “I'm in the infirmary. I really need a friend right now and you're the only one I've got here."

Her face brightened, then went horrified. Before she could beg him not to bring her, he hung up. Again.

Gabrielle snapped the phone shut, her expression dark.

“He’s coming. So’s she. Right, uh... 'I'll go hide around the back. I’ll bring you too, Creda, in case Secernia knows about you already. Jacob, tell him that I just want to talk to him, I can't handle talking to strangers, that's why you suggested I phone him. Tell him I freaked out at you or some shit like that. Anything that makes her stay outside.”

[Creda Shields]

If Creda was affected by Jacob pulling a gun, she didn't show it, merely closing her eyes and muttering a quick prayer for good fortune in Latin. When she finished, Gabrielle had just started ranting down the phone for the first time.

What on earth does she think she's doing?! the winged girl's mind screamed. Just expressing it straight out?! She sounds hysterical!

The dial tone filled the air and Creda let out a sigh of resignation.

You may have just sealed your friend's fate...I'm sorry.

Her head perked up though when Gabrielle managed to get in contact with the boy again, honestly surprised she managed it. When she snapped the phone shut, Creda gave a nod of appreciation, honestly impressed that she had managed it after all.

"Alright, the circumstance may not be ideal but it is the hand that Fate has dealt." the winged girl nodded. "Worst comes to worst, I can ambush and knock out Secernia, even without my wings. The boy may be another matter. Seeing your gun, Khorwah, may put him on edge instantly, especially after Viaris'...little joke."

She did shoot her a small glare for that. That had honestly been IDIOTIC to say down the phone.