Hellfire Odyssey: Reckoning

The Clocktower

Zizi gushed a bit at Zach's suggestion of making Andrew his best man. He's been down lately, and this would surely show that he had made good friends here.

Zach: “Really, you think so? Well that makes me happy.”

"I know so. It'll really make him feel a part of the group. And mean a lot to him that you think so highly of him."

But the best surprise was to come, when Ashley asked her to be her maid-of-honor. She hadn't really seen Ashley as the type to go into all that sort of thing. And if she did, Zizi had thought maybe she'd pick Vivica, at least for aesthetic reasons. But she found herself overcome when Ashley did ask her, throwing her arms around her friend and giving her a hug. She wiped her eyes, Zach having set the table and poured them all some wine. Zizi wheeled to her place at the table.

Zach: “Thank you, Ziz. And I hope you know Gabe would be welcome as your plus one.”

That almost set her off crying for real.

"Oh Zach, that's so kind of you. Thank you. I'm sure he would love to come. If he can."

In reality, Gabe would probably rather be shot out of a cannon than attend a wedding, but she wasn't thinking about that just now. As they all sat down at the dining table, Zizi lifted her glass of wine.

"To the happy couple."

She smiled widely, and took a drink.

"I'm really so happy for both of you. Really."

She helped herself to a small slice of the yummy cauliflower pizza, and started to cut it up with her knife and fork.

Zach: “Well, tell us what you’ve been up to since I stole your roommate. Other than security upgrades, I mean.”

Ashley gave Zach a look that could lead to many unmentionable things happening in Ashley's room, and Zizi prayed their meal wasn't about to be cut short by it. Thankfully, things were steered back to conversation only.

Ashley: "But yeah...how's the latest-war...wizard...alien...video game going?"

"Oh, War, Wizards and Aliens? It's so much fun - level 26. Thank you for asking!"

She took a sip of her wine.

"I've been mostly working on the Hellfire problem. But not come up with much of significance, I'm afraid. Making sure we're as protected as we can be is the best I can do so far, I'm afraid. At least things have been quiet."

As if she had jinxed it, at just that moment a computer voice interrupted said quiet.

"Recognized: Titan b zero 7. Steel, b zero 4."

In a few seconds Andrew burst through the door, calling out in a loud voice.

Andrew: "Zizi! Have you seen my Liverpool scarf? I can't find it anywhere and they have the early match tomorrow!"

Steel trudged in behind him, hands in his coat pockets, looking apologetic as they came in view of the dining room.

Steel: "Apparently it's a good luck charm. Sorry for interrupting, Zizi."

ZIzi smiled brightly.

"No interruption at all - please join us. Andrew, you know where the plates are."

Andrew looked at her like she'd smacked his hand.

"And I'm sorry, I haven't seen your scarf, honey."

Andrew stamped his foot.

Andrew: "X hid it somewhere. I know he did. English bas-"

Steel gave him a look that told him not to finish that sentence.

Zizi patted Andrew's hand.

"You can borrow my lucky computer chip. Now get the plates and have some food, it'll make you feel better. John, more wine glasses please. I was just saying how I haven't made much progress with Hellfire."
 
The Red Wing - Persephone's Suite

Alek was there, but late, too late. He told Haleigh she would not take Seph. Not without killing him first. Because he would kill Haleigh rather than let Seph fall into Malice's hands again.

Scion: “I will. The Red Rook has openly attacked our Court. My Queen has ordered her to be taken into custody. Anyone who tries to stop me or defend her will be killed.”

Something was wrong. As far-fetched as it had seemed that Haleigh would attack her sister in the first place, put her in what amounted to chains, something more was wrong with her. She wasn't just going through the motions. He snarled at her.

"Ravena has repeatedly attacked our Rook. Violated her, Haleigh. My Queen ordered his justifiable execution. Our Rook was following her Queen's orders. Diana should take the matter up with Helena."

Scion: “Stand down, Red Knight. I will kill you if you don’t.”

"Never."

She moved faster than normal. Too fast. Too fast for him to even register it was coming, before the tv smashed into his head throwing him backward and against a pillar. His body slid to the floor, the lights out before he even landed. But not dead.

Scion restrained Persephone, then turned back to Alek's inert form, ready to finish him.

Then a *POP* noise was heard, and suddenly Emiko appeared, crouching over Alek's body. She waved to Scion, grinning broadly, and then there was another *POP* and both of them were gone.

They reappeared seconds later at Alek's safe house, him lying on the bed and Emiko standing next to it. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead, he still unconscious.

Emiko: "Safe."

And with another *POP* she blinked out of the safe house and into the Hellfire Catacombs.
 
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Upper East Side — Jones Wood Foundry

Delilah offered him the opportunity to back out of their date, but there was no chance of that happening, and he told her she wouldn’t be allowed the same option now that she’d agreed to it. She pretended to be scandalized and asked him just what kind of English gentlemen he was. He smiled from behind his beer.

“The slightly roguish sort.”

He replied. As they waited for dessert to be served she wondered what got him into motorcycles. He could’ve made her wait for their date to reveal it, but didn’t think the hype would help the mostly bland tale and so he went ahead and shared it. She remarked that he had a gift for finance even back in his teens.

“I suppose. It was a skill developed very early. I gained a lot of experience balancing my father’s checkbook.”

He replied, and she told him that she admired his work ethic, observing that it must have taken a lot of papers to save up for a motorcycle. He laughed at the memories of himself, the frenzied focus he’d had to reach his goal.

“Yes, countless mornings before school were spent in sacrifice to that first machine. It was a treasure, though. A 1968 Velocette Viper, more than a decade older than I was at the time. But she could go one hundred forty-six kilometers per hour.”

He paused to tease.

“That’s ninety-one in American. My dad made me wear a helmet from that day on.”

He turned the tables on her after that, reminding her that it was her turn to share, since that was how it worked. She laughed and replied with some doubt, but answered his question anyway. She tried to say it wasn’t interesting, but he disagreed. He found everything about her interesting. She told him about her father’s career, and her attempt to join him.

“Those wankers discriminated against you? They probably didn’t deserve you anyway.”

He grumbled in interjection as the dessert was dropped off. She told him that she’d tried working for a corporation, but it had apparently been dodgy and difficult to disentangle from. But afterward she’d gone back to the NYPD, which she jokingly call the ‘poor man’s feebee’. He chuckled at that as he slid his fork into his pie.

“Well, I’m certain they were all the richer for having you in their ranks once more.”

He said, and then she asked him if he’d ever considered following in his parents footsteps himself. He gave a half shrug as he swallowed his first bite.

“Perhaps not so directly. I was never as mechanically inclined as my dad, to his mild disappointment, I’m sure. But my mum was a math professor. She taught at a little college in central London, I can’t even remember the name of it now. Her dream was tenure at Cambridge.”

He smiled wistfully, then caught himself off on a tangent and course corrected.

“She was a true mathematician, but I didn’t get that into it. Plus, I couldn’t teach a dog to sit. So, Accounting for me. Not exactly after mum, but I like to think she’d be proud.”
 
Upper East Side — Jones Wood Foundry

Delilah jokingly asked him what kind of English gentleman was he that he wouldn't let her back out of their date.

Gavin: “The slightly roguish sort.”

Delilah's hand absentmindedly went to her neck. That statement raised her temperature more than she cared to admit. She quickly raised her glass and paused before taking a drink.

"My favorite kind."

They traded stories - he wowed her with his childhood work ethic, and she gave the sob story of how she didn't make it in the FBI. Then happily pie arrived, and they both dug into theirs.

Gavin: “Well, I’m certain they were all the richer for having you in their ranks once more.”

She chuckled, licking sugary filling from her lips.

"Yeah, until I had to leave the country."

She quickly changed the subject to whether he had ever wanted to follow in his parents footsteps.

Gavin: “Perhaps not so directly. I was never as mechanically inclined as my dad, to his mild disappointment, I’m sure. But my mum was a math professor. She taught at a little college in central London, I can’t even remember the name of it now. Her dream was tenure at Cambridge. She was a true mathematician, but I didn’t get that into it. Plus, I couldn’t teach a dog to sit. So, Accounting for me. Not exactly after mum, but I like to think she’d be proud.”

Delilah smiled, setting down her fork on her empty plate.

"I'm sure she would be. And what a cool mom."

The server was hovering, and when he saw she had finished her dessert, dropped off the check. Delilah snatched it up, because even though this was a business dinner, Gavin seemed like the type to try and pay. Delilah popped her credit card into the folder.

"This is not what I suspected a 'business dinner' to be like."

She reddened.

"I mean, it was nice."
 
Persephone felt the cold power suppression collar close around her neck like a vice, her powers immediately beginning to drain from her body. She yelled for Haleigh, telling her this wasn't her. But she responded back so coldly and robotically it made Persephone's skin crawl.

Haleigh: “This isn’t Haleigh.”

It was in that moment that Persephone knew Diana had full control over Haleigh. She was no longer her sister, but Scion, a puppet for Diana to use at her will. So Persephone picked up a candlestick, telling Haleigh that she would not go willingly, and to remember that Haleigh would never do the same either. Persephone swung the candlestick, smashing it across Haleigh's face with a CRACK. She didn't flinch as the candlestick broke into two, but Persephone noticed the halo around her head start to dim. THAT was when Haleigh faltered, stumbling to the side and grabbing the wall closest to where her tv hung.

"Haleigh?"

The tv turned on flickering haunting images so rapidly that Persephone could only catch a few images before realizing it was Haleigh's memories. Her brows furrowed, knowing Haleigh was trying to fight her way back through the static of horrifying images. That she was trying to fight Diana.

"Fight her, Haleigh! You are so much stronger than she will EVER be!"

Persephone took a step forward, wanting to grab her sister and will her back.

Haleigh: “I’m sorry, I—I—”

"It's okay...hey, it's okay! Look at me! You have nothing to apologize for!"

Persephone tried to reassure her that it was okay and that she had nothing to be sorry about. Diana was doing this and Haleigh was doing her damnedest to fight it. The halo had dimmed which meant Haleigh was hearing her, so Persephone kept trying to appeal to her human side, hoping that it would win out overall. But then Haleigh began to shake, her nose, ears, and eyes bleeding.

"Haleigh!"

Just as Persephone was about to lunge forward to help her sister, Alek was there between them, grabbing Persephone and immediately trying to pull the power suppression collar off.

"Get it off!! I can't help her until it's off!!"

But it was then the halo around Haleigh's head grew brighter and Persephone knew she was once again, gone.

Aleksander: “You will not take her Scion.”

Haleigh: “I will. The Red Rook has openly attacked our Court. My Queen has ordered her to be taken into custody. Anyone who tries to stop me or defend her will be killed. Stand down, Red Knight. I will kill you if you don’t.”

Alek: "Ravena has repeatedly attacked our Rook. Violated her, Haleigh. My Queen ordered his justifiable execution. Our Rook was following her Queen's orders. Diana should take the matter up with Helena."

Persephone shook her head as she grabbed Alek's arm. He was standing protectively in front of her, but she needed him to understand this was Scion, NOT Haleigh.

"Diana is controlling her, Alek! She won't listen to reason!"

It was then that Haleigh grabbed the tv from the wall, smashing it across Alek's head with speeds that didn't register to Persephone until she saw Alek laying on the ground.

"ALEK!!"

Falling to her knees, she moved his hair from his face seeing a large cut across his forehead. He was still breathing, but unconscious.

"Baby...please wake up, common..."

She whispered, tears falling to her cheeks. Persephone went to touch his face when she felt cold metal bands clamp around her wrists before both of her wrists were magnetized together in front of her. Connected to her wrists was a chain that linked to Scion. Persephone stood, still gripping the broken candlestick, her only feeble way to protect herself. But Scion pulled Persephone towards her, ripping the candlestick out of her hand causing Persephone to yell out in anger as Scion turned her attention to Alek.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

She thrashed against the chains that connected them to try and get Scion's attention away from Alek.

"You have ME!! Complete your orders, Scion!"

Then Persephone heard the all too familiar *POP* sound causing her to look back and see Emiko, kneeling next to Alek with a grin. She waved at Scion and then disappeared with Alek with another *POP*. For a split second Persephone felt relieved that Emiko had rescued Alek, but then it was replaced with dread realizing that maybe Emiko was following Diana's orders as well. She and Alek were friends, but that meant very little in this club. Still, Persephone hoped that Emiko was doing what Emiko did best, twisting the rules to benefit her own desires...and that desire being to protect her panda bear.

Persephone's dark eyes met with Scion's robotic ones, hers equally as cold as her sisters.

"I'm going to kill your Queen, just like I killed your King."

Persephone growled defiantly, knowing their next stop was to see Diana face to face.
 
Clara Oswald
Clara Oswald
Great post!
Hellfire — The Red Wing

The Red Knight intervened unwisely, and Scion read him her orders, as they affected him. He tried to reason with her, that Persephone was only following the orders of her own Queen. So clearly he understood ‘following orders’, but he didn’t seem to grasp that Scion was merely doing the same. If he did, he wasn’t as accepting of her orders, but one didn’t get to pick and choose which orders to follow and ignore the rest.

Scion listened to him but gave no indication that she really heard him. She didn’t even respond to what he said, and only told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t stand down she was going to kill him. He had time to say the word ‘never’ before she crushed him with the nearest weapon of opportunity; a large flat screen television. She moved with top speed, and it was hardly a fair fight for him, but if one was smart they didn’t handicap themselves to be ‘fair’.

While he was down and Persephone was crying over him, Scion seized the opportunity to place thick metal bands around her captive’s wrists and tether them together with a long braided cable. She then checked on Alek again to see if she needed to finish him off. The Red Knight was either knocked out cold or intelligent enough to pretend to be, because his only movement was the rise and fall of his chest. The Red Rook screamed at Scion to leave him alone, to complete her orders.

“I am.”

She responded. Alek had tried to stop her, tried to defend Persephone. The orders were clear. Kill him. It didn’t matter that he’d ceased now. It didn’t matter that Haleigh liked him, deep down. Scion would obey. Persephone thrashed the cable that chained her cuffs to Scion’s wrist, but Scion remained focused on the Red Knight, half buried in what remained of the flat screen. The power cord from the tv detached from the mess, slithering up his body to wrap around his throat. Scion was about to lift him up and hang him from the rafters when the White Rook appeared, waved, and disappeared with the Red Knight’s body.

Scion blinked but didn’t speak. She determined that Emiko had likely been assigned as backup, and was probably taking him away to torture him for intel. She turned to the Red Rook, her expression blank. She made no effort to wipe away the blood that had run from her nose, ears, or eyes. Persephone declared that she was going to kill the Queen just like she’d done the King. Haleigh would’ve smiled and said ‘good’, but Scion didn’t respond. She didn’t get angry or even seem bothered by what Persephone said.

“Let’s go. You can walk beside me with dignity, or I can drag you behind me like a stubborn animal on a lead.”

Either way, they were going. Scion opened the door, stepped out into the hall and paused. There were at least a dozen red guardsmen blocking her way.

WARNING! EMP batons equipped!

Scion shot daggers at them with her eyes. It was quick and quiet, and didn’t do any collateral damage. Slinging a blade between the chin guard of the helmets and the chest plate of their body armor was a minimal challenge, and then only due to the number of targets. The bodies all dropped anyway, each with a knife sticking out of their throat, and Scion led the Red Rook through the mess.

“How many more lives are they willing to spend for you?”

Scion asked, though she doubted Persephone was willing to provide such intel. Scion led them out of the Red Wing and towards the catacombs. They were joined by the White Bishop, in full battle gear including the new mask the Queen had given her. She was escorted by a squad of White Guard.

Masque: “Princess.”

The girl said, by way of greeting, as she fell in step with them. Scion detected a difference in the note of her vocal patterns, and her gaze shifted as they walked so she could look at the Bishop. The Nefaria girl’s iris scan came back slightly altered from Scion’s record as well. She considered whether it could’ve been some disguise function of the mask. She was about to ask when a fresh wave of Red guards poured out of an adjacent corridor. The Bishop raised her hand and they all slowed to a stop, becoming apparent statues. They looked strangely incandescent, a soft golden aura glowing around their bodies.

Masque: “Relax gentlemen, or you’ll strain yourselves unnecessarily.”

She said, and then she turned to Scion.

Masque: “That’ll wear off in about an hour, they’ll be fine. Lead the way, We’ll watch your back.”

Scion started walking again, accepting the White Bishop at her side.

“Copy. The Black Court is a threat as well. Trust only White.”

Masque: “I’ll trust no one that doesn’t prove their allegiance first.”

“You’re smarter than I recall.”
 
Hellfire — Executive Conference Room

When they arrived back at Hellfire, her Queen was quick to delegate tasks. Heidi, as Knight, was encouraged to heighten security and summon the rest of their court in preparation for a fight. She had no idea who against, until Diana told Scion that the Red Rook had attacked their Court. She wondered how and why, but didn’t ask, instead setting herself to carrying out her Queen’s requests. First she called security and gave them orders. Then she reached out to Emiko, who responded as strangely as ever, but Heidi knew better than to read into it. The girl was whimsical, crazy even, but most of the time Heidi found her amusing and she knew the White Rook was an effective killer.

Next to call was Gia, the White Bishop. Heidi had never been impressed with the mafia princess. Gia had gotten her seat on the Inner Circle from her father, and it showed. The girl was rude and entitled, but as long as the White Queen accepted her, Heidi would tolerate her. She took some small comfort from knowing that if the girl lost control of or squandered her family business, the White Queen would have no more use for her and they’d be looking for a new Bishop.

After Scion left to capture the Red Rook, and Heidi called security once more to arrange an escort team at the door for Gia, who would be returning to the mansion shortly, Diana turned to Heidi with a grim expression. Heidi took the opportunity while they were alone to ask her Queen just what was happening. Diana explained that Persephone had attacked and killed the White King. Heidi gasped sharply, her eyebrows raising in shock.

“What?! Why?!”

Malice: “Command from her Queen, apparently.”

“So we’ll face the entire Red Court then. What about Black?”

Malice: “Evidently in on it.”

Heidi was floored. She balled her fists tightly.

“They won’t get away with this, My Queen. Black’s only half a court, and Red’s just a band of whores. Gia and Emiko are on the way. We’ll bathe in traitor’s blood tonight.”

She said, and her Queen gave her a nod of approval, but then Diana’s gaze shifted off and became distant, her brow furrowed and jaw clenched hard. Her eyes shut, and she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She was clearly doing some telepathic thing, and it took a level of concentration Heidi had never seen her Queen need before. A few tense moments passed before Diana opened her eyes again, that look of grim determination returning. The White Queen had a look of pallor, and Heidi pulled an empty glass from the conference table and filled it with water before pushing it into her Queen’s hands.

“Alright, then? Triple distilled.”

Diana: “I’m fine, thank you Fathom.”

She replied, before draining the glass. She looked better afterward, her normal color returning and the pallor fading quickly. She looked almost herself again by the time Emiko popped in, and then soon after that Haleigh marched the Red Rook into the room, with Gia and a handful of guards following her. Heidi breathed a sigh of relief that they were all here, though Scion looked like a terror.

Heidi glared at Persephone as they came near, but her expression seemed to almost soften when she turned to her Princess. She reached a hand up to rinse the blood from Scion’s face, and evaporated the drippings before they hit the carpet. She found no cuts, only a bruised cheek and brow. Then she looked at the Red Rook again and her eyes narrowed. A loud SHING! sounded off, as a crystal trident appeared in her hand, the center tine touching just under Persephone’s chin.

“Why don’t we just kill her now?”

Malice: “Hold off, Heidi. She will answer for what she’s done. So will the rest. They’re coming. All of you be ready, but wait for my signal to attack.”
 
Helena was gathering her belongings when her two red guards returned with Mystique. Her Bishop bowed her head, not bothering to ask what was going on or why she was summoned. It was one of many reasons why Helena loved Mystique so much: she didn't bother to ask stupid questions.

Mystique: "The White court has returned to Hellfire, as has the Black."

"Yes, we must take our leave as well. The Black Queen needs all courts off this island immediately."

Mystique nodded, knowing that if Kelly was staying behind it was because she was going to destroy Ahadi. Mystique took Helena's hand and phased out of Ahadi, taking her directly to her chambers. Her Bishop bowed her head.

"Find our Knight and get to the catacombs immediately."

Mystique: "Yes my Queen."

Mystique quite literally disappeared from sight, leaving Helena in her chambers alone. Picking up the Hellfire landline, she dialed her top ranking guard.

"Get as many guards to the catacombs as possible and remain on standby."

Hanging up the phone, Helena groaned out with a roll of her eyes.

"God damnit, Diana. Why do you have to be so fucking trigger happy."

Helena was about to get herself another drink when she heard crashing and commotion coming from down the hall, followed by yelling. Usually that would have been music to her ears, but given the circumstances, it seemed as if Diana was already making moves on her court.

"WHAT NOW?!"

As if on cue, Kelly burst through her chamber room doors, confirming as much.

Kelly: "It's done. We need to get to Diana. Also, I just saw your Rook and Knight fighting with Haleigh, which tragically means Haleigh survived the destruction of Ahadi."

Helena's eyes widened at the mention of her Knight.

"What?!"

Then narrowed at the mention of Haleigh.

"Mother fucker."

Helena knew Alek was extremely durable, despite fighting a force like Haleigh. Still, she needed to assure his safety. Pressing a small red ruby on her cuff bracelet, she held it to her mouth.

"Mystique, get Berserker immediately. He's been attacked."

>>Mystique: "What of our Roo-"

"NOW!"

She screamed into the com. Giving Kelly an 'i need a stiff drink and cock' look, Helena huffed out before heading to the door; the Black Queen following. Walking through the Red Wing toward the catacombs, she saw the guards that were laid waste by Haleigh and gritted her teeth with anger.

"We need to smooth this over quickly before Diana decides to give kill orders to both our courts. [pause] And remind me to never push a man in her direction again."
 
Upper East Side — Jones Wood Foundry

He admitted to be the roguish sort of gentlemen when he wouldn’t let Delilah out of their now agreed upon real date. She mentioned that was her favorite kind, and he grinned like he’d won the lottery. They started using up topics they should’ve said for their date, but he didn’t mind because he liked talking with her.

He shared what got him into motorcycles, and then they each revealed what led them to their respective careers. His wasn’t a particularly riveting story, but while she downplayed how interesting her career path was, he shook his head when she mentioned having to leave the country.

“See, you insist it isn’t interesting, but it only seems to get more so with every detail you drop.”

He said, before talking about his mum a bit. He hadn’t exactly followed her footsteps, but he liked to think she’d still be proud. Delilah didn’t seem to doubt that. Gavin smiled warmly and went back to his pie.

“Yeah, she was marvelous.”

It was leading towards a somber subject, though. Thankfully Delilah didn’t pry. She did, however, steal the dinner ticket.

“Hey!”

He said, almost dropping his beer glass onto the table.

“I pick the place, I get to pay— them’s the rules!”

He tried, reaching for the book, but she was already putting her card in and the waiter not-so-helpfully took it away. Gavin huffed at being beat, but then Delilah was saying that this wasn’t what she thought the business dinner was going to be like. She blushed when she said it was nice, and he was suitably distracted by her. He grinned goofily.

“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? Let me at least take care of the tip— I understand they prefer cash.”

He said, pulling a few twenties out of his wallet. She signed the slip and then the dreaded moment was here. Gavin grabbed his briefcase as he stood up.

“Shall I walk you to your car?”
 
Chelsea to The Clocktower

It had been a long day and Blaze was not taking the break up well as Vivica laid on the couch of her apartment in Chelsea, petting her cat and ignoring the many notifications coming in on her phone. She had finally slept, and she should have been feeling better than ever, but she wasn't. Her fight with Cameron still stung a bit, but she had already lived a good amount of time without him, without ANYONE from The Six. To do so again wasn't going to be hard, but she also realized that she couldn't maintain her distance from The Six while being in a romantic relationship with one of them. It may have been pretty shitty timing on her part, but when was the timing ever good for any of them. Not to mention, he had grown tired of Blaze, and her personal brand of justice. She needed a clean break. So she met her at a coffee shop and did the whole "It's Not You - It's Me" and left as quickly as she could.

<< Buzz Buzz >>

"Jesus Christ."

She exhaled deeply, grabbing her phone and taking a look, before tossing it on the ottoman across from her. She looked at Sheba, who was curled up in a ball, not understanding why her cuddles had stopped because of some stupid phone as Vivica scrunched her nose and leaned back for a moment, talking to the cat as she stared at her ceiling.

"I'm an asshole, right? That was an asshole move."

Sheba said nothing as she didn't really care.

"You always know just what to say."

Vivica looked at her watch as her leg began to twitch in place. For the last few months it had been go go go. And there were still big threats out there, ones that threatened her and the people she loved, but somehow, the monotony and boredom of everyday life was still happened. Apparently, The sun and move didn't, in fact, revolved around The Six and their drama. She decided that she needed a little good old fashion girl talk, and there was nobody she enjoyed doing that with more than Zizi, who was likely working herself to death trying to figure out what exactly was going on at Hellfire. She would appreciate the break.

Slipping into a pair of jeans and a tucked in blouse, she headed from her apartment, stopping at one of her favorite hole in the wall sushi joints and loaded up on premium rolls and sashimi. It was nothing like what she used to eat while in the field at Clandestine, but they presented a valiant effort. Before long she found herself at The Clocktower, alarmed to find a new type of technology identifying and giving her access to the building. This must have been one of the upgrades that Gabe had helped her with.

"Gabe...I wonder how that's going...."

Selfishly she wished it wasn't going well, if only so she they could both talk some shit about their exes together. The elevator opened and Vivica stepped inside.

"Ziz? Are you home? I've had a hell of a day. I broke up with Blaze - turns out I'm maybe not a lesbian, but I do enjoy fish! I got some sushi. Let's---"

Her eyes widened as she saw her team setting up to eat themselves, a bit embarrassed that they had all heard. They all stared at her for a moment.

"Sushi and Pizza kinda go together, I guess. I mean Italy and Japan were allies in both world wars. There's gotta be something there."

She sat the bags down on the counter next to her and immediately began to look for some wine.

"Ya'll better not have left me out of the group text, I'm feeling really insecure these days!"
 
Persephone
Persephone
LOL “turns out I’m not a lesbian after all”
The Clocktower

Zach thanked Zizi for agreeing to be Ash’s maid of honor, and made sure she knew Gabe was welcome. Zizi was thrilled about that too, and then she proposed a toast to the happy couple, while they all took seats at the table. Zach asked Zizi what she’d been up to since he stole her roommate, which Ash immediately questioned.

“Well, I certainly feel like I pulled off a jewel heist, taking you home.”

A perverse smirk snuck its way onto Zach’s mouth as his gaze flicked over to his bride.

“And Gods know how much I enjoy the plunder now.”

He added, before selecting a slice each of the pizzas without cauliflower and piling a few hot wings onto his plate. Ash asked Zizi about some alien game, which gave Zach a chance to take a bite, since he didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. Then Zizi mentioned working on the Hellfire thing, and next thing Zach knew, Steele and Andrew were here. Zach smiled as he wiped his hands on a napkin.

“Hey guys, welcome! You’ve got perfect timing, food’s still hot.”

He said, thinking that maybe he should call and order a couple more pies. There was some discussion about a scarf, and then Zizi turned the topic back to Hellfire.

“Griffin has a man under cover — posing as a bartender I think. I only know his codename, but his reports are thorough. No good news, I’m afraid. I can get you an encrypted copy if you want to know what they’ve been up to. It may not help much, but knowledge is power, right?”

He offered, glad they were talking about this. Almost the whole team was here, they could really get a solid plan. He was reaching for his phone to invite Vivica when the security system heralded her arrival. Think of the devil... he smiled, as she started telling Ziz all sorts of details that presumably no one else was supposed to hear, and then she realized everyone was present. Zach got up from his chair and went to help Viv with the food she was carrying, rubbing her back consolingly with one hand as he relieved the mild embarrassment. Viv mentioned feeling left out and insecure.

“Actually I was just about to shoot you a text. Ash and I came over with pizza to surprise Zizi, Andrew and Steele just turned up coincidentally. But now we’re all here, let’s eat. There’s a bottle on the table.”

He said, handing her a wine glass.

“Oh, this is perfect! We have news to share with everybody, as it happens. I’m glad you’re all here.”

Zach said, pulling the attention off Viv and taking the opportunity to tell everyone at once. He went over to stand behind Ashley’s chair, his hands rubbing her shoulders affectionately.

“Do you want to tell them? No, I want to tell them — Ashley and I are engaged!”
 
Hellfire Mansion - To The Catacombs

Enchantrah and Talisman walked through The Red Wing in unison as their heels made echoing booms throughout the halls as they descended further down into the mansion.

Helena: "We need to smooth this over quickly before Diana decides to give kill orders to both our courts. And remind me to never push a man in her direction again."

"I'll surgically remove her sex drive if neccessary."

Kelly's cobalt blue eyes squinted as she reached out with her omni sight.

"And she might have already released such orders. She's taken control of Haleigh, mentally - which means, she couldn't domesticate her like she thought she could. And she could use Haleigh to act out."

The Black Knight was now next to her Queen, her steps matching the two women continued.

"Amanda - watch The White Princess like a hawk. Any sign of aggression should be matched. And have The Black Guard at the ready. I want them to remain hidden unless I give the order."

She turned to Helena for a moment.

"I'll back your play in regards to Persephone."

They rounded the corner, coming face to face with The White Court as well as it's hostage, Persephone.

"We need to talk, Diana. Alone."

This was the business of The Sisterhood, not of Hellfire. Nobody else needed to know why Helena and Kelly had done what they had done. And it was honestly better for Diana that neither of the women had to say it out loud.
 
Hellfire — Executive Conference Room

Scion was finally compliant, but as she walked off, Diana could feel the distance between their minds like an ever widening chasm. She had a good hold, though. From here to the Red Wing, that wasn’t too far. She’d controlled a pawn farther than that. Of course, her daughter was no regular pawn. She wasn’t a telepath, but the girl’s mental strength was stout. Hereditary benefit, clearly.

Heidi took the opportunity while they were alone to finally ask questions that had been boiling her mind, and Diana answered them as succinctly as possible while still keeping the White Princess on remote control. Heidi was incensed, and it was a good thing. Diana had made an excellent choice in bringing Heidi on as her Knight, and was glad to have her here now. The elemental was ready willing and able to kill for her if necessary.

But Diana couldn’t express her gratitude, because something happened to Scion, something that prompted a renewed struggle for mental dominance. She wasn’t going to win, it was a pointless battle to fight, but the girl tried, and Diana had to expend more effort than she would have liked to regain control. The distance, it was the distance. She was going to have to keep her daughter close from now on. Certainly she couldn’t be sent out of the mansion, or she might be able to break free.

The closer she stayed to Diana, the easier she’d be to control. The longer Diana kept control of her, the easier it would be to navigate her mind. Eventually she would be able to relax, even. Eventually the girl would totally surrender, and then she would obey automatically, without any effort on Diana’s part. Scion would truly belong to her then, and be more loyal even than Heidi. The mental structure just had to be rebuilt, the old framework demolished. Diana resolved to meet that goal before they faced off with the Six.

Heidi offered her a glass of water, and Diana was grateful there was no one else to see. Heidi had the grace not to ask about it, and then the rest of her court arrived. Malice reveled in the sight of Persephone, shackled and suppressed. Heidi helped Scion clean up, while Diana glanced approvingly at Gia, who was wearing her mask and battle suit. Emiko popped in on her own after getting rid of the Red Knight, and Malice was pleased that her entire Court had answered her call.

None of them were traitors, at least. Heidi suggested killing Persephone immediately. It wasn’t a challenge to keep Scion silent. Diana told Heidi to hold off. The others would be arriving soon, and they would answer for their treachery. Her sister Queens came through the door next, the Black Knight with them. Kelly opened with wanting to speak with Diana, alone. The White Court all raised simultaneous objections.

Masque: “That’s not going to happen.”

Fathom: “Have you gone MAD??”

Scion: “We don’t take orders from you.”

Diana smirked coldly as her full Court presented a united front. She looked at her Sister Queens, then glanced around the room. It was a large room, the conference table alone was twenty feet long and it wasn’t crammed into the space. There was plenty of distance to speak privately at one end of the room if the others congregated at the other end. Diana went to the far side of the room and beckoned for her Sister Queens to follow. This was as alone as she was going to let herself get while the other two seemed to have allied against her.

“WHAT is the meaning of this??”

She demanded, looking from Kelly to Helena.

“You had my King murdered?!?”

She asked the Red Queen, the one person she trusted over all others, before turning to look at the Black Queen again.

“Destroyed his domain?!?”

She was a breath away from striking them both with psi javelins strong enough to make them both drooling dullards.

“Explain yourselves.”
 
Upper East Side — Jones Wood Foundry

He kept asking about her life, and for some reason she kept answering him, when she should really just keep her mouth shut.

Gavin: “See, you insist it isn’t interesting, but it only seems to get more so with every detail you drop.”

"Interesting like horrifying?"

It Delilah found it nice the way he talked about his mother, and Delilah felt they were somewhat kindred spirits since it was clear she was no longer around, the same as Delilah's mother. Delilah found herself sorry that dessert was finished and the server was handing her the check. She was startled, though, by Gavin nearly dropping his beer glass as it made a loud clank against the table.

Gavin: “Hey! I pick the place, I get to pay— them’s the rules!”

"Absolutely not. You came here as a favor to me, and helped me out, and then are going to go home and help me some more by going over my accounts. So *I* am buying dinner. That's how business dinners work."

She paused.

"I think."

But anyway, she mentioned that this business dinner hadn't been what she'd expected, that it was nice.

Gavin: “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? Let me at least take care of the tip— I understand they prefer cash.”

She sighed, but assented. Also approvingly noting that he wasn't a stingy tipper. He stood up, collecting his briefcase, and she mirrored his action, picking up her purse.

Gavin: “Shall I walk you to your car?”

"Oh, I walked here actually. It's not far to the Parthenon. I'll just get a cab."

She followed him through the restaurant and out to the sidewalk. She turned to face him, feeling somewhat nervous for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I had a really nice time tonight. And the other night too. Thank you. And thank you for all your help. You really don't know how much help it is."

She held up her hand to a cab, and it pulled up to the curb in front of them.

"Well, you have my number. Good night then."

He opened the cab door for her, and as she slipped past him into the car, she lightly kissed his cheek.

She told the driver to take her to 80th and Park, and as the cab pulled away she turned for a last look and a wave at Gavin. She sighed and leaned back against the seat, wondering what she had just agreed to.

It didn't take long to arrive at the Parthenon, and Delilah handed over the cash as the doorman opened her door and she got out of the car. She headed up to her suite, dropping her purse on the table in the entryway and sinking down into the couch. She felt pleasantly buzzed from the beer, and the company, and she once again thought how nice it was to have something outside of the Six.

Thoughts of the Six brought her back down to reality, though. She thought of everything that had happened - not just recently with Haleigh and Ava, but before that. The Blue Moon, her daughter's birth. How angry she was to be left out of the loop, to have things that affected her kept from her. To have all the decisions made for her, without her knowledge. Just the way Morgan and Alison were doing things now, deciding what they would do without consulting any of the rest of them.

And it occurred to her, that what had happened to her was about to happen to someone else.

She picked up her phone and brought up her contacts, and called Zachary Armani.
 
The Clocktower

Zach poured the wine, and Ash started pulling pizza slices onto her plate. Then Zizi decided to toast them, so Ashley hurriedly dropped the slice she was eating and picked up her glass.

Zizi: "I'm really so happy for both of you. Really."

She did seem genuinely pleased, not like she was dreading it at all. Which made Ashley stop for a second and think. She swallowed the bit of pizza in her mouth.

"Thanks, Zizi - that means a lot."

Ashley was quiet for a moment, then she looked over at Zach, and smiled. He turned around and asked Zizi what she'd been doing since Zach had stolen her roommate. Ashley of course had to give him a hard time about that.

Zach: “Well, I certainly feel like I pulled off a jewel heist, taking you home.”

Ashley smiled, a twinkle in her eye, and hand going to her chest.

"Just remember I took you home first."

Zach: “And Gods know how much I enjoy the plunder now.”

Ashley pushed her chair back from the table a bit, turning her body in Zach's direction.

"You have to dig deep for it too."

She cleared her throat, taking a third slice from the nearest pizza box and taking a bite.

Zizi: "I've been mostly working on the Hellfire problem. But not come up with much of significance, I'm afraid. Making sure we're as protected as we can be is the best I can do so far, I'm afraid. At least things have been quiet."

Ashley mumbled her reply with a mouthful of food.

"Quiet is good."

Which, of course, was the moment that Andrew and John appeared. Very loudly. Ashley glared.

"Andrew if you don't stop yelling I'm going to throw you out the window!"

Andrew was looking for his scarf, even though it wasn't cold out, and John was apologizing for interrupting. Good.

Zach: “Hey guys, welcome! You’ve got perfect timing, food’s still hot.”

Ashley looked at him and made a little whimpering sound.

Zizi: "No interruption at all - please join us. Andrew, you know where the plates are."

Ashley sighed, narrowing her eyes at the two men who were now eyeing her pizza. They'd only brought 3, after all. Zizi, of course, was comforting Andrew and acting like the more the merrier! WTF? Ashley surreptitiously pulled another slice and several wings onto her plate.

Zizi: "You can borrow my lucky computer chip. Now get the plates and have some food, it'll make you feel better. John, more wine glasses please. I was just saying how I haven't made much progress with Hellfire."

Zach: “Griffin has a man under cover — posing as a bartender I think. I only know his codename, but his reports are thorough. No good news, I’m afraid. I can get you an encrypted copy if you want to know what they’ve been up to. It may not help much, but knowledge is power, right?”

Zizi looked like Zach was the answer to her prayers (of course, whose prayer wasn't he the answer to, really?).

Zizi: "That would be fantastic, Zach, thank you. Anything would be helpful, truly. I've hit a wall with this."

Then there was ANOTHER voice from the doorway.

Viv: "Ziz? Are you home? I've had a hell of a day. I broke up with Blaze - turns out I'm maybe not a lesbian, but I do enjoy fish! I got some sushi. Let's---"

Vivica stopped midsentence. Ashley went back to the wing she was holding.

"Too bad you never fucked me - you'd have been a lesbian for life."

Ashley raised her eyes and smirked at her, not forgetting the way she hadn't taken Ashley's side during the whole Rose thing.

Viv: "Sushi and Pizza kinda go together, I guess. I mean Italy and Japan were allies in both world wars. There's gotta be something there. Ya'll better not have left me out of the group text, I'm feeling really insecure these days!"

Zach: “Actually I was just about to shoot you a text. Ash and I came over with pizza to surprise Zizi, Andrew and Steele just turned up coincidentally. But now we’re all here, let’s eat. There’s a bottle on the table.”

Ashley called towards the direction of the kitchen.

"And bring that sushi in here."

Zach got her some wine, and started getting jumpy. She looked at him quizzically.

Zach: “Oh, this is perfect! We have news to share with everybody, as it happens. I’m glad you’re all here.”

He came to stand behind her chair as Ashley was busy wiping her finger off on a wet nap. His hands moved to her shoulders which made he press cat-like against his hands.

Zach: “Do you want to tell them?"

Ashley gave him a look that said, not particularly.

Zach: “No, I want to tell them — Ashley and I are engaged!”

Ashley nodded, looking at all the stares headed in her direction.

"There's even a ring!"

She held up her hand so they could see that it wasn't some made up game. It was real.
 
Hellfire — Halls

Adriana changed in the car, putting on her mostly white battle suit, which fit like a second skin and allowed her full freedom of movement to fight. She pulled her blonde locks back into a tight bun, and donned a very expensive, well made wig composed of real hair in a raven black color. When that was secure she put on her mask, confident in the fact that dressed as she was, she’d be indistinguishable from Gia. That little snot had copied her style, but tonight it was a benefit. She could get the chance to get in and prove herself, and by the time she told the Inner Circle who she really was, they’d have already accepted her.

She told Ettore that she’d probably spend the night here at Hellfire, as a squad of four armed and armored White Guardsmen met her at the front door. They came upon the White Princess in the halls, escorting a clearly captured Red Rook. Weren’t they sisters though? Clearly Scion understood how Adriana felt about Gia. As she’d predicted, Adriana had the opportunity to prove her loyalty before Scion could even say hello. She sapped the Kinetic energy of the opposing guard, slowing their momentum to a halt. There were several of them, neutralized in an instant.

Scion warned her that the Black Court was also against them, and to only trust White, but Adriana didn’t trust anyone and she said as much. She smirked behind her mask when Scion observed her to be smarter than before. She knew Scion was talking about Gia.

“Oh I think you’ll find I’ve made vast improvements.”

She said, and they made the trek down into the catacombs, to places Adriana had never had access to before. Adriana recognized the rest of the White Court when they got down to a board room of sorts. She didn’t say much as the White Knight reacted to their arrival, and moved to cut the Red Rook’s throat with a huge crystal trident that appeared out of thin air. A bit overkill, Adriana thought.

The White Queen wanted them to wait, though, and told them to be ready because they were about to get company. True to her word, three more people arrived. The only ones missing now we’re the Red Knight and Bishop. Haleigh had probably killed them while she was capturing the Rook, though. The Black Queen wanted to speak with Diana alone, but the White Court wasn’t having it. Adriana did speak then, to add her voice to the others. Diana went with the other two Queens to the far side of the room and started talking. The Black Knight was watching Scion’s every move, so Adriana kept her eyes on Amanda.
 
The Clocktower

It had taken a good hour to convince John to drive him to the Clocktower. The both of them had gone back to their own apartments instead of staying at the Clocktower, but John and he had still been spending a lot of time together lately. Zizi had wanted them to keep in contact for safety's sake, but Andrew also suspected John was worried he'd go stalk Delilah or something when he wasn't around. Just because he worked in the same building where she lived, that wasn't stalking. Not the same thing at all.

Some of his stuff had gone missing in the transfer window between places, and one was his lucky red and white Liverpool scarf. The match was on at 7 the next morning and there was no way he could watch it without it. Finally when he'd threatened to walk by himself and gotten halfway to the elevator John had relented to drive him. An exhaustive search of their former residence had ensued, to no avail. John had suggested that maybe Zizi had picked up it when she'd cleaned the place and was keeping it for him. So they headed upstairs.

He called through the doorway as they entered Zizi's place, asking if she'd seen it. Praying she had it. Then he heard another voice.

Ashley: "Andrew if you don't stop yelling I'm going to throw you out the window!"

If that hadn't made him stop in his tracks, the look on her face would have glued him to the spot. He knew she would do it.

Zach: “Hey guys, welcome! You’ve got perfect timing, food’s still hot.”

Zizi: "No interruption at all - please join us. Andrew, you know where the plates are."

There was pizza, and wings, and wine.

"Nearly all my favorite food groups!"

Zizi: "And I'm sorry, I haven't seen your scarf, honey."

Damnit! He stamped his foot. That only left one place it could be...

"X hid it somewhere. I know he did. English bas-"

John was giving him a look that made him think twice about finishing his thought, and instead he just grinned sheepishly at the tall East Londoner. Then he pulled out his phone.

"Just wait until I text that guy...he could be doing anything to it. Anything!"

Zizi patted his hand, which was strangely comforting. He shoved his phone back in his pocket, satisfied that the warnings he'd dished out via text were just the right level of harshness to equate to the crime.

Zizi: "You can borrow my lucky computer chip. Now get the plates and have some food, it'll make you feel better. John, more wine glasses please. I was just saying how I haven't made much progress with Hellfire."

He headed towards the kitchen, calling back towards the conversation.

"Then there's nothing to find, Zizi. Let the Six handle it."

Opening the fridge, there was only one beer left. But beer was the fourth food group, and he couldn't have pizza without it, so he snagged it. The others were drinking wine anyway. He got a few plates from the cupboard and headed back to the dining room, handing a plate to John as he sat down next to him and dished some wings onto his own. Hearing a voice, he looked up to see Vivica coming through the door.

Viv: "Ziz? Are you home? I've had a hell of a day. I broke up with Blaze - turns out I'm maybe not a lesbian, but I do enjoy fish! I got some sushi. Let's---"

Ashley: "Too bad you never fucked me - you'd have been a lesbian for life."

Andrew's plate clattered to the table, his mouth open. The mental images, the sweet sweet mental images...

He gulped, then flashed Vivica his most charming smile.

"You know, I'm available for testing that out, Viv."

Viv: " Ya'll better not have left me out of the group text, I'm feeling really insecure these days!"

Zach: “Actually I was just about to shoot you a text. Ash and I came over with pizza to surprise Zizi, Andrew and Steele just turned up coincidentally. But now we’re all here, let’s eat. There’s a bottle on the table.”

Vivica brought sushi, which he didn't eat much of these days, but once upon a time had enjoyed, so he eyed it with anticipation as she brought it to the table.

Zach: “Oh, this is perfect! We have news to share with everybody, as it happens. I’m glad you’re all here. Do you want to tell them?"

Zach seemed...giddy. Like a kid about to run downstairs to see if Santa had come on Christmas morning.

Zach: “No, I want to tell them — Ashley and I are engaged!”

And as if there needed to be proof...

Ashley: "There's even a ring!"

"Well fuck me."

Andrew was surprised, to say the least. He knew the two of them were joined at the hip but it just seemed so...serious...a thing for Ashley to do. He'd be less surprised if they'd gotten drunk and eloped to Vegas than that they were actually planning to get married. And shit, that could have been Andrew getting married right now if he just hadn't passed out on Zizi's couch... But still, he was happy for them, they really did seem perfect for each other.

"Congratulations!"

He stood and clapped his hands, smiling broadly.

"When's the day?"

His grin took on a particularly lecherous glint, as his focus switched to Zach.

"And when's the bachelor party? It's going to be epic!"
 
The Clocktower

Andrew was being insufferable. It's not that he didn't get lucky charms for sport - he believed in them whole heartedly - but the way stinking Liverpool was playing, they didn't need any luck. And Andrew was going on and on about it, tearing his apartment apart looking for it, convinced Xavier was doing black magick on it or something. It was giving John a headache.

They were going to order takeout, have some beers, relax. But Andrew now wanted to get in the car in Friday night rush hour traffic and head downtown to the Clocktower to look for the damn thing. The boy threatened to walk, which was stupid when living in a city flush with subways and taxi cabs, but that was Andrew. So he'd finally given in.

He'd taken it upon himself to spend more time with Andrew since the whole Rose debacle. He knew "breaking up" with Delilah - if it could even be called that - had hit Andrew hard. Which surprised him, since it wasn't like the kid have never had a girlfriend before. The whole thing smacked of puppy love, and he needed to snap out of it. John knew Delilah well, that she would never intentionally hurt someone else - but she also knew that she was forever linked to Bishop, and would never feel the same way about Andrew. He needed to move on but for some reason wasn't.

They'd search their old floor at the Clocktower and found nothing. It would be like Zizi to clean the place even though they had done it before they'd left, so in the interest of getting this thing over with he'd suggested they go up and ask her if she had it. Andrew burst through the door causing a ruckus. He followed, slightly embarrassed, and saw that Zach and Ashley were also there, and it looked like they were about to eat. And he knew better than to get between Ashley and her food.

Ashley: "Andrew if you don't stop yelling I'm going to throw you out the window!"

He responded to her under his breath.

"I'll help."

He apologized to Zizi for interrupting her dinner, and tried to explain. Which didn't sound reasonable, even to him.

Zach: “Hey guys, welcome! You’ve got perfect timing, food’s still hot.”

Zizi: "No interruption at all - please join us. Andrew, you know where the plates are."

"We really didn't mean to keep you from your dinner."

It did look good, though. His stomach rumbled at the sight.

Andrew: "Nearly all my favorite food groups!"

John shook his head.

"For a former professional athlete, you have an appalling lack of vegetables in your diet."

Zizi: "And I'm sorry, I haven't seen your scarf, honey."

Andrew: "X hid it somewhere. I know he did. English bas-"

If this kid finished that sentence, he would find himself falling 15 stories from the Clocktower's window. Zizi did a great job as always of redirecting Andrew, and she gave him instructions as well.

Zizi: "John, more wine glasses please. I was just saying how I haven't made much progress with Hellfire."

He followed Andrew to the kitchen and picked up a couple wine glasses and headed back to the table.

Andrew: "Then there's nothing to find, Zizi. Let the Six handle it."

He sat down, shaking his head.

"We should go in there now, hit them hard. Raise that mansion to the ground. There's no one there worth saving."

He smiled as another voice joined the party.

Viv: "Ziz? Are you home? I've had a hell of a day. I broke up with Blaze - turns out I'm maybe not a lesbian, but I do enjoy fish! I got some sushi. Let's---"

Andrew: "You know, I'm available for testing that out, Viv."

Steel cuffed Andrew on the back of the head.

"Show your teammate some respect."

Viv: " Ya'll better not have left me out of the group text, I'm feeling really insecure these days!"

Zach: “Actually I was just about to shoot you a text. Ash and I came over with pizza to surprise Zizi, Andrew and Steele just turned up coincidentally. But now we’re all here, let’s eat. There’s a bottle on the table.”

"I'll get you a glass."

He stood and fetched one for her, filling it then setting it at her place, before sitting back down himself.

Zach: “Oh, this is perfect! We have news to share with everybody, as it happens. I’m glad you’re all here. Do you want to tell them?"

Steel looked up at Zach expectantly. And then started to pray that he wasn't about to say that Ashley was pregnant. He was already to smack his own forehead when that came out of Zach's mouth. The images in his head of Ashley caring for a baby were truly frightening. Almost as frightening as the images of a pregnant and hormonal Ashley.

Zach: "No, I want to tell them — Ashley and I are engaged!”

Wow. That was not what he was expecting - thankfully. He stood up in relief and went over to Zach, extending his hand to shake Zach's and leaning down to give Ashley a kiss on the cheek.

"That's wonderful news, congratulations."
 
Kelly and Helena began to make their way to the catacombs to buffer the situation with Diana. To say that the White Queen was blowing things out of proportion was an understatement, letting Ravena's death cloud her judgement. Then again, that was ALL Ravena was doing these days, Helena commenting never to push a man in Diana's direction again.

Kelly: "I'll surgically remove her sex drive if neccessary."

Helena stopped walking for a moment, turning to Kelly looking aghast.

"You are a deeply disturbed woman..."

Helena smirked.

"Remind me never to piss you off."

They continued forward once again, the Black Knight joining them as they all walked in unison to the catacombs. Kelly began to break down what was going on, using her Omi Sight to give them a leg up before entering the catacombs. The Black and Red Guards were all on standby as they prepared to enter, Kelly slowing to a stop and turning to Helena.

Kelly: "I'll back your play in regards to Persephone."

Helena looked at Kelly but remained quiet, her lack of response telling. Finally they entered the catacombs to see the entire White Court ready and waiting for them, holding Persephone in chains like a dog.

Kelly: "We need to talk, Diana. Alone."

And on cue:

Masque: “That’s not going to happen.”

Fathom: “Have you gone MAD??”

Scion: “We don’t take orders from you.”

Helena narrowed her eyes, this whole situation really starting to piss her off.

"Oh shut up, all of you."

Diana began to walk toward the back of the massive room, Helena rolling her eyes at the White Court as she and Kelly followed the White Queen. As soon as they were all ear shot away from everyone, Diana immediately began to demand answers.

Diana: “WHAT is the meaning of this?? You had my King murdered?!?”

Helena casually shrugged.

Diana: “Destroyed his domain?!?”

She glanced at Kelly with a satisfied 'you did that bitch' look before looking back at Diana.

Diana: “Explain yourselves.”

Helena waved her hand, dismissing all over Diana's bolstering.

"Calm down, Di. You'll ruin your botox."

Helena sighed as she slid her bottom up onto the table, crossing her legs at the knee.

"Your [air quoting] "King" - and I use that term loosely - was using his abilities to manipulate your mind. He had outwardly attacked my Rook, not once but TWICE."

Helena glanced over at Persephone across the room before looking at Diana, her casual demeanor becoming more serious.

"With our history, I know you would never stand for that. But you DID, and it was a problem Kelly and I rectified. We both made the decision to take Ravena out to protect our Queendom - to protect you."
 
Clara Oswald
Clara Oswald
lmao "you did that bitch"
Upper East Side — Jones Wood Foundry

Gavin told Delilah that her story kept getting more interesting by the detail, and she asked him if interesting was a euphemism for horrifying. He chuckled and shook his head. Horrifying was a more accurate description of his own past, and how his mum dying in that terrible incident had shaped his young adult life. He eased around the subject though, answering her questions without laying all the depressing details on her heavily. He didn’t want to make her sad or uncomfortable.

The waiter came by again and Delilah snagged the check, despite his protestations. She made a counter-argument that he really couldn’t contest. He got her to agree to letting him tip, at least. Next time he’d arrange it with the server beforehand. He offered to walk her to her car, and was surprised to hear she’d walked here.

“Aw, I should’ve picked you up...”

He interjected, but she said it wasn’t far. He didn’t want her walking home alone at night, though, and he was going to insist on walking her back, but she hailed a cab. He felt bad, wanting to offer her a ride home in the Clandestine BMW, a way better ride than any NYC cab. But she was already going for the cab, so he hurried to at least open the door for her.

Delilah: “I had a really nice time tonight. And the other night too. Thank you. And thank you for all your help. You really don't know how much help it is."

”Of course, you’re quite welcome. It’s really no trouble at-all. And I had a great time too. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Delilah: "Well, you have my number. Good night then."

“Yes. I’ll call you tomorrow to set up our date. Good Night.”

And then every coherent thought left his head, because she’d kissed his cheek. His hand went there slowly, amazed. She waved as the cab pulled away, and he gave a dazed little wave of his own, a grin slowly growing. He stood there for several minutes before calling his driver back to pick him up, and then he spent the whole ride home reliving the night.
 
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