[ in retrospect, coming out here without being better prepared was absolutely a bad idea, one that charles squarely blames himself for — because, no, he doesn't have anything to throw, and he should. he should have asked jinx for some of her bombs, should have made preparations for this exact eventuality: the simulation throwing yet another curveball at them, one he can't just whack aside with his bat. junpei's safety is his responsibility, and he can't afford to fuck this up. ]
I don't, [ he says, his voice still steady — it takes on an almost reassuring edge, like he's putting his everything into making sure junpei won't freak out over this. ] Hey, I'll run too. Course I will. I can hold whatever comes at us back, but I can't kill it, not with this. [ this; another twirl of his bat. ] But that's the thing, love, I have to hold it back. If I don't get at least a few good hits in, it'll just catch us.
[ he closes his eyes for a moment, listens; the slithering is coming from somewhere to their right, now, and he starts to tug junpei to the left, trying to visualise the quickest way to run back home through the street that opens up there.
then, he opens his eyes, and aims a tender look at junpei, despite the situation. ]
I mean, would I prefer it if I could get you to go on ahead? Yeah, sure. But I meant — let me protect you, and when whatever's out there is regrouping, we'll make a break for it. [ so his instructions, well, they always included him running, too — maybe a little bit behind him, yes, but he doesn't mean to stay behind. ]
[Okay, first order of business, whenever possible: get throwable items. Even just a rock or something, and Junpei would be looking around for a sizable rock to chuck at a monster if he weren't looking at Charles. He's not freaking out, to his credit, but he doesn't look especially calm and collected either; there's an openly strained, almost pained look on his face as he considers the myriad terrible possibilities here. His imagination has already run away with "Charles stays behind," so it's with a mix of sick dread at that thought and slow relief at Charles not doing that that he just... looks.
It's still not... a completely great feeling. He doesn't want them to be separated for event a moment, especially with the imminent threat of violence. He glances down at the bat when Charles twirls it and then back up hastily, mouth screwed up in a tight, uncomfortable line. Charles shifts them and Junpei half-stumbles, squeezing Charles' hand tightly and reaching to touch his cheek with his other hand.]
That's monster movie logic, but whatever.
[Just saying!! To Junpei it only makes sense that they need to split up and Charles has to get a minimum number of hits in if they're literally living in a horror movie, which—
Well, the moon is fucked up and there were coffins sitting around a block behind them, so maybe it's close enough. Still, it sounds ridiculous to him, but that could also be the stress talking.]
I'm not leaving you behind, [they both know this, so he adds,] so I'm not going further than the corner over there. And I'm going to find a big goddamn rock for throwing.
[Nonnegotiable, this plan! He glances around wildly for a moment—no idea where the monster is, he has no keen sense for monster positioning—then presses close on tiptoe to pull Charles into a kiss, swift and firm. Then another, sliding his hand back from Charles' cheek to curl his fingers in his hair, grip tight. If they're living in a horror movie then he's getting his dramatic climactic scene, or so help him—
When he steps back he sways a little, again, but he nods; he can handle this. They can absolutely handle this.]
[ it is an uncomfortable fact that he has still not grown used to not having his bag of tricks, here — there he'd have grenades, and a lit molotov cocktail, and a variety of other useful things, and he laments its loss even more now than ever. but he's going to have to make do with just the cricket bat; it's not enchanted for nothing, and he's made it through worse situations.
(yes, whispers a voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like crystal, and you had edwin with his array of magic skills there to get you out of the situations you couldn't fight your way through. and it's true, but — it's fine, right? it's fine. it'll be fine.)
with a slight smile and tilting his head into the touch, ] Those movies had to get it from somewhere, didn't they? Reckon at least some people working on them were wizards, or psychics, or something.
[ some that he's seen are complete bullshit, but others are surprisingly accurate, enough so that it's actually pretty suspicious. but movies aside; he nods, because he's resigned to not being able to make junpei leave him behind like he should, and finding a rock, well. he doubts it'll make much of a difference, but if it makes him feel like he's doing something useful, maybe that's use enough for it.
so he doesn't argue, and even if he had, the words would be lost to the kiss — he lets go of junpei's hand only so he can hook his arm around him, pull him as close as he can, pouring all of his love into the kisses. and yeah, perhaps this is all needlessly dramatic, perhaps everything will be just fine... but he'd wished he'd kissed junpei like this before leaving for ketsora, so he's not making the same mistake now.
and then junpei's stepping back and charles is nodding and opening his mouth to answer, except the back of his neck is prickling and he can feel the way the air behind him is moving — so instead of saying anything, he moves his hand so he can give junpei a firm push to his chest, send him stumbling back as far as he can, before he's spinning on his feet and smacking his bat straight into the head of a giant snake, sending it careening to the side. ]
[Junpei scoffs, despite himself—but they don't really have the time to discuss the accuracy of monster movies, not when there's a great big something skulking around close enough to definitely know they're here. It's a miracle and a half already that they have time to plan ("plan"), hasty as it is, and to kiss like the world is ending.
Maybe it is, again—there's really no way of knowing how long the moon is going to look like that, or the streets remain foggy and full of monsters. It's time worth taking no matter what, to put into pure feeling the things words would take too long to get across. These kisses are I love you and be careful and we'll be fine and kick its ass, for good luck—and a half-dozen other things that circle around the moment until they break apart.
And then Charles shoves him back, and Junpei might have had something else to say but it dies in his throat as he stumbles and nearly trips over himself, catching his footing just in time to see something huge and duck, even with Charles between it and him—
He doesn't get a clear look until the thing veers off to the side, spitting? Hissing? Oh, it's-]
What the fuck, [he says, and scrambles back a bit more, trying to keep his eyes on the big lumbering body of the snake. He crouches low, fumbling around for a rock, finding a whole bunch of stones that are way too small to do anything against a thing that big, shit—
Unless... He grabs a rock the size of his fist, hefting it, considering as he calls out—]
Hey— If I throw something, can you hit it with that thing?
[ the kisses speak for them, an exchange of reassurances and hope and love before they are forced to part — but those reassurances center charles as he looks at the snake that looms over him, its scales gleaming in the moonlight. ]
Bollocks, [ says charles, and closes his eyes for a split second. ] Didn't I kill you once before?
[ well, this is fucking great news, because it means that all number of horrors he is familiar with might show up here, if this snake can do so — only, this seems to be a slightly smaller one than the giant one esther had in her magic cellar. only slightly; it's still huge, and charles mutters another set of curses as he ducks another attempt from the snake to bite clean through him.
he's just getting to his feet when junpei calls out to him with — ]
That's brills! [ — the best idea to possibly get them out of this situation, god, charles really does love him so much. ]
Just throw it at me, yeah? I'll take care of the aiming.
[Wait— before? Did he hear that right while he was scrambling around for rocks, before? That's something he'll have to ask about later, when the immediate threat of the big evil snake is handled.
Good, at least, that Charles is on board with the new plan. Junpei skids to one side, not getting any closer to the snake but finding a better angle to, well, throw rocks. If he throws it from here, and Charles works his bat magic, then... that'll do it?
He doesn't know how to triangulate; he's leaving that up to Charles entirely, as requested. So, okay,]
Alright, get ready! Get it good and I'll get you another trophy!
[Ha ha— he will though, for the bit, for when they can look back on this and think it's funny and not terrifying. That's that though, and he waits for only a split second more, to make sure Charles looks ready enough before he throws the rock in his direction.]
[ despite the situation, despite the snake turning around, its dead-looking eyes fixing on the two of them — charles laughs, twirling the bat in his hand before he steps one foot back, gripping the bat with both hands.
because, here's the thing: he never felt particularly smart at school, never found studying easy, only scraped through with sheer persistence. and one might think that of course a guy who isn't good in the classroom, who can never quite sit still, would go for sports — but that's only part of the truth. because on the pitch, standing with a bat clutched in his hands, was the only time he felt smart. he could see what play the opposing team were going for based on nothing but their movements; he could keep calm, analyse the field, choose the best strategy without any instruction.
and, perhaps most important, he could feel the curve of the ball in his wrist, could eyeball some triangles and trajectories and know exactly how to get the ball there.
so junpei throws the rock, and charles swings — the bat connects with the rock with a sound loud as a bullet, and he sends it barreling through the air with a beautiful curve, right at the side of the snake's head. ]
Run! [ his yell cuts the air at the same time as the snake's body collides with the nearest building, the magical force of the bat transferred into the rock. it won't be enough to kill it... but it will take it a moment to get back up again, so this is their chance.
and true to his word, charles too turns and starts running as fast as he can — and as soon as he catches up to junpei, he'll grab his hand so as to make sure they won't get separated when running through the streets. ]
[It's horrifying by any measure— snakes aren't supposed to be that big, and other horror stories! But Junpei would be remiss not to stop and watch Charles do his thing. The little twirl, the way he laughs, the whole swing— it's life or death, but there's no denying just how good he looks doing it. That easy confidence, doing something so high stakes and dangerous, well!
He's a beautiful sight, that's all! Junpei can hardly be blamed for stopping to stare, unable to help smiling; give him a second for the adrenaline high to settle back down into fear.
But first, some helpful cheering, complete with a fist pump:]
Yeah! Hell yeah! Take that, jackass snake!
[—There's the fear though, right on time, and he scrambles to turn and start going in- in a direction? The one Charles shoved him in before, at least. It's an instant relief when Charles grabs his hand, still running— when he looks over his shoulder to see if they're being followed, rounding a corner,]
[ the cheering makes him grin on instinct — it's cute, is what it is, and charles wishes he had the time to appropriately appreciate just how junpei's enthusiastic cheers make him feel warm and happy... if only for a split second, before the worry and urgency crash back and he's spinning on his feet and yelling for junpei to make the most of this moment and just run.
their hands clasped together makes the worst of his worry abate, at least a little — at least like this, junpei can't be taken from him, at least like this he's holding on. ]
Monsters, [ he says in return, voice a little tight but not at all out of breath despite running for his afterlife, ] Reckon they've moved in from the surrounding areas, you know, because of the darkness.
[ he pauses, listens carefully whether there's any kind of a slithering noise following them; and when he can't hear anything (yet), he sighs in relief and looks at junpei. ] You okay?
[For all that Junpei has been through the wringer when it comes to life or death situations, as it were, he hasn't done much literal running for his life. And he still needs to breathe, so give him a moment as they sprint away from the snake before he can speak again, focused solely on moving his legs and clinging to Charles' hand lest he, who knows, trip and somehow roll all the way back to the snake or something—!!
So yeah, give him a moment to catch his breath; he shakes his head, and yet he still says:]
Yeah, I'm good. I'm okay. I should get more rocks, or... something.
[Just in case? Maybe? He's looking around for rocks for lack of anything else to do; doing nothing would make him feel more antsy and freaked out, so. Rocks.
And,] What if it follows us the whole way? That thing could eat Gab like an appetizer.
[ meanwhile, in direct contrast, charles not only has no need to breathe, but also "running for his afterlife" is a regular, run-of-the-mill, every third day of the week type of an activity for him — but he slows their pace to let junpei catch his breath, while very genuinely wondering if it'd just be quicker for him to carry him. ]
Not a bad idea. That was a right proper throw. [ his earnest little compliment aside, ] I know. [ he grips his bat tighter as he says, ] Pretty sure that's a smaller version of a snake that was fed little girls on the regular. The only upside to this whole thing is that the witch isn't here —
[ that's all that charles manages to say, before a rattling sound cuts him off; the snake's taken a different route, not following them directly but rather rounding the block the other way around, and charles has just the time to let go of junpei's hand and say one single fuck before the snake's tail smashes right into him and sends him flying straight into the nearest building, the sound of breaking glass mingling with the snake's hissing as he forgets to phase through the building and breaks the window instead.
it's okay, he's fine, it looks far more dramatic than it is — the snake's fangs would have done some real damage, but this is just damage to the property and not him. ]
[So, here's the thing: knowing more facts about this snake is not making Junpei feel any better about their current situation. He makes a face, looking stricken and shocked and probably some other emotions all at once, and he manages to get out a—]
Oh yeah, the upside, jesus—
[And then lots of things happen at once, and before he can even stop to comprehend most of it he's been practically blown out of the way by the suddenness of the snake's tail swing, stumbling and falling back on his ass, because of course he does. One moment Charles was there and the next he's gone and the side of an actual building is smashed in, holy shit—
And is this the part where he's supposed to run on his own? Possibly! Could very well be! But saying it and actually doing it are two separate things, so Junpei has already grabbed the nearest thing he can reach - a piece of metal, looks like it was part of the window frame - and thrown it as hard as he could at the lamppost on the corner, where it clangs and clatters loud enough to get the snake to turn its head and move a few meters in that direction. Junpei takes that moment to dash to the broken window and just—haul himself right inside, hi, he's here, sorry—]
Charles? [He's sort of half-whispering, hey-] We gotta- fucking- loop around or something—
[Does this building have a back door, great question!]
[ charles has the time to grimace back, almost apologetic, looking two seconds away from saying sorry and regretting that he said anything about the snake in the first place — but then, well, he's too busy crashing into an unsuspecting house, so there goes that.
it takes him a moment to phase through the rubble, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed; when he does, it's to gape at junpei just dragging himself through the window to get inside the goddamn building, what the hell, ]
You, [ he says, looking like he can't decide whether to be worried or incredulous or fond and ending up doing some kind of amalgamation of all three. but, well, they're both here now, so... so. recalibrating the plan. ]
Right. Yeah, looping around. Think there's a door?
[ a functional door, at that... no, you know what. he's tired of this fucking snake, actually. ]
I'm gonna try one more thing. Wait here. [ that's literally all the warning he gives before he's just floating up and through the ceiling, onto the roof; ghost physics, those, very handy sometimes. once on the roof, he just yells out, ]
Hey! Looking for me? [ and the moment the snake turns, well, he's throwing his bat like it's a boomerang; it spins through the air in an arc until it crashes right at the snake, knocking it into another building (whoops, sorry aldrip infrastructure). the bat continues its spinning right back into charles' outstretched hand, and the second it's there, he's sinking back down through the roof and into the building. ]
Let's go, [ he says, and unless junpei has found a door in the meantime, he's going to help him out of the window so they can resume operation: escape from the snake and save the dog. ]
[Hi, hello, he's here indeed— And there goes Charles, leaving Junpei to boggle at the ceiling for a moment before he hears the noises outside, swears, and resumes picking through this half-destroyed room for a viable second exit.
...Well, there's another window in the back, which he's shoved open and half-climbed onto the sill, waiting for Charles to come back down. It's no door, obviously, but he's still set on leaving this building from a different direction than they entered it, for the sake of not running right back into the snake's definitely waiting jaws—
So, hey. He holds out his hand, ready to grab Charles and go as soon as he gets over here.]
Come on, we've probably got a minute if we're lucky. How do you even kill a big snake?
[Rhetorical, they're getting out of here, never mind—]
[ sorry, he wasn't about to leave the snake out there ready to come after them if he could help it — and his bat didn't even break in the process, so he's counting this as a win. a small win, but a win nonetheless.
so he jogs over to junpei the second his feet touch the floor again, reaching for his hand. ]
With a sword, [ comes his answer, entirely serious. and there's a plan forming already — one that'll have to wait, though, because junpei's safety goes before anything and everything else. ]
Right, ready to run some more? [ he doesn't think they're too far, now — hopefully the snake will be delayed enough that they can actually make it back home. ]
[Don't answer the question, let's go!! As soon as he has Charles' hand, Junpei is all but tipping them out of the window, ready to dash in whatever direction Charles points them in. They're behind the building, sure, but Junpei didn't see where the snake went and he's not taking the lead on that himself.]
Sure, yeah, let's go. Tell me about swords later.
[Actually do? He'll see how he's feeling when they get the dog and find somewhere safe to hunker down, he might be in the mood to hear about cool swords.
There's a noise like a lot of stone being knocked to the ground somewhere in the near distance, though, which means it is time to go. Junpei makes a face, dire.]
[ look, he can answer the question and move at the same time! multitasking, it's a skill. one borne out of having entire arguments while running for your afterlife on the weekly, no doubt.
and oh, charles has no intention to tell him of swords later at all, actually, remembering junpei's reaction to hearing about what had almost happened to becky aspen — in fact, there's very little that's not going to make him worry about the whole of port townsend, so it's probably best to forget about that. he's very carefully told him of the easier cases, so far, the ones that aren't little girls getting eaten by a giant snake and a man murdering his own family in a loop for thirty years and shitty teenage guys causing one girl to kill herself and another to become a murderer — and, yeah, he's going to keep it that way. he knows junpei would get it, and that's exactly why; he's had enough of the shitty sides of being a detective, hasn't he?
none of this has been a very conscious decision, and it certainly isn't something charles spends more than a few seconds thinking of, not with the noise coming from the distance-and-yet-still-too-close, and, ]
Bollocks, [ he says, with feeling. ] Right. New plan. D'you think there'd be a mirror in any of the houses nearby?
No, no, it's definitely for the best to get out of here, grab Gab, find somewhere snake-free to be and then forget about all of this entirely. They can reminisce about the cool rock-hitting moment later and nothing else; that's for the best. Junpei makes a face like he can't quite comprehend the question, then-]
Every house has a mirror in it, don't they?
[Why wouldn't they— And he hates the way being inside the mirror feels, but he'd probably hate being bitten in half by a giant snake more, so alright, he can get behind where this plan is going.]
I mean, I'll climb over a bathroom sink if I really have to, so— pick a house. [On cue, somewhere behind them, there's another crashing sound.] I love breaking and entering, let's go.
Except the one just now, [ he says, and corrects with a wince, ] Or, well, it did before I broke it.
[ by smashing in half of the wall, anyway — good, so plan mirror is a go, then. he tugs junpei with him to try the closest house; the door is locked, though, and he grabs his bat and just, hm, smashes the door in. it makes a crash, which causes noise behind them, which is decidedly not great; but if this works, then it'll be fine. they'll be fine. ]
Oh, thank fuck, [ he breathes out as there's a perfectly acceptable mirror mounted above a vanity desk in one of the rooms; better than having to climb over the sink, that. he places his hand on the mirror, searching for the quickest way; and when he finds it, he just turns to junpei. ] Right, ready?
[ for the mirror, yes, but also for charles to crouch down, slide his free hand around his back and, letting go of junpei's hand for this, then hooking his other hand behind his legs and just scooping him up in a princess carry like he weighs exactly nothing. ]
[Maybe they should start toting a full length mirror around with them at all times, that will help. Junpei has no quips for that, not really, and so he falls silent as Charles leads them to the next house - and, uh, smashes the way inside, at which point he finds his voice long enough again to mumble,]
Should we leave these people a note, or something...?
[Someone lives here, right? Even if they're a local who hates them now or someone who's already been turned into a coffin or whatever, it's— well!
Maybe it's not so important. There's a mirror, and Junpei can only remember the last time he went through the mirrors, frowning at it even as the sound from outside continues to get closer and closer. That's where he is mentally when Charles scoops him up like it's nothing, and, huh.
Give him a minute. He's not thinking about the noise outside anymore, blinking rapidly a few times like he has to aggressively force himself to focus. Faced with this heroic rescue in the midst of terrifying danger, after watching Charles do action movie stuff all over several city blocks, unfortunately(?) the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,]
Sorry, this is the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. [he's focused. he is.] Uh—I'm ready, I— yeah.
[ he does hear the suggestion, and actually takes it into account — only, junpei's safety is the most important thing right now, and everything else comes second, property damage included.
and he's not really thinking about re-enacting an action movie, here, he's thinking that carrying junpei will be faster, which means it will take them less time inside the mirror, which means less of a headache for him; so when junpei's comment is, hm, that, it throws him for a second or so, just because he really wasn't doing this to woo him —
but then he grins, and despite the fact that the noise is now pretty much at the front door, he leans in to give junpei a kiss best described as searing — and, pulling back after hearing a distinct slithering sound coming from the next room over, ] Now we're ready.
[ and then he's jumping up onto the desk in one swift move (thank you, optional gravity) and ducking his head to step into the mirror just as the snake crashes into the room.
which is why he says, ] Don't worry, I'll leave them an anonymous donation, for the repairs. [ of course he will; the locals may hate them but they did just pretty much destroy that house, so. he's going to fix it.
luckily, this time the trip through the mirror takes only a handful of seconds, and then they're bursting through the mirror in their house. ]
[Well, he was ready, but when Charles kisses him like that it knocks the wind out of him more than any of the running from the big snake did. This is action-movie-ready, for sure; he presses into it automatically, wrapping an arm around Charles' shoulders just in time for the desk jump. Is he still ready, actually—]
I dunno, a note's a... gesture.
[A note and also the donation, but never mind it yet. The kiss-dizzy gets momentarily compounded by the mirror-dizzy, until they're out of the chaos and danger and into the comparatively deafening quiet of their house. The darkness makes it feel even more stifling, and Junpei looks over Charles' shoulder to the mirror, just in case - can a snake get through there? Probably not, right, but if it's a snake from Charles' very own ghost adventures, then...?
The noise that interrupts and makes him startle isn't the snake smashing through the glass, though, but the little pads of Gab's steps as he trots over to circle their feet in the dark.]
—Oh, fuck. Shit. Okay. Uh, what do we need to-? We've gotta get Gab, and put Gab in a bag or something, I don't know? Do we even have a duffel bag?
[Gab makes some appreciative yapping noises upon hearing his name. Put him in a backpack!!]
[ did he manage to emulate an action movie scene sufficiently? he may have been missing a snazzy line to say, really, but maybe he'll be forgiven that oversight — regardless, it's a nice, short moment there in the middle of a situation that sucks quite badly, actually, and he has to focus once they're inside the mirror, and even when they're outside of it, too.
he lowers junpei down to his own feet only when he's entirely sure the only other living being in the house is gab — the silence inside the house is oppressive, almost, the darkness now a real danger instead of a mere inconvenience, and the reality that they have to get out of here and fast is what spurs charles into action.
in one swift move, he pulls the bat out of his bag, and holds it out for junpei to take. ] Here, use this. I can come back for other stuff later. [ it's just big enough; luckily, gab isn't a big dog, and charles can make multiple trips to get junpei a change of clothes, gab some of his food, and whatever else they might need. ]
The inn, [ he says then, as he crouches down to pick gab up gently so he can be placed in the backpack. ] Should be our best bet. There's a big mirror in the hall, I put one there just in case. [ thank you richard for asking for his help in redecorating, ] If it's not safe, well, reckon there'll be others, so strength in numbers and whatnot.
[Junpei takes the bag without looking, already looking down to mumble at Gab that they're going on a trip and he's got to be a good boy and hang out in this backpack for a while, okay? It's a good thing, too, because if he actually said, out loud, that there's nothing else to come back and get, well— maybe he'll hold off on admitting he would willingly sit in the inn and stare, in the same clothes, doing nothing, for however long this takes. As long as Gab is fed and he himself doesn't, like, starve or whatever, who cares...
He'll keep that much to himself. He holds the bag open for Gab, who personally, is having a pretty good time, now that he's not alone in the dark.]
More mirrors. [blegh.....] Yeah, okay. That'll work.
[He puts the backpack on backwards, so it's more like a baby carrier with Gab in it, because he's not going to lose his damn dog in the mirror world or somewhere else. Then he stares down the hallway into the dark, thinking - he's still fairly convinced that snake is going to track them down no matter what, so- so yeah, they have to go, they can't hang around here.
He sighs and turns, shuffling up beside Charles to grip the back of his coat and lean his head on his shoulder, just for a moment. Did he mention blegh? Blegh.]
Let's get out of here. If something wrecks the place... Well, let's go.
Sorry, [ he says immediately, frowning apologetically — he knows junpei hates the mirrors, and really, he wouldn't be suggesting it if running to the inn was an option... but it's not. not with the snake and god knows what else out there.
he draws junpei into a tight side-hug as he leans against him, there, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his temple. ]
Yeah. Just — [ with a glance at the door, too; so far no sounds from the outside, so. he looks at the mirror, its surface still for now. ]
I could go ahead, open the way, then it'll just be stepping in and out, for you. [ but it will mean him having to, well, go ahead, literally, leaving junpei and gab waiting there for the ten or twenty seconds it'll take him to get there.
he adds, with a half-shrug, ] Or I could just carry both of you. [ that's an option, too, gab is no added weight at all. but he wants this to be as easy as possible, and junpei hates mirrors, so if there's anything he can do to make it more comfortable... well. of course he'll do it. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no that's littering
I don't, [ he says, his voice still steady — it takes on an almost reassuring edge, like he's putting his everything into making sure junpei won't freak out over this. ] Hey, I'll run too. Course I will. I can hold whatever comes at us back, but I can't kill it, not with this. [ this; another twirl of his bat. ] But that's the thing, love, I have to hold it back. If I don't get at least a few good hits in, it'll just catch us.
[ he closes his eyes for a moment, listens; the slithering is coming from somewhere to their right, now, and he starts to tug junpei to the left, trying to visualise the quickest way to run back home through the street that opens up there.
then, he opens his eyes, and aims a tender look at junpei, despite the situation. ]
I mean, would I prefer it if I could get you to go on ahead? Yeah, sure. But I meant — let me protect you, and when whatever's out there is regrouping, we'll make a break for it. [ so his instructions, well, they always included him running, too — maybe a little bit behind him, yes, but he doesn't mean to stay behind. ]
in my own house??? nah
It's still not... a completely great feeling. He doesn't want them to be separated for event a moment, especially with the imminent threat of violence. He glances down at the bat when Charles twirls it and then back up hastily, mouth screwed up in a tight, uncomfortable line. Charles shifts them and Junpei half-stumbles, squeezing Charles' hand tightly and reaching to touch his cheek with his other hand.]
That's monster movie logic, but whatever.
[Just saying!! To Junpei it only makes sense that they need to split up and Charles has to get a minimum number of hits in if they're literally living in a horror movie, which—
Well, the moon is fucked up and there were coffins sitting around a block behind them, so maybe it's close enough. Still, it sounds ridiculous to him, but that could also be the stress talking.]
I'm not leaving you behind, [they both know this, so he adds,] so I'm not going further than the corner over there. And I'm going to find a big goddamn rock for throwing.
[Nonnegotiable, this plan! He glances around wildly for a moment—no idea where the monster is, he has no keen sense for monster positioning—then presses close on tiptoe to pull Charles into a kiss, swift and firm. Then another, sliding his hand back from Charles' cheek to curl his fingers in his hair, grip tight. If they're living in a horror movie then he's getting his dramatic climactic scene, or so help him—
When he steps back he sways a little, again, but he nods; he can handle this. They can absolutely handle this.]
Just tell me which way to go and I'll do it.
sooooo you mean instead it's (g)littering--
(yes, whispers a voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like crystal, and you had edwin with his array of magic skills there to get you out of the situations you couldn't fight your way through. and it's true, but — it's fine, right? it's fine. it'll be fine.)
with a slight smile and tilting his head into the touch, ] Those movies had to get it from somewhere, didn't they? Reckon at least some people working on them were wizards, or psychics, or something.
[ some that he's seen are complete bullshit, but others are surprisingly accurate, enough so that it's actually pretty suspicious. but movies aside; he nods, because he's resigned to not being able to make junpei leave him behind like he should, and finding a rock, well. he doubts it'll make much of a difference, but if it makes him feel like he's doing something useful, maybe that's use enough for it.
so he doesn't argue, and even if he had, the words would be lost to the kiss — he lets go of junpei's hand only so he can hook his arm around him, pull him as close as he can, pouring all of his love into the kisses. and yeah, perhaps this is all needlessly dramatic, perhaps everything will be just fine... but he'd wished he'd kissed junpei like this before leaving for ketsora, so he's not making the same mistake now.
and then junpei's stepping back and charles is nodding and opening his mouth to answer, except the back of his neck is prickling and he can feel the way the air behind him is moving — so instead of saying anything, he moves his hand so he can give junpei a firm push to his chest, send him stumbling back as far as he can, before he's spinning on his feet and smacking his bat straight into the head of a giant snake, sending it careening to the side. ]
it's (g)iving
Maybe it is, again—there's really no way of knowing how long the moon is going to look like that, or the streets remain foggy and full of monsters. It's time worth taking no matter what, to put into pure feeling the things words would take too long to get across. These kisses are I love you and be careful and we'll be fine and kick its ass, for good luck—and a half-dozen other things that circle around the moment until they break apart.
And then Charles shoves him back, and Junpei might have had something else to say but it dies in his throat as he stumbles and nearly trips over himself, catching his footing just in time to see something huge and duck, even with Charles between it and him—
He doesn't get a clear look until the thing veers off to the side, spitting? Hissing? Oh, it's-]
What the fuck, [he says, and scrambles back a bit more, trying to keep his eyes on the big lumbering body of the snake. He crouches low, fumbling around for a rock, finding a whole bunch of stones that are way too small to do anything against a thing that big, shit—
Unless... He grabs a rock the size of his fist, hefting it, considering as he calls out—]
Hey— If I throw something, can you hit it with that thing?
i'm (c)rying
Bollocks, [ says charles, and closes his eyes for a split second. ] Didn't I kill you once before?
[ well, this is fucking great news, because it means that all number of horrors he is familiar with might show up here, if this snake can do so — only, this seems to be a slightly smaller one than the giant one esther had in her magic cellar. only slightly; it's still huge, and charles mutters another set of curses as he ducks another attempt from the snake to bite clean through him.
he's just getting to his feet when junpei calls out to him with — ]
That's brills! [ — the best idea to possibly get them out of this situation, god, charles really does love him so much. ]
Just throw it at me, yeah? I'll take care of the aiming.
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Good, at least, that Charles is on board with the new plan. Junpei skids to one side, not getting any closer to the snake but finding a better angle to, well, throw rocks. If he throws it from here, and Charles works his bat magic, then... that'll do it?
He doesn't know how to triangulate; he's leaving that up to Charles entirely, as requested. So, okay,]
Alright, get ready! Get it good and I'll get you another trophy!
[Ha ha— he will though, for the bit, for when they can look back on this and think it's funny and not terrifying. That's that though, and he waits for only a split second more, to make sure Charles looks ready enough before he throws the rock in his direction.]
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because, here's the thing: he never felt particularly smart at school, never found studying easy, only scraped through with sheer persistence. and one might think that of course a guy who isn't good in the classroom, who can never quite sit still, would go for sports — but that's only part of the truth. because on the pitch, standing with a bat clutched in his hands, was the only time he felt smart. he could see what play the opposing team were going for based on nothing but their movements; he could keep calm, analyse the field, choose the best strategy without any instruction.
and, perhaps most important, he could feel the curve of the ball in his wrist, could eyeball some triangles and trajectories and know exactly how to get the ball there.
so junpei throws the rock, and charles swings — the bat connects with the rock with a sound loud as a bullet, and he sends it barreling through the air with a beautiful curve, right at the side of the snake's head. ]
Run! [ his yell cuts the air at the same time as the snake's body collides with the nearest building, the magical force of the bat transferred into the rock. it won't be enough to kill it... but it will take it a moment to get back up again, so this is their chance.
and true to his word, charles too turns and starts running as fast as he can — and as soon as he catches up to junpei, he'll grab his hand so as to make sure they won't get separated when running through the streets. ]
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He's a beautiful sight, that's all! Junpei can hardly be blamed for stopping to stare, unable to help smiling; give him a second for the adrenaline high to settle back down into fear.
But first, some helpful cheering, complete with a fist pump:]
Yeah! Hell yeah! Take that, jackass snake!
[—There's the fear though, right on time, and he scrambles to turn and start going in- in a direction? The one Charles shoved him in before, at least. It's an instant relief when Charles grabs his hand, still running— when he looks over his shoulder to see if they're being followed, rounding a corner,]
Holy shit— I mean, what the fuck!
[Survived!! But also What the Hell Ass.]
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their hands clasped together makes the worst of his worry abate, at least a little — at least like this, junpei can't be taken from him, at least like this he's holding on. ]
Monsters, [ he says in return, voice a little tight but not at all out of breath despite running for his afterlife, ] Reckon they've moved in from the surrounding areas, you know, because of the darkness.
[ he pauses, listens carefully whether there's any kind of a slithering noise following them; and when he can't hear anything (yet), he sighs in relief and looks at junpei. ] You okay?
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So yeah, give him a moment to catch his breath; he shakes his head, and yet he still says:]
Yeah, I'm good. I'm okay. I should get more rocks, or... something.
[Just in case? Maybe? He's looking around for rocks for lack of anything else to do; doing nothing would make him feel more antsy and freaked out, so. Rocks.
And,] What if it follows us the whole way? That thing could eat Gab like an appetizer.
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Not a bad idea. That was a right proper throw. [ his earnest little compliment aside, ] I know. [ he grips his bat tighter as he says, ] Pretty sure that's a smaller version of a snake that was fed little girls on the regular. The only upside to this whole thing is that the witch isn't here —
[ that's all that charles manages to say, before a rattling sound cuts him off; the snake's taken a different route, not following them directly but rather rounding the block the other way around, and charles has just the time to let go of junpei's hand and say one single fuck before the snake's tail smashes right into him and sends him flying straight into the nearest building, the sound of breaking glass mingling with the snake's hissing as he forgets to phase through the building and breaks the window instead.
it's okay, he's fine, it looks far more dramatic than it is — the snake's fangs would have done some real damage, but this is just damage to the property and not him. ]
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Oh yeah, the upside, jesus—
[And then lots of things happen at once, and before he can even stop to comprehend most of it he's been practically blown out of the way by the suddenness of the snake's tail swing, stumbling and falling back on his ass, because of course he does. One moment Charles was there and the next he's gone and the side of an actual building is smashed in, holy shit—
And is this the part where he's supposed to run on his own? Possibly! Could very well be! But saying it and actually doing it are two separate things, so Junpei has already grabbed the nearest thing he can reach - a piece of metal, looks like it was part of the window frame - and thrown it as hard as he could at the lamppost on the corner, where it clangs and clatters loud enough to get the snake to turn its head and move a few meters in that direction. Junpei takes that moment to dash to the broken window and just—haul himself right inside, hi, he's here, sorry—]
Charles? [He's sort of half-whispering, hey-] We gotta- fucking- loop around or something—
[Does this building have a back door, great question!]
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it takes him a moment to phase through the rubble, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed; when he does, it's to gape at junpei just dragging himself through the window to get inside the goddamn building, what the hell, ]
You, [ he says, looking like he can't decide whether to be worried or incredulous or fond and ending up doing some kind of amalgamation of all three. but, well, they're both here now, so... so. recalibrating the plan. ]
Right. Yeah, looping around. Think there's a door?
[ a functional door, at that... no, you know what. he's tired of this fucking snake, actually. ]
I'm gonna try one more thing. Wait here. [ that's literally all the warning he gives before he's just floating up and through the ceiling, onto the roof; ghost physics, those, very handy sometimes. once on the roof, he just yells out, ]
Hey! Looking for me? [ and the moment the snake turns, well, he's throwing his bat like it's a boomerang; it spins through the air in an arc until it crashes right at the snake, knocking it into another building (whoops, sorry aldrip infrastructure). the bat continues its spinning right back into charles' outstretched hand, and the second it's there, he's sinking back down through the roof and into the building. ]
Let's go, [ he says, and unless junpei has found a door in the meantime, he's going to help him out of the window so they can resume operation: escape from the snake and save the dog. ]
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...Well, there's another window in the back, which he's shoved open and half-climbed onto the sill, waiting for Charles to come back down. It's no door, obviously, but he's still set on leaving this building from a different direction than they entered it, for the sake of not running right back into the snake's definitely waiting jaws—
So, hey. He holds out his hand, ready to grab Charles and go as soon as he gets over here.]
Come on, we've probably got a minute if we're lucky. How do you even kill a big snake?
[Rhetorical, they're getting out of here, never mind—]
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so he jogs over to junpei the second his feet touch the floor again, reaching for his hand. ]
With a sword, [ comes his answer, entirely serious. and there's a plan forming already — one that'll have to wait, though, because junpei's safety goes before anything and everything else. ]
Right, ready to run some more? [ he doesn't think they're too far, now — hopefully the snake will be delayed enough that they can actually make it back home. ]
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Sure, yeah, let's go. Tell me about swords later.
[Actually do? He'll see how he's feeling when they get the dog and find somewhere safe to hunker down, he might be in the mood to hear about cool swords.
There's a noise like a lot of stone being knocked to the ground somewhere in the near distance, though, which means it is time to go. Junpei makes a face, dire.]
Okay, we're out of time, uh, again—
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and oh, charles has no intention to tell him of swords later at all, actually, remembering junpei's reaction to hearing about what had almost happened to becky aspen — in fact, there's very little that's not going to make him worry about the whole of port townsend, so it's probably best to forget about that. he's very carefully told him of the easier cases, so far, the ones that aren't little girls getting eaten by a giant snake and a man murdering his own family in a loop for thirty years and shitty teenage guys causing one girl to kill herself and another to become a murderer — and, yeah, he's going to keep it that way. he knows junpei would get it, and that's exactly why; he's had enough of the shitty sides of being a detective, hasn't he?
none of this has been a very conscious decision, and it certainly isn't something charles spends more than a few seconds thinking of, not with the noise coming from the distance-and-yet-still-too-close, and, ]
Bollocks, [ he says, with feeling. ] Right. New plan. D'you think there'd be a mirror in any of the houses nearby?
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No, no, it's definitely for the best to get out of here, grab Gab, find somewhere snake-free to be and then forget about all of this entirely. They can reminisce about the cool rock-hitting moment later and nothing else; that's for the best. Junpei makes a face like he can't quite comprehend the question, then-]
Every house has a mirror in it, don't they?
[Why wouldn't they— And he hates the way being inside the mirror feels, but he'd probably hate being bitten in half by a giant snake more, so alright, he can get behind where this plan is going.]
I mean, I'll climb over a bathroom sink if I really have to, so— pick a house. [On cue, somewhere behind them, there's another crashing sound.] I love breaking and entering, let's go.
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[ by smashing in half of the wall, anyway — good, so plan mirror is a go, then. he tugs junpei with him to try the closest house; the door is locked, though, and he grabs his bat and just, hm, smashes the door in. it makes a crash, which causes noise behind them, which is decidedly not great; but if this works, then it'll be fine. they'll be fine. ]
Oh, thank fuck, [ he breathes out as there's a perfectly acceptable mirror mounted above a vanity desk in one of the rooms; better than having to climb over the sink, that. he places his hand on the mirror, searching for the quickest way; and when he finds it, he just turns to junpei. ] Right, ready?
[ for the mirror, yes, but also for charles to crouch down, slide his free hand around his back and, letting go of junpei's hand for this, then hooking his other hand behind his legs and just scooping him up in a princess carry like he weighs exactly nothing. ]
don't read this cringe
Should we leave these people a note, or something...?
[Someone lives here, right? Even if they're a local who hates them now or someone who's already been turned into a coffin or whatever, it's— well!
Maybe it's not so important. There's a mirror, and Junpei can only remember the last time he went through the mirrors, frowning at it even as the sound from outside continues to get closer and closer. That's where he is mentally when Charles scoops him up like it's nothing, and, huh.
Give him a minute. He's not thinking about the noise outside anymore, blinking rapidly a few times like he has to aggressively force himself to focus. Faced with this heroic rescue in the midst of terrifying danger, after watching Charles do action movie stuff all over several city blocks, unfortunately(?) the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,]
Sorry, this is the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. [he's focused. he is.] Uh—I'm ready, I— yeah.
im reading it.
and he's not really thinking about re-enacting an action movie, here, he's thinking that carrying junpei will be faster, which means it will take them less time inside the mirror, which means less of a headache for him; so when junpei's comment is, hm, that, it throws him for a second or so, just because he really wasn't doing this to woo him —
but then he grins, and despite the fact that the noise is now pretty much at the front door, he leans in to give junpei a kiss best described as searing — and, pulling back after hearing a distinct slithering sound coming from the next room over, ] Now we're ready.
[ and then he's jumping up onto the desk in one swift move (thank you, optional gravity) and ducking his head to step into the mirror just as the snake crashes into the room.
which is why he says, ] Don't worry, I'll leave them an anonymous donation, for the repairs. [ of course he will; the locals may hate them but they did just pretty much destroy that house, so. he's going to fix it.
luckily, this time the trip through the mirror takes only a handful of seconds, and then they're bursting through the mirror in their house. ]
noooo how embarrassing
I dunno, a note's a... gesture.
[A note and also the donation, but never mind it yet. The kiss-dizzy gets momentarily compounded by the mirror-dizzy, until they're out of the chaos and danger and into the comparatively deafening quiet of their house. The darkness makes it feel even more stifling, and Junpei looks over Charles' shoulder to the mirror, just in case - can a snake get through there? Probably not, right, but if it's a snake from Charles' very own ghost adventures, then...?
The noise that interrupts and makes him startle isn't the snake smashing through the glass, though, but the little pads of Gab's steps as he trots over to circle their feet in the dark.]
—Oh, fuck. Shit. Okay. Uh, what do we need to-? We've gotta get Gab, and put Gab in a bag or something, I don't know? Do we even have a duffel bag?
[Gab makes some appreciative yapping noises upon hearing his name. Put him in a backpack!!]
Where do we go?
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he lowers junpei down to his own feet only when he's entirely sure the only other living being in the house is gab — the silence inside the house is oppressive, almost, the darkness now a real danger instead of a mere inconvenience, and the reality that they have to get out of here and fast is what spurs charles into action.
in one swift move, he pulls the bat out of his bag, and holds it out for junpei to take. ] Here, use this. I can come back for other stuff later. [ it's just big enough; luckily, gab isn't a big dog, and charles can make multiple trips to get junpei a change of clothes, gab some of his food, and whatever else they might need. ]
The inn, [ he says then, as he crouches down to pick gab up gently so he can be placed in the backpack. ] Should be our best bet. There's a big mirror in the hall, I put one there just in case. [ thank you richard for asking for his help in redecorating, ] If it's not safe, well, reckon there'll be others, so strength in numbers and whatnot.
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He'll keep that much to himself. He holds the bag open for Gab, who personally, is having a pretty good time, now that he's not alone in the dark.]
More mirrors. [blegh.....] Yeah, okay. That'll work.
[He puts the backpack on backwards, so it's more like a baby carrier with Gab in it, because he's not going to lose his damn dog in the mirror world or somewhere else. Then he stares down the hallway into the dark, thinking - he's still fairly convinced that snake is going to track them down no matter what, so- so yeah, they have to go, they can't hang around here.
He sighs and turns, shuffling up beside Charles to grip the back of his coat and lean his head on his shoulder, just for a moment. Did he mention blegh? Blegh.]
Let's get out of here. If something wrecks the place... Well, let's go.
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he draws junpei into a tight side-hug as he leans against him, there, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his temple. ]
Yeah. Just — [ with a glance at the door, too; so far no sounds from the outside, so. he looks at the mirror, its surface still for now. ]
I could go ahead, open the way, then it'll just be stepping in and out, for you. [ but it will mean him having to, well, go ahead, literally, leaving junpei and gab waiting there for the ten or twenty seconds it'll take him to get there.
he adds, with a half-shrug, ] Or I could just carry both of you. [ that's an option, too, gab is no added weight at all. but he wants this to be as easy as possible, and junpei hates mirrors, so if there's anything he can do to make it more comfortable... well. of course he'll do it. ]
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slaps a beautiful 🎀 on this