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Emitter: Lydia
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Angel Investigations and members of the Beacon Hills Pack confront The Gentlemen in their hideout.
March 17, 2017 - Near Midnight
Abandoned Building, Beacon Hills
It's been hours since Lydia found the body of a teenage girl without her heart, and Soo and Jackson managed to fight off The Gentlemen's attack on high school sophmore Corey Bryant. Several other groups have since had encounters with various Gentlemen and their Footmen, including Erica, Boyd and Isaac, who followed the Footmen and their masters back to an abandoned warehouse near the city limits. Text messages have gone out to notify everyone and muster forces both to the pack and its close allies, and the Angel Investigations crew, and members of both groups have been arriving for the past several minutes. But midnight is approaching fast, and whatever The Gentlemen are attempting, it needs to be stopped... and soon.
Standing together, Lydia, Jackson and Soo are spending a moment, Jackson and Soo holding hands, Lydia hugging Aiden's arm. It's a silent moment, as all of them have been, but the odd little group doesn't seem to need to speak, content to be close for the moment.
Standing nearby, looking perhaps a little nervous, but mostly calm and self assured, Erica, Boyd and Issac are texting in their own private group chat, with Erica suddenly throwing her head back to laugh, golden curls bouncing as she does. Standing slightly off to one side, and with a hood pulled over her head to partially disguise herself, Allison Argent is checking the stringing on her bow, her frown visible even beneath the shadowing fabric.
Aiden stands beside Lydia, shoulders square and back straight, his jaw set into a more grim line than usual. True, he's been trying to play this all off more lightheartedly, but the dead girl and the upcoming confrontation have him worried. Erica's eerie, silent laugh doesn't do much to make him calmer, either, and Allison--well, she always makes him uneasy. Hunters are hunters, in his book, no matter who they used to--uh, date. So, he keeps one arm available for Lydia, while in the other he holds his phone, paying close attention to any important texts being sent.
Ethan is beside his twin, head down as he taps away at his cellphone, thumbs a blur of motion, as he sends messages to Liam and Ryan, hoping the two will be able to join the party soon.
Angel and Faith have already been on a patrol, looking for the enemy. They managed to put a good few Footmen down, but slowing the enemy down is only that...slowing the enemy down. Even Caladbolg's mighty power couldn't hurt the Gentlemen. It's going to take a voice and they're still fresh out of those. He texts that the Gentlemen tried to take the heart of a vampire. This got them nowhere, cause the vampire just dusted, leaving them with nothing.
Faith...displeased...following Angel back into the area. Oh, she got in a good fight, but it didn't really achieve much. Even if they were stupid. Phone and hands still in pockets, she stalks alongside the vampire. Oh, she's definitely wanting to kill something.
Scott has recieved a text or two explaning the gist of the situation, and naturally, felt compelled to come and help do something about it. Also his mother was none too pleased to discover the loss of her voice, so her authoritative pointing to do the door may have also had something to do with it. Maybe. He's here, though, checking in with the others via text. It works.
Stiles stands beside Scott, exchanging texts with Derek, who had returned to Hale House with Malia after a run-in of their own with the Gentlemen. Unseen within him, Lance--also known as Demogorgon, Knight of Hell--rides silently along. Glancing around at the others, he makes a general gesture that's meant to convey /Hey, we've got this!/ On the other hand, it could be taken to mean /Let's punch things!/ or /Break through the front door!/ Sign language isn't Stiles' strong suit. Taking a deep breath, he tries to put on a game-face, not realizing that in so doing his eyes have suddenly gone solid black. It's a side-effect of the whole "benign possession" thing.
Looking at Stiles with an expression of vague horror, Soo's eyes widen just a little at his signage, and he just... shakes his head, reaching out to push Stiles' hands down, gently. J No, no... no. Apparently, it means something different to him than it does to anyone else, except Jackson (who predictably just smirks) because Lydia nods decisively at Stiles, squeezing Aiden's hand, before she releases it to send out a text. 'We go on 3.' She then waits until she sees that everyone's looking at her, then gestures for Scott to give the go ahead.
Derek's trio of wolves turn their gaze to Scott, respecting his authority in the absence of the other alpha, and Allison turns a tight smile to the True Alpha, waiting for the battle cry, as it were.
Aiden flashes Lydia a last confident grin, then gestures to Ethan, tapping his shoulder lightly to get his attention, before he makes a move that he's sure his brother will understand: Reaching up, Aiden removes his shirt and tosses it aside, shamelessly flexing to show off his well-muscled physique. Looking pointedly at his brother, Aiden waits expectantly. Looks like he knows how he wants to enter this fight.
Ethan blinks a few times, eyes adjusting as he looks up from the bright screen. Oh right, time to get ready to rumble. Pocketing his phone, he strips off his too-tight shirt and gives his muscles a good flex, before dropping to one knee, stooped forward to expose his bare back, rippling with muscles, for the transformation that's about to occur. This is his favorite part of combat, doing something that nobody else can do.
Angel knows the strategy, and texts, 'Have we found out what contains our voices? Footmen can be killed...we've done some of that...but the Gentlemen are still invincible. The princess needs her voice.' Princess? Whether he means Cordy or Lydia, either will do, they still need a good scream.
Faith Lehane tugs out her phone. She sighs...inaudibly, of course. A princess' voice. Definitely not HER, she's FAR from being a princess. Or a lady.
Cordelia has been, with one hand, monitoring the text group with that way of communication at least accessible and familiar. It's different from just listening and replying only to the things that she deems worthy of response; now she has to at least skim them to assess that.
She holds her crossbow in the other hand, casually training it on her surroundings in general. Based on the research, she ended up in the group and she's okay with this. It'll just be more important than ever for her to keep Angel or whoever, maybe one of these hunky werewolves, between herself and physical threats.
While the others prepare themselves, Scott skims over the text conversation, taking in the various commentary. He's unsure what might be holding their voices, but whatever it is, it'll be precious to the Gentleman, no doubt, so hopefully it's something they'll telegraph. He notes that he'll take the front with the twins, and the others should spread out and flank the building while a distraction is provided so this container-of-voices can be found. With a long breath, he places away his phone and puts on his own game face, baring both teeth and claws. He begins the countdown in such a way that everyone can see and prepare--1, then 2, then... 3, followed by an impotent roar no one can hear, and then a leading of the charge to the nearest door.
In the moments leading up to the countdown, Stiles waves a hand in front of his face several times, frowning, and looks down at his reflection in the surface of his phone. Dammit, how do you turn these things off? After a bit of constrained flailing at himself, he just accepts that, for the moment, he seems to be stuck with all-black eyes. As if this weren't odd enough, Lance chooses that moment to sneak control of one of Stiles' hands and... make Stiles pat himself on the backside. The resulting inward explosion of indignation means that Stiles is a few beats late in joining Scott's silent charge, scrambling forward and taking out his 'saber while mentally squabbling with Lance about how you don't /do that/, especially at a time line this! It's probably no surprise, then, that the blade of light's glow, this time, has turned to the deepest Sith red. Blame the demonic influence.
Seeing Scott go gameface, Soo and Jackson do likewise, with the werecat seeming to shrink slightly, though his eyes and ears get bigger, and the werewolf somehow getting even more ripped than he already was. (Is that even possible?) The duo move to position themselves in a protective layer between Lydia, Allison and any danger, keeping the 'mere humans' a bit better protected.
Flanking Jackson and Soo, Erica, Boyd and Isaac make their own swift transformations, Erica stretching after she does. The trio look more relaxed, more ready to fight.
At the mention of a distraction, Allison and Lydia nod, waiting until Scott does his count-down and the silent roar before they both raise bows and open fire, Allison far more confidently, Lydia a little waivery on her aim and unsure in her draw. But both shots fly true, one slamming into the doors with a loud thunk before something detonates, weakening the large metal doors... the other going through a broken window and exploding with concussive force and a burst of light. Then, as one, the little squad starts rushing toward the doors like they'd been training for this, Lydia tossing aside her bow as she does, Allison drawing another arrow and firing as she runs, keeping the assault of sound and light going.
Aiden doesn't charge immediately. First, he steps up behind Ethan, squares his shoulders, and draws back his arm so it looks quite like he's going to punch his brother in the back--and then, he does. But when his fist impacts Ethan's skin, the two begin to flow and merge together like clay, twisting and shaping until where two good-sized, muscular werewolves had been there rises a hulking mass of muscle, claws, and fangs. Now merged into their singular "super-manwolf" form, the twins are even more powerful than they were separately.
Aiden Carver phases to his super form. Ethan Carver phases to his super form.
The super-werewolf rears back and roars--silent, strange--before lumbering ahead at full steam after the others. When they reach the door, the Twinwolf reaches out and easily rips the weakened metal from its hinges, tossing it aside so the others can move in.
Angel doesn't have anything nearly so dramatic to do on his way out the gate...but Caladbolg is armed and ready, even if he can only really kill the Footmen with it. He'll switch it in and out depending on who or what he's fighting at the time. Against the Gentlemen themselves, jujitsu is all that seems to work without a human voice available.
Faith Lehane tugs out knives, still falling in next to Angel. She's...smiling in anticipation. Possibly a good thing. Possibly a bad one. Hard to tell with her.
Cordy watches the wolves do their wolfing-out thing. Cool. Normally she'd have something to comment on it. Maybe it's best she can't right now, what with the silent howls and everything. The twins sort of...melting with each other into a giant superwolf though, that gets a look of surprise from her. Impressive! Now that's something she hasn't seen before.
Maybe she'll just kind of linger in the wake of that thing, she thinks. That can probably tank whatever. But then Cordelia's attention is drawn by Derek's betas and how impressive they look. The one with the fantastic hair -- Erica -- she has claws and everything! All Cordy has is an expensive manicure and a crossbow. And boots that hurt to be kicked by, but she's not going to risk breaking them.
Thank goodness she's an investigator. She can home in on what she needs while everybody else keeps them distracted.
As Scott leads the way to one of the doors, several Footmen spill out of one of the others, stumbling over themselves and each other to try and get in the way of the assembled forces, moving primarily toward the charging squad of pack members, since they're the largest group, with a few breaking off to try and intercept Angel and his crew, one lunging with surprising agility into Faith's path, taking a swipe at her head, another trying to barrel over Angel, and a third breaking off to lumber toward Cordelia. Scott and the Super-wolf, however? Unobstructed path inside once they get past the rusty old door hanging from a single hinge. Seriously, why hasn't the city council done away with these buildings? Somebody's gonna get tetanus.
Not exactly how Scott had planned for that to go, but what good plan survives contact with the enemy, eh? With faith that those behind him can momentarily take care of themselves, Scott barrels into the warehouse to deal with the larger (and more dangerous) threat--the Gentlemen and their accursed box of voices. What could it be? At best, Scott thinks to sniff the air and see if there's something that smells different from a rusted old warehouse and a collection of creepy monsters, at worst, this is going to amount to knocking things over until something suspicious turns up.
Stiles sticks close to Scott once he's gotten matters of who's driving his body sorted out with the demonic passenger in his head, and as he seems more in control (if not calm, since, well, it's Stiles), his saber fades gradually to a pale pink, then silvery lavender, and then back to its normal blue. Casting its cool light (and, of course, actual heat) about them, it illuminates some dark corners and otherwise... is glowy. Stiles keeps it at the ready, his posture defensive, as he surveys the area--and then the footmen attack, making him leap back in surprise, making panic-face, and then swing his saber at them in response. It's a perhaps surprisingly measured gesture, rather than the wild flailing one might expect, but he's been practicing. Also, he /has/ seen /Star Wars/, and he'd like to avoid any needless dismemberments, thank you!
Stiles, Scott and Eidan (Aithen?) get inside with only minimal feints needed, though one of the Footmen is on the receiving end of a particularly fatal strike from Stiles' lightsaber!
Jackson, Soo, Erica, Boyd and Isaac set into motion immediately, with Erica and Soo leaping bodily atop attackers and ripping into them with feral abandon, while Jackson, Boyd and Isaac simply barrel through them, crippling or... more permanently dealing with them as needed. But even with the weres protecting them, Lydia and Allison find themselves in sudden combat for their lives, Lydia barely ducking below a rough strike and using her attacker's momentum against him, Allison just point blank shooting her attacker in the face with another concussive arrow as she dodges past.
Behind the trio already inside, the door slams shut, blocked in place by several Footmen, three of The Gentlemen smiling widely at the now trapped werewolves and Immortal-Demon lovechild that is Stiles and Lance at the moment.
Moving instinctively in this merged form, the weretwins stick close to Scott. He's their alpha right now, and that's what they know--stick to the alpha. If any of the footmen get too close, the big, burly superwolf with the seam down the center of its body will lash out at them and savagely seek to end the threat. When the doors are hauled back into place, though, the merged wolf lets out another silent bellow of protest. They /just/ broke that thing, dammit!
The Twinwolf casts a silent snarl toward the closed door, then turns again to glare at the Gentlemen. He spares a glance to Scott, looking for the Alpha's lead. The Carvers may have been Alphas themselves once, but they were never -leaders-.
Before Angel can do anything to help his allies, he has to help himself. The Footman leaping at him is going to learn the hard way the perils of going toe to toe with an active Fae Blade. Angel's graceful swing will catch the Footman as it comes flying in, trailing a deadly rainbow arc. After that, Angel rushes towards the rest of the Footmen. It may not do much to the Gentlemen themselves, but the activated blade was death by rainbow to to their Footmen. He just had to watch out for actual Gentlemen, should they appear.
And Faith, flanking him, throwing a knife into the one that tried for her head even as she neatly ducks beneath the blow. Well, it catches her hair, which is flying loose. Then she's right behind Angel, readying another knife.
And there they are. Gentlemen! Not that it's new to Cordy -- she's seen them in visions. They're so gross. Ugh. They remind her of Hollywood yes men, slimy and lingering around the edges...smiling and nodding, inaudible and just plain creepy.
She doesn't have long to be creeped out by the Gentlemen, though, as Cordelia then notices one of the Footmen coming towards her. Ew! Ew! What the hell is that even supposed to be?! She isn't going to wait to find out or, worst of all, to have it touch her. She shoots the thing with her crossbow and...crap, she's going to have to put down her phone or something.
So it becomes a little surreal, as Cordelia tries to simultaneously run, put her phone away, reload her crossbow, and look around for any sign of whatever they keep the hearts or the voices in, and the Footman, with a crossbow bolt sticking out of him, pursues. Cue "Yakety Sax."
Scott does his best to try and focus: The Gentleman are ultimately a distraction, and confronting them isn't going to get them anywhere. Besides, the twins can stall them long enough (hopefully) for Stiles and himself to find... /something/. So he motions to the others to that effect: Eidan, cover us, Stiles, start looking. Fingers to the eyes and everything. He breaks from Stiles by vaulting over some crates so they can cover more ground more quickly (and put as much furniture between them and the bad guys as possible, hey!). Wolf senses, go!
Stiles catches Scott's meaning, and with his currently demonically enhanced senses he sets into action, exploring the warehouse as carefully as he can while still moving quickly. Unfortunately (though it's unclear whether for him or for it), one of the footmen leaps at him, startling Stiles, and Lance's borrowed instincts kick in. Stretching out a hand with (almost) enough style to make Darth Vader proud, Stiles lashes out with demonic telekinesis to snatch the footman from the air and begin slamming him against the floor, the wall, a stack of crates--just about anything, really--and gets so caught up in it that he doesn't stop anywhere soon enough. The thing probably isn't even dead so much as massively dazed, but it's for sure having a bad night.
As Scott searches amidst all the debris of old collapsed walls shattered wooden wire spools, sits one spool that has been placed like a table, complete with a once elegant table cloth. It's off in a room all its own, toward the back of the building and far from the rest of the group. On the cloth, like place settings for dinner, are several hearts in glass jars, seemingly suspended within them, at least one pulsing with eldritch power. In the center of the table, surrounded by the hearts and the open jars waiting for more, sits a small box with a single red rose floating above it, pulsing in time with the power. Why does this all look like something out of a really horrible fairytale?
Meanwhile, the battled Footmen stand little in the way for each individual combatant, but seem intent on keeping them separated from Scott, Stiles and the Twins, even as The Gentlemen float toward the trio, gesturing graciously toward the Footmen who are attending them... who zero in on Stiles...
Allison finds herself suddenly entangled in the grasp of several of the Footmen, unable to scream for help. Before Lydia can intervene, Allison is pinned, back arched, over one of the broken spools, despite her best efforts. One of The Gentlemen floats forward, smiling solicitously at Allison, holding up his scalpel so that the light gleams on it, Footmen surrounding the duo, intent on keeping their master safe.
Soo and Jackson, as well as the trio of werewolves with them, suddenly find themselves dogpiled on, with Soo completely disappearing beneath several Footmen... before reappearing a moment later as a small black and grey feline, launching himself with a little (silent) kitty cry of fury at The Gentleman... who casually backhands Soo out of the air as if he were nothing. The tiny werecat goes flying and slams into debris, falling still.
The hulking form of the merged wolf (apparently dubbed "Eithan") happens to twist in just the right way to spot Allison. Without hesitation, the burly man-wolf charges the group of footmen, batting at least one casually out of its way as it comes to Allison's rescue. It looks like they're about to make it, too, when one of the Gentlemen seems to melt out of the darkness, just at the worst moment, to dig its long, unsettling fingers into the Twins' flesh and, with an exertion of unexpected magical power, tears the two apart. Aiden hits the ground first, but he's also the first back (if unsteadily) on his feet, and lashing out at the Gentleman who attacked them. Aiden doesn't even seem to notice the scalpel in its hand...
Ethan is on his hands and knees after the violent separation, shaking his head to clear it. The next moment though, he's up and charging at the tall, pale, thin, grinning maniac about to attack his twin. With a silent howl of warning, he tackles the Gentleman from behind -- a werewolf may not be able to actually kill one of these supernatural beasties, but hopefully, he can slow it down long enough for Stiles to free the voices, so the princess(es) can do their thing and end this nightmare.
Ryan was not exactly the model of efficiency when it came to supernatural fiascos. There was, to say the least, a learning curve, but he was doing his best. He has remembered the first aid kit, along with a soft sage green lunchbox filled with ice packs, a couple of bottles of water, and granola bars. The problem was the crippling sense of worry that kept stressing him into being a corgi. Eventually, the tiny pup had grown upset with his own frustrations and piled up such affects, along with a pair of human clothes, his phone, and a slingshot, into a classic Radio Flyer red wagon and (with much work) dressed himself in a pair of corgi-sized trunks to preserve his modesty. He was growing concerned with the amount of pet costumes and outfits he'd been acquiring through various means.
Now was not the time for such concern, however, unless it was appropriately directed at his haphazard racing through the hilly city streets, steering as best as he can with his mouth on the handle of his wagon, though the good parts of town, eventually toward the sketchier parts of the city, until he eventually skids in through the open door, barreling toward the legs of one of the Footmen. The corgi makes haste to hop out with an anxious whimper and a nervous look around. 'I am here! How can I help?' his voice rings out clearly in the minds of those near him as he wobbles shakily on his stumpy little legs after his terrifying journey through the city on the streaking red death that was, once upon a time, his favorite childhood toy.
Angel doesn't happen to catch sight of the innocent in danger...he does, however, happen to see a swarm of Footmen. But they serve little against Caladbolg's gleaming edge. The creatures are tough, but not against that rainbow arc, and they tend to go flying in separate pieces when struck by it, as Angel slices through one after another. If anybody needs saving, he's not aware of it, yet. Still, the Footmen are learning that blade isn't a healthy thing to be anywhere near. When they get too close together, it's even possible for Angel to slice through two with one swing, complete with rainbow arc. Even if nobody can speak in this battle, he's at least putting on something of a light show with the arcs of the blade.
Faith Lehane is missing the banter. Ah well. She, from her position, doesn't notice the issue with Allison at all. Stab. Slash. She's fast and strong, she spins to stab at one of them. She might not have a weapon the league of Angel's, but she does have Slayer strength behind each of her blows.
Cordy keeps running around, essentially in a widening circle -- somebody might quote Yeats, in an attempt to make this seem more respectable-looking than it really is. It's always a consideration that fashion doesn't always come with roomy pockets, and this is true here, but she manages to get the phone in a pocket more than it sticks out. The other pocket is filled with crossbow bolts and of course she's wearing her very kind gift from Angel that will make sure her clothes aren't ruined by the encounter. If she can walk in those boots, she's not going to break them...
Which occurs to her at that instant. She turns and frowns, then kicks out at the Footman who, surprised, goes sprawling back. That gives her enough time to load her crossbow again and shoot at it, hopefully hitting...somewhere other than its foot, this time.
Naturally, Scott's first urge is turn back and help his friends, but he's been trying to be more focused lately, more leader-like, and he realizes turning around would ultimately help no-one, so he presses forward. (It helps that he can't hear anything, at that.) His momentum takes him to the heart-spool, and he quickly spies the box-beneath-rose. All claws, limbs, and a lack of elegance has Scott dashing and leaping onto the table, scattering its contents as he reaches for the box. Could this be so simple as... opening it?
More footmen, more problems. Or something. Stiles manages to panic-smash the floating footman into one of the other one via demonikinesis (okay, let's be honest, he feels like he's using the Force), and then he makes a couple of wide, sweeping cuts with the saber, falling into the habit of wielding it a little bit like a baseball bat, which does help to keep them off him. Unfortunately, while he's managing to keep himself safe, he's not managing to do much to help the others. (Still, some part of him, were he feeling reflective, would be glad that he's not slowing the pack down at the moment. Progress!)
Scott's mad dash onto the table is successful, but though the hearts in their jars fall to the ground, they don't shatter... And the rose floating above the box prevents the True Alpha from reaching the simple wooden box, a shield not unlike a Rowan circle preventing his hand from penetrating very far inside. By forcing with every ounce of might, the tips of his claws can barely touch the lid, cracking it ever so slightly...
The Footmen sent flying by Stiles and Ryan's deadly red wagon go smashing into others, who smash into Angel and Faith from behind... but at least they're not trying to grapple, as they got knocked into the duo from behind. More swarm toward Cordelia, the one dispatched via crossbow bolt no longer a concern, at least for now... Still others pile on top of the pile that is Jackson, Isaac, Boyd and Erica. Soo is still seemingly unconscious on the ground, reverted to human form now, modesty protected by, well, debris.
The Gentleman hovering over Allison brings his scalpel down with a delicate precision, and though Allison tries to scream and escape, there's no freeing her from the iron grasp of The Footmen. She fights hard enough to be the equal of any of the werewolves in that moment, straining to escape... but it's not enough. Moments later, Allison's heart is in The Gentleman's hand, and he looks at it curiously, shrugging slightly as he places it into the jar that's floated to him.
The Gentleman looming over Aiden smiles graciously at him, and a moment later, before Aiden can even realize his danger, his heart has joined the collection of others, almost a painless experience for the werewolf, it's over so quickly.
Lydia is grabbed from behind and lifted into the air, and though she struggles and is visibly screaming, no sound escapes, either from her, or the Footman she's now clawing into with her manicured nails even as she, too, is dragged toward one of the spools, another Gentleman looming nearby, blade held ready. But Lydia is a /Banshee/, and above all, she senses death. And the deaths of two she loves so dearly, so close together?
Perhaps it's Scott's opening the lid, or perhaps Lydia's grief has found a way to shatter the spell, but either way Lydia's scream explodes through the night, a blast of sound and concussive force the likes of which few have lived through. Glass shatters in the few remaining windows, and the wooden spool Lydia was about to be forced onto shatters as the blast hits it. The Footman holding her is sent flying backward, the Gentleman in front of her staggered. All the jars shatter at once, hearts spilling free, and shield around the box is suddenly gone, leaving Scott's hand free to touch it. Lydia's eyes are glowing scarlet red as she somehow seems to draw on the power of the Pack, on the werewolves around her.
Exploding from beneath the footmen are a series of wolf howls, eerie and almost as deafening as Lydia's scream.
But the Gentlemen, though staggered, seem otherwise unharmed. Their Footmen drop, covering their ears, unable to defend their masters as the sound rings on and on in the night.
Despite Ethan's valiant efforts, some unwholesome magic seems to power the Gentleman. He's able to shrug off the powerful young werewolf, only for Ethan to end up perfectly poised to catch his twin when Aiden's body tumbles, lifeless, to the ground. His expression has gone slack, eyes and mouth hanging open in an expression of still-silent outrage.
Ethan Carver falls to his knees, cradling Aiden in his arms. The shocked look on his face lasts only a few moments, soon replaced by utter rage. He's lost his other half! A huge chunk of his soul has been ripped away...by the creepy Gentleman! Eyes glowing a feral shade of blue, he suddenly drops the corpse of his twin and launches himself, claws first, at the offending creature!
Ryan really doesn't know what to do when hearts start getting snatched. It isn't like he didn't know what was going on, but he didn't expect to see people getting de-hearted. He whimpers and spins around, then launches at the nearest Gentleman, aiming sharp teeth at the nearest pantsleg he can manage to sink his teeth into. But, he soon relinquishes and rolls in a dodge towards Ethan. He's doing his best to comfort him, whimpering as he nuzzles into his arm, and then against Adien's. Were he not absolutely certain that trying to heal Aiden would kill him, he'd probably be trying to help that way.
Reaching... reaching, with the tip of his claws and only just barely lifting the lid, Scott struggled, knowing in his gut this was the right move. However, somewhere between Lydia's concussive scream and the sudden failure of the magic protecting it, Scott lurches forward, his claws digging into the wood and ripping off the box's top all too quickly. That's when, perhaps, the rush of magic hits him, or the suddenness of two pack deaths find him through the pack's link, so the opening of the box is paired with the deafening howl of an alpha's roar, measured somewhere between anger and grief, and dying, strangled at the end.
Angel hears voice restored, and now it's only a matter of the right person screaming to eliminate the enemy. "Faith, Cordy, now! Let 'em have it!" Caladbolg will mop up any remaining Footmen in his immediate vicinity with ruthless viciousness, but that's not what's going to finish the enemy off now, is it? No, that'll be up to the 'Princess' to finish these guys off. Which means it's time to step back for a moment, and let the real threat get handled. But...something's wrong. He smells blood. Way, way too much blood. Human blood, and werewolf blood. Something's gone very wrong...he can tell.
Faith almost looks cruel, for a moment, as she does something uncharacteristic for her...which means, scream at her enemies. But instead of being panicked about it, she's behaving like her voice is a rocketlauncher pointed squarely at her enemies, and grins darkly as she waits for, hopefully, messy results. "Can you hear me 5 by 5 now you sons of bitches?"
Cordelia gives a silent "yes!" when she takes down the one Footman. Score! But then a bunch more are suddenly advancing on her. She'd like to use her telekinesis, but it's too random and untested and, since they're moving, might very well end up with her clocking herself with one of those heavy spools. No thank you! Her clothes might stay fine, but a broken nose -- or worse -- won't do wonders for her film career. Or anything else.
Suddenly, she hears Angel. Suddenly, she feels like she can speak! But instead of any single word that comes out of her, all the frustration of speechlessness just pours out. She isn't aware of much else that's happened, but it's been a terrible day. She's tired, she's in another abandoned building being used as headquarters for some ancient, mysterious evil, and worst of all, she hasn't been able to talk for the past nearly two days.
An ear-splitting scream bellows out from Cordelia. She doesn't care if her throat might be sore tomorrow. If she can do this, she's going to make these Gentlemen pay dearly for what they've done.
Lydia Martin lets out an ear-splitting wail of a scream!
The screaming and the intense drama of it all make Stiles' little battle with the footmen rather less interesting. More importantly, they also serve as an excellent cover for the silently drifting black smoke that escapes his lips, leaving his eyes normal-hued and clear once more, then divides itself in two and slips into the fallen forms of Allison and Aiden. With a sudden lurch, they each begin to show sudden signs of life. Y'know, despite the gaping wounds and lack of hearts in their chests. Huh.
The Gentlemen begin to float backward, trying to escape the sheer number of screaming voices, clutching at their ears, looking... distraught. Around them, their Footmen have fallen to the ground and are twitching and flailing on the ground in what seems to be superspeed, clinging to the sides of their heads.
One by one, The Gentlemen grimace in pain, as the weakest among them's head bursts like a balloon... followed a moment later by another, and another, until all of them are a grotesque mess on the floor for some poor maintainence crew to deal with. The Footmen die less dramatically, seemingly breaking their own necks to escape the sound... which is still pretty damn dramatic.
Lydia, now free, rushes to Allison's side, looking over to Ethan and Aiden as she does, clearly torn on which person she should be mourning harder. But... Allison's alone, and Ethan has Aiden... Sobbing, Lydia cradles Allison's hand to her cheek, her face a mask of grief.
Pushing free of the bodies, Jackson rushes to Soo's side, cradling the unconscious werecat, ripping off his shirt to drape it over his body before lifting him gently free of the debris and over toward Lydia, his own face striken.
Erica, Boyd and Isaac all force their way free, various stages of grief and loss on their faces, Erica burying her face in Isaac's chest to cry softly, Boyd wrapping his arms around the pair and hugging them close, a sideways glance toward Ethan and Ryan. They've never really gotten along with the twins, and barely know Ryan, but... Shit.
It's with a shuddering lurch that Aiden suddenly sits up, eyes solid black, with his chest still sporting a gaping hole where his heart should be. "What--what the /hell/!?" he snarls, looking wild and very confused. "Why does feel like my--?" He looks down at his chest and all but squeaks. "/What the hell is going on!?/" he sputters, only to have an unseen voice start explaining things to him. "Wait. So, I'm... alive? Uh. Cool. Could I get my heart back now, please?"
Ethan's rage is wild and unfocused, and even though the skull of the Gentleman he's attacking has popped like a (very messy) balloon, the werewolf continues to claw at the body, ripping it to ribbons. His voice is freed now too, and the deep growls and snarls escaping him are murderous. When the Gentleman has been reduced to tiny shreds, Ethan's feral eyes move on to his next target...and the first person his gaze lands on happens to be Angel. His mind knows Angel is an ally, but his mind isn't in control right now. He's little more than an animal with years of physical and emotional abuse pent up inside him, and the dam has now broken. He doesn't see an ally -- and worse, he doesn't -smell- an ally. He smells a dead person who doesn't have the decency to lay down and be still. Abomination! With an unearly snarl, he drops to all fours and begins loping toward Angel, his intent very obviously murderous.
Ryan whines as he moves around near Aiden's reawakening body. He doesn't know how it's possible, but he's back up, as is Allison, and the little corgi just doesn't know what to do in this case. He did bring the first aid kit, as well as the ice packs, water, and granola bars, but would that even help with the...whole...not having hearts inside thing? He looks at Ethan and whimpers, growing more upset as he watches how fierce and raging Ethan is being. He timidly moves toward Ethan, padding softly and very gently, carefully, nuzzling against his leg. 'Ethan, please calm down. Aiden and Allison are okay,' he projects, his tiny body shaking nervously.
Angel sees his enemies are gone...but then sees one of the werewolves has apparently gone mad for some reason or other...he's not aware this guy just lost his brother...but he is aware it's an ally driven crazy, under the circumstances. The charging Ethan is subjected to a swift, nifty sidestep move, and then the flat of Caladbolg on top of his head. Angel, aware the blade is active, checks his swing...he's not trying to do any real damage, just send him to snoozeville.
"Angel watch out..." says Faith, but too late. Angel's got that handled already. Meanwhile, the sounds of mourning get her attention, and she sees...two heartless people apparently not dead. "...Who has the mojo to pull that off? Can the hearts just be shoved back in or what?" Faith tries to figure out what's going on with the missing heart type people.
Cordy picks herself up, looking down at the carnage around her. She spots Lydia upset and that's an immediate priority; Angel accounts for himself, just as she was sure he could do, and Faith isn't any kind of pushover. But this might be somewhere she can help. So she hurries to Lydia's side, frowning at what she sees. And she thought things were going better. She thought this was the eleventh hour and this sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen.
Gently, she reaches out to place her hands on Lydia's shoulders, squeezing.
As for Stiles, he makes it to Scott just in time to make sure the alpha's okay. Apparently, pushing past that magic barrier, even with Lydia's help, really took it out of him. Based on what Stiles is hearing, that may be for the best, but once he's sure Scott's all right, he catches what's being said and grabs at jars, carrying them back over to where the others are. "Uh," he says slowly, "do we know how to tell whose heart is whose?" He eyes Aiden and then Allison. "Lance? A little help?"
It's too late for most people whose hearts were taken, but these two, the last two, were pretty clear. Aiden's heart sits in its jar on the floor, somehow unshattered, while Allison's is still clutched, in its jar, in the hand of the dead Gentleman nearby. "What... does it matter?" Lydia asks, softly, squeezing Allison's hand with one of hers, the other coming up to squeeze Cordelia's.
"Lydia, look." Jackson commands, setting Soo down so that his head rests in Lydia's lap, moving to raise Allison's jar. "They've got a chance. It's not over yet." Soo shifts slightly, eyes opening slowly. "Ow..."
For her part, Allison sits up screaming, a few seconds late to the party, her hand clinging to Lydia's with an almost bone crushing force.
Lydia starts sobbing again, but now it's with a smile of wonder on her face. She hugs Allison, heedless of the wound, heedless of the werecat that gets spilled out of her lap to bonk his head on the concrete floor.
"Ow. RUDE!" Soo complains, but he's smiling weakly. Whatever just happened, they did it... Right?
Unseen by the pack, the rose, no longer floating above the table, suddenly begins to wilt and decay into blackness.
"That, there!" Aiden says, pointing at the jar with his heart in it. "That's my heart. Now would you /put it back in me, please!/" He looks alarmed at all this, shooting Angel a bit of a glare at seeing Ethan knocked out, but--well, if he can get his heart back, all will be forgiven. Right now, he's just in a very, very bad mood. Also, /pain/.
BONK! The brilliant blue light in his eyes flicker for just a moment, before those eyes roll back, and Ethan falls to the concrete floor like a sack of ... well, a very hard-packed sack of solid muscle.
Ryan yelps as Ethan is knocked out, then frowns and nuzzles against him gently. The little corgi looks over to the jar of heart and begins to oll it toward Aiden slowly, being careful not to roll it away from Aiden. He nudges it to his friend's twin, his head a muddled, mushy mess of terror. He had, after all, seen his boyfriend's twin die, which is as close to watching Ethan die as he could get without witnessin the event itself, and it was weighing oddly on him. He'll sit with Aiden as long as it takes for him to get his heart back in, then will make his way back to Ethan's side.
Angel heads back over to the two people with missing hearts himself. He apologizes, briefly, "Sorry. I think he lost it for a minute there." And given he was being attacked...well, a werewolf's healing probably won't even leave Ethan with much of a bruise, for long. Not that he figures, anyway. "So, anyone have experience putting hearts back in people?" Cause he's never done that before, not even in 290 years.
Faith shrugs, "Well, shouldn't we just grab 'em and shove 'em back in?"
"Yeah, but you could damage the hearts doing that." Angel's not sure how to do this. Hopefully someone knows what they're doing.
It's a relief. Cordy lets out a sigh and settles back to sit there, carefully, next to Lydia and the rest. She reaches down to help support Soo, since he looks like he could use it. And then, with a second thought, she sets her crossbow to the side. Because that can't be too comfortable to rest a head on.
Looking sheepish, Stiles puts down the jars of other hearts and goes to help with the rather hideous task of putting hearts back into chests. This isn't accomplished without a lot of disgusted face-making and a bit of squirming, but soon enough, both Aiden's and Allison's hearts are back inside them. Proud that this didn't lead to any fainting, Stiles then says aloud, "Lance? Think you could, uh... tell me what to do next? They've still got, uh... big holes in their chests and all."
Moving from Allison to Aiden, once the hearts are back in and everyone seems stable, Lydia gives the werewolf a kiss to make most men jealous, resting her forehead against his. Her expression is three parts relief, one part guilt, but... hopefully Aiden can understand and not be too hurt she wasn't at HIS side, later.
For his part, Soo fashions Jackson's shirt into a lovely sarong, looking entirely uncomfortable to be shirtless in front of people as he starts shoving dead Footmen aside to try and find his clothes. What? Some of it's designer gear, and it's not like it shifts WITH him.
Erica and Boyd take over looking after Scott, soon carting him off to his house, where Mother McCall can look after her baby boy in peace and quiet. Erica hangs out long enough to explain that everybody is still alive, if not okay.
Allison is trying not to freak, because there's a gaping wound in her chest, her heart was just in a jar, and she very nearly died, for real, for good. Isaac sits with her, an arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head against him. He may even be whispering sweet nothings, if anyone wants to listen closely.
Aiden relaxes a fair bit at Lydia's kiss, managing even a little grin, though the gaping chest wound is still a major issue. He too is distracted, given Ethan's crisis and subsequent knocking out, but if she can forgive him that, then why not the other way around, too? Honestly, he'll be fine as long as he can heal from this.
Ethan's fangs shrink in his slightly-open mouth, and the angry, feral brow shrinks back to something normal. In fact, he looks almost...peaceful now. Definitely an improvement.
Ryan pads up onto Ethan's chest and stares at him, a concerned look on the puppy's face as he stares deeply at Ethan's face. The worry seems to drip off of the puppy, thickening the air around him subtly as he whines quietly. He eventually curls up and waits for Ethan to wake up, oblivious to the worry, pain, and relief throughout the rest of the abadoned building.
Angel watches the healing process. "...it sees to be working. For Aiden, at least." On watching Allison, "But she's gonna need a lot more help. Hope Lance has enough power left. As far as I can tell, Knights of Hell weren't designed to fix mortal wounds like this." Cause them, sure. Fix them, not so much. Unfortunately, the vampire has nothing at all he can do about this. His breed of vampire has jackall for healing other people. The most he can do is heal himself, and even than that takes someone else's blood.
Faith looks at Angel for a moment...her blood would help him, but the other two probably can't benefit from this. "I don't think we can do anything. Where's Willow when you need her?"
"She's safely away from here," Cordelia answers, getting to her feet and brushing her clothes off...even though they've remained remarkably flawless. Thanks to Angel's birthday gift! Best gift possibly ever. "Better she's somewhere safe with the others than maybe getting her heart yanked out by these..." she looks around with disdain at the popped Gentlemen, "chuckleheads."
Now that everybody else seems to be okay, Cordy walks over to Angel and dusts off his shoulders, smiling faintly. "Someone looked super heroic tonight." Then she pauses and turns to look at Faith. "I mean you both totally did."
Fortunately for everyone, Lance is still on the job. With what must be a flourish of demonic sorcery, he manages to cause the wounds of Aiden and Allison to heal. Perhaps he's had to call upon the power the Gentlemen have gathered? It's hard to say. However, what's clear is that both of them are healed, and then a weaker-looking wisp of smoke returns to Stiles. Looking up at the others, Stiles says, "Make sure everyone's okay. I've got to get Lance's heart back to his body before he's completely out of strength." He hurries over to retrieve the demonic-powered heart from where it fell, then he heads out from there as fast as he can, hopping into the nearby Jeep, and drives off to reunite his demon lover and said lover's heart.
God, their lives are weird.