019 [voice]
... Still works.
[he fills the silence that follows with muttering -- just what I needed, where the hell is my gun -- his voice sounds oddly distant but irritable and with an edge of panic]
I guess that finally answers my question.
[a frustrated sigh]
All right, you've got my attention. How long is this going to last?
ooc - balls.
[he fills the silence that follows with muttering -- just what I needed, where the hell is my gun -- his voice sounds oddly distant but irritable and with an edge of panic]
I guess that finally answers my question.
[a frustrated sigh]
All right, you've got my attention. How long is this going to last?
ooc - balls.
Or wavering resolution, some little voice taunts, and he shoves that down where it belongs in the darkness. This had nothing to do with Uni or Regina or--
Who the fuck is he kidding.
He's waiting for someone he hardly knows not out of curiosity or even altruism, but because he's grasping at straws. He is a Guardian and he needs this, it's built into him, and if he is not a Guardian then he is just another murderer waiting for karma to catch up.
Or worse, nothing at all.
But he's wearing his smirk by the time Spike shows up, and he's not going to say anything about a certain outburst, and hopefully Spike won't ask, and maybe he is staring a little at the transparent thing. ]You weren't ( ... )
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He spends a moment studying Spike before answering. ]
I don't think anyone would mistake it. That might work in your favor, though. You'd be awful hard to see in the shadows.
[ If anything targeting him needed sight to find its prey, anyway.
He still hesitates a moment before withdrawing the Nero Volpi box from his uniform pocket, letting it sit demurely in his hand for a moment. Not that it mattered how many rules he broke here. ]
...yeah.
[ The Mare ring ignites in a blaze of crackling green, fitting smoothly against the box like a key, and the rush of energy from inside spills out to take its accustomed shape. Shapes. The Nero Volpi, electricity sparking over black fur and ( ... )
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Still, Spike is used to following his instincts, and as little as he knows about Gamma, he seems trustworthy. Maybe even familiar. And Spike can't think of any reason why he could be setting him up. If anything, he's determined to prove that he isn't dead. Although that could just as well be for his own sanity rather than Spike's benefit.
He nearly laughs at Gamma's comment, but manages to keep his cynicism in check. The guy really is trying to cheer him up.]
Always looking at the bright side, aren't you?
[Spike watches suspiciously at the box he pulls out, but when the electricity shoots out he jumps back and throws his arms up instinctively. That isn't what he expected. Definitely beyond his knowledge of weaponry. Pets, right.After a moment of wide-eyed shock, he finds his voice, ( ... )
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It's something you can use.
[ He waits patiently for Spike to calm down, forcibly reminded all over again of where he wasn't. No matter how familiar Spike seemed, he wasn't part of the war.
Which still left Gamma with more in common with his enemies than anyone else here.
He shakes that off, though both foxes catch his mood and turn as one to look back at him, and he shrugs a little at Spike's comment. ]
Standard equipment for us.
[ Maybe that 'us' was a bit too quiet, but. Moving right along. ]
Mine are electricity based, as you can see. Shall we find out if you're really invulnerable or just visibility challenged?
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It's possible he's a little behind the times.]
... Must keep things interesting.
[He's reluctant to respond to the second question, instead giving Gamma a short nod. In another situation he may have shot him a look for making light of his handicap, but he's busy wondering what the voltage must be in the foxes and if it's even possible that they're sentient. If he survives through this, and if he decides he even wants to know, he'll have to ask.
Still unsure of how they work, he rolls his shoulders and takes a breath.]
Be my guest.
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They're a pain in the ass to keep off the civilian radar.
[ Anyway.
A soft word in Italian to the Volpi and a nod at Spike is all he needs, as one of the pair promptly sits down obediantly at his feet while the other approaches Spike. It stops a couple feet away, tail flicking and electricity sparking from every inch of its coat.
Gently, is what Gamma had told it.
The fox barks and engulfs Spike and itself in a ball of green tinged lightning. 'Gently' meant stop his heart, right? ]
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I'll bet.
[He doesn't put on much of a show of defending himself when the fox comes towards him, but he visibly stiffens when it gets close enough. It could be either extremely painful or do nothing at all. Spike isn't sure which he'd prefer.
The electricity sparks and he quickly shields his eyes from the light. Spike imagines that he feels a slight pinching sensation on his skin -- it isn't until he lowers his arms that he sees the current passing through him without any resistance. Gamma doesn't look like he's holding back. It's enough to know that if Spike were solid he'd be lucky to walk away from this one.
Somehow that's only mildly relieving.
So it isn't just an illusion. After a while, Spike calls over the crackling static.]
-- You got anything else?
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[ Gamma frowns for a second, watching carefully. The current didn't seem to be affecting Spike (the lack of screaming and writhing on the ground gave that one away), but it wasn't behaving the way it would in complete dead space, either. The green energy still fluctuated in places as if in contact with some tiny bit of solid matter, which would make sense given that Spike wasn't sinking through the ground or unable to draw breath to speak. It apparently just wasn't enough matter to be affected.
He relays this briefly and then smirks at Spike's question. ]
I can turn it up.
[ Both Volpi growl on cue and the current's crackle changes to a roar, the circle of energy flaring up to take up nearly the whole courtyard and turn some more of the broken pavement into melted sludge and glass. Spike probably should've been wearing sunglasses ( ... )
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Spike has to cover his eyes when the light gets too intense and he scowls in Gamma's general direction. He's showing off. The bounty hunter has to remind himself why he agreed to this, but he can't remember. Was he really hoping something would kill him? Although he figures he knows who his friends are if they're willing to go all out to try.
Spike's sour expression is lost in the lightning that also manages to swallow his voice when he replies to Gamma's question.]
Nothing.
[He grumbles something offhand when it doesn't stop and calls out louder.]
You can turn them off any time, now.
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The lightning dies immediately as Gamma gives another order in Italian and the Volpi relax, the one nearest Spike twining playfully around him (or through him, rather) before dashing back to its twin.
Gamma shrugs, pretending he isn't the tiniest bit disturbed. It still didn't prove anything conclusive about the monsters themselves or about their hypothetical weaknesses, or who they'd go after first. ]
Well, I guess that answers that.
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He's never liked animals.]
Guess so.
[He fumbles in his pockets again, maybe a little anxiously, still hoping to find a spare cigarette. He doesn't exactly have a plan on how to get his body back, but spending much more time like this is going to get old.]
I could always try jumping off a building. Somethings gotta stick, right?
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[ Gamma says it casually, pretending to be occupied with the Volpi nosing at his hands. ]
You sound so eager to prove that you're dead.
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Wouldn't be much point in that.
[He glances up, smiling lightly.]
Thanks for trying, though.
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Were you serious before, when you said you thought you had already died?
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Yeah. Maybe someone finally noticed the mistake.
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