2019-11-23 - The Inevitable

Today was already a long day.

Her cherry-red Jeep had, a few moments earlier, contained a party of three, and once Isabella had made absolutely certain that Anne was warm and safe in her idyllic, cottage-style house and offering, for the dozenth time, to apply first aid to her, she makes her way towards the door of her residence with her other companion, fellow field researcher, August Roen, phD. Concerned eyes, but one brightened by exhilaration of discovery and the dregs of frightened adrenaline in her system, turn to him as she walks. She's still wet from her unceremonious dump into Gray Pond...the real one, and her hair is still in its rumpled disarray from where flying angelfish has tried to eat it.

"That was interesting," she tells him, hand on the door as she pushes her way out of Anne's abode and into the street where her vehicle awaits. "But at least the rest of the Guild won't be walking in there blind when it's actually time to retrieve the object." Chewing on her bottom lip, she adds, "What did you think about the-- "

Meanwhile at Beaston's apartment:

"...and then after everything was over, Sutton and I celebrated with juice boxes and red vines. I mean, it was a mess but we got to play with the Jaws of Life and there's something to be said about holding that much power in your hands." Bennie throws on her GHFD jacket, pulling her hair out from the collar. She'd been prattling on for a full fifteen minutes about the call as she moves through the apartment like a whirlwind, getting ready for work and leaving a disaster in her wake. She pauses, realizing that she's lost track of Easton somewhere on the way to the door. "Babe, if you're going to give me a ride to work, we've gotta get going. Can't be late!"

Byron is dressed for a somewhat fancy early Thanksgiving Dinner, one held at his apartment for both Lilith and his mother, Mary Thorne. That's why he's dressed up (Byron never needs a reason to be pulled into anything dressed in a suit. Let's be honest.) in buttoned down white shirt, a navy blazer with the bottom buttons done and black slacks and dress shoes. The main meal was done and both he and Lilith were tidying the dining area up to get ready for some coffee and dessert. Of course, Mary Thorne helps as well, carrying a few plates into the kitchen while the love birds set up the table for the final course.

Things didn't go as awkwardly as they could have and only a few biting remarks were exchanged between the trio, especially when Byron's mother is involved. With dessert laid out, Byron and Lilith take up their hot caramel lattes and head out to view the darkening sky from the rooftop terrace, stepping on through the French doors that lead that way. "That didn't go so terribly, did it?" He says with this tight smile, brows lifted as he stares out into the horizon. He's not totally convinced.

End of shift has come and gone, the trek home not being her favorite part of the evening has ensured that Kass hurries herself along to reach her trailer as quickly as possible. Still in 'uniform' the flaming feathers of a phoenix can be seen across her face and hands from the airbrush job she had done before going in. The feathery tailpiece sticks partially out from the messenger bag slung crossbody. Tonight sees Kass in an oversized and obviously used leather coat (likely fromt he local thrift store), a dark brown thermal shirt, black skinny jeans, and blaze orange Chuck Taylor hightops with the laces undone and flapping about as she scurries along. The occasional passing headlights from vehicles have her cringing away and rushing off the side of the road and into the weeds before the ditch before she can turn into the trailer park. Picking up speed, she moves into a job, bag banging against her hip as she heads for space 43, pulling out her keys as she goes. Turning into her neat if bare yard, she approaches a trailer from the 80s that's absolutely seen better days. Hopping up the wobbling stoop, she balances precariously as she unlocks the door, swinging it open and stepping through with a breath of relief on her lips...

"That's how I feel holding the right gun." Easton answers easily, when Bennie mentions the Jaws of life. The fact that Easton punctuates this by grabbing his crotch is completely lost on Bennie, despite being comedy gold, because he's out on the balcony where she can't see him. He hurries to take one last drag off his cigarette and stub it out before appearing, dressed in just a pair of jogging pants and his usual tee shirt, this one a faded black. He grabs a hoodie and opens the door for her and steps right after her, pulling on the hoodie not noticing where the door leads.

August doesn't look any less of a mess than Isabella, not really. He's had a chance to photograph his arm-map and email it off to various parties, but other than that, he hasn't had time to deal with his hair, which has odd short chunks. "Yeah--we can draw up a map for them, if nothing else." He steps through the door just after Isabella, waiting to hear what she's asking.

It wasn’t as cold as normal out and the rain has let up so Erin was out in her backyard working on trying to figure out what was a plant and what was a weed. Finally she decides to go by leaves on the plants and the ones that matched those on the dandelion. It was for sure a weed. She manages to get a small pile of weeds and move then to the compost she has started. Straightening, she looks down at her hands. Filthy. She walks to the French doors that led inside and hesitated there to wipe her hands together before reaching for one of the brushed brass door handles. With a smile of accomplishment for what she had finished, she pushes it open.

Lilith is dressed for the early Penthouse Thanksgiving dinner festivities to suit standing and sitting next to Byron in his own standup and standout attire, though she hasn't overdone it like it's a holiday party or anything. She's wearing a peachy silk blouse with long sleeves and flattering cling drape tucked to a fit and flare black skirt with nylon sheen for general Lilith edginess along with her top criss-cross lace back designer pumps. Her hair is loosely curled and her make is soft with festive and feminine accent, and given Byron's mother is over and she has a secret need to keep herself lovely on principle because of it, she takes a moment to detour for her purse to get at some flush gloss for renewing the peachy flush on her lips between meal and dessert.

Then, stepping out with follow through the doors of the terrace to have a spell of relaxation and coffee with Byron away from Mary while she does things to prep for dessert or takes a bathroom timeout herself, Lilith glances back over her shoulder and comments to Byron with cup nursed, "Feels a little like a minefield, but I make explosions, baby. Landmines are nothing to fuss about, can at least dodge those." Then more seriously, with a vague smile of fondness and encouragement as they find a place to settle with their coffee on step out, "... seriously, though, I am glad we did this. It's nice."

"Or I can just show them where it is," Isabella tells August as they both step through the door. "But if Magnolia's right and they decide to bring E, it might be better if I just stepped..."

The transition is so subtle that it takes the sight of the check-in counter that makes her realize that they're no longer in Gray Harbor, or at least the one they live in. She doesn't have her pack on her, that's left in the car, but the thigh holster remains with the black Glock nestled within; carried most days on her person, ever since Alexander told her to do so now that he was involved in the Foster case, and she had just come from a unique brand of weirdness only to fall into another. "...out..." Her expression is indescribable. "...August..." she murmurs as a warning.

She's not the only one here. There are familiar faces in front of her and she blinks. "Ronnie? Lil?" Easton and Bennie announced, she cranes her head to look at them.

There is that discombobulating moment, when one expects to be stepping on carpet and hits stone instead, as if descending stairs and thinking there is one more when in fact you've already reached the bottom. Bennie's hands go out to the side slightly, as if afraid she's going to lose her balance and face plant. She straightens with a confused expression on her face, a hand curling hair around the shell of her ear as she looks around, "Oooooh bloody butt biscuits." And then in a fit of Bennie rage, she stomps her foot like a petulant child.

At first, Kass wonders if she perhaps walked into the wrong trailer. She was sort of in a hurry, maybe she accidentally walked in on a neighbor? Having a party? Nobody seems immediately familiar, making her face scrunch up as she mutters, "Sorry, think I maybe walked into your place by mistake... really sorry, I'll just leave you to your, uh... party." Turning, she starts to shoulder her way past the others to move back towards the door she walked through.

A little stumble on the uneven floor causes Easton to wince, but his first comment is "Mister and Miss?" He takes in the sights of the new scenery as the roll call comes from the figure behind the desk. He apparently takes umbrage at the fact that they aren't bequeathed titles beyond the usual family names. He pats the his lower back and shakes his head, one gun and fiften rounds, how the hell did he let himself get caught so unprepared. He knew this was coming. He puts a hand on Bennie's lower back and laughs at her exclamation. Looking around at the rest of the people in the room, recognizing all but one. "Welcome to fucked up Friendsgiving, y'all."

Stepping through those French doors should have brought him out into the cool night air, to view the darkened clouds and the ships sailing silently in the distance. Instead, Byron finds himself in this... room lit by lantern light. No, this did not seem right at all. A hand reaches out for Lilith's wrist to the side and if others weren't also making their way through those doors, he may have attempted to drag her out of this place. However, every other new arrival was now blocking the doorway and in truth, it didn't seem like they could go back out that way even if the others weren't there. Hell, he was no longer carrying a nice, hot cup of coffee either!

"God dam--" The rest of that is completed beneath his breath. He doesn't even really register much of what is being announced to begin with, though after taking some sort of head count, seeing many a familiar face, he realizes just what this has to be about. Some of them had spoken about it earlier. The invitation. He finally turns to look back on the man, the guy in the hat, his eyes narrow as he studies him from afar. "That's some timing you've got there." He says, as his early Thanksgiving Dinner was now ruined-- though, it was mostly over and done with. They'd gotten to dessert.

August blinks as he and Isabella step through the door to find the jerk in the sunglasses waiting for them. It takes him a second to get oriented, then he's makes a face at the guy greeting them with odd monikers. (Easton's name for it does draw a morbid laugh out of him.) Noting some of the faces there in the stone room, he arches an eyebrow. "So those letters. You sent them?"

This is not the view that Lilith was stepping out onto the terrace to enjoy with Byron, by any stretch, no. There's a quick few bats of her mascara-thickened swatch of dark lashes, and somehow, she's not still holding her coffee cup that she was lifting for a drink, so it puts her in a strange hand-lift motion of going through the gestures before she figures that out and Byron's hand finds her wrist. Her hand turns and makes tight counter-curling around his fingers as she makes immediate survey back over her shoulder to check and see if there's a door still for her and Byron to backpedal right the hell back out of.

But of course there isn't. There's a whole slew of familiar faces, though, which makes her blink again, then maybe put a lot of two and two together given certain attendance. There's even a bare, dreading kind of smile tilt for August and Isabella like a silent 'this is it, isn't it'? After pulling in a sharp breath of air through her nose, she makes immediate survey of company and surroundings next, then swallows thickly on looking at Byron aside in brief, murmuring quietly, "Had a good run of it, though, didn't we, loverboy?" She's either talking about their dinner being ruined or the idea they MIGHT be about to die horribly. Either way, her eyes narrow on the man with the checklist, weight shifting between heels.

Once she'd stepped through the open door, Erin was so much expecting the dim interior of her home that at first she didn't realize it was different. None of the cozy smells of the home she'd made for herself, the furniture she'd hand chosen. Just.. stone. And the man. When he begins she looks confused, stepping forward, recognizing every face around her. Except two. One female and the one in glasses.

The healers are pointed out and there's a glance towards August, Lilith, Erin and Bennie. She doesn't know the redhead and she takes a quiet step closer to the ex-heiress, Isabella's jaw setting; a tick manifests at the tender hinge where it meets her neck. It only intensifies at the apologetic look, because there is no way that's sincere and the dark sunglasses the man wears over his eyes reminds her too much of what she had just endured over Halloween.

"I take it they said both?" she drawls. "How did that sound like, a body dropping from a thousand feet? Look, some of us have had a long day, and really looking forward to dinners of our own, so can we just..." She gestures sideways. "Not?"

She isn't sure if she imagines it, the faint strains of a piano trickling from the dark and green-gold eyes snap towards where she thinks it's coming from. Inexplicable, ice-cold fingers that taste suspiciously like fear drag down her spine, her heart suddenly leaping against her ribs in an attempt to stage a jailbreak of its own. But she doesn't dare swallow, teeth slowly clenching together. Do not want.

There was a door. There really was. She JUST came through it! Glancing about briefly as if that might make the door appear a foot or two away in either direction, Kass lets out a sigh. Resigned to yet another one of these weird ass Dreams that keep visiting, she turns back to the group and loks towards the man that seems to be in charge. Shuffling around until she can watch and hear him both. One brow lifts up as he continues to speak, flicking a glance towards a few of them, then back again. Then mention of healing and being eaten has her shifting backwards again, not turning her back on the man, but scuttling backwards and trying to find that damn door once again. Quick darts of the eyes here and there. A lick of the lips. Maybe she can still just... opt out, somehow.

GULP. Healer says what? It's a good thing Easton has that hand on Bennie's back because it steadies her against the sudden shudder that racks her form. "I vote not!" She pipes up in the wake of Isabella's suggestion, not that Mr. Douche Glasses is taking a poll. A glance is flicked aside to Easton, almost forlorn, "I'm so going to be late to work."

Easton listens while the pale man at the desk explains what brought them here. He quirks an eyebrow at the military like description of asking how high to jump when told. But then he calls out the healers and Easton mutters a string of curse words so closely tied together it's hard to distinguish just one, but it sounds like he hits all the highlights and some of the more obscure ones too. "Bennie, Roen, get in the center. Others form up around the outside." He moves to start herding people into the center, and draws his gun, keeping it pointed low at the ground right now. He's not sure anyone will actually listen to him, but he can't help shout orders in these situations. Granted he has no idea that Erin has been actively healing people, sorry(!), he's acting on the information he knows. To Bennie he tries to give a reassuring smile, "At least you'll have a really bizarre excuse?"

The fact that he can hear some music coming from somewhere causes him to look towards the darkness and ask, "Anyone have a fear of classical music?" He focuses and tries to calm himself enough to light up the darkness. He's only managed it once in a Dream so far, so here goes nothing.

Byron can't tell if this is Veil bureaucracy that the stranger is referring to or something separate from City Hall. Whatever the man in the hat and glasses has to say, none of it sound very reassuring at all. "How do you become an executor of their will, just out of curiosity?" Thorne says with a shrug of his shoulders, one hand still grasped onto Lilith's wrist as he tries to guide her in what he perceives is out of the way. The hatted one mentioning this violence towards Healers has gets him to move with more urgency. "Stay back, Lilith." He stares down at her with dark eyes, "I know that you can take care of things from behind cover."

It looks like Easton has a similar idea, herding the Spiritualists to the center. There's something that distracts him as he ushers Lilith along, his own steps faltering briefly as he he'd heard something-- seems like he's not the only one, as Easton now brings it up.

"Oh Fuck." It's reactionary and completely involuntary. Erin is a healer that's who she is god dammit. Her hands tighten into fists and she glares daggers at the man. "If I have a gift, who is it for others to control?" Hell, she'd even taken a second job at a doctors office! Her words are short though and she glances towards the others, every one of the others, not singling the healers out.

August folds his arms, gives the receptionist a tired look. "Yeah, sure. 'I was just following orders.' Definitely haven't heard that one before." He scratches his beard. "And the part where healing turns some of us inside out? I figure they'd be happy to trade suffering for suffering." He shrugs, doesn't wait for a reply to that. "Pretty sure we don't get a vote," he tells Bennie, tone apologetic, and moves to stand next to Bennie. This, at least, he's getting used to.

He frowns, though, at Isabella, then Easton and Byron getting that look. "Did you hear anything?" he asks Lilith directly. Then, eyes moving to Bennie and Erin, "or either of you?"

Lilith knits her brows and looks at the others who aren't healer-capable that are present between the ones she knows are and can see likeness within, appearing a hint confused the longer the fellow talks to explain his mission and bosses and so on. Then she tries to recall a time she's actually healed a person since she had her own horrible encounter of retaliation from the Shadow Side and when she starts to downright get defensive and mentally argumentative, since it was just one minor time with Byron, her mind backpedals and remembers all the broken sentient toys she took care of too when she was their Swan Queen to have them show her a way out and back to life while she was lost for so long in a Dream. Well, shit, apparently that counts. But also that doesn't explain why the others are probably in a world of just as much trouble standing here with the ones she knows balance consequence with ability action for the great and good.

She looks at Byron as he tells her to stay back and guides her physically out of the way, her jaw setting a mite with tension. She listens, she doesn't need to be in the thick of anything to be terrifying or helpful, she knows that enough. And she knows if anyone's going to be eating her, it's damn well not going to be anyone outside of this man here, damnit. Scorn and brutality aren't on her playlist for such things and she likes to come out of such things flushed, not digested.

Then Lilith just gets a little internally pissed off through all that fear and stubborn will and flare of power flashes her in preparation of some sort-- it's not visibly apparent what she just tried to flash up like a defense or offense tactic, though, once Byron has her settled back out of the way, head shaking a tiny bit at August.

"FUCK." Easton's voice echoes out through the room. He knows that he has more juice than that. "Something might be fucking with our abilities. That shouldn't have gone out. We might be about to get royally fucked here people." He raises his gun, maybe they won't screw with that.

With Easton shouting orders and people either following or closing ranks of their own accord, Bennie starts to feel a mite safer. Her hand reaches out towards Erin, knowing full well she falls into the same category, opening and closing her fingers in the international sign for gimme gimme fingers. There is an emphatic shake of her head at the mention of music and the question as to whether or not she hears it too, but honestly all she can hear is the thudding of her own pulse in her ears. And then their 'host' is rising...and rising...and Easton only manages to illuminate the sheer enormity of the horror they are facing before it blinks away. At Easton's cuss, she lowers her head slightly, shutting her eyes against everything as she concentrates on the ex-marine in front of her, willing her strength to be added to his.

Are they? Lilith casts a glance at Easton, her brows knit after the lantern seems to pick up her flare of power to try and inhibit their hosting company on the semi-sly, but once she realizes that's bouncing light through all the dark and manipulating it with Easton's words, automatically, she just assumes it's the lantern's fault and fixates on it and all that darkness around Cotard, the tendrils of it. What better way to try and light up the dark and explode a lantern than with force and fire? Is it the smartest thing to do at the moment? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's what she has and is inclined to do, and she calls warning to the ones she knows have to get close to act on either of those things.

"Don't go forward until I let go." Lilith says with her eyes a little distant, and the air around her seems to be pulling a chill because... she's sucking all the heat out of it to shimmer with excess at her immediate person for harnessing into flame and fury between her hands. AKA, there's going to be an explosive incoming when she tries to blow up the lantern and burn company and light up the motherfucking darkness. Lilith doesn't really stop to tactic too much, she just calls something responsible and blows, generally, unless someone pointedly stops her. And she wants this guy to be extra-flammable via nearby proxy on principle, her prior shift of will and jinxing intangibly fixed on him.

Erin didn't mind being left out, but she does mind being singled out by the man. Especially the words of her parents. Sore subject for her. Very sore. She glares hard but feels that from Bennie and casually slips her hand into the others for a moment. She tries leaving her guard up, she manages fairly well. "I don't hear music." Bennie reminds her to answer it. Even what Easton said is heard even as the blood rushes through her head. The anger is there, a very palpable thing that the hurt hides behind. She releases Bennie so she doesn't burn her in her attempt to attack the man. Because she is going to attack the man. Or at least try.

As Easton calls for August and Bennie to get to the middle, Isabella's already moving towards Erin - with the man standing up from the desk and those green eyes peering at them, the movement is all it takes. The gun is pulled from her holster, the safety disengaged with a flick of a thumb. Her arm locks in three places and she points the muzzle of the gun between his eyes when he starts addressing the ex-heiress directly, just in case. Eyes are narrowed in glittering, green-gold slits. The urge to put one between his eyes is tempting.

But she turns the gun to the rapidly blinking lantern and squeezes the trigger.

"I definitely hear it," she says, her voice low. "Piano. Don't know who's playing it and for some reason I can't pinpoint its exact location." Which is enough to make her nervous because normally she can.

The room is filled with darkness and while Byron's not sure it this darkness envelopes the entire space, including the shadows behind him, he clenches his fists to create that spark within his hands once his hold on Lilith is released. With all the ushering, Byron figured that the healers would find a safe haven, even if that meant standing somewhere behind them. "Yeah, I hear it." He calls out in response to Easton's asking whether they hear the piano or not. It's not so much distracting, but it's a bit unnerving to hear random piano music being played during a situation like this. He even casts his eyes in that direction, but all he can see is that weird inky shadowy movement. Or perhaps that's his imagination running wild.

That's not all that Easton says, warning the others that something might be disrupting their powers. His eyes lower to view the electricity being summoned there. He doesn't feel anything odd, does he? However, it's Lilith's warning that makes all of that shock buildup fade away for the time being. Lilith being Lilith seems to plan to toast the man in the hat and whatever else lingers over yonder. This prevents him from rushing forward and physically assaulting them with a fist in time with a jolt to the system. Instead, what he tries to do is get into the man's mind, distract him in a sense with blurred images, trying to draw his attention away from the others.

August watches as that lantern flares when Easton casts his light. It flares again, but that source he's less certain of. He grimaces at Easton's report. "That thing is doing something," he says, nodding at the lantern, but for the moment considers their host. He gives Lilith life Gift a bit of a boost, though where she'll apply it remains to be seen. Knowing her, setting something on fire.

A frown as Isabella also confirms her abilities not working to expectations. Again he eyes the lantern, wary and distrusting. But if it is the problem, will attacking it just make it stronger?

"A little bit of heads up about the lamp would be fucking appreciated people. You notice something, help us dimwits out." Easton barks as the lantern sends fireballs out and they 'splode up some people. It's only after the crack that Easton looks back and sees Bennie and the damage she took from the fireball. "Roen!" He offloads that responsibility to someone who can actually do something about it and is damn proud of himself for not calling for a Corpsman. He forces himself to not think about it, to focus on the task at hand and take the fireball shooting lantern out first if possible before ... "Oh shit." Why are there shapes coming out of the darkness. "Sorry, bar's closed. You need to fuck off somewhere else." He calls out to whatever is coming out at them without shifting his attention from the immediate threat of the flaming lantern of hot burning chest hair. He just ignores the fact that his chest is sizzling, that's probably fine.

It's terribly hard to concentrate with gunshots and fireballs whizzing around you, but Bennie keeps her head down and her thoughts centered on Easton in effort to help keep his aim true and the target he wills to be hit. It's not until the shadows start to shift against her the close of her eyelids that she notices it's getting brighter and brighter and that brightness is getting Very Close. Her eyes fly open just in time to feel the heat on her face as the fiery ball strikes her center mass in her chest. Time stands still for a brief second as her feet leave the ground, feeling like she's hanging mid air before gravity has a chance to catch up and pull her back down. Hard.

Bennie's head lulls to the side, blonde lashes fluttered down on reddened cheeks, a lock of hair falling over her forehead.

The first bullet cracks at it, but doesn't destroy it and Isabella grits her teeth when people start to fall. There's a shout, but it's incomprehensible at best - more due to the fact that she sees that impact on Bennie and Easton, tried to get Lilith, and fury drips hot and molten in her veins. She attempts to find a clear shot and takes it.

Somewhere in her periphery, others are coming out of the woodwork and her heart leaps into her throat, because while she's gone shooting, human (?) targets are completely different. She has never pointed her gun before at a person (or person-type), with an intent to shoot - and paintball doesn't count!

With two... threats in sight and one of them is the man in the suit and hat whose been informing them of their fate and the reasoning behind it, in his own way, Byron has a feeling that that one will be trouble. Of course, he watches as the lantern gets lifted into the air, but the main threat is Cotard and if he can't get close enough unleash electric fury on the guy (Lilith did warn them), he tries his hardest to break into the other man's mind. Now, this isn't something that he normally does, illusionary distraction, so if he finds his abilities faltering, he'll chalk it up to inexperience.

Once the flaming attacks lob out in both directions, he only has a brief moment to look over his shoulder to check on Lilith before lunging himself out the way, "Lil, incoming!" As if she needed to be told. What he does see is the strike actually rain down upon the group. From his distance, Bennie looked like she got hit and while there's an urge to scamper back and check on her, his eyes flicker around the area to take note of where Erin, Isabella and especially Lilith are. She was supposed to be right behind him!

That strike came from the Lantern. Not Cotard. "Marshall, Bennie, are you alright?" He calls out to the group, a heavy ozone smell fills the air as Byron's hands light up yet again. Breathing in a deep nervous breath, that's when the other figures step out from the shadows. "Son of bitch." He curses beneath his breath. His eyes swivel to view everyone's position. He doesn't know what the others can do, but the lantern and the first guy, they can do what Lilith can do. They are the most immediate threats.

Erin lets loose a fireball that would explode.. absolutely not much. There's a grumble, she's never been so angry before when she threw fire. It was new to her. It was scary. She rolls back to avoid getting hit from something from the Lantern?Hurrying to her feet again, she looks to see who is attacking what and watches Easton. The sight of Bennie was disturbing, but she notices August helping, hopefully. Or at least Easton calling him to. She's going to help Easton of she can, even as she notices new one coming out. "Aw damn!"

You'd think that all that force and fire and fury coming out of Lilith after she takes a moment to enact sheer will would do something nice and deadly on everyone's behalf, not detriment. Everyone generally knows Lilith is made to bring the pain in one sense or another, sometimes when she's not even expecting to do it given her temper and the way things tend to heat her and the heroin-esque urges her abilities send through her to get all mussed up with control issues. Therefore, when she lashes out with all that FIRE pulled from the air itself, oh, it's terrible and forceful and hot and bright and furious just like she is while lashing out.

Except... after she takes a bobble on her feet and steps back to steady herself after the force of it is released, she realizes she's getting it right the hell back. Right from the lantern she was blaming for being all weird. And it's coming out in duplicate to take Bennie down and singe others and OW, that's her arm, damnit this is her nice blouse for-- okay, her arm's fine after she whirls with reflex, blouse not so much. Uncertain what to actually do, she does want the lantern to explode, she knows that, even if she can't explain exactly why other than seeing it react to all their glimmer exertion and she looks at Byron, "Bust that lantern the hard way, baby. Don't get shot." Then after a look to make sure August is on Bennie with that manly care he's reaction- prone to from fieldtime, she focuses on Isabella's stance and the gun when she notices where the gal is aiming.

"Make it count, Izzy, I'll help!" Doesn't feel like she's helping, but whatever, she says she is while standing there ready to dodge another fireball and concentrating, brains over fury this time.

August sucks in a breath against his own wound, but the real hit comes from Bennie and Easton taking those injuries. He doubles over, panting. He feels Bennie bounce back, though--not get up, but she's not slipping away. Okay then. "Yeah," he says to Easton, willing himself to stop shaking as he runs a hand over her hair, seeking to mend the burns. He wills himself to not think about Itzhak's hand.

As he does this, he looks up at Cotard, noting that Easton's bullet did have an effect. ...sort of. So maybe this is an argument to finally get himself a handgun. He focuses on Bennie, though, rather than anything else.

The laughter doesn't rile Easton. Seeing Bennie on the ground injured and not getting back up doesn't rile him, though it threatens to. And on the opposite side, there is no celebration when the lantern pops and the laughter dies. Only the slightest twist of his lips as says approvingly to Isabella, "Nice shot hot scotch." Only then does he allow himself a moment to turn and look at Bennie and breath a small sigh of relief that whatever August is doing seems to help, "Thank you Roen." He doesn't let himself show concern yet though, there's still too much going on and too many people to keep alive. "Three incoming. Smooth Criminal still floating. We might be back in business with powers with that light snuffed out." He steps out to put himself squarely in the path of the three oncomers, raising his pistol, taking a breath and squeezing off two rounds.

Make it count, Izzy, I'll help!

"Thanks, Lil!" Isabella calls back in acknowledgment, knuckles white at how tightly she's gripping her gun. She lines up another shot and gunfire cracks through the ether, ringing in her ears. It strikes true but she doesn't give herself the time to relish the act of actually hitting a target.

"Really?" Snarled at Cotard in reply. "Because I'm having a gas." No she isn't.

To Easton, she flashes him a relieved look. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't just me but as always, your vote of confidence is very much appreciated." She winks, then swings her firearm, again, towards the three additional bodies, aiming her sights on August and the two bodies gunning for him, so she attempts to gun one back, teeth gritting from behind closed lips and fires. "HEY YOU!" she yells at Tisi. "GET YOUR GREASY TENTACLES OFF OUR COMBAT BOTANIST, HE'S NOT INTO THAT!"

Erin just tries helping Easton, unaware that she totally wasn't. When the lantern explodes in a puff of purple, she ducks from the debris, if possible. Some of her anger is still seething, "So you can heal but we can't?" Throwing that at the man in the glasses. She prepares to go back to that fireball as a weapon. Maybe she can master it. No time like the present.

You would think a floating Lantern would be easy to hit. But it's not your usual lantern, so it doesn't stay still for very long. If closing the distance between himself and Lantern was a hassle, one that Byron's used to by now, taking several swipe at is as it loomed higher and out of his reach was annoying enough. "Coward." He spits out, before the sound of glass shattering can be heard. There's a moment when he lifts a hand to protect himself from falling shards only to realize that the Lantern, in question, is gone. "Well that's one down."

Yes, three others came to join the fray, but Cotard was the closest to him still. "Did we break your toy?" Not that he could touch it. "That's too bad." He then casts a brief gaze at Cotard's minions. "Nice suit." And he's a man who knows his suits.

Just as August finishes healing Bennie, Meg slices open his chest, and he staggers back, wincing. Blood soaks the front of his shirt. "Son of a bitch," he says, staring down at it. He coughs in response to the other injuries landing around him, swallowing hard. He manages to dredge up a small smile, though, for Cotard's frustration and everyone's taunts. "Don't mention it," he says to Easton. This time he gives Isabella a little something extra, not quite sure if it's safe to sling fireballs (and if it is, he can leave it to the professionals).

Lilith is good at following Byron directions again and stays way back after the lantern blows and more company comes out of the shadowy woodwork. Not because she's particularly good at following instructions in a fray and melee, violence urges usually go over brains and sometimes that makes her reckless. But she's also better at dishing it out than she is at taking it as a habit-- when the charred sleeve baring her right arm skin starts to buzz with the arc of electricity sent her way, it chars up with visible bubbling that makes her reel after she's taken a moment to bolster Isabella with that gun, confidence or ability, who knows, but that shot goes well and she's feeling good about that up until she gets zapped.

After a hiss through her teeth, she backpedals more and flashes with will while keeping fixation on where Byron goes and what he aims to do while recovering from the pain, working utility instead of ass ripping with flames.

Bennie is still breathing, so it's not like she can claim she died like last time. She is, however, starting a nasty habit of being out of the fight before she's even really in it. Even though the Lantern is responsible for pulling her back from the brink, she doesn't start stirring until she feels the warmth of being knit back together by August. As the burns on her skin start to fade and recede to a more minor degree, Bennie mutters something in delirium. "...forgot the...handcuffs.." But even as the words burble out of her lips, they seem nonsensical to her ears as she's regaining consciousness, brow knit together with confusion. With a sudden big gasp of air, she's jerking back up into a sitting position and is scrambling backwards from the fight and the suddenly injured August.

The crack of his ribs is loud enough to be heard even with all the gunfire. Easton groans but manages to not only stand up but put two shots dead center mass on his target. His pistol wavers onto the next target but Easton is in rough shape. He's burn wounds are ugly and now he has internal chest wounds to match. He looks over his shoulder and sees Bennie down and just shakes his head, "Dammit. Roen, tell me you got this. Tell me to fucking keep my head." Once he could deal with, but again? Now it's getting more difficult to keep his focus. He does a quick scan of the other people and is surprised to see that he's in the worst shape, something about that knowledge forces him to take a knee, "Shit. I need a second." As if he's going to suddenly get better on his own.

Cotard? Gets such a face from that wink. "I'll invest in your next venture if you punch that eye out for me, Ronnie," Isabella mutters, before she swings her gun around as the fight occurs in earnest. Glimmer pulses thick in the air like ozone, her blood on fire. She switches targets after that, once she's managed to wound Tisi, she becomes more and more uncertain of her aim; bodies are everywhere. "Fuck me running," she breathes. And when they try to attack Bennie again...? Fury renders green gold eyes incandescent, practically crackling into amber as she reaches out with her fingers. Alek is stylish, in his suit, but suits have ties and she attempts to seize it with her mind while they talk to Byron that way, lips peeled back in a soundless snarl as she attempts to will it to wrap around the man's throat and garotte him with his own fabulousness.

Bennie sits up and her arm immediately flies out, seeking to protect the others more than herself from the surrounding threats. It's by instinct that she retaliates, and perhaps that's why the she barely feels the crackle of electricity as it strikes her soundly in the stomach spidering out dark purple jagged marks from the path it travels across her abdomen. The blonde is in Shock. It's only adrenaline now that keeps her going.

Since he's not the only person targeting Cotard, Byron is lucky that he isn't taking any friendly fire as he moves in close, swiping at the guy with one electrified clawed hand that quickly forms into a fist on hitting air as the other guy falters beneath the pain of actually getting struck by some unknown force. Byron's back is turned, he doesn't know who is doing what behind him! The trio responding to him in unison makes him feel uneasy. He doesn't know why, but he can't shake that feeling.

It's then that Isabella's talks money and that, at least catches his attention, shooting her this look. It's an annoyed look, but he's probably not annoyed at her. He's fighting here, so his full focus is on Cotard. "I'll see what I can do. I just need to find a venture that's worth your while." It's all business here. All the while, he's preparing to launch his next barrage of attacks, just as Tisiphone strikes his midsection with a rock. Not so much tearing into his shirt there, but enough to cause some tender bruising. His eyes lifting to her now, he mutters, "Why don't you try and mind your own business, lady."

Okay, that unison voice is creepy, so are the shadow tendrils supporting Cotard, so is a lot of this, and damnit, Lilith's arm hurts, she's trying so hard to focus and will things a little more Byron's way with that (so-called) luck and stubborn ability poking. The first thing she wants to do is yank off a high heel to throw back at Tisi in well, a tissy, when she sees Byron aimed on with the slab after he just misses his reach on his own target.

Lilith forgets about her arm pain and tactics, suddenly, she seethes and lashes out with psychic assault and a little extra grrr of protective 'mine' on Byron's behalf without even thinking or paying mind to where others are aiming this time around. She knows vaguely that others are down, sure, she could help with that, maybe they could all gang up on the ringleader Cotard! But no, fuck this bitch and the magical shadow horse she rode in on at some point. In fact, she downright tries to sever a limb and anticipates the spray of blood and violence deep, deep down if she can pull it off.

Erin isn't being very effective at all. Not that she isn't trying! All her explosions are off target, she wasn't practiced in them, she'd have to try harder. And practice. Sometime when it didn't matter so much. She watches Bennie, making sure she is good.. wincing at all she'd gone t hrough already. Then Easton, with August assisting. Well, here goes.. more.

August cries out when Bennie collapses again and Easton takes that hit. He pants, dragging in breathes, sees Bennie get back up. Okay. That can wait. He stumbles over to Easton and puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You're fine. Take a breath. We've got this. Everyone going to be fine. Let me patch you up some, then I'll...have a look at Bennie."

Feeling your ribs mend is a very disconcerting feeling. Easton tries not to think too much about it as he feels August's hand rest on his shoulder and the energy flow into him. He can see and hear Bennie pop back up and that alone lets him breath a sigh of relief. It also helps that he doesn't feel like he's about to bleed out in the middle of this thing. Watching Cotard and another assailant go down Easton lets himself breath out again. "There we go." Pulling his KABAR knife from the holster on his leg, he lets it go into the air where it spins momentarily and then points at the final suited and tentacled attacker. He raises back up to his full height, which is just over three thimbles high. "Bennie, I swear to God if you go down again I'm going to start ugly crying and no one needs to see that. If you make me get consolation snuggle hugs from Byron I'm going to be very, very angry but still consoled." He shrugs, "He seems like a good cuddler."

There is no satisfaction on her features when Isabella keeps strangling Alek with his own tie, until his eyes roll up the back of his head, or maybe get reduced into smoke - she doesn't care but she is killing him. Because everyone she knows who received a letter is here except for Alexander, and the idea of him alone out there while she's here and being set upon by similar creatures stirs every violent instinct within her; she will shake this entire place apart if she must, just to get out of here and find him. So with Alek dealt with, she lets go and rounds on the last woman standing. She turns her hand towards the rock that she had attempted to use against Easton and with all her might, and with some help from her friends, hurls it in what she hopes is a craggy fastball special to obliterate her skull, or whatever body part she can manage to impact. She's not picky, she just needs for this to be over and get out of here to make sure he's fine.

Bennie was going to get back up. She was going to keep fighting. But at Easton's words, she just sinks back to her elbows and with her last thread of energy concentrates all her thoughts on Easton and his KABAR. A nap would be nice right now. Maybe just a little one. OH SHIT this isn't over yet. Wake up, Oakes. Concentrate. Stab true, little KABAR. Stab true.

Even with the adrenaline rush, Byron can feel the sting when his electrified hand makes contact, finally, making him pause to wave the subtle pain away. Everyone, the threats, were now dropping like flies and being engulfed both electric sparks and flames. The electricity coursing over his own hands fade into nothingness, despite knowing that there was one more left 'standing'. He would be hindrance if he wanted to get that close to take her out, but that was the bitch who threw that stone at him. Yet, he was here, keeping his temper in check, knowing full well that the others could handle it.

Speaking of the others, he can see in what kind of shape they were all in, even if he was completely distracted by his own target. When he sees where Lilith is, he makes his way in her direction. He's barely hurt, even if that uneasiness doesn't go away just yet. He does't want to celebrate too early. For all he knew, there were more of them lurking in the darkness, "You okay?" He asks, reaching his hands to grasp at her shoulders to get a good look at her before his attention is drawn back to the last of them.

You know in the movies where people try to talk to that last chump standing after the others have dropped or try to get in more information or threats, or even empathy or sympathy of being a standup guy and sending them on their way as a warning to their friends? Nope. Not Lilith. Here's why:

A: She threw something at Byron, rude.
B: They always come back if you let them go, she assumes that, anyway, and villain monologues are horrible.
C: It might be the only way to open a door, call this done, and get the hell out.
D: Shadow tentacles, wtf.

And also... most of all...

Fuck her. She chose her side and it's not my side. Bring consequences, get consequences.

Lilith feels the hands on her shoulder and she pulls one of them up with a nod and a kiss at the back of the knuckles with assuring, a heartbeat of time to show how calm she is about this whole assassinating no mercy thing. Then furious heat starts to shimmer with incandescence after she looks at the extent of the injured, then back at Tisi. Using Byron as force backlash support for her own body with his solidity behind her, she harnesses it into fire and fury in her hands to try and wrangle with aim straight that way once there's a clear shot without any chance of friendly explosive fire.

This was Erin's comfort zone, she could do this better than flinging balls of fire. With the man down she turns and again assesses everyone. August was hurt! Dammit! Hustling over she kneels down beside him, "Hey.." she says gently, trying to distract him. "I gotcha, everything is going to be okay.."

As with Bennie, Easton feels his ribs come back together just as August takes a lightning bolt to the chest. He stagges, almost falls, manages to catch himself. The object that cuts open August's already burned arm almost puts him on the floor; he kneels a second, trying to catch his breath. Cotard, at least, doesn't land a hit.

He climbs to his feet, wipes sweat off his face. "Nice fucking try," he says to Tisi. He nods at Erin, murmuring a thanks. Then he pats Easton on the shoulder, wipes a hand over his mouth. "Finish her off, Isabella," he says, clearing his throat. A little extra for this last hit.

"Ok babe, that's our cue." Easton retrieves his knife, slips away his gun and gets to his feet, he looks around at group and shakes his head, "Yay team?" He sighs, tiredly and helps Bennie up to her feet to mutually support each other as they make their way to the door. "I still don't understand why booze couldn't be the reward..."

It does nothing. "....why do I get the feeling that we just ended up doing all the work for her?" Isabella wonders quietly, through gritted teeth. As piano strains rise into a now audible crescendo that fills her ears. Horror slips over her face; oh god no there is no amount of tequila in the world that would fix it if these assholes ruin Jazz for her. Or the horror can be from the yawning, writhing black mass moving towards them, eclipsing the room and preventing her from seeing any other definition, leaving the place wide and empty and endless, and in spite of her earlier bravado, she just quickly backs up away from it, furious face growing slack and ashen. Nope. Just nope. "Let's get out of here," she breathes towards the rest, and she'll wait for as long as she can before she's running for the door with the rest of the gang, to hopefully spill out into safer confines beyond.

Erin listens, she wants answers. She's always wanted answers. Not more damn riddles! Confusing monologue. Unscathed, she checks the others again. "Bennie let me help one of you to the door?" Looking between her and Easton since both were injured. She'll help if they need, but she does hurry people along before the mass swallows them.

"Yeah huh." Bennie sort of mumbles to Erin, throwing her other arm around the Addington. She doesn't have much strength for anything else, her left foot dragging a little as she stumbles towards the exit. "I'll talk to the nurses. See if we can get some whiskey...in our IVs...." Because she was headed to work anyways. Now she'll just be checking into the hospital with Easton. Consider it couples bonding.

"Puzzles." August runs a hand through his mostly-restored hair. His head is still ringing like a damned bell, though. The tinnitus should ease up some time next month. He moves to help Easton. "Come on--I suspect we'll get split up when we walk through, but I can get you that far."

Byron was being good or sadistically voyeuristic in his observing of what's to come that, he can only assume, would end all of this finally. So when he feels his hand being grasped by the woman who tried to wreck his jacket by throwing at rock at him, he has more of an urge to snatch that arm back. She's quick though and as he begins to tug away, he feels the odd kiss placed to back of his hand. There's this wariness in his eyes now that his arm is finally free. He even begins to rub that area where she'd kissed him.

The incoming mass of... shadows, smoke, he's not even sure distracts him enough from where the woman disappears into that he reaches for Lilith's hand again to drag her along if she's not heading to the newly opened door already. "Let's get the hell out of here already." But it seems like everyone else had the same idea. He wasn't as bad off as Lilith was with the state of her dress and returning back the aftermath of Thanksgiving dinner and back to his mother actually never really comes to mind as he tries to drag Winslow through that door behind the others.

Lilith has risen above growing up white trash and unsupervised by a drunk in a trailer park, she really has. She has her own business, she has a savings account, she has insurance, she has a car she can afford payments on, and it's nice, she keeps her loft clean, and she dresses pretty and has a guy latched to her with megamoney and doting attention. She doesn't cuss a ton unless she's drinking or bothered, she tends to only smoke when she's stressed, drug use is mild recreational and stress related, same with alcohol leaning toward social or casual crutching.

So! Absolutely no one would probably have any idea she's about to go straight white trash ghetto and leap Tisi's back or yell all kinds of things on the way out so the bitch doesn't get the final word or a sense of getting away with kissing her man's hand, goddamnit. (Except maybe Byron, given how hard he has to tug on her to get her moving while she STARES at where Tisi went with the incoming kind of back-level given the fixation of her eyes.) Oh, but it almost happens, it almost does. It's just the way she is when worked up sometimes and irrationally obsessive about a certain someone besides.

But it doesn't. She's forgotten about what the hell they're about to walk back into and should be thinking of a good excuse for that arm of hers and busted blouse. But mostly, Byron just wrangles her out in a hurry once she's moving.