2022-01-19 - Internal Fire

True to his word, Seth is over to Vic's house within a few minutes...with pants on. But they are his comfy sweatpants, not the kind he would normally wear out and about in regular society. Letting himself into the house, he calls out as he opens the door slowly, "It's me. Don't plug my ass."

He waits only a moment for the words to register before walking inside and closing the door behind him. "Where ya at?"

"Couch," comes the weary response. Sure enough, Vic is crashed out in her den by the fireplace which is lit. Thank God this is one of the rooms that was remodeled. It used to look like a 70s nightmare. Now it's more modern and comfortable. She's curled up on the sofa, wrapped up in a throw blanket. Her hair is in disarray and she looks exhausted and in pain. Her phone is on a pillow by her head.

Having not set foot inside here in a while, Seth arches a brow as he looks around the place. "What the fuck did we do in those 3 months, Vic. Seriously. I don't remember doing ANY of this."

Seth shakes his head and makes his way over to the couch and kneels down next to her, brushing her hair from her face and placing a gentle touch of his lips to her forehead, "Hey there. You look like shit."

"I don't remember either, but I seem to have excellent taste in interiors. Maybe I missed my calling as an HGTV host?" Vic murmurs. "I can't sleep. Whenever I close my eyes, she's there. Violeta. I can't unsee her. I feel like I'm being haunted." She shifts slightly and winces.

Seth frowns at that, "Not sure there is much I can do about that, but I might be able to at least help with the pain."

He closes his eyes and concentrates, placing the palm of his head on the top of hers, and does his best to 'heal' the injuries that are causing her such distress, though not being physical he can't be positive if it will have any effect at all.

"Any better? Did that help at all," he asks quietly as he brushes more stray strands of hair from her face. "If not, I might be able to scrounge up something stronger like morphine, but I don't want to overkill it." He sighs, resting his body against the side of the couch as he lowers himself to sit on the floor, "Tell me more about Violeta."

Vic lets out a shuddering breath. "Yes, way better. Thanks." She sits up on the couch and externally she looks fine in her Pajama pants and tank top. "This train platform in the Veil, it was in Serbia? Dream Serbia? And the train was going to Belgrade. We all had tickets, but we were dissed by the ticketmaster, like we were unworthy. He kept saying it was full and we'd have to travel later. Then Violeta walked by and she was BLINDING to look at. And I knew, I KNEW, she couldn't be allowed to get on that train. I nailed her shoes to the floor for a moment, but she dissolved my Glimmer bonds like they were nothing. That's when I destroyed the train with the clock trick, but not before she got a foot on the step and exploded."

"Good, good." Seth sighs, a smile coming to his face as she seems to be moving better and without as much pain. He stands from his crouched position and makes his way to her kitchen, searching the cupboards for a glass to fill with water.

"So she herself exploded? Not the train? The train you just drailed right? And now...now she is found dead under a bridge here in GH? What the hell does that all even mean? Just when I think I get a handle on this place, it jumps to another track."

He brings the glass of water back over to Vic, handing it over as he takes a set next to her on the couch. "And what is with all the Serbian shit? Can't seem to get away from them."

"The train...it basically disintegrated, fell apart, was undone. It screamed, Seth. Bolts popped out like bullets, panels of metal crashed to the ground, smoke and ash drained out of it like blood. Then Violeta stepped on what was left and BOOM!" Vic grimaces and sips the water. "Everything went blinding white and hot and I woke up here, to exhausted and in pain to find my phone downstairs. I think I came by before the Dream to pick up my mail and do a standard security sweep."

Seth frowns as Vic recants the story, his head shaking softly as he places his arms around her shoulders for a bit of comfort. "Sometimes I really hate this place, Vic. Like we don't have to put up with enough bullshit as it is in our 'waking' lives, but to get tossed into this kind of stuff as well? Fuck me, it's just not right. At least with our day jobs we 'choose' it...kinda."

Sighing takes the water from Vic and takes a sip himself before passing it back. "This is all just getting way too fucked up, and the damn Serbs are somehow involved because of course they are."

"Yeah. And now they've pulled in Ravn, and that KC guy, and Itzhak." She pauses. "And Cavanaugh. Seth, I think Joe was who beat the shit out of Alexander last year." Vic frowns at that, sips more water.

Seth frowns, turning his head to look over at Vic. "What? Why? Why would Joe beat the shit out of Alexander? I thought they were friends?" He shakes his head, leaning back against the couch with a sigh. "Why do I have a sinking feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better, hun? I don't like this feeling."

Vic shakes her head. "I am not sure. I think it had to do with Javier disappearing for a bit some time ago. I'll ask him what happened but for the moment? I'm keeping an eye on Cavanaugh and one on Alexander just in case." She runs fingers through his hair. "When this Spokane and Serbian shit is over, we need to let my dad know about the engagement. I worry he'll come here to celebrate so I don't want to tell him until that is resolved."

Seth nods. "Fair point on your father. I don't want him caught up in any of this mess that is for sure. We will let him know when the time is right, and maybe we go there to celebrate. Keep him out of the Harbor. As far as Joe and Alexander are concerned, do you want me to just ask Alexander? What gave you the impression Joe was the one that messed him up?"

Seth sighs and rubs at the bridge of his nose, "And who gets to make the call to de la Vega?"

"Keeping him out of the Harbor is the best idea," Vic agrees. She frowns. "I don't think Alexander will talk about it. Or Joe. I was in a weird dream with them, that western one I told you about. And Alexander looked ready to downright flee from Joe's presence." She runs a hand through her hair and sighs. "About Spokane? You can call him. I'll talk to him about the Alexander thing more casually if I run into him somewhere."

"I may as well bring up both if I am going to talk to him at all," Seth says with a shrug of his shoulder as he feels her forehead with the back of his hand to check her body temp. "At least he and I seem to have come to some sort of...understanding. Which is better than we had."

Seth takes the glass of water from Vic once again and takes a sip before passing it back, "Your dad going to be pissed? As far as I know, he didn't even know we were dating let alone close to getting engaged. My mom would have flipped out on me."

"I think Dad knows there was something going on. He knows I don't exactly announce my relationships. Old habit having been an undercover cop," Vic notes with a small smile at his checking of her temperature. "I...don't know your parents at all, do I?" Has she ever really even asked about them. She blinks, suddenly feeling like a total asshole.

"Nothing to know. They aren't in the picture," Seth says with a shrug of his shoulder. "Dad died young. Mom a few years ago in a car accident. She would have liked you," he admits with a smile. "She wasn't one to take people's shit either. Would have been proud to have someone else to put me in my place." He sighs, turning to sit against the couch, placing his arms on his upraised knees, "It's one of the reasons I came to work for Felix, actually. He's the little bit of family I have left, and I had nothing else to tie me down." He snorts, "Not that he really treats me like anything other than the hired help."

"Felix rescued me," Vic admits quietly. "He kept me out of prison after I went to the other side because the cartel was threatening my father. Then he bargained with them for my life and got me free of them. He's not very parental, but he's good at getting you to feel indebted to him." She smiles wanly. "He just couldn't swing getting my badge back, sadly."

"Yeah, he is good at that...if he wants something. Sure, he saved you...and for that I owe him...but it's only because you were an asset for him to use. I fell in because he just asked and he is family, but I think that family thing kind of only goes one way. I don't know, maybe he would spare a little more effort in my case should the need arise, but I wouldn't lay money down on it."

Seth shrugs his shoulder again, "Doesn't really matter in any case. We are so far down the rabbit hole that even if we wanted to try and climb out we couldn't. Not that this fucking town would even let us. You know, it's funny to me that someone that has no shine like Felix was able to get so damned powerful. You would have thought the others would smack him down."

"You'd think, but maybe because he is mostly unaffected by all the magical shit, he's that much stronger. More focused. Able to get shit done without drawing Their attention," Vic murmurs. "The more you use this stuff, the more it fucks with you, so I can see powerful people in the magic department getting constantly derailed in their plans."

Seth nods once as he quietly contemplates this. "Probably right," he finally admits. "He's not a threat to them, so why fuck with him."

"In any case, I suppose I should text de la Vega. Set up a meet or whatever." Seth pulls his phone from his pocket and starts to tap on it with practiced ease. "I'll let him know you're doing better now, too."

"Ok, I'm gonna nap for a bit until the rest of the ows ease up. Be careful with de la Vega, ok? If Joe did fuck Alexander up, Javier will still take his side." Vic grimaces at that.

Seth nods. "I'm always careful with de la Vega."

He leans over and places his lips to her forehead, giving her a quick peck before standing. "Get some rest. I have a feeling we will be needing to make another trip."