sirenspull_logs | a fun and happy afternoon

Entry tags:

a fun and happy afternoon

Who: Reim Lunettes (pro tank driver), Sharon Rainsworth (expert dainty lady), with later appearances by scared little ~~dolls~~ girls and Xerxes Break
When: Sept. 7, a little before the toys turn back into toys.
Where: Baseball diamond!
Summary: Reim picks up Sharon in a tank and then weird stuff with dolls happens.
Warnings: Eventually Emily might be terrifying.

There are things, since the impromptu kidnapping, that Reim would not have imagined he would have to deal with again. One of them is getting back into the Big Metal Death Machine (née toy tank) Break had picked him up in and left on the Phantomhive-Trancy lawn, but a new arrival called him out of the blue and he feels a passionate need to get to her very quickly.

The tank may be slow, but it's faster than he could hope to be with the largest of his wounds from home still plaguing him, and he's seen what's happening in the city; to his lament, he's going to need something that can crush other things with little pretense. Which is why he fumbles his way into the tank, and--

lurches back and forth for twenty minutes while he relearns which levers make it move properly. His driving training has been limited, and he isn't going to drag Break out of his sad pile of blankets to put him back in this thing. He suspects the three of them might make the trip back a little cramped, anyway.

The point being, while it takes a laughable amount of time, Reim (and tank) eventually rumble into the baseball diamond (he is very mindful of pedestrians and only sacrifices two trash bins!) and stop, some distance away from where he can see Sharon in the viewfinder.

He climbs out of the top without falling in the dirt and hurries over to her, calling out as he approaches, "Sharon!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh my! How... cute. Yes, cute is the adjective that fits here, right?

Sharon gently shakes the little doll's hand.]

It's nice to meet Sharon too. It's such a funny coincidence.

Oh! But I didn't catch your name yet.

I'm Emily!

[ Little Emily is a doll infused with Break's love. And also - his remorse. His regret. His guilt.

If there's anything Mister Reim or Lady Sharon have to feel guilty about; any inadequacies or shortcomings; any episodes of uselessness...

They'll probably be having significant feelings about that right about now.

Meanwhile, little Emily beams up at Reim and asks: ]

What's your name, mister?

[Feelings, yes, well. Reim is well acquainted with considering himself useless in varying capacities; although when Emily looks up at him like that, the only thing he thinks of is the last time a wide-eyed little girl did the exact same thing. And then--

That was different. He puts the thought out of his mind, or tries to. He is fairly certain the look on his face is somewhere between "endeared smile" and "severely troubled."

(There is a gun in his pocket, another "borrowed" item from the estate--because he isn't stupid, and the only thing he knows for certain about this city is it's dangerous--it suddenly feels very heavy, pressed against his hip.)

He blinks. He is fine. Nothing is wrong.]

Reim.

Emily is a sweet name.

[It's really similar but that's just another coincidence. There were other things on her mind than dolls to think about. One would think these rapid changes in mood would alert someone to something weird going on, but it just adds to the vague unease growing inside Sharon.

Straightening up to her full height, she suddenly felt self-conscious about how close in height she was to Emily, she brought her hand back to her side. Helping the girl had made her feel relief before but she was just deceiving herself, wasn't she?

Reim is the one with the real information and calming presence. He knew where the shelter was, he know how to work that device. He always handled unexpected happenings well. She would only be getting in his way if she butted in. Tripping over those that could really get the job done and complicating matters. It always happens that way.

Small steps back, hands folded neatly in front of her. Just stay in the background. The wrong feeling is just growing. It has to be her. What else?]

[ She gazes at Sharon, confused, as if to say - why is the nice girl backing away? And then up at Reim. His expression seems to alarm her. ]

Ah... ah...!

H-have you seen Kevin? I need to find him. He said he'd come back. But he didn't!

[ She'd seemed so happy a moment before, but now she looks frightened. Her little knees quake. And the tears are flowing again. ]

I have to find him!

[ From guilt and uselessness comes a feeling of total despair. ]

[Somewhere underneath the crushing despair (he has very little to despair about, and despairing about paperwork is maybe just distracting), a bulb goes off. Kevin and Emily, really? Today?

--Please, let it be a coincidence.]

Don't- Don't cry, it's alright. [No, it probably isn't. Reim turns to Sharon, silently pleading. Help.... with sobbing child...]

[Well, it's a simultaneous light bulb. Three coincidences is just too much to ignore. But what if they are wrong?

She can't just keep giving into this impulsion to be quiet and avoidant. She can handle a problem. Even if every sniffle from this little girl adds another weight to her chest. First thing's first, confirm the relation.

Sharon places a hand on the girl's shoulder, her smile noticeably strained.]

Does Kevin have white hair and red eyes?

O-oh! You know Kevin!

[ Her tears stop. But the look on her face is not quite what one would expect from an innocent little girl. ]

He was my white knight. My own white knight, my very own! He said he could bring everyone back. Mama and papa, sister too!

But...

[ WHOOOSH! Loom loom looooooom, something is rising up behind her. ]

He didn't. So I have a Red Knight now!

[That answers that question. Reim steps in front of Sharon automatically, and there will be no objections from the lady--! She can use Equus fine from back there ~~and not yell at him about pulling Break-tier danger stunts again~~. The problem that remains, of course, is that he is a desk worker who can't fight worth anything, and things have become decidedly Bad.

Little girls keep pulling this around him; how miserable. They should have gotten in the tank when they had the chance.

He can't think of anything remotely useful to say, as he takes an uncertain step back-]

Stop-!

[Reim. Reim... You are the injured one here! Can you even fight? She will be miffed at the shielding later. Instead she uses the time to call out her Chain. If only she hadn't just arrived here he could have been nicely tucked away in the shadow of someone far away and safe and then they would have the option of getting the fuck out of here. Or at least forcing Reim to go somewhere safe so his wounds don't reopen. The idiot.

The most masculine my little pony stomps his hooves, most of his body protecting Reim. Sharon doesn't want to instantly go into attacking the girl without information though. There is still the question if she is just an influenced real little girl or a ghost of a memory. The left over guilt and despair isn't helping her to steal her emotions either. What if she accidentally kills an innocent child?]

If you calm down we might be able to find him though. Don't you want to meet Kevin again?

[ Her Chain is enormous, standing behind her. He was a White Knight, at one point; but now he's red, because his armor is dripping with blood. He raises his sword. ]

I told a sto~ry~!

[ She grins and blushes, as children do when they're caught in a lie. ]

I know where Kevin is. He's going to be the last one. And then my Red Knight will--

[ Suddenly, she points at Equus. ]

Ah-- ah--- A PONY!

[ She might be a murderous and scary little girl; but she's just a little girl, all the same. ]

[Oh cool even the DOLL has a nicer Chain than Reim does, that does wonders for his self-esteem. But something she said--]

The last-- What do you mean, the last one?

[Although. He can make an educated guess. When she's distracted by Equus he turns slightly, slowly reaching for the concealed gun. A little girl excited about unrelated things, while a monster looms behind her and she giggles about killing people-- How many times does this have to happen, honestly.

For the moment, he's doing nothing else; if Sharon can calm her down via pony, great. If not, well. Well.]

[This just keeps getting better and better. The threat to Break is the last straw. Stall or destroy the illegal contract now? They are Pandora, there is nothing wrong with this decision. The only thing holding back Equus from charging is Sharon's will to stall. The Chain has been stomping the ground angrily, shuffling in place and snorting. Sorry, Reim, there really aren't any cute pony shows Sharon can pull out to distract the little girl.

So instead Equus just charges right at the Red Knight.

This is a good plan and won't backfire. The unicorn at least charged in a wider arc so the potential conflict won't be happening right next to all the contractors. Hopefully Equus can handle the Knight, he never was a Chain built for pure offense.

Sorry about giving up the stalling plan.]

[ The Red Knight swings his sword in an arc just barely missing the Very Special Unicorn's horn. He chortles - it's a low, sadistic, metallic sort of sound.

Little Emily watches, putting her fingers in her mouth - like a child who hasn't quite lost the habit of sucking her thumb. ]

I'm sorry.

I think you're - nice. But the Red Knight says I have to. If I want to see mama and papa and big sister again.

[ The Red Knight raises his sword again. This time, he's not toying with Equus. This time, it's on purpose to kill. ]

[They are going to die. If Equus falls, they are completely useless; she's going to kill them, and then- Break...

For a second, he is frozen. Combat and high stakes continue to elude him, and this entire situation is just too close to what happened at Yura's estate, and-- and he's going to take care of it, and then find Break and throttle him himself. What kind of idiot would let this loose, what is he doing-

In one precise movement Reim pulls the gun from his hip and levels it with Emily (who isn't even looking at him, just like--ugh). It's heavier than his own gun, bigger; but his arm is steady and his aim is sure. He says nothing- if she looks at him or he looks at Sharon he could lose his nerve, so he says nothing and pulls the trigger.

This time, he sincerely hopes it actually works.]

[Sharon is very busy guiding Equus against the Chain. She has to make sure he doesn't get cut in half while jolting about trying to attack. He may have speed on his side but he also doesn't have the variety of attack patterns as a giant knight.

All this means is that Sharon hasn't bothered to look at Reim for a bit now. She assumed he would have retreated to a safer distance, he isn't a fighter after all. Maybe even go and get some help.

Until there is a bang.

Sharon wheels around instantly and stares at the gun in Reim's hand.]

Edited 2012-09-09 20:17 (UTC)

BANG!

[ Shot at pointblank range, Emily's little head explodes. Not with blood, but with batting. Wisps of artificial blonde hair float in the breeze. The Red Knight fades.

What falls to the ground is a lifeless, headless doll. ]

[There's something disturbing about that. Well, there are a lot of disturbing things about all of this, but that's especially troubling. Reim stands there, watching her fallen form; he is prepared to shoot again, but it looks unnecessary.

His gun hand drops to his side as he turns to Sharon.]

Are you alright?

[wow yeah nothing you just did was crazy as hell, Reim, nope]

[Reim... just shot... a little girl. Her head exploded.

Thank god she wasn't real.

Sharon looks down at the remains and back to Reim before remembering to stop staring in complete bewilderment. She is composed, she is used to fights. Just not fights where Reim deals the killing blow. Hm. Equus is also back to shadow land or wherever he goes.]

Yes. [pause...] How did you know?

[Cause he had to know she wasn't a real girl, right??]

[Reim is relieved; Sharon is alright! That's good, that's wonderful. He puts his gun away, and gives no-longer-Emily-not-really one last look, before furrowing his brow at Sharon.]

Know what?

[UHHHHH]

[Sharon isn't done with her just yet. She kneels down to examine the remains, turning them around gently to get a better look. This is definitely Emily... How strange.]

That it was the doll.

[Oh.

Oh. Don't talk about this, does he have to talk about this--he isn't even really too keen on looking at the thing anymore, and so stoops down to swipe the wrecked doll (sorry Sharon). He tucks it into an inside pocket.]

Toys have been coming to life. [As if that's normal. Please accept this as an excuse, please...] You heard what she was saying...

[There is something else in the dirt- a Pandora amulet? Reim picks that up, too. Maybe, if he keeps fussing with things, Sharon will drop the subject!!!]

[Oh dear. Treat the thing better than that, please. You know about Break's feelings over the silly doll. You shot it in the head, at least pick it up gently.

Sharon just straightens up. She has no reason to disbelieve him...]

Well, you didn't say anything about that before. We should bring her back to Break.

[She does wonder why he picked the most violent way to stop the thing, but it worked so... We'll avoid that question.]

[No, this is all Break's fault, he'll have to deal with it.]

There were more pressing matters. [huff huff like being attacked huff SHARON, PLEASE]

Let's- [and a turn back towards the tank, which, oh hm, is now a little toy tank. Sitting on the ground. In the distance.] ... Let's return.

[She doesn't even know what the hell is going on. She has been here for barely an hour. This can be Break's fault, sure.

Looks like the giant metal death trap is no longer around. How saddening. Sharon is really displeased. Truly. Although she does worry about Reim and the wounds he is covered with. Would he get huffy and her for offering help though?]

That would probably be best. Let's hope this departure goes smoother.

(no subject)

jokesonthem - 2012-09-11 01:59 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only