hfm_logs | [NOW OPEN] Assassination!

Entry tags:

[NOW OPEN] Assassination!

Warnings: Death and blood and violence
Location: The park
Characters: Peridot, Rose Quartz, and Greg Universe
When: Three days after Peridot gets Shadowed.
Summary: A romantic evening walk is interrupted by a violent stalker and it all goes to hell from there.

Peridot had waited long enough. Three days of avoiding the sun, of practicing until she collapsed on the spot, of seething in an anger that was acute even for her with the whispers in her head egging her on, she managed one. A jagged shadow, long and thin and sharp, jutting up out of the concrete. She did it. She made one.

Eventually, she could make a few more. Eventually, she could throw them.

All she needed was one perfect shot, right through the gem. It would be easy enough to get close if Rose was hunting her. If her encounter with her in the shops was any indication, she'd believe anything. Any story would do. Of course it would. The whispers had stopped arguing with her about this. Just this one thing. If she got to do this one thing, then she pay attention to what they wanted.

Helicopter fingers fluttering, she scanned the city for Rose until finally she found her in the park with her pet human. The sun was setting, the shadows would get stronger and stronger in the waning daylight...perfect. She taxied down to the ground behind the couple.

“Well, well, well...Isn't it getting a little late?”

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It had only been a quick walk through the park. A quick walk that turned into a long stroll, which in turn became a lengthy meander. It was often difficult for Greg to keep track of time, when it was just the two of them. He'd failed entirely to notice the lengthening shadows off the trees, or the orange hue in the sky. Until, of course, a voice broke through his attention.

As it was, he turned to Peridot with more exasperation for their ruined moment than anything. The Gem was a pain, and not exactly pleasant to be around, but he hadn't seen much to qualify her as dangerous. Greg rested a hand on Rose's arm. Just in case.

"Uh. Evenin'."

And this had been such a NICE walk with her boyfriend, too. And now, it's been interrupted by Peridot. Coming to meet them. Rather than running away, or staying out of sight.

This can't be anything good.

She pushes Greg back just a bit- the fact that he's here for this also isn't good- and steps forward. "What do you want, Peridot?"

Peridot steps forward as well.

"Good evening! That's what humans say as greeting, correct? Since I'm being forced to live with them I thought I should attempt to learn how to...get along with them."

Her grin is totally forced. Peridot is not a very good liar at the best of times, but it's obvious to anyone looking at her that something else is going on.

"Oh... no kidding...?"

Every single part of this situation screamed bad news, most especially the weird look on her face. Was that seriously what she looked like when smiling? Greg tightened his grip around Rose's arm.

"I'm in no mood for games." She WAS in the mood for games and playing with Greg, but not anymore. "You didn't come here to get along with humans. You want something to do with me."

Her voice is cold and firm, with none of the usual kindness that Greg is used to hearing from her. He's probably never really seen this side of her before. Leader of the Crystal Gems, faced with an enemy that's not just a rampaging monster.

Her laughter was bitter and sharp, meant to rub up against Rose like sandpaper. She put her hand behind her back, starting to work up the shadows. She wasn't powerful enough to form them immediately, but she could work them between her fingers.

"Oh, nothing important...I just wanted an answer to a little question! That's my specialty, isn't it, gathering information?"

Her voice and mannerisms are manic, uneven and jittery, even more so than normal. The shadows are starting to take shape into a spear.

"What was it about the earth that captivated you so much?"

The uneven, manic lilt to Peridot's voice may have set him on edge, but not nearly so much as the harsh sharpness in Rose's. It was erratic movement against stony stillness, and Greg caught gaping uselessly between.

"Hey... look, Peridot, it doesn't have to be like this. We're all on the same side here. Rose, come on..."

He didn't know if his words would even be heard--there was already too much going on between two Gems for a little human to try and stand between. But they were all trapped here together, and that meant it would do no good to make more enemies.

"Greg. I appreciate what you're trying to do. But you should leave. Now."

She gives him a firm push away from Peridot. This isn't his fight, so he shouldn't be involved in it.

Then, she gives Peridot her answer- in the form of ripping a hunk of stone from the ground and throwing it at her. "I told you, I'm in no mood for games. We both know you're not going to be swayed by anything I have to say, so let's just get this over with."

Peridot didn't get where she is by being bad at dodging. Nimbly leaping to the side and tucking into a somersault, she landed on her knees with her hand extended, the shadow spear menacing against the evening sky.

"Do you know what this is, Rose?"

Edited (better icon, because that was important) 2015-09-08 02:20 (UTC)

Getting shoved by someone much larger and stronger will definitely do the trick of getting you out of the way. Already tense and off-kilter, Greg ended up on the ground, watching the showdown unfold.

This was already out of control enough, before Peridot pulled out her ace. Thoughts of Aaron instantly flashed into Greg's mind--deluded, paranoid, angry, scared--and Peridot's erratic behavior clicked into place.

"You made a deal?!" Wash, trembling and broken, after what they'd done to him. Bones, disoriented and lost. "Peridot, no! Whatever they gave you, it's not worth it!"

"No, I don't. And I said to run, Greg!" She turns and snaps back at him. Rose isn't quite sure what Greg's talking about- she hasn't seen anyone affected by shadows before. All she sees is Peridot, acting in pretty much exactly the way she'd expect a Homeworld Gem to act. Which means that as a human, Greg is probably going to be in serious danger here. She doesn't want him hurt.

"Of course it was worth it! The power of these shadows is beyond even GEM magic! If you clods had any real comprehension what this could do..."

She straightened up, grin stretching the sides of her face.

"But why should I tell you when I can show you! You were a flaw in the facet of all Gemkind, but at long last! Die, Rose!"

She threw the shadow like a javelin, right at Rose's stomach. The shattering of her Gem would be music to Peridot's ears...

Things were moving too quickly, but they were clearly moving in one direction, and it was disaster. He had to stop this, before they got too far, before one of them got hurt. The trees around them rattled without wind, bushes suddenly bristled with thorns, and Greg found his feet with a helpful shove from the grass underneath. He dove between them, sure that if he could just get them to listen, they could figure something out. "Stop!"

There was an impact, and then things really did seem to... stop.

It was very hard to figure out how, or why, or what, just that everything had suddenly shifted greatly, and Greg had the distinct feeling he'd done something wrong. With great effort, perhaps the most monumental feat of focus he'd ever managed, Greg figured out how to look down.

Something was in his chest. Something jagged, and dark, and sharp, and it was poking out of him. His vision blurred. Peridot's...it was in him. Oh. At that point, he dimly recognized the pain.

"Rskgh--" He tried to speak, and instead choked on something thick and heavy in his mouth. He tried to breathe, and instead found more of the substance blocking the way. He tried to move, and instead realized he was on the ground.

This wasn't going how he'd wanted. Though, now, it was getting hard to imagine anything different. It was getting hard to imagine anything. But he'd wanted--he'd hoped--Steven would...

Rose has seen people die before. In the war, it happened plenty. People she'd known, recruited to her cause, that she'd been friends with- someone close to her dying isn't an unfamiliar experience. She's always managed to keep it together though. She mourned for them, shed tears- but after the battle was over. In the moment, she couldn't afford to be so distracted- there were too many other lives on the line.

This is different, though. So, so different. As she watches Greg's body get pierced- fall over and go still- it's like she's watching it in slow motion, and she can't do anything about it. She thinks she's screaming his name, but she isn't really sure. All she's aware of is that it feels like she's being torn apart inside- she's never been this affected by someone's death before.

And he is dead- she can see through the tears blurring her vision, that he's not breathing anymore. And she's just kneeling by his body, hands over her stomach, feeling like she's going to be sick as she can't stop crying.

Dammit! Dammit dammit dammit! She didn't know how quickly she'd be able to form another one! She didn't know how much energy that would require! There was no time for this!

...Except perhaps there was. Rose seemed to have almost forgotten her for the body, and...perhaps she could simply approach her and tear the Gem from her body...

"Hmmm...too bad. Putting down your little human pet wasn't the plan."

Wow, humans had so much blood in them. It didn't vanish the way Gem blood did, soaking the ground, dyeing everything ruby red. It was far more satisfying then the simple POOF of a Gem.

She approached from behind, coating her hand in shadow. Not as risk free as the spear, but Rose seemed so...so...Well, Peridot didn't have any experience with this emotion, but Rose was clearly preoccupied

"Don't fret," she pulled her hand back to drive it through Rose, "it'll be quick for both of you."

Oh. Right. Peridot's there.

Good. Rose needed a way to vent right about now.

The sound of her voice quickly snaps her out of the intense sorrow she's feeling, her emotions quickly turning to anger. Blind, uncontrollable fury, the kind where you're still crying just from how much it burns.

She quickly turns around, and when her foot falls, the ground shakes. Rose moves to grab Peridot, and a spire of stone erupts from beneath her feet to launch her forward. Before Peridot can even react, she's being grabbed by the throat, and Rose is moving with enough force to slam her into the side of a nearby building, smashing the wall to bits behind her.

That wasn't anything to do with her magic. Smashing walls with brute force is easy for a Gem as strong as her. What is magic however, is how the bricks in mortar don't fall, instead staying suspended in midair, before smashing together around Peridot's limbs. If she had just actual hands and feet, they'd doubtless be broken right now. As it is, she can probably hear the metal of her gauntlets and boots straining, as Rose keeps her contained, staring Peridot straight in the eyes with more anger than she thinks she's ever felt before, grip tightening around her throat as tears still stream down her face. "Use your healing magic. Fix him. Now. Or I'll BREAK YOU." There still might be time. Even with all her anger, she wants to believe that there's still a chance to save him.

Peridot's mind swam. Shadows and whispers and dead humans and walls and was she cracked, she must have been cracked, completely cracked. She couldn't move. The shadows had been snuffed out by the force of Rose's retaliation. She didn't need air, but she did need her throat to talk, and her voice was only a faint squeak when she did.

"Traded...traded it...the shadows-"

She was being crushed. And the thought hardly bothered her now. The shadows hissed and panicked in her ears, she couldn't escape, and yet seeing Rose this way...one of the Gem's greatest warriors and Peridot had completely undone her.

"...he was...only a human..."

Through it all, Peridot sneered.

That's it, then. There's no hope of saving Greg. And no point in holding back anymore.

Her grip tightens around Peridot's throat- and the stone compresses around her limbs. And then with one quick twist of her hand, she snaps Peridot's neck- her gemstone falling to the ground.

That's not enough, though. Not nearly enough for what she's done.

Rose raises her arms up, and lifts a boulder up into the air, one bigger than she is- and slams it down, crushing Peridot's gem. And then again. And again, and again, and again, screaming and crying all the while, shaking the earth. And by the time she's done, there's just a massive crater, and a tiny green smear in the center of it, Peridot's gem practically reduced to a fine powder. And now...

Now there's nothing. Nothing for Rose to take her emotions out on, nothing to distract her from the fact that the person she's loved more than anything else was suddenly, painfully ripped away from her.

Nothing to do now but just break down and cry.

Shortcuts through the park are kind of a thing for Bones. Delivery isn't really an option and they'd run out of coffee- again- because between two men, a teenager, and another adult that comes by to visit they can't seem to remember to keep it on the list or keep track of how much is left. It's not that far out of Leonard's way to grab a few bags after working at the clinic so he usually ends up being the one to get what they need.

Going around is an option but- a moment of peace and green to remind him of home? Not all that bad. At least when it is peaceful and green and there isn't the rumble of something going on, a rhythmic thud that curiosity bids him look into.

Rose slamming a rock into the ground isn't what he expected.

Neither is the blood.

"Jesus christ-" Greg. Greg's down, Greg's still in a way that he's intimately familiar with and Rose is- he drops the bag and sprints over. Nothing to be done for Greg, he knows that, he knows but something screams at him to try anyway. To look, to treat but-

Healing magic isn't something he has. "Rose? Rose. What happened?"

It takes a moment to register with Rose that someone else is there, asking her questions. It takes another few moments for her to compose herself enough to respond, and to even think of what to say.

"Peridot. Peridot attacked, and G... Greg said she'd made some kind of deal, and..." And it hurts, to have to examine the events, effectively re-living it so soon after it all happened. But she has to. She's a Crystal Gem, and she needs to be strong. "Peridot used some kind of magic, but Greg got in the way, and he... he took the hit for me." She's trying to hold back her tears as she speaks and is failing, hand over her mouth to muffle her sobbing between words.

There's nothing he can do. There is NOTHING he can do and he's kneeling by Greg anyway, hand over the wound, examining him as calm as he can manage but-

No breath, no pulse, and with all the blood? It looks like it was quick. Part of him is grateful for that. Greg wasn't suited to violence- it isn't-

it wasn't in his nature. "He protected you."

Because that's what Greg did in his own way. Kept everyone settled and sane and safe in all the small ways that people tend to take for granted and it's not fucking FAIR. It's not fucking fair that they're brought here and this shouldn't have happened and he's not-

Leonard takes a slow steadying breath, crams all that down. Turns to Rose and extends his hand to her. "I'm so, so sorry, Rose."

He protected her. Of course he protected her. People always seem to be willing to do that, whether she wants them to or not. "I didn't deserve it."

She joins Bones in taking a deep breath, as well as taking his hand, letting him help her back up onto her feet. She can't just sit here all day, crying. She has to be strong. She can't let this get to her, not when there's still work to do.

She heads down into the crater she made, and starts scooping up all the little green bits, making sure she doesn't leave any behind. "We'll need to keep these somewhere safe. Find some kind of way to keep them from regenerating.

For a moment he's stunned by not only the statement but the green shards. Then it clicks. Peridot did this. Peridot isn't HERE anymore because-

She'd been shattered.

"Or we can grind 'em into a superfine powder and set 'em on fire." That got his vote.

"It would need to be hotter than that, but. Maybe. Until then, though, I don't think anyone wants to deal with mindless limbs crawling around." Her voice is quiet, and emotionless. Right now, Rose just seems very, very drained. And not just from the extreme overkill she pulled on Peridot.

She's also pointedly avoiding turning back around. Rose won't be able to continue keeping it together if she looks back right now.

"Hold a bit up?" If he knows what he's reaching for he can handle it. The whole ordeal is emotionally draining and he's got Greg's blood on his hands but-

He's a doctor. He's handled this before. Rose hasn't. Soon as he knows what he's looking for he starts balling them up in his clean hand, lifting and tugging the shards from the surrounding area with his magic.

She watches him levitate the broken pieces away, before lowering her hand. "Just make sure to keep them somewhere sturdy where they won't have the room to regenerate properly. If they do escape, it should be easy enough to poof them and collect the pieces again."

...Well. That's that taken care of, then. No reason for her to stick around, anymore. "If you'll excuse me, I think it'd be better if I were alone." She says, before starting to walk off. Something Rose was already aware of has been made abundantly clear now: It's dangerous for humans to know her, and be around her.

"If I may, Miz Rose." This isn't something he's got far too much experience with- but it's not a letter of condolence and she ain't a Vulcan. There are social moors at work here he doesn't know how to interpret - all he's got to go on is the statistics that races that live longer feel deeper- and every loss is felt with a depth of grief fit to make any empath weep. This is Greg. Was Greg.

"Everyone grieves different but- I don't know if you should be by yourself? It ain't easy to lose a loved one." Understatement of the fucking century, right there. "Hav'n someone with you can help."

"I appreciate the sentiment. It's very sweet. But I'll be fine on my own." She doesn't face him as she talks, still not looking back.

She'll be fine on her own, after all. Even though the other Gems aren't here, it won't be all that different. She's lived apart from humanity for a very long time, until she met Greg. There's no reason she can't just go back to that, and keep people from getting close to her and getting themselves hurt like this.

"Keep in touch?" He can't make her talk to him no more than he could make her talk to anyone but- isolation is not a healthy way of handling grief. He knew that pretty damn well. "Casey and I'll be here for ya."

Shit.

He needs to tell Casey. And Wash. Jesus christ.

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[NOW OPEN] Assassination!

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