interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 1

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☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 1

Who: Everyone that isn't an opt out!
What: Naomi Rivers throws a terrible holiday party.
When: December 7th, 2054
Where: Naomi's ocean side mansion.
Warnings: Violence, poisoning, various murder attempts, mind control, general uncomfortable lack of consent. Also, probably drug use. Maybe sex? Who knows what you'll get up to.

“I will burn for you;
Feel pain for you.
I will twist the knife 
and bleed my aching heart,
And tear it apart.”

☆I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE

The first two hours of the solstice party are surprisingly normal. Members of both labels arrive by private sky shuttle, and are invited into the ballroom for food and drink. It’s even more surprising when both Lesedi Santiago and Edward Blanche arrive as well, and spent most of that first period speaking quietly in a nearby lounge area. Lesedi’s body guards and Juno watch the space around them, keeping anyone of lesser important from interrupting what looks to be quite the serious discussion.

After food, the ballroom stage is taken over by a number of increasingly impressive entertainment pieces. It seems to be obligatory for everyone to stay and watch (not that it’s a struggle – the talent involved is unmistakeable), but not long into it Lesedi and Edward can be seen disappearing outside together, and show no immediate signs of returning.

And that’s when Naomi Rivers takes the stage.

To the Virgo that have heard it before, the song is more viscerally familiar than anything you’ve only heard once should be, and it awakens the ideas that were implanted there the night before. You have a job to do here, tonight. One that is only fair – almost righteous. Lesedi Santiago and her ilk will suffer for her transgressions.

The performances end, and everyone is released out to the rest of the grounds, to mingle and celebrate at their leisure. While things may seem civil on the surface, beneath that something dark is brewing. You gradually begin to notice that almost none of the more veteran members of either label are present.

► BALLROOM: The central nexus of the party, the ballroom is the location of the buffet table, the stage, and the dance floor. There will be music available all night, even after the official “performances” have ended. There are tables set up around the edges of the room for eating and relaxing.

► LOUNGE: Where Lesedi and Edward were having their meeting earlier, the lounge is filled with comfortable chairs, classic art, and a large, ornate fireplace. If you figure out who to ask, there are a number of chemical vices available to all guests.

► BALCONIES: There is a generous series of balconies that line the exterior of the upper floor. The ocean can be seen from one side and the gardens can be seen from the other.

► GUEST ROOMS: Down the halls from the ballroom there are a few generous guest bedrooms that have been left open for use.

► GARDENS: Out towards the back there are a wide variety of plants, and a well kept stone path and manmade waterfall. The plant life is on the sedate side due to the winter, but it’s still green.

► OUTDOOR POOL: There’s a pool out front with a shallow and a deep end. The water is clear and artificially warmed.

☆OOC CONSIDERATIONS

Please remember that any attempted assassinations are meant to remain covert, and if your character is incapable of being stealthy then you must assume that any attempts you make are happening towards the end of the evening – let’s say around 11PM. The spell compelling people to do this does not want a riot or a bloodbath – what it wants is for people to die before the rest of the group can realize that anything is even going on. Of course, this isn’t exactly going to work out, but if you are finding yourself getting into the realm of intense physical violence you might want to stop and slow down a little.

Virgo members that didn’t hear the song the night before are free from any compulsions, and so are all members of Pride. If non-mind controlled characters start clueing in to what’s going on and start trying to evacuate in large numbers, that is where you’ll want to wrap up threads and wait for Part 2 of the log, which will contain the end results and will be triggered by any large amount of chaos.

If any characters attempt to escape earlier in the evening, they’ll find that the shuttles have all been grounded, and wandering in the woodland nearby just seems to result in them getting lost and ending up back at the mansion. It’s a real pickle.

If you’ve got any question about what’s going on please leave them on the original plot post and they’ll get answered! The opt out event will be posted ASAP.

“I will lie for you;
Beg and steal for you.
I will crawl on hands 
and knees until you see:
You're just like me.”

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Jamie, bleeding and on the floor, has lost Luce's attention for the time being save for the unsteady thought of I hope no one heard that noise. All the yelling from Yuffie? That's far worse noise, and Luce hastily tries to get her own balance back. The knife, now, is well and thoroughly bloody.

"Yuffie, let go-" And that's where her mind starts to jerk noticeably back against the reins that had been looped around it. She needs to finish both of them off- but she likes Yuffie and Jamie doesn't deserve this sort of thing- Pride and everything of Santiago's is dangerous- she's always thought the rivalry was overhyped didn't she- the hazing proved they're out of control- and they're hurting their own that's why she'd been upset-

The conflicting messages, feelings and desires, clash in Luce's head, and she's much slower or in control than Yuffie. She's still trying to jerk her arms back out of the younger girl's grasp, but her own grip on the knife is looser now.

It's like something clicks, suddenly, and the bits and pieces she's been hearing and seeing all night suddenly have context.

What are you doing!

He keeps stepping towards her, sword up, until they scream his name, try to get his attention. He pauses, and grabs his head, and the hand on her arm loosens.

What are you making me do?

She never stops praying, the whole time.

Yuffie's body seems to move unattached from her mind, and movements smooth and even as Yuffie's footing shifts and she twists Luce's wrists to the side and back, trying to dislodge the knife and keep Luce off balance. The motion seems far more practiced than it is, and the unease in her position is gone for all of a moment. It's like she's hooked into something, and feels right for all of a moment before it shatters and leaves her feeling in pain and terrified, trying to make sense of what's happening and trying to keep her voice from wavering as she snaps out the next few words.

"Luce, you have to let go! "

With the sudden surge of skill from Yuffie and Luce's own conflicted mind, it's easy to suddenly twist her. The knife tumbles to the floor even as Luce trips over her own feet to try and get out of Yuffie's grasp so she can grab it again. It's not particularly effective.

"I have to do this-" But why? is the thought pushing against the flow in her mind, leaving her own words unsteady and uncertain.

With the knife down and gone, Yuffie keeps her hands on Luce's arms to stop her from going anywhere near it again. She's not sure what she's trying to do, why she's so sure of what to do, but Yuffie is one to believe in her self and follow her own instincts.

"All you have to do is stop fighting me! We're friends! " Yuffie sounds more sure than she knows how to be as she continues, talking through the pain and the terror and fighting the little bits of something else that keep prodding at her brain.

She has to get Luce to stop, and she has to get to Jamie because she may have never seen-she has seen injuries like that and they're going to need to cu- they're going to need to put pressure on that and get him to a hospital as soon as possible.

"Luce! Please!"

Edited 2015-12-09 19:57 (UTC)

Friends. That's right, they are, and... That's important, she's always found that to be important. A grimace spasms across her face, and Luce's movements become more stilted by the second.

Pride needs to go, but that isn't like her at all. It's that single thought which snaps through everything. It's like the basement all over again. With those instruments- Immediately Luce thinks of Naomi singing. Oh. Oh.

She starts to stop completely, freezing up, and tears are welling up in her eyes. "Yuffie!" It's a desperate gasp. "Yuffie, I don't know what I'm doing."

What are you making me do?

He sounds confused and horrified, and they're all so grateful when he stops because he'd never hurt her, but then...then

Yuffie's easily as close to crying as Luce is, she's scared and she knows what this is, she knows, she does. She isn't able to say it, she barely is able to explain it, but she's seen this moment before and she believes her instantly.

"I know. It's not you. I know it's not, so please. I need you to help me." Yuffie still has Luce by the arms, staring her down and trying to make it so she can get through whatever this is, and get to the most important thing, which is Jamie is still bleeding on the floor. Yuffie's head feels like it's buzzing, and she feels like something's gone cold along her side. The longer this goes the worse she feels.

"But-" What if I hurt you again? It grinds uncomfortably, like rams crashing into one another, with the unnatural impulse still pushing at her. Luce shakes her head, like that will do anything. "I don't know what..." She looks up at Yuffie, eyes wide, before something catches her attention.

Oh. Merde.

"You're bleeding," she forces out, feeling herself go cold. She did that, too.

"What?" Yuffie says a little dumbly before looking down, and suddenly she notices exactly what happened when the knife hit her. She can't actually see the gash because of her shirt but the area around it is soaked already and the only reason it doesn't look sixteen different kids of horrific is she's wearing red already.

Oh.

"Huh. That-" Yuffie's face does something a little odd and complicated as if she's only just realized exactly how bad off she is personally.

"That is all the more reason why I need help. A lot of help. Like now."

Yuffie shakes Luce by her arms a bit as if to make sure she has her attention.

"It's either that or if you can't, I'll lock you in the closet and get you later, but Jamie needs help now."

For a minute, she just ragdolls in Yuffie's grip as her mind clashes in at least five different conflicting ways. After a moment, however, she finally reaches up to dig her fingers into her hair and tries not to shake too badly.

"Get- get the knife away from me. And, you put pressure, that's what you do, don't you?" Somehow, she feels like she should be more panicked than she is. Yet it's not the violence or blood that's got her worked up. It's the lack of control in her own mind, and two people she likes bleeding from her own hand. Strange, worrying, but she puts it all on the backburner. Shakily, she starts to empty out her pockets and drops a pill bottle, keys, chapstick, little things onto the ground with no care for them. It's her phone she's looking for frantically.

"Yeah. Pressure. You put. You put pressure." Yuffie's feeling horrifically lightheaded on herself. She lets go of Luce to go get the knife, immediately taking it to the cape part of her romper and tears into it, ripping a long stretch of cloth and in the next motion she shoves the knife into the top of her boot without a thought. Later, she'll wonder why that felt like the best place but for now it's in reach and out of Luce's while she's battling whatever she's battling.

She drops down next to Jamie and instantly feels sick at the quick movement, her vision whiting out for a moment and her head swimming. She's not sure how much blood she's lost but she's pretty sure she's going to need- Come on, just give it to me! I totally know how to use a cure, Spiky! Don't be lame!- Yuffie shakes her head and folds up the cloth in her hands to try and put pressure on the wound.

"We gotta get an ambulance or something- Jamie? Jamie, hey, hey little guy, come on. Don't make me have to explain this shit to Maxxie." Yuffie's attention redirects as she tries her hardest to see if Jamie's awake or...or..

The initial wave of heat has dissipated, and now there's just a sort of icy pain radiating all through him. He's freezing, now, but his skin is pale and clammy with sweat. It's tempting to just shut his eyes and hope that that he passes out, that the pain will just...quietly fade away while he takes a little nap -

- and then something is pressing into the hole in his chest and he drags in an agonized breath, eyes going wide in his pale, bloodless face. He stares up at Yuffie as though she's committed some great betrayal, lifting one shaking arm to try to push her away.

"Stop - " he croaks.

She'll let Yuffie tend to Jamie. Right now, Luce just frantically taps at her phone. Signal. Come on, signal. Is this place really so out in the middle of nowhere that she can't get one? This is the residence of a rich, famous celebrity, this shouldn't be hard.

Biting back a swear, she lets her phone drop with everything else and just shrugs out of her coat. Yuffie is taking care of Jamie, but who's taking care of Yuffie? Luce has never done anything like this before, but she falls to her knees behind the young girl with her jacket in her hands.

"Yuffie, move your arms- Jamie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"I know, I know it sucks, but I can't. You're gonna thank me later for not." She says to Jamie, keeping one hand on the wound and using the other to keep his hand down. She doesn't want him to hurt himself worse, and moving's gonna make it worse.

"Yell at me all ya want, but I'm not gonna stop, sorry." Yuffie sort of half smiles in an attempt to keep herself sounding light and less terrified. She's barely aware that her hands are shaking horribly as she tries to keep Jamie from bleeding out. " Ya gotta stay awake, and if awake means mad at me, go for it."

She half looks up at Luce, keeping the wound covered, she half moves the arm out of the way on her injured side. She winces and fights the fact that she wants to throw up.

"Only so much moving I can do."

He focuses on Yuffie's face and then her voice, even though his vision is still blurry and concentrating on anything is getting to be a struggle. So, he realizes, is breathing - he must be hyperventilating or something, he thinks distantly, maybe if he just stays calm and tries to keep from passing out he'll be okay, he'll get through this just fine.

Jamie swallows hard and lets his hand drop to the carpet, fingers curling into it as another wave of pain lances through him. "'s it - 's it bad?" His voice is hoarse and shaky, his glassy eyes boring into Yuffie's. "Am I gonna die?"

"You're not going to die." It's a mystery to even Luce how she can keep her tone so calm while she's winding her jacket around Yuffie's body to tie it around, hoping to keep pressure on the wound so she doesn't bleed as fast. Things will be fine. They'll make things fine. That's what she tells herself in her head over and over, like a good luck charm.

"We're going to get you help and you'll be alright, both of you." Swallowing hard and hoping that's good enough, she pulls back. "Yuffie, I- my phone isn't working. I need to to find someone's that does, or, or, a first aid kit, or something."

Her answer to Jamie is immediate.

"Like hell you are." Yuffie's half grin is back. "You're gonna be just fine, Jamie. This is nothing. It's not gonna take ya down. Trust me, 'kay?"

She makes an undignified pained sound when she ties the cloth in place. Even though Yuffie knows that it's what's important, she's not exactly happy about it. It still hurts like a motherfucker. Her side is wet, and most of her feels like she's just stuck in rushes of cold and warm, and she's sure she can't keep this up forever.

"Mine's in my left shoe," The one opposite the knife, because you can only hold so many things in your shoes. "Passcode's 4-2-4-2." Yuffie rattles it off without thinking as she keeps holding pressure on Jamie's wound. "Or..I know Ter's around, or Luci. Someone's gonna have something."

Carefully, like she's scared she'll start doing things without meaning to again, Luce takes out the phone from Yuffie's shoe. With a deep breath, she dials in the passcode. It's a relief when she gets it right.

"I don't think I'm getting a signal." Shakily, she gets up to her feet. "I'll go find somewhere for it, or any of the others- I promise I'll try to find help, alright?"

Yuffie curses again, it's in that mash of consonants that barely makes any sense to her, though it's very clear she is cursing up a storm to anyone listening.

"Go. We'll be okay. If you see any of the Flashstep guys, get them." Yuffie is not sure they'll be any help aside from making Jamie feel better and maybe knowing Jamie's medical stuff if they get an ambulance. She knows things like the Carnies bloodtypes off the top of her head, but she also tries to keep these things on hand because they're the Carnies and prone to problems, who knows if anyone else knows that sort of thing. But she knows she'd feel better if Luci was here, so she assumes the same would be true for Jamie and his bandmates.

Yuffie's hands are still shaking as she holds the cloth in place for Jamie, and she feels sick. There's only so long she's going to be useful and she knows it, but she is not about to say that outloud in the slightest. She's Yuffie fucking Kisaragi. A little cut is not going to stop her from helping someone who needs it.

"It's all gonna be fine." Yuffie says to both, forcing herself to sound certain even if she isn't in the slightest. "Just you watch. It's all gonna be okay. You'll see."

Jamie's head lolls to the side to watch Luce - it's partly apprehension, because she just fucking stabbed him, and partly just because she's moving around and easy to focus on. Pain shoots through him again and his legs scuffle weakly behind him, as though he's trying to move but can't manage it. He turns his head, with monumental effort, to look back at Yuffie.

"D-don't...don't leave, 'kay? Please."

They're not really friends, Jamie doesn't know if Yuffie even particularly likes him, but he's terrified and doesn't want to be alone. The wound in his chest burns and aches and it's hard to breathe, no matter how hard he tries he never feels like he's getting enough air, and he's so scared and helpless sprawled on the floor in a stranger's house so far from home. He thinks, he knows he's going to die and the thought that stands out to him right now is that more than anything, he wants his dad.

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☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 1

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