(no subject)

[mnt_raph]

*The moment he passes through the portal he can feel Her. She's all around, doing her work. Some might find it odd that he takes comfort in that, but then what do they know anyway?

The town is in pieces. What is left standing is covered with what isn't. It's dark, which is nice; lends more shadows in which to hide. Raph is careful where he steps, since he's unsure what is and what is not solid ground.

Areas of the town have been sectioned off with floating caution tape. A queue of what can only be bodies line one a cleared out section. They are covered in blankets of all sizes. Raph tries hard not to think about what the smaller blankets represent.

War is ugly and hellish, and instantly he is thankful for the fact that the ones he's found himself in have rarely, if ever, involved children.*

Comments

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

When Ophelia leaves Milliways, she shimmers briefly - and then she is translucent. Intent on following Raph, she doesn't even notice, doesn't notice that she goes straight through pieces of rubble blocking her path, doesn't notice that she's not actually moving her feet as she drifts along in his wake.

[mnt_raph]

*A better view. He needs one. Now. There's no offense like a good defense, and there's no better way to prepare than to find higher ground. The note said she wasn't among the counted...so that means she could still be here, just hidden. Just trapped.

Raph is reminded of that story Andrew told him way back when. About the planes. About the Towers. Those buildings that Mike had dared him to climb that night when he was smaller.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, as if walking on the very air itself, Raph finds the highest point in the town, and climbs.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

It's when she goes to follow him up a building that she finally notices, because her hand goes straight through the handhold she reaches for, and then she just thinks up and up she goes.

Raph is halfway up to the top of a tower by the time she reaches him, but he appears to be steady enough, and so she drifts up to his level.

"What are we doing up here?"

[mnt_raph]

*There's no intermediate step. First he's climbing and unarmed, the next he's turned to face his attacker, sai in hand.

Okay, maybe there is one intermediate step...the pause as his brain wraps around the idea of the ghostly apparition that floats beside him. His face becomes a mask of horror, and it's all he can do to keep from screaming.

It's a shame that by concentrating on being silent, that he begins to lose his hand hold on the building.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia blinks at him.

"Raph, it's me."

And then she realises that there's a veil over her face

(she hadn't been wearing a veil, hadn't been wearing any of this, it's her mother's gown her mother's veil, why is she wearing it)

and lifts it so he can see her.

[mnt_raph]

*He knows the voice. He knows the face. What he doesn't know is why she's here, clear and floating.

Stupidly, he tries to keep his weapon between the, and move away at the same time.

Multitasking never works.
Raph slips, and begins to fall.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia gasps and reaches out to catch him, her hand shooting straight through his shoulder.

[mnt_raph]

*fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
There's really only so much space allowed during something like this.

Sai in one hand, climbing claws on the other, Raph contorts in a way that allows as much of his body surface to touch the building...hoping...aiming for something to catch.

Thankgoodness the building is empty, and that it's not made of masonry. The claws dig into the structure enough to give him an opening with the sai.

His fall stopped, his heart racing, he looks back up at Ophelia, eyes still like saucers.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia sighs with relief, then shrinks away from him a bit.

"...sorry?"

[mnt_raph]

*Grumbling about nothing in particular, he climbs his way back up the side of the building. It's a good thing they didn't have glass sky scrapers in the WandWaving World.*

what are you doin' here?

*He hisses at her.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

"Helping," she says firmly. "I couldn't stay there."

[mnt_raph]

shhh. keep it down. we're tryin' to be stealthy here.

*Raph heaves himself over a ledge, and rests. His heart is still racing from both the fright and the fall.*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia mostly disappears into the wall beside Raph.

"There," she whispers. "Stealthy. Sorry."

[mnt_raph]

oh man, that's just wrong. bernard know you're here?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

"Um. No. I don't think anyone does." She contrives to look vaguely guilty.

[mnt_raph]

well ain't we ballsy.

*Raph grins.*

trail's gonna go cold by the time they get organized. need someone to take point, an' it may as well be us...right?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Tell me what to do."

She looks determined, and angry, and a little scared - and she's apparently volunteering to follow Raph's lead.

[mnt_raph]

*Raph's...what now? Lead? Oh crap, she doesn't really expect him to lead does she? Um...okay. We can work with this.*

big organizations like to leave people behind to watch the aftermath o' stuff like this. make sure there was maximum impact. so we're lookin' for someone who's doin' more lookin' than helpin'. we find a good one, we follow him an' send him to meet my Girl.

sound good?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia nods fiercely, then peers down at the town.

"There are bunches of them," she says after a moment. "Look, one over there, and another over there, and two skulking in that alley."

[mnt_raph]

uh...exactly.

*Oh yeah, Raph'd seen them too. Sure did. He was just testing her.*

so which one do you think is incharge?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia watches narrowly for a moment, then points at one of the people in the alley.

"Her. See? She's staying in one place so the others can come give her reports. Look, there's one coming."

[mnt_raph]

*Raph grins in the darkness, his eyes and teeth seem to glow.*

I think it's playtime.

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia swoops around the tower once, then grins at him.

"After you."

[mnt_raph]

*Raph adjusts his climbing claws, and then places the main prong of his sai between his teeth and starts down the side of the building, head first.

Time speeds forward and we're now on the inside of a small cottage. Raph's badge has just sounded. He looks up from where he's seated at a table covered by a large map of England.

Over in the corner are or five Death Eaters, bound and gagged by the strongest thing known to muggle kind: zip ties and duct tape.

Raph looks up at Ophelia one the conversation with Tim has ended.*

He's going to kill us, you know that right?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

"Being dead isn't so bad," she says philosophically, proceeding to ghost straight through each of the Death Eaters in turn. They make funny noises when she does that.

"Think we should break their wands?"

[mnt_raph]

She would never let me hear the end of it, I just know it.

*He mumbles to himself, before looking up at her suggestion. His eyes glance at the restrained.*

That ain't a half bad idea. I like it.

*His grin is predatory to say the very least*

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

"Think they'll be rescued if we leave them here? Maybe we should just kill them."

One of the Death Eaters whimpers and Ophelia glares at him.

[mnt_raph]

Might be easier. I mean, it'd happen sooner or later it ain't like they put up much of a fight anyway.

*Raph picks up the wands and heads over to where Ophelia is floating.*

Will a good snap do it? Or do you think there's more to it than that?

[bythebrook.livejournal.com]

Ophelia wrinkles her nose in the general direction of the Death Eaters.

"I say you kill them. The less of the motherfuckers there are, the better."

Ophelia looks at the wands, then shrugs.

"I dunno. Try to snap one, see what happens."