Gretchen Wagner (indigogirl) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-09-28 04:58:00

Entry tags:

inactive - braddock lebeau, inactive - gretchen wagner

Not Taking Kindly to Serious
Gretchen looked around at the Other New Orleans -- she couldn't help thinking of it that way; things still seemed so alien here -- and wondered how Rose and Anastasia were doing. And there was a twinge as she remembered what Braddock had said about Anastasia's father. It still didn't seem possible that there could be a traitor at their Xavier's. They were all family. She kept hoping Brad's parents were mistaken.

So she stood there, skin soaking in the streetlights in the twilight, and reached to get Brad to hold her closer. That was never difficult.

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	princeofthieves 2010-09-28 03:05 pm UTC (link)
	Brad moves up behind Gretchen like a living shadow, sliding his arms about her waist in silence. He liked watching her bask in the.light. He felt like she was meant for it. Several thoughts weighed on his mind as well, but this time was for them. "What are you thinking, Her Most Serene Majesty?" asks the Prince of Thieves. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-29 12:30 am UTC (link)
	She doesn't correct him that Mom's 'Majesty,' and she's Her Most Serene Highness. She's tried Highnessing him right back before, but he never had the sense to be annoyed by it. So she just clings to him a little. "Family," she says. "All of them." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

princeofthieves
2010-09-29 01:14 am UTC (link)

"We left behind some pretty heavy stuff, Gretchen." Brad agrees, holding her.

"I haven't pressed you on this because I wanted you to talk when you were ready, but...do you want to talk about everything? Or do you want to go back to Xavier's? I've been selfish in keepin' you here all to myself, but I can't help it." he says, kissing the top of her head.

"I'll do whatever you like, Princess."

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	indigogirl 2010-09-29 01:29 am UTC (link)
	"Checking in on Rose and Annie might be good," she says quietly, nuzzling against him. "But what I want is, well, our Xavier's. Our Ruritania, too. I want my parents -- my parents, not sad-looking people who bear a strong resemblance. I want to know that everybody is okay." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

princeofthieves
2010-09-29 03:18 am UTC (link)

The one thing she wants is the thing he can't give her, though he'd make a deal with the Devil himself if he could do it for her.

"Chere, we should start by focusin' on what we can do right now. We can definitely check on Rose and Annie. And...maybe you should check on your sister and old man. They should know that you aren't just gonna disappear from their lives right now." Brad says.

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	indigogirl 2010-09-29 03:25 am UTC (link)
	She listens and nods. "Good idea." And then, out of the corner of her eye, she's sees some distant figures in the dimmed streetlight moving towards them. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-29 04:49 am UTC (link)
	Brad is still trying to comfort her, so he's a second or two slower than Gretchen to notice the figures in question. However, once he does, he looks in their general direction, instinctively turning to place himself between Gretchen and whoever is coming. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-29 05:06 am UTC (link)
	"Not the best neighborhood to be standing around at night," one of the figures said in a carefully 'friendly' tone that wasn't very friendly. They're reasonably big men, four of them. "We were just leaving," Gretchen starts to say politely, but they shift a little in their paths to cover a bit more area around the two. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

princeofthieves
2010-09-29 05:12 am UTC (link)

"And here I was thinkin' this was a good neighborhood, before they let the riffraff in." Braddock says, smiling at all four of them as he idly tries to determine if any of them are carrying weapons.

Throat strike. Palm to nose, drive sinuses into brain. Card through heart, shut down nervous system. Boot to temple, fractured skull.

"I don't want my woman to see a side of me she's not used to, my friends, so let's agree to disagree and go our separate ways. This doesn't have to end badly for anyone." Braddock tells them, shifting his stance ever so slightly to spring on command.

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indigogirl
2010-09-29 05:23 am UTC (link)

Something in his tone and posture makes one of them start to slow down a bit rather than keep going forward, but only one.
"What, like the inside?" asks one of the other three as a switchblade comes out. Another snickers, and a third....
The streetlight's not yet dim enough that Gretchen can't see the glint of a handgun being drawn. And that light will get even dimmer as Gretchen's speed kicks in, stepping to the side of Braddock and grabbing the man's gun before either Brad or the assailant can do anything, a slight dark iridescence on her skin.

Of course, having decided to channel the stored energy into her movements means she can't use it to make herself safe from injury. It's always a tough call.

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	princeofthieves 2010-09-29 12:43 pm UTC (link)
	Kill or be killed is the law of the jungle. Brad uses the distraction to sight on the man who spoke first, and reaches out to drive his palm into the man's nose with a loud, wet crack. The man falls to the ground, clutching weakly at his face even as his life force expires. "Anyone else?" he asks darkly. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

indigogirl
2010-09-29 01:42 pm UTC (link)

The man's associates may be slightly confused about how this happened, but they know that sickening crack and the sound of a man dying when they hear it. They run.

Gretchen stands there holding the gun she'd taken. She's good at disarming people. Good at humiliating them, too. That's how her Dad always taught her; take their weapons and make them look silly. Not...

She knows Brad tried to avoid it, but it's still sudden.

	princeofthieves 2010-09-30 01:11 am UTC (link)
	Around midnight, Braddock returns to the hotel, sneaking up a back entrance and making his way back to his room. He'll shower and change clothing, then wait in Gretchen's room for her to return. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-30 01:13 am UTC (link)
	And it's not long after midnight that she does come up, the smile fading from her face as soon as she's out of the sight of her temporary company. She tries to bring it back when she sees him as she comes into her room. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-30 01:31 am UTC (link)
	"I will be," she says quietly. "I can't pretend it isn't a little hard, but I know you thought it was our only safe option." She sets a blue hand against his hair. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-30 02:48 am UTC (link)
	"If I can't get you home, Gretchen, then I'll do what I can to make this one a good one for you, okay?" he says, holding her. "And I promise, you /will/ be a queen someday, too." he whispers to her. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-30 03:09 am UTC (link)
	"I appreciate that intention, Braddock," she says quietly, managing to smile a little as she stays close against him. There's a pause, and then a good-natured raised eyebrow. "Your Woman?" she asks wryly. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-30 03:21 am UTC (link)
	Oops. "Well, I mean, I had to say somethin', right? I mean, my friend-who-I-kiss-and-is-female was to say and still be witty so, I settled for an abbreviation, which happens to be 'my woman'." Brad says. "It's not the Cro-Magnon type thing where I club you and drag you to my lair for procreation and other silliness." he jokes. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-30 03:28 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, I know," she says, welcoming the lightness. "And when the time comes for procreation and other silliness, there definitely won't be any dragging. But in most circumstances, what with those Cro-Magnon connotations, I'm sure you realize it's a term best avoided." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-09-30 03:56 am UTC (link)
	"I didn't mean to offend, Gretchen. I won't say it again." he says, smiling at her. Pause. "Can I still call you 'My Princess'?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	indigogirl 2010-09-30 04:01 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, there's no stopping that, I'm sure," she says with a smile, then takes a breath. "I could also be fairly comfortable being 'your lady'... or maybe 'your girlfriend,' if we can decide that doesn't sound too juvenile." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	princeofthieves 2010-10-07 11:34 pm UTC (link)
	-(END)- (Reply to this)