TRP: Asenka, Hansel, and Roddy (Scream)

**Coyote:**

 [setting: Night 156. After Asenka flees, she goes to see
Roddy, realizing that the jig is up and she needs to act fast before the rest
of the crew is warned.]

Mishka didn’t follow the footprints. Didn’t take the bait
and come looking for her. The half-orc talked him out of it. Asenka didn’t like
that one. Brutish.

So instead, she bolted back into the castle, up the stairs.
The tortle. Maybe she could do something with that one. He might not be able to
tell her apart from Mishka— that was interesting, very interesting.

(Attack him and pretend it was Mishka? Create a divide? No.
Mishka had an alibi. He was with the half elf and the half orc. Steal
something? Talk Roddy into something? Befriend him? Kill him? Needed ideas.)

She slipped into Roddy’s room, then made herself visible
again. She huddled on the floor, thinking, and watched Roddy, asleep on the
bed.

**Muse:**

 Roddy was sound asleep. Running his magic out was exhausting
and usually had him sleeping soundly. But his dreams started getting a little
weird. Red and black. Darkness and blood. A lot of blood.

Roddy kicked around, staring at the ceiling, and gradually
was aware he'd woken up. Man, even with burnout he was waking up in the middle
of the night. Maybe he'd go sit in the sitting room. Change of scenery. Roddy
sat up and- oh. Blonde hair, and that was a lot of blood. Roddy had a good
guess who that was. "Uh. Hey Gwydion. You uh, you know it's the middle of
the night, right?"

**Coyote:**

 Maybe she could kill him. Rip his soul out and make him a
wraith. That would upset Mishka, maybe.

“I’m not Gwydion,” she said, carefully. “Good guess, though,
sweetheart.”

**Muse:**

 "Oh hey Mishka." Wait a minute. "Mishka? You okay
there?" Oh Helm his throat was slit. Roddy pushed up off the bed, using
the wall to support himself as he went over to check on the blood-soaked elf.
"Look um. I know you don't like to be touched and all but I really think
we need to put some pressure on that." Roddy gestured towards the wound.
"Maybe you should lie down or- no maybe sit up? I don't know. Look I'll go
get Goro and you- you just- don't die?"

January 4, 2019

**Coyote:**

 She could try to trick him somehow. Turn him against Mishka
or sow discord. But there was no point in that now— fucking half-elf attacked
her and probably told the others everything. Even if she did something terrible
to Roddy, pretending to be Mishka, Roddy would complain about it later, and of
course immediately they’d pick up on the fact it wasn’t Mousie.

No.

No. She would kill him, rip out his soul, and raise him as a
wraith.

Without another word, she stood up and rested her hand on
his shell. Black tendrils crawled up her veins. She tried to sink necrotic
energy into him, but it didn’t quite take. His shell was too thick. She hissed.

**Muse:**

 A bone-deep chill seemed to run through Roddy and he
shivered. "Uh. Mishka? What are you doing?" This didn't look, or
feel, anything like what Roddy'd seen of his magic before. "Here let
me," he reached for his neck, intending to try and stop the bleeding.

**Coyote:**

 A memory hit her— awakening in bed. Hands around her throat.
Her husband sleeping beside her, oblivious. Fighting for air, trying to throw
Mishka off, getting nowhere. Her husband spelled to stay asleep.

A knife in her throat.

Asenka shrieked, shoving him away.

**Izzy:**

 Hansel was in the hallway before he even realized he'd
reached the door, then across it. He had no idea if Mishka and Goro were with
him -- as long as they were together, they were fine, but he'd fucking kill the
goddamn shade by himself if he had to -- if she had fucking touched Roddy --

(Why the fuck was she screaming -- hadn't sounded like a
furious scream -- maybe Roddy was fending her off on his own, so goddamn proud
of that kid --.)

He slammed in Roddy's door. Didn't have to take the scene in
-- just saw the two of them and shoved himself between them automatically
(should have his shield, needed his shield) and raised his trident to stab it
into her again, and maybe it'd fuckin' take this time and she wouldn't goddamn
threaten anyone else he loved --

Then he hesitated.

He'd told Mishka he'd save her if he could.

**Coyote:**

 Asenka backed away.

The half-elf and the half-orc were back. Her eyes shifted to
that silver trident, then to the cleric. Still got that holy symbol, no doubt.

Without another word, she shifted back into the Ethereal
Plane and slipped back through the wall to the empty bedroom on the other side,
vanishing from the room.

**Muse:**

 And this night continued to get weirder. First Mishka, now
Hansel and Goro bursting in- Hansel with his weapons out, Mishka vanishing
again, and nobody was telling Roddy anything. "What in Helm's name is
going on here?!" Roddy shouted. "First there's Mishka acting weird
and now you're acting weird and I don't know what's going on!"

**Lina:**

 "Did she hurt you?" Goro dodged around Hansel for
a better look at Roddy, patting him down and checking for wounds.

**Muse:**

 "No she didn't hurt me," Roddy snapped irritably,
batting at Goro's hands. "Hang on- she? That was Mishka."

**Izzy:**

 "Wasn't Mishka," Hansel managed. He should try to
go after her, but he didn't know how to track something that could fucking
disappear. Goro was with Roddy, kid said he wasn't hurt -- they'd be fine,
Hansel could -- fuck, but he didn't know how to, and he couldn't just kill her,
anyway. They had a plan, loosely. He'd stick to the plan. Save her.

He lowered his trident slowly. Calm. Trying to change
tracks. Had to protect the others -- Goro could stay with Roddy and he and
Mishka could -- no, if someone was hurt already they'd need Goro -- Mishka
could stay with Roddy instead but -- the kid needed to be calmed down and
comforted have things explained to him, and Mishka might not be able to, so --
right.

He turned to them. "Goro. Go with Mishka --" he
glanced to the doorway, where Mishka stood -- "gather up the others, make
sure they're all safe and paired up, get everyone in the sitting room on the
second floor. Mishka -- maybe crack down to Nixie to get her fast, once Goro's
with someone else, all right? I'll stay with Roddy, fill him in. We'll meet you
down there."

**Muse:**

 'Wasn't Mishka', Hansel would 'fill him in'. Roddy fell
quiet, looking around. There was Mishka- and he was fine. No blood. Roddy'd
messed up somehow, hadn't he?

He waited for the two to leave before reaching out to
Hansel. "Hansel? What- what happened?" he asked quietly.

**Izzy:**

 Hansel moved closer, but kept looking around the room warily.
She could show back up -- come right through the wall. They were going to have
to sleep in shifts, until they figured this out -- maybe there was someone they
could talk to about warding the castle, or at least certain rooms, maybe -- he
needed to focus. She'd fled when she saw him again. Maybe he could just scare
her off again, if she did come back.

He made himself relax and shift his trident to one hand so
he could give the kid a quick one-armed hug. That made him feel better, calmer.
Roddy was safe. Asenka hadn't had time to do anything to him, even though --
Eldath -- apparently he'd thought she was Mishka and must not've even tried to
defend himself. (Why had she screamed?)

Deep breath. "Okay. All right. Ah. Yeah, that thing
was, uh, not Mishka. It was --." He hesitated. "It used to be -- his
sister. So, y'know, I see why you got'em mixed up. But --." If Mishka wanted
to tell all of them the entire story, that was up to him. Hansel just had to
figure out how to abridge it in a way that would still make sense.

"Her name was Asenka," he started carefully.
"She was -- the most important person in Mishka's life. But she was killed
-- long time ago. And the thing you saw, it's her spirit, or something,
something that's not her anymore, and it's dangerous, but -- we're gonna try to
save her. Fix her. Like we did with Mishka, and Ripley and Goro, when Diva got
them, right? We just -- we're gonna have to be vigilant 'til then, and look out
for each other."

He paused again, and quickly slipped his trident onto his
back to grab the kid in a proper hug. "Fuck, I'm just glad you're
safe."

**Muse:**

 It took Roddy a second to hug back, his mind whirling. So.
Not Mishka, Mishka's dead sister, and apparently she was dangerous. Otherwise
why'd all three come charging in with weapons out. And she'd touched him, and
he'd felt really cold for a second. Had that been a spell?

"I think she tried to kill me," Roddy said quietly.
"Didn't work," he added quickly. "I really am not hurt. Just-
tired. And scared now." They'd had to kill Mishka and Ripley to get them
back. But Asenka was already dead- Roddy wasn't sure but he doubted the Leech would
work there. Asenka'd attack again, most likely. And Roddy wasn't sure how to
fight but not kill a whatever-she-was.

Hopefully Roddy wouldn't have to find out if Mishka'd
forgive him for killing his sister. (And not because she'd killed Roddy
instead.)

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah." His grip tightened. Wouldn't be helpful to
make light of the whole thing -- Roddy needed to understand the danger.
"She almost fucking killed Goro." He pulled back. "S'why we're
gonna have to be careful 'til we know how to help her. Y'know the buddy system
we used when we went to fight Diva? I think, ah --." The plans were
half-formed in his head. "You and Nixie can room together. Watch each
other's backs." He'd rather they were all together, really -- camp out in
the library, or something -- but that probably wasn't practical. "Or you
can both sleep in my room," he said anyway.

**Muse:**

 As Hansel pulled back Roddy had to reach back to the wall
again. He was better but still not entirely sure of his ability to keep himself
on his feet. "Careful. Right." He liked the idea of staying with
Hansel though. Just one problem- or two, actually. "Uh, you sure staying
with you'd be a good idea? With Mishka and Goro and all." He'd already
walked in on something he didn't want to see once, didn't want to do it again.

**Izzy:**

 "Uh. Well." It was a good point. The kid was
fuckin' sensible -- Hansel was just thinking of keeping them all safe, not of
how long they might be stuck living with these sleeping arrangements. Right.
Right. "Fair, yeah. Maybe not. That's smart."

Roddy's room was close to theirs, though, and Ripley and
Gwydion and Ombre could take the room across the hall, or something -- they'd
all be close by, if any of them needed help.

He held a hand out in case the kid needed it. "You need
to sit down a sec? Before we head downstairs?"

**Muse:**

 Roddy thought for a second before shaking his head.
"Might I'll need a second on the way though," he said, accepting the
hand. "What a time to get all burned out though," he muttered. He
wouldn't have been able to defend himself against Asenka. Still couldn't. This
was a scary thought. "I won't mind sharing with Nixie, she's fun."
And Roddy missed having a roommate. Maybe she'd stick around after they took care
of Asenka?

**Izzy:**

 God, Hansel hadn't even thought about the fact that Roddy
would still be worn out from the fight and the cave-in. Between that and the
fact that Roddy had fucking thought she was Mishka -- fuck. He put his arm
around the kid again and kissed the top of his head -- the angle was a little
awkward, and he had to raise up off his heels briefly to make it work, but it
was instinctive. "All right. Take your time, I got you."

[END]

Title: Scream. Summary: After failing to kill Goro, Asenka
tries her luck with Roddy instead. This doesn't work out for her
either.(edited)

January 9, 2019