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 Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:14 pm
It didn’t take much research. Aelius Drayson was a very public person. In fact, he had carved himself a small niche as both dancer and model, with the latter seemingly being his main form of income. Hy-Brasil had failed to find any information about professional dancing, which was interesting consider the man’s physique and obvious skills as a ballet dancer.
Now, whether he was actually good was not for the Knight to discern. Her knowledge of ballet, let along other forms of dance, was nothing more than a person looking in from the outside. Anything and everything looked marvelous. Asking her the difference between moves or what was lovely and what wasn’t would be a waste of one’s time.
What was certain was this Aelius’s work as a model and the fact that he was sought after and even had fans… Honestly, if Hy didn’t know the man was involved with the darkest darkness of the world, she’d find herself as attracted to him as other have, men and women alike. But, the knowledge ruined the goods like a bruise on a peach.
While his modeling jobs seemed to happen here, there and everywhere, he apparently had a few habits that secluded him to a set schedule. Funny enough, one of those things was his dedication to his dancing hobby. The man had joined a smaller ballet company years ago that were anything but professional. Hy had researched the place, and the company worked more as a school with more experienced dancers finding classes catered to their needs.
Honestly, Aelius Drayson was very easy to find information on. Perhaps it had been done purposely as a way to make him a pretty face for the negaverse to exploit. Sadly for him, it made him far too easy to track.
Hy glanced to Celadon, the two of them having quietly tailed the man from the rooftops. Hy had done this one evening before and was thrilled to find Drayson took a route through a small city park. Nothing large, more a small green place for people to relax in with trees, benches, and stone pathways. No bigger than a half mile in length, but this time of year, but at 5pm it was lit only by globe lights that were in need of an upgrade to the new LEDs. For the Knight’s it created a perfect space to jump their target.
And Hy was thrilled to see their target following that same route, right to the park.
She’d gone over the plan with Celadon. The Squire would set the trap and Hy would jump and restrain him. The idea was to do it as quickly as possible and not give the man a chance to power up. It would be less messy and loud that way.
Icy blue eyes tracked to Celadon whom she nodded to as she hurried into the park just ahead of Drayson.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:16 pm
Aelius huffed as he adjusted the small duffle bag on his shoulder. The polyester fabric handle was sliding along the peacoat he had wrapped around himself to weather the colder temperatures settling on the city. “I hate the cold.” He murmured quietly to himself as he jammed his hands into his pockets.
The colder nights felt good when he first left the studio, but within a few minutes it changed from comfortable to tolerable to quickly be followed by being miserable. Some people, more cold preferred, may scoff at him for his dramatics, but 50 and below was not preferable to him.
Vaguely, he wondered if Waru was at the apartment. The man sometimes took off to do his own things and Aelius opted not to think too hard on where Waru got to some nights, but it was his own way of coping and also coming to acceptance of the relationship he’d knowingly stepped into. Sometimes Waru would mention he would be busy, but Aelius couldn’t firmly recall anything about this specific night.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and began to type a message to the man.
”Text To Waru” You going to be home tonight? Should I order food or make something?
He hit send and began scrolling through some emails he’d seen had dropped in during his class.
His manager had sent him information on another shoot in a few days. He thumbed the email open and scanned it. “An artsy dancer shoot?” He hmmed as he kept reading. “Oh! They want me on pointe? Well that will be interesting…” It had been awhile since he’d bothered to go on pointe for anything. He made a mental note to dig out the shoes he had buried away and take them to class the day before the shoot to acquaint himself.
He hadn’t realized he left the streetway and entered the park until the darkness of the trees became prevalent. He looked up from his phone to the bare branches above him. Stars were a bit easier to see from here, but between the city lights and the waning moon above, only the strongest of them twinkled down at him.
“I can’t wait to see him and have a hot shower and relax.” A quiet comment to himself as he thought about Beans curling up in his lap, and possibly, curling himself up against Waru.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:17 pm
During their tailing endeavors, she and Hy-Brasil exchanged few words. They'd already discussed plans beforehand – already settled on their roles. Only purpose lay before them, and that purpose was sparsely illuminated by the evening's stars and malnourished moon. In such low light, only the buckles of their uniforms and Celadon's silver hair piece shone.
Her heart thudded frantic for the anxiety of it all. While she understood her role, she understood the importance of it, she understood how such an act would further her own goals, nothing displaced her simple apprehensions.
She'd never harmed someone who hadn't harmed her first. As they followed him from distant rooftops, she reminded herself that Aelius may have been involved in her friend's death. He may have pulled her starseed himself. There would be no way to know until they had him. And Hy-Brasil was quite right that a setup like so spared everyone a protracted battle and potential failure.
Catching Hy-Brasil's signal, Celadon nodded back firmly. She drew a steadying breath and spread her hands out before her. Both trembled constantly under the dim light. After a dozen breaths, they stilled, and Celadon could clutch and spread her fingers freely.
She'd spent hours on Reddit and Quora to prepare for this. She weighed the pros and cons of a rabbit punch or a hard right hook to the side of the head. She watched YouTube videos of the strike of her choice. She practiced them at the gym for the past few days, until her knuckles felt raw and her bicep and shoulder grew sore. Then she took some ibuprofen, taped her hand, and followed along with Hy's plan.
Celadon descended from her building, landing on an awning that rippled as if shifted by the wind. A short leap took her to the ground, and the scuff of her sandals was swept under errant trash swirling nearby. She started into the park after the lone cell phone light that acted like a beacon.
Here, she could be comfortable. Here, Kaðlín's years spent playing in the woods and watching fauna allowed her to feel at home. She knew how to step, where to step, to avoid crunching leaves or snapping twigs in the late fall season. And given Celadon's lengthy leaps, she jumped along to cover a greater distance in time with Aelius's leaf-crushing steps. She sailed through the air, careful to avoid the brush of branches. Her weapon stayed unsummoned so its necklace could not clack against the wood. Another leap, and she was now close enough to hear him talking to himself.
It paused her for a moment. He sounded like a normal person, mumbling to himself about what must have been an email. Sounding excited as if he'd never killed or hurt someone before. As if he didn't take up with an organization of predators and murderers.
And he sounded like he was in love.
Tightening her fists, Celadon continued patiently closing the distance. Soon, she was steps away, privy to how his phone illuminated his hair like a saint's halo. She wondered, briefly, if their intel was bad. If they had the wrong person. Right hook, not rabbit punch, she reminded herself.
They were nearly the same height. Celadon drew her arm back, poised to swing. She reminded herself, then, that only predators would feel so at home in such an exposed and isolating location. Then she swung for his temple with as much of her force as she could muster.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:18 pm
Hy was impressed with Celadon. The girl was like a spectre amongst the fading trees. Enough so that Hy had lost track of squire for a few moments. She cursed at herself. The timing needed to be right so she could back the younger woman up when she made her move.
She was happy to note that their target appeared to be oblivious of their pursuit. Even Hy’s less than graceful movements hadn’t ticked the man off, but she’d also made it a point to keep a fair distance while moving as slowly as she could to keep pace and not alert him with the sound of crunching leaves beneath her heels.
The sound of the man’s voice drifted to her, but Hy couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. For a moment she thought he might have been making a call, but after waiting a few moments, realized he was just talking to himself. He honestly looked like any other person on the street. Just like Gwen herself when she wasn’t draped in Knight garb. How easily they could all just blend in with one another. Look innocent and unimposing.
She caught Celadon again then. The girl had gotten much closer. Such an impressive talent. Hy briefly wondered how and why Celadon was so good at maneuvering through the trees when she noted a shift in the squire’s body language.
Just before Celadon made her jump, Hy broke out in a dead run. All pretenses of silence thrown to the wayside as they both rushed Drayson. Celadon went in for the attack and Hy to subdue. A classic pincer that paid out as she hooked her arms under the target’s and locked him against her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:19 pm
He shouldn’t have seen her. In fact, it was almost too late to react by the time he registered movement in his peripheral. Instinct and reflexes kicked in without a second thought and Aelius stepped backwards to dodge the blue of a human he saw coming at him.
A fist collided with his face. Pain bloomed across his right cheekbone, dazing him for a few moments. His phone went flying from his hands to the leaf littered pathway and his bag slipped from his shoulder.
It was only a few seconds that he was left stunned. More out of surprise of the attack than the pain that quickly began to radiate from the point of impact. But those seconds were precious. He turned to swing back in response when he felt someone hook their arms under his and kick his right knee out from under him.
“What the ********!” He practically growled as his back was hauled and pinned against a chest that was clearly female. He attempted to shove himself free, but his attacker had clamped down hard and was clearly powered up. Just like his initial attacker.
What the hell?! What was happening here? Order was attacking him like this? His eyes scanned desperately for his bag which, he found, was several paces away now thanks to their little scuffle and dance.
“What the hell is this? Who are you? What do you want?” He practically shouted at Celadon. Maybe he’d get lucky and someone else was close by and come to see what the ruckus was about. for now though it was better to play dumb right now while he continued to try to wrestle himself free, but whoever it was that was holding him was more than capable of holding him there.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:19 pm
Celadon shook out her hand, which smarted from the impact. Hy hadn't spared him a moment — already she was on him, restraining him, before he could fight back. Before he could power up, even.
Celadon was quick to begin searching him, but the meaningful glance he cast toward his bag caused her to stop. Immediately she wrenched her hands out of his front pockets and went for the duffel bag that sat lopsided on the tortured grass. Wrenching it open, she began sifting through its contents. All she knew to look for was some kind of pen, though she pulled out odiferous clothes and some kind of a belt object instead. She tossed them aside without another thought spared; he'd already started to bark about his capture and she didn't want them to wind up with a spectacle on their hands.
What she found first, however, gave her a rare idea. She'd seen stretchy tape like that before when one of her friends in Iceland practiced ballet. Snatching up one of the socks she'd thrown to the side before, she wadded it up and approached the restrained man.
It was strange to think he was part of the Negaverse. If she was in his position, she'd be just as righteously indignant. It seemed hypocritical to her now, though it was as natural a response as she could imagine. Shaking her head at the thought, or perhaps at his objections, she pinched the joints on either side of his jaw open. In went the sock.
"I want you quiet," she told him in a soft, measured voice. Then she spread the kinesthetic tape over his mouth and bit a nick in it to tear the strip off the roll. Then she smoothed the piece against his face.
Someone out there cared about him. Shame that he had to be a part of the Negaverse.
She tossed the roll back into the bag, then quickly cleaned up the littered clothes and shoved the wad of them back in their confines. Celadon raised herself up, shouldering the bag, as she looked to Hy. "Let's move," she suggested to the Knight. It was too dark outside to go pilfering the bag for something that looked like a pen; she thought it better done in a space that they controlled.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:20 pm
She silenced him. With a sock! On top of it the squire was obviously looking something as she rooted around on his being and into his bag. What was happening here? Why the hell was there a Knight and Squire attacking him as a civilian? Did they know he was a corrupt or was this something else? It seemed too calculated to be a chance encounter. And besides, weren’t these people supposed to be the ones protecting civilians?
Aelius attempted to yell over the object so unceremoniously shoved and taped into his mouth while simultaneously pulling against the Knight restraining his arms. When that proved futile he attempted to set the Knight off kilter by kicking back at her legs. He hit the first time, rewarding himself with a muttered curse in his ear, but after that the Knight was on to his antics and countered with each shift of his weight.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:21 pm
“Did you find it?” She questioned as Celadon fumbled through pockets then his bag. For a moment Hy had been hopeful that the younger woman had found the transformation pen but instead she utilized whatever it was she found in that bag to silence Drayson.
“Good thinking.” She grinned.
And was rewarded with a heel to her shin. Hy cursed and tugged the closer against her so she could better feel his weight shits as he attempted a few more times.
“Move? He’s not going to let us just cart him off like this.” She grumbled as she felt him try again to dislodge her, this time by trying to knock the back of his own head against her face. Hy knew better though than to keep herself directly behind him and the attempt fell flat.
Blue eyes glanced around the area. They were still in the clear. Celadon’s solution to keeping the man quiet was effective from drawing people from far away. As long as no one came too close they’d never hear him. “Alright. We can’t be gentle about this.”
Having the man restrained as she did made her next task a little easier. Even if Drayson had a few inches on her, knocking one knee, than the other in quick succession sent the man off kilter. At that point she was able to simultaneously lift and sweep his feet out from under him as she pushed him to the grassy ground.
She positioned herself with one boot on his chest to hold him down while summoning her weapon. Holding the rope of the incense burner to keep it out of her way, she swung at the man’s head like a child would golf ball during their first game of mini golf. Hy was careful not to put full strength into it. Their goal wasn’t to kill the man, but they needed him out for a bit.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:22 pm
Aelius wasn’t sure how it happened, but one minute he was standing, the next he was off kilter with his knees kicked out and then bam he was on the ground. He attempted suck in a breath out of shock, but the sock and tape hampered it, forcing him to redirect his sucked in breath through his nose.
The heel of a boot pressed into his chest and he registered what was happening as he both felt and heard the impact of the wood to his head.
Blackness overtook him.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:23 pm
She shook her head at Hy's question. "It's too dark." They'd have better luck in a brighter environment where they could be more methodical about their search. If nothing else, Celadon decided that she could break everything in the bag that might reasonably be called a pen. Surely that would work if they couldn't find something that looked convincingly like a transformation pen.
Unfortunately, moving meant that Hy-Brasil needed to ensure Drayson's full cooperation — whether he allowed it or not. Celadon watched as she went through the motions, though she found it particularly difficult to keep her eyes on the scene when Hy began to swing on him. She flinched then, half-expecting a rush of gore to pass by her in an arc, but he didn't bleed. Perhaps her punch earlier was too soft, and Hy-Brasil's strike was balanced enough to knock him out without doing the worst.
She had to know for her own peace of mind. Kneeling down, Celadon reached for the boy's neck and felt for a pulse. She was relieved when she felt one, beating strong and steady against her fingertips. Then she stood, brushing off her skirts, and went or the bag that she'd left momentarily.
When she was certain that nothing else fell out on the grass, Celadon shouldered the bag and zipped it shut. "Let's go," she murmured.
Hy-Brasil would lead the way. She already had a spot in mind — somewhere in the convoluted annals of Destiny City where she thought no one would go looking for a captive member of the Negaverse.
May luck stay with them that night.
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