milliways_bar | (no subject)

Coyote screams. She drops the glass she was drinking from and races over to him. She tosses her leather jacket over Raven and bats at the flames it didn't cover.

"Raven!" she growls. "Snap out of it!" She slaps him sharply across the face.

He looks up at her with his mad eyes, and his power floods out of him without his permission, swelling, and filling the room.

He pulls it back, holding to the dregs of sanity with his fingertips. His skin cracks more, but the laughing stops.

Mostly.

"You were lovely, Bird," whispers Sariel, making her way instantly over from wherever she was -- no one saw her move. "So lovely. Stay lovely, lovely Bird ..."

She watches Coyote, fear registering upon her face for the first time in a long time.

Puck appears a few steps behind Coyote, staring at Raven in horror.

This ... this magic, he doesn't know this ... it's wrong, and it stinks of That One.

Ace had been about to find Eddie and Susannah's room, to spend the night as promised.

Instead, she sees one of her nightmares come to vivid, horrifying life.

"RAVEN!" Ace flies across the room, skidding to a halt just bare feet from where her brother lies burning. She doesn't know what to do, what she can do.

She's losing another one.

Coyote slaps her jacket on some more of the flames, helplessly. "Raven! Stop. Do NOT touch the power. It is not you. You do not need it."

Coyote drops her jacket, pulls out a small knife, and cuts both her palms. As the blood drips down her hands, she holds Raven's face. She bites her tongue to make it bleed, and kisses him.

Raven goes completely still for a moment. If he doesn't everything will escape him again and he will be lost

burn burn burn burn oh my people no earth and wind and ash

like before.

But her blood grounds him, and he holds to the other trickster, and tries to remember why he needs a body.

Sariel raises both wings, and reaches to try to wrap them around Puck and Ace, herself trembling just lightly --

"You've got him?" she asks of Coyote, voice shaking. "You'll hold him here? We don't know how, but if we can --"

She looks at the others, not wanting to speak for them but thinking she understands.

Puck holds tight to Sariel's shoulder, watching Coyote. His lips form words, but only Raven can hear them.

He doesn't have you. You can overcome this fire-- I believe it. Raven, friend, believe it, believe it.

He closes his eyes tight. What little power he has now he will grant to Raven, if he can.

She's shaking, fragile and frail as an autumn leaf. He cannot go, he cannot, oh please Raven... Somehow her thoughts become words as she stares at the broken breaking trickster.

"Raven please Raven don't go I love you don't go brother please Raven?" But she doesn't even notice as she clings to Sariel.

Coyote kisses his forehead, leaving bloody marks there as well. Then she grabs his shoulders and shakes him. "Talk, you fucker."

She kisses him again. "Tell me what happened, dear." Her voice is softer now. Coyote has her own madness, and Raven's brings it to the surface.

There is still blood on his tongue, and he focuses on that, for a moment.

His voice is rough, and cracked, as he speaks.

"Oberon. He--That One rides him, rides him hard. I could not--I could not channel enough power and keep the body, I had to go."

His grin is bloody and defiant.

"I got him, though, before I left--with three bolts of fire and three of lightning. It has done some damage, I think."

He visibly pulls himself together--madness hiding itself, again. Not gone, never gone, but far enough away for living.

"Ace." He moves, slowly, painfully, and reaches for her. The flames disappear, as he moves. The fissures, perhaps, get a little deeper, but not much.

"I am well, Ace--damaged, mostly, by my own power. It will be well."

He looks to Coyote, with affection and gratitude.

Sariel wraps her wings tightly around Ace and Puck, sheilding and holding and just caring, as not-Sariel as it has seemed to be, she cares for all of them there this night, she does, she worries --

-- and as he speaks, it's alleviated.

"Bird. You speak ... you are back, Bird. Back with us to stay, I hope. And you are a hero, Bird, and you will heal --"

She, too, looks toward Coyote, eyes alight with silent thanks.

Puck's relief upon hearing Raven's voice is cut short by what he says of Oberon, even if it's what he already suspected, already knows.

That One rides him hard.

"You have my thanks," he whispers to Coyote.

Perhaps Ace, of all here, understands least of what is going on.

Perhaps it really doesn't matter at all if she does.

She reaches down and squeezes Sariel's hand in silent thanks, but then pulls free to drop on her knees beside Raven and take his hand instead in both of hers.
"I'm gonna hold you to that."

Raven clutches her hand.

"Always, Ace."

He rests his head on her shoulder, and breathes.

"I had forgotten, I think, what I was like."

He winces, and lifts a shaky hand to his head.

"Ow."

"Ow." Coyotes eyes him. "You... YOU. OOOGHH."

She flails incoherently. "I will chew on your BONES if you ever do that again."

Coyote reaches into her singed jacket and shakily lights a cigarette. "Fucker," she snaps, before tacking a deep drag.

"Took the words RIGHT out of my mouth," agrees Sariel, not sure if it's a good thing someone else snarked before her or not.

"If all you have to say is 'ow,' Bird, you don't need all of us standing here and doting on you and loving you and worrying about you and thank God you're okay, Bird."

Puck might be blaming himself at this juncture for getting so many involved in what is, at bottom, his fight. But never really being one to buy into romance, he does not. He knows who is to blame.

That said ... he rolls his eyes at Coyote and Sariel.

"Perhaps the bird would prefer a few less mother hens clucking at him just now."

I *do* hope he came out the worse, Raven. And there's anxiety in there, but just now he doesn't want to deal with it.

Ace just laughs, relieved. He's alright now, he's back. Wounds can be healed, but Death doesn't take kindly to people attempting to steal her own away.
"You scared me, you block'ead." She reproves him, smiling all the while. "Though I suppose 'flaming git' would be appropriate, this time. Y'need anything?" She asks, very carefully cautiously freeing a hand so she can wrap her arm around his shoulders.

He's here. He didn't go.

Ace rejoices.

His voice comes out more clearly, this time, though still a bit cracked.

"I am fine--or I will be, with a bit of rest."

He breathes.

"It was--most of it was my own fault, really. I drew more power than I should have."

He looks up. "I am sorry, for your fear."

He reaches out, and shakes Coyote's shoulder, gently. "You can bite his heels, next time--we work better together."

Coyote huffs, and takes another drag. She leans against Raven. "I need some clay, Raven. If you don't want to get it out of the lake, I hope you have enough magic left in you to go Elsewhen. You are not having my extra body. It's too pretty for you."

She smiles a little, then. And she sends her thanks to all Creators.

Somewhere else, far away, Random's sitting alone, reading Tarot cards.

Suddenly, his back arches, and he drops his deck, scattering cards across the table.

"Oh Dear Gods above."

He slips quietly onto the floor, tears pouring down his face, clutching The World in his hand.