In a Mood for Murder

[Nessy]

Vox dropped her hand, but smiled anyway. At her question, she knit her eyebrows and sighed, placing her hand on the back of her neck.

"Ah, you see...", she glanced away and then sighed, bending over her stomach a little, arms on her legs. "He... he was... Well, I don't know details, but I do know one thing: he's deep trouble. He went to your Tribe's turf.", she said, looking at Anne with a worried look on her face. "I'm not sure why.", she confessed, looking at her hands, playing with her fingers.

[Mina Crow]

Anne couldn't repress a yelp. He's crazy! What's he planning to do? Raid the Tower for Serenity? A tide of unbidden thoughts rode back and forth on her mind, jumbling and merging with each other. Mina and Sven are going to tear him down to pieces and feed him to the vultures... She pressed her right hand to her eyes, squeezing the image off. Her voice hardened when she spoke again, although the wavering was still there. "You should start thinking of a new leader. He's not coming back, not from the Vampires."

[Nessy]

Vox smiled and shook her head. "Actually, we... we were thinking of a trade. After you're healed, we could trade you for Seraphim. Please, don't understand that we are treating you simply because we want him back, or just using you as a tool: it's not that. The thing is... The thing is, Seraphim is not just a leader, he's our leader. I'm sure... he'd do the same for us.", the girl smiled and then bowed her head softly, close to Anne, as if afraid someone would hear her.

"And, I know Sven.", she confessed, tipping her head to the side. "So, maybe, if i go with you, the chances of getting Seraph back are much higher.", she nodded and poked Anne's nosetip playfully.

[Mina Crow]

Anne sighed. "If you're up for a trade, forget it. I have no illusions. You could only trade Seraphim for Sven or Mina itself, and I doubt about Sven. I'm just a scout. And Sven..." she smiled faintly, "...he may be as he is, but he will not trade Seraphim for a pretty face. I'm sorry, ...Vox. Your leader is gone, if he entered our territory. Do whatever you do with me, you will not get him back. Mina has very strict ideas about ranking."

[Nessy]

"A... pretty face? Oh. I see.", she smiled and bowed her head, shaking it softly to herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. Then arched her eyebrows lightly and shook her head, looking at Anne. "I have faith. I know it's going to work out.", she smiled and brushed some hair behind her ear.

[Mina Crow]

I had faith once too... But it's useless. All fades to dust, or worse. No use trying. Anne snorted. "Those who venture in Vampire lands do not come out unscathed. That's the simple truth. The Tribe is worth of its name. If you approach them, you might end in their dungeons as well. And there is no way out. No way out..." Anne's voice faded again, and her eyes got slightly filmed, as if her mind was somewhere else. The right hand gripped the blankets again, so hard her knuckles turned white.

[Nessy]

Vox smiled and gently arched her eyebrows, as if noticing something. She was silent for a moment, before her melodious voice gently slipped out of her lips. "Them? Anne, it is your tribe. Shouldn't it be us?", she asked, tipping her head to the side, her hair sliding over her shoulder to her lap like a soft curtain.

[Mina Crow]

Anne shrugged, making a face. "Them... Us... It's all the same stuff. As well as it could be them, I'll probably never return there. Isn't it so?" She looked up at Vox. Her eyes weren't pleading, they were - dead. As if any hope of returning to the Tower, the wires and the birds was completely gone. It would be so with her Tribe; those the Vampires laid hands on were said never to return to where they had come. Mina's rule was complete, and few if any dared to defy her. Anne had no reason to expect the Cigarettes would do any other thing - she had had, in time, but not after she was captured. Even with Vox. A good person didn't make a Tribe.

[Nessy]

Vox arched her eyebrows and poked Anne's nose gently, with a tenderness that was so characteristic of her. She seemed to not to understand that there were Tribes and they were rivals - supposely. It was very probable that if someone from any other Tribe bursted in the room, in search for help, Vox would help whoever that person one.

"Hope isn't the last to die, Anne. Hope is a phoenix. It will rise from the ashes when we least expect it to. But it will. Eventually, it will.", she smiled sweetly and placed her hands on her lap, looking at the old ceiling.

[Mina Crow]

[Seraph, Reason is welcome to join at any moment. We need to move on.]

Anne shivered. Without a word, she turned her head, facing the wall, her back to Vox. She closed her eyes. Yes, hope had been a phoenix for a while... But the ashes were simply too hot this time; nothing would survive that. Not even Marguerite's sweet smile. The enclosure did nothing to help her, too - Anne yearned for the open spaces, for the sheer beauty of the rain purifying a burnt city. She longed for her rooftops, for the birds awaiting her, even if she never danced again. They would dance for her, she would revel in their alluring song as they crossed the skies. But that was no more, it was gone. She was caged here, even if the birds were free.

[Seraphim]

At this point, Reason appeared in the doorway again, Airforce 2 on her tail. Axel was slouching behind her, with Alexander and a skinny girl called Suzie. Airforce one was commanded by Seraphim himself, although it was empty now. Airforce 3 was Daisuke’s unit, but Daisuke was busy right now – there was a virus in his online files. Apparently his rival, Pixie, had infected them with singing birds and purple-pink.

Reason’s unit, Airforce 3, was fast attack – all ranged weapons, with Axel’s arson skills. She knew Airforce 1 would have been better for the job – when it was still occupied, Seraphim had led a knife-fighter, and air-gunner and a genius. But Seraphim wasn’t here, and Airforce 1 had been disbanded long ago. This was up to Airforce 2.

“Get up. We’re bringing you back to the tower,” Reason snapped in Daisuke’s voice. She’d learnt her lesson – no Seraphim around this girl. Axel snorted – he missed Serenity almost as much as Seraphim did, and probably wanted Anne dead.

[Mina Crow]

Anne turned around slowly, her expression completely bleak. She scowled for a second at the new arrivals. "I told Seraphim I wouldn't resist; this is useless. I'm hardly running away right now." Looking without expression at Vox - what look could be shared right now? - she rose to her feet and walked to the group of Cigarettes. It was extremely hard to look slightly arrogant when surrounded by a group who would kill you on the spot and your entire body hurt like hell. All her gracefulness and feline movements were gone, and Anne had to make an effort not to stumble on her own feet. She paused in front of Reason, glaring defiance. If something would keep her alive and fighting, it was her pride.

[Nessy]

Vox parted her lips, as if to say something. But then sighed and walked up to Reason, placing a hand on her friend's and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Please, don't... don't lower yourself on their level, Reason.", she asked, "Do your best to be civil.", she asked, smiling softly at her. She then turned to Anne and arched her eyebrows softly.

"Aa... Anne, I don't know if I should... if I can ask you this, but...", she looked at the other Cigarettes and leaned in, whispering to Anne's ear so that they wouldn't hear, "Please tell him that Mary Jane hopes he hasn't forgotten his promise.", she pulled back, but not before kissing her temple tenderly. "Phoenix, Anne. Phoenix.", she smiled before looking at Reason, as if repeating what she had said.

"Come back safely."

[Seraphim]

“What do you people take me for? This is more for our protection that for storming the goddamn tower,” Reason said angrily, motioning at Airforce 2. Axel ducked her arm, grinned at Anne (more of a leer, really, but that was him for you.) Reason wanted to kick him – he has that effect on people, generally.

“Come on, Anne. Either Ax can carry you or you’ll have to walk, but I really want to see your back right now, and I have a feeling most of the Cigarettes do, too.”

Whoops. Bad idea bad idea. Anne didn’t need to know that Reason blamed her for Seraphim’s departure. She shouldn’t have said that. Goddamn, Impulse!

[Mina Crow]

Anne repressed a snort. It was nothing she didn't suspect already; the Cigarettes and the Vampires didn't exactly love each other, and she had never expected to be welcome. But did Reason believe there was going to be a trade of some sort? Mina wouldn't trade Seraphim for the whole Tower. And yes, at the moment she felt like throwing it to the Beta's face - she had already suffered too much at the hands of the Cigarettes, and her limit had been crossed long ago. Nodding absently at Vox, she raised her head and locked eyes with Reason, sarcasm pouring into her voice once more.

"I need no one to carry me, thank you so much. I can walk on my own. Oh, and if you're up for a trade, drop it. Mina won't do it. Better kill me right now."

[Feel free to slap her xD]

[Seraphim]

[Tempting offer. Arrogant dork]

Reason laughed hollowly. Alexander looked away, grabbing Suzie’s shoulder and leading her out into the corridor. Reason fixed Anne with a dark glare very reminiscent of Serenity on a really, really bad day. It was rather close to Seraphim’s expression, but that was a fact best ignored at that moment in time.

“Look, kid, we aren’t Vampires. We aren’t Wildcats, and we certainly aren’t all like Seraphim.” Reason snapped, adopting her father’s baritone. “Sometimes, we actually do someone a good turn, even if they’re our enemies. Maybe we watch too many movies, maybe we’re stupid – or maybe, we’re just better people that you fething Vampires.”

Axel nodded, his expression shady at best. Reason watched him out of the corner of her eye.

[Mina Crow]

"Pity I haven't seen much of that, except for Vox", growled Anne. "Peace and love... Right", she mumbled under her breath. "Are we going to stay here all day, glaring at each other? It's just because, say it, I'm not exactly comfortable. If you want to risk your skin on Vampire territory, go ahead - just let me out of here. I'm suffocating." Even sarcasm wears off when your body lacks strength to act as you usually do. Right now, Anne was trying to concentrate on keeping her legs from wobbling - whether from exhaustion or from Reason's glare, there was no telling -, so the last words came out more like a pleading than she would want to. The truth was, the walls were suffocating her, and they seemed to get closer by the second.

[Seraphim]

“We’re not all like Seraphim,” Reason repeated. “But you’re making this just the tinniest bit hard for us, okay? Deal. Axel?”

Reason turned, his red skirts flaring, and strode outside towards Alexander and Suzie, who were both loading their weapons. Suzie’s old, old pump-action shotgun was a rare find – the government had removed most of the guns from New York and destroyed them, along with dangerous chemicals. Alexander was loading a paintball gun, which he loved dearly. Reason had created an ammunition that replaced paint balls and was more dangerous, but he loaded equal amounts of both ammunitions.

“Lotta pain comin’ off her,” Alexander pointed out. “And man, I ain’t never seen so much anger outta anyone but Seraph. You might wanna work on that, Reas.”

Reason gave him the finger, and he laughed. Axel, however, was struggling with the command that Reason’d given him. Was he to manhandle Anne out of the cell or what? In the end, he stepped out of the doorway and flourished his hand out into the hall, inviting her out. He was smiling, naturally. He swung his bag from his back and removed her binoculars from the front pack. He tossed them to her, grinning. Reason probably hadn’t even noticed that he’d stolen them from her bedside table.

“For better hallway vision,” he said.

[Mina Crow]

"Err, thanks", Anne muttered. Out of habit, she put the binoculars around her neck. The act comforted her somehow; maybe it was the memory of so many days staring at the sky and the birds through the lenses. Now they dangled uncomfortably against her left wrist, but they were one of her few, precious belongings, and were almost part of her - no way she was taking them off. And that kid... Pain, anger? You didn't have to be a genius to understand what she was feeling, so why the statement? She frowned for a moment, then let it go. It was useless to wonder about it; as far as she knew it, they were all like Seraphim, or worse. If he had indeed been caught by her Tribe... Anne couldn't help it but feel a stab of pity. It was wrong, it felt wrong.

Shrugging, without looking at Vox, she walked out of the cell and past Axel.

[Seraphim]

Axel followed behind Anne, watching her carefully. His left hand was in the pocket of his ragged anorak, clutching his twin razors. There was no one as fast as Axel when it came to straight razors – he could kill three people in as many seconds, or thereabouts, with those too knives – and his aim was deadly when he decided to throw them. Anne wasn’t making a run for it any time soon – not that she was in any state to even think about escape.

Reason and Airfore 2 trooped out of Castle smoke, setting off towards Rhymes Square. Axel wandered along behind Anne, in case she needed help, but Alexander and Suzie formed a protective ring around them both while Reason went on slightly ahead, her bright red clothing contrasting with the dull greys and blues of the surrounding backdrop.