| Running to Ground | |||||
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| What: A contract is out on an Indigo Bamfer, and he gets a phone call from a friend both warning him and giving him her professional advice. | |||||
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It's time once again for Kurt to receive an incoming call. Not that it's become a regular event with Domino. Really, she's only done this once before. Still, extenuating circumstances and all.
As soon as the call comes through she's -staring- at the tiny camera lens, her greeting lacking every bit as much tact. "What the -hell- did you do, Blue?"
Oh, and hello.
"Diamonds.. I need to-- was? Piggies?! How.."
Kurt is hanging upside down once again on the trapeze, his tail wrapped about one of the supports, a controller in hand, his headset on, but the mic moved to the side of his head...in a pair of short. When that tell-tale sound comes through of incoming 'call', he reduces the size of the Minecraft window and clicks on the little green phone icon.
"Guten Abe--" Beat. "Was?"
Kurt pauses a moment as he works through Domino's remarkable greeting, and his tones begin their rise in defense. "What do you mean, what did I do? It's a matter of when? I was in Canada last night, fighting a Wendigo.. und before that.."
Domino attempts to cut you off by holding a single extended finger toward the screen (and not the middle one) before hauling out her phone and holding the screen up toward the pad that she's making the call on.
"Two and a half -million-, Kurt. Even -I- don't get hits like this one often, what the -hell- did you do? -Good- guys do -not- get million-plus bounties on their heads without getting mixed up in some -seriously- bad stuff. You want to keep worrying about me, well it's my time to worry back. Thanks for that."
"Was.."
Kurt talks for a couple more beats before he falls silent, glowing yellow eyes now staring at the screen that you've so helpfully put up for him to see. "Zum Teufel.." he whispers.
"Was ist.."
It honestly looks as if Kurt is.. surprised in it.. and then, his face falls, his three-fingered hand palming his forehead. "Mother.."
Taking a deep breath, Kurt lets it out slowly as he begins, "I was bamfing on the docks.." So far so good, and he drops his hand, "und I came across a small.. gathering. It sounded as if they were talking about.. mutant samples. So.. I liberated them."
Of course he did.
"It wasn't supposed to go any further than that until.." Kurt pauses for a long moment before, "... my mother showed up. Have I ever told you about my mother? Well.. I won't be bringing girlfriends home to meet her."
"Your -mother- set you up like this?" Domino asks, clearly surprised by the revelation. "Wow, she's a total bitch."
The smaller screen of the phone drops down alongside a distant sigh from the patch-eyed one, using that freed hand to rub at her forehead. "Alright Blue, listen close. Get your image inducer. -Use it.- Lay low, and when I say 'lay low' I mean I want you to be looking up at the cockroaches as they wander by." Pause. "And not the big ones that we had trying to eat our faces off, genetically enhanced abominations don't count."
"Round up as much cash as you can. Help yourself to one of my guns if you want, they can't be traced back to me. I can't get back to the city for a while yet so you're going to have to rely on the other kids to keep an eye on you. I can't--shit," she mutters while pinching the bridge of her nose. Her palm flops back down to the table, the pale skinned woman looking ..tired. Very tired.
"I can't get you out of this one, Blue. Not for a while. Maybe not at all. This kinda bounty's gonna attract the best in the business. People will fly in from around the globe for that kinda payout. Maybe.. I don't know, maybe you can figure something out with that psycho mom of yours? The best way to deal with this isn't going to be to fight it. You need to have the contract dropped. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise you or someone else is going to end up getting a lot of folks killed on your behalf."
"My mother was the one who set me up, leibling," and Kurt's not entirely certain she'll be of much help. "I think that the only reason she'd help me is because she wouldn't wish to see a non-mutant kill me."
The instructions given earn Domino a brief nod. "Image inducer, ja.. do you really think-" but, the answer comes, and the soon not to be a blue fuzzy elf can catch the concern, and the fatigue in his friend's tones. He reaches out to the screen, and offers a smile, one of those attempts to look at the bright side, "I will be fine, leibling. After all, Interpol in Europe is still looking for me for Stefan." It's a horrible joke, and he knows it. How's that for silver lining? Another larger agency hasn't caught him yet for murdering his brother!
"How can I get the contract dropped? Or.." Kurt sighs and drops his hand, "I wish you were here, leibling," he whispers. In a more sure voice, he clears his throat, "I will think of something." Beat. "While laying low. Money.. will be hard to come by, but I have a little." But the thought of a gun? That he may very well balk at. "Und I'll see if I need a gun. I do have my swords.." And his teleportation (after a fashion).
"Do you think they'll send mutants after me?"
Do you think they'll send mutants?
Domino draws in a slow, lengthy breath before making eye contact with you through the camera lens once more. "They already pinged me with the offer, Kurt. I don't just pull this stuff off of the internet. This," she says while briefly holding her phone up once more, "is an invitation. I punch in the code, hit send, and I'm on the job. And I'm sorry to say, but Interpol doesn't get paid anywhere near that amount if they find you first."
"Normally I'd tell you not to trust anyone, but the X-kids..." she momentarily trails off. They're -family.- "They'll do well by you. Don't get caught off guard. Never go out on your own."
How can she get this point across..? "Look," she starts in before moving away from the camera for a moment, coming back seconds later with a very expensive looking scoped military rifle. "'Dead or alive.' Do you understand what that means? It means that I could be sitting on a rooftop from a mile away with one of these. One shot, you'd never hear it coming, and I'd be a helluva lot more rich. A match-grade bullet for this rifle will run about five dollars. I'm telling you this from experience." Then, with a hint of reluctance, she admits "I've done it before."
Kurt's glowing yellow eyes look to the screen again, and it's truly only those that know him best that would be able to discern any reaction within those pupil-less orbs. He's.. concerned. More than that; he's got a chill coming up his spine, and it's making the fur on his body rise. He doesn't even ask if you're going to take the job; he's gotten his prayers out that she doesn't.. or won't. Or can't.. or.. something.
So that question never makes it to his lips. Never finds a voice.
As you move out of the range of the camera, Kurt shifts automatically to see if he can't see around the corner to where you've gone off to, and breathes a sigh of relief when you return. The show and tell, however? His expression falls further, and suddenly, he's gone from the screen, only to show up right-side up in front of the camera again. A three-fingered hand moves towards the screen to trace that high-powered rifle, and he shakes his head slowly. "I have to get away from here. If they even think that I am here?"
Those yellow eyes rise again, or look to in the confession, and he smiles sadly, "Ja.. I knew that, leibling."
"I mean specifically," Domino tries to correct before leaving the matter be.
The rifle's set aside, propped up against the table where just the barrel ominously remains visible to the camera lens. "It's a catch-twenty two. Not many are going to get close enough to you at the Institute. Security's tight there."
She should know, she's part of the team that keeps everything operational.
"Psychic grid, a downright frightening amount of powered allies, don't discount the place. If I took the job," yes, -if,- "then I'd wait for the first sign of you stepping outside of the place before making my move. Dead means they don't have to mess around, the job can be finished in seconds from heavy cover."
Still, she wants to be able to help. She wants to be -there,- playing the guardian angel role. Even if it means she's not getting paid for it. She couldn't just abandon you to such a fate. She -couldn't.- "I'm twenty hours out, best case scenario. If you're in a real bad spot, send me a message. I'll be there. It's up to you to keep yourself alive long enough for me to find you."
She can't do all of the work.
"But leibling.. if I am there, und remain there, that would mean anyone that left the grounds would be in danger." Kurt shakes his head; it's unacceptable. "If I wear the inducer, und.. und.. I would need to avoid the church, too." Which saddens him as much as leaving Xavier's.
"I know.."
Kurt makes a face, but.. it's the best he can think of in the amount of time that he simply sees as slipping away from him. "Underground?" In the sewers? "I can see.. und.." It's a thought?
Still, Kurt is no stranger to being alone and keeping his head down. He just never had such a price on his head before.
"What was in those samples?" Kurt honestly doesn't expect an answer, nor does he believe that you would know.
Instead?
He looks to the screen and nods slowly, "I will, leibling.. do not feel you need to rush home on my account." Kurt finds a smile again, and he takes a deep breath. "I will at least call to have you yell at me about my putting myself into such a position."
True, that... It -could- put everyone else at the school within the crosshairs. Domino doesn't have a great answer for that.
"The tunnels aren't a bad option. Very easy for you to get around and disappear down there. Find a way in, map out a mile-wide radius in your head. Give yourself a home field advantage if anyone gets close. And ..make sure you bring plenty to eat."
The alternatives are not all that pleasant.
"Hell if I know, but clearly it had a lot of value to someone out there. If you can't get these 'samples' back then you have mo bargaining chip."
Yell at you... Yeah. "I'll verbally tear into you when this is all over, after we get ourselves stupid drunk. Keep yourself alive, Blue. It's time to worry about yourself instead of those around you. I'll be okay. Make sure that you will be, too."
Tunnels.. tunnels it is. Kurt makes another face to show his disgust at the thought, but he'd suggested it, and it really is 'home field advantage' for him. He has abilities that those taking the contracts don't know.. and won't.
"Ja.. I think that'll be the best place for me." He's actually grateful that you agreed with him on it as well. It gives a common meeting place, as it were. Only the two truly know where they're talking about- and should you come looking for him? You know what signs to look for. Easily.
"I might be able to.. but mother has them." And with her? Who knows where they are now? "Und the money." A scowl graces his face and he shakes his head.
At your agreement in regards to yelling at him, however, that earns a barked laugh. "After it is all over, I will buy.. und we will get stupidly drunk. Then, you can yell.. und I will smile because it means we are both alive." He nods his head, and stares at the screen for a lingering moment before, "I will be seeing you, leibling. Stay safe. I will never stop worrying about you." Beat. "Pray for me?"
He shifts his curser to end the call, and once it disconnects, he stares at the screen for a few couple minutes more before he turns the monitor off. Any other time, he'd go to sleep, but now?
Things to do, and the first place he goes is to a certain merc's room to leave her a couple things of his. Just in case.. and take a pistol with the belief that it's not for him, but.. potentially for an ally?