Best Laid Plans

Who: Lydia, Eli, Seph, and Syn
Where: The gas station, then the park
When: 4:00 PM

Eli sorely wanted a cigarette. Ironic, because that had been his excuse to get out of the Martens' house in the first place, but now he really wanted one. And there probably wouldn't be time after he'd actually bought the damned things to smoke one. Figured. He scratched idly at the back of his neck, digging in just a little too deep as he approached the gas station. Faint little whispers of thought kept creeping into his head; poisonous little barbs and sweet lies. From her. And they just kept getting louder all day.

'Eli, why aren't you here?' 'No one else loves you like I do.' 'If you think I'm going to let that little bitch get away with this unscathed...'

It was the threats to Syn that had him twitching. He had very few doubts that his mother could ever actually get close enough to Syn to do any real harm (not without getting shot first, anyways), but it still bothered him. Greatly. Enough that he'd been able to resist her calling him all day.

He stepped into the gas station and approached the counter, automatically reaching out to look for Lydia with his mind. "Pack of Malboros," he muttered, dropping a ten. God, he needed nicotine.

Eli had gotten out, but he wasn't alone. Seph had heard his excuse to Teddybear. He wasn't sure where Syn was, so he decided to ... well ... just give their resident psychic a little follow. Just to see. Some feelings he'd gotten off of his sister in regards to Eli's mother were vaguely disturbing. Or maybe not so vaguely. So he'd snagged his weapon, tucked it in the back of his jeans, told T he was on it, and trailed Eli out of the house. And down the street. And all the way to the gas station, staying about eight feet behind and to the left at all times. He also worked on blanking out his mind, noticing little details about people he passed instead of thinking about what he was doing. Just in case.

When Eli went in, Seph took up a spot out front that couldn't be seen through the big picture window. He kind of wished he had a smoke of his own, so he could do something with his hands. But he didn't, so he just waited.

Lydia walked towards the gas station, half in a daze, distracted by every person that passed her. It was hard to look away, when every aura deserved examining. Typically she didn't wander out after popping a pill, but she had a job to do. Or not do. The only thing keeping her from having a full out panic attack was the fact that she'd drugged herself, something Eli was bound to notice, and even now her hands were shaky again. The spell repeated backwards and forwards in her head, but it would do no good. Lydia had now acquired a pet rat.

"Eli?" Lydia called out, looking around outside before she stepped inside. Her foot tapped nervously against the floor as she stepped inside, eyes erratically scanning around before they landed on him. Gold embers swirled in with the blue of his aura, a beautiful combination she'd never seen before. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but it looked so fragile, little black tears streaming from parts. It moved about him erratically and Lydia tried to interpret the mood, yet that wasn't completely necessary. Without a comparison, it was blind guessing. "Eli," she said, and then her mouth went dry. What could she say?

It was the tone of her voice that let him know something was wrong. Didn't have to be psychic at all to pick up on her nerves. He stamped down viciously on that horrible sense of disappointment and foreboding. He'd spent most of the last night preparing himself for this, if she couldn't go through with it. He picked up the pack of cigarettes, gave a nod to the cashier and pocketed the change before turning to Lydia. And scowling. "Jesus fucking Christ, what have you done to yourself?" he snapped out, before he could bite it back. He grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her to the back corner of the store, dropping the feeble blocks he had completely. Eli plunged into her unconscious, searching her mind for what the hell she'd taken and why.

It was easy enough to tell she wasn't ready for this. Nowhere near ready. Ice filled his gut, and his expression became blank. He shoved the pack of cigarettes into his pocket and began to rub absentmindedly at his temples. "Go home, Lydia," he said softly, even gently. "Just go home. I'll be okay." Complete and utter bullshit, of course, but it was a nice thing to pretend. And then he was heading for the door, out the door, walking quickly for the park before he completely lost his nerve.

She'd been prepared to tell him, had worked out what she wanted to say, how to say it, and so many apologies that she couldn't even remember them all. He hadn't even given her a chance. She knew the moment he'd stepped into her mind by the change in his eyes, the complete loss of emotion. There'd been anger there a moment before, concern perhaps, and now nothing. She blinked, shaking her head as he stepped away. He wouldn't be okay. There was no pretending. She blinked again and he was out the door.

And she ran. So many colors to look at, but his was easy to follow, gold streamers actively fluttering around him. "You won't be okay," she shouted, trying to catch up with him. "She'll fucking kill you, Eli." Her head swam as she reached for his arm, attempting to pull him to a halt. "She'll kill you," she said, this time more softly. "And then what leverage will you have? She'll have everything." Lydia shook her head, frantic, now trying to keep her voice down and not attract attention, yet she wasn't completely aware of volume when she was like this. Everything was fuzzy. "We'll figure out another way. I'll try harder. Maybe-- maybe if we got a gun, or something, or--" No, guns were traceable. Guns looked like murder. Besides that, Lydia couldn't have pulled the trigger any better than she'd have made the spell work. The spark just wasn't there, the true desire to kill.

Seph had seen the girl go in, but he hadn't known at all that she had anything to do with Eli until she ran back out after him. It didn't take him being psychic to know who the 'she' was in She'll fucking kill you, Eli that drifted back to him as he pushed off the wall of the building and started walking towards them. The girl was distraught, Eli looked disturbingly blank -- (a blank you know, don't you?) -- and with Syn close to him? That made this Seph's business. He walked up behind Lydia as she suggested a gun and smirked ever so faintly and briefly to himself. His head was starting to swim already, everything taking on a dreamy sort of surreality. The sun was too bright. He didn't even think about how to break into this conversation, just leveled his blue eyes at Eli. "I have a question I want you to answer," he said flatly, without any introduction.

He didn't even bat an eye when Seph walked up. There was a dim flicker of surprise, but it didn't show on his face. Eli pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, drew one out and lit it casually, as if today wasn't a life altering, earth shattering day in his world. He took one long drag, blowing the smoke up into the air and watching it with disinterest. "Go home, Lydia. You've tried hard enough. I shouldn't have gotten you involved," he murmured, his voice keeping that foreign gentle quality. You weren't ready for this. I'm sorry.

"You followed me," he stated, turning his attention back to Seph, eyes dark and blank. "Make it quick, I've got some place to be. She hates to be kept waiting."

Lydia turned at the sound of Seph's voice, jumping a little in surprise. She hadn't seen him there. Hadn't even noticed. Did he hear me? Oh, God, I think he heard me. Shit. We're all going to go to jail. We're screwed. Maybe Eli can convince him I'm insane. Can you do that Eli? Shit, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking... The thoughts drifted off as she got sucked into staring at his aura, a beautiful stormy gray that almost sparkled. There were hints of black in his as well, though it was weaved throughout, perhaps holding things together, rather than ripping as Eli's had been. "I'm not leaving you. And you're not going," she told Eli stubbornly, her voice soft. "Who are you?" she asked aloud, then let the rest go mental. Pretty black lines of death. They're not supposed to be so pretty...

Seph didn't pay Lydia much mind -- though a brief tick of his eyes to her's had him noting her dilated pupils. He was focused now, and it was like having tunnel vision. Only one thing was important. One all-consuming thing. "This woman," he said to Eli, voice low and very calm. "Your mother. Is she any threat to my sister?" Because in Sephland right now? With the dreamy way it felt like things were swirling around in his brain? That was the only thing that mattered. Synnove was his life and his heart and the center of his universe, and if he could locate and single out something that intended to bring her harm? It would have to kill him first.

Eli took another drag, contemplating his answer. His mother hated Syn. He felt it from her, from the whispers in his head and the screaming hatred she was sending his way. But that didn't necessarily mean his mother could actually harm her. "She's only human. Psychotic, but human. She hates her with a passion. If she had the chance, she'd kill Syn. But I can't see any way she'd get past you or Doc, or disarm Syn herself." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Hopefully if I go for her now, she'll just leave everyone else alone." He felt a little out of focus himself; his mother's pull was now insanely difficult to ignore since he'd dropped his blocks. Lydia's mental rambles made little to no sense at all and had him concerned for her (what the hell was she on, acid? talking about pretty death lines?)... and Seph's head? Was a very odd place to be. Disconcerting, really, how strongly Synnove was on his mind, but...

Shit, she was on his mind, too. What could he really say to that? 'That's fucked up to think of your sister'? Uh, yeah, no. They were insanely close; anyone with eyes could see that. "Lydia, this is Syn's brother. Seph. This is my cousin," he said after a moment of silence and another drag on his cigarette. "Don't suppose you'd keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't do anything horribly stupid?"

"She'll kill you," Lydia sighed, glancing back at Eli, repeating herself again. "Kill you or kill Syn. If she'd just die, everything would be grand." Now it sounded like she was just being snarky, even if she was very serious in her opinion. Lydia's eyes widened as Eli tried to pawn her off, completely astounded by his nerve. For a moment, the lights around her faded and she was able to focus on her cousin, turning to him with a glare that could kill. "I have spent the last twenty-eight hours trying to get a rat's insides to melt unsuccessfully. You will not send me off with a guy who's aura looks like a thunder storm on crack, just so you can go get your ass handed to you by your bitch of a mother!" Oh, and now Eli's aura was doing fun things too! Lydia tried to keep her glare, unaware of the scene she might be causing. She had to focus. "We'll figure something out," she said, blinking a few times. The pretty swirls were a bit much this close up.

Seph only looked at Lydia again briefly as she started going on about his aura. Nothing weird like that really surprised him anymore. You never knew about people. You really didn't. Not that he could really be surprised by much at the moment. He noted it, though. Everything was overbright and far away, like he was really above them, just listening in. The twitch at Eli's words about his mother was strictly internal. It triggered something ... something big and red and cold in his mind. He more or less ignored the request. Lydia was talking about The Mother killing Eli, and that fell into the category of Not Good. Because of Syn. That would make her unhappy, and Seph didn't like for his sister to be unhappy. "You want her dead?" he asked Eli. Monster as she apparently was ... all he needed was the nod in the right direction from the right person. He knew Syn wanted her dead, but it was Eli that was in front of him at the moment.

Ash was flicked from the tip of the cigarette. Eli watched it, noting Lydia's anger (and that glare would have been so much more intimidating if her pupils hadn't gone wonky) and Seph's... cold. Cold rage? It was something to contemplate, but not right now. Contemplating anything right now was bad. "Sorry, Lydia. You weren't ready, and I shouldn't have gotten you involved," the psychic repeated again, sounding rather apathetic this time. He turned around and headed for the park, pausing only long enough to drop the butt of his cigarette and step on it with vicious satisfaction. "Yeah. I want her dead. But I can't do it," he muttered as he walked, not really caring at this point if they followed him or not. She was calling, and everything else was falling away. Nothing else mattered anymore.

The rage? That Lydia hadn't been able to summon? It was becoming a bit more clear now that Eli had completely blown her off. She'd tried. She'd tried as hard as she could at the only thing she knew how to do, and it just wasn't working, but that didn't mean he shouldn't have gotten her involved. Screw you, she flung at him mentally. Amazing that he could be such an asshole, even while afraid for his life. "Yes," Lydia said, answering Seph as well because... well, just because. Because she was sick of Eli telling her to go home. "I suck as a witch, though, so I can't. Can you?" she asked. Seemed like a sensible enough question for the moment.

The bizarreness of being asked to commit murder in broad daylight out on the sidewalk didn't even register with Seph. It would've been strange and disturbing if they were people who played by normal rules. Seph had never been one of those people. Eli had said yes. He wanted her dead. This girl, his cousin, had said yes, she wanted her dead. That was three and that was more than enough for someone who might possibly try to hurt his twin. He looked at Lydia while the blonde psychic was walking away. "Yes," he answered back. He studied her for a moment, blue eyes expressionless. She was stoned on something, sucked as a witch apparently, but sounded coherent enough. If her eyes worked, she could keep a lookout. "Come with us," he stated, and turned on a heel to start following Eli. It felt like the hard shape of the pistol tucked into the back of his jeans started to get hotter.

Eli slipped his hands into his pockets, keeping his head down. The closer he got to the park? The less he was aware of the two people trailing behind him, until it reached a point where they were nonexistent in his world. It was just her. Mother. He felt the pull like she was physically yanking him towards her, the little whispers louder and more insistent. Images flashed into his head of her plans; blood seeping from the scars in his arms, blood in his mouth, her caressing his face and her cold mouth on his and--

It was that, the kiss, that had a shudder tearing through his body and all pretenses of apathy and collectedness scattered to the winds. He kept walking, his mind gone chaotic and horribly distorted with the images she kept sending him. No longer whispers but full volume speech and screams and laughs and moans and he shuddered again from cold. As he passed a street lamp, the light shattered instantly, sending a shower of glass into the street below. He walked, nearly there, nearly there and then it would be over. One way or another, it would be over. Either she would die or he would go with her to her own personal Hell, but at least the horrifying visions in his head would be tangible enough to scream over.

Lydia was thankful for the order, for anything to do than go back to the house. If Seph said he could kill Eli's mother, she was inclined to believe him. His aura certainly indicated as much. She didn't really understand why he would, but right now that didn't matter. "He'll lead us to her," she told Seph. "She can't take him, though. She can't." Lydia took a deep breath. She knew she was rambling. Even without the orders to do so, she kept her eyes peeled, watching for her aunt. Hopefully she'd come alone. If Alice were with her, additional steps would need to be taken. Maybe she could take care of that. She might not be able to kill, but Lydia wasn't completely powerless.

As Seph walked, following a few feet behind Eli, he felt Syn's presence begin to stir in his mind. He felt the dove's-wing brush of her mind against his, an unspoken question there. She was getting echoes, he knew. He wasn't very good at walling himself up when he felt so out of it. It's being taken care of, he sent to her, his inner voice just as flat as his outer one. From what he felt, that didn't reassure her very much. Stay put. As if she'd listen. Seph mentally pulled away from her, trying to make himself focus instead. They were entering the park, which was a public place ... but it afforded plenty of trees. He'd just have to see.

A spiderweb crack formed in one of the store windows he passed, two more lamp bulbs shattered. As Eli crossed the street to head into the park, the traffic lights went erratic; all three colors blinking in rapid succession before burning out completely. He was silent as he headed down the park path, heading into the cemetery and straight for the mausoleums. He hesitated for a moment outside one that had recently (and obviously forcibly) opened, struggling with himself for one last attempt at control.

'Eli, I'm still waiting...' The words shattered his last shred of will power, and he headed inside without a second thought to the consequences.

Lydia took immediate note of the activity around her, aware it was being caused by Eli, but with no real way to stop it. At any other time, she might try to talk to him, to see if she could calm him down, but that really didn't seem like an option now. His destination wasn't exactly one she would have preferred, but they weren't getting to pick, were they? If she didn't think her aunt was sick before, she would have then, just knowing that she wanted to pick up her son in the cemetery. "She's in there," Lydia said softly, and then Eli disappeared inside. She shook her head, slightly scared, then glanced at Seph. It would be a small space inside, and they'd likely be seen immediately, but... she wasn't letting Eli go in there alone. With a deep breath, Lydia followed him in.

Seph was frowning as he eyed the stone building. He wasn't sure what sort of reason they were coming under the guise of, but it seemed a very strange place to be. He shook his head a bit and took his own breath. Not so much to steady himself, but because he was starting to forget to do it very regularly. At least they weren't going to be out in the open. Feeling dangerously calm and prepared for whatever was going to come next, Seph followed Lydia following Eli into the crypt.

Eli headed down the narrow passage, seemingly ignoring the dark as he headed for the back of the crypt. The last room, obviously the main burial chamber, judging from the size of the room and the stone coffin in the middle of it, was almost blindingly lit. Battery powered lanterns had been placed in the corners of the room.

And she was sitting atop the stone coffin, waiting, looking as serene and composed as she always did. Only the jagged knife sitting beside her and the revolver in her hand really betrayed the potential danger of the woman sitting there. Evelyn Darwin didn't move as her son entered the room; she merely shot him a Look, her face remaining impassive. 'Sit down. You know where.'

He sank to the floor at her feet instantly, gaze completely empty, looking completely shattered. She tangled her left hand in his hair cruelly, yanking his head back into the stone coffin with a crack, grip on the gun not loosening in the slightest. "Silly boy. You've kept me waiting for years... And you didn't even have the courtesy to come alone?" Evelyn asked, her voice gentle and filled with disappointment. "I hope you weren't foolish enough to bring that girl with you, Eli." She released her hold on his hair and ran her hand down his cheek in a gentle caress. Eli didn't make a sound, or even a movement in response.

Lydia had paused in the doorway, and had intended to stay there until she realized that her aunt already knew someone was with him. If she had yet to see her, then maybe Seph could manage to keep out of sight and catch her unaware. Belatedly she realized that they'd never asked him how he was going to kill the woman. Hopefully he had that figured out, because Lydia was far too preoccupied now to take care of it. "Let him go," Lydia shouted, schooling her face into an angry expression rather than one of fear. The woman had always seemed unhinged, but this was an extreme she hadn't imagined she'd see in person.

Seph was mostly out of sight. The dark passageway of the crypt was somehow comforting. The cold stone walls felt like home, in a way that his conscious mind was too unsteady at the moment to really articulate. He was fine here, and with what he was doing. Before he even laid eyes on the woman, he could feel her. The bad karma came off of her in steady pulses, waves that made the fine hair on his arms stand on end. It only grew stronger as Eli obeyed whatever unspoken whim she had. He heard the other male's head crack off of the stone and reached behind himself. Lydia was between him and the room, but he'd caught all the glimpse he needed. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it quickly, because she had a firearm.

He could feel his twin getting closer. Synnove was coming. It was another reason that this had to happen fast. This is for you, he sent to her, clear and calm and still. Hours upon hours of training combined with the flat red thing in his mind and moved him into action. As his grip found the pistol and drew it, Seph lunged forward, his left arm slinging around Lydia's waist. He hit the back of her knees with his thigh to unlock them as he pulled her down low and off to one side, effectively getting her mostly out of the line of fire. In the space of a half second, his arm was up and extended, and he fired two rounds into Evelyn's chest. The noise was deafening in the tiny stone room, but his aim was steady and true.

The surprise, the shock registered first before her face flickered to pain filled rage. There was an underlying amusement there, swimming in her eyes, but the anger was predominant. "Fool," she wheezed, laughing and sending blood sputtering from her mouth. At her feet, Eli's eyes had gone unnaturally wide, and he was struggling to breathe just as much as she. Feeling her pain, the pain she was projecting to him. She hoped the shock of this would kill him; even toyed with the idea of shooting him in the head now, just to take him with her.

But no, that was too easy. "He loves... Loves... that girl. Dark hair." Evelyn laughed again, wheezing as she did so, uncaring of the blood spray. The gun slid from her hand to clatter onto the floor, blessedly not going off on impact. "Send her... bitch... my regards." Her body slumped forward, but she was smiling, brilliantly, darkly, pleased with herself.

She sent every single nasty image, thought, pure emotion she could, hurtling them into Eli's mind. If she was going to die, she was going to shatter him first.

Lydia's eyes went wide as she flew to the ground, never expecting Seph to take her down as he did. She understood why the moment the gunfire started, flinching with each and every shot, her eyes locked on the woman in the center of the room. Her aura, a sickly color to begin with, suddenly exploded, shards of black death splattering against the walls, covering the blood. The air around her seemed to fizzle and pop, and Lydia screamed, forgetting that she was the only one who could see the mess. Even in death, her aunt seemed determined to torture her son, and Lydia knew there could be so much more that she wasn't even hearing. Feeling. Oh, God. She hadn't even considered how this would impact the empath in Eli, not till the gunfire had ceased. "Eli?" she called out, pushing up onto her hands and knees, then quickly crawling over. The room seemed to spin, black muck dripping down into puddles and slowly beginning to fade. The light in her aunt had gone out, but Eli... Eli's wasn't looking in the best of shape either.

Despite the ringing in his ears, Seph heard what she said. He loves that girl. It hit him like a wrecking ball in the gut, but it only fueled the swirling mess in his mind. He straightened up as Lydia pulled away from him, half-stepping over her to walk to where the woman was slumped over. Seph reached down and grabbed her by the throat and sat her up again. The dying energy in her surged up his arm as the last of her life faded away from her, but he didn't try to take it from her. He just basked in it with her as he put the muzzle of the gun Doc had gifted him with to her forehead and pulled the trigger. The muscle in his arm and back strained roughly to keep his grip. Blood splashed back onto the sneer on his face, but he paid it no mind. She's mine, he told the lifeless bitch as he pulled the trigger again. And again. Mine. His fingers dug cruelly into her unfeeling throat.

Synnove had been tracking her brother as fast as she could. Which wasn't difficult when he was like this, it was easy. She just followed the emotional radiation and swaying, swirling everything until she got to him at the end. She wanted to know where Eli was as well, but had the sneaking suspicion she'd find out. Either way, she was trying to get there. She'd threaded her way through gravestones, trying to get there all the faster, all but breaking into a run.

She saw the open door to the mausoleum, heard the shots. And she felt it. She felt everything rushing around her, a sound in her ears, like a high wind even if it was entirely internal. All the warmth around her seemed to instantly freeze, her skin going white and clammy. Shudders ripped through her as she felt it. Evelyn died, and Syn was close enough to feel that rip through her, a hole in reality as something that was once alive expired. It left a wound, something she felt sharply. Synnove made it two more steps closer before she left out a soft, broken cry and pitched forward, dropping to her hands and knees, shaking badly. It felt like she couldn't breathe, pain radiating through her chest, like her heart hurt, but not in the usual emotionally-based way. She was too late to get there on time...by only about thirty feet.

The very second Evelyn died, the exact moment the poison stopped spewing into his head, Eli's breathing slowed and steadied from the gasping wheeze. His eyes returned to their normal size, but he didn't move, didn't respond to Lydia's call. Blue eyes gazed blankly at a spatter of blood on the floor, a childish interest briefly flickering at the out of place color in the old crypt before even it died from his eyes.

"Eli?!" Lydia screeched again, trying to get some reaction from her cousin before there were shots going off once more. She spun, practically toppling over as she looked towards Seph with wide, confused eyes. Lightning seemed to split from him, tears of black in his gray, and she blinked twice, hard, before covering her eyes with the heel of her hands. "Stop it," she whimpered. "She's dead. She can't hurt anyone. She's dead." The woman was a monster, but she wasn't inhuman. Seph didn't need to unload the entire gun to get rid of her, but he didn't seem to care.

That was because he didn't. He didn't waste anymore ammunition on her, however. The death energy flowing up his arm died out and stopped. Immediately, the room felt cleaner. Clearer. Not completely, of course, because he was still in it, and generated his own amount of bad karma just by breathing. But she was gone. Seph let the corpse go, giving her a little push so that she flopped backwards. Blood seeped sluggishly out from her, making a pool on the stone coffin she was sitting on. His face evened out for a brief second, before he frowned again, in an oddly puzzled sort of way. He turned on a heel and started to walk out of the room. His sister was outside ... and she was hurting ... Seph picked it up into a run.

Syn wasn't far, just down the hill a little, collapsed there in front of the mausoleum. She was trying not to fall, but that didn't work out so well as she slumped onto her side, curling up as she waited for it to pass. It would pass, but it wouldn't immediately. Eric... she called, even her internal voice soft, barely there. Wavering. She felt like she was going to let go, and that didn't seem like a good idea to her. She might drift away, like Evelyn had. What then? Where would she go? There was the wound there where life had been, and she could feel it bleeding.

Only with her eyes shut was Lydia able to focus, the colors and lights of the world around her put out just the way lights would be. She crawled to Eli, still hearing nothing from him, and pulled him into her arms, whispering his name. Wake up, she thought, her breathing becoming panicked, closer to soft sobs. You have to wake up. She's gone. She can't hurt you anymore. Wake up. With her eyes tightly squeezed shut, fear began to sink in. What if they'd broken him? Lydia didn't have the first clue as to where to start in putting him back together. Maybe Syn could manage, but she was... Well, as far as Lydia knew, she was somewhere else that wasn't there, and that was no help at all.

Lydia's thoughts echoed through his head and her fear crept into him, filling him. But that was all there was; her thoughts, her emotions, and more distantly, he could hear Syn and Seph and feel them faintly. Eli's fingers twitched, but his mind stayed blissfully blank. He was in void.

Seph could feel her starting to drift. It called up burning pain in his chest. She wasn't far, but he flew to her, dodging around headstones, the gun still in his hand, face and chest splattered with blood, utterly unmindful of anybody that may or may not be around. His knees hit the grass and he slid to her side, dropping the weapon to gather her up into his arms, pulling her upper body into his lap. I'm here, he was repeating, the fear starting to shock him out of his psychosis. Syn, I'm here, stay with me. Don't go anywhere, I'm still here. Stay put. He pushed her dark hair out of her face, trying to find her eyes, his breath coming quick and shallow. Terror? Yes.

Tell me it was her. Tell me that fucking bitch is dead, and it'll all be okay. Syn's mind supplied, though it was less voluntary speaking, and more thoughts that projected from her mind. She reached out with her own abilities, and felt both Lydia and Eli's spirits, and she latched onto Eli's. She knew him, and she didn't know if he was okay, but he was there. And her brother was there, who she clinged to. She finished climbing up, still shaking violently, her arms going around his neck and she buried her face in his neck. That was better. Syn could hear him and latch on, which she did, taking hold of his spirit too and clinging to it like she was to him physically. The pain was starting to pass, the world around them settling down a little at a time, and with it, she did. Seph centered her, however. The drifting didn't happen as she was firmly anchored by her brother. She answered her own question, the one she'd initially asked. She could feel it more clearly without having to deal with the pain so much. And she remembered what else she'd heard from him. ...thank you.

Eli felt the little tug on his spirit, and it caused him to twitch; a full body one this time. Still he didn't move or speak, and his mind stayed empty, save for the thoughts of the others and their emotions spilling into his head.

There was nothing Lydia could do, no white magic that she could summon up to wake Eli from wherever he'd gone off to. She knew it wasn't her that made him twitch, yet she continued to hold him and whisper to him encouragingly. Someone would be there for him when he started to wake, even if she was pretty sure he would have preferred someone else. At least he wouldn't be alone.

The relief that flooded through Seph was a tangible thing. She was there, and she was going to be okay. He hugged her tightly, supporting her. His first impulse was to scoop her up and take her home. To run home and hide away in her room with her and make sure she would be all right. But he knew that wasn't what she wanted. Despite his own faint reservations, he bent and got an arm under her legs. Seph picked her up and turned to carry her the rest of the way up the hill. I'll take you to him, he told her, inner voice very quiet. He carried her swiftly back into the crypt and down the dark passageway. It'll all be okay, he added in belatedly, as that was what she'd wanted to hear in the first place.

It was what she'd wanted to hear, and she accepted it as absolute truth since he'd told her. She was still clinging to him, and wasn't about to let go. While she was still shaking, the pain was subsiding to an ebb now, a dull ache in her middle that she knew would release in time. But she wasn't up for getting up and running around just yet either, so she was going to stay supported by Seph. He wouldn't leave her or anything. Is he okay? Eli? Are you okay? she thought, realizing that as they got closer, Eli would be able to hear them both anyhow. Her fingers curled along the back of his neck. Are you?

The thoughts entered his head and echoed throughout his otherwise empty head. Syn? Syn. Love. Eli made a soft noise into Lydia's hair, stirring. Confusion. Broken. Hurt. Bleeding and Mother and screaming and death and ice kisses and more death and cold hands and breathy moans and his own screams ignored--

But Syn... Seph? Seph. Not needed. Unnecessary. Seph and Syn and the picture with their hands. He grew still again, mind blanking out once more.

Lydia looked up as Seph carried his sister in, almost sighing in relief, except for the part where he was carrying her. "What happened?" she asked, her voice shaking with tears. Syn should have been safe. The whole point was Syn being safe. That was what Eli wanted most of all, the reason he was willing to go to his mother in the first place. She'd said she was going to hurt Syn if he didn't. How had she managed to get hurt now? She hadn't even been there.

"It'll all be okay," Seph repeated out loud without thinking first. It seemed to fit Lydia's question closely enough, at least. I'm fine, he added to Syn internally. And it was true enough for the moment. She needed him to be fine, and so he was. There were few enough mercies in their lives; the emotional balance between them was one of them. He knelt with his sister in his arms next to Lydia and Eli, keeping his body between Syn and the dead bitch. He didn't have to be telepathic to see that Eli was pretty fucking broken. Maybe having his ... love ... closer would help something. He's not okay, he told Syn, moving his head to press a kiss to the bit of her forehead he could reach. Some semblance of rationality was returning and he looked up at Lydia with clearer eyes than he'd had all day. "We should get them both out of here," he said aloud, so everyone could hear. Murder scene? Not a good place to be.

Syn, still holding onto her brother, frowned at his answer to her. That wasn't good. "Let me try something..." she half said internally, half murmured aloud. She looked down at Eli, then reached a still lightly shaking hand out towards him. Eli. she said, touching his cheek because it was closest to her. Come back. she said. She also took hold of his spirit and pulled hard, because it had worked before and she wasn't above going for the most effective tool first.

In response to that, Eli's hand shot up and grabbed hers tightly. A soft, pained noise emerged from his throat, and he turned to look at her with glassy eyes. "No."

Lydia jumped, thinking now more than ever that Seph was most definitely right. They needed to get out of there and somewhere that Eli and Syn could be tended to. The fact that Eli had opened his eyes certainly helped, even if he didn't look any more with it than he had before. "We've gotta go, Eli," she told him. "I need you to help me. We've gotta get away from here."

Seph was glad that somebody was with him. He knew that Syn would soldier up and walk if it killed her, but Eli might be a different story altogether. The kid was tall, but skinny, and Seph thought he could probably carry him if need be. Can you walk? he asked his sister anyway, gently sort of working himself out from under her. "You're not hurt?" he asked Lydia at almost the same time. They needed a good route home, to settle Eli and Syn in ... and then he figured he'd probably have to come back to take care of the body.

Syn didn't like the idea of Seph going anywhere with out her. Not right now, and she reached out to latch a hand onto his arm for a moment. I can walk. Can you do it now? There's woods back there...maybe later we can both come back and do something more permanent with her, but don't leave us. Please. Just give me a minute or two with Eli, and I'll see if I can get him back. she looked at him, shifting and turning his face towards hers so she could see it, hand wiping at the blood. Okay?

Eli released Syn's hand when she turned to her brother, glassy eyed gaze returning to the blood splatter; this time on the coffin. His head tilted to the side as he contemplated it, curious with the bright color against the drab gray stone. Pretty.

Oblivious to all the head talking going on, Lydia only had one question to answer to, a simple one that she could actually manage. "No," she told Seph, looking herself over quickly. Somehow she'd managed to come out of that unscathed, with only her initial fall dirtying her up. "Just... frazzled," she said, then looked from Eli to Syn, trying to figure out what was going on. "What should we do?" she asked, looking to him for guidance. He seemed to have a much better handle on this than her.

Lydia's answer registered somewhere. Okay, that was good. There was only Syn's pain -- which was fading even now, he could tell -- and Eli's broken head to worry about. His eyes ticked from his sister's to the body and he nodded. Reaching back, he grabbed the back of his shirt and started to tug it off. It had a fine mist of blood on it, but he'd be getting much dirtier than that, and being seen in town with blood-soaked t-shirt? No thanks. "I'm getting her out of here for now," he said aloud for the one non-telepath in the room's benefit. "Stay put." He stood and went to the body of Eli's dead mother. What they were going to do about all that fucking blood, he had no idea. Guns were messy. He grabbed her arms and hoisted her up sideways on the back of his shoulders. At least she hadn't been like 300 pounds. Adjusting the weight, he started out of the crypt, trying to keep his pace as quick as he could. She wasn't bleeding out really anymore, so maybe he wouldn't get drenched.

Syn's gaze followed her brother until he turned and was out of sight, then she looked back to Eli. Eli. she said, projecting it to him, and she took his hands as she leaned against the stone coffin. She let the fingers of her free hand drift through his hair. Come back, we need you. she continued, tendrils of her power curling around his spirit again, and she pulled. She didn't know if she could do this, but that? Was a feeling that was far the hell down in her mind. What was on the surface was that iron will of hers that said there was no way in hell she was going to be giving up until he was back. Fuck that noise, she was doing this, and that was final.

Another pained noise escaped him at the pull; louder, this time. Eli shuddered, scrambling away from Syn, even if it hurt with the tug on his spirit. Nononono! he projected, hands coming up to gouge into his temples. Just the tiny bit of awareness had him wanting to scream. She was lying anyways. No one needed him.

The mental images were still too fresh in his head, raw and agonizing moanchucklebitepanicSLAPscream and he didn't want to be back; he wanted the void, didn't want to think or feel at all. He continued to push away from Syn, fingers digging into his flesh. "Letgoletgoletgoletgo..."

Lydia watched, wide eyed, at the way Syn's aura seemed to reach out and pull at Eli's. She'd never seen anything quite like it, but then she wasn't high on Opium all the time. It could have been happening on a regular basis and she wouldn't have known. Fabulous might have been the things she could see in this state, but it made her almost useless for everything else. When Eli began to vocally and physically try to get away from Syn, his aura seemed to get brighter, bringing more life into it than it had before. At that point Lydia decided Syn could handle him just fine, far better than Lydia could herself, and there were other things to attend to. Like all the blood, for instance. It was on the walls, all over the floor, and it wasn't exactly like they could mop up the dirt. So maybe instead, the dirt could mop up the blood. Lydia crawled towards the mess, finally stopping when her stomach decided it would rebel if she went a foot closer. Closing her eyes, she dug her fingers into the dirt and began to speak, the words of the spell quiet on her tongue. Her magic had been of no help so far, but maybe she could aid in cleaning up the mess. The ground began to shift just a little, dirt sweeping over the blood and sucking it into the ground, and Lydia continued to pray.

Meanwhile, Seph stepped over the low wall that surrounded the cemetery, his own breath harsh in his ears. He kept turning around to look behind himself. It was difficult with a full-grown woman on his shoulders, but ... he felt unbelievably exposed and he did not like that at all. He hurried into the woods and only felt marginally better when the trees closed in around him. Should he just dump her? Try to bury her? Mark the spot so they could come back and then bury her? He was muttering to himself, subconsciously counting steps as he tried to go in a straight line and balance her weight at the same time. Half-sliding down a good bank, he paused by a couple of large rocks and looked around. He couldn't see any sort of civilization, maybe ... maybe this would be okay. With a grunt, keeping a mental ear on his sister, Seph dropped the body down and started ... sort of trying to curl her up and push her half-under one of the rock outcroppings.

Synnove wasn't really up for letting Eli get away here. And she also wasn't for letting him hurt himself. So she went after him when he pulled back away from her, and she closed her hands around both of his wrists, trying to pull them away from his skin. She also tried to put her arms around him, partly to be there, but also partly to help keep him from bolting. Eli, please. Stop whatever you're doing...come back, don't hurt yourself... she tried. Well, if he wanted away, he was going to have to go through her. Unfortunately, Syn had the idea that he might actually try.

He didn't let her pull his wrists away, keeping them firmly gouged in, struggling to push in, to reach the off switch that was his brain. Eli's breathing went ragged. "Nonononono letgoletgoletgoletgo HURTS letgoletgoletgo..." he chanted, screaming out in the middle as he continued to struggle away from her. Part of him balked at the idea of hurting her--loveSyn, Synlove--but that part was being quickly overridden by the inescapable desire to run.

It was hard to work with Eli muttering in the background, but Lydia managed to keep her focus. Dust swirled around the area, up into the air and against the walls. The blood dripped down, or seeped in, or in some cases was just blasted off by the sand, leaving nothing behind. Lydia worked until she couldn't any more, finally slumping forward with a gasp for air. The dust settled completely, but her eyes stayed shut, too tired to do anymore.

Seph walked around the hiding spot -- or her final resting place, if they never came back -- and looked at it from all angles. The body couldn't be seen from the top of the little hill, so that was good. There was nothing else but deep woods on all other sides. A little cold without a shirt, and worried about what he was feeling from his sister, he called it a good enough job, and started to head back. He scooped up a handful of mud and started to rub it on his bare arms as he walked, using it to rub some of the drying blood off roughly.

"Eli, stop!" Synnove cried, trying again to pull his hands away from him so he would quit hurting himself. It was said mentally too, but she was getting so distraught that she still wasn't paying much attention to what was aloud and what wasn't. All she did know was she felt like she was losing him, and she couldn't let that happen--but she wasn't exactly at the top of her game right now. Not after feeling the death, not when she was rocked off balance. She could only call up her inner will for a while when the foundation she had to place it on wasn't as steady as it should be. She desperately tried to hold onto it, and to project that stability that wasn't there, along with that serenity or anything else that might even remotely help. That while she wasn't giving up on trying to help him physically as well.

When Syn pulled his right hand free, he immediately yanked it back from her, and then acted purely on instinct; Eli struck her across the face with the back of his hand with all the force he could muster and scrambled back again. And then he stared at her, his breath hitching in his throat as everything came to a screaming halt.

You just hit Syn, his inner voice pointed out calmly. Blue eyes darted from her, to his hand. Oh God. He'd just hit Syn. In the face. Syn. Syn! "I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely, still gazing in horror at his hand. "'msorry. I didn't mean--I didn't--" OhGodOhGodOhGod. She'd never forgive him and he'd lose her and everything he'd done today had been so that that wouldn't happen and he'd hit her...

Seph was stepping over the stone wall again, on his way back to the crypt and the rest of this whole situation that needed to be resolved when he jerked bodily. The instant it registered in Syn's mind that Eli had struck her, he felt it. He shared in her shock for a split second before it was replaced with a strong spike of absolute rage. Nobody hit his sister. Nobody. MotherFUCKER, he raged, breaking into a sprint again toward the crypt. He didn't care if Eli was out of it, didn't care if he was irrational, he'd slapped Syn, and Seph was going to break both of his fucking hands. One finger at a time.

Synnove heard Seph's sentiment of course, and gasped, scrambling up to her feet and stumbling towards the door of the crypt to head him off before he got there. Really, as they'd oh so recently discussed, if Seph wanted to get past her, he more than could, but she couldn't help but try to stop him. Seph, wait-- she started, still feeling the sting on her face, but she was more or less ignoring it entirely.

He bolted down the passageway, hearing her but not slowing. He had just enough time to see her and skid to a stop before he barrelled into her, bare chest heaving, teeth bared. "Move," he said. Both his mental voice and his external one were harsh and sharp, even to her. Eli was going to hurt for this. Hurt badly, fucked up mind or not.

Syn shook her head. "No." she said, putting her hands on his chest, locking gazes with him. "He didn't mean it. It woke him up, we have to leave. I'm fine." she said clearly even if her voice was soft. "Let it go." Please She had found her mental and emotional footing again, even if she didn't have any idea whatsoever how long that might last. For right this second she was as stable as she usually was, that solid, uncrackable presence.

The urge was in him to fight her. To bodily move her out of the way. But she was right. They had to leave. He could break every tiny little bone in Eli's hands later. And he let him know it too, projecting that promise to him. Though the hand-shaking anger wasn't directed at Syn, he glared. "Get him up, get me my goddamned shirt, let's get the goddamned fucking shit out of here."

Synnove pushed Seph back, shifting to push his back against the wall, her hands still on his chest, moving to his shoulders. I need you to calm down. she said. Just...don't. She leaned forward, to press her forehead against his temple, face turned towards his. She wasn't sure if it was for her or for him, it was mixed together in the wake of his emotions, and her own.

He was shaking all over now, a full-body tremor. Whether it was with rage or the full impact of his having taken a human life -- again -- or something else entirely, he didn't bother to try and pin down. He allowed himself to be pushed, despite the singing taut muscle under her hands. He wasn't sure he could calm down, but he tried, obeying instinctively. He closed his eyes and took a trembling breath. Let's go, he repeated. We have to go. I'm okay if I move, let's go.

Syn nodded, giving him a brief hug, and a kiss, just beneath his ear on his neck before she pulled away, turning back to walk in and grab up his shirt. "We're leaving." she said clearly to Lydia and Eli. "Get up, let's go. We can't be here much longer." she said, walking back towards Seph to hold out his shirt to him. She held out a hand towards Eli to help him up. "C'mon."

Lydia struggled to get to her feet, her whole body trembling. White magic had always been where she excelled and this wasn't that. This left her feeling exhausted and dizzy and ready to crash into bed and sleep for a week. But she managed to walk anyways, knowing they had to get out. She was aware that more was going on around her than she understood, but she could try and put it together later, when her head wasn't all fuzzy and stuff.

Eli's gaze shifted from his hand to Syn's, locking there for a long moment. He stood up on his own, pushing himself off the ground unsteadily, not touching her. No, no, he wasn't allowed to touch her anymore. Not after this. Never again. Seph's threats registered in his mind, and he felt an odd, almost horrifying relief. It saved him from having to hack off his own hand at the wrist, if Seph really did plan to break all of his bones. His idea sounded more painful, anyways, which was much more fitting.

Seph couldn't stand there any longer. As soon as Syn was away from him, Seph stalked back outside of the crypt. He threw a mental reminder to his twin for her to get Evelyn's gun while he went to retrieve his own. They didn't want to leave anything behind if they could help it. He waited for them outside, tucking his pistol back into his pants. He didn't really know to which house they were going, if they were even sticking together, but he just wanted out of there.

Synnove did get Evelyn's gun. Wouldn't due to have that be left behind. She noticed that Eli shunned her, and it stung, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead she just gathered things up, then headed out the door after her brother. She didn't know where they were going either. Maybe the gallery for now. It was...neutral. Not either house.

Lydia stepped out into the sun and shut her eyes, squinting as they attempted to adjust. She didn't know where anyone was going, but she knew that she needed to sleep. Or collapse, whichever came first. She'd not slept the night before, staying up in her attempts to work a spell and never succeeding. Eli's mother had been taken care of, which was all that mattered, but it left her feeling more drained than even the magic could. "I'm... gonna go visit a friend," she told Eli, hoping Syn could handle him at the moment. She certainly couldn't. When he retreated into his mind, she hadn't a clue what to do and Syn did. Maybe she'd learn eventually, but for now Lydia just wanted to be somewhere else.

He didn't say anything in response, didn't even look at her. Eli nodded his head, the motion odd and jerky, feeling an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. And he felt more than a little abandoned at her leaving him alone with the twins, but he couldn't blame her at all. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be alone, or at least as alone as he felt right now. He wanted to scream, he wanted to bleed, he wanted void and Syn had yanked him out far too early. And she wasn't letting go. He was stuck, just on the edge of awareness, and it hurt.

Seph waited. He took his shirt from Syn when they all came out, put it on, and waited. He didn't want to be the one calling the shots anymore, didn't want to be the level-headed one. Because he wasn't. When Synnove was around and she was okay, she was the boss, and he was fine with that. It was taking a lot of willpower not to start bashing Eli's face in. He didn't look at anyone, didn't say anything, just waited to see where they were going. He needed a shower.

Syn glanced over to Lydia, and nodded. "Be careful." she told her. Then she looked to Eli and her brother. Back to our house then. she decided. It's safer, and I really think we need someplace safe for a few hours at the very least. she informed them. No, she wasn't taking a poll or asking opinions on this. Absently rubbing at her reddened cheek, she started walking off, beckoning them both to follow her. She didn't think they'd argue with her, and she really hoped they didn't. She wasn't in the mood. They just needed to get back home. Then everything else could be dealt with in it's own time.