Sep 16 13:56:46 106 PA - Violence erupts into murder
From Chronicles
This plot of land is of a fair size, longer than what it is wide. At one of the ends there stands a sturdy structure which is the greenhouse for the farm. There is where a great many of the seedlings which end up in the ground itself are started. The walls of the greenhouse are of clear plastic, kept clean to allow the most sunlight possible to the tender plants within. There are many beds of tilled earth here as well, with ditches running through at intervals to make it easier for foot passage for the purpose of either harvest or tending to the plants themselves. Behind the greenhouse is a compost pile and there is a small locked shed which houses the tools for the farm's use. A tall fence encloses the property, with a gate near to the greenhouse and a second gate on the opposite side.
It is still the part of the morning where the activity hasn't reached its normal pace. Most people are focusing on their day starting tasks. A pocket of quiet exists over by the garden that Sage owns and has developed with the help of others. She stands with another person having a conversation. Neither side looks to enjoy the conversation, but it has the urgency of something that must be done. After a while, a few other people seem to be making their way over towards the garden. Possibly hired help wanting to know what she requires to be brought to the garden today.
Caliopa is a rare sight here, generally by arrangement, or seeking Sage with a change to plans. Today, she is clearly en route to the range, the even rarer sight of her armed as she walks quickly towards Sage. Her coveralls look odd next to the weapon on her hip, but her sunny smile is in place and her ponytail bobs as she walks. "Sage! I'm early, figured I'd get some practice in. I ain't had a moment for a time..." The brown eyes don't look as weary as a month ago, the change in her work habits showing. When she stops beside the other woman, her hand rests lightly, casually, on the hilt of her gun.
Alistair is up on one of the posts, trying up loose ends - quite literally, making certain that the structure won't budge on this end. He slides down when someone calls over about materials needed here; looking the list over for a few moments, glancing to Sage with curiosity, and then looking at the list again before asking for specific things to be brought. Seeing Cali arrive he smiles, "Cali!" and starts on his way towards the girls.
Flare is walking by as she notices the garden area and heads over curiously. She has not been out here before and dips her head as she approaches and recognizes a few of the faces.
To those that notice the three approaching, two seem to move off the side as if appraise the work to be done today. They seem to pay a little attention to where Sage and the man she speaks with stands. The conversation Sage is having cuts off a little as she looks over to where Cali approaches. An uncertain smile comes to her lips as she hadn't planned on her friend coming early. "Hi..." She calls softly, glancing uncomfortably over to her conversation partner. A strapping young man about her age. "This is Amire." She mentions, as if thinking to introduce the man that could be her arranged husband-to-be. The man seems to be a little uncomfortable himself. But, the meeting's increased discomfort is only exasperated when the Amire's father and Elder on the council of Sage's people shows up. "Well... if it isn't Sage..." He comments, as if it had been a meeting by chance before his gaze switches over to Cali. "And the harpy..." He says with undisguised bitterness.
The smile brightens at the sight of Alistair, a warmth entering her eyes but Caliopa's smile fades at the introduction, the protective nature of the woman revealed in the narrowing of her eyes. "Amire." The single word greeting is given with a slow nod of her head and whatever she was about to say is interrupted by the arrival of his father. His comment brings a flush of temper to her cheeks, a momentarily tightening of her fingers around her gun but she doesn't speak to him, turning to Sage, a question in her face.
Alistair grins at Cali, though that too is short lived; his expression changes to one of surprise, then a bit of a frown, and then an attempt to be polite. "Why excuse me, did you ... just call Cali a harpy?" he asks, perhaps expecting that he heard wrong. Naturally, he has no idea whatsoever who this Amire person is, so all he gets is a polite smile.
Flare dips her head towards Sage and Alisatair as those that the ones that she has met before. Flare isn't her usual self either though. She seems to be in a considerably better mood. A smile is on her lips and the crimson-haired elf appears quite happy. She looks at the arrayed group and takes a moment to adjust the waist of her leather pants and then adjusts her corset as well.
Shock and anger register on Sage's features at the words the Elder uses to address her friend. "How d-" She begins before Amire seems to stifle the rest of what she was going to say. Amire's action almost seems to be practiced as his hand slips over Sage's mouth and he murmurs words into Sage's mouth. With Amire using his strength to urge Sage a little away, she can do little to help her friend in the verbal battle.
The Elder spares Sage a glance before making a gesture to bring his morale support in as the burlier men wander closer from the sides. Then, his attention shifts to Alistair. "Do you see any other red-haired demons around?" Her responds curtly, before glaring at Cali.
Amire's action doesn't help the situation, and the flush in Caliopa's cheeks darkens. "Old man, I ain't here to be fightin' with you." She dismisses the old man with a word, as she turns her back on him, stepping up to Sage, a hand lifted to point at Amire. "You'd best be lettin' Sage go, mister." The red hair matches the temper in her face, flaring angrily, her other hand tight around the gun's grip. "Don't be reckonin' we ain't lookin' out for her." Slowly, she does draw the weapon, pointing it at the man holding Sage, the barrel steady.
"Oh, I see; I always thought older people were supposed to provide guidance and be role models. No wonder the world has ended up how it is" Alistair replies to the Elder, brows hiking up; he then notices Sage and blinks, "Hey - let go of Miss Sage. That's beyond impolite!" he points out, his frown deepending.
Flare cocks her head to the side and is in a good mood so raises her hand, "Actually there is one standing right here too." she says and smiles sweetly towards the Elder as she runs a hand through her crimson hair and past one of her pointed ears.
With the weapon drawn on him, Amire's instinct is to protect himself as he turns causing Sage to be put in front of him. His grip beginning to loosen on Sage after it registers that its holding the woman that caused it. He seems to dumbstruck for something to say, however.
The Elder fumes, casting ugly looks around to the interlopers. Its not happening like he had imagined. He's caught up in the moment and says some particular nasty things.
The burly man behind Cali charges, hoping to defuse the situation by taking the woman down to the ground and getting the weapon out of harms way.
Sage seeing things playing out has concern in her expression, reaching the rip the hand away from her mouth to speak.
The other burly man seems to decide its all Sage's fault and begins to charge her with an angry look on his face.
Caliopa's temper shows no signs of fading with the reaction from Amire, and she doesn't notice the man charging her, her finger moving to click the safety off, hoping the threat will force him to release the other woman. Unfortunately, perhaps, her finger arrives on the trigger as the charging burly man hits her, spinning the petite woman around and taking her to the floor. The impact does a number of things, amongst them knocking the breath from the woman, and tightening her finger on the light trigger. The gun fires, the bullet, no longer aimed at Amire and Sage, flying wild. Finally resting in what passes for a heart in the Elder.
Alistair's attention is divided enough that he has to choose priorities here and he's perhaps a moment too late. "Hey!" he jumps to Cali's side to pull the guy off of her, the gunshot pretty much escaping his attention for the moment being. "What are you doing! Ridiculous!" and unbelievable, apparently.
Flare blinks a bit as everything happens suddenly. Flames appear in her hands, dancing there as she glances around and the shot, she feels threatened, so the flames lick along her skin until she is wreathed in fire. She sees the various people struggling and then the wild shot....which hits the one that seems to have started it all. Her mouth drops a bit.
It all happens so quickly, the Elder surges forward to help his man against the demon harpy with the gun. Sage's cry, "Nooo!" as she's unable to stop it. Sage is set upon the other burly man that had managed to brandish neural mace in time to swing it at her. Sage is able to turn to protect herself, but she still drops like a stone from the effect of the weapon. The Elder calls to his knees after giving a stunned look and touching his chest to find his hand bloodied. A moment later, he's fallen flat on his face. Amire confronts the man that had attacked Sage to make him realize what just happened. Accusations of 'murderous bitch' are made. The anger is the gutted sort that lead to resentment instead of renewed violence. Son and henchmen crowd the body of the Elder...
Caliopa is unaware of anything but the burly man for a moment, until Alistair pulls him from her. The weapon is dropped as she struggles to sit up, her hand on her stomach where the man shouldered her, her breath forced into her lungs. Slowly, the picture in front of her sinks in, and the flare of temper in her cheeks fades to a shocked white, her brown eyes wide in shock as they fix on the body of the elder. Sage is on the floor, hit by a neural mace, and Alistair is struggling with a henchie. Flare is living up to her name, flames dancing across her skin, whilst the son and the other burly men are knelt beside the body of the elder. And all this in the early morning, before usual work begins.
"GET OFF!" Alistair shouts at the man, shoving him away a bit more forcefully than expectations raised by his frame; he looks at Cali then right away, "Cali are you okay? Are you o-" he sees her pale, and he looks too, that way. "What? ... " a pause, "What happened?" another pause, and then he bolts to that group, "Out of the way, out of the way!" because apparently this is a time at which losing one's wit isn't reccomended, he doesn't. "Call an ambulance!" he shouts angrily at one man, and kneels down to check on the Elder - unless he's tossed out of there, of course.
Outside the greenhouse the early morning is quite normal and peaceful. Due in the hangar in a bit for some guiding Tirzah decides to stop in and see Sage before she goes. That is until she opens the door to see people are mid brawl. Without a though she channels her link into her armor for added enhancement as she starts to assess the situation. "Hello.."
Flare just stands there a bit stunned, forgetting at this point that she is still wreathed in flames. She glances towards Tirzah, "Hello." she says softly and then looks back. She seems ready to do something should it be needed, but not much to see at the moment seems the confrontation has calmed for a moment.
The confrontation is apparently only beginning, the henchman leaving Alistair to work, rising to reach for the shocked Caliopa. The other reacts to the demand to call an ambulance, reaching for a phone to summon both that and the KDPD. The words murder and shot can be heard, as the son continues to split his time between berating Caliopa, and screaming at Alistair to do something. Caliopa, held by the burly henchman, stares in shocked horror at the dead man, oblivious to Tirzah's arrival, or Sage's unconsciousness.
Taking stock of the situation takes a brief moment as Tirzah wasnt really expecting this so early. Thugs, screaming, corpse, phone, twerp. Sage.. Kneeling down beside her partner she ignores the others for a moment as she cradles Sage's head into her lap. She lets her power pool within her for a moment, channeling her will into a spell.
Alistair looks like he's about to start on the Elder, when his attention is drawn back to Cali. "HEY!" and now the little guy is starting to actually get angry, rising to head in their direction despite people screaming at him to do something. "You started this by jumping on her, let her go or I'll tear you apart here and now!". Yes. Angry.
Flare frowns for just a moment and then watches Tirzah go to Sage and look at the man that reached for Cali again. "I agree with him, you provoked the situation, it was a stray shot, and you should let her go, you can tell she didn't intend such from the look of shock on her face." she is still standing there flames dancing on her skin, and in her eyes, though she looks relatively calm.
The man holding Caliopa tightens his grip, lifting his other hand in a gesture for Alistair to stop. "I'm not going to hurt her, just hand her to the KDPD." His reply is firm, no space for negotiation there. The son waivers between following Alistair, to demand he do something and attempting to stop the flow of blood. The red leakage has slowed by itself, the man's skin turning grey. Caliopa's expression doesn't suggest she has a grip on what is happening, her eyes fixed on the body, her face almost as pale as it is. In the near distance, the sound of emergency vehicles can be heard. Helpfully, the other two henchmen follow Alistair, threatening in their movements, "Fucking murderous bitch..."
Alistair stares carefully, for just a few moments, looking daggers at the guys holding Cali down, but if that's all they're doing ... he turns around, and looks to the Elder quickly. "Maybe ... " he murmurs, putting his hands on him. "If an ambulance with blood and a pump doesn't arrive in the next few minutes, he will die. I can feel it ... he is ... " his breathing calms quickly, as he tries to help the man with healing - but his just isn't the stuff, and the effect is less than adequate - but still, he will try. "I need Miss Sage's help ... or anyone who can heal. You, put your hands on the wound and hold it down."
There is a faint flash of blue energy as Tirzah releases her spell, but nothing else is evident at first. Turning to the empty space where the flash occurred Tirzah simply says "Protect her." Then rising Tirzah turns to the man holding Caliopa as a fireball forms in her hand. "Let her go." She tells him, her tone flat and her gaze unwavering.
Flare growls a bit and things suddenly remind her of her past. She does feel they would try to railroad Cali into murder charges, remembering her past and growing up as both a dee-bee and psychic in Coalition Teritories. She smiles sweetly which might not look so given the aura of fire about her. "Well then if you wish to hold her and turn her over, we should hold you and turn you over as well." she says to the man holding Cali, "Since your action is the one that led to the wild shot that hit him." voice is calm still and she raises a brow to think glancing for a moment towards Alistair, and the other 3, the son and two henchmen for a moment.
At that moment, the tableau is revealed to the numerous KD police and ambulance folks who tumble out of cars, heading towards the two unconscious people first. The burly man releases Caliopa, lifting his hands into the air, a gesture of neutrality, whilst Caliopa sways a little, her gaze still fixed on that corpse. "Everybody calm down now..." A large police officer, his calmness revealing a lifetime of viewing situations not dissimilar to this, speaks, as he directs others to take charge of the scene. Within moments, the elder is declared dead, and Sage is lifted into an ambulance, stealing her away to the hospital. If asked, they refuse the option to ride along, the police clear that all others are going nowhere until it is clear what happened here. Instantly, the outpouring of accusations of murder from the henchmen and the son make the individual words drown out. Caliopa offers no defense, the hint of colour in her skin vanishing at the declaration of death. "Fire girl, settle down, put out that flame." A glance between Tirzah and Flare, "Both of you now." The instruction is given with the weight of law behind it.
"But...!" Alistair blinks as the old man is taken away, "Hey, you can do a little more for ..." there's surprise at the quick verdict, but hey, that's Alistair for you. He isn't stunned by that for too long; he exhales and looks to Cali, stepping next to her. "There was no murder. It was a good-old fashioned accident ... very unfortunate, but nevertheless an accident."
Tirzah sighs, her fireball extinguished as soon as Caliopa was released. Mostly she is annoyed that she could not go with Sage, but the air about her partner will stick to its orders until she can follow. Relaxing she looks about ready to find out what's going on now. She's going to be late for work..
Flare nods and the flames lick along her skin, as if pulling away until they are just in her hands again and she closes those, extinguishing the flames. She keeps her calm and smiles a bit towards officer that ordered her to deflame, "I am ready for my interview whenever." she says not going to deign to try and speak over the yelling and add to the confusion.
A stare from the officer silences the others, and after a moment of silence he nods. "Accident or murder, I think the young lady will have to come with us, until we sort this out." His expression is grave, the seriousness of the situation showing in his face. "If you people would come down to the station and give a statement it might help to settle the situation more quickly." He nods to another officer, who takes the pale Caliopa by the elbow, turning her towards a vehicle, the shock making her move automatically, without protest. "Your names?" The group of men supply theirs, with additional comments about murderous bitches, to which the officer does not respond.
"Wha... I'm going with her ... I'm Alistair, Cali is my girlfriend and I'm not leaving her alone" Alistair replies, brows hiking up at it all. "Cali!" he looks at her, then back at the officer. "Uh, Alistair Du Lauren."
Tirzah shake her head as they start taking Caliopa away, unable to accept that. "It was me. I killed him." She says clearly to the officers without hesitation. Holding out her hands expectantly she begins to explain. "I summoned an air elemental and order it to kill him in mortal fashion. I was following the elemental's progress when I found complications had ensued. The fireball was intended to kill his henchmen as well, but you guys showed up. Caliopa Alistair and Sage can all verify that what I have described is well within my capabilities."
Flare blinks a bit and then looks back and forth a moment, not sure what is going on. She shakes her head a bit, "Desmeena Oliviare," she says giving her name, "Though I go by Flare." she shrugs a bit, "If you are taking her into custody you should take them as well, as they may attempt to flee the jurisdiction as their actions are just as responsible." she indicates the son and the three henchmen. She is a bit shocked by Tirzah's statement.
The officer sighs, looking between the three with an air of faint resignation. "Oh good. One of those." The mutter is audible. Then he points at Tirzah, using his pen, "Take her along then." Dealing with each in turn, he replies to Alistair. "Alistair? Do you have a surname, son? You can follow her down but she has to go alone now." There is almost a gentle note there, "Miss Oliviare, if you would meet us downtown?" A glance at the four men, and the urge to roll his eyes in frustration briefly flashes across his face before the enforced calm returns. "Right. Take this lot as well. I'm sure everyone is willing to cooperate." Another vehicle pulls up and scientists begins to remove equipment, the familiar signs of a murder scene being dealt with. That sorted, the officer turns towards his car, leaving Tirzah and Caliopa to be taken downtown, along with the three men, and Alistair and Flare to follow at their leisure.
