WHERE YOU GONNA RUN IF THEY COME FOR YOU

[nutritionalexpert]

WHO: Evan Everyman, Rick Bradbury, Max Gibson, Klarion (bum bum bum) the Witchboy, the HABIT.
WHERE: Superjail.
WHEN: Saturday the 24th.
WARNINGS: Mentions of violence, because we're not done talking about the Thunger Games. Also, the HABIT is going to be around, which is never good.
SUMMARY: Evan is having a really exciting time in jail.
FORMAT: Words, probably.

The visitation room is as sterile as the rest of the facility, cold and white and gleaming. Evan keeps wanting to make a Portal joke at the guards, but the game doesn't exist in this universe anymore. Figures. Of course it doesn't. Is nothing easy?

He manages to keep relatively still in his seat, with a minimum of fussing and fidgeting. The only thing that gives away his nerves is his eyes, which can't seem to focus on one single thing in the room. He's a spring wound too tight. And he knows what happens if the tension releases, now.

The HABIT only drops in to taunt him, or to piss off the guards in his name. They haven't noticed the difference yet, and talking about exactly what body parts he'd like to peel off of them gets Evan docked free time, which it likes to cackle about. Evan is classed a Problem Child. He starts getting meals in his cell the second day they're there.

At least, he says snidely, he gets time to exercise. Exercise is important.

On Thanksgiving, he reminds Evan that it is his HAPPY BIRTHDAY. A man Evan hasn't met and doesn't know brings him two birthday cakes. One of them makes the metal detector the guard sweeps over it sound like a swarm of robot hornets, and turns out to be ten percent cardboard, ten percent frosting, and eighty percent blatant disregard of the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958. HABIT shrugs, and says it was worth a try.

The other cake is just a cake. It's chocolate. HABIT eats it for him, licking the icing off of his fingers messily. Maybe Max will bring him that other one, he says when he pops the last bite in his mouth and rolls them back into the cot.

Comments

[waiting]

[ Max was a lot younger than Bradbury was, so you'd think she'd have a better chance at convincing Klarion of anything, but apparently not. He sighed, dragging a hand over his face rubbing at his chin. If appeals to morals won't work, maybe an appeal to practicality would. ]

You're not seriously expecting to get away with announcing a plan to kill someone, are you? Besides, he's an imPort like the rest of us. Even if you did kill him, he'd just come back.

[ He gestured at Max, then himself. ] We did, didn't we?

So if you're serious about wanting to do something about this, there's gotta be something more permanent than killing someone.

[futurebatwoman]

If it can use anyone - and it can - one less host doesn't mean anything to it.

[ And right, the coming back thing. That's still true, nothing that happens here is permanent (though there is the 1% true death chance, isn't there?) but that doesn't change the fact that dying is still highly unpleasant. ]

Bradbury's right. Killing him isn't anywhere near a permanent solution. The only thing that will work is finding a way to keep that thing out of him.

[bumbumbum]

Like an exorcism? [Klarion remarked, furrowing his brow slightly as he thought. He had dealt with demons before-he was certain he could do an exorcism. Or, at least, he was certain he could attempt an exorcism. It couldn't be that hard, could it?]

If he is demonic, then perhaps an exorcism would be our best bet.

[waiting]

We're not sure what he is. [ The admission's a sour one. ] We know what he claims to be, but...

[ But, Bradbury's tone of voice implied, he wasn't inclined to believe anything that came from HABIT himself. ]

Even if he was, could you do something like that? [ He didn't say it, but frankly, Klarion wasn't far from looking like someone's idea of a demon himself. ]

[futurebatwoman]

An exorcism could at least be tried. If nothing else, it would be a starting point, right?

[ Because that's really what they needed. Any starting point against him, any starting point that would keep Klarion from trying to kill Evan. ]

Seconding that question.

[bumbumbum]

[Klarion idly shrugged. He had dalliances with demons before. He could summon them-exorcising one should be simple!]

I can try. I have experiences with demons, back home.

[waiting]

[ It's a promising start, but Bradbury shook his head. Klarion's confidence was more a cause for concern than reassurance, at least if past experience was something to go by. ]

We're gonna need something surer than that. This place has a way of screwing around with magic, remember?

I'd really rather not have to explain to a guard how a guy ended up with his head on backwards, so... no trying exorcisms or killing anyone til' we got as much information as we can, all right?

[futurebatwoman]

A real, solid plan is what we need, or we're just going to waste a lot of time over things we're not sure about at all.

[ Bradbury's the one with the levellest head here, she's pretty sure. Less clouded by both anger and concern than she is, less - whatever it is Klarion is. ]

And we need his permission before anybody does anything to him.

[bumbumbum]

[Klarion sighed dramatically, pouting slightly. Needing permission, not doing things...these adults were no fun!]

I won't mess it up. I've figured out how magic works in this place now. Just let me try!

[waiting]

[ Bradbury groaned, rubbing a hand along his temples. ]

At least let us talk to the guy first, all right? Zee's gonna kill me if something happens to you.

[ Well, he didn't know that latter bit for a fact, but he figured it couldn't hurt to throw it in. ]

[futurebatwoman]

Nothing happens without Evan's say-so. [ Lips thin and flat, because that's the thing she won't compromise on. ]

And either way, you should wait, maybe practice it as much as you can first.

[bumbumbum]

[Klarion sighed dramatically and started to pout.]

All right. I'll wait and practice.

[waiting]

[ Bradbury managed not to sigh in relief, but it was a close call, for a moment. Instead, he mustered up a smile, awkward though it felt to be giving it to the boy. ]

Thanks, Klarion.

[ --and the timing couldn't be better, because it seemed like the guards were back and ready for them. ]

[futurebatwoman]

[ She nods, short and sharp. Okay. That was settled for now. ]

Thank you, really. It helps.

[ And she looks over at the guard, steps forward. ] I'm going to go talk to Evan.