It wasn't all the difficult, a soft hold here, my hand curled around his wrist, a bare whisper of contact and then I palmed the thing. He'd started wearing a big old fashioned watch, not one of the digital things that popped in five seconds of exposure to me.
I slid the band up over my own wrist, under the cuff of my shirt and excused myself from the lunch table.
There's one good thing about the reputation women have for spending way too much time in the bathroom: you can disappear for a nice little chunk of time without most guys questioning it. They don't want to know what you've been doing because they're afraid it has something to do with 'feminine products'.
It gave me plenty of time to lock myself into the ladies room, lay out a circle and enchant Marcone's watch. The most time consuming part of the process was etching the sigils into the back of the metal plating. I needed them to be right, and deep, but small enough that they wouldn't be noticed right away. And that's hard to do without all my tools, but I couldn't very well steal the watch and keep it for a day or two while I fiddled with it.
The enchantment was a variation on my own shield bracelet. Only it didn't rely on Marcone's will or magic, but mine. It would use him sort of like a battery to keep itself up and running, but if it was activated - like if someone tried to knife Marcone or shoot him - it would draw on my power to raise a shield. It wasn't as good as my own and it would only be good for a short period of time once the shield went up. But it was better than nothing, and until it was active Sigrun wouldn't notice it.
Slipping it back on his wrist was a little more difficult, but I managed. Marcone caught my hand as I was sliding it off his wrist and held it for a second, a gentle squeeze as he did so. My stomach rolled and I felt a little nauseous.
He hadn't noticed at all.
~
"Harry! Harry!" I fumbled my keys, let them slip down further in my palm so I could reach for my blasting rod. Tina came running down the sidewalk in front of my office building. As she got closer I could see that she'd been crying. Her face was red, swollen, and I thought there was a bruise starting to darken around one eye.
She was alone.
I let go of my rod and dropped my keys into a coat pocket.
"Tina? What happened?" And how did she find my office? I didn't remember telling her anything about my job. She sobbed and heaved herself at me, nearly tripping over her own feet. I caught her and she clung to me, arms wrapping around my neck like a monkey.
"He-" Her breath shuddered in, thick through the tears. "He-" I barely felt the prick of the needle. It was the stinging burn of whatever she injected me with that caught my attention. That and the cold that trickled through my veins, faster and faster as the parking lot spun and now Tina was holding me, lowering me to the asphalt.
~
Idiot.
It was the first thought I had, as I woke up. I could feel my body, distantly. Like we hadn't quite reconnected all the way just yet. I was seated, upright. Tied to a chair, I thought.
And I was a fucking idiot.
"He's late." Tina's voice and the sound of her heels clacking against concrete. I kept still, listening. I didn't hear anyone except for her moving through the room. I chanced a look through the veil of my hair. It looked like the office of a warehouse, maybe. Bare and functional. It was just the two of us. Tina was muttering to herself.
I flexed my fingers, slowly, willing feeling back into them, back into my arms. Tina'd used rope to tie me down. If I could find the knot with my fingers, I could slip it. My dad hadn't gotten around to handcuffs before he died, but I could get out of a rope, given enough time.
Tina gave me more than enough time.
I slipped the rope and found the small knife I'd started carrying on my belt. I hoped no one ever found out about this one. Being kidnapped was one thing. Being kidnapped by mafia Barbie, too dumb to even fucking search me and take my weapons, was embarrassing.
I waited until Tina had her back to me, trying her cellphone again. She'd been calling Morelli for the last five minutes and not getting any answer. I sliced through the ropes around my ankles and rose, sliding up behind her.
"Hi Tina!" I grabbed the back of her head and slammed her forward, smashing her face first into the flimsy wall of the office. She shrieked, dropped her phone and started scrabbling at my wrist, her nails failing to find purchase through my coat, which she had also left on me. Like I said. Embarrassing.
The cold metal of the flat of my knife against the back of her neck made her freeze. I sighed and clucked at her, like I was disappointed.
"Tina, Tina, Tina. I have to tell you, I don't think this is the right life path for you. You kind of suck at being a bad guy."
"Bitch!" I twisted the hair in my hand. It was almost as though I could hear the strands separating, tearing free of her scalp.
"Now that's just uncalled for. I thought we were friends!" I shook her like a rat. "Now, let's all play nicely and you can tell me where Morelli is, and what he's planning." I twisted my knife so she could feel the edge.
She told me.
~
I broke every traffic law I knew of getting over to the Varsity.
I hadn't had time to stop off at my office to retrieve my staff from the Beetle, but I could do plenty of damage with just the magical tools I had on me.
The doors were closed, the marquee off. A large wooden sign stood in front of the building, declaring them closed for renovations. At least there wouldn't be innocent bystanders. I could see lights on inside.
I parked Tina's car across the entry way, tires leaving a little trail and a screech and jumped out, blasting rod ready. A deep breath and I readied my will. The door creaked open before I could throw my spell and Gard walked out.
"Harry?"
"Sigrun?" We stared at each other for a second. She clearly hadn't been expecting me, and I had been planning on walking into a trap. To save everybody, including Marcone, of course. But Gard looked very...un-trapped.
"Um...so...Morelli?" She nodded. "Is planning on coming here and killing you guys."
"He was, yes. We drew him in, let him think this was a weakly defended building. It's been handled."
"Oh." They lured him in...a few things clicked. Son of a bitch. "You wanna send Marcone out? Just for a second." Her blue eyes narrowed and I knew she was taking in my flushed face, the faint traces of rope burn on my wrists and maybe even a couple spots of blood. Then she smiled and ducked back into the restaurant.
Marcone walked out a few seconds later. There wasn't a single hair out of place. His suit jacket was off, his shirt unbuttoned, baring the hollow of his throat, the beginnings of his chest. My stomach clenched and I stomped on it.
"Harry, are you alright?"
"Great. Fine. Tina's fine too. A little unconscious, but nothing permanent. Morelli was kind of a jackass. Old school jackass, right?"
"Yes."
"And you knew that. You...played him. The whole time."
"Of course." He crossed the foot or so of space between us, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "I told you I knew what I was doing. I showed him a weakness. Let him believe that I was infatuated with you. That I'd gone soft and was neglecting business. He was going to make a move at some point, I simply chose the time."
"So it was all..." I waved my hand in the air. "Playing a role."
He nodded. Relief hit me, followed by something else. Something I couldn't put a name to. But it hurt, a little. There wasn't any sign of...anything. No regret, no flash of pain in his eyes. Certainly not the affection I'd seen over the past weeks. His hands on me were firm, professional. I took hold of his wrists and stepped back, dropping his arms as I did.
I turned. I was just going to get into the car and go home. Or maybe to Mac's. I wasn't sure I wanted my own company at the moment.
"Har-"
I stopped, lifted my right hand and pointed at the first dark sedan in the parking lot. "Fuego." Paint peeled under the beam of fire, the tires melted, popped, hot shards of rubber flying through the air around us. Glass warped and ran. I stopped when the car was a melted ruin.
Explosions are only fun when you're not standing next to them.
I didn't look back. I pressed down on whatever it was inside me that made my head echo so oddly, and I left.
Oh Marcone. For such a smart man you can be so dumb. I bet he was honestly surprised that Harry blew up his car. Hendrick's disapproving face is going to get a workout after this.
The death of his car was a surprise. Not a total surprise, since it's Harry and things explode/catch on fire with regularity, but he didn't quite get why it was all his fault either.
I expect Hendricks' next submitted report was actually a treatise on why he should not have to put up with this shit.
It's completely fitting that Harry did the most destruction to Marcone's property! I wonder if Gard is sekritly facepalming behind Marcone's back now. Also, I totally wanna know Marcone's reaction to the protection Harry placed on the watch :D
This is so, so awesome! I think Marcone totally miscalculated that one. And I kind of want him to find about the watch under really bad circumstances, like someone trying to knife him for real.
I got the impression that he wasn't as clueless as Harry thinks when she slipped it, but still... it'd be awesome if he really didn't know.
Oh John. You simultaneously fail to inform your ally that you're putting her in danger and tell your crush that you were pretending to care for her after you made out. Thus no doubt convinceing Harry that you're an asshole, Gard that you're dishonorable, and Hendricks that you're a moron. Groveling is called for. This is a great story.
Sorry for the break in feedback! I've been sick the last few days.
You, meanwhile, have been busy with AWESOME. :D
Harry continues to kick ass. Protective spells on watches! Is a sucker for someone in distress, but does not make a good hostage! Melts cars when pissed!
Marcone's going to have a lot of making up to do if he wants to get anywhere with her - not that he's really worthy of her, secret-keeping bastard. (Apparently it hadn't occurred to him that making her part of his plot without telling her would put her in danger, and he owed her a heads-up. Twit.)
8/9 kind of makes me sad - don't want it to be over! Any chance you might tell more stories about this Harry? She has snarked her way into my heart to stay. :D
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Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-07 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)It wasn't all the difficult, a soft hold here, my hand curled around his wrist, a bare whisper of contact and then I palmed the thing. He'd started wearing a big old fashioned watch, not one of the digital things that popped in five seconds of exposure to me.
I slid the band up over my own wrist, under the cuff of my shirt and excused myself from the lunch table.
There's one good thing about the reputation women have for spending way too much time in the bathroom: you can disappear for a nice little chunk of time without most guys questioning it. They don't want to know what you've been doing because they're afraid it has something to do with 'feminine products'.
It gave me plenty of time to lock myself into the ladies room, lay out a circle and enchant Marcone's watch. The most time consuming part of the process was etching the sigils into the back of the metal plating. I needed them to be right, and deep, but small enough that they wouldn't be noticed right away. And that's hard to do without all my tools, but I couldn't very well steal the watch and keep it for a day or two while I fiddled with it.
The enchantment was a variation on my own shield bracelet. Only it didn't rely on Marcone's will or magic, but mine. It would use him sort of like a battery to keep itself up and running, but if it was activated - like if someone tried to knife Marcone or shoot him - it would draw on my power to raise a shield. It wasn't as good as my own and it would only be good for a short period of time once the shield went up. But it was better than nothing, and until it was active Sigrun wouldn't notice it.
Slipping it back on his wrist was a little more difficult, but I managed. Marcone caught my hand as I was sliding it off his wrist and held it for a second, a gentle squeeze as he did so. My stomach rolled and I felt a little nauseous.
He hadn't noticed at all.
~
"Harry! Harry!" I fumbled my keys, let them slip down further in my palm so I could reach for my blasting rod. Tina came running down the sidewalk in front of my office building. As she got closer I could see that she'd been crying. Her face was red, swollen, and I thought there was a bruise starting to darken around one eye.
She was alone.
I let go of my rod and dropped my keys into a coat pocket.
"Tina? What happened?" And how did she find my office? I didn't remember telling her anything about my job. She sobbed and heaved herself at me, nearly tripping over her own feet. I caught her and she clung to me, arms wrapping around my neck like a monkey.
"He-" Her breath shuddered in, thick through the tears. "He-" I barely felt the prick of the needle. It was the stinging burn of whatever she injected me with that caught my attention. That and the cold that trickled through my veins, faster and faster as the parking lot spun and now Tina was holding me, lowering me to the asphalt.
~
Idiot.
It was the first thought I had, as I woke up. I could feel my body, distantly. Like we hadn't quite reconnected all the way just yet. I was seated, upright. Tied to a chair, I thought.
And I was a fucking idiot.
"He's late." Tina's voice and the sound of her heels clacking against concrete. I kept still, listening. I didn't hear anyone except for her moving through the room. I chanced a look through the veil of my hair. It looked like the office of a warehouse, maybe. Bare and functional. It was just the two of us. Tina was muttering to herself.
I flexed my fingers, slowly, willing feeling back into them, back into my arms. Tina'd used rope to tie me down. If I could find the knot with my fingers, I could slip it. My dad hadn't gotten around to handcuffs before he died, but I could get out of a rope, given enough time.
Tina gave me more than enough time.
I slipped the rope and found the small knife I'd started carrying on my belt. I hoped no one ever found out about this one. Being kidnapped was one thing. Being kidnapped by mafia Barbie, too dumb to even fucking search me and take my weapons, was embarrassing.
I waited until Tina had her back to me, trying her cellphone again. She'd been calling Morelli for the last five minutes and not getting any answer. I sliced through the ropes around my ankles and rose, sliding up behind her.
"Hi Tina!" I grabbed the back of her head and slammed her forward, smashing her face first into the flimsy wall of the office. She shrieked, dropped her phone and started scrabbling at my wrist, her nails failing to find purchase through my coat, which she had also left on me. Like I said. Embarrassing.
The cold metal of the flat of my knife against the back of her neck made her freeze. I sighed and clucked at her, like I was disappointed.
"Tina, Tina, Tina. I have to tell you, I don't think this is the right life path for you. You kind of suck at being a bad guy."
"Bitch!" I twisted the hair in my hand. It was almost as though I could hear the strands separating, tearing free of her scalp.
"Now that's just uncalled for. I thought we were friends!" I shook her like a rat. "Now, let's all play nicely and you can tell me where Morelli is, and what he's planning." I twisted my knife so she could feel the edge.
She told me.
~
I broke every traffic law I knew of getting over to the Varsity.
I hadn't had time to stop off at my office to retrieve my staff from the Beetle, but I could do plenty of damage with just the magical tools I had on me.
The doors were closed, the marquee off. A large wooden sign stood in front of the building, declaring them closed for renovations. At least there wouldn't be innocent bystanders. I could see lights on inside.
I parked Tina's car across the entry way, tires leaving a little trail and a screech and jumped out, blasting rod ready. A deep breath and I readied my will. The door creaked open before I could throw my spell and Gard walked out.
"Harry?"
"Sigrun?" We stared at each other for a second. She clearly hadn't been expecting me, and I had been planning on walking into a trap. To save everybody, including Marcone, of course. But Gard looked very...un-trapped.
"Um...so...Morelli?" She nodded. "Is planning on coming here and killing you guys."
"He was, yes. We drew him in, let him think this was a weakly defended building. It's been handled."
"Oh." They lured him in...a few things clicked. Son of a bitch. "You wanna send Marcone out? Just for a second." Her blue eyes narrowed and I knew she was taking in my flushed face, the faint traces of rope burn on my wrists and maybe even a couple spots of blood. Then she smiled and ducked back into the restaurant.
Marcone walked out a few seconds later. There wasn't a single hair out of place. His suit jacket was off, his shirt unbuttoned, baring the hollow of his throat, the beginnings of his chest. My stomach clenched and I stomped on it.
"Harry, are you alright?"
"Great. Fine. Tina's fine too. A little unconscious, but nothing permanent. Morelli was kind of a jackass. Old school jackass, right?"
"Yes."
"And you knew that. You...played him. The whole time."
"Of course." He crossed the foot or so of space between us, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "I told you I knew what I was doing. I showed him a weakness. Let him believe that I was infatuated with you. That I'd gone soft and was neglecting business. He was going to make a move at some point, I simply chose the time."
"So it was all..." I waved my hand in the air. "Playing a role."
He nodded. Relief hit me, followed by something else. Something I couldn't put a name to. But it hurt, a little. There wasn't any sign of...anything. No regret, no flash of pain in his eyes. Certainly not the affection I'd seen over the past weeks. His hands on me were firm, professional. I took hold of his wrists and stepped back, dropping his arms as I did.
I turned. I was just going to get into the car and go home. Or maybe to Mac's. I wasn't sure I wanted my own company at the moment.
"Har-"
I stopped, lifted my right hand and pointed at the first dark sedan in the parking lot. "Fuego." Paint peeled under the beam of fire, the tires melted, popped, hot shards of rubber flying through the air around us. Glass warped and ran. I stopped when the car was a melted ruin.
Explosions are only fun when you're not standing next to them.
I didn't look back. I pressed down on whatever it was inside me that made my head echo so oddly, and I left.
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-07 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)sulkburn down all of your buildings.Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:31 am (UTC)(link)Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:33 am (UTC)(link)I expect Hendricks' next submitted report was actually a treatise on why he should not have to put up with this shit.
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-07 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:35 am (UTC)(link)Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-07 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)I got the impression that he wasn't as clueless as Harry thinks when she slipped it, but still... it'd be awesome if he really didn't know.
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:36 am (UTC)(link)Stop being psychic, anon!
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-07 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)This is a great story.
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:37 am (UTC)(link)OP Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-08 02:10 pm (UTC)(link)You, meanwhile, have been busy with AWESOME. :D
Harry continues to kick ass. Protective spells on watches! Is a sucker for someone in distress, but does not make a good hostage! Melts cars when pissed!
Marcone's going to have a lot of making up to do if he wants to get anywhere with her - not that he's really worthy of her, secret-keeping bastard. (Apparently it hadn't occurred to him that making her part of his plot without telling her would put her in danger, and he owed her a heads-up. Twit.)
8/9 kind of makes me sad - don't want it to be over! Any chance you might tell more stories about this Harry? She has snarked her way into my heart to stay. :D
Re: OP Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 8/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 03:42 am (UTC)(link)I'm glad you're still enjoying it!
Ah...maybe?
I should say that this story is how I see my girlHarry and Marcone from this prompt fill:
http://scribe-protra.dreamwidth.org/306.html?thread=170546#cmt170546
got together.
And I've been considering continuing that fill at this prompt:
http://scribe-protra.dreamwidth.org/306.html?thread=566834#cmt566834
But I make no guarantees. :D
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 9/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-09 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 9/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-10 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)Pregnancy fic...my secret weakness.
Re: Fill: Playing for the Crowd 9/9
(Anonymous) 2011-03-14 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)http://scribe-protra.dreamwidth.org/306.html?thread=798002#cmt798002