[voice | un: blackbirdtarot]

[drewthetower]

WHO: August and the app
WHERE: The app, maybe the Zodiac Palace
WHEN: During the heist
WHAT: So uh. Moxxie happened
WARNINGS: CW: discussions of character death! Also August swearing

[August isn't on video, just voice, and he sounds rushed and more than a little panicked.]

Moxxie's dead. He--he took a gun he got into the board room, shot one of the board members, and then got swarmed. The gun was meant to kill demons so...yeah. They have it now, so for the love of fucking God if you're even slightly demon adjacent do not fucking go near the goddamn board room. Stay away. That thing turned Moxxie to ash.

Everyone else, get that fucking peach and let's fucking go.

Comments

voice | un: devilhunter

[advivo]

[ well, shit. he had been keeping to the sidelines, the backup should shit start to go south and it looks like south has come early. ]

You really gonna leave something like that in their hands?

[drewthetower]

Hopefully not, but I'm half-demon so I can't get near them. This thing obliterated two full demons, I don't wanna know what it'll do to me.

[advivo]

I know I said I'd sit this one out...

[ he really isn't comfortable with something like that in their hands. ]

[drewthetower]

You're like Nox and me, yeah? [Meaning "half demon" here, it's a hypothetical question. He can guess.] Don't. Don't come up to the fourth floor. There's other floors, maybe there's still shit there to do if you need to do something but please don't.

[advivo]

Yeah, half-demon. Nox is a little less, he's more human than us both. [ which is exactly why he is so strong, human blood is the source of demon power after all. ] Augie...

[ he's weighing it up in his head, trying to factor in the risks and rewards. if it obliterated two full demons, well maybe it wouldn't turn him to ash. surely his accelerated healing would be able to keep up, right? this is a guy who pulls himself through swords that have been impaled into him after all. ]

[drewthetower]

I do not want to have to explain to Nox why his uncle got here and is dead a week later. Please, Dante. Don't come up here.

[advivo]

[ a good move using nero against him, august. dante exhales heavily, almost defeated, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth as something heavy is placed down near his phone. ]

Alright, fine. But you better get your ass out of there, you hear? 'Cause I don't want to explain to the kid why his adoptive brother became a smear on a wall because sat on my hands.

[drewthetower]

As soon as the coast is clear I am, trust me. Fuck.

[advivo]

Good.

Tell me when you're out or if you need help getting out of there.

[drewthetower]

[Some time later:]

M'out and at the med tent.

[advivo]

[ he won't come out and SAY he is relieved, but he is definitely relieved. welcome to the family august, you've got him worrying about you now. ]

You hurt?

[drewthetower]

Only if we count "probably shouldn't eat or use my tarot cards for the next few hours" as hurt, otherwise I healed anything that hit me too fast to notice.

[advivo]

I'm not even gonna pretend I know what half of that means. Need me to bring you anything? [ he's antsy, more than a little antsy, sitting still isn't something dante usually does well. ] By the way you haven't seen the kid around, have you? Knowing him I'm sure he went in guns blazing at some point.

[drewthetower]

I don't see him, so you're probably right, shit. I am gonna kick his ass.

[No he won't.]

I think they could use, like, Gatorade? Maybe crackers? I don't know when the last time they ate was.

[Because he doesn't need anything but Will and Eunie and Shio probably do.]

[advivo]

[ that's a relief... chances are he is probably somewhere around there though. ]

Got it, I'll see what I can scrounge up.

voice; un: jcarter_news

[phoenixwiz]

So how are we all going to get that peach without risking of getting shot at?

[drewthetower]

I don't know! [Sorry, he's a little over frazzled right now.] Hope it doesn't work on humans? Distractions?

[phoenixwiz]

Whoa! This is the first time I have heard of a weapon that could harm demons. Let’s just hope that they don’t use the gun on non demons too. You know, you might be onto something, August: Distracting them could be the best option. That way, we can sneak away the peach and get out of there while they are pre-occupied with stuff and nobody else dies.

Maybe we can find a major weakness that we can try to exploit against the board members with.

[drewthetower]

I don't know. Shit.

[He's not going to respond further. He's busy having a crisis.]

voice; un: wisteria

[reenforces]

[Mikleo cuts in since they're all a little bit busy right now.]

What is wrong with you? We don't need strategies, we need action. I know you think you're trying to help but we just saw a man get murdered right in front of us and there will be more if people keep fooling around.

[phoenixwiz]

Erm, I’m really sorry about it. I didn’t mean to be bumbling around.

[reenforces]

You're supposed to say, 'I'm so sorry, please stay safe,' and that's the end of it. August just watched his friend get slaughtered. Do you really think he has the capacity to deal with whatever else you're saying right now?

Unless you're about to lend us a hand personally, you can keep your help to yourself.

[And he hangs up. Sorry, Jamie. He has a boss fight to deal with.]

voice: UN: hotgoss

[bebest]

[He did something to get himself killed. The ONE thing he told Moxxie not to do. The ONE SINGLE FLUNKING THING. ]

He did what?!!!

[Moxxie is the oldest friend he has, the person who has put up with his bullshit for the longest outside of his actual parents. He's already though Moxxie might have died once before when he turned into his demon-y self and just straight up vanished from public life. But he was always JOKING about that. But this, this is a for realises can't take it back death and he doesn't know how to process that.

It's...probably a good thing he's still trying to deal with all the bullshit happening with Takame's dungeon or this would be a real bad time to be having a bad time. ]

Okay well. That's a really awful thing that I'm just gonna go ahead and unhealthily compartmentalize while we're dealing with All This.

[drewthetower]

No shit.

[God he hates this.]

Maybe it's time for therapy after all, fuck this.

[bebest]

[This is the worst fucking timeline, he wants to go back a month ago to when he was still human and didn't have to deal with ANY of this bullshit. ]

I don't know if there's a therapist alive who can get paid enough for this.

[It's like digging into someone's psyche and finding LAND MINES.]

Just- try not to die too, 'kay? Let's try to keep that body count to one and once this is over and you're not dead, you can have a couple free drinks at the theatre, okay? Fair deal?

[drewthetower]

Yeah. Yeah, fair. We get outta this, and I'm taking you up on that.

[bebest]

Great. It's a deal.

[He has to survive everything happening in Takame's dungeon, as well, so maybe this is a little promise to himself, too.]

Uh- stay safe as you can, 'kay? See you on the other side.

voice; un: wisteria

[reenforces]

[Mikleo is not too far away, but still--]

Let J—Dove and I handle this. You get out of here, it's not safe for you. We'll buy you time.

[drewthetower]

As soon as I can move, I'm gone. Is the coast clear?

[reenforces]

I made an ice wall. They can't see through it.

[He winces.]

As long as you didn't kill any of the board members, I don't think they'll pursue you.

[drewthetower]

Thank you. I'll let you know when I'm out so you can tell Dove.

[reenforces]

Thanks, I'll pass it on. Keep your head down and stay safe.

text; un: ♡☮STAMPEDE

[doubledollar]

[ this is exactly the sort of message he doesn't want to see. there's an exhaustion setting deep in his bones--and while he didn't KNOW moxxie, he can still feel tears stinging the edges of his eyes at the thought that at least one person's died from this already. ]

A gun to specifically... target demons...

I understand the logic of bringing it, but... killing the board members isn't the answer here... why.

voice

[drewthetower]

[August is too upset to manage text and honestly, he kind of sounds it.]

I don't know. I---fuck.

[doubledollar]

[ ...oh august. He can hear the exhaustion in the man's voice, and it makes something in Vash's chest ache. He'll switch to voice too, though. ]

Are you somewhere safe?
You... sound like you need to rest, August.

[drewthetower]

Yeah, I'm outta there. I'm still in the med tent, but I'm safe for now.

[doubledollar]

Good.
I'm not sure about this... demon-killing gun, but. If things get dire, I'll come back.

I got out with Jaime, we stole a bunch of files.
I plan on destroying them.

[drewthetower]

Don't go back in if you don't have to. Who knows what that gun does to non-demons.

[doubledollar]

[ he can't actually think of what a gun like that might do to him. after all, while vash knows he isn't human, it's never been really clear what Plants were either. For all he knew... ]

I know.

I know it's important to protect myself, but.
... I can't help but to want to help the others more, too.

[drewthetower]

I know the feeling. I just...can't. Not after that. Be safe.