It is a nice, lovely, peaceful Vermont afternoon.
It is snowing.
It has been snowing all day, technically, and the snow is well above the ankle, but not quite to the knee, in untrammeled locales.
Vermont, however, is used to this. Where the snow can be packed down, it is packed down, and otherwise, the scrrraaaape of shovels on asphalt, concrete and various other surfaces used for flooring echoes throughout the city, combined with the dull, low thuds and bright chain-clanks as plows drive by, wheels hissing on salty snowmelt and splashing into potholes.
The sky, ignoring all of this, continues to drift its lovely white flakes down, silent, peaceful...
KABOOOOOOOOM!!!
No, that was not the sound of a truck striking something it shouldn't have. More's the pity. That, to the ears of those familiar with explosives, was the sound of a very large bomb going off, and from the smoke involved, it appears to have gone off in .. er, the bowling alley.
The back of the bowling alley, to be precise, and pedestrians and drivers alike slow on their way past, staring at the firestorm in startled silence for one precious moment before the frantic gabble of goose-like flock mentality and shock takes over, lots of talking, not so much on the -doing-.
It's a lovely day to be about town! Avalon's wearing her snow boots, because while the city is well-plowed, the town that she meandered down from is a little bit rougher. Hands in the pockets of her winter coat, knit hat with a pompom keeping her head warm, she looks downright pleased as the snow drifts from the sky. Right up until there's that loud, loud sound. Not being familiar with explosives on an intimate level, she can't quite stop the gasped, "The hell?," that escapes her lips. Wide-eyed, now, as she looks around.
Cerise must have given up on the book shop actually getting any customers at all on such a snowy day, because she's out here tromping through the snow with a bunch of other pedestrians. Then comes the explosion and the woman freezes.
For a moment, she watches the bowling alley just like everyone else does, and then she's moving forward, heading towards the alley and barking out instructions, "Someone call 911! Was there anyone in there?"
James is outside the ice cream shop, having just treated himself to some snow-day ice cream in a flavor that...clearly was a little /too/ daring, from his expression. Just as he's coming to terms with his poor life choices, the explosion happens and the ice cream is dropped. He looks around guiltily, but soon becomes certain that it wasn't his fault, and follows the herd toward the explosion to see what's up.
Having just wandered out of the Dare - it is his family's business after all - eating an icecream, because who cares if it's snowing, ice cream is always nice - Jack drops the icecream on the ground where it disappears in a fluff of snow, eyes widening. His park ranger off-road SUV is parked right outside, and his black german shepherd starts to bark and jump to get out, quite alarmed by the noise as well. "Fuck me backwards," he breathes, before he starts running towards the blast area. "Calm down!" he calls to the dog in passing, and the dog sits down with ears perked, but stops barking.
How far is The Green Door Theatre from the Bowling Alley? Not far enough that the after effects of the KABOOM! didn't rattle windows and possibly cause some minor damage. Nothing major, no. Nothing like the outside. Nothing like a huge fucking explosion. Oh good lord... A few of the theatre's workers - ushers, cafe folk, patrons and the like - have come outside.
With them is Franklyn. The Mortal woman has half her coat hanging off one arm, the rest of her blouse-and-skirt combo exposing her to the chilly elements. Over there, she can watch the bowling alley burn.
Horrified. Franklyn Garreau looks horrified. But she doesn't reach for her phone. She doesn't call out or move to help. She just stares - slowly stumbling out across the pavement, into the street, moving towards the destruction, like a moth to flame.
C.B. is around, too, though he hasn't noticed Cerise. Or anyone else. That's because he's smoking with his head down and an expression of angry contemplation on his face. Red Sox cap firmly on head, bomber jacket zipped up, work boots on, but otherwise, not terribly dressed for cold or snow.
At the sound of the explosion, his head jerks up. He immediately goes into a defensive position -- not because he's worried about getting hurt, or about someone else being hurt, but because he is certain that the cop car following him a few paces behind is going to open up and pigs are going to stream out and shove his face into the snow. So he's already looking for a way out...
A few people start reaching for pockets or purses when Cerise reminds them of the obvious, mittens and gloves belatedly yanked off and held in teeth in some cases to let people GET to their phones. Mittens aren't known for their ability to enhance manual dexterity when maneuvering zippers.
Is that...no. No, that can't be real.
But it is.
Those who are paying the slightest bit of attention to the bowling alley's, er, alley, can see four dark-clad figures sprinting out of the smoke, heading toward the alleys behind the neighbouring buildings rather than the street.
Dark-clad figures wearing flipping NINJA COSTUMES. With pirate hats. The giant floofy ostrich feather on one of the hats is currently on fire, trailing sparks, and its owner doesn't seem to notice. Two of them have rather large backpacks and one of them is fumbling for what James, in his perspicacious observation of the incident, can clearly tell are car keys of some variety. James can also see that the two with the backpacks are male and the two without are female, and that all of them have Caucasian eyes above those hidden faces.
There's plenty of people already reaching for their cell phones - and so Avalon keeps her hands inside of her pockets for now. But like some others, she's moving towards the source of the chaos, rather than away from it. "Is anyone hurt?," she calls out, those mis-matched eyes moving left and right. And stopping, when she spies those figures wearing... Wait. Did she get hit on the head by a flying bit of debris or something? There's a slow blink, from the witch. And then another. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Cerise keeps jogging towards the bowling alley. What's the woman going to do, out here in the middle of town with no equipment. She's a bit behind everyone else, a bit focused on the explosion and doesn't seem to have noticed the figures right off. "I can help! People are coming!" She seems to be calling at whoever is in the bowling alley, maybe it's directed at the pirate ninjas, since she seems to be heading for the alley and the smoke?
James heads toward after the quartet, making a guess and chosing a nearby alley, rather than the one they go down, hoping perhaps, to cut them off or get a license plate. He pulls out his cell phone along with the other onlookers as he hurries toward the back of the alley.
Jack is running towards the danger zone because of one thing only; to help injured, get people out and to try to contain the whole situation somewhat before the law enforcement of the town arrives. However, he doesn't expect ninjas with pirate hats - most wouldn't - so he's slowing down his run and reaches for his sidearm but just keeps his hand on it, rather than pulling it out. "I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" he calls out to the others nearby - some of whom he even recognises - because he just isn't too sure about what is real and not real, these days. "Hey, stop right there, NYP-" Pause. "Park Ranger!" Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but hey.
What the fu--- Franklyn's obvious horror! is joined by confusion, as she turns to spot that chaotic bit of movement over in yonder alleyway. This obviously requires a whole new set of Assumptions - pirate hats?! With ninja costumes? The Mortal girl stops, dead still in the middle of the street, squinting and leaning forward and /looking/ at them, like she was trying to commit them to memory or figure out if she recognised them or /something/ - her fingers tapping in the air, lips moving wordlessly.
Spooked. Franky is spooked. Why isn't she screaming or offering help? Who knows - Franklyn is reaching into her pocket, to get her phone and... Oh, is she going to take photos? Video things? Yes. Yes she is. Or? Maybe she's texting? Because Franklyn is turning away -- looking like she's trying to see if there's any /other/ danger around, any /other/ ninjas with pirate hats or suspicious looking packages or just abstract omens lingering in the air for her to glean. What she spots instead is lots of people running, moving, calling out, using their phone, and bracing for the police. Oh! There's C.B.
Franklyn's relief is practically palpable.
Look at all these good, law-abiding citizens all over the place: helping their fellow man, chasing the perpetrators, doing their best to assist, regardless of personal danger...it really warms the cockles of the heart. But not the cockles of our C.B. He's still running the hell away, although he does slow somewhat (behind cover, i.e. a tree) when he spots the people in costume. "Oh, great," he mutters, wiping his brow. This probably won't turn out well for him, /somehow/. In mid-wipe, he takes note of Frank and freezes, like he's not sure what to do next. Go over to her? Keep escaping? Unsure!
The quartet of ninja pirates disappears behind the rear of the nearest building, and...yeah. They just -can't- be professionals at this, because one of them lets out the flipping Xena battle cry (https://youtu.be/6sLTZSrztZ0) in bloodthirsty jubilation, audible even over the ravenous roar of the fire.
The distant wailing and hoooonnnking of fire trucks and police vehicles can be heard across the river, but they'll have to get over either Tambridge or Patterson to get here, and it's six of one, half a dozen of the other which they'll choose at this hour.
On the bright side, none of the police in the area seem to be paying attention to C.B. right now. They're too busy scrambling out of their squad car and chasing after the others who are diving into alleys in search of the .. er, potential assailants. That sounds so much more dignified than 'ninja pirates'...
J & J catch a glimpse of a blur of black ninja costume sprinting across the alley they were going down, but don't see any cars just yet. There's also a wild laugh, and one might almost call it fey.
Cerise can hear screaming from inside the bowling alley, but the nearer she gets to the back of the building, the hotter it is, flames already licking hungrily at the air beyond the metal door the ninjas escaped out of.
James steps up the pace, following the quartet of trouble-makers at a good clip, sparing a nervous glance around at the sound of the fey laughter. He doesn't quite seem to be trying to catch up with the ninjas, but he's definitely making an effort to gain on them.
Jack curses something foul, gives the burning back of the house one fast look, then makes a decision: he runs after the suspects too when glimpsing one of them, behind James but not too far after. This time, he does pull his pistol out. He puts some effort into this, and isn't that bad at running, even if the surface is treacherous with all the snow.
Is Franklyn Garreau going to go running head first into a burning building? No. No she is not. Not today, not tomorrow -- besides, isn't she too far away to hear the screaming, and get siren-song'd towards the destruction. Instead, Franky spots C.B., looking like a deer in headlights - and she moves towards him, scrambling to get her coat all the way on, but still stumbling awkwardly on the snowy road and looking Rather Spooked.
Franky looks this-way-and-that as closes the gap over towards the frozen Wizened by yonder tree. Why so /suspicious/, Franklyn? Could it be that she is /totally scared/ or something? That she thinks this is just the beginning of something? That all is not what it seems? So PARANOID. But then again... A bomb did just go off. When she is close enough to C.B., Franklyn moves to take a hold of his shoulder and... Say something to him? Hey, there's a lot of stuff going on. Who cares what she's mumbling.
"Oh, god! There's people inside!" Cerise pauses by the door, looking around and trying to get people's attention. It's then that she finally sees the fleeing figures, but since people already seem to be chasing them, she calls out instead "I need help! We need to get in!" As she's doing this, Cerise is pulling her scarf out, dumping it in the snow and then plunging gloves in the snow too, before tying the scarf around her mouth. And then, then Cerise pulls a Jack Pearson and dives inside the building.
The front door of the business is unlocked, and the bowling alley seems, at first glance, to be quite empty. The sound of the fire covers it, but Cerise, going in the back, can clearly hear the muffled screams and heartbreaking sobs of several people. Only one of them is getting actual words out, though most of what she's doing right now is screaming in fear.
If Cerise follows this screaming, she'll find all of the employees taped together with duct tape and tied with cheap nylon ropes, wearing cheap pirate hats and permanent-marker moustaches drawn on their faces. All of them are gagged with t-shirts with the bowling alley logo on them, except one woman, who apparently got her gag out, somehow, since it's looped around her neck.
"They took her! They took Suzie! The big one, there were--" she gets out the first few words in a hasty gabble before a fit of coughing doubles her over, and the rest of the employees look up at Cerise in terrified hope. Speaking of hope, hope Cerise doesn't mind the fact that her hair is getting a little singed just from the heat pouring off of the ceiling tiles.
Oh wait. That IS a ceiling tile, falling. Hope she jumps fast.
Outside, now, James can see a patch of alley way which is suspiciously clean, suspiciously not-snowy, and, within seconds, gone. Hedge gate, made in the arch of some chain-link fence.
"I don't fucking know!" C.B. is not whispering back, because...well because he tends to be Loud and Clear, that's why. But then he watches Cerise run into a half-burning building like a goddamn chump. "What is that idiot up to now?" He glares at Frank, like it's her fault, and then tromps towards the bowling alley. "Frank, watch my back." He apparently doesn't expect her to go in with him.
While she has no problem at all trying to usher people away from the building, Avalon does not run into the burning building. Witches burn, kids. It's a well-known fact. And while there's a wide-eyed look as Cerise runs into the back of the bowling alley, she doesn't follow. But she does, helpfully, add further voice to the call. "There are people in there!," she shouts out, with a gesture of arm towards the inferno. "Water? Buckets? Something?"
James just keeps running, pausing only long enough to reach out a hand to the fence where the hedgegate has just closed, and yell, "Open up, assholes!" While everyone else is running into the burning building, James...James is running blindly, and entirely defenseless, into the hedge after the assumed perpetrators.
"We'll find her. We'll get her. We'll get her. I promise. We need to get you out though." Cerise puts on her best, supportive 'we-can-make-it-through doctor voice, as she searches around for something to cut with, and eventually finding a pair of scissors. Dodging falling ceiling tiles as she works, Cerise begins to cut free the employees, working one at a time, she separates them and frees their legs and then shouts, "Run!" Before moving on to the next person.
Franklyn blinks, "I--" then she turns as C.B. points out Cerise's actions and... Oh. C.B. is glaring at Franky, then turning to trop after Cerise, towards a burning building? Huh. Huh... Huh. She does watch his back. For a few moments. Then Franklyn turns, and looks towards the burning building again -- the facade, the rooftop, the alleyway, the space above.
She doesn't do anything, just watches the destruction and chaos -- slowly drifting, back into the street, wide eyed and observant and... Blankfaced as she watches the scene unfold.
Jack never sees the ninja-pirates disappearing, cause the moment he hears Cerise shouting out for help, he curses again and does a 180, running back where he came from, towards the fire and those cries for help. Catching ninja pirates is all well and good, but people inside a house on fire is more urgent, and he'd probably never catch up anyway. "Hey!" he shouts towards Cerise, but sees her disappearing inside before even reaching. Desperately, he looks around while running - anything that can be used to protect him from the fire - but there's nothing really handy - so he pushes his hat down further and heads into the building after Cerise.
As Jack is running into the building, he can see a number of coughing, staggering people with scraps of duct tape stuck to them half-crawling, half-squat-running down the hallway to stay below the level of the flames and smoke, the fruits of Cerise's labours. All of them have minor burns of some variety or another, some worse than others. Some have taken the time to yank off their pirate hats, but others didn't even bother.
Cerise still has three people to go, by the time Jack enters the building. On the bright side, there aren't as many falling ceiling tiles. On the less bright side, this is because most of them have already burnt and fallen, and now the room is full of smoldering debris, catching OTHER things on fire... including the clothes of one of the people Cerise still hasn't set free.
As for C.B., he can see Jack running in a metal door which is seemingly propped open on the rear-end of the building's side alley, flames licking out the top toward the sky. There is no sign of Cerise.
Having only been a few minutes since the explosion, it is at about this time that the sound of sirens is finally joined by the sight of emergency vehicles making their way across the Patterson bridge to the south, hampered by the fact that, well, there IS no breakdown lane for cars to edge over into. It's all full of plowed snow which hasn't yet had time to be removed.
More of the witnesses out front, thanks to Avalon's efforts, are starting to organise themselves into slightly less obstructive, if not always CONstructive, groups, some running in the front to check there, since it seems less overtly dangerous.
Oh look - Franklyn tilts her head, away from the rooftops and towards the alley. Is that the alley James just ran down? Yes. She's heading down that way -- her slow glide turning into something with a little more pep in its step, but that expression... Has she seen a ghost? Franklyn looks /haunted/, man.
Could be the screams and explosions tho' - the chaos of people in the street and first responders sirens. Franklyn's hands move as she speeds up, as if checking something under her coat - but nothing comes of it. She just starts jogging - no, running towards the alleyway where James went. Oh. Oh a Changeling - screaming at a wall? Uh... That can't be good.
"Hey, Dickwad;" That cannot be James' nickname. Franklyn narrows her eyes. "What the fuck?"
Well, shit. if Jack wants to play hero, he can be C.B.'s guest. He watches the ranger run in before him and stops in his tracks. Then he simply turns and starts heading back towards Frank and the theater, but -- Frank is over there now, by the wall? He heads off in that direction instead. "What the fuck is going on /now/?" he shouts, flailing his arms about.
Avalon's still not risking the flames, at least not fully. She's close enough to the back door, without putting herself at high risk for her hair or any other part of herself getting crispy. The witch doesn't see Franklyn's wandering, but she does briefly spy C.B., and then Jack as he goes running into the building himself. "What a fucking shitshow," she mutters out of her breath. But there are figures in the smoke, and she calls out to them, "This way! Stay low! Help is on the way! Don't put snow on your burns - trust me!" That does sound like the voice of experience, there.
Oh crap! Fire! The burning prisoner takes precedence over continuing to cut, and Cerise stops that work for a second. Scissors are shoved into her mouth where she can hold them, and the mortal woman wriggles out of her coat, using that to try and staunch the flames of the burning prisoner. "It's Okay! It's Okay! I got it! Firefighters are almost here!" Of course, Cerise has no way of knowing that and the sirens still sound pretty far off, but that doesn't keep her from claiming it.
James does indeed seem to respond to 'Dickwad', though in this case, it's only just to glance over his shoulder to see who's yelling before he continues with his stupid plan, racing through the clean, snow-free space of the hedgegate that has just reappeared. He yells back, as if it's the only sensible option, or perhaps imaginging himself a hero, "I'm gonna see where they're going!"
Franklyn's eyes narrow; she looks to James - the oilslick sheen about him and the pointed ears - then she looks to the wall, as it melts into... Oh no. Not one of THOSE.
"They're going to hell, Dickwad -- why the fuck do you want to follow them?" Franklyn sounds /exasperated/ at the idea, but not... Shocked? How very novel, for a human girl with expensive tastes and a foul mouth.
Is... She going to go into the Hedge? Because Franklyn's body jerks forward an--- C.B's flailing arms catch her sight, and she freezes in place - blinking slow, staring at him, that wide eyed look shocked look now accompanied by something almost guilty. "...It's-- nothing. I don't know. I didn't open it."
Terrified, not really thinking, the escaping employees are only too glad to hear someone telling them what to do, and cluster in a reeking, smoking group near Avalon, tear-tracks streaking paler lines down sooty cheeks on those whose skin tones are pale enough to show them.
Cerise's jacket seems to do the trick, the flames not yet established well enough to require more than that to snuff them, and between her scissors and Jack's hunting knife, the duo manages to get the remaining three employees untied, coughing on the lowering smoke. The reek of burning wood, plastic and hot metal is overpowering, the air beginning to scorch the lungs with each inward breath.
James, Franklyn and C.B. get the delightful auditory experience of hearing a positively -unearthly- screech of a wail. It doesn't sound happy. Point in fact, it sounds decidedly UNhappy, and .. er, while Franklyn and James catch a hint of motion darting across the alley-trod, C.B. sees a serpentine shape slithering past, scales blending with chameleon-like facility into its surroundings.
Then, all three of them can hear screams. None of them sound like Xena.
James' headlong run into stupid death falters a step or two as Franklyn and CB call out to him, but then those screams start, and his resolve to find the jerks who ruined his ice cream treat is renewed. Calling over his shoulder, he says, "Someone's hurt in here! Hurry!" As if he's got back up in his poor choices.
When Jack appears, Cerise's head swivels towards him briefly and she gives him a nod as she finishes the work of dousing fire and cutting ropes. When finally, the last prisoner is free, Cerise glances towards the door and freedom, and then she takes the person by the shoulders, before releasing them and asks, "Is anyone else here?" Only when she gets a negative, /if/ she gets a negative, does she stumble towards the door. Should the prisoner indicate that there is someone else where then that's a separate thing entirely.
Avalon's voice takes on a less commanding edge, and a more soothing one as the once-trapped employees start to flock to her. Oh god, the smell. She does her level best not to breathe in too much of the scent of burnt skin, hair or clothes, or just the general building-on-fire potpourri in the air. "I know this is awful, but don't remove anything that's still on you that they put on you," she instructs, softly. "The police might be able to use it as some sort of evidence. Maybe. Just to be safe yeah?" Herding them a little further from the flames, the smoke, watching for the two that ran into the fire.
Hey look: one, two, three morons -- because Franklyn is not just going to stand there in the alleyway, when Dickwad and Crazy Beloved are scrambling, the former running after /horrible screaming/ and the latter trying to stop him, is she? No. She is not.
Neither is she going to keep that pistol holstered in-- who the fuck thought Franklyn Garreau needed a gun? Why, the same person who thought it was a good idea to follow James and C.B. into the Hedge: Franklyn. She makes her own decisions. Not all of them are great, but damnit, she tries.
When Cerise asks, the victims assure her -- between coughs -- that everyone was herded into the break room when the pirate ninjas came. It's a bit scattered, different people picking up when others falter, but the picture of the incident becomes clearer as the group heads toward the exit. The pirate ninjas came in as part of a costume party the bowling alley had scheduled, and one of the employees speculates, aloud, that the NINJAS may have scheduled it themselves. They had guns, and flipping katana, and cutlasses, and they all looked very real. They seemed to know Suzie Whyte, and grabbed her straight off. There were four of them. No, six. Five? Five seems to be the most-agreed upon number. The one with Suzie left while the others were doing something behind the bowling lanes.
When they all get out into the alley, they can see the flashing of red, white and blue lights as the strobes and sirens finally reach the building, emergency services pouring out to help get the injured employees toward the ambulance and into the hands of the paramedics and, in the case of the firefighters, to ask a few quick questions before rushing toward the fire. The police begin to ask questions as well, since the scene seems to be fairly well under control, some officers doing their best to cordon off the area while others yell to be heard over the roaring of the fire.
The would-be Hedgenauts, meanwhile, do, indeed, hear terrible screams and, ah, the gristly-moist cracks and snaps which one would expect to hear when something ahead of you may or may not be being eaten, bones and all. The trod, for of course it is a trod, twists and winds far more than the actual alley they had been in, but the beast and the hapless pirate ninjas don't seem much more than a turn or two away, from the sound of it.
When they get outside, Cerise makes sure that all the prisoners get to the paramedics and then flops down on the closest bit of sidewalk herself, digesting the bit about what she just heard.
The crackle-snap-pop of bones does, once again give James pause, but he closes his eyes and mutters, "Can't be fucking afraid all the time," before rushing on into danger. He seems oblivious to Franklyn and CB still following him.
Aah! Loud and Clear voice, Franklyn jumps when C.B. hollers and -- oh damnit, how long do these gates open for? She doesn't know - but Franky /does/ know that =she= can't open a Hedgegate again, if they close.
More screams from down the trod - paired with sound of something that Franklyn has only really heard on National Geographic Channel and B-Horror Flicks. Wet popping crunch.
It's a shame there are no Autumns around. The frission of terror from her is sharp, crackling, and pulling Franklyn back earth side. Is it cold? Yeah it's cold -- but Franklyn is sweating, and, uh, brandishing that gun rather, uhm, haphazardly? Dude, Frank, it's not a good idea to clutch ones head, when holding a pistol. A loaded pistol, probably.
"Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuck-- fuck..." Yeah Franky'll just keep swearing. And burst into tears. Surprising nobody, they are hysterical. Apparently Franklyn is okay with being afraid most of the time.
If C.B. can get to Frank and pull her the fuck away from that gate -- then he will. Sorry, James. Nobody here is equipped for these kind of heroics. Not even with a delicious Contract of Spite fully in place. "C'mon. Let's get the hell out of here. I'll tell -- somebody about what that idiot did." C.B. squints after the gate, but he's trying to get the hysterical Franklyn away from it.
James, seeing as he is the only one currently still in the Hedge, gets the pleasure of seeing just what that beast is doing to the pirate ninjas.
Or, rather, what is left of them.
Did he know that bodies held quite that much blood..? What about the colours of the viscera? The air reeks with the copper-tang and smoke and, yes, urine, because one or more of them voided their bowels in terror, all underlaid by the ammonia-scent of reptile and the peculiar sharp herbals of crushed greenery.
Suffice it to say, it's not a pretty sight.
For now, the creature is distracted, and doesn't seem to have noticed him. That won't last.
Well, damn. There's no one left for James to chase, it seems. He pulls himself to a stop in such an abrupt manner it would likely be comical, if he wasn't trying so hard to keep that ice cream down at the sight of all that blood and guts. No one left to chase, and even being utterly bull-headed as he is, James can't help but notice when he's severely outmatched. "Fucking hell," he mutters, then turns tail and races back as fast as he can, trying to get back the way he came before the gate closes and he's stuck with the bone-cracking lizard.
Yup, yup - Franklyn is pulled back via C.B., and still she's waving that pistol around and crying. Aren't the first responders going to see her and be weirded out? Some strange part of her - the rarely used common sense - has her lowering her gun, but she's not putting it away. Nosey passers by will note the finish is rainbow titanium - because of course Franky would have a glamorous gun.
"Why did he-- What is happ-- You are right-- I need to go, I need-- I'm-- I don't know--" Stuttering and sobbing, Franklyn just shakes her head and weeps as C.B. leads her on to, uh, wherever. She's not really paying attention. Maybe she'll put the gun away soon, with a little helpful reminder.
While everyone else is off playing in the hedge or corralling victims, Cerise just sits on the sidewalk, catching her breath and mulling over things. Every now and again, a police officer or fireman comes over to her and asks a question or two, and Cerise answers curtly, but factually. And then come the paramedics and there are more questions and poking to which Cerise doesn't seem to protest. Nor does she protest when they bundle her in the back of an ambulance just like they did with the prisoners.
C.B. will put an arm around Frank and try to usher the sobbing mortal back to her theater, though he does scowl at James if he sees him emerge from the Hedge. "Don't pull that shit again," he spits at the other Wizened. While he's looking out, he notices Cerise being bundled into that ambulance, and his face turns pale for a brief moment, eyes wide. But he purses his lips and goes back to concentrating on getting Franky and her gun (and himself) away from police eyes.
James races back through the hedgegate, nearly diging out and throwing himself agains thte alley wall, just holding onto it for a few long minutes, heavy breathing with his eyes closed and holding back vomit. Eventually he opens his eyes to stare at Franklyn and CB if they still happen to be nearby, offering weakly, "Didn't mean to scare you," before slipping off down the street, leaving those more qualified to deal with the remains of the burning building and its contents.
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