seaoftroubles | Haven end run preplay part 2: the bloodening

Haven end run preplay part 2: the bloodening

Duke gets his trouble triggered by Octavia in a kitchen accident and our crew discover that post-trouble bomb, it is EVEN MORE DIRE as he goes black-eyed and can't stop himself from trying to stalk whoever set him off
Lucifer and Octavia stop Duke from doing anything bad (has Octavia make him bleed maybe so he can use his massive power supply to knock Duke tf out?). Duke recovers and says "fuck this, we need to end it" and suggests they go back to Haven one final time to figure out how to end the troubles forever.
They arrive in Haven and Duke IMMEDIATELY goes into convulsions and vanishes in a burst of green smoke. OOPS.
Lucifer and Octavia find Gloria (and Dwight maybe? And/or Nathan?), find out about the "no marks killer" who has been going around killing troubled folks -- and all the troubles that are going off like crazy without Audrey around to talk them down. I imagine there's some "okay, that sucks but WHERE THE FUCK IS OUR BOYFRIEND????"
Duke is spotted around town murking folks, but they can't quite catch him
I may or may not write a scene of Duke and Croatoan while Duke is under his control
Trap set for Duke? Not at the police station. Gloria's house or the hospital/morgue, maybe, since she's coronering. Duke takes the bait, Lucifer pounces again to keep him from, getting away. After a false start or two during which Croat!Duke is DEEPLY UPSETTINGLY CREEPY AT THEM, Lucifer and Octavia manage to talk him around. (Possibly using Duke's new joy at being the subbiest sub who ever subbed!)
Duke starts leaking troubles when Croatoan realizes he's broken his hold. He panics, and Octavia or Lucifer cover his eyes to keep the troubles in. Gloria goes "I'll get some drugs!" and scoots to find something to drug Duke with if need be (and gets out of harms way ;D). Duke takes over the eye-covering -- and goes into muscle contractions as Croat tries pull aether out by another route. This doesn't last long before Croatoan APPEARS DRAMATICALLY IN THE DOOR looking like a gremlin cosplaying as a noir detective. Duke can't even see him -- he's covering his eyes -- but goes "FUCK THIS SHIT" and starts launching the troubles he still has control over at the guy. I really like the idea that at least one of them is radioactive. Maybe Croat!Duke killed the lady from the nonsense trouble episode and got her "shooting microwaves" power. Lucifer and Octavia also fight. Eventually Croat EXPLODES (or . . . dissolves . . . or otherwise dies grotesquely) and our three spend a moment just panting for breath and looking at each other, all "omg, is that it? did we win?"
Duke collapses dead. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lucifer gods the fuck out, wiping out the troubles in a giant aether-nado, and resurrects Duke, who's spent maybe 30 seconds dead -- but that's [mumble mumble] amount of time in Hell so he's still a littttttle bit fucked.
They go home and have more angsty h/c times yay!
(Also probably Octavia checks on Gloria first and maybe convinces her to retire to Baltimore XP)

Duke wasn't stopping.

Something wasn't right.

Lucifer's reflexes kicked in without a second thought, and he reached aside, his hand clamping down on Duke's arm as he yanked the man out of his path. "Duke," he snapped a second time.

Octavia was still trying to gasp breaths in (braced for the possibility of having to take off again), but she managed a strained, "He hasn't been able to stop."

Duke lunged, yanking against Lucifer’s grip as he grabbed for her with his free hand. Her trouble was so close. He could feel it, tantalizingly close but out of reach.

He let out a roar, a blend of frustration and terror that lent credence to her words.

"Shit," Lucifer said. Succinctly.

What could he--? Wait. His own blood. It could-- he threw a glance over his shoulder at Octavia. "Darling, I'm going to need you to scratch me in a second."

Then he gripped Duke by the throat, lifting him high up into the air, so he could stretch his other arm out towards Octavia.

Edited 2024-11-17 16:28 (UTC)

Octavia had startled further back at Duke's lunging, but --

He couldn't get to her now. She was also trying not to let this image burn into her memory as she moved forward again. One goal, again. Just one task. She grabbed Lucifer's arm, smearing some of her own blood into his sleeve as she pushed it back.

(She wished she'd had one of her knives. She usually armed herself for almost everything, out of habit, but it'd been date night.)

She pressed two nails against Lucifer's skin, and dragged them down as hard as she dared. They weren't sharp, but she used enough force - and let go as soon as she saw blood.

You might think being lifted by the throat would be a distraction. But Duke’s hands kept grabbing for her even as he gagged.

This was so much worse than his old trouble.

Lucifer ignored his lunging and his grabbing. As soon as he felt that pinch of pain-- as soon as he saw blood-- he moved, slapping his bleeding arm against the side of Duke's neck.

(Please let this work as well as it had, before...)

The sound that erupted from Duke’s throat could best be described as unheimlich. A noise close to a human scream but not; the uncanny valley of sound.

Then his eyes rolled back and he slumped, boneless, in Lucifer’s grip.

Octavia shuddered like she'd been hit with something. Duke hadn't been loud enough for her ears to be ringing, and yet.

She stared at them, frozen, like maybe if she moved she'd somehow undo what Lucifer had just done.

Lucifer let go of a breath he'd only just been made aware he was holding.

He lowered Duke.

"We need to lock him up in the house," he said, looking to Octavia. She was stunned, he could see that, but they couldn't afford that right now. "In case he's still--"

Still.

Yes.

Less stunned and more in dire need of an indication that Lucifer had a handle on things, and that Duke wasn't about to spring back into action. Both of which Octavia had now, so she could shake something off at least.

Still a little wild around the eyes, but that couldn't be helped.

She nodded, then gestured back in the direction she'd come running from. "Quick."

Lucifer nodded.

He let his wings fold back into his body, and slung Duke over his shoulder like a rag doll, Then, he began moving towards the house with fast steps.

Octavia took off after him, but... keeping a distance.

She wasn't going to get swiped at again. No matter how clearly unconscious Duke was right now.

"Can you open the door?" Lucifer asked, as they approached the mansion.

He stepped aside, leaving her room to pass.

Octavia still gave them a wide berth as she darted past.

The door hadn't closed properly after them, no surprise. She yanked it open - with the hand that wasn't still bleeding - and stepped aside.

Lucifer waited until she was far enough away before entering. He carried Duke to one of the first floor bedrooms - one of the ones with a lock on the door.

He lowered Duke gently onto the bed, making sure his head was on the pillow. Pulled up the blankets.

And then backed out, to grab the key and lock the door behind him.

Octavia remained near the front door. She watched Lucifer go up the stairs, then listened, running through things in her head.

She thought she heard the door close, and then a key against the lock.

"That's only gonna slow him down," she muttered, to herself.

If he was still --

Edited 2024-11-18 16:18 (UTC)

Lucifer reappeared at the top of the stairs. He ran a hand through his hair.

"We may have to sleep on your boat tonight, darling."

Octavia looked up, and immediately shook her head.

"You should stay with him."

There was a flash of alarm in Lucifer's face. "Octavia," he said, "I am not leaving you alone tonight."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Octavia replied, much firmer than anyone here had likely been expecting, stepping up to the bottom of the stairs. "He is not waking up alone in an empty house if he's back to himself, and if he's not, you're not letting him roam free on the island."

Duke, meanwhile, has as blinking his eyes open.

Everything hurt. Everything. It felt like he might have managed to pull his eyelid muscles trying to fight the compulsion.

Which, thankfully, was gone.

“Fuck,” he groaned. Then started to take stock. He was in one of the bedrooms in the mansion. The light out the window was about what it had been before — everything.

And he was alone.

“Fuck,” he said again with feeling. Then shouted it. “Fuck!”

"Oct--"

Duke's shout cut straight through whatever Lucifer had been about to say, and he spun around, towards the stairs. "Duke?!"

Octavia started up the stairs, on an unchecked reflex, but stopped before she even made it up halfway.

Duke didn't quite sound like he had, but what if?

“Yeah,” Duke said, hoarse but not strangled. He sat up with a faint groan and rubbed his forehead. “I’m . . . me. Is she okay?”

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision

Re: The bloodening and the decision