fandomtownies | Just Outside the Park, Friday Morning

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Just Outside the Park, Friday Morning

She needed to get back in.

There wasn't a single other thought remaining in Cassandra's head but that; it had been the one thought on her mind for... well, she wouldn't know how long, would she?

She needed to get back into the village.

But she could not.

Every time she brushed too close, she felt the wards prickling against her skin, and she would pull away-- then walk a few feet further and try again. Over and over she circled the camp, her sword dragging behind her. Touch. Ward. Try again.

Over and over, forever and always, she needed to get back in.

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Karla, who was entirely regretting listening to the Black Widow dreams that had sent her to Fandom late Tuesday evening, watched the creature that used to be Cassandra as she traversed the perimeter, attempting to break in with a single-minded determination that was horrifying and fascinating at once.

"And here I was just saying to myself that this place couldn't get anymore unnerving," she said aloud with a shake of her head. "Always had to be contrary, didn't you, Cassandra?"

The relentless sound of the sword dragging through the dirt... stopped.

The creature that had been Cassandra turned her head and stared at Karla, empty-eyed.

Karla looked back, though her eyes were sad, rather than empty. Standing, she walked just to the edge of the protections, searching for any sign of the girl she'd taught. "Cassandra," she whispered. "You poor thing. It hurts to see you like this."

Cassandra's hand dragged on the blade. It came up slowly, as if the muscle in her arms was no longer sufficient for its weight. She made an unearthly noise, hissing and gargling, and stumbled towards Karla.

Karla's Jewel glowed as she instinctively flung a shield between her and danger, even though she'd been assured the village's protections hadn't failed yet. "I don't want to kill you," she said, in case there was any vestige of personality left, even buried deep below. "Not until we know for sure we can't fix you."

But she'd done lots of things she didn't want to do before.

Cassandra brought the sword down, and it thunked down into the soil like it had almost fallen out of her hands.

She hissed again.

Karla hissed right back, because that was entirely the kind of person she was. Look, not wanting to kill the girl was one thing, but annoying it was something entirely different.

"I should probably vanish that," she murmured. "You might be less dangerous without it."

On the other hand, it might make it more likely for people to approach her instead and 'less dangerous' was not the same as 'not dangerous.'

Again, the sword lifted.

Again, it hit the ground with a thunk.

Poor Cassandra. She hadn't quite built up monstrous strength yet, and her arms were dessicated.

She dropped the sword and went flailing at the barrier instead, but it helped little.

This was ridiculous. Someone needed to lure her away from the barrier, just in case she could hurt it. And just so she wasn't here, setting everyone's nerves on edge. With a sigh, Karla checked her shields and then stepped out from the barrier.

"Oh no, a terrible monster creature," she intoned. "Please don't pick up your sword and chase me."

Cassandra staggered... downward, to clasp her hands around the sword's hilt again. She pulled it up with difficulty and turned, empty eyes skittering across Karla's form.

Karla took a deliberate step backwards, keeping her movements slow and steady. She didn't want to somehow provoke Cassandra into attacking, but if she could just get the girl to stagger off with her...

"Man, I am so tasty," she continued. "All this tasty, tasty me right here. I mean, sure, I'm pretty poisonous, but I bet your metabolism can take it, right?"

It wasn't as if Cassandra could remember whether or not her metabolism could handle anything.

Or what her metabolism was.

She staggered after Karla, snarling still; the sword was back to dragging across the ground.

Yeah, Karla didn't really think Cassandra was retaining any of the words Karla was saying, they were more for her own benefit than Cass's. But it was hard keeping up a running monologue, especially when being stalked by a non-verbal, twisted form of a former student.

"Yes, yes, you're very frightening," she assured Cass, keeping her eye out for anything else moving in their vicinity. Warren would never forgive her and Julian would never let her live it down if she got ambushed and eaten by one monster while luring a second out of town. "Look at your big, scary sword there and how cleverly you wield it, woo, terrifying."

"Rarrgh," Cassandra yelled. She lashed out at Karla with her free hand, swiping at her hair.

Dark gray energy crackled as Cassandra's hand bounced off Karla's shields. "Very well said," Karla told her. "Quite eloquent."

She sounded casual, though her bladed Eyrien sticks had flashed into her hands as soon as Cass had moved.

Screw it.

Cassandra threw her entire body at Karla this time.

That was sure to go well.

"Dammit, Cassandra," Karla growled through clenched teeth. "I'm trying not to kill you! Why are you making this so difficult?"

She just needed a place to put her for a little while, somewhere she couldn't hurt anybody.

The ground furrowing under Cassandra's feet as she gnashed and snarled at Karla through her shields finally gave Karla the idea for how to take care of the hollow girl. Dropping her shields, she grabbed onto Cass's upper arms and started passing them both into the winter-hard ground. The earth shifted out of their way until they'd traveled about ten feet beneath the surface.

"Stay here," Karla commanded, not that she thought the order would do much good. "And hopefully we'll find some way to help you."

And then she let go, passing through the earth to the side before angling upwards again, leaving Cass entombed below.

Cassandra growled. Or at least, she tried to. There wasn't enough oxygen down there to make noise.

She scrabbled at the dirt, but it wouldn't come loose.

Frustrating.

Karla figured that Cassandra would manage to get herself out of there eventually, but it would take her awhile. Once she passed back up through the ground, she grabbed onto Cass's sword and plunged it down. "Sword marks the spot," she murmured and continued on her way.

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Just Outside the Park, Friday Morning

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