(no subject)

[the_death_card]

Who: Daniel, Jack, and Merritt
What: Things boil over.
Warning: Violence.


the_death_card: *he's in their green room, doing the best he can to avoid everyone without actually leaving the theater to do it. there's a pile of cards in one corner where he was throwing them, trying to vent some of his restlessness and the frustration he's having with the entire world. it did exactly nothing, though, which is why he's all but pacing, now. going out and getting some air really is starting to sound like the best idea*

the_lovers: *he's in the same boat, trying to avoid everyone. rather than turn to practice to vent his frustration, though, he went and tore the hired help a new one for any and every little thing he could think of, whether they deserved it or not. like Jack and his cards, however, it didn't help much -- if anything, he feels it made it worse -- and that shows on his face when he lets himself into the green room. his expression degrades even further when he notes he's not alone* Oh. Great. It's you.

the_death_card: *looks over at him when he enters, scowling right back at him* Door's right behind you, dude.

the_lovers: And you're free to use it anytime you feel like.

the_death_card: *looks immediately exasperated - moreso than he already was* I was here first.

the_lovers: Wow, what is this, third grade?

the_death_card: *ignores that but for the faint growl that slips out* You know, for all your bitching about Merritt talking, you sure don't know when to shut up yoruself.

the_lovers: *he can't help but smile just the tiniest bit at that little growl* I'm sorry. Says the guy who's still running his mouth now.

the_death_card: Why don't you go bully the crew some more? I think some of them might actually still care what you say.

the_lovers: You don't care what I say? *he takes a moment, pretending to weigh that, and then nods slowly, mockingly* Right. Which is why you're suddenly all -- *accompanying hand gestures* -- super defensive guy. *a beat* Which, by the way? Not really working for you. I'm pretty sure you're losing this argument or whatever.

the_death_card: *and he just laughs* I stopped caring what you said about a month after I met you. Which is funny, because I respected the hell out of you before I ever met you. Funny how things change. *and then moves to shove past him, heading out of the green room after all*

the_lovers: *he shoves him back as he passes, then turns to follow, the smugness in his expression swinging down and away into anger* It probably has something to do with how far up -- up his ass you are. *the him in this case being Dylan, but he doesn't dare use his name, real or otherwise, outside of the green room. he may be almost completely done with all of the Horsemen, but his fury doesn't extend to Dylan* I mean, if you were any deeper in there, chances are you'd be the same person. *and clearly Jack can only respect one person at a time*

the_death_card: *and that does make him stop and turn back, but he just looks amused - and actually sounds kind of surprised* You're jealous you're not getting all the attention.

the_lovers: *honestly? he is a little jealous of what Dylan and Jack have, but like hell he's going to say that* Right. And you just got close to him accidentally and not because you're trying to replace the mommy and daddy who, what, abandoned you, right?

the_death_card: *and all but flinches at that - apparently that one actually got through* My mom died, asshole. At least she actually cared about me. *unlike Daniel's parents, is the insinuation*

the_lovers: *he flinches a bit, too, then scowls abruptly to cover it* Did she? You sure about that? I mean, maybe she just couldn't find a dumpster to drop you in.

the_death_card: *and then the anger's back* She worked her ass off for us. You can go fuck yourself. It's not like anyone with a brain's lining up for the chance.

the_lovers: Don't let Henley catch you saying that. *yeah, okay, they're not sleeping together -- and they're a little at odds at the moment -- but they have slept together, despite all the protesting they did when they first met Merritt. and things were getting pretty close to that point again before he remembered what a bitch she is*

the_death_card: Pity makes you do some strange things.

the_lovers: But not enough to get you laid, apparently.

the_death_card: *shrugs, unconcerned* I wouldn't have any trouble finding someone if I wanted to. *that one's not landing, sorry, Daniel*

the_lovers: Maybe. *a beat* But you'd have to come out of the closet first.

the_death_card: *still not bothered - in fact, he grins* You been online? I could have my pick from either side.

the_lovers: And we're back to your original comment. *it's not like anyone with a brain's lining up for the chance for him, either*

the_death_card: What was that about me losing this when you're counting on what I've said for a comeback?

the_lovers: I thought it was appropriate. *he shrugs* But you're still losing.


the_death_card: I think your scoreboard's busted, buddy.

the_lovers: And I think you're an idiot, but ...

the_death_card: Again with the recycling.

the_lovers: The classics are classics for a reason. I mean, the part where I reminded you that no one actually gives a damn about you and that there's a good chance no on ever did worked well enough.

the_death_card: Except for where you're jealous that someone does. *and ditto on not actually saying either of Dylan's names, considering he's vaguely aware that they're getting attention*

the_lovers: So leave like you were planning on it and find out. You may be his favorite, but if it's a choice between us and you ... *it'll be them, if only by virtue of there still being three of them. for now*

the_death_card: Who said anything about leaving? *a beat* Unless that's what you want. You want the show all to yourself again.

the_lovers: You're the one that pretty much mowed me down on the way out. *a beat* But yeah, sure, let's go with option two. That's what I want. And, actually, I'm pretty sure it's what everyone else wants, too. I mean, how many times did Merritt tell you to shut up the night I almost kicked your ass? *he's pretty sure he didn't stop him half as much*

the_death_card: He's not here to stop me kicking your ass now. *if that was still something Daniel wanted. whcih he seems to, as far as Jack's concerned*

the_lovers: *he tenses in anticipation of Jack coming at him* I'm pretty sure it'd be the other way around.

the_death_card: *and just laughs again, both at what Daniel says and the fact that he seems ready to fight* Yeah, sure. Like you've ever done the dirty work yourself.

the_lovers: Funny how I planned the show while the rest of you sat around on your asses.

the_death_card: Funny how you only let us get in a few ideas of our own.

the_lovers: Right. Sorry. I thought practically making the show prom night for you would have been something you'd actually be grateful for. My mistake.

the_death_card: I never asked you to do me any favors.

the_lovers: Okay. Okay, so next time, I'll make sure you're holding curtains and getting sawed in half.

the_death_card: Thanks for admitting I'm right.

the_lovers: You said not to do you any favors. I figured that included not trying to sugar coat things and pretend like you're actually old enough to be in the club.

the_death_card: And you want the spotlight all to yourself. You have from the first day. You know I'm better than you and that I got there a lot sooner than you.

the_lovers: *he tilts his head, looking dimly amused. that might have pissed him off the first hundred times Jack said it, but ... * Now who's recycling? I mean, seriously, is that, like, the only insult you have?

the_death_card: I thought I'd make things easier for you since you're clearly not drawing from the deepest well.

the_lovers: Oh, I'm sorry I don't have your street smarts. Unlike you, I had more important things to worry about like, I don't know, actually graduating high school. *and yeah, okay, he's alluding back to his own apparent one insult in suggesting that Jack probably only has his GED, if that, because he was bounced around so much, but ... it seems to get under his skin, so ... *

the_death_card: They clearly did a great job teaching you to be a superior dick.

the_lovers: Wow, that's -- that's new record, I think. The same tired, old bullshit in probably just as many minutes. Apparently doing the whole street rat thing didn't teach you as much as I thought.

the_death_card: At least I'm not the one with a giant stick up my ass. *a beat* I've got better places to be than here putting up with your bullshit.

the_lovers: Which brings us back to the part where no one will really be all that bothered if you leave. *he shrugs. so go*

the_death_card: *starts to turn away, to actually leave, and then...* While we're repeating things... *turns back, to hit Daniel hard in the jaw* Go fuck yourself, poster boy. *and then does turn to leave*

the_lovers: *he can't help but cry out, half-doubling over -- while he was tensed, still, ready for a fight, a part of him still wasn't expecting that -- and reaches up to touch his fingers to his jaw, in part to make sure nothing's broken and in part just reflexively. when everything seems to be in order and he stops seeing stars, he grits his teeth (not really his best idea, fuck, that hurts) and steps up to follow Jack, one hand balling into a fist. if he turns around to tell him to fuck off, he'll return the favor and punch him. if not ... well, he'll punch him anyway, but hitting him in the shoulder won't be quite as satisfying*

the_death_card: *he stumbles forward at the punch, clearly not expecting Daniel to actually come after him and focused just on getting away. he regains his balance, though, and turns back to face Daniel - and he looks dangerous, now, an expression on his face none of the team have ever seen. he tilts his head a little, shades of alright then - and then moves in to aim a punch at Daniel's stomach*

the_lovers: *he's fairly certain that he's going to get his ass kicked, despite his bravado, but he can't let Jack see that. he won't. that in mind, he looks just as dangerous as Jack, his jaw set despite how much it's screaming, and more than a little unimpressed, his eyebrows popping. and when Jack comes at him -- he's expecting it, this time -- he darts back out of the way, back into the green room. Jack may be a better fighter and stronger, but he just might be faster. he's faster than Dylan, at any rate* He swings, he misses.

the_death_card: *and he follows* Won't happen again.

the_lovers: You sure about that? *he slows down in his retreat a little, actually hoping Jack will catch up with him and ready to take another swing at him, if and when he does*

the_death_card: *doesn't answer - and doesn't slow down, either. he might be smaller than Daniel, but he is stronger, and he's hoping to use that to his advantage, to knock Daniel off his feet*

the_lovers: *his body language is also easier to read than Jack's or Dylan's. which means that, when Jack gets close enough, when he takes his swing, it's probably easy to see coming*

the_death_card: *and he dodges the punch, taking another swing at Daniel's side, bringing the other elbow up to aim for Daniel's face*

the_lovers: *while the punch connects, to his credit, Daniel doesn't make the mistake of leaning forward -- either to double over or to try and protect his sides -- and take an elbow to the face. instead, he takes another step backwards, hesitates for a second, and then rocks back to aim another sloppy punch at Jack*

the_death_card: *and lets the punch land - but also uses Daniel's motion against him, to hook one of his feet behind Daniel's to pull, to try and throw him off balance, to get him down and pin him*

the_lovers: *as expected, he goes down, gasping for air as the impact knocks the breath out of him. rather than just sit there and try to regain his wind, however, and more panicked than anything else -- both because he can't breathe and because he expects Jack to start laying into him rather than just pin him -- he flails, one hand shooting out to belch a gout of flame in Jack's face. it's not real, obviously, just magic, just illusion, but it's what he went with, reflexively*

the_death_card: *he does have a hand raised to hit Daniel again when he lets go the ball of flame - and despite the fact that Jack should likely have been expecting that, he reels back. he does keep his balance, though and will go for another punch if Daniel doesn't take the opportunity to try and shove him off*

the_lovers: *he does, wildly, practically clawing at him rather than simply pushing*

the_death_card: *it's quick enough that Jack does fall back, this time - and manages to collide with the coffee table, grunting a little with the impact*

the_lovers: *he scrambles away awkwardly when Jack gets off of him, his escape little more than a crabwalk, and pulls himself into a half-sit when he stops. he stares at Jack for a moment, real fear on his face for an instant as he sits there, trying to catch his breath, and then the moment breaks and the look dissolves into anger and something nearing hate. he grits his teeth again, hissing through the pain and gets to his feet, two perfect, adrenaline-fueled copies appearing out of no where to stand along with him. normally, he wouldn't be able to manage something this big and complex unless he was protecting them, as was the case with Miranda. normally, he wouldn't use his magic against the Horsemen. but right now? right now, he's a little desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures*

the_death_card: *pushes himself up as Daniel does, already going to take a step forward - and then stops. well, shit. doesn't let that show, though, keeping up the bravado* That's not gonna help.

the_lovers: You wanna stick around and find out? *it's hard to tell which of them the voice is coming from, so that, at least, won't be what gives him away*

the_death_card: *he doesn't actually answer that, already reaching into his pockets for something to ignite and throw - some scraps of paper and a receipt, in this case - as he simultaneously moves forward, toward Daniel and the illusions, watching for any tells to give them away*

the_lovers: *as far as tells go, there aren't any, and as far as actually hitting him with what he throws, all three of him manage to move to avoid it, ducking in various directions. rather than try to retreat or regroup, however, they all move to take a swing at him, and while only one has the potential to actually connect, he figures he can play a human version of the shell game afterwards, if and when he does, to make sure that doesn't give him away*

the_death_card: *it was a good effort, at least. the hit connects, snapping his head to the side, but he immediately turns back toward where it came from, still trying to nail down who it came from because hell if he's going to be the one to back down, here*

the_lovers: *he doesn't say anything, nor does he take another swing at him -- the illusions are scary good, sure, and he's got adrenaline on his side, but it's still the biggest thing he's ever done and it's already getting hard to maintain -- he just raises his hands a little, like he did with Alma when she had the gun on him. ... unfortunately for him, one of the two illusions doesn't follow suit*

the_death_card: *darkly gleeful* You're slipping. *a beat, and...* Giving up already?

the_lovers: *fuck. just -- fuck. despite that sentiment, though, he still manages to hold onto his own bluster* Yeah, no, not so much. That was more a "nothing up your sleeve" thing. *and that said, all three of him take another shot at Jack. even if one is obviously fake, now*

the_death_card: *and so he knows to ignore that one - which is likely why he manages to avoid the punch, this time, though there's still a lot of luck involved with the fact that the punch he throws in answer actually lands - and this time, now that he knows it's actually Daniel, he doesn't hesitate, following that punch up with another one, the second with a hint of electricity behind it, though the fact that it wasn't entirely intentional means it's not much more than a bad static shock*

the_lovers: *when the first punch hits, one of the illusions dissipates -- the other, he manages to hold onto, somehow, without so much as a flicker or a tell, but it's not like it matters. Jack knows which is which already and he's staggering backwards into one of the couches and with grunt as the second hit connects, too, and then a hiss at the shock*
((*rolled a 3 and a 19 on the illusions. and a 4 and a 7 to dodge*))

the_death_card: *follows, shoving him hard, pushing another shock at him, raising a fist to throw another punch ---*

the_hermit: *and from the doorway, with one of the crew that went and found him* What the fuck are you two doing?

the_death_card: *glances back at him briefly, though he looks right back to Daniel* He was being an asshole.

the_hermit: He's always an asshole, what's your excuse?

the_lovers: *the second shock gets more than just a hiss from him -- it's more a cry this time -- and as Jack brings up his fist, he raises his hands, defensively. if it weren't for Merritt showing up, he'd probably resort to clawing at him again. right now, though, he freezes and flashes Merritt a relieved look. he's still not too thrilled with him, at the moment, but ohthankGodhe'shere all the same* Nice of you to show up.

the_hermit: *waves off the crew member, moving on into the green room to all but slam the door behind him, all but ignoring Daniel as he points at Jack and then to the other couch* You, sit. *and then to Daniel and the one he got shoved up against* Same for you.

the_death_card: *looks at him balefully but does follow the direction, falling back onto the couch like a kid outside the principal's office*

the_lovers: *he frowns at Merritt for a moment, then lets the remaining illusion go with a shaky sigh and moves to sit down, wordlessly*

the_hermit: *glares back at him until he does sit down, and then huffs out a sigh of his own, reaching up to run a hand down his face before he looks back to them* So who wants to tell me what the hell was going on, other than you two trying to kill each other.

the_lovers: *despite the fact that Merritt probably saved his life ... * Wow, who died and made you principal?

the_hermit: *immediately* You, nearly, and if I hadn't shown up when I did.

the_lovers: *scowls at him for a long moment, and then* Fine. Whatever. You really want to know? He decided he needed to take a swing at me on his way out the door. *he gestures to Jack* I hit back. That's pretty much how it started.

the_death_card: *shrugs, unconcerned* He was being an asshole and wouldn't shut up.

the_hermit: *runs a hand over his face* I don't know what the problem is with you two, and with Henley, but this *gestures between them, to the state they're in* can't happen. We're a team. Someone's pissing you off, get some air, come back in, and be a professional. And if you have to kick the crap out of each other, don't do it in front of the crew.

the_lovers: *he looks mock thoughtful and to Jack* Funny. I don't remember doing all of the talking. *sorry, Merritt, he's ignoring you in favor of sniping at Jack*

the_hermit: *to Jack, as he opens his mouth* Don't. *and back to Daniel* You really wanna keep baiting him when he was kicking your ass a minute ago? Really?

the_lovers: I'm pretty sure it's the other way around. *Jack was baiting him* But okay. *he holds up his hands a little, briefly, before dropping them back in his lap* Okay, I'm done.

the_hermit: *levels a "really?" sort of look at him when he goes to argue - splitting hairs, there - and then lets out a breath when he drops his hands, glad it's looking like he's not going to have to pull them apart or any such nonsense* I know it's not just a problem today, though. Without insulting each other, what happened? *and he seems honestly confused. he has no idea where this came from, and it's making him crazy*

the_lovers: Oh, wow, okay -- that's a hard one. *doing it without tearing back into Jack, he means* Which, actually, is pretty much how it started. *with the insulting*

the_lovers: And it kinda went from there. *that said, he offers Merritt a "there, happy?" look*

the_hermit: *not really. he meant on a grander scale than right this second. he's clearly not getting anywhere, though, and he reaches up to take his hat off so he can run a hand over his head* Okay, look. Go get some air or something, come back in, shake hands, and let's at least pretend to be professionals around here, alright? Can we do that?

the_death_card: *snorts* I'm not apologizing to him.

the_hermit: Key word there was 'pretend', if you were paying attention.

the_lovers: He can go first with the pretending. *because he's not apologizing, in earnest or otherwise, unless Jack says sorry first*

the_death_card: *pushes himself up abruptly, though he's just standing up, not making a move for Daniel. this time, at least* You worry about yourself. I'll do my job. *and that's the difference, now, at least in his mind. it has become a job - and just that*

the_lovers: *icily* Fine. Good. You do that. *a beat* Now why do you do like Merritt said and go get some air? *run away, Simba. run away and never return*

the_hermit: *and considering he can see the instant the urge to go for Daniel returns, immediately, again, to Jack* Go.

the_death_card: *huffs out another almost growl and then does brush past Merritt as he heads out of the green room, ignoring the looks he gets from the crew as he heads outside*

the_lovers: *smiles coldly, triumphantly at him as he heads out. it only lasts for a second or two after Jack's gone, though, then he's sinking back into the couch where he was practically on the edge of it before and reaching up to probe at his jaw with his fingers*

the_hermit: *turns to watch Jack leave and then reaches up to set his hat back on as he moves to take a seat on the other couch* You need that looked at?

the_lovers: *he seems genuinely surprised that Merritt's asking and not starting in on him like everyone else. he doesn't expect that to last long, though* I don't think it's broken, so no, probably not.

the_hermit: Good. *a beat in which he leans forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped* Look, I don't know what's in the water around here lately, but everyone's having a bad week. Whatever he said, and whatever you said, chances are neither of you actually meant it. *just because people seem to be meaning what they're directing at him this week doesn't mean he's not going to try and diffuse things and patch them back up*

the_lovers: No. No, I'm pretty sure I did.

the_hermit: Care to share with the class why it's taken a year and a half for this to boil over? *they've been under more stress than they are now, and nothing like this happened*

the_lovers: Straws and camels, maybe?

the_hermit: *sighs* Maybe. *he wishes he could think of any other reason*

the_lovers: *he shrugs, dropping his hand back into his lap* He's a dick or a child or whatever. Whichever you want to go with, I'm more or less done with it.

the_hermit: Yeah, okay. *pauses for a long moment, before...* Put some ice on that. *nods toward the bruise blossoming on Daniel's jaw* If Jack comes back, stay away from him. I'm gonna make a phone call.

the_lovers: *a little dismissively* Yeah, I will. *whether that's in response to him being told to stay away from Jack or to put ice on his jaw is anyone's guess, however*

the_hermit: *is kind of past caring at the moment, and just stands up to head out of the green room himself, pulling his phone from his pocket as he goes*

the_lovers: *he breathes out a sigh when Merritt leaves, the sound almost relieved, and sits there for another minute or two before finally getting up to find some ice. ... and some aspirin. his head's been killing him for days and getting punched multiple times didn't help*