holiday event

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

Bah RUMPAH Pum Pum

It's the end of the year, and Fagsona's throwing a grand, gay ol' holiday party! And boy, are they overdoing it. There's mistletoe everywhere, the spontaneous urge to break into carols, spiked eggnog, presents for everyone under a huge tree, and even someone in the corner over there dressed up like Santa, ready (even if unwilling) for anyone to come sit on their lap and spill out their deepest heart's desires! (Poor bugger, whoever that muse is.)

And believe me, with all that decoration and alcohol, you're definitely gonna spill.

Comments

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

Considering the little interaction Calibri and Bentley have had since his stay here, it was hard to pin Bentley's upcoming confession on trust. No, it was probably more accountable to his inebriation. His mannerisms hardly changed, stepping after Calibri, sticking close. You never knew who might be hiding in the shadows of this "innocent" Christmas party.

"More like held hostage, I suppose," he explained. "Long story. Not pretty."

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

Step by step, Calibri began to lead Bentley in what, to onlookers, probably looked like an exceptionally strange dancing routine across the floor, weaving around the pillars in his desperate attempt to keep this obviously-insane man at bay. His fingers were already twitching in his pockets, and that was never a good sign. "Very little of our world is 'pretty,' doctor," Calibri said, glancing over his shoulder and yep, there Bentley was, still chasing him. "Who were you held hostage by?"

It was actually more important than just a shady bit of history. Whatever connections Bentley had had in the past was of significance - it meant the difference between no strings attached and a possible liability. It was part of Calibri's job and nature to consider it, for the sake of the Organization.

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

They certainly got a few odd looks, that only made Bentley's paranoia deepen. Now and then, he would edge so close that their shoulders would touch. Naturally, he didn't see the twitch of Calibri's fingers. If he had, and had been of sensible, sound mind, he might have remembered that Danny kid's advice about this man and backed away, and avoided him for the rest of his life. But, alas, he didn't notice.

"Those military people from Gladsheim," he said with strange ease.

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

Eventually, Calibri understood a futile effort when he saw one, and he stopped their cat-and-mouse game with an abrupt halt, albeit they were now standing at the opposite end of the room from where they had started. He focused his attention instead on rummaging through his pockets and the folds of his coat, obviously looking for something. If Bentley was startled by the sudden stop, he didn't notice, and while a normal person would take his searching as an obvious warning sign with blaring lights, Calibri paid no mind to whether or not the doctor was reacting correspondingly either. (Though he might have to look into the man's survival instincts later; it was dangerous for any member to have...absolutely no sense of self-preservation.)

"For your medical prowess too, I imagine?"

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

"Guess you could say that," he admitted. Stopping their 'dance' ended a bit of Bentley's paranoia, from the way he noticed people ceasing to stare, and now that he was half hidden behind the other man from peering eyes. His shoulders sagged back down, more casual, and he finally made eye contact. What was he rummaging for, anyway? He watched with curiosity, rather than fear like most of Calibri's onlookers might. "The arms," he added vaguely.

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

"The technology?" Calibri clarified, still making clinking sounds in the deep, dark depths of his pockets.

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

"Yes, you see, it's much more than a..." But even over the loud Christmas music and chatter in the room, the clinking noises caught Bentley's attention. He looked down at the man's pocket. "What are you doing?"

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

Calibri looked up, canted his head, and it may have been the alcohol talking, but there was something positively sinister about his smile. "Doctoring the doctor," he said, before taking advantage of their proximity to pull a syringe out of his pocket, already uncapped and ready for the strike. To his credit, Bentley would probably only feel a slight prick in the inside of the elbow of his remaining flesh-and-bone arm.

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

The pricking feeling of the needle registered a moment late, where he raised an eyebrow down at his elbow before giving a well-surprised yelp.

"Ah! W-what did you do?!"

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

"Sedate you."

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

"You... you wha-"

Alas, Bentley's fate was already sealed, and with a few beeps of his arm, he proceeded to stumble as his vision blurred. Poor Calibri, being the nearest solid thing - he was the first thing the doctor grabbed, firm by the shoulders, until he completely fell limp and collapsed on the floor.

[fightfair.livejournal.com]

Luckily, Calibri anticipated that, holding out his hands to catch the doctor, and although he had some difficulty adjusting the other man's weight (flesh, bone, metal and all) to a manageable position, he did eventually succeed in propping the doctor up against one of the walls in a surreptitious corner, a little slumped, but at least upright. To anyone else, he would have looked like yet another peacefully sleeping holiday drunk.

Taking a step back, Calibri pocketed the evidence and allowed his sleeves to cover his hands once again. Well, he should have tried that earlier, he thought, making a mental note not to ever allow a person to even breathe the word 'alcohol' near Bentley again - at least while he was in the area.