Turnabout is fair play (BB)

[Roderic]

I wasn't done with Dominique, not by a long shot. After all, we weren't even. Not by a long shot. I realize I have to get away from her because nothing I'm doing is effective tonight, which is fine. I only came to make things even and square with her. Don't kill the messenger, but that didn't mean I couldn't make her night as miserable as mine had been on our initial encounter.

On my way 'out' I had grabbed a book from the bookshelf and kept it tucked close to my body before vanishing from view and giving Dominique the impression I had left. Once again, I go through the same shitty traps that wouldn't catch anyone with half a brain until I get to the second floor. I get to the staircase that will take me to the main floor, turn back to the darkened hallway and chuck the book in an underhanded throw and bolt down the stairs. I wasn't sticking around for that aftermath.

I'm only a quarter of the way down the stairs when there's a loud explosion from a proximity mine, followed by large gun shot and the snapping of a bear trap. Another gun shot from another trip wire, more snapping of bear traps and some other semi-familiar sounds from other traps. I doubt she would care about the damaged traps, but the holes in her wall? Maybe. Guess we'll see. I gingerly take my time down the rest of the steps and head out the house to reclaim my spot back on the deck to finish enjoying my cigarette. It was her move.

[Dominique]

As soon as the sounds of traps going off the shadows bare feet are a blur of red ink as they clear the stair well one floor after the next until she finds the result of the damage not to be on Ric but instead her home. She bypasses the rubble and out of habit continues to the first floor instead of jumping out of the new open air addition that left the side of Vita Bella at level two looking like his apartment.

Her lack of shirt didn’t phase her nor did the sharp random rocks beneath her bare feet as she hiked across the open property. Like a steam engine picking up increased speed she picked up her pace as soon as she reached the cement steps that would take her down to the dock. Over the rocks she went with her eyes locked on Ric kicking back and polluting her air while he did.The usual appreciation for that scent of a first burn was lost on her at the moment. She was on fire and headed in one direction to put it out.

In a sudden burst of speed HOPE and LESS lifted in time for her to reach for the one who was about to be driven into the depths of the river surrounding him. Her dark eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared with intent. This time he was going down.

“You son of a…”

The next thing that came out of her mouth was air bubbles. The rush of water flowing around her body as it continued to sink beneath the surface said a few things. She was emtpy handed when she hit it. That meant she failed. It also meant she was back where she started and was getting a huge case of deja vu.

Roll dice result: Tackle into the water. Failed.

[Roderic]

I don't bother to turn around and acknowledge her as the scent of wet earth overcomes the scent of fresh water and fish. I flick the ash off my cigarette and then hold it up as an offering, but the offering seems to go amiss, or I don't hold it up quick enough. A half naked woman goes sprinting past me. Let me rephrase. I don't see her face, but due to the variety of color splotches on her body, Dominique goes zipping past me and crashes into the water. I'm not sure what she's trying to accomplish or achieve by going in there, but I shrug and place the cigarette back in my mouth before exhaling. "I see you lost the shirt after all."

I slink down further in the chair before talking over the quick movements of splashing until her head breaks the surface and continue. "I was going to suggest an upgrade to your security system, but it seems to be working fine." I chuckle and take a long drag from the cigarette before exhaling it out. "Should have borrowed that cape from vader." I'm still not sure who or what vader is, but if it has a cape then it fit her in that moment; the way she went barreling past me like a bat out of hell on a mission.

With everything I wanted done completed, I rise from the chair and go to the dock. I flick the cigarette down on the ground, stomp on it and then offer my hand to her. "I think we're about even." It's my way of saying I'm cool now and got a point across and ready to move on now, but the choice was up to her.

[Dominique]

Dripping wet with hair covering her face she reaches the dock. The fail was hard to swallow, so was the fact that there he was on the dock offering her a hand to come out. Anyone else would be floating down river with the random pieces of driftwood. HOPE cleared the strands sticking to her forehead and with a push of her toes at the slick hard surface beneath she bounced up gripping his hand. Holding tight she used it to come out of the water and land on two feet on the dock.

While the sound of water dripping on the wood beneath her feet she sighed. It wasn't worth several more hours of finding out that Lady Luck was either ******* with both of them or was incredibly amused. Either way the dice had been rolled every which way but loose and nothing good came of it but bruised egos. At least hers was. and in the end that was about enough for her for one night. Except perhaps to call her super fly attorney, Wilson, to clear up the mess with the store, the police and let her know how to make it all go away legally or if it was best to clean it up the old fashioned way.

"Pretty much." Her acknowledgment of the situation between them was genuine. Almost, pretty much said close...really close. It didn't say who was missing out on the cigar though. Time would tell. She twisted the water out of her hair while noticing he remianed dry and clothed while she was anything but that. "Don't tell me this is where the fun ends."

[Roderic]

I expected for her to smack the hand away or even ignore it, but she takes it. I pull her up and she manages to get up almost on her own. Sure, I gave her a hand, but she's managing to hold her weight for the most part. She's standing in front of me, soaking wet and I can't help but grin a little. It is a little funny, mostly because she did it to herself.

"So do you normally throw yourself at men to get wet?" I know how that sounds and how it can be taken, and maybe she should take it as I said it. I'm not sure how I meant it, but here she was, soaking wet after trying to pull something slick on me. I thought she would know better by now, but it seems not.

She mentions the fun ending and I just shrug and then shove both hands against her right shoulder blade in an attempt to put her back in the water. If she thinks getting wet is fun, then who am I to deny her that? Only she doesn't go very far. She pretty much remains in one place, as if I didn't even touch her, or she knew what was going to be coming before I even thought about it. "That didn't go as planned." Nothing seemed to be going as planned tonight for either one of this. It's like neither one of us can do anything to the other...

"Would you believe me if I said I slipped?" I stare at her candidly before shrugging once again, before staring out into the water's horizon. "Which way was out again?" I blink, and return my gaze to her, not recalling where in the woods the portal was, or if I could even go back through it. Some portals were funny like that.

[Dominique]

Her balance and strength once again are sorely underestimate. She shakes her head with a look that likely display anything but amusement. Doesn’t matter really. The shadow can tell as he grins. Something about he slipped. He was full of ****. It takes a little effort not to go for one more attempt to see if the fifth time would be the charm. Maybe the sixth. Dominique lost count.

It was a cloud of epic fail. Hopefully her bag of tricks was not hitting a weak spot. Was that possible? Losing the abilities she had from lack of use? She was going to let it slide until he decided to add in the throwing herself at men to get wet. Her hand pulled away quick enough to say the question was so ridiculous it was not getting a response. **** him.

It felt like instead of moving forward they were going backwards. She watched him shrug and felt it in her own shoulders. What was there to say? Her eyes took in the visible hole in the second floor exterior wall where it looks like a bomb went off. And that is basically what did happen. HOPE pinched the bridge of her nose firmly as she let the increasing pressure ward off the impulse to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze until his eye balls bounced on the deck between them. All in good time.

Dom would settle for the moment at hand leaving her wet because she fucked up. It was not like she couldn’t own her fails and still apply the discipline towards the long term goal not being too far out of reach. Her eyes fixed back on him at that thought. Her thumb brushed slow and firm across the hard line of her lower jaw. He wanted to know how to get out of Vita Bella. Finally she smirked.

“Head northwest until you hit that brick wall and then use your Spidey skills and clear it. After that stretch out your legs and run like Superman for about 12 miles north. Should be seeing lights soon enough.”

HOPE raised and her last two fingers curled in while the first two offered a two finger salute from her forehead. Her hand dropped sharply and both slid into her back pockets that were so soaked that water shot up from the squeeze. It was still dark and time was left to clean up the messes visible to her as she looked up to the open space in the house. Time was on her side.

[Roderic]

There's a lot of silence from Dominique, which tells me she's either thinking, or she's at a loss of words. It's hard to tell because I don't know a lot about her other than she has a lot of tattoos, she's one of doc's things and she apparently likes super heroes. She's mentioned capes while talking, Spiderman and now Superman.

My attention has been turned off her so I could glance in the direction she's talking about, and give a nod. "Cool." I say as I turn back towards her to get a salute, like she's dismissing me and I glance past her and out in the water. I actually wonder how far it goes and how deep, but I'll save that for another time and night.

I start to head inland on the dock, my boots clunking against the wood dock, but I don't go far. I stop at four steps away from Dominique and slowly turn around. "I don't like superheroes." I say quietly, before going on. "Don't put much stock in them." I look up at the night skyline and stare at the stars before going on. "And I sure as hell ain't one." I say and then run towards her with the intent of teleporting her smack dab into the water. I might not be strong enough to push her into the wide open water, but I know a teleport would do the same thing.

Only, the tip of my boot catches a loose plank of wood and I don't even go anywhere near Dominique. My legs go left, as my upper torso goes right and I know it looks sad as hell. A grown man tripping over his feet and gravity is pulling him down hard. I hear the splash before I feel the water and recognize that I tripped off the damn dock. Tonight just isn't my night, I think to myself as deflate my lungs. I stay under the water, waiting for time and her to go.

Roderic Another PC Easy Stealthy Dominique Teleport her into the water Failed

[Dominique]

No ****. Her first thought as he said he wasn’t a superhero. Batman would never fail at the minor attempts to send her flying. Aquaman would have had all the underwater creatures taking her down before she ever reached the dock. And thor would have hammered her into another universe the night they met and she destroyed his wall. Yeah, superhero he was not. But damn if he wasn’t really giving it one hell of a shot. She heard the sharp shift of movement in his steps and she could tell he was going for it. Barreling back at her like **** was finally going to get real. Real it was.

Real ******* hilarious and wet. It was a shame she didn’t have her cell on her to capture that move. It was one of those that was worth putting the slow motion effect to it. It was so flawed on so many levels that it was worth adding the highlight circles, arrows making note of where it went horribly wrong. Of course Ric would not appreciate it. It was pretty clear as the water covered his head and he disappeared. Like an soaked ostrich in the moment of defeat he hid beneath out of view.

The stars above caught her attention since the surface of the water was giving her nothing to look at. She counted the shimmering celestial diamonds until she reached her lucky number then ceased looking at the darkness above her. With no movement to signal he was giving up she sighed. He was right. They were pretty much even. Especially after the last attempt he made.

The petite shadow stepped back to where he dropped off the wood that was currently beneath her feet. A soft sound of water saturated material landing on the dock may or may have not been heard. It didn’t matter. She leaned back and stretched out her legs so that each permanently inked rose on the top of her feet dipped into the water. Each alternated the movement of softly rising to the surface then sinking so the other could rise. While she did this she reached for the resident fishing pole that always was on the dock and ready for action. A nice weight on the end and a hook that could pull in some worthwhile meat soon sank just where she would bet money on him sitting it out. She wasn't going anywhere.

[Roderic]

This night was by far the most wasted night of my entire life; both human and vampire alike. While I wasn't normally a superstitious sort of man and believed that you forged your own destiny and made your own successes, tonight seemed to spit in the fact of my mentality a thousand fold.

With that failure of astronomical means, I wasn't going to try anything again. If I can't manage to do anything to Dominique power or physically wise, then there's nothing I'm going to try. I can't even manage to push her off a ledge, so trying anything else just seemed like a ridiculous waste of time and idea. For whatever reason, nothing seemed to be working. Nothing. It was almost as if there were some sort of external influence **** blocking the both of us.

I was giving her a few minutes to get the laughs of my failure out of her system, and think of a different way to get out of here since it seems my powers are all wonky tonight. Plus, I failed. This unfamiliar feeling lives a sour, bitter, somewhat alkaline taste in my mouth. Maybe I should come back after collecting a few bombs and really make my efforts count.

I hear some unidentified weight splash into the water, and judging by the splash, I'm going to assume it's her and not some fish sloshing around trying to get attention. I look up and sure enough. I see two feet, two legs, a stomach and then her face. If only she were the breathing sort. The idea is tempting. I move in her direction, not yet all the way to the bottom of the lake, and start heading towards shore. I'm still feeling that feeling, which makes me uncomfortable. Angry, maybe? Annoyed? It's hard to tell, but it's definitely a negative feeling. I stop once I am past her, look at the naked woman whose feet are finally on the bottom of the lake and push my arms out at my side, as if saying, 'what do you want?'

[Dominique]

Dominique said nothing as the movement of Roderic was becoming increasingly easy to track. The water barely moved out of its usual pattern of flow but the slightest disruption of his body making its way to the shore was all that was needed. Wide brown eyes followed his route and finally given the time it took he appeared. No words, no smart *** comment or added threats. She blinked. She was not disappointed and she certainly wasn’t elated either. There was that vampire size hole in Vita Bella that would serve as a remind her the night from hell had left it’s mark. Her lips stayed tightly sealed offering almost a deadpan and expressionless effect. A slow shake of her dark head was denied at the last possible second.

It was clear that they got on as well as a lit match and gasoline. There was nothing that they could apparently do to each other but set the other off. For whatever reason each attempt to bring the other down was a clear fail. And despite those outcomes there was no doubt their interaction was hardly constructive. It was anything but that. His apartment, her home her business. There was an evident pattern she could probably look at. Maybe she would. Later. When there was nothing on television or needing to be done in the shop or some rare sleep to catch up on. Painting her toenails even registered as more important. It wasn’t like she was looking to fix herself and see if anyone was interested. She was fine as she was patterns and all. It was she that had to live with them.

It was her universe size pride that was an increasing issue for her. Huge enough it was a curse. It cost her a lot more than she planned on and even those around her that she cared about. This was her reflection as her sire’s favorite brother-in-law or whatever moved to lift his arms up in some sort of silent statement to her. Maybe it was a question. Now she was left to guess and assume. Doing the latter was not usually as much of a problem as it was currently. She was usually right when she did assume. However, tonight she had been proven wrong more times than she cared to admit, her overconfidence called out and the consequences that went with epic fails delivered with no holds barred. It was a heavy serving at best on her plate and she would be working for quite awhile to clean it up.

The shadow returned to standing on the dock and looked up at the stars. Her feet alternated the work of carrying her in calm steps towards the house. The damage was easy to see but the lesson beneath even more so.It could be fixed, nothing was beyond repair. None of it would last forever and depending on how much time she had on the planet it would likely happen again. She kept that in mind as she passed Roderic while she took the route to the back of the house.

“Use the dumpster to clear the wall. Take a raccoon or two with you if you wish.” That was pretty much all that she had to say. What else was there to add? They seemed pretty even and mutually heading their separate ways.

The door opened with ease and she stepped inside. This time she was confident that their business had concluded and no more disruptions would be had. From the first to the second floor she climbed. A glance to the hole left her shaking her head. She navigated through the darkness of the third floor then finally found the light of the fourth welcoming her. Things were already looking up.