Strangers in the night, exchanging glances

[simplestgift]

Who: Anyone working at Cloud Nine, well-intended rescuers, etc.
What: A raid.
When: August 29th, 11:31 PM.
Where: Cloud Nine
Summary: The night club turned homeless shelter does house quite a bit of food and booze, and a few Kin'corans have decided to take control of the situation.
Rating: R for violence.

It's not just people inside the club that begin it. After the club is locked for the night, someone begins pounding on the door. Despite the owner's instructions to the contrary, several people sleeping on the floor scramble up and open the door to let in a small swarm of men armed with knives and blunt weapons.

"Sorry you had to find out this way, but your posh night club is under new management now. If you have a problem with that? Get in the kitchen."

Comments

[fleurdesel]

"Off him, now!" Some further back saw the gun and reacted accordingly, backing out of the kitchen for the time being. Those yet on Archie either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"I said OFF!"

[simplestgift]

The men wrestling Archie have not yet seen the gun. One gets two punches in before someone behind him grabs his shoulder and yanks him backwards with a murmured warning. That gets their attention, and the other men follow suit. A very pale Archie remains frozen on the floor, a patch of red forming below his ribs.

[fleurdesel]

"Out. Now." It's difficult to get a read on how badly Archie's been hurt- all she can see is blood seeping through his clothing and for half a second it's everything she's been seeing come to light in the worst way. Cold fury keeps her from losing focus. The gun remains trained on the men backing out as she slips forward and balls a hand over Archie's wound. She can't spare the time to check.

"...call for help."

[simplestgift]

Gathering his wits about him, Archie carefully rolls onto his side and pulls out his journal. That's when one of the Kin'corans sees the pistol at his side and gets a bright idea. She makes a grab for the pistol just as Archie opens the journal and starts the feed, raising it to eye level in a second.

[fleurdesel]

She almost warns the girl away. Were she anyone else Adele might have. But they'd had their warning, Archie is bleeding at her feet and she is in no mood for diplomacy. She's cold. She's angry. And right now she has an acceptable target.

It's as easy as it was before to follow the line of movement. Aim. Squeeze the trigger and watch the girl's forehead burst in a splatter of blood, bone, and brain. Her last bullet for a damn good cause- and more than enough time for her to pull a knife from her pocket and push forward. Keep them out of the kitchen, keep Archie safe.

"I said OUT!"

[simplestgift]

There's an explosion of swearing amongst the crowd, seeing the body of the woman slump to the floor over Archie, but they begin to back off. Archie doesn't even shove the body off as he focuses on sending out a message, but he does seize the pistol back.

"Cloud Nine. There's been an..." His mind goes blank. "Erm. One dead. Send help."

[fleurdesel]

Out of ammunition, but they don't know that. Not yet. Adele keeps the gun up and stalks closer to the group in the door. Herd them out to where she could move. Keep them from hurting Archie further. Her priorities are somewhat skewed at the moment.

"Keep pressure on the wound Archie."

[simplestgift]

But Archie is a King's man. At the moment, he's struggling to his feet, grasping for his pistol, and kicking the body off him--oh good Lord, it's a woman, help him--so he can stand by Adele. Both hands are used up taking aim with his pistol as he slowly realizes none of the rioters realize he only has one shot. He is pale, but the bleeding is oozing rather than gushing, so he assumes he can die later if he must. For now, he's going to stand like an officer.

[fleurdesel]

"Archie if you do not sit down and keep pressure on that wound I will pistol whip you myself and tie you to the oven." The barest edge of grim humor as she offers him a glance. A glare. Then one moves forward- a twitch, a shift, a sneeze- it didn't matter.

What mattered was that they moved forward rather than back, and she'd told them. It's a quick motion fluid from practice, the knife spins out of her free hand and lands somewhere amongst the fleshy bits of the crowd.

[simplestgift]

Archie ignores her, but is having a very difficult time seeing desperate Kin'corans and not Spanish privateers. If only he'd taken his sword with him.

The crowd shies back from her thrown knife, but it manages to only nick one person, and not seriously. Then, whispers can be heard from the back.

[fleurdesel]

"Stay in the kitchen." It's all she can think of to say- especially since this bluff won't hold much longer. If she's angling to keep herself more or less between Archie and the Kin'Corans he can blame her for it later.

[simplestgift]

"For mercy's sake, I'm the bloody officer, not y--"

Now, whispers one Kin'coran. Three people break through the crowd and lunge for Adele and Archie, two headed for the officer. Archie fires his pistol, taking one of them in the arm. The other two slow down suddenly.

[fleurdesel]

"Merde."

She flips her pistol in her grip and dodges to the left, swings the gun down to crack it across the top of one Kin'coran's head. It gives her time and room to draw her rapier to defend Archie. Somewhat. She has to twist and shove the pommel into the gut of one before she can pull the blade free properly.

[simplestgift]

The bullet spent, Archie is suddenly realizing he can't even keep a grip on the weapon no matter how his fingers grasp. It clatters to the floor as one of his knees buckles.

[fleurdesel]

"Archie-" Her first instinct is to help him. She's a physician, a surgeon, keeping him alive is what she needs to do. But she can't. There isn't room or time for it. All she can do is twist to free her blade from it's sheath and knock the Kin'corans back.

"Stay down. Keep pressure on the wound." Tight with anxiety as she ducks another lunge, returns it with one of her own. "Don't let yourself bleed out."

[simplestgift]

He's starting to get the idea. One hand goes to the wound in his side, pressing against it, and he sinks to the floor, pale as a ghost.

The Kin'corans, seeing that Adele and Kennedy have spent their ammunition, are growing bolder. Some have already darted in around the main group to grab handfuls of whatever food is on the counters.

[fleurdesel]

Another time- with more help on hand, she'd be there with him. But there are rabble grabbing for what's theirs and more still with knives and she just can't let this stand. It's not the drills she's used to- it's not droids that falter and fade once struck. It's blood, flesh, and bone that she's darting out and cutting, her form rough, unpolished, but precise in it's intent. She aims for joints. Knees, wrists, shoulders- the meatier bits. Throws another knife when she has the time, herds them away from the counters. Dodges what blows she's able.

It's not clean. It's not pretty. And she's too furious to give a damn.

[nocorsetsplease]

Amelia's shout and Wolfwood's reply were enough to remind the pirate that she couldn't wait. She'd have to fight her way through, no matter what. What remained frightening to her is that she'd never learned swordplay without the intent to kill behind her blade. A duel was, in her time, to the death. A pirate fought their enemies without mercy, for no enemy of one would return it in kind.

She lunged into the crowd, using the cutlass and jian in her hands to parry the attacks launched at her and return them with swift--but only wounding--blows. A thrust in the shoulder, and a kick to retrieve the weapon back out of it. A slash above the knee. The hilt as a knuckle guard, and a man was blown down.

Pivot, elbow to the chest. A clang of steel. Parry. A slice, but the woman jumped away. With a second of time, a glass grabbed off the counter top was thrown at the woman's head. The pirate didn't see it strike, but quickly whipped in the chaos for the next assailant. She was fortunate. For this moment, she was free.

Her boots pounded the floor as she sprinted for the kitchen. Her cutlass sheathed, the kitchen door was pushed open with all haste and a cry.

"ARCHIE!"

[thedicearecast]

Finally. Amelia gives Wolfwood a nod, quickly breaking into a run after Elizabeth. They finally make it to the kitchen, although the fight is just as rough in this room as it was in the last. She points her gun up high, aiming over everyone's heads as she fires a shot to get the attention of the people within.

"Enough! Get on the ground!" Unfortunately, because of the bluffing done earlier, the raiders aren't so quick to believe Amelia--which quickly turns into a mistake for one when Amelia's next shot goes through his wing. "I said on the ground!"

Elizabeth is shouting too, but Amelia can't think about that. Her task right now is to make sure no one makes a move, Lucetian or Kin'Coran. Not until the fighting has stopped.

[simplestgift]

Archie looks up sharply when he sees Elizabeth burst in unguarded, and begins to struggle to his feet with a cry of her name. Why is she here? She shouldn't be here! But standing makes the world spin suddenly, and he slips back to the floor, hand pressed to the bleeding wound at his side. He's in a great deal of pain, but like hell is he going to let anyone know that.

Do let me know if this is not okay.

[nocorsetsplease]

The shock hit her quickly as she saw his state, but her momentary lapse at seeing the blood from a wound was broken by the rustle of a Kin'Coran to her right. While the tension in the room was thick enough by Amelia's command that the rebel rioters hesitated, it was becoming clearer with each passing moment that they would not give up so readily. After that rustle, the pause was broken.

The Kin'Coran moved towards Elizabeth, and it was only with some luck in the tight area by the door that she dodged the swing of his club. As her fingers closed around a pile of pepper from an overturned mill, she sprung up from the floor. The attacker yelled, eyes burning from the spice. She kicked their middle, sending them into some of the cabinetry and growled a warning before turning back toward her purpose.

"If you are wise you will remain where you are, sir."

Her run was a short one, mere metres over to Archie's side. Her hands soared to the one that held his wound, worry in her eyes.

"Oh my God, are you all right? How bad is it?"

[simplestgift]

"Not too bad. I've certainly taken worse." But he is pale, and as it's been a while and he hasn't really held still, he's lost a substantial amount of blood. "Just a scratch, dear heart."

[thedicearecast]

"You two are adorable. Really." Amelia would roll her eyes if she weren't busy with the unconvinced Kin'Corans. She's running low on bullets, and since she doubts they'll give her time to reload, Amelia's back to using her gun as a blunt weapon whenever someone gets too close.

She's got herself positioned between the attackers and Archie and Elizabeth now, at least. It's something, although not much, considering one Kin'Coran gets a solid hit on Amelia's shoulder while she's struggling with another.

"Damn it!" She still has her legs, which is unfortunate for the man who gets a kick to his groin in exchange for the punch he landed.

[nocorsetsplease]

Her hand cups his cheek. "It absolutely is not!" She tries to smile, but her words bubble out like a distressed laugh. "We need to get you out and attended to."

Her head whips around at Amelia's cursing. "Amelia!" This is not going terribly, but it certainly isn't going well, either. Unsheathing her cutlass, she extends the handle toward her co-rescuer.

"I do hope you remember your training. Hold them for a bit, and perhaps I can temporarily bandage his wound. Then we'll clear a path together."

[simplestgift]

"Let Adele do it, love, she's a surgeon."