strong hand.

I WILL BE A GUN, AND IT'S YOU I'LL COME FOR. antonia - hunter - vox/synth twenty-one - pdx fo lyf

[laurenlefebvre]

Flashback: Fear & Suspicion || Lauren & Ant

[laurenlefebvre]

Lauren scans the area to see if there are any solid places they could hide behind, and a large nurse tree, around four feet wide with two smaller trees growing out of it, seems perfect. “No reason to set anything up, really,” she murmurs, gesturing towards the tree before walking over to it. “We’re going to hide behind that tree and I’m going to shoot him when he walks past it. The harder part of this is done.”

She reaches over to take the bags off Kerr—not to help her out, but because she needs a silencer. She knows exactly where it is in the bag, and she doesn’t want Kerr rummaging through it and making noise. Lauren pulls it out and screws it to her pistol, and crouches down behind the tree. “I’m thinking he’ll be here in less than five minutes,” she whispers, gesturing at Ant to crouch down with her. “Unless he gets here faste—”

Lauren is immediately cut off by the sound of rustling in the near distance, and she cocks the gun. She sees Walker making his way down the trail, less than 20 metres away.

15.

12.

10.

5.

3. 

Lauren holds her breath as if he would hear the breathing. She’s ready to shoot. She’s got her finger on the trigger, starting to put pressure on it—

And then she hears the sound of a twig breaking behind her.

So does Walker.

His reaction is immediate, and the last thing Lauren sees before being thrown back into the tree behind her is Walker raising his hand towards the direction in which the twig snapped.

Kerr stepped on a twig.

Kerr stepped on a fucking twig, and Lauren is going to kill her if Walker doesn’t do it first.

She’s winded, on the ground, and she can’t see Kerr anywhere. Struggling to breathe, she reaches for the pistol that she dropped, just a metre away from her, but that’s quickly thrown out of her reach.

Walker’s voice sounds from above her. “Thought you had me, huh?” 

Lauren is lifted by nothing into the tree again, and she feels a force against her neck. Walker is using his telekinesis to strangulate her to death. She reaches for the hunting knife strapped around her waist, but that hand is then pinned down against the tree, too. She can’t breathe. There are blue and black dots starting to cloud her vision.

This is it, she thinks desperately. I’m going to die, and it’s going to be because of that fucking idiot stepping on a twig. 

[antoniakerr]

As the twig snaps and everything goes to shit, the only thing Ant can think is how she wants the ground to swallow her whole. Shit.

Fuck.

Everything's ruined. I've fucked up. I had one fucking job. Christ.

Caught in the blast of the telekinetic energy, Ant's pushed sideways and has to curl her body up to withstand the impact. Face down in the dirt, surrounded by weeds and leaves, Ant peers through the undergrowth. Her eyes go wide, shocked by the scene before her. She'd only ever heard stories about telekinesis. Seeing it first-hand was ... well, substantially more frightening than Ant had expected.

Ant's heart is racing as she watches Lefebvre's body crash against the trunk of a tree. He's ... fuck, he's strangling her. Without even touching her. Her own body is stiff, frozen in place, her eyes fixed on Walker. He hasn't noticed her, thankfully, and when Lefebvre's pistol lands a few yards from her, Ant's able to reach forward and grab it undetected.

The seconds that follow, they feel like hours, as Ant wraps her finger round the trigger, hands shaking. She needs to concentrate. She knows she's only got one chance, and if she misses ... well, they'll both die. Her view is restricted, but if Ant can keep steady, she should be able to hit him in the leg, incapacitate him. Then Lefebvre can finish him off. Eyes narrowed, Ant takes a few long breaths, focussing her aim. Her finger squeezes on the trigger. The recoil is worse than she's expecting, but she hears Walker yell out in pain and Lefevbre's no longer pinned to the tree. I hit him. Thank Christ for that. 

Slowly, Ant pushes herself up from the ground and cautiously makes her way back over to Lefebvre. Walker's writhing on the ground, but she cocks and points the gun at him anyway. "Are you ... Shit, I'm sorry. Really," Ant says finally, turning to Lefebvre, her voice full of guilt.

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

"That would be incredible," Gabby says. She was excited at the prospect of having a twin sister before, but a musical twin sister? This just kept getting better.

However, Antonia didn’t seem nearly as pleased with this whole situation as Gabby was, and that threw Gabby off a little. She nods, squinting up at the sky. “It’s weird, I won’t lie. But it’s a good kind of weird, you know? Life is so silly and strange sometimes, and I’ve kind of learned how to take weird things into stride. So I hope you don’t think this is some terrible, farfetched thing to me, because it’s not.” She looks over at Ant. “I don’t know either. I don’t really know how to be a sister or anything, but if you’re willing to, I think it’d be good to just…I don’t know, be friends,” she says, looking ahead making a hand gesture towards the general space in front of her. “I think making this into a big deal wouldn’t help either of us with anything, yeah? We could go with it. Like you said, we don’t really know each other, but I think it would be great if we could.”

[antoniakerr]

Friends. I don't have friends. Ant almost says the words out loud. Almost. She has Sam, and Tay, perhaps, at a push. And there is Lauren. But are they her friends? Sometimes, Ant isn't sure. Mostly, people either hold her in contempt or outright despise her - Novotny being the champion of that particular emotion. She doesn't want Gabrielle to hate her, and a part of Ant thinks that the only way to guarantee that it wont happen is to never talk to each other again. If she never expects anything from me, then she'll never be disappointed, right?

Ant's gut says to run, to cut her losses and leave Gabrielle with a "sorry, but no. I'll still send you a birthday card", but ... She's in two minds. And the last few times she's trusted her gut, things haven't exactly worked out in her favour. Fuck it.

"I think I can manage that," Ant says finally, "I don't know how good a sister I'll be or anything, but starting as friends seems a decent idea."

[antoniakerr]

ships with holes // ant & anna

[annanovotny]

A low growl almost escapes Anna’s throat as Ant gets up to leave. No, that was not how this worked. Ant did not get to decide when this meeting ended. Ant did not get to decide how Anna handled the discipline of her own subordinates. In fact, she has had quite enough of Ant entirely. 

In a flash, she’s risen from her chair and behind Ant. Ignoring the visible bruises on Ant, Anna grabs her by the shoulder and slams her into the wall. “I did not dismiss you, Antonia.” She doesn’t let go of her grip on Ant, even tightening it, though it wasn’t like she needed much effort to keep this weakened Ant in place. 

"You listen to me, and you listen to me very carefully." Anna closes the cap between them, effectively cornering Ant. Good, she had Ant’s attention again. "You take this pathetic excuse of an attitude and shove it somewhere where it will cease to further antagonize every situation you find yourself in. So, life is tough. You cannot stop fucking up. You know what? Tough shit. The world does not revolve around you. You are a defective cog in a machine that cannot afford to cease productivity."

She doesn’t want to lose Ant’s attention, so she grips her shoulder even tighter and leans in further. Anna is acutely aware of every pore on Ant’s face, the bags under her eyes, and the lifelessness in her eyes. She is absolutely disgusted. 

"If I ever have to call you into this office ever again for anything other than an assignment, then you can consider yourself as good as dead."

She releases her grip on Ant, pushing back on her with disgust. “Get out of my sight. I want nothing more to do with you.”

[antoniakerr]

Ant winces in pain as her back hits the wall. She's caught completely unaware, and isn't able to brace herself for the impact. Fucking hell. Anna's grip on her shoulder is tense, her fingers digging in to the epicentre of Ant's pain. She inhales sharply, looking everywhere but directly into Anna's eyes; if she lets their gazes meet, Ant knows she'll crumble. Her knees will buckle and she'll drop to the floor, resolve completely broken. No, she has to stay strong, and if that means fixing gaze firmly to a spot on the ceiling, then so be it.

As Anna's face moves closer, Ant is forced to make eye contact. Shit. She already thinks I'm pathetic. Now she'll know it. I'm a mess. She furrows her brow, attempting to cobble together some sort of stronger façade, but the proximity is unsettling. Anna is taller, only by a few inches, but backed up and cowering into the wall, to Ant it feels like whole feet.

"F-fine," she spits out, her voice weak and strained. Ant has to bite her tongue to prevent herself from blurting out anything further. She's genuinely a little afraid of what Anna might do, were she to continue to antagonise her. The relief Ant feels when Anna finally lets go of her is very welcome. The dull ache in her shoulder had transformed into a relentless throbbing, and the pain was bordering on unbearable.

Wordlessly, Ant scrambles at the door and leaves the office, shuffling down the corridor as quickly as her body will let her. Everything hurts, and she has to use up her last shred of self-control to ensure she doesn't start to sob on the way to her car. What a fucking disaster.

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

Gabby looks over, her attention drawn to Ant again as she stretches, and she tilts her head and squints slightly when the light hits the back of her neck and shoulders. She swears she can see bruises, but Gabby has no idea if she even has the right to address that—it’s almost silly, really, how concerned she is for Ant when they’ve only been speaking to one another for all of half an hour. She realizes she’s still staring at Ant’s neck, and shakes her head a little, sitting down next to Ant and choosing to not address any of it (for now).

The concerns in her head fade slightly. “A band!” she exclaims, straightening up in her seat. “That’s so cool. You’re definitely cool. What’s your genre or general aesthetic? Can I hear some of your stuff sometime?”

[antoniakerr]

Ant smiles at Gabrielle, feeling a lot more comfortable despite her residual pain. Her enthusiasm isn't completely infectious, but it helps to make Ant feel less awkward and stifled. "It's uh, electronic, I guess. I'm not very good at describing it," she answers, "You're probably best to listen to it and make your own mind up. I could put some tracks on a flash drive or something?"

The whole situation is bizarre, still. Ant can hardly believe that she's sat here, with her twin sister, having a conversation like it's the most normal thing in the world. She thought that taking a few days to process everything before contacting Gabrielle would make it easier to handle, but now that they've met, Ant's still trying to get her head around the situation. "This is ... it's weird right?" she asks finally, squinting in the sunlight, "I mean, we had no idea we even existed, but here we are, talking about music like it's no big deal." Ant sighs loudly. "Sorry, I don't mean to be-- I'm just, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act, if I'm honest."

[antoniakerr]

ships with holes // ant & anna

[annanovotny]

Underneath her desk, Anna clenches and unclenches her fist as Ant recounts her tale. She wants to yell at her to stop talking, to throw something, to verbally berate her until Ant is physically incapable of continuing. By the time Ant has finally finished speaking, Anna is shaking from anger. She does speak for several long moments, struggling to control her breathing and maintain a decent composure. 

"If you ever expect to live through the year," she finally says, slowly and with pained effort to avoid yelling, "then you had better start acting like you actually give a shit about living. Because it seems to me that you have some sort of death wish. And while I normally would not give one single fuck as to whether you live or die, the fact that you could very well compromise a centuries old, secret organization makes me care far more than I would like."

Anna straightens, continuing to glare at Ant. “I will not have you jeopardize myself or this organization. And should it come to it, I have no qualms with eliminating you myself.” She clenches the arm of her chair, resisting the urge to physically stress her point. “Has the severity of this situation finally sunk its way into that abnormally thick skull of yours?”

[antoniakerr]

"It's not like I went out looking to get attacked, you know," Ant mumbles. She struggles to focus, distracted by the dull throbbing in her shoulders. The painkillers are starting to wear off, and all Ant can think about is how she wants nothing more than to be at home, her in bed. Where no one can bother me.

Maybe I don't give a shit about living, she thinks, briefly looking across at Anna. Has she been feeling more like her usual, petulant self, Ant would have been tempted to say that out loud, just to get a rise out of Anna. Instead, as she listens to Novotny's stern but apparently calm tirade. Ant knows it's all bullshit. She can sense the rage bubbling up under than exterior.

"Actually, fuck this," Ant starts, slowly pushing herself up from the chair. I don't need to listen to this. I don't ... I want to drink, and smoke, and not be around you. "If you're just going to berate me and tell me I'm a piece of shit, you can save it. If you want to be constructive and actually discipline me, then great. Otherwise, I'm going home." She shuffles across towards the door, not bothering to turn back to look at Anna. What a fucking shitshow.

[laurenlefebvre]

Flashback: Fear & Suspicion || Lauren & Ant

[laurenlefebvre]

Lauren nods, gritting her teeth while she attempts to break open the last link of the fence—they’ve gotten far enough to be able to squeeze through without much trouble. An ambush is a good idea—Kerr doesn’t seem to be completely incompetent. “It’s regular. We want to keep away from the trailhead, in case we get a few lost tourists who happen upon the area.” She looks at her watch. “He started the hike around twenty minutes ago. It takes him forty minutes to get to the end before he loops back, and it only takes him twenty-five to thirty to get back, since most of it is downhill.” She crouches down to draw a diagram in the dirt with a stick, drawing a straight line to indicate his path. “Walker should be around here.” Lauren scratches a dot halfway down the line. “We’re going to set up here.” She place a dot just below that. “By the time we get to that point, he’ll have turned back—we’re going to run there—and he’ll get to where we are around five to ten minutes after we get there. Then we’ll ambush him, like you said.”

She stands back up. “Remember that he’s telekinetic. We have to get him fast, or catching and killing him will be ten times harder, if he sees us coming—which he won’t. Understood?” 

[antoniakerr]

Ant focusses on the diagram, absorbing as much information as possible. She gives an affirmative nod; this should be pretty straight forward, and she can't see too much room for error. They should come back from this successful and unscathed. "Alright," Ant says, mirroring Lefebvre's movements and lifting herself from the ground, "Sounds straightforward. Lead the way."

---

The run to their proposed ambush spot is a little more arduous than Ant has anticipated, mostly due to being laden down with the bag of gear. Still, she keeps up with Lefebvre, scrambling across the terrain with as much stealth as possible. Eventually, they come to a stop and Ant leans her back against a tree, catching her breath. Thank god for all those extra hours at the gym, she thinks, grimacing slightly. Ant looks over at Lefevbre, expectant. "We made pretty good time," she starts, glancing at her watch, "How do you want to set up?"

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

Gabby chuckles. “I guess. I don’t know. I wouldn’t call me travelling around Europe and coming to America a good thing. I did most of that to run away from problems, and I honestly you’re definitely smart enough to know that running away from your problems never works.” She grimaces slightly, thinking again about how Roisin didn’t come back when she accidentally electrocuted her, but there’s no way she can tell Ant this—for all Gabby knows, Ant could be one of the “powered ones” or something whatever, but she doesn’t want to take the risk of Ant not being one of them. “You should apply! I can help you out with applications and such. It’s never too late to go to school.”

She’s almost startled at the fact that Ant is giving her the option to not have some kind of relationship with her. “I mean, if you wanted to just tell me and go on with your life, I guess that’s fine,” she says, not really knowing if she believes it herself. “But I think you’re really cool. From what I’ve seen of you so far. And also, having a sister sounds like it would be awesome—not to scare you off or anything, but I’ve, y’know, always wanted a sister. So, if you wanted to maybe…somehow try this out, hang out a bit—oh, I could introduce you to my friends!—” Gabby shakes her head slightly. “Sorry, I keep going on tangents. But yeah, I think this could be great. If you’re okay with it, that is.”

[antoniakerr]

As they round the corner and head into the park, Ant hums non-committally. She knows all about running from problems, and Gabrielle's right, it never works. Her brow furrows as she glances across at her sister, getting the feeling that there's maybe something Gabrielle isn't telling her. It's not my place to ask. "Yeah, maybe once I've not got so much on my plate," she says finally, a little resigned.

"I, uh ... I guess I didn't mean it like that," Ant starts, sheepishly, "I just ... Well, we're twenty years old --" (It sounds so weird, saying 'we', referring to the two of us collectively, she thinks) "--  I figured you'd have your own life and wouldn't need someone coming out of the blue trying to become a part of that, twin sister or not." Ant gestures towards a bench in the sunshine. "We should sit, enjoy the weather."

Dropping her bag to the ground, Ant settles down into her seat. She takes a moment to stretch her arms above her heat, attempting in vain to alleviate the throbbing ache in her neck and shoulders. She's suffering, and despite her efforts to cover them, her bruises are still visisble. If Gabrielle's noticed them, she hasn't made it obvious.

"You barely know me," Ant scoffs, as she stuffs her hands back into her pockets, "I'm really not that cool. I am in a band though." 

[antoniakerr]

sharks don't sleep (mp) // ant & tay

[tayvia-wade]

[Tay takes a long swig of her beer, looking at Ant a little more carefully now. It’s less the bruises which make her seem defeated, more the slope of her shoulders, the way she’s holding her head. It makes Tay worry a little, on the inside, that Ant might have seriously fucked up.] You slept with one of the freaks? [She struggles to keep the disdain out of her voice. Tay’s never slept with anyone, and the idea of sex in general makes her a little jumpy, let alone sex with someone who could set you on fire, or read your mind.] So you slept with some random powered, and then they attacked you? Who was it? Can we go get some revenge? [It’s her default response; attacks are always followed by striking back. Ant doesn’t look like she’s in a place to strike at all, though.]

[antoniakerr]

Jesus, no need to sound so judgemental. Everyone sleeps with people they shouldn't have. [Ant takes a long mouthful of beer, buying herself a little time to think of an appropriate response. Just be honest?] Uh, yeah. Not the first time I've done that, either. [Ant laughs quietly, aware of how ridiculous she must sound. There can't be many other hunters that have made the mistake of sleeping with a powered, and have done it more than once. But Charlie doesn't count, she reassures herself, she was a ... double agent or whatever? Christ.] I dunno, Tay. It's probably not a good idea. [She raises an eyebrow, a little perturbed by Tay's vague sense of enthusiasm.] As much as I'd love to make this girl my first kill, I'll just get in more trouble with the higher ups if I try to deal with this myself.

[antoniakerr]

ships with holes // ant & anna

[annanovotny]

Anna lets out a fake, cold laugh. She still can’t wrap her mind around Ant’s unfathomable stupidity. “You know,” she shakes her head, “when this tale first reached my ears, I had given you the benefit of the doubt. A bit foolish of me, really, but the reality of the situation was simply so unbelievable that I assumed it was an exaggeration. But so, it is true after all. Attacked in your own home.”

She finally makes eye contact with Ant, and another surge of rage jolts through her. Oh, how easy it would be to break that pretty little neck of hers… “Dare I ask for the details? Or will the sheer, inexplicable idiocy of this story prove to be too absurd for my mere human mind to grasp?”

[antoniakerr]

Anna's laugh rings harsh in her ears, and Ant is glad she elected not to gloat. Foolish antagonism would be of no use, especially given that Novotny did know what happened. Perhaps more naïve is Anna's assumption that the facts of the attack are simply too ridiculous and tragic to be true. She should know me better by now. I'm just one useless mistake after another.

"Well, you know me," Ant starts, shrinking back into the chair, "If there is one thing you should be able to bank on, it's me screwing up, right?" She pauses, nervously running her fingers over the cuff of her jacket. Everything feels horribly reminiscent of the repeated beratings she received from her adopted father, David. The dread and anticipation of a verbal tirade bubbles in her stomach, and Ant lowers her gaze to the floor, not having the mental strength to look Anna in the eye.

Ant winces as she recounts the details of the attack; how she'd been working on the service desk, how Dev had approached her, flirted with her, and orchestrated a sexual liaison, how - despite her better judgement - Ant had gone along with the whole thing, looking for an easy lay. She sighs outwardly as she goes on to reassure Anna that no sensitive information has been compromised - "Everything's locked in a safe" - and that the only consequences seem to be the physical ones to herself.

"I'm, uh ... I'm sorry," Ant finally mumbles. Apologies won't save her, Ant knows that, but she doesn't know what else to say. "Please, just fire me"? Or even "Put me out of my misery"? It's sad - and concerning - but the thought that a swift execution might be the best option for everyone involved briefly flits across Ant's mind. Fuck.

[laurenlefebvre]

Flashback: Fear & Suspicion || Lauren & Ant

[laurenlefebvre]

"Yep." Lauren cranes her neck to see if she can get past these obnoxiously slow drivers, and manoeuvres the car so that she can pass them, stepping on the gas pedal and going twice as fast as they were going before. She doesn’t have much else to say, so she doesn’t.

The drive isn’t necessarily awkward, but there’s something strange about the fact that she’s just met this girl, and they will be working together to kill someone. This isn’t Lauren’s first kill by any stretch of the imagination, but she does sometimes have these prospective thoughts of the surreality of it all. She’s aware of the fact that “normal” people don’t kill other people, but she’s been raised to believe that this is the normal thing to do, and she is immersed in it. Eliminate the threats, eliminate the ones who have an unfair, unnatural advantage, the world is not safe with people who can set fire to things by looking at the, the ones who can move things with their minds, the ones who can manipulate innocent civilians’ decisions and thought processes.

Normal people do not kill normal people. No.

But these people are not normal. Lauren is not normal. 

She pulls into the trailhead, marked with a “DO NOT ENTER—UNFINISHED TRAILS AND NO TRAIL MARKERS. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED” sign. Not looking to see if Kerr is following her, she gets out of the car. Lauren looks up and scans the area to see if there are any security cameras, and there’s one on the barbed wire fence—however, with closer inspection, it’s not active, and facing towards the other side of the fence instead of where Lauren and Kerr are currently positioned. It’s a fake security camera, probably there to scare off any hoodlums who would want to go into the trail to smoke pot or something. She moves towards the back of the car and opens up the trunk, tucking a pistol into her back pocket, a hunting knife into a sheath tied around her waist, and pulls out two pairs of bolt cutters. Wordlessly, she hands a bag full of weaponry and tools towards Kerr’s general direction, then hands the bolt cutters to her, closing the trunk.

Walking towards the fence, she starts talking. “We’re going to cut through the fence. Camera over there’s a fake. We’ll discuss a strategy while we break the fence. Any suggestions?”

[antoniakerr]

Ant scrambles to take the bag and the cutters from Lefebvre, initially feeling a little over-burdened. She takes a moment to sling the bag across her back, adjusting the weight. Her eyes scan their surroundings as she follows behind, and Ant notices the camera. What she doesn't admit is that she hadn't realised that it wasn't actually operational; her observational skills aren't quite up to scratch. Ant simply gives an affirmative nod, though Lefebvre doesn't notice.

Ant's caught unaware when she does address her, not expecting to have to give any input. "Don't be late, don't fuck up, and don't use a weapon" had been her brief instructions. A fleeting thought crosses her mind; Is this some sort of test? Or a trick? Is she trying to get me in trouble? Ant narrows her eyes, trying to read Lefebvre's face, and realises she is waiting for some sort of answer.

"Depends. How much information do you have regarding the target's route?" Ant raises an eyebrow as she wrestles with the cutters and the fence. "If he keeps it regular, it might be best to find an advantageous position and attempt an ambush."

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

Gabby is watching Ant a little through the corner of her eye—she seems like a timid—no, timid would be implying that she is scared, and she doesn’t seem scared so much as she seems apprehensive—quiet girl. Gabby bites her lip a little, trying to figure out a way to open up conversation with her without making her feel uncomfortable.

Ant doesn’t seem to want to talk too much about herself, which Gabby almost expected, so she takes the question about herself in stride and starts talking.

"I had a…strange time living in Bristol," she starts, deciding not to mention Roisin just yet. "As cliche as this might sound, music brought me here. I took up music when I was around five years old, and I went to this performing arts middle school before heading over to this high school called Roundview. After I graduated, I realized there weren’t any worthwhile music programs in Britain—well, not many that I was interested in—and I heard that Hailgrove was well-known for their music program. Before I came here, I travelled around Europe for a bit, busking and playing a few small gigs and such—interpersonal time and all that—then I decided it was time to get an education of some sort. I applied to Hailgrove, got in, and then my foster parents, Jessica and Paul—who would love to meet you by the way—moved to Washington, so they would be close to me but far enough to give me “growing space” or whatever.”

She stops suddenly, feeling a little embarrassed. “Wow, I totally didn’t mean to completely take over this conversation.” Gabby chuckles nervously. “But, uh, yeah. Now I’m here.” She turns to Ant. “Is this whole thing—like, us being sisters—is that something we’re keeping quiet for now? Like, I’m sure you want some adjustment time before you tell all your friends about it. But is it okay if I tell a few close friends about it? I’m just really not sure how this whole thing works.”

[antoniakerr]

Ant stuffs her fists into the pockets of her jacket, and a small, but genuine smile forms on her face. Music. Finally, some common ground, something she can cling on to, to avoid any sort of difficult conversation about what she really does for a living. It's entirely plausible that Gabrielle knows about the powered and the hunters, but on which side does her sister fall? Ant's not sure she's ready to learn the answer to that question.

"No, no, it's ... I don't mind," Ant starts, her eyes scanning across Gabrielle's face. She can't quite grasp how alike they look; the almost identical shape of their faces, their brown eyes, even their haircuts are vaguely similar. It's their differences though, that stand out more - the contrast in their accents, their style of clothes, the way they carry themselves. "You've done quiet a lot with your life, haven't you? And yeah, Hailgrove's music programme is very highly regarded. I'd have loved to have been able to study here. Not music, necessarily, but generally." Ant tries her hardest not to sound too dejected about her lack of university education; though, now that she has this inheritance coming, maybe she'd get to college after all. I should look into that.

"You can do whatever you want, Gabrielle. I'm not expecting you to want a relationship with me; it's entirely up to yourself. I'm just a stranger with a familiar face, and you're not obligated to me in any way." And I've never had much of a family anyway, so if you walk away now, I'll not be any worse off.

[laurenlefebvre]

Flashback: Fear & Suspicion || Lauren & Ant

[laurenlefebvre]

She’s tiny. Well—realistically, she looks like she’s about the same height as Lauren, but Kerr has an air of being tiny—but she still looks slightly menacing. She’s wearing a leather jacket. We’re hunting in a trail, for god’s sake, Lauren thinks to herself. Lauren nods to her, reaching over to open the passenger door. “Hop in,” she says. “Minnekhada’s about a fifteen-minute long drive away.”

Once Kerr gets into the car, Lauren immediately starts driving, not taking her eyes off the road ahead of her. “I’m sure you’ve been briefed on my target,” she says. My target. “Telekinesis. It’s going to be a tough one, lots of running. Thankfully, it’s out of the public eye, so we don’t have to worry about being subtle.” She glances at Kerr through the corner of her eye. “I could have handled this alone. I’m not sure why they told you to come here with me.” She moves her eyes back to the road, realizing that what she said sounds an awful lot like ‘you’re useless, I don’t know why you’re here’, so she rephrases herself. “Being, for the lack of a better term, an assistant, doesn’t seem like the most incredible job one could have.” Sorry they made you come with me. 

She leaves out that part. Kerr is her coworker. Lauren could even go as far as saying that she is her subordinate for the day. 

"Keep close to my trail at all times. Don’t let him get away."

[antoniakerr]

Ant can't stop herself from rolling her eyes at Lefebvre's use of such possessive language. "My target". Pfft. What is she trying to prove here? I know my purpose. I'm just the fucking help. She tilts her head, only slightly, trying to get a quick glance at her temporary "boss". Lefebvre is ... she's not exactly imposing, but then neither is Ant, so she makes a point not to judge. Nothing frustrates her more than not being taken seriously, both on account of her gender and her stature.

"Running, alright. Understood," Ant replies, finally, concious of how insubordinate her silence may appear. She isn't happy about acting as a glorified bag-carrier, but Ant knows that any fuck-ups will get back to the higher ups. And that would mean more shitty donkey work.

Ant lets out a short sigh. "No, it's not. But I'm green, and I need to prove myself still. Everyone starts at the bottom, right?"

[antoniakerr]

sharks don't sleep (mp) // ant & tay

[tayvia-wade]

[Tay pats Ant on the shoulder as she heads to the bar; it’s a gesture of camaraderie rather than pity.] Beer first. Then you can tell me about it. [She orders them a couple more beers, smiling blithely when the bartender tries to flirt with her. Tay’s state of constant frustration has alleviated since her hunt, a couple of nights earlier. It was corny, but the thrill of the hunt satisfied her in a way nothing else had ever managed to, so she could understand how Ant got into hot water for the sake of a kill. She sets two more beers down on their table, leans back in her chair.] Looks like something has gotten under your skin. Literally. [She can’t help but grin at her own joke.] If not a target, then…? A little extra cirricular activity, huh?

[antoniakerr]

[Ant shows Tay a small smile of thanks as she returns to her seat; both for the beer and the vague sense of solidarity. It isn't always easy, having troubles such as these; there is no one to talk to, other than fellow hunters, and they are full of contempt. There is no sympathy. But Ant doesn't want sympathy, not really. She just wants an equal, someone to listen and talk to. Maybe that can be Tay. Maybe not.] It's not a proud story, I'm afraid. [Her words are resigned, and Ant takes a short drink for elabortatign a little.] I was tricked, seduced if you will, by a powered looking for some revenge.

[antoniakerr]

ships with holes // ant & anna

[annanovotny]

Anna doesn’t know if Ant has an incredibly high pain tolerance, or is just very, very stupid, but either way, she barely hides the look of disgust on her face as Ant painfully takes a seat. The words feel like acid as they sit on her tongue - pathetic, stupid, worthless. She has no sympathy for the girl in front of her, no trace of understanding for the situation Ant had stumbled around in. Such a grandiose display of unprofessionalism makes her stomach churn and whisper thoughts at the edge of her mind; words not her’s echoed from the past. A phantom pain itches along her back, phantom pain resembling lashes from belts and scars forbidden from healing.

She briefly closes her eyes, allows herself a moment to scrap together her calm exterior. “And tell me,” she finally says, after her eyes open and dangerous thoughts are roped off, “exactly what was it that led you to be in such pain, pain so great that the possibility of you laying incapacitated on my office floor is a very real probability? Since you are, technically, on suspension, I am dying to know the story behind this.”

[antoniakerr]

Oh. OH. That is interesting. Novotny doesn't know. For all her talk about being superior and intelligent, Ant had presumed that she has enough pairs of eyes and ears on campus to obtain information that would allow her to at least guess about what caused Ant to end up in such a sorry state. Obviously not.

The temptation to rub this fact in Novotny's face is strong. Ant can't imagine anything more satisfying than lording the uncharacteristic ignorance over her boss, but ... No. Not today. Not any more. There will be no further insolent torment inflicted on Anna.Today marks a change. Ant has her sister to think about about now. She will take this inevitable punishment, however brutal and longstanding it may be, and then she'll behave. No unsolicited activity, no speaking out of line, nothing. Ant will be a model student, keeping her mouth shut and her eyes open.

"I was ..." Ant pauses, her voice faltering as she struggles to word things in a way that does not embarrass. That's pointless. I'm weak and pathetic and everything about me is an embarrassment. "attacked. I was tricked, quite primitively I'll admit, and I was attacked in my own home." She hazards a glance across at Anna, gauging whether or not to press on with her sorry tale.

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

"That’s so cool!" Gabby exclaims, a genuine smile lighting up her face. Ant is new, Ant is someone who hasn’t been in Gabby’s life yet, and Gabby thought that the friends that she had right now and the friends that she’d made before were good enough for her—she hadn’t been planning on making any new friends (not in an anti-social way—in a "I’ve now got Roisin and incredible friends, I don’t really need to make any more), but Ant—her own sister—seemed like a very interesting person. All that Gabby was hoping for was that Ant was actually into being sisters, instead of telling Gabby just for the sake of telling her, then running off.

Her body relaxed slightly when Ant accepted her offer. “Anywhere at Hailgrove is great in the sunshine, I find,” she says brightly, standing to pick up her purse. She shakes her head politely at Ant’s offer. “Thanks so much, but I had some tea before I came here.”

When they get outside of the cafe, Gabby is thinking of questions to ask Ant to get to know her better. She figures “so, tell me about your life” is far too generic and too difficult of a question to have to answer, so she starts off plain and simple. “So,” she starts, squinting into the sun a little before turning back to Ant as they walk. “Why Hailgrove, of all places? I mean, I’m glad you came here, otherwise I might have never met you, but yeah. I mean, I guess what I’m asking is…” Gabby bites her lip, unsure of the boundaries they have in regards what kind of questions she can ask, but she figures she might as well hit the ground running with Ant. “We were born in the UK. How’d you end up here?”

[antoniakerr]

Ant can only nod, still unsure of what to say. Gabrielle's bright disposition and profuse enthusiasm are quite unsettling. She's never met anyone like this before; the people already in Ant's life do not have cheery personalities, favouring cynicism and obtuse stoicism. Such outward emotion is still foreign to her.

Thankfully, Gabrielle alleviates some of the pressure.

Focussing on her feet, placing them carefully down on the sidewalk, Ant ponders her answer. The question of how open and honest she should be is one Ant has wrestled with too often of late. If she's too guarded, Gabrielle may well be suspicious, but Ant doesn't trust the situation enough to tell the gir-- her sister her life story.

"My parents, well, adoptive parents, I suppose," Ant starts, straining her brow. The wounds inflicted from living with the Kerrs are still fresher than Ant would like. "They live not too far from here, near the coast. I've always lived in the area, or at least, I don't remember living anywhere else."

She risks a brief glance at Gabrielle and forces a smile. "What about you though? You're a much longer way from home; how does one go from Bristol to Oregon?" Ant asks. She is genuinely curious, and it's easier to direct questions at her new sister, rather than agonise over the answers.

[laurenlefebvre]

Flashback: Fear & Suspicion || Lauren & Ant

It’s 2012 and Lauren Lefebvre’s just been assigned her first solo mission by Anna Novotny. Everything before this has been grunt work and training—Lauren could probably assemble a machine gun with her eyes closed at this point, and take down someone twice her size if she wanted to, and it’s all paid off now. 

The target’s name is Mark Walker. Nothing special—a twenty-five year old man who has been using his telekinesis abilities to steal money and rob houses. He goes on a hike around the Minnekhada trail every Sunday, starting at 11AM sharp. The Minnekhada trail is closed off to the public, but he uses his telekinesis abilities to bend the electric fence so he can go through, then closes it off again. Lauren’s job is to get inside of the trail and find Walker.

And then eliminate him.

Anna’s superiors doesn’t trust Lauren to take this mission on alone—so, to Lauren’s dismay, they assign someone to be somewhat of an assistant to her. Lauren is meant to pick her up from her apartment, and drive them over to the head of the trail. She’ll be courteous to this girl, but she’s angry that they still don’t trust her enough to take on a mission alone. 

She gets there five minutes early and pulls up the number that Anna’s superiors gave her, and sends a text.

It’s Lefebvre, she types, I’m the one you’re helping with Walker. I’m outside of your apartment. 

Lauren puts her phone back in her pocket, and waits. 

[antoniakerr]

Ant simply stares at her new jacket, still on its hanger, hooked across the wardrobe door. It wasn't an impulse purchase; she'd squirrelled money away from her paltry pay-check for several months. Real leather jackets are not cheap, especially for a part-time bartender. Still, as she runs her eyes over the barely creased fabric, Ant wonders if she's maybe made a mistake. Perhaps it's too much of a statement; maybe this Lefebvre bint will think she's trying too hard.

No, fuck it. I didn't pay a few hundred dollars for this thing just to have it sit in some closet. 

She can hear her phone beep from through in the other room, and Ant takes a deep breath. That'll be her. She's still pissed off about the whole situation. A glorified bag carrier? Christ. Surely she'd done enough training to be allowed to at least hold a fucking gun? Frustrated, she neglects to tap out a reply, and instead heads down stairs, taking them two at a time.

Out in the cool morning air, Ant glances around and spots who she presumes to be her "boss" for the day. "You Lefebvre?"

[antoniakerr]

past in present // ant & gabby

[floodonthefloor]

"No, no, no, it’s fine!" Gabby says. "How crazy is it that we go to the same school, yeah?" 

Okay, so I have a sister. Gabby’s always wanted a sibling of some sort, but apparently, she’d had one all along. She was feeling a little awkward, though, in the sense that she didn’t know how to proceed with any of this—was Antonia happy about this, or what? She seemed more anxious and upset about it more than anything, but there was no telling what she was feeling anxious about—the fact that Gabby hadn’t actually given her a proper reaction, or that apparently, they weren’t supposed to find out that they were related. “It’s not an invasion of privacy. Well, I mean, I guess it kind of is, but it was for the greater good, or something,” Gabby said, uneasily smiling at Ant.

"Wow. A sister," she continues. "I, uh…this is actually kind of incredible." Gabby shifts slightly in her seat, not wanting to give Antonia the impression that she was some strange, overexcited child. She looks out the window of the cafe. "Do you want to continue this outside? It’s beautiful out, and I’d like to get to know you more—I mean, we have twenty years to catch up on."

[antoniakerr]

Oh, thank fucking christ. She's ... it's okay? She's not phased, which is some kind of a miracle. "Yeah, probably the weirdest coincidence ever, right?" Ant smiles awkwardly, trying not to appear too uncomfortable. She has a thought, and wonders if Gabrielle even knows anything about what this school is really for. Fuck, what if she's powered? That would be just my luck. "I'm not actually a student here," she starts, offering up a little bit of truthful information about herself, "But I do work at the university. In the computer science department."

Ant's eyes flicker to the window, following Gabrielle's gaze. There's no harm in getting to know each other, right? "Sure. We can-- there's that park, just off campus. I'm sure it's nice in the sunshine." Ant gathers up all of her documents and carefully slides the folder back into her shoulder bag. Apprehensively, she stands, adjusting the collar and lapels of her leather jacket. "I'm good, but do you want a drink or anything?" Ant asks, gesturing towards the counter.