My Name is Derek Hale page 21 - in which Stiles gets in someone's face when it's probably inadvisable, so it's a day that ends in 'y'. Things escalate, and we have our first action shot (help)
I only just realized I've been saying updates are on the first and third Saturday each month but then posting every 2 weeks regardless lol - so technically there shouldn't be a page out until next Saturday but it's finished and I've made good progress with my Secret Santa project so you get it now <3 Gonna continue with the 2-week posting schedule through December so next page will be up on December 13th!
Writing action scenes is all about the layering. Adding minute details to every sentence multiple times until you’re able convey all the moving parts and emotion. It’s really is like painting.
Which is why it takes so bloody long! For every 1k words of action I could have written 5ks words or a normal narrative...lol
Background: Topaz Bennett was the brightest student of her class, always the hardest worker in the room and it finally landed her a much coveted spot on the FBI’s Magic Task Force. By a cruel twist of fate, her new ‘partner’ turns out to be an elf named Kandomere, who seems to think it is his task not only to train her as the new agent on the task force, but educate her on pretty much anything else as well.
“Now this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I’ll tell you how I became the servant of an Elf called Kandomere”
Word count: 2636
tag list: @echoesandwhispersanddarkthoughts @xtequilaxmockingbirdx @kandomerx
If you wish to be added to the taglist, just leave a message in the comments, and I will add you from now on.
Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5
Part 6 - Take It Off
“Dance with me.”
Kandomere shook his head. He was fine just where he was sitting. He had a good overview of the place and had already determined that the real business was not conducted out here, with the booths and the dance floor. The music was loud, the bass vibrating in his chest, and the volume assaulting his eardrums. It was making it more difficult for him to distinguish sounds, but he could still read lips. His ears were going to be ringing for hours after this.
“What? You don’t dance?”
Topaz looked amused, which he supposed might have to do with the four or five shots she had rapidly tossed back in the last half hour. The moment they had arrived, her demeanor had changed like the flip of a switch. She had gone from contemplating which slow and painful manner of his death would give her the most satisfaction, to playing her part. The switch from agent Bennett, to the woman before him, swaying her hips to the music in an almost hypnotic fashion was surprising.
“We’ve had this conversation before, Topaz.” Despite her change in demeanor her name spoken by him still made her eyes narrow a little in reaction. It gave him some satisfaction and he smirked as he brought the glass up to his lips, tossing back the last of his drink.
“We have, and I distinctly remember saying I didn’t believe you could dance with that stick so far up your ass, but you insisted you could. Come prove me wrong.”
She was holding out her hand, while still swaying her hips to the music. It had gotten her more attention than he cared for, an elf at the bar even licking his lips, staring at her with an intensity that made him want to get up and knock him off his bar stool. Still, he had a part to play in all this, and being disinterested in his ‘date’ would only invite unnecessary trouble.
Taking her hand, he let her pull him to his feet and guide him to a spot on the dance floor. They passed two couples who were clearly doing more than dancing, but he paid them no mind. “I swear, if you breathe a word of this to anyone...”
Devilish was the only way to describe the look in her eyes and the grin that curved her lips, her tongue running along her teeth and biting down on her bottom lip. “Your secret is safe with me...”
“I doubt it.” He knew her better by now, but that was alright. His hands found her hips and he pulled her in close so he could lean and speak close to her ear. “The real question is, can you dance? Follow my lead.”
I can taste it on your mouth, and I can't leave it. You're a freak like me, can't you see? We can work this something out, and I'm believin', you get off on me. It's like cheating.
As stubborn and intent on doing things her way as she was, Kandomere was surprised when he guided her through the first steps and she seemed to catch on quickly, following his lead. His hand moved to the small of her back, feeling her other hand easily slip into his.
“Salsa, really?”
“Any music, can be salsa music. You just have to listen and find the right rhythm. So shut up and listen.” There was a fire in her eyes, whenever he told her what to do, this infuriating need of hers to do things her own way, instead of doing what she was told. He half expected her to take over lead or pull away, but Topaz did neither, and soon they were only focused on each other, the rest of the world disappearing from focus.
By the time the song and their dance ended, they had gathered quite an audience. Topaz was looking a little flustered, her breathing heavy and visible as her chest pressed against him with each breath. Something drew his attention to her mouth. Her lips were moving, but he didn’t hear her over the beat of the next song. Letting her take his hand, he followed her back to their seats. Her lips were close enough to his ear to feel them brush against the shell when she spoke again. “Let me get you another drink.”
An elf walked by and grinned at him, nodding his head a little in appreciation, but Kandomere was still trying to get control back over his senses. Topaz returned with his drink, putting it in his hand, but he was too dazed to do more than hold it. This was not a natural daze. Something was wrong. Opening his mouth, he tried to tell her, but no words were forming.
“I need to use the little girls room. Don’t go anywhere.”
She was gone, a flurry of red disappearing into the distance. Blinking, he put the drink on the table. He didn’t need to be drinking more. Two men slid into the seats on either side of him. “You’ve got yourself a lovely pet there…” The other nodded in agreement. “Far too lovely to keep all to yourself.”
“She’s not for sale,” he said, shaking his head.
“You’re looking a little pale. Maybe we should discuss this a little more private, get you a little fresh air.”
Despite his protests, Kandomere was pulled to his feet, the room starting to spin. Try as he might, he couldn’t focus on anything, or even form coherent words as strong arms held him up and guided him away.
--
Topaz peeked into the clutch purse. It had been handed to her in the car, but she hadn’t really bothered to check the contents. There was a phone inside, only one number programmed into the memory. A burner phone. In case of emergency. What kind of emergency would require a burner though? There was a compact and lipstick, regular girl things she still inspected. An eyebrow rose when she also found a switch blade. That certainly wasn’t a girl thing.
Quickly, she returned the blade to it’s hiding spot and gave a fake smile to the woman that walked in, checked her reflection in the mirror, and then peeked into a stall. “That was some seriously sexy dancing. You been with him long?”
“Thanks… a few months,” she answered. In case of an emergency, always use the truth, it was easier to keep straight than lies she had no opportunity to rehearse.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
She shook her head. “Visiting.” Her spidey senses were starting to tingle. The woman was awfully interested in making sure the stalls were empty. Why did she want to make sure they were alone? Her hand slipped into the purse for the switch blade at the same time as the woman lunged, trying to get Topaz in a headlock, but she pushed off from the sink, slamming her back into a wall and then a stall door. The woman lost her grip, dazed, staggering, allowing Topaz to get her barings. A well aimed, hard punch to the face, rendered the woman unconscious. “That was not nice!”
Dragging her into a stall, Topaz propped her up on the toilet and left her there. Making her way back out, she immediately noticed the booth was empty, the drink she had brought Kandomere sitting untouched on the table. Slipping back into the hall, she scanned the room. The elf at the bar that had been staring at her since they had entered the club, slipped from his bar stool, coming toward her.
The adrenaline coursing through her veins was sobering her up quickly. Think quick. Trying several doors in the hall, she found one that opened. She needed a weapon. The switch blade! “Fuck!” she cursed. She had left the purse in the bathroom in her hurry to get away. Great. So now she was trapped in a supply closet with nothing for a weapon. Searching the room, she found a broom handle in the corner. Taking a stance to hit whomever came through the door.
It was the elf from the bar, but he grabbed the end of the wooden handle the moment she swung it. “Why do you have to make this difficult?” Twisting it from her hands, using it to trap her against the wall, cutting off her airway as he pressed it against her throat. Don’t panic. Keep your focus.
After a few moments of struggling for air, she pushed her back against the wall, bracing herself, and grabbing hold of his shoulders, she brought her knee up full force, once, twice, until his grip on the broom handle loosened. Pulling up both legs, she kicked him back away from her, dropping her to the floor and hitting her head hard. “Ow...” That was less than graceful, but she had no time to think. He was only dazed for a moment, already struggling back to his feet.
Darting for the door, she slammed it closed behind her, running down the hall. There were stairs, leading up to the second floor and a guard standing in front of it. Grabbing an empty tray from a table, she slammed it down on the man’s arm when he drew his weapon, hitting him in the face and over the head.
“Stop her!” It was the elf from the supply closet. Pushing past the guard, she started up the steps, making it a few steps before a hand closed around her ankle and yanked. She hit the stairs hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Clawing at the stairs, she tried to grab hold of the railing to pull herself back up and get some leverage, but the elf was stronger.
–
“Is he coming around yet?”
Kandomere grimaced and sneered when cold water hit his face, glaring at the man who threw it. “I’m awake...”
“Good. Don’t worry, your girl should be here in a minute. Pretty thing. You pluck her off the street as a cover? I’m impressed. It almost worked. Unfortunately, one of my associates recognized you. Seems you were a thorn in Leilah’s side for quite some time.”
The elf’s eyes fixed on Kandomere. He was dressed in all black, the only break in his wardrobe the platinum chain around his neck and his white hair, slicked back behind his pointed ears and held together at the back of his neck with a black band. “You can’t stop the inevitable, Kandomere. Leilah was strong, but she wasn’t our only weapon.”
“I am sure as hell gonna try.” While he had been pretending to be knocked out by whatever drug they gave him, he had taken stock of the room he was in. Save for a few tools on the table there wasn’t much within reach that he could use for a tool. Two humans with guns were the only protection the elf had with him. He could use their guns, but he would need a distraction to get to them. He had already loosened his cuffs.
“And what could one elf possibly accomplish? You’ve been around humans too long. It’s clouded your judgment, made you weak. Like them.”
A commotion on the stairs drew the man’s attention, and it was just the distraction Kandomere needed. The cuffs dropped on the floor with a clang. Bones snapped audibly when he grabbed the hired muscle by the arm, and slammed it down over his leg. Human bones were so frail. Flipping the gun over, he pulled the trigger twice, turned and double tapped again, taking care of the help.
That just left the elf in black, but he didn’t look worried when Kandomere aimed the gun at him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you...”
The door was open, and another figure appeared in the doorway. It was the elf who had been staring at Topaz at the bar, the one he wanted to punch just for the way he looked at her. His eyes narrowed when he yanked Topaz forward by her hair, pressing a gun to her temple.
“Like I said, Kandomere… what is one elf going to do against an army? You can’t fight magic with guns.”
Although roughed up, Topaz looked relatively unharmed. She struggled against the elf’s hold on her hair for good measure, causing him to focus on her, tightening his grip on her hair. “Bitch, quit struggling.” Licking her lips, she grinned, her gaze locked on Kandomere. Ever so slightly, she nodded her head.
“Put the gun down, or your pet dies.”
--
Pet?
The fire in her eyes, caused Kandomere grin and she knew he had gotten her signal. Using her anger as fuel, she found the strength to fight off her attacker. “I am not his fucking pet!” Her heel stomped down on the elf’s foot, her elbow ramming into his ribs. He stumbled backward, the gun going off, the bullet splintering one of the floorboards.
She heard a gun jam, and Kandomere curse in Elvish. The elf in black used the commotion to slip down the stairs. Topaz finished off the other elf when her heel came down on his throat, puncturing the skin. Hot blood spurted out over her foot. “Ugh, gross.” Twisting the gun from his hand, she tossed it over. “What are you waiting for? Go! I am right behind you.”
Wiping her foot against his pant leg, she paid no mind to the gurgling sounds of the dying man as she rifled through his pockets. She had felt something during her struggle. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, she grinned victorious. It was protected with a swipe pattern. She got the right pattern on the second try. “Should’ve gone with the finger print option, dude.” Opening his camera, she snapped a picture of the now dead elf and the two dead humans. Taking the gun that was still in one of the dead man’s hands, she started down the stairs.
Pointing it at a frightened looking girl, she pressed herself up against the wall with her hands up, tears in her eyes. “Which way did he go?” A shaky finger pointed to the back. Pushing scantily clad, scared girls out of her way, she found the back door open. Keeping her finger on the trigger, she carefully stepped outside.
“Question. Do you always take so long in the ladies room?”
Kandomere plucked the silk handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit, flipping it around his hand to cover busted knuckles. The black clad elf was nowhere in sight, but there was another handcuffed to the dumpster.
“I was attacked!” Putting her hands on her hips, she looked back over her shoulder. The alley was empty, except for the familiar car coming toward them. Kandomere had called in their back up already? “So he got away, huh?”
“Yeah, but maybe this guy will tell us something when he comes around.”
“This might help. Swiped it from the guy upstairs,” she said, holding up the phone.
“Well done, pet.”
Shooting him a look, it was clear he was messing with her, trying to lighten the situation. She flipped him off with both middle fingers. “Bite me.”
Turning away, she walked toward the car, only to look back when she felt Kandomere’s hand close around her wrist. He was no longer looking amused. “I mean it though. You did really well tonight.”
“Thanks… I still hate you.” Walking toward the car, she leaned against it to undo the straps on the heels. They needed to come off, especially now they had been used as weapons. “I can’t believe you made me play a hooker!”
