#tragedium | john

[epiitaphs]

“ we get dirty and the world stays clean. ” (john @ frank)

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Frank can think of a lot of reason why that’s true. “Sometimes it’s the wrong people who stay clean.” He’s killed a lot of those. “I think I figured that out at some point. Haven’t been able to look back since.” There’s something about accepting that fact that means Frank’s never gonna have a normal life. 

[epiitaphs]

“ that’ll get their attention. ” (john @ seb)

“Good. I want them running around, distracted. It’s better when they know something’s wrong, but they can’t find something to shoot at.” That won’t last forever - people were probably already trying to track the shot back to him, but Sebastian’s patient - and not working alone. He very carefully checks on the scene down below. “Give it five more seconds, and then head in.”

[epiitaphs]

“ we may have a problem. ” (john @ bucky)

“What’s the problem?” He should probably wait for John to tell him, but Bucky is going to risk cutting him off because he needs to help. Bucky’s a solution to most problems, so he’s got to know what’s happening. He immediately takes stock of the weapons he’s got on him and anything else in their surroundings that could be used as either defense or offense. “Who is coming?” It’s the obvious guess, whether he’s right or not. 

[epiitaphs]

“ element of surprise is not on our side. ” (john @ seb)

“Fuck.” That’s a fucking shit situation, since Sebastian’s preferred method of operation is ‘unseen until it’s too late’. But getting what he wants every single time has never really been realistic. “Alright. No need to be overly subtle about it, then. Have your people pull back from the target for,” he makes a quick calculation, “three minutes, and I’ll give them exactly what they think they’re expecting. Don’t bitch about me being heavy handed, I’m not going to be reckless with the target. Just need some space.”

[epiitaphs]

“You need to think about yourself every once in a while.” (john @ frank)

Frank snorts at that. He knows. Sort of. He’s mildly aware that he needs to not fall apart, but John’s not really the first person to have told him. “A lotta people seem to think that about me.” Maybe there’s a reason for that. “I’m not dead yet.” He’s told John that before. The phrase is probably old news by now, but Frank clings to it as an excuse. That’ll change one day soon and Frank’ll be done with it all. Won’t be around to care, even as he’s got more and more people who’ll have to deal with the aftermath. 

[epiitaphs]

“ i’ll go ahead and make sure it’s safe. ” (john @ leila)

Leila’s not sure she was made for facing actual clear and present danger, for all that she’s absolutely a criminal. It’s better with the separation of a screen and several other measures. “Okay,” she says, voice remaining steady. “I will stay here, then.” And wait and listen so closely that she’ll be able to hear the blood rushing in her ears. She hopes it’s safe - what would she do if something happened? “Be careful,” she whispers, even if he probably doesn’t need to hear it.

[epiitaphs]

“ just like old times… ” (john @ seb)

Seb leans his head back against the wall, with a half laugh. “Yeah, this is really the part that I missed.” He can’t even nap this time around. “Waiting around to just to do nothing was always my favorite part of the job.” But John’s absolutely right. It’s easy, almost. Not that he’s going to let himself become complacent, given he knows just how many times things got entirely fucked up. “At least fifteen minutes until we hear anything,” he says, checking his watch. 

[epiitaphs]

“ we take care of our own here. ” (john @ seb / army)

"So I’ve been told,” he says, which is the sort of thing that makes people dislike him pretty violently. He knows it sounds cold when he’s talking about other people, so he can only imagine what it sounds like when he’s talking about himself. “Doesn’t mean that I think it was the right decision to go back.” He can complain now, since he’s alive and all that, but Sebastian’s never been one to gratitude properly. “You may think you’ve saved me, but I still have to see your stupid face every day, so I’m not sure about that.”