Just a Faint Reflection

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points: Assassin's Creed/The Secret World
Summary: Desmond and his allies regroup.
Word Count: 1267
Rating: Teen

 

        It’s about what he expects outside. The feeling of pressure doesn’t disappear, but it’s so much easier to breathe. Francis briefly got distracted trying to talk to Rukh, but when Rukh didn’t seem too interested, deflated, finally set off the conference magic call. Chelsea was not, as she’d been worried, been of too much direct help in the process, but they’d found that with her Bee powers she’d worked kind of like a battery. He’ll hand it to these Druids—they’re pretty good on the pickup. He’d only just worked that out himself. Nate and Lydia are actually vaguely enjoying themselves, learning something new about new magic techniques, which is really good, because even if Desmond’s figuring out how to mimic using magic, that doesn’t mean that he’s actually doing it. It’s a whole lot better if they can learn from people who, you know, actually do the thing. Like lending them out to learn things from the courtesans or thieves. What they’d done had actually done something, though the Park is, unfortunately, starting to regenerate or whatever, which pretty much means they’re going to have to step this up. Once they get the wards down this is probably going to go a whole lot faster, since they can start doing the battery thing with Carter, too.
         They’d only vaguely been aware that he was in trouble, and absolutely none of them seem to have a clue of how close it had been. Given that they kind of need to concentrate on what they’re doing so they can all pull this off, he’s kind of inclined not to enlighten them. It...doesn’t count as hiding things, he tells himself, and feels a twinge of guilt. He’ll tell them after. Okay, maybe not this, not exactly, but...something. He has to try harder, he knows that now. He hadn’t wanted to burden them or anything, but he’d gotten that glimpse that they don’t care—in fact, they want him to tell them things so they can stop worrying so much. Plus, well, it had almost killed him, and he’s good about taking hints like that. He’s probably not going to be any good at it, but...hey, he’s gotta start somewhere, right?
         Nuala probably knows something more than the others, but what if anything she picked up she’s definitely keeping to herself, which basically confirms she’s older than she looks (like there hadn’t been clues, already). If she was the teenager she looks, she’d have been confronting him with something already. She obviously at least knows about the astral projection or whatever it’s called bit, but anything else, who even knows.
         Uncomfortably, he gets the feeling that there’s something they hadn’t been telling him either. Specifically that while removing the wards from the outside so they can help out is necessary, it’s also probably kind of permanent, which means if they fail they’re exposing everybody to the dangers. Which. No pressure. It’s just like the skyscraper jump. Just means they can’t afford to fail.
        The one thing he hadn’t expected and maybe should’ve is that Captain Asshole and his goons decided to waltz up and start harassing his people. And, well, the Druids, but they’re all working together and they’re at least allies, so at this point he’s kind of thinking of them as his people too. It’s not like they don’t have anything better to do, like trying to stop the end of the world or anything. Nuala hadn’t started anything, mostly because she doesn’t want to cause an international incident or whatever you call it, but she had been...irritated. Which, given that they’re basically amateurs at this whole making fools of themselves thing, must mean that they must’ve really been getting in the way of actually doing good. You know. Like the Templars are supposed to do, in this world anyway. Not like they’re the first group that fails to live up to their lofty promises, but Desmond mentally points it out as he gets Carter situated, Rukh and Alice actually helping put wards around her so she’ll hopefully recover faster, and then holding the conference. He’s also pointedly ignoring the guy, but it appears Javier is utterly incapable of actually taking a single hint.
        Kind of hilariously, though, he actually deflates slightly on being ignored. Instantly perks right back up too when Desmond actually bothers to glance at him when he physically gets in the way of him checking in on Carter. He’s looking for an archenemy or something, and just happens to have decided that Desmond makes a perfect option, which is simultaneously hilarious and kind of pathetic, because Beaumont’s just...right there, metaphorically speaking, and Desmond’s not interested in playing these games. Because he also has better things to do, and unlike Javier he actually realizes it, too. At this point he’s even half making it a point of personal pride not to stab the guy even if attacked, because he’s asking for it way too much and if it’s a weird masochistic urge Desmond didn’t consent to be a part of it. “Despite your promises, I see you’ve made much progress destroying the sorceror.”
         Desmond rolls his eyes, moving to crouch down to check on a Carter who’s finally starting to stir when Alice crowds Javier out of the way. At least he’s not so much of a douche that he’d pick a fight with what looks like a little girl, even if he’s probably also the kind of guy who’d look at anything non-human and think ‘abomination’. “Yeah, because you’re hauling around his corpse as we speak.”
         That, of course, makes the mocking smile drop right off Javier’s face. He draws himself up to his full height (like that’s gonna intimidate Desmond) and states in the coldest voice he can manage, “I have come to retrieve Chelsea Palmer.”
         Like she’s a wandering pet, or something. “She’s here of her own free will.”
         “She has orders not to be,” Javier counters, like that’s the end of the argument. Honestly, the bluster is getting a little...sad and pathetic.
         Those orders probably involve things like ‘urgent’ and ‘right away’, but the more the guy insists on it, the less of a fuck Desmond happens to give. “Okay. So you can talk with her about it after we finish this up, but in the meantime, if you’re not going to help, you’re just getting in the way.”
         Javier had, apparently, not actually been taking their goal seriously, because he turns a little pale and splutters, “You cannot seriously think you can purify a site like this.”
         Is he a hundred percent confident, no, but even Nuala thinks they have more of a shot than she did when they started and she’s more familiar with this kind of thing, so.
         “Find some of those metal chairs—the Academy probably has extras, though I can’t tell you for sure they don’t have blood all over them that would get your nice shiny red and white coats messier—and watch. You might learn something.” Okay, at this point, he’s just kind of taunting them, but he’s got better things to do than babysitting a Cesare wannabe and his flunkies. Fortunately, that was enough to get them to back off, though that might partly because they’re all suddenly looking very uneasy. Shaun had been kind of cagey about it, but given their reaction, too, he’s going to guess that this is, again, something nobody’s really attempted before, not on such a large area.
         “I’m good to go,” Carter states suddenly, sitting up with a smile, and it’s time to head right back in.