Pay My Respects to Grace and Virtue [Closed]

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jacob had been expecting harsh words to come of this, but he hadn’t bothered preparing himself. The sight of his dead leader, friend, and lover was enough to shatter any defenses that he might have built. He recoiled physically from the acid that Paulo spit at him, turning his head away from the Cuban as if looking at him was painful. In truth, it was. Looking at everyone that was still standing, still breathing, struck Jake with a feeling like he’d just been stabbed. Out of all of them, why did it have to be Gabriel, why couldn’t it have been him? And fate would decree that it would happen now, when they were at odds, when so many things were left unfinished.

He bit his tongue, swallowing the words that he wanted to say to Paulo. Jake had been there from the beginning, before MSAD had a name. He’d been at Gabe’s side the longest and he wanted to lord it over all of their heads, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t right in this situation, not when Gabe’s body was still warm.

A threat to Morgan and his family, however, was enough to earn a reaction from the brunette. His jaw clenched and he hissed at Paulo through his teeth, “You hurt him at all and I will make sure it is the last thing you ever do. He had no part in this.” But the damage was done and Jake was sufficiently worried for the safety of the teacher and his mother.

Levi’s teary remark drew his attention next and he shook his head. “It’s okay, Levi. I’ll go.” This was no place for him anymore. His loyalties had always laid in Gabriel’s hands, not in the organization. He turned, stiff, and moved to where Levi sat on the ground, kneeling down in front of him. “Why don’t you come with me for a while, you don’t need to see this.” He brushed his fingers back through the boy’s hair, shooting one final look over at the twins before taking Levi’s hands and helping him to his feet. Things were going to change drastically now and Jake knew it wouldn’t be safe for Levi to hang around. He had to get him out of this compound, away from the twins and from Paulo.

If nothing else, his concern offered a distraction from the aching emptiness that was growing inside his chest.

[Anastasia van Drakke]

<grief>, or at least, other people’s, was an unpleasant emotion to feel, cloying and sticky. The surge Jessie sent out made the empath cringe, and she raised her eyebrows at the undignified display. Did no one have any sense of common propriety? She didn’t bother to try and help the boy feel any better; he was well below her attention.

Still, Jake on the other hand... her eyes darted to him as he asked for Levi to leave with him. He was radiating <cautious/wary/dislike>, strong enough to make the heiress glance at the twins. Where they sensing any of this? He was planning something... but she did not mind enough to stop him.

Gabe was dead, and she had never reported back to him after the disaster with Dalton. It was for the best, then. Had the rest of them known about her mission? Her eyes ran over them all, her face blank. At Oliver’s words, she sighed and shook her head.

”I don’t know what you plan on doing,” she said slowly, focusing on making the twins <open/understand/calm> to what she was going to say, ”but I’m not going to be involved in any battle you plan. Without Ivan,” her throat closed up, and her hands clenched inside her sleeves, ”I’m afraid my control is a little shaky.” Let them judge how they wanted, they didn’t understand anyway. All she had to focus on was making the twins stay calm and listen to her.

They might understand... Ivan had managed to get along with the two identical women. He had said they were good with weapons, which was the same as a hand shake from him. And they knew about being bonded so closely to someone, that without them you felt unable to function.

”I can arrange and finance documentation if you need to leave the country,” she added, still looking at the twins. <relax/understanding>. ”For all of you, if need be.” But that was all she would/could offer.

It was something. Maybe the MSAD wouldn’t understand, but they didn’t need to. She looked between them quickly now, her concentration flicking between them as she felt for any surge in aggression that might mean someone was going to stop her. "I hope you don't all die," she said finally, and sincerely, before turning on one heel and sweeping out of the room.

A crunch of gravel under tiers, and she was gone.

(Eva's out. Seems easier to have it now)

[Lala & Reese Degreas]

Things were getting out of their hands. The girls had always been silent enforcers. Caretakers. Never leaders. Things were crumbling and they had to scramble to catch them. Paulo, despite the fact that he was displaying some loyalty, was not helping. They needed to reign things in, remain level headed.

Lala stepped forward and cautiously took Paulo by the elbow. “Enough. Paulo.” Reese said with a surprisingly tentative tone. The girls didn’t fear anyone and felt no loyalty to anyone but Gabriel, but Paulo? Paulo had always been around. He deserved his anger, but he needed to put it to good use elsewhere. “He isn’t worth it.” Lala looked over at Jake, her normally warm brown eyes icey on Jake as he rounded to leave the room.

Despite thinking Levi was right, Jake needed to go. This had been his home for a long time, but only because Gabriel was in it. This had been his organization, his family for a long time, but only because Gabriel was heading it. Having chosen his…his Morgan over MSAD was disappointing, even enraging, but it was in the past. As far as the twins were concerned, he could sever ties and never come back: no harm, no foul.

“He didn’t have a hand in it.” Lala whispered near Paulo’s neck, shyly trying to calm him lest another scene begin. Even the twins, who were usually the most steadfast and unmovable, were feeling drained. Empty. Lost. This scene needed to end.

”Jake,” began the twins in tandem, Lala moving to return next to her sister, whose arms were crossed definitively. “and anyone else for that matter…[/i]” Their eyes popped to Penny, Levi…Anastasia, who had been suspiciously quiet. Only Reese continued to speak “…Anyone who wants to go. Go. Don’t come back. We will end this.” Reese took a deep breath as Jake was leaving. “Anyone who doesn’t feel it is a liability.”

Lala reached for Jesse as he flung himself onto Gabe, hovering nearby without knowing what to do. Reese couldn’t even look, and instead turned to Oliver, who spoke about as much as a rock most of the time. Time to cool off? He was certainly right. “Yes.” Reese affirmed, moving to Gabe’s body. She stepped easily around Max, her sister, and the weeping blond and pulled up Gabe’s limp form into her arms, cradelling him like a fallen bird: light, limp, and lifeless.

The weight in her arms was nothing. No weight would ever compare to the disgusting heaviness she felt. For the first time since coming to the compound, Reese’s eyes brimmed with tears. “We will bury him outside. Tonight. Tomorrow morning at o-seven-hundred we will reconvene for a debriefing.” Reese closed her eyes, squeezing the tears back into their ducts even as they rolled freely off of Lala’s face.

Without saying anything else, Reese began to leave the room, carrying Gabe’s corpse with her in what was the beginnings of a funeral march. Lala followed at her elbow, resting her hand gently on Anastasia’s shoulder as a gesture of what was not only thanks, but good-bye and good luck.

Just as Reese had said, it was a good thing that anyone who wanted to go would go: those who didn’t feel the burning need for vengeance that the twins had would simply be a liability in battle.


[OoC:: This closes the Twin’s involvement in this thread. Feel free to continue on, but assume that the burial is taking place immediately following. I will start up the debriefing ASAP]

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse might as well have been deaf, for all the good the words being flung around were doing. He didn’t care. Why was everyone fighting like bitches when Gabriel was dead? He wanted to scream at them. To tell them that it wasn’t worth it. Their leader was dead, and they were picking petty fights among each other. He didn’t even have it in him to bitch at Jake.

The childish sobbing wasn’t making him feel better, but it felt right. It had been a long time since he’d shown emotion like this. He tried so hard to keep everything bottled inside, like he’d practiced for so long. But this, he couldn’t hold back. He could hear Gabe’s voice in his mind, scoffing at his display. It was pathetic, and he knew it. But he just. Didn’t. Care.

He hadn’t expected anyone to touch him. He thought that everyone would know better. But that wasn’t the case. He lurched forward at the hands on his body. A noise akin to a wounded animal’s grown surfaced, and he did the only thing that occurred to him. He twisted out of the person’s grip and let his fist fly, fast. “Don’t. Fucking. Touch me.”

He didn’t even realize who he’d hit until he looked. Max. Of course it was Max. The twins knew better. He shuddered and stood up abruptly. Without a word, he slipped past the other operatives, down the hall, and slammed his door. He didn’t care what they did now. He just threw himself onto his bed, pressed his face into the pillows, and screamed.

(And thus concludes Jess’s involvement as well.)

[Nathanael Lee]

Despite not looking where he was punching, Jesse managed hit Max squarely on the nose. There was a distinct thwack that accompanied the contact. “MOTHER FUCKING--!!” The doctor jumped back several feet, clutching his nose as he did so and hissing in pain. The cartilage that shaped his nose hadn’t broken, but the punch still hurt like hell and left his face burning. It wouldn’t take long for a bruise to form.

He didn’t bother holding back his own angry, animalistic noises as the younger blond fled the scene. This was by far the worst thing the little bitch had inflicted on the doctor. Fuck Jesse. Fuck the Twins. Fuck them all. He could feel his eyes begin to sting--from grief or physical anguish he wasn’t sure--but he wouldn’t let tears form. Not now. Not ever.

Max glared at Reese as she came to collect Gabe. The physician was done with them, because frankly he thought their entire plan to seek vengeance was utter bull shit. He wanted to see Gabe’s killer dead too, but with a crumbling organization and rapidly diminishing man power, a battle sounded like a terrible idea. It was suicide, and he refused to be led to his death. Besides, he could no longer stand the sight of Jesse, and the teenager was one of the few remaining MSAD members.

As Maxwell followed the twins out of the shattered room--still holding his aching nose--he was already mentally sorting out the things he needed to pack.

((Bid adieu to Maxie-poo.))

[Paulo Ortiz]

It wasn't rash, establishing that Jake had no place in the new order. He hadn't deserved Gabriel's confidence in a long time, not since China.

Paulo, despite his disabilities, was not a stupid man. There was no way M.S.A.D could continue intact. It was a worldwide network, and no one had the political clout Gabriel Underwood did. As it was, they were runaways. Anastasia--crazy-rich whore--and Max--privileged, educated, white--were in the country legally. She was rich, and he'd hid his connections well. Oliver was a citizen. They could come and go as they pleased. But Jesse was still hiding from Hammel, and if Paulo or the twins were caught, they would probably end up in Cuba, but he wouldn't be deported. (He didn't care about Penny.)

Exorcising the one who held any kind of power was needed if the twins were to take over. And it didn't matter if he took Levi with him; the kid was useless.

He sneered at the display made by Jesse and Max. The doctor was the closest thing he had to a friend now, and he knew him well enough to know he'd take the twins up on their offer to leave. And Jesse had never impressed him, too wild to be an effective operative. (Why didn't parents teach their children discipline?)

Finally, after a moment more, Paulo followed behind Max and the twins, adding to the procession. He imagined his poor mother, praying at the funeral of her brother, and telling him to pray as well.

Instead, Paulo planned.