Nobody expects the Strider Inquisition

[shenunigans]

Who: Closed to Rose, Bro and Dave
What: A three prompt log in which Bro and Dave bust into prison, save a Rose, live the drag life and get their asses hauled back for interrogation and a family vacation in prison.
Where: The prison, Femme dela Femme drag club and back to prison.
When: Beginning of Jailbreak and then five days later.
Warnings: Cursing, talk of torture and murder and peacekeeper brutality. Bro stripping.

Comments

[arosewiththorns]

The days have all started to blur together, even as Rose tries her best to keep track. She's certain she's taken out once a day, for more questions she doesn't answer for the poking and prodding of checkups and for one pitiful meal. But there's no way to be certain, no sunrise or sunset to mark the hours not down here and she finds it difficult to trust the routine. It would be just like them to change it, keep them from using it to predict things.

It's funny, for a girl whose never been afraid of death, whose seen her own countless times and knows when her path will end and how, Rose hadn't realised how much this would all affect her. She thought herself stronger than it all, and in ways she has been. She hasn't spoken a word of what she truly knows, not even through the beatings and waterboardings not even when they grabbed her by her hair and proceeded to half drown her in salt water. Her hair still reeks of it, dried stiffly around her cheeks and it makes her stomach churn.

But she had broken in other ways. She feels more disconnected than she ever has, eyes unfocused and thoughts lost. She has no more true pride left, feeling more like a shell than a woman. But at least she doesn't cry, aside from the tears of agony when they had branded her and she's not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. She's not sure if that means she's broken beyond repair and not for the first time she wishes her brother was here. She goes to sleep with desperate dreams of him saving her yet again and all the same she loathes herself for them.

So when Dave bursts into the cell, where she is slumped against a wall, half dozing and more so waiting she doesn't look up, not straight away. It's just time for another beating, though this one seems earlier than the last. She raises her head slowly and then. Everything just seems to stop, everything freezes and she feels herself finally crack, shattering like a glass vase as she looks up at Dave, her perception of everything confused and for a moment she thinks it's her Dave, the brother her age, the brother who knows her back and her voice is a crack through parched lips, tears half forming in her eyes. "I knew you'd come."

Bro's voice, behind that helmet is distorted to her, and Rose is sluggish as she turns her head to him and it all clicks back in, a puzzle she only has half the pieces to and can you blame her if she uses the last of her strength to try and pull herself up, bring herself between Dave and this peacekeeper, an almost lost fury sparking to life as she snarls, "Get the fuck away from him."

[shenunigans]

Confidence isn't exactly what Dave is feeling right now. He doesn't feel safe or assured, he feels like people could burst in any second. Yet, somehow, he can't help feeling a little proud. His last arena was a fucking embarrassment, but who cares? There's no pride in playing their games well, but he can feel a little good pulling a fast one on them when it means he's doing something he genuinely gives a fuck about. It's almost all he gives a fuck about right now, so Bro is right to think that he's losing his cool.

He's seen his sister through a lot of nasty shit, that's no secret. He's seen a lot of death and he's had to die a lot to get where he was in the game, but there's levels and depths to this place that he's never had to deal with. Things he's never known and never expected to know. It's hard to imagine this sort of situation when you're drifting through deep space, but he knows he can't play the usual part of hanging around uselessly until the last minute. It's go time for everyone, even more so when the reality of what they've done to her hits him. There's shit he can't even begin to fathom and he can hear it just in her voice. There's a bittersweet feeling running through him when she speaks.He knows damn well he isn't the you she's referring to, but he knows that any possible combination of either Dave or Rose would be guaranteed to pull shit like this for one another.

He chances a small smile through his concern, his grip tightening for a moment before he lets go entirely when Bro speaks and she moves. "Woah, woah woah. Rose- hold on-" He grabs for her waist, trying to lean in as best he can before she throws any punches. "He's part of the family." It's cryptic, but he hopes she gets it. "We can't hang around anymore, we have to blow this hotdog stand before this family reunion goes global. Trust me, alright?"

[plushaeusrumpified]

Perhaps it's silly of him not to expect it, but he doesn't know what all Rose has gone through os it's a little jarring when she's suddenly getting all firey and protective of Dave. His kneejerk reaction is to feel a little offended, until he realize that he's still wearing the peacekeeper uniform and he probably looks really fucking dangerous right now. He can't very well say much when it could blow their cover, since he's gonna pretend to be escorting them away.

Or at least try.

"Yeah, just take it easy," he says, holding up his hands in surrender. "Just come on, everything'll be cool."

[arosewiththorns]

She's already wavering on her feet, feeling her ankle ache under her weight when Dave grabs her and she can't help the way she leans back into him. She hates it, she hates how very weak she feels, and how easily anyone can tell just by looking at her. But she tries to hold herself up, tries to stay between the peacekeeper and her brother, still sluggish as she glances back to Dave when he speaks.

Part of the family. Her brow furrows at that and she looks back to the peacekeeper, still uncertain, still protective. But she recognises that voice now and it all clicks together, Rose sagging a little more against Dave as she snorts softly and tries not to cry.

"You idiots." Because they are. Such idiots, risking it all for her, when they were both safe as far as she knows. As far as she had forced herself to believe despite hearing their screams on repeat in some of their sessions. And now they're here, and they're taking such a risk and it's all for her and how could they be so stupid? "You. You shouldn't have."

[shenunigans]

Dave doesn't think much of the way she leans against him, it isn't a burden to him to help her out. He'd be crazy to think she wouldn't be a little roughed up when he found her. He's still riding the wave of relief he feels at knowing she's still alive, he'd been fearing the absolute worst.

Still, he can't linger to think on it and Bro is right to be urgent. He can see the clarity hitting Rose and he gets her closer to Bro, giving him a discreet nudge as if implying things might go better if maybe he picked her up or something.

"We can argue about how there was literally no other option for us later." There's urgency in his voice and he darts his eyes between them.

[plushaeusrumpified]

"Like I've never been called that before," he murmurs quietly, though he knows she doesn't truly mean it so his feelings aren't even bothered. Mostly he's just trying to keep the small talk going so that she doesn't feel threatened by him and his peacekeeper uniform, because that would just make the situation difficult.

It doesn't take long for him to get the hint from Dave, and with a brief nod he's putting the helmet back on and moving to pick her up. He knows carrying her probably looks hella suspicious, but at this point they don't have very many options. "I think I'll skip that conversation, because from my point of view this was the obvious course of action and I don't gotta defend myself. Also I'm a grown-ass man and can do what I want."

With that, he'll heft Rose up into a more comfortable position and set off at as fast a pace as he can without jostling her too much. "Eyes peeled, bro." He can't keep as good of a look out with Rose in his arms as he could before, so he's gonna rely on Dave here more than he has the last few hours.

[arosewiththorns]

"There were other options," she says, faintly, and she knows in truth that it's a lie. She knows that Dave would never consider the option she means, knows it like she would never consider it for anyone by her. Rose knows she's expendable, she knows what call she would make, but she knows Dave doesn't have it in him to turn his back like that. And in truth, there's something in her that likes that. That likes being reminded that someone out there, even if it's just one person, thinks she's worth saving.

Well, two people now, she realises, as Bro moves closer and while she can't help the way she stiffens at his touch she doesn't fight him. It's just hard being touched in general, when the past few... days, weeks, she's no longer sure but time has passed, and that time has been hard. So she lets him lift her, doesn't protest that he shouldn't bare her weight or that she can walk. Arguing that will just waste time and so she looks down, away from white and helmets and hidden faces, focusing on her own hands and her voice is barely more than a whisper as she says, "Thank you."