singillatim | I'm just a loner baby

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I'm just a loner baby

Who: Levi and two upset dads
What: Foiled assassination attempt
When: Late in the month, at night
Where: Just outside the Gas Station

Content Warnings: Levi's child soldiers warnings is likely to come up. Also he's trying to kill a dude so there's that. Will add anything else if it comes up.

Just past the tree line, Levi was pointing his rifle towards the gas station. No one had given him the mission, but Levi still thought of it as one. He'd surveyed the gas station the Forest Talker was being held in for hours, waiting for just the right moment. And he was pretty sure this was it, since no one was in there with the Talker and it was late. Most people should be asleep; a gunshot might wake them, but hunting and predators were common enough around here that it probably wouldn't raise too many suspicions. The gas station was on the outskirts of town, after all, and he was taking the shot from within the woods.

He takes a deep breath and lines up his shot through the window. A single shot to the head should do it, unless this guy had some sort of special power. Which he couldn't rule out, but he'd deal with if it happened.

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Ever since learning about the Forest Talker being kept in town, Bigby couldn't really put the entire matter out of his head - especially since how much it seemed to be upsetting some people. It definitely feels like a problem that needs to be dealt with, one way or another, but the man has at least learned his lesson enough to know that he shouldn't be dealing with it himself, considering that tends to end badly.

That's why he went to Fraser. If he trusts anyone else to be smart and responsible about this, it's that guy, and he figured the two of them could check up on the Forest Talker to see what it's all about and what to do about the problem. Sure, it's a little late at night, but Bigby figured it'd be the easiest time for them to check up on the situation without getting harassed by anyone else along the line.

Still, since it is so late at night, their approach is still relatively quiet. They aren't chatting along the way in order to keep people from waking up, Bigby instead keeping an eye out in the darkness, and--

Wait.

At first he isn't sure of what he's seeing, but he does spot something. Maybe it's the way his senses have been heightened a little again ever since being able to turn into a wolf once more - not returning to their original strength, but it's like it's a little bit easier for him to tap into. At least enough to see something sticking out of the tree line, the glimmer of metal, and--

When Bigby realizes what it is, he doesn't even have time to tell Fraser. The shock and realization instantly partially transform him, Bigby's eyes glowing golden and his face shifting into a slightly more animalistic form, though mostly still human. And he quickly sprints in the direction of what he saw without saying a sword, grabbing a hold of the rifle's barrel and thrusting it upwards - just in case it'd either purposefully or accidentally get fired, at least then the bullet would just fly up into the sky. He doesn't even fully realize just yet who's here holding the rifle as he lets out a loud and clearly agitated: "What the fuck?!"

Everything about this situation disturbs him: that a man has been captured and held, that the people here have interrogated but not freed him despite lacking any evidence that the man held is one responsible for harming any of the Interlopers. Deep down, beneath his calm exterior, he'd been furious.

The ghost of his father, apparently determined to hang around now that he's re-opened the door, wastes no time in lambasting him for this oversight. "You're too distracted," the dearly-not so departed memory of Bob Fraser tells him, in a corner of his mind. "You should have seen this coming, done something about it. Now what will you do, arrest a whole town?"

Which is precisely what he can't do, and what he's been mulling over since the attempt at a trial despite having no laws or even agreed-upon rules to work with. Any action he takes will simply be another stone knocked out of the increasingly flimsy wall of society here. And still, when Bigby came to find him, he couldn't refuse to come along. All he can hope is that, in the moment, they can come up with some sort of peaceful resolution.

That hope is dashed when Bigby stiffens, then rushes toward the station, his eyes glowing yellow and his fingers sprouting claws. Fraser falls into a sprint behind him, coming up just in time to hear Bigby's growled expletive and to see him push the muzzle of a rifle up into the sky, a rifle held by.... "Levi?"

Fraser slows, coming near the young man and the angry Sheriff. "What were you thinking?"

He catches the movement out of the corner of his eye but doesn't have the time to turn before Bigby's on him. The rifle goes off as the (wolf)man pushes it up. Its not exactly a conscious decision, his finger was on the trigger and ready to fire so once the gun get jostled he pulls it. No one gets hurt (unless the sound of gunfire so close to Bibgy's enhanced senses counts) though and the bullet embeds itself in the gas station wall, just below the roof.

Levi grimaces and steps back, tugging his rifle backwards to try and free it from the other man's grasp. His finger is well off the trigger by now, so there's little chance of it going off again. "Fuck!"

Then he finally noticed just who stopped him, though he doesn't relax at all. He's angry that his shot was foiled and there won't be a second chance.

"...he's dangerous. We can't just leave him there." His voice is basically emotionless. This is still a mission, even if it was a failed one now, and he's still firmly in soldier mode.

Edited 2024-08-11 16:28 (UTC)

There is a wince from Bigby when he's this close to the rifle when it goes off. Thankfully he doesn't have his full on wolf hearing when he isn't transformed into a wolf, but his hearing is just sensitive enough that it hits him harder than it'd hit your average human.

Yet - despite the wince - he refuses to let go of the rifle, even now. Even though Levi is tugging on it, Bigby has wrapped his hand right around the barrel hard enough that it'd be difficult to pull it loose, especially when Bigby is such a big guy. He isn't planning on letting go of the weapon until he knows for sure the situation is safe, and it doesn't feel safe right now.

Hence why he doesn't transform back either. The glowing eyes and the twisted face stay in place as he stares right at Levi.

"And then you just go ahead and decide what happens by yourself?!"

Bigby clearly is the angrier one here in the way he yells at the younger man. It doesn't help that he's transformed, because it keeps a growl to his voice, something like an animal in his tone. He doesn't even bother to keep his voice down, though thankfully it's not likely anyone will hear him yelling when they're a little bit out of town here in the first place.

He shouldn't be here at all. But he doesn't believe Levi had anything to do with the original abduction; he's only trying to rectify the situation in the best way he knows. That the best way he knows involves murder is its own, different problem. "We don't know that he's dangerous," Fraser tells him, staying a few steps back from Bigby and the boy. "Levi, we don't have any evidence that links this man to actual harm done to any of our people. We harmed him by bringing him here. The solution isn't to kill him. That won't solve this problem."

Bigby's furious, but Fraser is measured, swallowing back his own fear and anger with the stubborn persistence of long practice. "This isn't the right choice. It's only the easy one."

Which is... tiring, and disappointing, but in the end, isn't this his mistake, for not recognizing that this boy wouldn't react in exactly this way? Levi comes from a harsh world, that much is clear, and Fraser has already seen the effects of harshness on children in the streets of Chicago.

"Why not by myself? Some people decided to go against what we voted against alone. If they can just decide what to do so can the rest of us." He tugs on his gun again.

He shakes his head at Fraser. "How do we know he's not feeding them information right now? We have people who can project their thoughts, the Forest Talkers might have people with special powers too. The instant one of ours captured him he became an enemy combatant, I'm not taking the chance that he might be plotting our end right now. Its not fair, but war never is."

Nevermind that they weren't actually at war here. That's just the only way Levi has to think about it.

If Bigby was more clear minded in the middle of this situation, he might recognize some of the stuff Levi is saying. He might realize where it comes from, especially with everything he's learned about the boy.

He's not thinking about that right now though. Fraser is much better at keeping his composure than Bigby is, and the man just bristles when he realizes Levi is still trying to tug on the gun.

"Oh, yeah, sure, let's all do whatever the hell we want! Let's see how that fucking ends!"

He puts a lot more strength into his own tug on the gun right now, trying to drag the rifle straight up out of Levi's hands. He doesn't want it there, not in the middle of this discussion. But he at least doesn't pipe up with more, like he's leaving the talking to the person who's clearly got a better head on their shoulders for it right now.

"We don't know that he isn't, but we also don't know that he is, Levi." He shakes his head at the young man, sympathetic but firm. "We don't have to go to war. There are ways to protect the people here that don't require violence."

Levi might be right, and violence might be inevitable, but he's never given up and given in simply because it's easier, because it's faster. "Bigby's right. Whoever made this decision wasn't thinking about the people here, but I know you do. You want to protect them, don't you? Our people here in Milton, or out in Lakeside?"

Levi holds on to the rifle like his life depends on it. It has a number of times and the firearm is the closest thing to a comfort he has. He may not be strong enough to tug it out of Bigby's hands but he'll fight like hell to keep it from leaving his.

"You think these guys will respect us trying to keep things peaceful? They rejected that long ago. Did you not see the displays on the other side of the mountain?"

The upside right now is that Bigby doesn't bother to answer Levi's question with another snapped back answer, opting to leave that up to the guy here who's clearly better when it comes to using his words.

The downside is that it means he's even more focused on the rifle, just straight up not wanting it in Levi's hands. Not right now. He can get it back later if he proves responsible enough, but he does not want it there in the middle of this talk. It means that Bigby is putting even more strength into it until he manages to tug it straight up out of Levi's hands - though the force may be enough to accidentally knock Levi right onto his butt into the snow.

Sorry, bud. Bigby takes a few steps backwards with it in his hands, looking pissed, but otherwise not saying anything else.

"I understand why you feel that way." If Levi stumbles, Fraser will step forward and offer a hand to help him back up. In contrast to Bigby, he's still calm, the pitch of his voice firm but sympathetic.

"But we can't control anyone else's actions, only our own. And if you live your life only on what someone else might do, you might miss the chance to decide what you want to do. Only you get to decide what sort of person you want to be, Levi."

He fixes a serious stare on the young man. "I know sometimes it seems like you have no other choice. I promise that isn't true."

The others may or may not notice the tears welling up in Levi's eyes as he loses his grip on the rifle. He utters a startled yelp as Bigby wrests it free and tumbles forward onto his knees in the snow. He ignores Fraser's offer to help him up.

"I know who I am. I know what I am. I didn't make this choice without thinking of it. I know what I'm doing." He stands up, dusting the snow off his pants and looks squarely at Fraser. "I want to eliminate a threat to this town. You can't just pretend things will be okay because you don't want to face the possibility that they won't."

Despite his brave(?) face and the lack of emotion in his voice, there are still tears at the edges of Levi's eyes. He's pissed off, but feeling very vulnerable without his own form of safety of the past six years.

Bigby has taken a few steps backwards. Mostly to keep Levi from being able to just jump over and grab the gun back from him, but also because Bigby knows he needs to give himself a few moments to cool down before he starts getting too worked up here. It's likely not going to do anything great in this situation, except make the tension for everyone involved even worse.

He really tries his best to do something he usually never does, to a point where it almost feels unnatural to him. He stands there, and just.. breathes. Or tries to, anyway. His anger sinks just a little bit, just enough for his eyes to stop glowing ominously, instead returning to their usual human color.

It helps him sound a little less angry - still gruff, yes, but a little less like he's about to tear the kid's head off over this - when he speaks up again.

"Then what did you imagine the outcome of this would be, Levi?"

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