Fair is foul and foul is fair

I study the figure dispassionately, my head tipped to one side as I drop down beside her. "Not really. There's a life spark in there, I can still see it, but it's buried deep. Though if he's like Ignacy, I doubt we could get him any closer than that." I reach out, putting an arm around Lily's shaking shoulders. She stiffens, but I ignore the reaction. "Hey. You okay?"

She stare fixedly at the mutilation. "He said he didn't want to hurt us." She mumbles, "I heard him." She traces the line of her new scar with her pinky.

"His hand spoke louder than his tongue." I say quietly, then amend it to "Actions speak louder than words. And whatever his original intent, when he touched you he declared war upon us all. He's paid for that." Lily is still shaking; I hug her more tightly. "Hey. You're all right."

"He won't be for a while," she sighs. Too agitated to remain seated, Lily rises and begins walking a circle before noticing, "Where'd Rocky get to?"

I shrug. "Downstairs. He should be..." then I freeze, sniffing the air. "Um, Lily? You smell smoke?"

"Smoke and ashes," she groans. "How many times did he miss our friend before he decided it would be easier to torch the whole place?"

My eyes widen. "He wouldn't...that idiot, this place is mostly wood! Oh the bloody damn fool, lig dó a chuaigh in uisce dorcha!" Turning, I dash over to Liam. "Get up! Come on, get up, we've got to get out of here!" But he remains still.
Smoke is furling up the staircase now. "Bloody German!" I snarl. "Lily, help me, we've got to get everyone out of here."

Moaning inwardly, Lily shoulders Kaija into a fireman carry and looks around for an exit. "We're on the second floor in a room with one door leading to a hall and stairs at the bottom of which block head has just lit a funereal pyre; just where do we call safe?" Looking to Liv then the windows... "Dropping dead weight isn't a good idea."

I drag Liam's heavy body towards the window, breathing hard. Gods is he heavy! "Don't worry about that, we're not going to drop. Get ready!" Closing my eyes, I raise my voice, and reach out. I can feel the air. And in my song, I remind it of the days in which it was frozen out between the stars, frozen solid. Remember how that feels? I ask it. Remember what that was like? Please, take that form, just for a little while. For old time's sake. Take that old shape.
Closing my eyes, I step from the sill. The air is springy, like walking on a mattress, but solid. I turn to Lily. "Walk down like it's a staircase. It's safe. And don't talk to me for a few." I can already feel the air questioning why it should do this, in its own way. I've got to keep it convinced. Reaching forward, I manhandle Liam's body out onto the air. This is not going to be easy.

Balancing on nothing, Lily feels her agility pressed to the limit as she feels out each step with her toes before trusting her weight to it. Breathing a held breath as she at last touches down she looks back up as the first signs of firelight flit in and out of sight. "Hans? Ignacy?" she looks questioningly at Liv, "The assassin?"

I pant, sweat beading my forehead. "I'll get... Hans..." Dashing back up the way I came, I beg the air, just a little longer, please, please.... hauling the body up, I drag the hunchback along. For a long moment, I study the terrible mess of that man. But no. He can pay his price.
My chest is heaving by the time I get down, and finally, finally I let the magic go with a wash of relief. I look towards the door, where smoke wreaths. "Bloody hell...Ignacy...get out here!" I yell, still panting.

Lily looks to the wall and Liv's 'stairway' before tracing the handholds and neigh on shooting up the wall like a squirrel and slipping over the edge of the frame. Smoke drifting upward shrouding everything over three feet with haze, Lily crouches and turns on her toes, bent double as she makes her way to the stairs where tongues of flame like upward scorching the carefully oiled woods of the old clock. A dim figure at the base of the stares stirs slightly, causing columns of flame to rise from uncovered fumes. "Gods be damned," she whispers as three heavy beams noticeably sag over Ignacy's body and head.

suddenly after thousands of years i am awake again i stand up battering the support beams that lie upon my host effortlessly aside i look around me as the fires are repulsed by my very prescence and walk calmly up the stairs

Flinching back at the heat, Lily stumbles back through the door into the room as the Ignacy... thing... paces calmly up the stair dividing the flames in its path. Stumbling over the trussed figure of Dahl, the right sleeve of her jerkin suddenly matching the left. Looking down at the unconscious figure, she exhales deeply and grabs him by an ankle and drags his not inconsiderable weight to the opening of the large fire grate. "Don't say my enemies were left to suffer," she mutters before a intuitive notion takes hold and she knocks a knuckle against a large stone... it rolls inward and Dahl slides out of sight into the foundations of the house just before the blazing glory of Ignacy wakes upon the upper room.

Staring into the smoke, I can feel panic welling up in my belly. They've got to be getting out. Got to. "Come on, come on!" I mutter, "Get out here!"

as i walk up the stairs i can feel the fire behind me gradually turning back into an inferno as i leave i grin as i torch random objects with my bare hands

Eyes wide, Lily watches as the shadowed figure of Ignacy, wreathed in the golds and greens of the fire, steps into the room, tongues of flame dripping from his shoulders and spreading over the polished wooden floorboards in the manner of oil over water. Shaking its head, sparks lifting from an aurora obscuring his head and face, the figure moves to a window, mounts the sill and leaps to the ground below.

Stunned by the sight, Lily stands till she feel the skin of her forearm tighten in the heat; darting to the other window the Ignacy thing didn't disturb she lunges out headfirst, hands catching on the sill long enough to hook the tops of her feet. Stretching as far down as she can, almost seven feet, she grabs a second set of protrusions and flips herself down into a crouch at the clock house's footing, ready to sprint to safety. Spying the others, she takes a long arch away from the building to reach them.

I take a deep breath of relief as Ignacy lands, shaking sparks from his dark hair. His clothes are terribly scorched. Lily comes up running, staring at Ignacy with wide eyes.
"Thank gods, about bloody time!" I call. Liam is finally sitting up, shaking his head like a dog. I help him to his feet. "Okay, now let's get the hell out of here!!!"
With Liam carrying Kaija and Hans slung over Ignacy's shoulder, we hurry away from the garish flames. Over our head, the cuckoo comes whirling, giving a squawk that makes me cover my ears.

As we make our hurried way through the streets of the nightside I often have to shake my head to clear it, my vision is blurry and carrying Kaija reminds me rather forcibly that she is no longer the little child i often wish to think of her as. Glancing at liv and lily I am slightly concerned by the small starts she gets when ever i catch her eye. i wasn't that scary was I?

Houses and crowds pass, most showing absolutely no interest in the small group. Lily watches the backs of the two men, avoiding Liam's gaze, while darting behind Liv whenever Ignacy's attentions move toward the rear, shielding herself from his gaze.

Oh that wheeze isn't good "Lily" I say holding my voice to it's normal tones "Can you take Kaija for a moment, I need to check something" namely my lower chest but that doesn't need to be said "if we keep ending up in scrapes like this i may have to find out a way to regenerate like the living statue here" I smirk hopefully the humor is enough to keep Liv from being a mother hen when we return home. now there is a word that tastes sweet on the tongue

I glance over at Liam, at the way he's moving. Oh dear. Pain in his head, and I recognize that way of holding yourself.
"How many ribs did you break?" I ask, resigned.

Looping Kaija's arm over her shoulder, Lily takes her weight before retreating once again to a perceived safe distance. Kaija mutters mutely to herself in a semiconscious haze. Looking with concern at Liam, she watches as Liv tentatively probes Liam's side and sternum, seeking the break.

"not sure, at the moment liv, we can worry about it when we get back home" i say calmly, "we have bigger fish to fry" not to mention a whole host to bring down is left unsaid for now. "worry about Kiaja and lily"

It's a terribly bedraggled party that walks through the apartment door once more. I think that not a one of us missed at least a little damage.
"Liam, sit down, I need to see to those ribs," I say quietly, "And don't you say you're fine, you're not." I drop onto the couch, looking us all over. "And you're not the only one. Gods above and below we look a mess." I glance down, and grimace. "Even my boots are wrecked. Damn it all!" I try to shake a little brain matter off one, but there's no point. They're scorched, blood smeared, and one has a long cut right through the leather.