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tamingthemuseTitle: Time is a Thief (Drabble)
Fandom: BtVS/Teen Wolf
Prompt: 434 - Elevate
Words: 991
Warnings: None
Things were peaceful for a while, or as peaceful as they can be in a school full of troublemakers, trouble seekers and the downright troubled. X should have expected it, the turning of the wheel of fortune, once he recognized the fact that his quality of life was on the rise, because that's what happened to people like him. He was given just enough good in his life that the bad always blindsided him.
...and when you were raised on the Hellmouth, when it got bad, it was pure Hell.
Headmistress Kane was a reluctant ally. She would just as soon sell him out as help him out, but they had an understanding and he was more use to her alive and enrolled then dead or in jail. It was why she gave him such leeway when it came to his attitude and complete lack of school spirit or willingness to work in a team. He was an information gatherer, hoarding away others' secrets like candy. He was the shadow king of the gossip mill, pulling everyone's strings and distributing knowledge as it best suited him. Once he was at the top, thanks to Jinx, he was ruthless in his efforts to stay at the peak of the slippery slope of public opinion. He learned to shape public perception and ferret out secrets to use as blackmail or leverage.
Unofficially, Xander ruled the school, but because he never called in his favors or sought to tighten the leashes he placed on people they were content to forget just how much power he held over them. Some days, even the Headmistress forgot, which is how Xander had gotten his hands on Beej in the first place, and probably also why the robo-bug's connection to the HIVE academy's security feeds was never cut.
On darker days, X thought that the headmistress might have done it deliberately, so that someone knew what happened to her. Whatever the reason, X was woken in the middle of the night to his wallscreen showing live footage of the Headmistress's office. There was a huge slab of a man dressed in an elegant, if dated, military styled outfit, completed with gloves and shiny jackboots. What really caught the eye about the man was the trio of pale scars carved across his toned skin. Everything about him screamed confident predator, but even so, Adeline Kane did not bother to cower before him. She stared him down with a poise and strength that defied every bit of the casual authority the man exuded. She would not bow or break before this man.
They appeared to have been at it for a while, discussing something in low tones. X couldn't catch their dangerously calm conversation but he certainly noticed the moment it all came crashing down. They both flew into motion, the Headmistress grabbing a gun from her filing cabinet as the mountain man tore through her desk like it was tissue paper. He seemed amused with her defense, his posture relaxed and open as if she weren't threatening him with a firearm that she wielded with deadly precision. He even seemed to be goading her on.
With the change of position, X could see the man's lips quite clearly and was able to read his lips. 'One way or the other you will be brought into the Light.'
Headmistress Kane sneered at him coldly and fired a shot- that missed him by a mile and struck a painting off of her wall instead. X was shocked, no way was she capable of missing such an easy shot. People at her skill level didn't just miss like that. She was an expert marksman and her target was a huge beefy wall less than six feet away from her. There was no way. His eyes narrowed as the large man laughed and gestured at something out of the frame.
Another man joined the first, this one skinny and going grey. He was dressed like a stereotypical wizard with flowing white robes and a black and gold mantle in the shape of a skull. His eyes were glowing a solid red and he stared deep into the Headmistress's eyes as she slowly lowered her weapon and let it drop from her loose grip. She crumpled like a stringless puppet. The larger man lifted her easily and carried her away, but the skinny man made a few gestures and used his magic to reassemble the Headmistress' shattered desk before making himself comfortable in her chair and began to sort through her files as if he belonged there.
To the rest of the student body the announcement came suddenly, out of the blue. There was a full school assembly called, where the magic user announced himself to be Brother Blood. He spun a pretty story about how Headmistress Kane had resigned her post and handed the school over to him as the next leader of the HIVE. His eyes glowed red the whole time as his burning glance overtook student after student. Soon they were relaxed and chattering about how the change of administration was a change for the better and they couldn't wait to see how Blood improved the school. X thought he might be the only one in the school that knew differently and knew he'd need to keep his head down under the new regime, both literally and figuratively. Eye contact seemed to be deadly with this guy, X didn't want some dark lord wannabe mucking around in his head. Anyone who could take down Adeline Kane on her own home turf wasn't someone to be messed with without the utmost precaution.
He had the video proof of what happened to her, but there was no one to give it to, no one to call for help. The Teen Titans were the only heroes in town and they were just kids. Brother Blood and Headmistress Kane were playing in the big leagues.
Fandom: BtVS/Teen Wolf
Prompt: 434 - Elevate
Words: 991
Warnings: None
Things were peaceful for a while, or as peaceful as they can be in a school full of troublemakers, trouble seekers and the downright troubled. X should have expected it, the turning of the wheel of fortune, once he recognized the fact that his quality of life was on the rise, because that's what happened to people like him. He was given just enough good in his life that the bad always blindsided him.
...and when you were raised on the Hellmouth, when it got bad, it was pure Hell.
Headmistress Kane was a reluctant ally. She would just as soon sell him out as help him out, but they had an understanding and he was more use to her alive and enrolled then dead or in jail. It was why she gave him such leeway when it came to his attitude and complete lack of school spirit or willingness to work in a team. He was an information gatherer, hoarding away others' secrets like candy. He was the shadow king of the gossip mill, pulling everyone's strings and distributing knowledge as it best suited him. Once he was at the top, thanks to Jinx, he was ruthless in his efforts to stay at the peak of the slippery slope of public opinion. He learned to shape public perception and ferret out secrets to use as blackmail or leverage.
Unofficially, Xander ruled the school, but because he never called in his favors or sought to tighten the leashes he placed on people they were content to forget just how much power he held over them. Some days, even the Headmistress forgot, which is how Xander had gotten his hands on Beej in the first place, and probably also why the robo-bug's connection to the HIVE academy's security feeds was never cut.
On darker days, X thought that the headmistress might have done it deliberately, so that someone knew what happened to her. Whatever the reason, X was woken in the middle of the night to his wallscreen showing live footage of the Headmistress's office. There was a huge slab of a man dressed in an elegant, if dated, military styled outfit, completed with gloves and shiny jackboots. What really caught the eye about the man was the trio of pale scars carved across his toned skin. Everything about him screamed confident predator, but even so, Adeline Kane did not bother to cower before him. She stared him down with a poise and strength that defied every bit of the casual authority the man exuded. She would not bow or break before this man.
They appeared to have been at it for a while, discussing something in low tones. X couldn't catch their dangerously calm conversation but he certainly noticed the moment it all came crashing down. They both flew into motion, the Headmistress grabbing a gun from her filing cabinet as the mountain man tore through her desk like it was tissue paper. He seemed amused with her defense, his posture relaxed and open as if she weren't threatening him with a firearm that she wielded with deadly precision. He even seemed to be goading her on.
With the change of position, X could see the man's lips quite clearly and was able to read his lips. 'One way or the other you will be brought into the Light.'
Headmistress Kane sneered at him coldly and fired a shot- that missed him by a mile and struck a painting off of her wall instead. X was shocked, no way was she capable of missing such an easy shot. People at her skill level didn't just miss like that. She was an expert marksman and her target was a huge beefy wall less than six feet away from her. There was no way. His eyes narrowed as the large man laughed and gestured at something out of the frame.
Another man joined the first, this one skinny and going grey. He was dressed like a stereotypical wizard with flowing white robes and a black and gold mantle in the shape of a skull. His eyes were glowing a solid red and he stared deep into the Headmistress's eyes as she slowly lowered her weapon and let it drop from her loose grip. She crumpled like a stringless puppet. The larger man lifted her easily and carried her away, but the skinny man made a few gestures and used his magic to reassemble the Headmistress' shattered desk before making himself comfortable in her chair and began to sort through her files as if he belonged there.
To the rest of the student body the announcement came suddenly, out of the blue. There was a full school assembly called, where the magic user announced himself to be Brother Blood. He spun a pretty story about how Headmistress Kane had resigned her post and handed the school over to him as the next leader of the HIVE. His eyes glowed red the whole time as his burning glance overtook student after student. Soon they were relaxed and chattering about how the change of administration was a change for the better and they couldn't wait to see how Blood improved the school. X thought he might be the only one in the school that knew differently and knew he'd need to keep his head down under the new regime, both literally and figuratively. Eye contact seemed to be deadly with this guy, X didn't want some dark lord wannabe mucking around in his head. Anyone who could take down Adeline Kane on her own home turf wasn't someone to be messed with without the utmost precaution.
He had the video proof of what happened to her, but there was no one to give it to, no one to call for help. The Teen Titans were the only heroes in town and they were just kids. Brother Blood and Headmistress Kane were playing in the big leagues.
