stupetballs | penance } { ic inbox

As far as I know she just went back to being Barbas' secretary. I don't think he made any announcements making a further example out of her.

[For better or for worse, that is.]

[Ray swears under his breath, grumbling as he sighs.] Fuck. I was hoping since he hadn't been all braggy about it that she'd managed to sneak off somewhere.

[Aiden's fingers tighten around his bottle, because yeah, he'd had the same hope. he'd hoped that anything they'd done had amounted to something. he'd hoped they'd be able to count that one as a win, in entirety, even if the rest of it went spectacularly sideways. so much for that idea]

[blowing out a breath, he forces himself to relax, and mutters:] Damn it.

I don't know for sure. I haven't seen her.

[But that's also equally concerning, because given how much power Barbas has, who says that they didn't just take Lilith off the map entirely.

But she doesn't want to put that into the universe, so she doesn't say it.]

[Ray frowns, because if Barbas hasn't been parading her around as evidence of their failure, maybe he was wrong in his assumption. He sits up a little, adjusting his hold on his beer so he can dig his phone out of his pocket. Once he has it in hand, he sets his beer on the arm of the couch and sets to typing.]

[He's going to be busy for a second, guys, don't mind him.]

[Aiden leans into Ray a little, part of the contact, part because he's a nosy asshole. he needs to know. they need the fucking win]

You checking on the truck?

[Her brow furrows as she gets up to join them, peering over Ray's shoulder.]

You think she's still in there?

[Ray doesn't react to Aiden leaning closer, but he does blink back at Waverly for a moment, adjusting his phone so they can both see. Right now, it's loading, his tool kit taking up most of the screen.]

Y'all warded the thing literally to hell and back and Barbara's been awful cagey about the whole thing, other than stringing us up for being involved.

[Aiden is silent, eyes darting back and forth between Ray, the phone and back again, his posture tense for all that he's still leaning into Ray. it's like waiting to see who's going to score first, in overtime -- it's worse, and he almost doesn't dare breathe]

Edited 2021-03-10 01:43 (UTC)

[Waverly can also feel her heart pounding in her chest, the tension clear. If Lilith is still there, if the wards actually worked ... then that's a huge friggin' win.

As the picture begins to form, she offers them both a small smile.]

Fingers crossed?

Fingers crossed.

[And then he taps the phone's screen, opening the app for the cameras in the truck. It takes them a moment to focus - and then they do.]

[The inside of the truck is visible, the camera mounted just under the rearview mirror, pointed toward the back. There is a curtain hung between the parts of the truck to give Lilith some privacy - but the part between the two pieces is wide enough to see someone's back as they sit in one of the easy chairs they placed there, her long, dark hair clear on the truck's camera.]

[all at once, explosively Aiden is on his feet, one fist pumping the air] Yes! Fucking -- yes!

[Waverly laughs, a bright burst of sound, because knowing that they have this win almost makes everything else worth it. But just as soon as the joy washes over her, she also knows immediately what comes next.]

We can't tell anyone.

[Which ... woof this is going to be a secret to keep, but they have to.]

The more people who know, the bigger risk it gets leaked back to Barbas.

[Ray immediately all but drops his phone as Aiden jumps to his feet, fumbling for his beer.]

Hey, watch the beer!

[He honestly doth protest too much, though, considering he's just as thrilled to know that they managed to pull that off.]

[Ray moves his beer to the coffee table and sits back again.]

Yeah, no argument from me on that one. This has gotta stay in this room, between the three of us. Nobody's getting through my walls on here - [he holds his phone up a little, indicating it] - so we'll be good on that front.

[Aiden lets out a shuddering breath, sinking back down into the couch as Ray relocates his beer. he takes a moment, after that, to get a handle on his joy-pride-relief, reaches up to swipe his thumb over his lower lip, at idle, and then nods]

Yeah. [a beat] Yeah, we keep this quiet. [and another] Though, we're gonna have to figure out a way of communicating with her. [or getting her food, so she doesn't starve, assuming she even eats like humans do. or]

[Yeah, that's Waverly's next consideration with:]

Oh, God, she's probably starving.

[She could try and smuggle her something, maybe. She can be sneaky when she wants to be.]

Do you know where the van is? Maybe we can sneak her some food.

We'd stocked it up, but yeah, she's probably running low by now.

[Ray nods, turning his attention back to the phone. He backs out of the camera and switches to the map, squinting at the point where it's pinging on his map.]

Looks like she's still out in Hellburbia.

[That would make sense, considering keeping the truck moving through the area had been part of the plan, but it's still a confirmation.]

One of us could drop something off, on the way out to the bar.

[he pauses, studying Ray for a second] Or we could think about taking one of the houses, out there. [that way, they'd have a reason to be out in Hellburbia, beyond just visiting Hella Shorty's, if and when Barbas started getting suspicious. he's been thinking about that, anyway, to be honest -- getting out of the hotel and into something a little more defensible]

[The Hellburbia houses creep Waverly out, if she's really honest with herself, considering the things she heard happened there, but she won't deny that it's a pretty convenient cover. The big question is:]

Do you think Barbas is letting people move out? I mean, I know everyone's getting rearranged from the weddings, but he seems like a pretty big control freak.

[She says with no love.]

[Ray watches Aiden for a moment, smiling a little.]

I borrowed that garage out there to work on the truck. I might also have borrowed one of the houses to store some things.

[He appreciated having Rogue's tools, but he doesn't know her well enough to really trust leaving things there.]

[But anyway.]

Might not with it being us, too, since we were involved with breaking her out in the first place. Never got anywhere without asking, though.

[Aiden huffs out a humorless breath of a laugh]

Why ask?

[it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. they could just take their shit and go. and maybe, yeah, that's not the best plan, considering they all just got fucking tortured, but -- fuck Barbara. fuck him]

[She shrugs in return. She's mostly just trying to keep the bar afloat at this point, but the boys should do what they feel they have to do.]

Just be careful. If we give Barbas a reason to be suspicious, things could get worse.

Fair enough. [That works well enough for Ray, honestly, and again, he's already been messing around in one of the houses out there.]

Might make him less suspicious if it's not just the same one of us checking in with her. If we can alternate things, times, that kinda thing. Might throw him off a little more.

Yeah. [yeah, he'll shelve the idea of moving out to Hellburbia, for now] Wonder if we can keep her mobile, without that being suspicious ... [as was originally the plan]

[maybe they won't be able to move the truck as often, but he still doesn't like the idea of Lilith being a sitting duck]

Not unless we find a way to disguise it?

[She gives a small shrug.]

No offense, but a taco truck kind of stands out around here.

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