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Tweak says, "Warmest regard. Best wishes."

ashley magnus is more badass than you (choseherside) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2013-02-17 23:13:00

Entry tags:

ashley magnus, helen magnus, john winchester

WHO: Ashley Magnus and John Winchester
WHAT: Showing her new "spouse" around his temporary home.
WHEN: [Backdated] Not long after this.
WHERE: The Sanctuary.
RATING: TBD
STATUS: In Progress

Although Ashley was hardly happy about the most recent situation she'd found herself in, she did have to admit that at least, when saddling her with an unwanted spouse, he had enough common sense to have their place of enforced domesticity be the Sanctuary. Otherwise, Ashely wasn't able to guarantee she would have had taken it all in stride as much as she had. And considering she hadn't exactly taken any of it in stride at all, that was saying something. However, her home was still very much her home and, because of that (as well as the fact that her "spouse" didn't seem too horrible once you got past his douchetastic ways), she was willing to suck it up and deal with the rest of the crap being tossed her way courtesy of the bored deity calling the shots.

And, in the meantime, she was going to take John on a little tour of his temporary new home.

Of course, John had yet to be made aware of that fact. Ashley, though, didn't particularly care. It wasn't as though he could really object to her plans. Or, at least, he could object, but it wouldn't really matter. The fact was, he needed to learn more about where it was he was staying, and she was the best person for the job. Which meant he was going to have to just suck it up and deal because, no matter what, this was happening. A fact made obvious when Ashley made her way to the room they were sharing, rapped her knuckles against the door frame, glanced in at him, then announced simply, "Not that this whole pseudo-bonding thing hasn't been awesome, but enough talking over a piece of tech. If you're going to be stuck here, pops, you need to learn the layout of the place. So let's go, already. I have three hours before I have to be at work and you are going to know what areas you can and cannot move through before I head out. No way am I getting a lecture about your behavior, from my mom. It is not happening."

What? Just because she had come to terms with her situation didn't mean she had to like it.

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choseherside
2013-02-18 05:15 pm UTC (link)

Ashley snorted in amusement at John's claim. "Dude, nobody makes a move in this place without my mom knowing," she replied before adding, in answer to his question, "and I was thinking we would start with the main level then head down to where we keep the cool stuff." Sure, she wasn't exactly keen about having to share her life, and bed, with this guy, but she did have a general idea of what made him tick. And the tombs of the Sanctuary would definitely offer up enough things to keep his interest. More than the office area and science labs would, at any rate, she was willing to bet.

"Most people who come here do not get to leave the main level," Ashley explained as she led him in the direction of the common areas. She wanted to get the boring stuff out of the way first. She glanced at John with a slight grin. "So if you end up having people over, either keep them up here or make certain you are not caught." Truth be told, Ashley wasn't sure that John would even have anyone over, and she doubted he would drag them down to the tombs for a freaky tour of his own, either. But she wasn't taking any chances when it came to giving him warnings. He might think he knew what fear was, but he had yet to be face to face with her mom when she was angry.

"So this is the kitchen, living room is through there, and the sitting room is the other way." Ashley motioned in the directions she was referring to, continuing to walk along while doing so, before coming to a stop and pushing open a pair of double doors. Tilting her head for John to follow, she stepped inside then turned to look at him. "Obviously, this is a library," she said lightly, motioning around at the shelves upon shelves of books that lined the massive room. "Well," she tacked on, "the one the guests get to see."

With an impish grin tossed in his direction, Ashley reached out to her right and lightly pressed against one of the books on a nearby shelf. There was the sound of a puff of air, as though something was unsealing and opening, and then that's precisely what happened. The shelf slowly moved away from the wall, revealing a corridor behind it. Ashley looked back to John. "And the real one is through there. Want to check it out or keep going?" She was easy either way. At least the more boring part of the tour was almost over.

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-19 02:34 am UTC (link)

It was a nice house. There was absolutely no denying that. Old, ancient in some ways, but still nice, and as she pointed out the relevant areas for him to know, he checked each place off in his mind, making a note on his internal map that would help him navigate without potentially running into any unexpected surprises. Not that there was anything particularly surprising about kitchens or living rooms, and while the library was definitely a surprise in and of itself, all John's mind could ponder beyond the thought that Sam would have loved it was that books were pretty much useless if their contents weren't worthwhile.

"No sense in taking too much time to look at a bunch of leather," John said with a half shrug as he smiled at Ashley. "Though, I do appreciate the concealment technique. That could come in handy in certain situations," He said, glancing over at her. "But I still say we keep going."

Not that they were really in a rush, but John would rather find something else to go through than a lot of dusty old books. Not until he knew whether or not he could actually use anything that was in them in a practical way, at least.

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choseherside
2013-02-19 03:30 am UTC (link)

As far as Ashley was concerned, John had definitely made a call she could agree with. Although she did recognize the facts that books - particularly some of the ones in the library - could be useful tools, she hadn't been kidding when she'd told Helena that she wasn't much of a reader. The idea of hanging out, just checking out the tomes simply because they were there, was just about one of the single most boring things she could imagine doing.

"Now that," she replied with a grin at John, "is a plan I can get behind. This way." It didn't take too long to get through the rest of the main areas. Ashley made sure to point out the various offices and which one belonged to whom. Then it was finally time to move to the lower levels.

"Okay, first up is the medical area." Ashley stopped walking just before reaching that area, turning to look at John. "This area is my mom's domain. All of her research, everything she has spent her entire life working on, this is where she keeps it. So unless you have lost a limb or are bleeding from your eyeballs, seriously. Just do not even go in there." Pausing for a moment, just to make sure he really understood, she then smiled brightly.

"Next up are the cages. Also known as when the fun part of my house starts." And, with that, Ashley continued to lead him further into the lower level, directly toward the vague howls, growls, and snarls echoing ahead in the distance.

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-19 03:42 am UTC (link)

"I can't say I would really be tempted," John said at Ashley warning him not to go poking about in the medical area. He'd been injured more than enough in his life that the idea of willingly stepping into a medical area when he didn't need to was relatively preposterous. If anything, he'd be steering as far away from those rooms as necessary unless something happened. And he only hoped that this circumstance didn't provide the opportunity for anything to happen. "Medical supplies are only really useful when you're bleeding, and I can't think what else there could possibly be that would be of any interest to me," He said, falling into step beside her as they continued on.

It was pretty much instinct that his nerves kicked in the second that the faint growls connected with his ears, his body kicking into an immediate fighting stance and completely prepared to defend himself if necessary. He wasn't armed which was something that he immediately regretted, but apparently, Asaph didn't feel like providing his captives with weapons when he removed them from their own rooms and therefore, from their own accessible stash.

He just hoped he didn't end up needing any of them.

"Fun," John echoed with a bit of a laugh. "Still having a hard time getting past the idea of cages. The amount of immediate danger in this house should something go wrong has to be incredible."

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choseherside
2013-02-22 06:08 am UTC (link)

"What's wrong, John?" Ashley asked as she tossed him a smirk. "Afraid of a little danger?" She knew that was about as far from the truth as possible but she couldn't resist goading him a bit. The guy could stand to loosen up a little, if you asked her. Life didn't have to be so serious.

With a bit of a shrug, she led him further into the lower levels. As they walked, the growls growing closer with each step, Ashley tacked on, "My mom and I have had a few debates about bagging and tagging versus dealing with them in a more permanent fashion. When it comes right down to it, though, this is her show. She calls the shots. I am just the one who brings them in." She shrugged once more, about to say more when something stopped her in her tracks. Literally.

The first indication something was wrong was the siren. While it could have been a false alarm - it did happen, from time to time - the fact that the very next thing to happen was a loud crash coming from somewhere up ahead, followed immediately by increased noise from the caged Abnormals as something clearly began to rile them up, meant that the odds of the alarm just getting tripped was pretty slim. No, something was going on. And, as the security system protocols in place throughout the Sanctuary began to kick in, ultimately ending in the telltale sounds of a full-out lockdown, Ashley sighed.

"Well... crap," she muttered before her entire demeanor changed. Gone was the smiling, easy-going woman who had been ribbing her "husband" moments earlier. In place was a fully trained soldier, strong, capable, and unflinching at the danger she was about to face. Wordlessly, she pulled one of her guns from its holster on her thigh, holding it out for John to take.

"Looks like we've got a breach. Your call if you want in. Otherwise, get back to my room and shoot anyone who comes through the door that is not me." Not bothering to wait for his response, Ashley resumed moving closer to the now compromised SHU to try and determine what had escaped and just how much trouble it was going to be to catch it again.

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-22 06:47 am UTC (link)

John had been about to throw back a quip at her when the alarms sounded. He might not have been a member of this facility, but it didn't take much to figure out that giant blaring sounds were usually a bad sign. When she thrust a gun out for him to take, that pretty much confirmed his immediate assumptions. "Like hell I'm just going back to cower in a room," John said, cocking the gun and holding it at the ready as he moved to follow her. She was absolutely used to this. Her stance, attitude, behavior, all of it screamed classic hunter, and it didn't take too long for John to feel completely at ease. Even if they were in the confines of a large Victorian house that was much, much nicer than most of the places he had to root things out of, it wasn't too far removed from what he was used to.

"What sort of situation are we looking at?" John asked, keeping his voice at a low decibel. He didn't want to attract the attention of anything that might be wandering the halls freely. There were a lot of things that he knew how to deal with, but he imagined that the things that were in here were not within the category of creatures that he was used to. Demonic and supernatural influences seemed to vary between the realities, and John had no illusions that all of the tricks of his trade that he had to call on might be useless right now.

But at least his trigger finger was always reliable.

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daretobelieve
2013-02-22 07:06 am UTC (link)

"It appears that one of our residents is causing a bit of a fuss," a new voice joined the conversation. The woman who approached them was as different from Ashley as a woman could get. From her calm demeanor to her crisp British accent to her dark hair and sensible suit. She'd hardly expected an incursion, so she wasn't exactly dressed for the situation, but that didn't seem to faze her. She gave her daughter a smile and held back any comment about John being armed. She wasn't entirely thrilled with the man having a weapon in her home, especially after the things she had seen on the network, but she could make exceptions.

"We will, hopefully, be returning her to her home in the SHU, and making sure that she doesn't get out again." She looked at her daughter, silently telling her that she expected her to keep her "husband" in line. "Luckily, without the need to protect her young, she shouldn't be quite as much of a problem as the first time we dealt with her." That would tell Ashley everything she needed to know about which creature it was. She turned to John and gave him a small, polite smile. "Helen Magnus," she said, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a gun. "I suppose it was time that you saw how things here work."

She glanced over at her daughter. "Ashley, dear," she said. "Do remember to use the tranquilisers." It seemed more polite than addressing that direction to John. This way it could seem like he was following Ashley's lead.

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choseherside
2013-02-22 07:27 am UTC (link)

"Sure thing," Ashley responded, more than picking up on what her mother was hinting at. No letting her "husband" murder the Abnormal that had escaped. Even if the one in question was close to the top of the list of ones Ashley would not mind at all putting down once and for all, she would do as her mother said. The thought of doing otherwise simply didn't cross her mind. Although, if it came right down to it, and lives were in danger, Ashley would rip the creature's head off if she had to.

Casting a glance to John, she figured she might as well elaborate as to what they were facing considering her mom hadn't exactly been particularly helpful. Not that she could blame her. With the way he had acted since he had showed up in the city, it was a wonder her mother wasn't demanding they stay elsewhere until this was over. She couldn't think of two people with differing viewpoints on the same subject as Helen Magnus and John Winchester.

And, right now, all of that meant exactly crap to her. John needed to be informed of what he was facing. Otherwise, he was liable to get himself killed and that would be on her. She had enough blood on her hands already, thanks. She didn't need more.

"She is smart, can move faster than most can follow, and can rip you to shreds in a matter of seconds. She is also extremely rare, which means we do everything we can to bring her back in one piece and breathing," she explained in a quick summary. Opening her mouth to say more, Ashley stopped as a thought crossed her mind. "And I really hope her kids did not get out with her," she muttered, casting a somewhat pointed look at her mother.

"Uh... mom. Are we sure the lockdown is going to keep her in? If she breaks past the perimeter, I am going to have a heck of a time following with all the shields in place," she pointed out. Ashley didn't spell it out - mostly because John had yet to discover that she was anything more than human and now really was not the time to go over that - but she knew her mom would get what she was saying.

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-22 08:06 am UTC (link)

The new arrival attracted enough of John's attention that he momentarily lowered the weapon that he'd been handed. It wasn't polite, after all, to level a gun in the face of someone who you were just meeting. Nodding at her introduction, John followed it with a quick, "John Winchester. Pleasure," before turning his attention fully back to the matter at hand. They could do all of the niceties once there wasn't the threat of danger looming over their heads. "Sounds like fun," John deadpanned at the idea that they would basically be working to bring something down while it was still living that obviously had no qualms about turning them into lunchmeat. Usually, when he dealt with things that wanted to kill him, he was equally willing to kill them right back.

But, of course, this wasn't his house, so he was going to have to get used to playing by someone else's rules. No matter how insane they were.

"So, ladies, there a way to get a bead on this thing, or are we just going to be shooting blind. Because I've got no problem with playing it either way," John said, flashing them a bit of a smile. All right, maybe this was a little more fun than he'd anticipated actually having. Even if it was completely crazy. Nobody had ever accused him of being sane.

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daretobelieve
2013-02-22 09:05 am UTC (link)

Helen was far from stupid. She knew there was every chance they would have to kill the Abnormal. She had simply never regarded that as anything other than a last resort. These were living creatures, the same as them, and there was no reason to kill them simply for existing. Frankly, John's approach to anything that wasn't human or "natural" set her on edge, particularly given that her daughter was stuck with him. She could only imagine how the man would act once he realised that Ashley wasn't quite what one might consider an example of baseline humanity. Just having him around was a lot for her to take. But this was her house and her rules and he would follow them. Or he would find himself in his very own corner of the SHU with all the other dangerous creatures.

"Of course," Helen said, pulling a tablet from under her arm and gesturing to the screen. Nikola had made quite a few interesting improvements. "All the residents of the SHU have trackers. This will allow us to find her and take her down safely." She glanced over at Ashley, mindful of the careful way she had phrased her question. "As for the lockdown, it should keep her in, but if it doesn't, I also have a means to lower the shields temporarily. Nikola has been quite busy of late."

She spared a glance at John. "Do keep that trigger finger in check, Mr. Winchester," she said politely. "You never know what might happen if you aren't careful."

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choseherside
2013-02-22 09:30 am UTC (link)

Ashley nodded, her attention already sliding back to the area spread out before them. Senses on high alert, her entire body poised to strike at a second's notice, she tilted her head to the side slightly as a sound far up ahead caught her attention. Eyes flashing, she scanned the shadows. "Hey, mom," she called out, not taking her eyes off of the darkness just off in the distance, "how many of the trackers are showing out of place?"

As she asked the question, she dropped her arms to her sides, hands opening and her claws fully prepared to come out the second it became necessary. There was a tightness to her voice, the tone having dropped nearly a decibel when she suddenly called out a sharp, "Incoming!" Less than a second later, there was a loud screeching sound followed by something moving so quickly toward them that it was little more than a blur.

With a snarl, Ashley immediately surged forward, putting herself directly between the advancing creature and her mother and John. The second she slammed into it, sending them both crashing into the wall then into a tumble with neither willing to release their grip on the other, she knew it wasn't the same creature she'd gone up against back home. It had to be one of the babies, mostly grown up.

Not that she cared. The thing was just as deadly, just as determined to kill her and anyone else it came across. Ashley was not going to let that happen. Surging to her feet, holding tightly to the creature, she slammed it hard into the wall and did her best to pin it down. The next thing she knew, she was crashing through the far wall and, with a screech, the creature fled back into the darkness.

On her feet in an instant, Ashley climbed back through the hole her body had made in the wall and shook the rubble from her hair. "Okay. What was that?!" she demanded, looking to her mom for some sort of explanation. "Since when is their M.O. to leave a kill unfinished?" She didn't like it. A change in behavior without a damn good reason was never a good thing.

Of course, she realized a second later, neither was revealing a glimpse of your less-than-human self to the man you were forcibly wed to when he hated pretty much all things non-human. With a heavy sigh, mentally cursing her lack of foresight, Ashley glanced toward John with a carefully neutral expression to try and see just how much he'd noticed and figured out. Maybe, if she was really lucky, he wouldn't have realized a thing.

Yeah. Right.

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-25 02:54 am UTC (link)

Trackers would make things easier in locating the creatures if they happened to be invisible or small or just too damn fast to pick up through normal eyesight alone. He wanted to ask specifics on exactly what they were dealing with. That would help, get his sense attuned for whatever might be coming at them, but before he even had the chance, Ashley was calling an incoming, and they were being attacked by... something. The wild struggle between the creature and... Was that Ashley? There was a speed and ferocity to her movements that hadn't been there a second before, and...something else, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on in the tangle of movement that was the fight happening before him.

But almost as abruptly as it started, it was over, the creature was off like a shot, leaving a battered Ashley and a massive hole in the wall behind it.

At least, John had assumed Ashley would be battered. After a fight like that, how could someone come out of it unscathed, but as she stood, acting as though the pounding hadn't even affected her, John stared at the woman that he'd been paired with. She didn't look as she had been hadn't awoken or when they had been speaking before. There was an unearthly appearance to her now, a deepening to her voice, a darkness in her eyes that looked wholly demonic, and a pair of claws extending from her fingers. It was only there for a second before her appearance normalized again, but he knew what he had seen.

It was instinct, a split second decision, as he raised the gun that he had been given and pointed it directly at Ashley, his heart thudding in his chest at the idea that the person he'd actually started to like could be classified as anything close to the inhuman entities that he dealt with constantly. It would be just like this place, another hilarious joke to play on the newbie. Befriend the murderous creature and get killed in your bed. Hilarious. "What are you?"

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daretobelieve
2013-02-25 03:24 am UTC (link)

Helen had almost expected the reaction, but she had hoped John would show more sense than to raise a weapon against her daughter. She might have been more prepared for it if she hadn't been distracted by her concern for Ashley during her brief scuffle with the Abnormal. Still, she reacted on instinct, raising her own gun and levelling it at John's head. She had lost her daughter once and it had nearly destroyed her. She wasn't going to lose her again, not to the bigotry of an ignorant man who had no idea what he was dealing with.

"She is my daughter," she said coldly. "And unless you want to be locked up like the other dangerous creatures in this place, I suggest you lower your weapon. This is my home, my daughter's home, and I will not stand for her being threatened in it because you happen to be a small-minded bigot." She was beyond furious. She knew how hard it was for Ashley, how much her daughter had gone through, and having her threatened put Helen into a full-on protective mindset. Ashley had never asked for what had happened to her. For all their faults, Helen and the other members of the Five had gone into things with open eyes. Ashley had been given no such luxury.

"Now," she said, "you can continue to focus on the fact that my daughter is somewhat more remarkable than others, or we can return to the actual threat here. But I promise you, if you do not choose the latter, I will deal with you. You may think my daughter is the danger here, Mr. Winchester, but I assure you that isn't the case." Ashley may have been able to kill a man with her bare hands, but anyone who didn't think Helen was the most dangerous person in the room was sorely mistaken. She had been alive a very long time, for someone who wasn't an angel or demon or otherwise supernatural creature, and she had learned quite a bit in that time.

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choseherside
2013-02-25 04:51 am UTC (link)

The second John leveled his gun at her, Ashley held her hands out in front of her and went completely still. Getting shot wouldn't kill her, of course, but it would definitely hurt like a bitch. Not to mention, it would attract the attention of the creatures that they were currently trying to re-capture, and that was something she wanted to avoid if at all possible. So she stayed put, knowing her mom would be equally quick on the draw and not at all surprised when John had a gun aimed at his own head in a matter of seconds. Waiting until her mother had finished speaking, Ashley's own voice was calm and collected as she finally addressed the situation.

"You want to shoot me, John?" she questioned evenly. "Seriously? Here, now, with my own gun, because I happen to be a little more than human, you want to do this?" Casting a quick glance at her mom, Ashley refocused on the man in front of her. Then she did something that was quite possibly the dumbest thing she had ever done.

With even, steady footsteps she covered the small distance between them, walked directly up to the gun he was holding, and pressed it against her chest. Her blue eyes peered up at him, her expression carefully neutral.

"Go ahead," she stated. "Shoot me. Pull the trigger. If it will really make you feel better, do it." Pausing, she added in a slightly more reasonable tone, "Or, you can lower your weapon, my mom can lower hers, and we can all go bag and tag a couple of escaped creatures who are the real threat, here. Your call, dude."

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allisawwasevil
2013-02-25 05:04 am UTC (link)

He could have. He should have. As John stood there, confronted by a woman with a guy aimed square at his head, someone who had the same sort of air to her that Ellen did, a promise that she wouldn't miss, and with the woman he'd been paired with standing there, practically daring him to shoot her, he should have done it. He would have, had he only just arrived and his acclamation to these sort of situations had still been fresh. But as he stared at Ashley, staring only the briefest of glimpses over to her mother to try and gauge the other woman's state of awareness, John decided that of everything he'd been through, maybe there was enough here to allow his own foundation to bend ever so slightly.

Whatever that thing was, he wouldn't be able to take it out on his own and setting himself up against the two people he was trying to be helping was absolutely no strategy to take. It was the sort of doublecross that got hunters killed by their own all the time, and John wasn't about to take that risk. Not when he was the one on the bad end of the ratio.

"I guess," John started, frowning softly as he looked between the two women before slowly lowering his gun, "I guess we've got more important things to concern ourselves with. But," John said, giving Ashley a slightly pointed look, "we're going to have to talk about this later."

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