Freelancer New York (freelancer_york) wrote in knowhereic, @ 2017-08-11 18:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | haloverse: canon: tex, haloverse: canon: york, supernatural: canon: castiel, the dresden files: canon: carlos ramirez, the dresden files: canon: harry dresden |
Who: Carlos Ramirez, Harry Dresden, York & Tex (Cas Cameo)
What: The new arrival meets some Knowhere residents.
When: Mid-Day
Where: The Market
Rating: PG-13
Status: Log - Complete
Harry Dresden was a bachelor in the truest sense of the word. He lived alone, with his dog, he ate take out and often went long stretches without having real conversations that involved more than grunting and other manly things. Texas was a bachelor in the truest sense of the word. She lived alone, she ate whatever awful MREs were available, and often went long stretches without having real conversations that involved more than growling and punching other people. So, having the two of them living in the same house hadn’t really done anything good for either one of them, except make the house a little more messy (which, they both sort of did their part to try and keep clean, Harry had a lot of guests), make Mouse a little more tired (Texas had figured out how to play with the dog, sort of, but she still wasn’t sure about touching it), and make food harder to come by. That was why York had insisted the two of them come with him when he went to the market to pick up food. Sure, he always brought food over for Harry, but with Tex there now, he had to bring twice as much, plus he was picking up food for himself, and Ed. He could use the extra hands carrying bags. Thus, the three giants of Knowhere were moving through the market together. Surely it had to be a little strange for Harry, who’d never gone anywhere with the pair, as much as he’d been with them at the same time. As they walked, Texas fell back behind the two of them-- exactly two steps and placed just enough to Harry’s right that she could look past him and see York. York, who was exactly one step in front of Harry, and placed just enough to Harry’s left that they didn’t bump shoulders as they walked. The wizard, if he slowed or sped, or changed direction, would note quickly that the two soldiers slowed, sped, or changed direction with him. Like a school of fish, or a flock of birds. It was clear the Freelancers didn’t even realize they were doing it, it all fell onto instinct and training. The weakest of the group was at their center. “I’m not saying you have to cook every night,” York was explaining as they walked, “I’m just saying having food in your house is a good thing. Midnight snacks, or if you just feel too lazy to go out. Breakfast and lunch and all that.” Because the golden soldier usually brought dinner before he headed out to the graveyard shift at the Med bay. *** Harry had noticed their formation, because he was a battle wizard through and through. He’d noticed their placement because it was standard practice that Captain Anastasia Luccio had drilled into Harry’s head once she’d conscripted him into the Wardens and forced him out onto the training grounds. “If you can not work as a team, Dresden, then there is little point in you being among us,” she’d told him. But since they were in the heart of their war with the vampires, Harry had succumbed to the lessons and started learning drills. He didn’t know that he’d liked being in the center of two monster machines right now, but it felt like a badass escort anyway even if they were telling him they both thought he was weak. It rubbed his ego the wrong way. But he’d growled his acceptance because any time he tried to out pace them they just adjusted themselves to his speed. Annoying. But funny to make them walk circles when he stopped to look at things. Maybe they didn’t notice they were doing it, but for Harry he’d started seeing what ridiculous things he could make them do to accommodate him at their center. Not that anyone had trouble parting the seas for the three giants. They could see over just about everyone’s heads and most of the other people surrounding them scrambled out of their way, giving a wide berth to their size and the fact they looked like a group of grim murderers. No one would fuck with them except for the exceptionally stupid. Carlos Ramirez was not exceptionally stupid. On the eve when 240 Wardens of the White Council of Wizards had died in a single stroke, he and a ragtag group of others had survived. He’d been about 16 or 17 at the time and had been baptized in fire. Almost ten years later, he stood now in a mass of bodies in the market tracking the movements of three people. One he recognized, two he did not. That was fine. He’d faced worse odds. When the space had cleared around the three to Carlos’ acceptable standards (he wouldn’t risk bystanders anymore than Harry Dresden would), he calmly drew the pistol at his side, clicked the safety off and raised it. “Hey! Gigantor! Wizard Dresden!” Carlos wasn’t a very big individual. In fact, facing down three giants he looked exceptionally small. He was about average height, maybe, but built like a gymnast. His brown hair fell into his eyes in that classic Spanish way, he was clean shaven which made him look younger than he was. But more than his physical body, when Harry turned to look who called for him, Harry recognized a wizard prepped for war. The Freelancers had armor that made them virtual tanks, in addition to their personal physical prowess. A wizard did not. But Carlos stood solidly, dressed in black fatigues, combat boots, a tight fitting dark shirt. At his hips a belt sat comfortably, a sword strapped to one side, a holster for his pistol on the other and three fragmentation grenades in a little row. He wore a long grey cloak over his shoulders and in his hand he carried a quarterstaff, a mirror of Harry’s own but much smaller per their height. Harry blinked. “Carlos?” Carlos cocked the gun. “That’s me,” Carlos confirmed, “You’re dead.” Oh, shit. Harry saw where this was going before the words had gotten out of Carlos’ mouth. The Warden didn’t know about the AIs in the Freelancers’ heads; if he drew on his magic he’d kill them both. “Wait!” Harry shouted. Enough people took notice to scramble out of the way. Not their business. Not their fight. *** It probably wouldn't have made Harry feel any better if he thought the Freelancers put him at the center because he was the most important, the most valuable. Which also could have been the case. But he'd never know, they weren't telling. Hell, they may have even just fallen into step without realizing it. That was probably most likely. However, it was proving useful, because suddenly there was a shout behind them and Texas turned. She had her gun out in the same instance, pointing it right back at the shorter man, leveled with his head. Her finger had been putting pressure on the trigger, but she paused as Harry yelled to wait. The four of them stood there on the now abandoned market street, York coming from behind Harry, having recognized that staff and instantly worried for Tex. He lifted his hands and spread his fingers to show he had no weapon. He would put himself slightly in front of Harry, even a step in front of Tex, but enough to the side that both Tex and Harry could see and be seen. “Hey there. Carlos? The guy on the network-- Alaska, right? Hey, man, I'm York. We got no problems here. You can put that thing down.” He always tried to be the peacekeeper. Could anyone blame him? “Harry's not hurting anyone, and he's clearly alive, so..” *** “Don’t do that, Lady,” Carlos said calmly, his eyes steady on her and her gun. Give the little guy some credit, he didn’t flinch. It was more than Harry had managed when faced with the barrel of Texas’ gun. “My problem isn’t with you.” Which was true. But if they were on the side of this thing wearing Dresden’s skin, well, then they’d go about things the hard way. “Hey man,” He greeted York with that same cheerful tone, “I ain’t got problems with you either. The Dresden I know wouldn’t let two people put themselves in front of him though, that’s my problem.” Harry for his part had blinked when both Texas and York had moved. Tex, sure, she was on the defensive in a heartbeat but then York was stepping ahead too, making a virtual wall between the wizard and his combatant, or enough of one to make the point clear: to get to the wizard, you had to go through them first. “If you’re gonna point that gun at me you’d damned well better be ready to pull that trigger, Carlos, or I’ll shove it up your ass for being an idiot,” Harry said. Okay, so maybe Harry wasn’t the most diplomatic person and York was better off talking. Harry glanced at him, his hands raised the same as York’s as he ambled up to stand abreast of the war machines. “You’re dead,” Carlos repeated, “I went to Harry Dresden’s funeral. So you wanna tell me why the fuck you’re wearing my friend’s body?” Harry frowned. “Uh, kind of a long story, ‘Los.” “I got nothing but time here, so start explaining or I start shooting. Hey--don’t move,” Carlos warned again. “I’m not dead. I died, technically, but I didn’t die.” He had. He’d spent six months as a spirit before he’d been resurrected but that didn’t seem like a story that would fly right now. “Put the gun down Carlos, I don’t want anything happening here.” “Nah, we’re cool. Right guys? No one’s doing anything stupid.” *** “I'm going to do something stupid if he doesn't stop pointing that gun at Harry.” So said Tex, who narrowed down those cold eyes. “Whoa! No, hey, she's kidding. No one’s doing anything dumb. Look, the guns can stay, let's just point them away from people, alright? How about at feet? And let's just keep our magic out of it entirely, yeah? No need to destroy this place, right? Come on, Carlos. I know you don't wanna hurt anyone. Neither do we.” York, the tank, the bait, the peacekeeper. “I do.” Tex offered. “Stop it, Tex.” The golden soldier shot back. “Look, Carlos, Harry is our friend, and I didn't know him before, but he's a good guy now. We don't need to do this.” He hoped this man wasn't someone pretending to be Harry Dresden, but it didn't matter to York. Whoever this was, it was his friend. *** His focus forced between three of them, Carlos was outmatched. He kept the gun trained on Harry, his hand steady, but his gaze loose in the same way Riza Hawkeye had been when the Colonel had been introduced to the big wizard. Like he was used to facing down multiples. Kid had guts. Harry liked him for that reason; he was simple and effective. But right now Carlos’ steadfast determination was just aggravating. “Tex-” Harry scowled at the same time York scolded her. “No one is getting shot! Put the god damned guns down. There’s people all over this damned place and both of you morons-” “Just answer the fucking question, dude,” Carlos cut Harry off mid-rant. Harry scowled again, his temper flaring. He had to fight to keep control of it so that his foul mood wouldn’t start fucking with the Freelancers. “I didn’t die, Carlos. Mab brought me back.” Carlos’ gaze did the stupid thing of switching from Texas to focus on Harry just briefly. “How do I know you didn’t bring anything back with you?” “You don’t. York’s right, right now. If you wanna put a gun to my head and demand answers let’s do it someplace not in the open. No one wants to hurt anyone. Texas, listen to your friend and put the gun down. Then Carlos will too.” The Warden shifted his stance a little. Harry noticed. He winced inwardly because the other predator among them must have noticed it too. Carlos was in pain, if he’d been walking he’d be limping. “York-” Harry warned. Carlos nodded. “Alright.” *** When he turned his eyes away from her, Texas managed, somehow, not to take advantage. She steeled herself and held still. But that shift. That shift. That weakness. It had York’s eyes widening a little. “Tex--” Her name was said the same time Harry had said York's name. The golden Freelancer didn't even need to look past Harry to Texas to know it was too late. She'd already pulled the trigger. Thankfully, she was trained on the gun in Carlos’ hand, which would surely be knocked free and clear. A second trigger pull in the same instance hit the gun as it flew from the shorter man’s hands, hitting it mid-air and knocking it further away. Then her gun trained on the man's head. Her finger stayed on the trigger, but she didn't apply pressure again. “Tex!” It had all happened before he had even managed to get her name out a second time. “No! Hey!” York was moving again, this time putting himself in front of the shorter Carlos, square between Tex and the offender, arms outstretched, just about directly between the two of them, close enough to make a solid wall, but far enough she couldn't grab him. “Relax!” Another demand from York. *** It was like being in the O.K. Corral, except with less cowboys, too many wizards, and a lot more ways to die. The gunshot rang out, quicker than anyone could anticipate, Carlos gave a shout when the bullet struck, the weapon dropping from his hand then being flung away. But because thought was quicker than action, he’d already drawn up his will. Harry had felt the Warden gathering his power--Carlos’ combat wizardry was based on speed and accuracy, he was a soldier after all--verses Harry’s hard preference for massive destruction. Harry’s heart pounded in his chest and he reached for his power at the same moment Carlos flipped his palm up, blood and all, and hissed out a word. A shaft of green light erupted between the wizard and the Freelancers, aimed at York because the moron of course had dove between the wizard and his friend. Carlos’ specialty was water magic. All of his work was geared toward disrupting, for disintegration, for breaking apart. If it hit York, it would dissolve flesh and clothes as easily as the harshest acid. Harry had seen it before. “No!” Harry heard himself shout as he lunged forward to put distance between himself and the pair of blondes, thrusting his hand out, aiming not for the Freelancers with the delicate technologies in their head, but for the wounded wizard that was his friend. Harry released a wild blast of kinetic energy that met that oncoming green shaft and when it struck, the green shaft broke and dispersed but so did the invisible hammer that had been Harry’s magic. The energy flared then died. “Carlos, don’t!” The young wizard had slid one foot back and dropped into a crouching stance with arms open, prepared to catch the rampant energies thrown his way. His expression drawn up but hard. He hurt, but he was a fighter. “Stop it, you idiot!” Harry snarled, “They’ll die!” Carlos hesitated. Then he sank to his knee, one then the other, his dark eyes no less fierce for having surrendered. If anything, he looked more defiant, staring at the tall wizard. “You gonna kill me, Harry?” He wouldn’t hurt his friends. That’s what his look said, much like York’s the other day. Harry watched him. For a moment he wasn’t sure what the answer would be, then he shook his head and said, “No, but I’m going to punch you in the head until all of your teeth fall out.” Harry turned in concern toward the Freelancers. *** The energy was the closest to the blonde man, whose eyes widened some as he saw Harry drawing up his power and unleashing it. Oh. Fuck. This was going to hurt. Tex narrowed her eyes, but effectively had no shot, thanks to York. Her gun stayed steady though, watching as the two magic connected. The blood that began to seep from her ear wasn't slow and trickling, but rather began to drip immediately. A bit of blood came from her nose as well, but both were ignored, pale eyes hardening. The golden Freelancer, however, sunk down to his knees, hitting the ground there before the blood even began to run from his nose and ear. He panted out a few shallow breaths and sat back on his heels, barely able to stay upright. Fuck. “I'm fine.” He managed to mutter, even before Harry could ask. It was reactive. He was hurt? He was fine. “You try that shit again and Harry won't have to kill you.” Tex, still standing firm, told the shortest of them, only barely restraining herself from taking that fatal shot to Carlos’ head. Her eyes never strayed to York, she didn't need to look at him. He would either be fine, or he'd die, and she couldn't do anything to help, so she stayed on point. *** Harry dropped to York’s side the moment he was close enough, looking at him with wild concern. It was too soon, too close to the last accident to be putting that much pressure on his injured brain. God they were going to kill him by virtue of freaking existing. Hell’s bells. “You just keep breathing, man,” Harry said, gripping York’s shoulder before the wizard was pushing himself back up to put himself between Carlos and Tex’s gun. He stared at her cold eyes with his own hard brown ones. “Put the god damned gun down, Texas,” he snarled. He couldn’t say Carlos wasn’t a threat. He might be on his knees and seemingly immobile, but his magic was just as deadly as Harry’s. He didn’t pack nearly as powerful a punch as the taller wizard, but what he had he was freaking great with. And he was sitting behind Dresden looking at Tex with defiant eyes. He could do veils- Harry whipped around the moment the thought came to his head. Carlos had disappeared. His other specialty was veils. Harry could do them. The same way kids could finger paint next to Picasso. Harry wasn’t Picasso. “Fuck,” he snarled then looked back at Tex. “Don’t fucking shoot him. He bailed. Alright? Stand down.” He might not have gone far. But. What could you do? *** Reluctantly, Tex lowered her gun. After a few beats, she put it away, then crossed her arms over her chest in a way that clearly displayed her displeasure. “I already shot him, anyway.” So there. Finally, cold eyes found York, who had managed to carefully push himself up to his feet, that blue eye turned to the blood on the ground, left behind by Carlos. It took him a few seconds to get his body working, but the water bottle he'd brought along was tugged from the pocket on his thigh, the cargo pants making a perfect storage space. The first step was unsteady, the second was a bit more sure, and by the fifth, he at least didn't look drunk anymore. The small splatters of blood all over the ground were washed away as York dumped the water out over the blood that Carlos had left behind. There was no need for the other wizard to have a chance of someone using his blood against him, he'd seemed like an entirely decent sort. York couldn't let that blood stay there. Then that blue eye came back to Harry and he nodded a little. Delta had it under control. The magic had dissipated much faster in the open and he felt better, Delta was able to do his job without having to protect against anything. It'd be a minute before his brain focused on speech, though. All that effort was spent on working his body. “Some friend.” Tex couldn't help adding that. *** “Thank you,” Harry said when Tex stood down and put her weapon away. Harry continued staring at her for a moment, watching the blood leaking from her head with concern. “Clean that up, Tex.” Another wizard could be anywhere nearby, one she’d just injured. Carlos wasn’t that kind of person, but now was as good a time as ever to reinforce his point that other wizards were dangerous with pieces of yourself. Then York was back on his feet and Harry turned to look at him, lingering as close as he dared while the Freelancer … got up and started cleaning the Warden’s blood off the ground. Harry’s lips parted faintly. Well. York had learned the lesson but not as it applied to himself. Good man, but also an idiot. Harry felt a beat of pride in his chest mixed with disbelief. He shook his head but didn’t have long to think about it because of course Tex ran her mouth. A flare of irritation shot through the wizard, he rounded on Tex and stepped in close again. “In my world when you die and get back up again it’s probably because someone’s playing dress up with your body. Someone wore my face before. He was being cautious, his approach was just wrong. If he’d gone after us--me--in private his chances would have gone way down.” Harry shrugged. In the open, Carlos knew he’d have a better chance at surviving because Harry wouldn’t use big magicks with bystanders nearby. He’d just factored the Freelancers wrong. Who could blame him? *** “If he came after you to kill you, he made a mistake not killing us first.” Tugging up her shirt, she used it to wipe the blood from her face, ear and neck. After a few seconds of thought, she tugged the whole shirt up over her head, leaving her in her sports bra, and she tossed the shirt to York, who used it to clean himself up, then slow steps brought him to Harry, where he passed the shirt off to the wizard. He could burn it. Just, hopefully away from them. “He looked injured.” York finally said. “Do you know where he went?” Could Harry find him? “Oh leave him, he almost killed us.” Tex was not as forgiving. *** “He didn’t want to kill you or me,” Harry said, “You just saw him disappear. Does any part of you think he couldn’t hold his veil and shoot me in the head from a foot away? I can’t sense them when they’re done well. Instead he came out in the open in a public place to confront me.” Carlos was good people. Harry took the shirt offered to him … with extreme caution, concern, and no small amount of awe. They trusted him with their blood. Man. That wasn’t lost on him. Harry looked between the two Freelancers (trying not to get stuck on staring at Tex’s boobs while he did it) before he looked back down at the shirt in his hands. He rolled it tightly and tucked it under his arm since he wasn’t wearing his leather duster today. Glancing back at York, Harry shook his head. “You wiped his blood up.” Harry smiled faintly. “He won’t go to a hospital, that’s for sure. He’s got the same problems I do. If I waited long enough I could pick his trail up by checking local medical supply places or just who sells bandages and shit here in the market, ask after someone that fits his description. I know he can’t hold that veil all day without running himself into the ground. I guess I could ask Cas.” Did he want to? Carlos was injured. But scaring him more seemed like a bad way to go. Leaving him without answers seemed worse. Friends didn’t leave friends injured and alone either. Harry sighed. Castiel. *** York just stared at Harry for a few seconds as he told the Freelancer that he'd wiped his blood up. Like he didn't understand. Delta was working on it. Oddly, Tex, though she had a cool look in her eyes, looked just as pale as York. Omega didn't have a healing unit. York’s bleeding had stopped. For Tex, it continued slowly. And she hasn't moved an inch since the magic had been used. She was afraid she'd fall over She just needed a few minutes. “He needs someone to check him out.” York said at last. It was then that the angel appeared a few feet in front of Harry, already opening his mouth to say something, but he paused and looked towards York first, then Tex. Then he shot Harry a harder look and moved past him to the golden soldier, a hand coming up to press two fingers to his head. A little flash of light had York jerking back some and turning that wide blue eye onto the angel, but Castiel was already headed for Tex, who took a step back, but stumbled some. Cas caught her arm with one hand and pressed his other to her forehead. Another flash of light and she was jerking her arm away reflexively, looking startled. “The fuck?” But she was ignored as the archangel returned to Harry, eyebrows raising. “I'm glad you called.” Neither blonde had seemed to be doing well. *** “Don’t look at me like that-” Harry started, after getting over his initial shock at Castiel appearing out of nowhere. That would never not surprise the wizard. Ever. “I was saving their lives this time!” Defensive, he folded his arms over his chest and backpedaled away from both the archangel and the Freelancers. For one precious, horrible second Harry thought Tex was going to shoot Castiel. She didn’t react well to new things any more than Harry did.. But then she’d stumbled and Harry’s mouth opened a little bit in surprise. Tex had stumbled. Of course she did. She was human no matter her killing machine instincts. Human just like the rest. Even if she didn’t have a soul in the strictly human sense. Harry frowned and made himself stay put. She might not like it if he rushed over to see if she was okay, but he did keep a steady eye on her. He’d ask York about it later; he didn’t know the differences between Delta and the AI in Tex’s head. It didn’t seem polite to talk about it. But, well, Harry should know so he didn’t accidentally kill Tex either. Harry rubbed his face with both hands. “That’s not why I called, but thanks.” He looked at the archangel. “I need a favor… please. Bill me for it later,” Harry said offhandedly, always willing to pay the price for things so no one else had to. “There’s another wizard on Knowhere, a friend of mine, named Carlos Ramirez - he’s injured. Can you tell me where he’s at?” *** “Saving them, yes. I could tell from their bleeding brains and her inability to do anything but stand there while her body shut down.” The angel gave Harry another forceful look, but nodded when told about the other wizard. He knew where he was the same way he always knew where Harry was. “Two blocks away, sitting in an alley. He's been there a minute or two now.” He tipped his head at the wizard in front of him. “I'll put it on your tab.” That was a joke. It didn't come out as one. He was so bad at that. “Do you need anything else?” Prompted. “Hey Cas? Thanks.” York shot him a little grin and the Angel softened almost immediately. “You're welcome, York.” he couldn't help having a soft spot for someone like York. *** “Carlos would have melted more than York’s brain, so their brains shutting down was the nicer option,” Harry said, still defensive. How did the archangel make Harry undergo a crisis of faith every time he walked by? He didn’t even need to say anything and suddenly every little bit inside Harry’s heart felt inferior and rotten and wrong. Like he was a stain on the universe. He was trying to do the right things. He spent his whole life helping people and he wasn’t even sure what side he was on anymore. The wizard faltered. Then he rubbed his face and forced it all away. Now wasn’t the time to worry about himself, because Carlos was hurt and he was more important now that the two in front of him were safe. “Yeah,” Harry said, “anything you want, just bill me for it.” He meant it. The way Cas sounded, the angel also meant it too. Harry would pay any price necessary if it meant those he loved were okay. He and York were very alike in that regard. “No, thanks. I’ll call you later.” Harry winked. No he wouldn’t. But he did get the right direction from Castiel before turning to the Freelancers, when he paused. “Maybe you two should get home and rest.” They didn’t need to run into Carlos again. Carlos affected technology the same way Harry did. Two wizards against their minds wouldn’t end well. It occurred to Harry not for the first time maybe they’d be better if they didn’t come around Harry at all. *** The Angel was gone in a flicker. Apparently, Harry had interrupted something, because he’d been quick to turn up and quicker to leave. Angels were odd creatures. Tex had taken to looking York over to ensure he was okay, but she shot Harry a dark look when he told them to go home and rest. “Fuck you, Harry Dresden.” Harsh, angry words from the blonde woman, who wasn't having any of it. They weren't children, they had been through plenty worse than this, and he was telling them to go home and rest? It was, quite frankly, insulting. And besides all that, like Hell was she leaving him to chase down some guy who’d just tried to shoot him. And had tried to.. Whatever that green bit of magic had been. Fat chance of Tex leaving. Especially not after she’d been told to. “We're fine. And out of the three of us, I'm the only medic. If he needs attention, I'll be the one to give it to him. Unless someone else here is a medic or a doctor?” York raised his eyebrows in question. “No? Then he can let me take care of him.” No med bay meant no proper medical attention. The least the Freelancer could do was patch the guy up and let him burn everything with his blood on it, when he was done. “If he won’t go to the clinic to get treated, I’m his next best option. If Tex shot him--” “I shot his gun, if the bullet hit his hand, that’s not my fault--” “Then he’ll need it cleaned and bandaged. And he looked like he may have had an injury elsewhere, he was favoring one side--” “Probably from where the last person shot him.” The woman chimed in helpfully again. “You’re not helping, Texas.” “And you thought jumping between us was helping, New York? I would have had a clean shot.” “Did you consider the fact that’s why I got between you?” There was a long pause. Then that cold, pale stare turned angrily onto Harry. “We are not going home.” If she couldn’t win a fight with York, she could with Harry. Especially in just a bra. *** They were arguing. They were also arguing with Harry who stood there staring at them angrily. “Fine!” He snapped, throwing his hands into the air. “We’re wasting time. He’ll move again before long so both of you shut up.” He mumbled something about both of them having brain damage, shook his head in irritation and then turned away. York was also right. Sure, sure, Carlos could patch himself up fine--most wizards knew enough first aid to stop the leaks because none of them would go into a hospital to have it fixed if they could help it--but that never meant actual healing. Senior Council member Listens to Wind was the best healer and medical doctor the wizards had, he had medical degrees from several universities and went back every couple of decades to learn the new science so he was always caught up. Everyone, as far as Harry knew, went to him for their medical needs. Harry didn’t. He knew a guy that worked in the morgue. But anyway, the wizard continued grumbling to himself about idiot Freelancers and their stubborn resolve when he walked off and left them behind him to catch up. “And don’t cage me in this time, I need a clean shot in case he tries for magic again. Especially because someone shot him,” Harry looked pointedly at Texas as he said the last. The wizard was moody. Carlos, for his part, had bailed the moment he no longer had the attention of three giants. One giant with a gun was fine with a wizard standing between her and her target. He’d pulled a veil around himself and bolted to regroup. Wizards weren’t cowardly, but in absence of killing two innocent people, Carlos had opted to run instead to figure out his next move. He still didn’t trust that that was Harry. He’d gone to the funeral, he’d put flowers on Harry Dresden’s grave. He’d mourned with the wizard’s friends and then here he was--alive and well and insisting he hadn’t died. What the fuck? The young Warden had eased himself down onto a dubious looking crate in an alley, his veil dropping so he flicked into existence. His hand was a mess. What had that been? A .45? Fucking bitch. He wrapped the edges of his cloak around it to stop the bleeding and leaned back against the wall behind him, wincing. When the inevitable happened, the young wizard didn’t do much more than blink. He turned his head to look at the alley opening and reached for his sword, without rising. “Don’t-” Harry said. “We’re not here to hurt you. You’re already injured, moron, you’re leaving behind a trail of blood.” A lie, but plausible because the Warden was leaking. Carlos stared at the group. “Man, you guys are stubborn assholes aren’t you?” He slowly moved his hand away from the sword hilt. “Yeah, little bit. This little guy right here--York--he’s a medic, gonna take a look at your hand and whatever other holes you’ve got in you, ‘Los, so stay cool.” The Warden peered at them skeptically, “Hey it’s cool, any funny business and this goes south real fast,” Carlos said cheerfully. “What happened to friends not hurting friends?” “We don’t, that’s why Tiny here is gonna fix you up and then we’re gonna sing Kumbaya and move on with life, ‘Los.” Harry smiled a little. “Estás loco,” Carlos bitched, shaking his head but he had a grin on his face. *** “I could have shot you instead, asshole.” Texas snapped back without hesitation. York rolled his eyes. He knew Tex better than anyone but Church, and he damn well knew she wasn’t going to shoot Harry. But Harry didn’t. “Come on, let’s go.” He encouraged, stepping up next to Harry and clapping him on the shoulder, giving him a nod. “I’ll stay at your side.” He promised. He knew Tex would bring up the rear, she always did. The walk was uneventful, York trying to keep the mood light, but neither of the other two were having it right now. Eventually, he just fell silent. He knew when he’d lost. Thankfully, Carlos wasn’t far, and as Harry introduced him as the little guy he couldn’t help his slow grin and shrugged up his shoulders. Okay, so he was short. Sue him. He came around Harry without hesitation, moving towards the man there with little concern, his hands raised up so they could be seen clearly. He wasn’t here to hurt. Out of the three of them, the golden boy had been the only one not to pull a weapon-- magic included. Even if Harry had done it to save his ass. Hell, he’d protected the man who’d attacked them. Who better to approach him first? You know, and he could act as a wonderful shield if he needed to. “Hey, Leo.” He greeted as he came forward. “Long time no talk. How are you doing? I know your hand’s a little messed up, but you got something else going on?” He paused a few feet away to wait there, hands still spread and out at his sides. He’d wait for permission to come forward, once Carlos had gotten a good look at him and deemed him not to be a threat. Tex kept her hand on her gun. *** Carlos’ gaze moved from Harry to the giant beside him, watching with serious dark eyes, his brows furrowed in thought and no small amount of skepticism. He was tense and trying to hide it. Harry held his breath, thinking wildly positive thoughts in the hopes neither Carlos nor Tex would twitch wrong and send the other into a flux. Harry knew wizards, he knew Carlos had a spell on the tip of his tongue already just waiting for the moment to loose it on them. All bad. This was all bad. The wizard sighed the barest relief when Carlos shook his head and shrugged. “Nope, just my back.” He cast a grin at the blonde man standing a few feet off of him. “Chupacabra kicked me a couple weeks ago.” Injuries that hadn't had a chance to heal. His gaze moved from York to the wizard and the woman behind him. “Interesting friends you got here, Harry.” “Yeah, we're in a contest of freaks,” Harry grinned. “Who you calling a freak? Of the four of us I'm the only normal one here.” Harry laughed. “Yeah, whatever ‘Los.” The smaller wizard nodded again and relaxed some, his dark eyes finding York's solid blue one before skirting away. Huh, just like Harry's refusal to meet the man's eyes. “Alright, Doc, I'm leaking all over the place here and you three are getting uglier by the minute. Cramping my style. How about we fix this up now?” Carlos unwrapped his hand, cringing. The grey cloaks of the Wardens don't stain. At least there was that. His blood was on it, but it would wash off. *** Tex stared him down. That was what she was good for. Her eyes never wavered, her body never shifted, she just stared. And waited. Go ahead. Give her a reason, little man. Twitch wrong near her friend and see what happened. Thankfully, the shorter wizard allowed York closer, who crouched down in front of him and reached out to carefully take his hand and look it over. “Looks like she got you. It’s not that bad, it’s a pretty clean wound, just a little skin and some muscle damage. I’m just going to clean it up and get it wrapped.” Glancing back, he set that blue eye to Tex. “Give me your water.” Her flat stare had him letting out a slow breath. “Please?” A few long seconds stretched, then she reached into her own BDU’s, tugging her water from the side pocket, and tossed it towards him. York caught it deftly and set it down near his knee, before looking back at Harry. “Toss me Tex’s shirt.” It was stained with both of their blood, but York was sure he could find a part of it that wasn’t. If Harry refused to toss it? Well, York would give him a little smile. “It’s fine. I’ll be careful about it. I promise.” And with that, assuming the taller wizard threw it to his friend, York would unroll it and look the dark fabric over, searching for a spot not stained with his, or Tex’s, blood. Once he found a portion, he tore it off and balled up the rest of the shirt, throwing it back towards Harry. “This might hurt a little.” Warned to Carlos, as he poured the water over the wound and took care to get out any debris he could see, before he set the last of the water aside and just held the other man’s hand there, letting it air dry just a bit. “She’s sorry she shot you.” “Am not.” *** Carlos snorted, “No she's not,” he said it at the same time Tex did. The little wizard quirked a brow as if to say ‘see?’ “I'm young and beautiful but I wasn't born yesterday, man. I don't live in the dark and feed on bullshit.” He watched the man work dispassionately, only inhaling a quick breath at the sting. Not the worst injury he'd ever taken, but there was something about your hands that sucked more than the rest. That and he hadn't been conscious any of the previous times a doctor had poked at his injuries. Harry, feeling a little queasy at York using a blood stained shirt to clean another man's wounds, rolled the shirt back up and held onto it stiffly. “Pretty sure you're gonna wanna clean that up as soon as possible, Carlos.” “Are you the doctor?” Carlos shot back. “No? I didn't think so. I'm pretty sure you're a gigantic nerd.” He grumbled something mean in Spanish, taking for granted none of the other three understood any of it. “I'm not sorry I tried melting you.” He looked at York. “Everyone's just doing what everyone's trained for, right? No hard feelings.” *** York was used to using blood stained things on multiple people, in war it didn’t matter. Hell, if this were a battlefield, he sure wouldn’t have looked for a spot on that shirt that had no blood on it, he just would have used the whole thing. “Hey, Harry’s the reason we found you, be nice.” That blue eye flicked up away from the wound again, locking onto Carlos. Why wouldn’t either of them look him in the eye? It worried him. His gaze dropped back down to the wound. “No hard feelings.” Dry enough to his satisfaction, York used the strip of the dark shirt to wrap up the wound carefully, tightly, then he tied it off and brought his attention up again. “I’m going to want to get this cleaned up properly and bandaged with something not her t-shirt, but this will keep it from getting infected and dirty.” Back up to his feet, he offered a hand down to help Carlos up. “When we get back to Harry’s place, I’ll check out your back, too.” Because of course Carlos was coming with them. Right? Tex’s eyes narrowed down slightly, but she somehow managed not to say anything mean. Wonders never cease. *** “Yeah, be nice, Carlos.” Harry's inner child came out of nowhere sometimes. But he'd never claimed to be particularly mature. That also wasn't a description anyone applied to him very frequently. So he was a smartass, so what? Carlos gave him a flat look and said something else unflattering under his breath, an unpleasant suggestion about what Harry could do with a boot and where to stick it. But then York was rising and towering over the Warden, who had to strain his neck to get a good look at his face with the man standing so near. Creepy. Giants. What the hell? Carlos took York’s hand. No hard feelings, after all. He got to his feet, wincing as he did so, then collected his staff, holding it in his uninjured hand, the other lingering somewhere near the sword at his side. Rumor had it the swords could cut through magic, Harry would be virtually useless against it if they went into a fight. Not that anyone was planning on that, right? Harry looked between the three others, noting Tex’s less than pleased expression and the casually cool look on the other two. Of the four of them, Harry and Tex looked the most pissed off on a regular basis. “Yeah,” Harry confirmed. “Back to my apartment. There's a skinwalker living in the barracks, probably not a good idea to go near him looking half dead, Ramirez.” Carlos paled. “What the fuck have I walked into? And I thought the Winter Lady was the worst my night was gonna get.” Harry twitched a little. The Winter Lady. Molly. “Yeah, and he's not the worst thing around. Welcome to hell, Carlos, come on. You good to walk or do you want Tiny and Tiny Two,” he jerked his head at Tex, “to carry you?” Carlos flipped him off. Harry chuckled and turned away to head back the way they'd come. *** “Call me that again.” Tex challenged Harry with a sharp tone, but her hand finally left her gun and she fell into step with Harry this time. It was easy for her to keep up with him, their legs were nearly the same length-- the woman’s height there, instead of her torso. “We should just kill him now.” Calmly remarked. She didn’t even make an effort to lower her voice. “So are you gonna let me see that sword, or what?” The taller of the two Freelancers asked as he stuck near Carlos’ side, unwilling to leave someone who was injured. Sure, he wasn’t that bad off (that York could see), but he was limping, and that meant something else was hurt. He’d said it was his back. But how bad could that be, to cause him to limp? Besides, he looked weak like this, and York didn’t think he should be walking alone. At least the walk to Harry’s lab and apartment wasn’t that far. They hadn’t got the food York had wanted them to get.. But they’d gained another human. That was good, right? At least, the golden boy thought so. Tex kept glancing back, clearly not liking someone behind them. Especially not someone who had just tried to kill all three of them. As they got to the lab door, she stood by it, watching as Harry went in, and then staring hard as her friend came past with Carlos, York wisely putting his body between the predator and the weakest of them. “You gonna be okay going up stairs?” The Medic didn’t really think it’d be an issue, but he’d wanted to check, all the same. *** “No one is killing anyone, Tex,” Harry said firmly. “Even if I wanted to that would be a dumb idea. Every wizard has a death curse, so think long and hard before you launch yourself at his throat, okay?” Harry had had a death curse lobbed at him before, it had been an ambiguous ‘die alone.’ He still had nightmares about it sometimes. “Not out here,” Carlos said. “But when we get inside, sure. Eat your heart out.” The sword was keyed to him specifically, in the hands of anyone else is was a well wrought piece of steel, but the magic was all for the wizard. Truth be told, Carlos was glad the walk wasn't that far. He wasn't weak enough to collapse from moving around but he did feel like an 80 year old man struggling to move appropriately. This must be what old people meant when they claimed their backs hurt. The poor bastards. When they reached the lab and Harry opened the way for them, the wizard locked his gaze onto Tex’s face and said, “You aren't eating me today.” And he stepped, of his own volition, through the doors. The familiar wash of Harry's magic settled over him and the wizard shivered a little. “Nah, I'm cool,” he said cheerfully. And he did make it up the stairs, slow going all the while but could you blame him? Harry disabled his wards around the apartment and let everyone in. Carlos tried not to feel like he'd walked into a den of lions. He suppressed a shiver when those wards went back up behind the older wizard. “Wow, you really amped those up, didn't you?” Harry grinned. “Here? No other choice, man.” Mouse came rumbling out of the kitchen, tail swishing madly. “Dude. No way. Hey there, Mouse!” Carlos greeted the dog. If the dog didn't have problems with Dresden, then the Warden had to maybe admit it was really him. *** “Not today.” Tex agreed quietly, watching him go. Another day, Carlos. Another day. Following Dresden up those stairs, York allowed their guest up first, and Tex followed behind him. The medic allowed Carlos to have some time with the dog as he found the stash of medical supplies in the apartment and came back out into the living area. “Come on, take a seat. Let me get you cleaned up properly so you and Harry can talk about nerdy wizard things while I play with your awesome sword. Sit.” He was nodding to one of the kitchen chairs. The woman of the group leaned back against the wall and watched, her eyes never daring to leave the man Harry had allowed into his home. Sure, he’d called Carlos a friend, but apparently the little man didn’t believe this was Harry at all, and with someone like that.. Well, could you really trust them? No. “You can stand down, Texas, I’ve got him.” York promised, holding up the supplies he’d brought along. Assuming Carlos finally sat for him, York would kneel and take off that torn shirt-bandage, offering it up to the wizard so he could keep it, before he began to clean up the wound with actual antiseptic and a soothing salve, before he carefully wrapped it up with real gauze and bandages. “Now let’s take a look at your back.” He sat back onto his heels and brought that blue eye up to the wizard. “Do what he says.” The blonde woman demanded when Carlos didn’t agree quickly enough. *** Carlos played with Mouse for a few minutes, the dog sniffing at his injured hand, “Just a flesh wound you big Galute, nothing to worry about at all,” he told him, ruffling his ridiculous ears until the medic came back out. Carlos eyed him, allowing the man to clean the wound on his hand (it looked worse than it was, right? It sure as shit hurt to have antiseptic wiped all over it) then he eyed the woman against the wall when she spoke. “Look, I know you wanna get me naked, but we just met, so let’s calm it down a little.” Harry grinned into his hand from the kitchen, like a child, and went about his business depositing the remains of the bloodied shirt in the sink (where he’d eventually burn it but not yet) and then collected what meager offerings he had to give a man in need of sustenance. Injuries wouldn’t heal without food. Carlos for his part, pushed himself to standing, necessary to take the cloak off his shoulders. He set it aside not quite reverently but with respect, then unbuckled the belt with the sword and the holster and grenades all, draping the whole thing over a chair before he shrugged himself out of his black shirt. That hurt. But he only complained a little. He had the body of a gymnast, marked here and there with scars, all tight muscle. It was obvious he worked out. But when he turned the real devastation was only hinted at along his back. A bruise started somewhere along the lumbar and radiated up and outward, green and yellow on his dark skin. “Told you, fucking bastard kicked me,” he said cheerfully. “Should have seen me a month ago, I couldn’t even get out of a damned chair.” *** Oh, Harry thought it was funny, did he? How long would he be laughing after Tex shot him a hard look for his hand-hidden giggling, then looked directly back at Carlos. “As fine as your naked body is, I’m certain, I’m currently addicted to Dresden’s dick. So maybe once he ceases to be so much fun, I’ll look you up. But you’d best up your game, little man. Big shoes to fill.” Yeah, she was suggesting Harry was huge and she was expecting the little Latin boy to be small. What? She was hoping to wipe the smile off both of their faces. Of course, it only made York grin, despite the bruising displayed shortly thereafter. “Yeah, it looks like you’ve got some pretty serious bruising. You probably broke a rib or two.” Maybe three. But there was nothing he could do about it now. “I can give you some pain meds and something to numb the area, but other than that, you’re on your own.” Nature would have to do its work at its own speed. Standing again, the golden boy would make his way back into the kitchen to nudge Harry and fish through the cabinet he’d been keeping medical supplies in. He knew he had some pretty strong pain meds in there, he used them while Delta fixed up his brain, some days. It helped. *** That just made Carlos give Harry a Look, “Dude,” he said, spreading his hands. Harry himself looked more taken aback, his expression turning a little sour but fighting to retain an element of male pride. Yeah, take that Carlos, she liked uh… him. Sue him. So he smirked a little and Carlos just shook his head. “Crazy,” he muttered. Don’t stick your dick in crazy, Dresden. Looked like it was too late though so the Warden didn’t say anything else. “Nah, I’m good,” Carlos told York, sitting down again while he pulled his dark shirt back on and slouched a little. “I can move, the rest is just whatever, it’ll go away.” Pain. Yeah, no big deal. Better he retain full use of his brain in this place rather than drugging himself into oblivion because he couldn’t handle a couple of broken ribs and a bruised spine. Harry smiled a little at York when the Freelancer nudged him, “Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it.” “Hey, yeah, me too,” Carlos said lightly, wiggling the fingers on his injured hand. “So what the hell’s going on here, because no offense or anything, but y’all are the weirdest fucking family I’ve ever seen. I ain’t never seen so many people inside your place before, Harry, unless it was a war council. Is this a war council? It don’t feel like one.” His eyes tracked back to the woman then swung around to both men. “How long have you been here? You got this whole set up? Is this where you go when you die? Because I swear Molly didn’t kill me.” Harry winced a little, “She didn’t follow you, did she?” Carlos quirked a brow. “I hope not.” That about summed up Harry’s feelings on the matter. *** “You’re idiots.” Texas remarked after a few long moments, then pushed away from the wall abruptly and headed down the hall. The golden soldier glanced after her, but didn’t say anything, it was probably for the best. She could get twitchy, then things got dangerous. Her bedroom door shut a second later. Harry earned another nudge from the remaining Freelancer, who came from the kitchen with some pills. “You can take them now, and they’ll be out of your system by the time you leave.” Right? Yeah. He deposited the pills into Carlos’ hand, then made a vague gesture for him to sit down again. “We aren’t a war council. Tex and I are soldiers, we’re from the early 2500’s, we’ve got our own war, but thank God it’s not with Wizards.” They’d be long dead. “Harry’s been here longer than we have, and I’ve been here longer than Texas.” Yeah, it was all confusing, he knew. Back into the kitchen, he’d get Carlos a drink of water and would pass it off to him before sinking down onto the couch across from the shorter man. “It’s complicated.” That was the long and short of it. “And that whole magic thing you’ve got going on? She and I both have AI units in our heads, so let’s keep it down, huh?” Carlos had already seen-- sort of-- what happened. “Take the pills.” He’d insist again, stretching out long legs and leaning back some on the couch, his eyes drifting to the side for a moment as he listened to Delta. A little smirk formed. “You’re safe here, man.” *** Carlos frowned when the woman stalked off…. To her room apparently. Or Harry’s? Weird. His eyes darted back to Harry, “Sorry,” he said, looking abashed. Harry shrugged slightly. “She’s fine.” Tex was a big girl and difficult to ruffle, unless making her angry was the goal. She hadn’t issued any threats in her retreat just now, so everything was fine as far as Harry knew. Better that way. York could keep her under control, but Harry didn’t want things to get hinky inside the apartment like they had outside. The apartment wouldn’t survive something like that. Carlos, for his part, accepted both the pills and the water but took neither. He held them in his good hand and made himself comfortable--as much as he could in a den of lions--on a chair. “2500? Holy shit. What’s the future look like? I never aspire to be that old, it’ll be a tragedy when these good looks start to fade.” He gestured at his face. “We just got off our war, a year now,” his eyes moved back to Harry, locking onto him. “But someone here took a bullet and stopped breathing, leaving us to deal with the aftermath. I still don’t understand.” He also didn’t understand when York looked like he was talking to himself, so he blinked and watched the man with sharp eyes. “He crazy?” “A little,” Harry said solemnly, “But he’s talking to the AI he just mentioned. You almost flatlined him on the street outside, ‘Los, he isn’t kidding when he says cool it.” Not that the wizards had any choice about their magical aura. They couldn’t turn it off and on. But even so, Carlos had a hell of a lot more control over himself than Harry did, so he wasn’t leaking anything in addition to his presence. Unlike Harry, who leaked traces of extra energy almost constantly. The Warden frowned. “This is some sci-fi novel bullshit, Harry. Why do you got an AI in your head?” *** “The future looks like shit, my friend. Shit.” What a lovely thing to look forward to. York was smiling, though. “Without your good looks to keep everyone happy, it just all dissolved. Very tragic.” That blue eye slipped over to Harry, though, head tilting just some. “A bullet?” Wait. What? Carlos had been serious? Harry had died? Crazy? His attention came back to Carlos. A little. “I’m not crazy.” He defended weakly, but really, that was the only fight he could put up. He just didn’t have it in him to fight that fight, especially when he wasn’t sure he’d win it. Delta, somehow, had agreed that he wouldn’t. Stupid AI. “We’re fighting a war. Or, we were. War’s over, now, but we’ve gotten into a new conflict.. You know how people are. The AI helps us fight, it helps us maintain our armor, and they manage a lot of the issues that come up day to day.. At least back home. Communication, running calculations, accepting objectives.. Delta’s a part of me.” He tilted his head some towards the door Tex had closed. “Not all of us get along with our AIs.” Texas and Omega were not a friendly pair. *** “I try to spread the love, man, doing a good deed one woman at a time,” Carlos said it solemnly, like he was some kind of hero soldiering on to fight the good fight. Harry gave him a flat look, full of skepticism. It said clearly, ‘you’re full of shit, Ramirez.’ Carlos ignored it. Harry shook his head and unconsciously reached up to touch his chest where he’d been shot. Turns out, getting hit in the heart with a bullet actually sucked a lot. He remembered the pain and the freezing cold when his dying corpse had dropped into the waters of Lake Michigan. He didn’t know if he’d died from the bullet itself or because he’d drowned. Either way though, the job had been accomplished. Harry shook his head weakly. “Dying sucks, I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have plans to stay dead.” Carlos eyed him briefly then turned his focus back around to York, looking at him as if he’d catch a sign of the AI hanging out around his head or something like in those Star Wars movies everyone was so crazy about. “What happened to your eye?” No one said Carlos had any tact. But Harry found himself oddly curious about it too. He’d never asked. *** Dying sucked? Really? That was Harry’s contribution to the news that he’d been shot and killed once upon a time? York just shook his head at the man. “No plans on dying anytime soon.” Of course, the wizard knew from the woman’s earlier scolding, that York was a dead man. She hadn’t said when, or how, only that he was already dead. If he left this place, that was it. It was over. “My eye? Oh, training accident. I went up against Texas in a three-on-one. It wasn’t supposed to be live ammo, but my two teammates decided losing wasn’t an option and changed the rules. It got a little out of hand, I tried protecting her, she didn’t appreciate that very much, a grenade ended up a few inches from my face..” He smirked some and shrugged up his shoulders. “Tex is the reason I only lost one eye.” Instead of.. Well.. his life. “Our armor’s strong, but the visor is the weak point.” And there was just no way to protect against something like that. “I think it gives me this, strong, mysterious vibe.” Maybe it did. Until he opened his mouth. Then it was all over. “You don’t like it?” He was joking, of course. *** Both the wizards stared at York for a moment. Harry, because he knew York was going back to die, and both of them because he’d gone up against Tex in a three on one, and lost. Harry, of course, had seen Texas move up close and personal a lot now and could fathom the idea she’d kick ass all over the place. But from Harry’s understanding, from having seen York in his armor… the Spartans weren’t anything to blink at and she’d gone up against three? It occurred to Harry the only reason he wasn’t dead right now was because Texas had been going easy on him every time she’d put him on his ass. Jesus. Nothing like being humbled. Carlos grinned though, “That’s hot,” he said. “Not your eye, it just makes me confused about what one I’m supposed to be looking at when you’re talking.” He winked. “You’re like a cyclops, except your eye isn’t in the right spot and you’re about three feet too short. And a lot less gross looking.” “Way to compliment a guy, ‘Los,” Harry drawled. “What? I’m just saying. Sorry.” *** “Don’t pretend like my eye isn’t hot, Leo. After all, the two of you can’t stop staring at it.” He turned enough to look back at Harry, pointedly. “I mean, Harry here, he meets Castiel’s eyes, he’s constantly having eye-sex with Texas, and he even looks Gambit right in the eyes, but me? His best friend? His big brother,” Ha!, “He’ll only glance at my one eye, but he’ll look at the glass one all day. What the Hell is that all about?” And before Carlos could say anything, he turned to look back at him. “You’re just as bad. You haven’t looked me directly in the eye since we met. What is that?” Why could Harry look at everyone else, but refused to look at York? He’d thought it was just the taller man.. But now the elder Wizard’s friend, too? Was something wrong with him? “I’m really starting to feel like I’ve got something wrong with me.” And he wanted to know what the fuck it was. Time to cough it up, wizards. |