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Mearc's already up on the rooftop, sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs. After all, it's a chilly night, with a bit of time left before the sky starts to lighten. His bag is tucked in against his back, and he's been sitting vigil with the corpse, watching it as if it might move at any moment, though consciously, he knows better. His freckles are flickering, his colors not sitting put.
Lux had left to be with Jack, holding him while he tried to get a bit of sleep--cause you know, he probably works the next day and shit. Lux, however, hadn't gotten much sleep. Far too jittery and... honestly, excited. In a grim sort of way.
They hold Jack's hand as they make their way up to the rooftop, flashing Mearc a small tired smile before glancing towards the corpse.
Jack grabbed at least a little sleep with Lux - though not much, given the circumstances - and is holding their hand in a tight grip as they make their way across the roof. He's in sweatpants and has his leather jacket zipped up against the chill, and he's got his backpack hanging from one shoulder. It drops to the roof with a thud when the corpse comes into view, and his already flickery animation scatters a little before settling back into itself.
"Quiet night?" He asks Mearc softly.
"Yeah. Ground rules: no one touches the piece of wood in her chest, and once she actually starts to burn in the sunlight, keep a respectful distance." His voice is a whisper, despite them being alone up here.
Lux nods to Mearc, then glances aside to watch Jack turn scattery, squeezing his hand. "Are you sure you'll be okay, babe?"
"Wouldn't touch her if I fucking had to," Jack says with a shudder, his voice as quiet at Mearc's. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just the reality of shit sinking in, you know?" He sinks down next to Mearc, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss. And then he tugs on Lux's arm, pulling them down to sit, too.
"Brought blankets. And...rum that's actually decent." He unzips his bag and pulls out two blankets - the one from his bed, and the one that's usually draped over the back of his couch."
"Blankets good. I've been freezing up here. I'd have gone back down to the shop to borrow a sweater or something, but that would have involved leaving her alone and I wasn't going to do that." He leans into Jack and yoinks one of the blankets. "And you're sharing the rum, not drinking the whole bottle yourself."
Lux frowns at Mearc. "You should have texted. I'd have brought something..." They do sit though, scooting in close and wrapping their arms around Jack, kissing his shoulder. "Mm. Rum is good."
"Figured you weren't gonna let me drink the whole thing...." He flashes Mearc a self-deprecating sort of smile and pulls the bottle from his bag, too. "C'mere, sweetheart," he says after he's set the bottle on the rooftop, and slides an arm around Mearc. "Come get warm."
Mearc just curls himself up against Jack's side, his gaze not moving from the immobilized Anna-Marie for a moment. For someone who's not good at eye contact, he's certainly giving it to her now. He's shivering slightly, or maybe it's just trembling, worming his hands up under Jack's jacket to press against his skin.
Jack whines and squirms as Mearc's presumably cold hands hit his skin, but he just pulls him in closer.
Lux continues to give Mearc a fretful frown. They reach across Jack to rub at his back and arms, helping build up heat. "Are you okay...?"
"I will be, when this is over." Is it a good sign, that he doesn't even try to reassure them, for once?
Jack shifts, tugging his boyfriend half into his lap so that Lux and give him warmth and comfort too. "You coulld'a asked us to come up here with you earlier - or Lux could'a stayed, I would've been fine."
"Not long now," Lux assures, glancing up towards the lightening sky. "He's right. You don't have to... be a martyr, or whatever." Lux wraps their arms around Mearc, nuzzling their cheek into his shoulder.
"Mmm." It's a hum of agreement with what Lux has said, and he rests his chin on Mearc's other shoulder.
"It's not about being a martyr. I wanted you both to be able to relax, even if I wasn't there to watch you sleeping." He lets out a bit of a laugh, freckles settling into a warm red glow as he makes himself comfortable sprawled out across the pair of them. "I had this. I still do. This is for you two, so you both can feel safer. This is the kitten bringing home a dead bird, if you will."
"...Oh, Kitten..." Their lips curl upwards. "That is the sweetest, creepiest thing you've ever said," they murmur adoringly, then kiss him softly on the lips. "You do keep us safe. And I'm so thankful for that. For you."
He chuckles softly against Lux's lips. "Give me time, I might still top it tonight."
"Babe, now's not the time for sex jokes..." Lux says with a soft smirk. Maybe trying to lighten the mood a bit. Or they just can't help themself.
And what else is there to say, about that? Lux has said it all, really, but Jack grins and presses a kiss into Mearc's shoulder. "Hell of a way to work through the adrenaline after, though..." He huffs out a laugh. "...But maybe not here."
"Mmm, not private enough? Atalo won't be awake again until sundown..." This is entirely joking.
"Somehow, our companion here's ruining the mood. And prob'ly will even after she's gone." Jack's clearly joking too, and kisses up the side of Mearc's neck.
Lux smiles, then kisses the opposite side of Mearc's neck. "But... seriously, Kitten. Thank you for taking such good care of us."
"Mhm." Jack squeezes Mearc's waist, agreeing with the sentiment.
He sighs, melting back into them. "And yet neck kisses in front of her don't?"
"...'S a good point..." It doesn't seem to bother him, though, considering that he doesn't stop. They're still soft, not too intense. Maybe it's the intensity that makes a difference?
"I'll be damned if anyone, especially her, is going to stop me from showing my partners how much I love them," Lux mutters, squeezing around Mearc tighter.
"Valid. I suppose she was the one who showed me how important it is to me, to make sure you two are both safe. I'm not sure I'd have bonded with Jack like I did, without her? Mm. This is probably the best eulogy anyone's going to give her."
"It's the only eulogy anyone's gonna give her." He turns his head, eyeing the corpse for a moment before he extricates himself from the two of them just enough to grab the bottle of rum.
Lux snorts softly, half amused, half bitter. "The only--hey, yeah." They also eye the corpse a moment.
"She might be remembered by her kind. The Sakima knows we're doing this. Also, Ari, Devon and Lumi. Ari asked if they needed to interrupt date night to handle it."
"..Date night? Who is Ari dating?" Lux squints.
Jack pulls back a little in surprise, too, and takes a moment to open the rum and take a swig.
"I don't know. I didn't ask, just said we've got this." He holds a hand out for the bottle next.
He hands the bottle over and snuggles back in. "That we do. I...I know Lux said it already, but...thank you. For keeping us safe."
Once Mearc has taken a swallow, Lux reaches for the bottle to take a few sips as well. Jack is pulled back in, the blankets tucked around them to burrito em up. "How long does this... take? Once it gets going?"
His swig is more like a gulp, honestly. "Probably a couple minutes, once the sun rises. I'm not sure exactly, though."
"Wonder if anyone'll notice the smoke..." When Lux is done with the bottle Jack takes it back in return for a kiss, and he takes a few smaller sips. At least making an attempt to savor, rather than immediately intoxicate himself.
"Not sure..." Lux looks around a moment. "I'm sure it'll be fine..." Lux snuggles in to them both, seeming content to wait.
Mearcstapa goes quiet, soaking up the cuddles like a Bounty™️ paper towel soaks up unwanted kitchen messes.
Jack places a few more soft kisses to Mearc's neck, and wordlessly offers him the rum again.
This time, he takes a bit of a smaller sip, sighing afterwards. "Thank you both for being here. I mean, I know that you want to be as sure she's gone as I do, but."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world - and I sure as hell wouldn't let you do this alone."
Lux shakes their head. "There's no where else I'd rather be right now." There's an oddly... cold note to their voice. "I've thought about this since the first time I heard her name."
He sits up, pulling his gaze away from the corpse properly, finally, to grab Lux's head and kiss them with a little more fierceness, trying to pull them out of that cold mindset. Winter or not.
Jack squeezes the both of them around their waists and shifts to nuzzle Lux's neck. "Us all being here feels...right."
Lux is caught off guard by the fierce kiss--but they return it with vigor and more than a little biting, nails scratching at the back of his neck. When the kiss ends... the cold isn't really gone, but it is heated for a more intense sort of darkness. Bitter and... cruel, as they glance back towards the corpse.
Mearc notices that darkness...and seems to settle a little against both of them, content with that shift he's caused.
"I...never thought about this, specifically. After..." he gestures to mean the whole single time he's interacted with her. "But...it solves the problem."
"It does. You don't have to worry about her anymore." Lux strokes fingers through Jack's hair slowly, brushing it off his forehead.
"'S why I'm here - trust you both, but...gotta see it with my own eyes." His eyes flicker closed for half a second as Lux runs their fingers through his hair.
While Jack's eyes are closed, Mearc moves to blow gently at the side of his neck. Just to see how he'll react.
"Yeah. I get it." Lux continues to pet Jack's hair, then looks back to the corpse as the sun starts to peek over the edge of the city.
His breath catches, just slightly, and he shivers and cracks an eye open, raising his eyebrows to look at Mearc. "Can I help you?" He's grinning, though.
"Jack, you help me every time I'm around you."
As the light of day begins to make Anna-Marie's flesh smoke and singe at the edges, Mearc nudges Jack. "Look."
Jack looks, and looks away with a slight grimace. And looks again. He's flickering around the edges, and he's working hard to keep his breathing slow and even.
Lux falls quiet as the smoke starts to rise. There's no excitement or smiles on their face--they just go still and quiet. But they don't look away. Not even for a moment. But their arms do tighten around both men, holding them possessively close.
Mearc quietly grabs the bottle of rum for another gulp. "Might take longer than expected. She's not bursting into a full bonfire."
The longer she smolders, the harder it is for Jack to look away. At some point he holds a hand out for the rum, and takes a gulp. And then another.
"I don't mind," Lux says perhaps... too casually. Which likely isn't a good sign. Especially as their lights are slowly bleeding more towards green.
Mearc notices that shift in color, but doesn't comment on it now, busy staring. That's a later problem. Right now, he's sniffing the air quietly. Because the Sakima told him it would smell awful. He has to know if that was right.
As entranced as Jack is with the curls of smoke rising, he gives Lux a very concerned glance. And a tight squeeze, because what else is there to be done, right now? Besides watch Anna-Marie burn, and drink about it. Which he continues to do. The sketches around him start to smudge a little.
It no doubt smells awful, and looks awful, but Lux still doesn't look away--not until there's nothing left but a pile of ash. Only then do they take a deep breath, eyes closing, looking... definitely not happy, but satisfied.
It takes long, too long, and the rum seems to go very fast in that time, and Mearc falls into his silence, waiting for all to be gone in the end. And once it is, he looks at Jack. "Did you bring that jar?"
"Mhmm." His movements are a little exaggerated, his mien smudged and sluggish, as he leans over to his bag and paws around in it, pulling out the clean and label-less jar.
"Figured you didn' want it sayin' 'salsa' on it..." He hands it to Mearc.
Slowly, he pulls out of the safe cocoon of blankets, disentangling and brushing dust off his ass, before accepting the jar. "Mild, she wasn't."
Their eyes open, lime green instead of yellow. But at least it's not the pure viridian that would be really triggering for Mearc. They watch Mearc take the jar then gather the ashes quietly, before looking to Jack. "How do you feel?"
Jack snorts out a laugh at what Mearc's said, and then he can't stop, as all the pent up adrenaline and fear find an outlet in an increasingly hysterical giggle. "I -" It's a good few seconds before he can get ahold of himself, and he flops against Lux, his brow furrowing as he looks into their eyes. "I'll be fine...how're you?"
"I'm good. Relieved." They pull him in close, petting his hair again while starting to kiss slowly along his neck. Not sexual, but distinctly possessive.
Mearc gathers as much of the ashes as he can, and scuffs what he can't with the toe of his boot.
"...I've never killed anyone before."
"'S a real mood killer for 'never have i ever', anyway..." Jack offers Mearc a grin. Because joking is easier than feeling.
Lux considers a moment. "I don't think I have either. Not physically, anyway." Their head lifts to look at Mearc. "What do you need?"
"Lux, you're about the color of a bad key lime pie right now. Don't worry about me at this moment." He shakes his head slightly.
They pause, then look down at themself for a moment, brows slowly creasing. They exhale a breath, shaking their head. "I'm fine."
"Bullshit, babe. I love you too much to let that one stand."
"Should go to your roof..." Jack mutters, leaning into Lux. He makes grabby hands at Mearc, now that he's finished gathering the ashes.
Mearc puts the ashes in his bag, then crumples into Jack quietly. "I've never killed anyone before. Does she count? Can I still say I've never killed anyone alive?"
Lux grunts, but turns their attention onto Mearc, reaching for his hand. "She wasn't alive. But I think it still... kind of counts. But it needed to be done. For all of us."
Jack pulls Mearc in close and kisses him gently on the lips. He tastes like rum, but then Mearc might, too. "We...destroyed her." He winces. "Which might be worse. But it...yeah. Had to happen."
"Greater good?" His voice is a thready whisper, the rum still on his breath, on his lips.
"Damn right." Lux nods firmly, squeezing his hand. "...Do you want to go home?"
"The greater good is a worse illusion than safety is." He lets out a laugh that's sharp at the edges. "Than security is. They're all lies, polite fictions. We don't get to hide behind the greater good on this one."
"Did it for our own safety." Jack looks over to the spot on the roof that's now just got a few dark smudges of ash. "T' continue the illusion. She's not gonna be the reason we're not safe, anymore."
"Firefly..." He frowns at Lux. "Y'look...not great. Dunno 'f home's where you need to go, right now..."
Lux shrugs. "I don't really care how it's justified--but it was going to happen. Eventually." Lux pushes up to their feet. "Nonsense. Mearcstapa hasn't slept at all. And you hardly did. You need rest."
"Did it so both of you can feel safe." He walks over to his bag, leaning over to grab it, swaying slightly. "I need to put the key back away. I told Atalo I would."
Lux's shrug makes the furrows in Jack's forehead deepen. "'M worried about you - I'll sleep whenever." But then he turns to Mearc. "D'you want help? Prolly be pretty useless, but..."
"I could probably still kiss that safe open with my eyes closed." He chuckles. "Y'know. Says something. Atalo's probably still in the building or under it, probably. Trusts us enough to sleep through this. Trusts me to return the key. Trusts this not to bite his ass."
"We can go fuck on the rooftop after we've slept," Lux insists, grabbing the blankets to drape over their shoulder. They pause, eyeing Mearc, then glances down at the building under their feet.
A scribble breaks up the smudges on Jack's cheeks. "'S not what I meant," he huffs out a laugh and leans over to give Lux a kiss on the cheek. "You gotta lotta trust built up with him. With all'a them, seems like." This last is said to Mearc, and he gets a kiss on the cheek, too.
"Mm, so I seem to." And as Jack comes over toward him, he grabs him, pulling in close. "I'll use it, and any resources at my disposal, to make sure you feel safe."
Lux considers Mearc a moment, then starts for the door to head down. Or the side of the building. However they're all getting down. "What are you going to do with the ashes?"
Mearc gets a slow kiss on the lips in response to that, as Jack snakes his arm around his waist. He only pulls back when Lux asks their question.
"Put them on my mantlepiece as a trophy. Use them to flavor coffee. Sell them at a Goblin Market...I haven't decided." He heads for the stairs back down into the shop, so he can return the key to the safe.
"...Coffee?" Jack shudders, but he does give Mearc one more kiss before he lets him go, and then turns to Lux, reaching out to pull them into an embrace.
"...No, on the coffee. Even I draw the line there. Should keep them or sell them at the Market." Lux looks to Jack. "Which reminds me. I have her rapier. It's all... shiny and fancy as fuck. I bet you could sell it and get a shit ton of money. You should keep it. Or donate it to the Union."
"The coffee was not serious." He moves over to the safe, turning on the flashlight function of his phone and trying to, like. Hold it with his shoulder and chin while he works on the safe?
"I...I don't want it. Don't want anything to do with her." He's pretty emphatic about that. "Wouldn't mind donating it. Kinda weird thing to donate, but there's been weirder shit. Babe, lemme -" Jack reaches out to steady Mearc's phone.
Lux watches Mearc with the safe, with the same sort of hungry look they'd watch him do a striptease. "Then I'll handle it," to Jack, without taking their eyes off of Mearc. "I'll pawn it, then you can give the money to the Union."
"Or donate it to whatever charity you want."
Even drunk off his ass in the dark, with a few good lockpicking tools and a minute or two of fiddling, he gets into the key safe and deposits the key. And then as an afterthought, he leaves a brief note for Atalo.
"Okay. I'm going home. If anyone wants to join me, you're welcome. But I have not done a sleep yet and I'm drunk and getting cranky."
"I...none 'f us should sleep alone t'night. This morning. I don't think." Which may be a roundabout way of Jack saying he wants both of their company.
"We're going with you," Lux follows up in a more resolute tone.
"Okay. Then...let's go home."
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