2009-04-05: Taking By Force

Players:

Eddie_icon.jpg Ricky_icon.jpg

Summary: Eddie and Ricky go to the zoo, before a blast from his past comes to take something away from Ricky… and causes more problems as well.

Date: April 5, 2009

Taking By Force

Rating: PG


NYC - Central Park Zoo

The Central Park zoo offers a variety of animals, Monkeys, Birds, Penguins, Snakes, Polar Bears, Red Foxes, fish, and many other animals. There are three zones to the Zoo, the Polar Zone, featuring the Polar Bears, Seals, and Penguins. The Tropic Zone, featuring a variety of birds, monkeys, and snakes. The last zone, the Temperate Territory is where the Sea Lions, Red Pandas, Otters, Ducks, and Swans can be found. It's a fun place for both Children and Adults alike.


Sunday afternoons are a perfect time for a lazy afternoon at the zoo. With the world back at peace, who could ask for more than that? Ricky certainly couldn't. Currently, he's standing in the Temperate Territory, watching the otters with a laugh and a smile as he looks to his nearby boyfriend. "I always liked otters. Especially when they're eating. The way they lay back in the water and bash things with a rock."

Eddie got a grip on Ricky's hands and he looks at the otters. He's more worried about the water than any animal threat. Dressed in jeans and a 'Scarlet Witch and Vision!' t-shirt, Eddie tilts his head to the side. "I hope they don't like miss and bash themselves…"

Ricky blinks and shakes his head. "Honey, it's instinct for them. That's how Otter's eat. Mainly oysters. His horns are tucked beneath a wool cap. It's stretched strangely, of course, but it's better than having people stare because they KNOW what it is. "Animals are animals. They do things in a particular way, because to them, it's the right way." He squeezes the hand tightly.

Eddie blinks as well. "Yeah…but even animals might get some bad luck," he reasons. "I just don't wanna see one of 'em get hurt is all," he murmurs, leaning against Ricky.

Ricky just pets Eddie's arms softly as he's leaned against, enjoying the moments of peace. The peace, though, isn't long lasting. He wavers a little bit, shaking his head broadly. "Sorry, I felt weak all of a sudden." He says, rubbing his forehead as he looks around for a bench.

Eddie tenses, looking up at Ricky in concern. "Ricky…c'mon," he says, leading his boyfriend towards a bench to sit him down. "Are you okay? Wanna go home?" he asks.

"I'm… I just feel weak. that's all." Ricky says with a soft nod. As he sits down, Eddie will notice small energy bands beginning to surround him. Remember those voices in the bushes, they're back. A pair of glowing eyes appears in one with a deep chuckle.

"During his weak time, he is easily bound. Mistress, come now." It intones. An energy portal forms nearby, out of which steps an elderly woman wielding a small dagger. Needless to say, people start running.

Eddie frowns in concern, scars lighting up to boost his boyfriend. "Something's wrong," he says, squeezing the other teen's hand. He jumps when he sees the bands, looking around. "Ricky, we need to run," he says. Then there's the old woman, bringing a squeak out of Eddie. "Running, now. Good idea."

Unfortunately, at the moment, Ricky can't move. He tries to get up, only stumbling to his knees afterwards. "Eddie…" He whispers. "Go. Get help. I…"

The woman just sighs. "Ricky. Son, if you had just stayed home, I could have fixed this earlier, instead of having to make… deals." She waves her hand at the direction of the bushes. "Lets get this taken care of, then you can go back to your new home. I won't stand in your way. I even have paperwork to help you out up here." She says, pulling a large stack of laminated papers, and one unlaminated. "They give you permission to be up here. You can go back to school or get your GED."

Eddie gasps when Ricky falls, moving to his side. "No. Not leaving you," he insists. Scowling up at the woman, Eddie moves to put himself between her and Ricky. "Back -off-," he demands. "Who are you?"

"I'm his grandmother. His legal guardian after his parents mistreated him. He walked in at the wrong moment and got something he wasn't supposed to get." The woman sighs.

Ricky can't really move just yet. He's trying, and staring up at her. "Just go. Leave me alone. I've been using it right."

"I'm his grandmother. His legal guardian after his parents mistreated him. He walked in at the wrong moment and got something he wasn't supposed to get." The woman sighs. "Ricky, I'm not going to hurt you. Honestly. I know you're happy here." She rubs the bridge of her nose before chuckling at Eddie. "Kid, I could fry you in a heartbeat. I just want the Zodiac power that I'm supposed to get. I don't want to take it, but it's part of the requirement. It requires sacrificing a strong relationship." She offers the papers to Eddie. "Take them." They even have Christopher's name on them. His current legal name. It's as if… she knew someone.

Eddie doesn't seem phased by the chuckling or a threat on the outside, swallowing quickly. "You have any idea how cliche of a line that is?" he asks. "Not going to hurt him? You chased him out onto the streets, sent demons after him, and now you've got a knife! Are you even listening to youself?" he glances back at Ricky in concern. He blinks as he takes the papers, surprised but still not moving.

Ricky tries to whisper something to Eddie, but can't manage to get it out.

"Kid, you don't know a thing about magic, do you?" She sighs, rolling her eyes. "First of all. I did NOT chase him into the streets. He ran away from me because he got the powers and thought I would hurt him. I just wanted to transfer them back before they got too deeply rooted and forced a change on him. Second of all, yes, I sent a demon to track him so I could find him. You'll notice, they're not attacking. And third, the knife? That's so I can cut myself for the power I need for the spell of transferrence. I'd not hurt Ricky to save my life. I'm just severing our relationship to make the magic take." With that, she places a long slash across her palm, thrusting it forward to spray some of the blood Ricky's way. Along with that, she begins a soft chant in another language.

Eddie frowns. "I know a bit…" he trails off defensively. "And sending a -demon- isn't something a non-badguy would do," he says. Then there's the cutting and the blood. Once Eddie finishes wincing, he moves back to Ricky's side. "Ricky!"

"Eddie, just goooo." Ricky whines as he the horns on his head start to shift and fluctuate as his powers are stripped away. Each individual form takes over his body, one after another, flowing seamlessly along. However, when they reach the end, they don't yet stop. They keep going.

She continues to chant softly, until the demon pounces onto her. She flips around, flashing him with a wave of fire that she summoned from somewhere. "The deal is off, witch." It says, growling. Claws reach out, only to be blocked from her head as horns… much more mature than Ricky's sprout on her head. "The spell is incomplete. You left him unable to stop transforming." It laughs, before vanishing into theshadows again. "Shit." She mutters, looking over at Ricky's changing body.

"NO! I'm not going anywhere without you," Eddie insists. His eyes go wide as the transformations occur. A couple hundred thousand plans race through his head, mostly ending with 'I don't have that' or 'I can't do that'. He jumps as the demon pounces, a hand plunging into his pocket. WHen it's gone, Eddie glares at Ricky's grandmother. "Don't say that. Just fix it!"

Ricky's constantly shifting, but he's not so much in pain at least. He winces as the horns fade away, to be replaced by the double-featured gemini. This, then shifts into the beauty of virgo. Then into the horns of Taurus. They're not even following proper order.

"We need to get him to a hospital for now. I need to contact someone who has specialized knowledge in this kind of thing." She says simply. She's casting a few spells, one right after another, but none of them are working. "He interrupted me before I could finish. I can't recreate it because I can't undo any of it." She says, glaring at Eddie for being so angry when he had no business interfering in the first place.

Eddie scowls. "This is why you don't make deals with -demons-!" he says, glaring back at the woman who had no business interfering in his and Ricky's lives in the first place. Pulling out his cellphone, he starts to dial for an ambulance. "Who? Another demon?" he asks, still angry. The guy he loves in in danger after all.

"Kid. Look. You don't know what you're messing with here, if you get involved. You have no power here." She says, angrily. "And you can't get him proper hospital care, -I- can. As for who, I'm contacting a doctor who specializes in mystic-based medicine. He's Canadian." She eyes the boy. "And, your adopted father can get him treatment now, because of those papers. You don't know demons. You don't know magic, so don't you accuse me of anything." She rolls her eyes. "Even Dr. Strange deals with demons from time to time. They're not ALL evil. They're the same species of creatures as angels." She continues to hold for a moment. Voicemail. "Michael, yes. It's Opal. My grandson is in New York and there's been a bit of a glitch in a spell transfer. I can't get it undone. Would you be able to make a trip this way?"

Eddie just gives 'Opal' a look. "Just because I'm not a wizard doesn't mean I'm completely out of the loop," he says quietly. "Canadian mystic doctor…" he trails off, gears turning in his head a bit slower on the fanboy front than usual. "I'm not leaving," he says firmly, staying close to Ricky.

"You'll have to for a bit." Opal says, not completely without sympathy. "When they're doing preliminaries, the doctors like to be alone. And at night, they won't let you stay in there. Legal aspects." She sighs, hanging up the phone. "Hopefully, he'll be able to come down soon. I don't have the information for the one doctor that's better than him." She shakes her head. "Come on. It's not like I meant it to happen. I'm not your uncle." Apparently, she knows him as well. Is that good, or bad?

Eddie tenses. "You know that jerk?" he asks, glare returning. "And I don't care. I'm not leaving Ricky…I love him…" he trails off, looking at his boyfriend with worry.

"Yes, and you'll get in the doctors' way." Opal says, like the mother she actually was. "You'll have to let him be for a while. The doctors and the OTHER doctor won't be able to do anything with someone underfoot." She says, shaking her head as the ambulance arrives, fairly quickly. The EMTs take a look, and look at each other.

"Lady, we're not equipped for this."

"I've called a specialist. He just needs a medical facility to work with. He'll be down here soon."

Eddie continues with his defiant look. "I'm still going with him. There are waiting rooms," he says, growing very worried.

"That's fine. Just make sure to stay out of their way. And… call your father? So he can come down here and not worry so much?" Opal says with a soft sigh. "I think he'd be just as worried about Ricky as we are." She tries one more spell with a sigh as it fails. "If nothing else, I could put him under stasis until Michael gets here."

The pair of EMTs load Ricky's shifting form onto the ambulance in order to take him to the hospital. It doesn't take long, really, from here.

Eddie frowns. "When I get there. And don't do anything to hurt him…only help…" he trails off. He then quickly moves to join in the ambulance ride.

"What do you take me for? He's my grandson." Opal sighs. "I told you. I didn't intend to hurt him at all. The demon got away, possibly had a deal with someone else and trumped theirs over mine is all. I wouldn't put it past someone." She shakes her head. "I'm not going in there. I have to track down that demon and make him pay. Call your father." She intones, like a classical mother.

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