[ As Warren said, lesser demons are basically animals, and despite its size, this is a lesser demon. Perhaps getting to spend all this time gorging itself on the unease of wayward explorers has helped it to grow far beyond what Warren was expecting.
So, Makima is free to approach, but the beast regards her with little more than animal intelligence in those embers that sit where its eyes should be. Its upper lip curls back, letting a new stream of black smoke stream through teeth like sharpened onyx.
It sure doesn’t speak, so if it has a name that will have to remain a mystery. Instead, it’s about to try to take Makima’s hand off with a sudden lunge, jaws flashing open.
No doubt she’s fast enough to move, but even so, something unseen slams into the side of the demon’s head, knocking the attack off course. ]
None of us are here to make friends, Makima.
[ Says Warren, hand raised and poised to cast again. A small handful of his tricks still work, so long as he hits the parts of the beast that aren’t flush with hellfire. The demon turns its eyes on him with a flare of hunger, muscles tensing to pounce. ]
[Ah, well. It was worth a try; even the most animalistic of Devils back home have a name. They all do, or else they'd not be Devils at all.
But this is yet one more instance of things being different in this world than what she's used to, and that's made clear the moment the canid-demon snaps in her direction, likely in an attempt to take a limb off.
Instead, Warren's magic collides into its skull, taking it off course and saving her the trouble. She looks mildly from the demon to the wizard.]
Maybe I just wanted to put a name to my meal.
[Well, with the creature now poised to leap at Warren, the onus is on her to keep it busy, isn't it?]
Hey, doggy.
[Time to get its attention. She hops back a yard or two in one swift movement, then raises her arm in her usual fingergun gesture, pointed straight at the creature's middle.]
I'll play with you.
[Bang. That massive force of hers goes wheeling towards the enemy.]
[ The demon is pretty intent on the wizard, maw dropping open to let heat and even more smoke seep into the room. This thing is practically a living furnace, powered by the fires of hell.
Warren already has his Enhancements up, and is poised to spring out of the way, but Makima quite handily returns the favor paid just a few moments ago – invisible force colliding with the demon’s middle. The blow is far more powerful than what Warren had managed, and the demon is taken off its feet and sent tumbling into a pile of furniture. The set dressings splinter apart with the impact, and some of the pieces begin to smoke thanks to sheer proximity to that incredible heat.
The demon scrambles to its feet inelegantly, splinters of wood burning away from its flesh. Warren is already moving subtly, trying to find a more advantageous position while the demon’s attention is once again on Makima. It lets out a guttural growl, and red-orange flames begin to crawl across its flesh. A protective barrier of hellfire, casting an unnaturally red glow around the room in strange contrast to the cold light of the illusory orb floating above them.
Well, at least beyond that, the creature doesn’t seem one for tactics, because it springs at Makima, teeth flashing. ]
[She will, of course, let Warren do his own thing. The wizard can stand back and popcorn emoji at everything that transpires, and she wouldn't mind it; the fact that she would be doing most of the heavy lifting in the fight itself was more than obvious, and the Control Devil is more than willing to play her part.
What a heated thing, she thinks. Literally. That hellfire is likely to set nearby furniture alight, and she cannot imagine what it might do to her flesh if she got too near. (A curiosity that she might seek to sate herself if it came down to it. The part of her contract that declares any injury to her body would be borne onto someone in the wizarding society requires testing, after all.)
Still, best not to test it just yet. It really is an animalistic creature with animalistic tendencies. The fact that it comes lunging at her immediately isn't a surprise, and Makima dashes to the side to avoid the flare of its everything whipping past.
Anyway, this is why she wanted to keep the clapper, because she appreciates drama, and she thought it would be funny: she holds out the item, the arm raised in one hand and then bottom balanced in the other.]
Let's try that again. Take 2.
[She snaps the arm down with a clack! In that same motion, two unseen forces around the demon slam downwards and upwards, aimed at its middle again, as though to catch it in an obliterating vice.]
[ Warren is somewhere in the background watching this exchange like vivi.jpg
But it’s true that the demon is much more animal than anything else. It lacks the intelligence to realize that Makima is the one hurting it, to stand back and assess the threat for real, and act accordingly. It’s all fire and teeth and claws as it blows past her, digging gouges into the half-decaying floor in its efforts to wheel around.
Those opposing forces slam down around its middle, and the creature yelps. It quickly turns into a wet-sounding noise, dark blood spattering from its maw. The floor sizzles and smokes where it lands. But the wounds are not entirely internal – a steady stream of boiling blood also spills from its belly, before the hellish flames redouble their efforts, crawling over the gash to cauterize it.
It seems the hellfire is a minor annoyance at best, when it comes up against Makima’s abilities.
Now the demon has learned a bit of caution, and it stalks – a bit awkwardly, thanks to its injuries – in a slow, wide arc around Makima. ]
[Are you judging her? Don't you judge her for having fun, Mr. No Fun Zone!!
And she really is enjoying herself, so maybe there's something to be said about a personality that takes sincere pleasure out of violence. Amusement from the potential of pain. Perhaps that's just a Devil thing; or maybe it's inherent in Makima, some part of being a Control Devil that relishes in being the one to dole it out. There's a sense of authority and jurisdiction in a moment like this, isn't there? To overwhelm someone, or something, in such a violent way that they have no reason but to accept their circumstances are they are? To be at the mercy of something other?
Though from what she can tell, even with that searing blood sealing up any wounds on its body, this might not be too big of a challenge, despite her abilities not being 100 percent up to snuff. She isn't quite sure if she should be pleased or disappointed.
Ah, well. She snaps the clapper down again (yes, Warren, you get to see this a second time), and the force this time focuses on the hellhound's legs, clenching down hard.]
[ Mildly. Now seeing how easily her abilities seem unbothered by the hellfire, he’s not too worried himself. Apparently his role in this is going to be quite minimal indeed, but it probably evens out since he did the summoning.
Makima’s opposing forces clamp down around the demon’s legs, and something snaps, sending it to the floor in a heap of roiling fire and pain. The creature struggles to right itself, and finding itself unable to do so, angles its head at Makima instead. Its mouth opens wide, and the inferno within it roars anew, a bright and unfathomably hot ball of flame coalescing in its maw. Makima might want to do something about this before something bad happens. ]
Having downed the demon, maybe Warren's advice is something to take to heart. Of course severing its mobility wouldn't be enough; not when it can possibly shoot flame from its maw.
The giant head tilts toward her, and the inferno blazes behind overlarge fangs. While the notion of getting hit by a huge blast of hellfire doesn't really phase her, she has to consider all the angles: namely, she doesn't know if this creature cares if it takes the whole place down with it. It probably doesn't.
Which means Warren could possibly, you know, not survive the ensuing damage. Not an ideal outcome so early into their partnership.
Time to act fast, then. She leaps up and lands heels first along the ridge of the creature's back, spinning around to aim her "gun" right down at the demon's skull. This close and personal, maybe she'll get to blow its brains out. Enough to kill the engine to that conflagration.]
[ Even with the many, many tricks that Warren has up his sleeve, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a full, concentrated blast of hellfire. It would turn him to ash in a moment, so it’s good that Makima acts as swiftly as she does.
The demon barely has time to realize she’s alighted herself on its back when bang. Blood and bits of gore, brain and bone and ashy flesh, go flying as she quite effectively does blow the creature’s brains out. It's a mess but perhaps not as bad as it could be, with the lion’s share of gore cascading across the floor where it sits and sizzles, scorching the wood.
WIth a final shudder, the demon goes still, flames extinguishing, though the heat remains, slow to die.
Warren steps out of his place somewhere on the far side of the room. ]
[Blood and gore goes flying, spraying out in a radius. But Makima, hilariously, has avoided the majority of the viscera. Just a bit of it spatters against her dark pants.
When the life from this demon all but fizzles out, even if the flame lingers, she hitches a hand to one hip, remaining atop it. The other is still holding onto the movie clapper.]
I think it went about as smoothly as possible.
[Nothing bad happened at all! Neither of them got hurt! Well, she assumes.]
[Something above them groans. It's the ceiling. Apparently, this place was not built to last the test of time, neglected as it has been and the excess of movement within has put a strange and impossible strain on the entire structure.
Said ceiling caves in right above Makima's head and--from what Warren can see, anyway--a huge chunk of it unceremoniously tumbles down and crashes right on top of her.]
[ Warren is unscathed, yes. He had the good sense to stay well out of the way of the demons fire and Makima’s theatrics. He has to admit, while he doesn’t much care for the showmanship, there’s no doubting she’s effective at what she does.
And even the theatrics could prove useful. ]
I’m f– [ fine. And there goes a bit of ceiling, crashing down. It takes out his light orb on the way, and for a moment, the room is shrouded in darkness, save the small bits of guttering flame still clinging to the demon’s corpse and some bits of the furniture. Not enough to see by. All he hears is the crash. ]
Makima?
[ Hello??? He sends up another orb and… oh god. Well. They’re really going to test the injury clause in their contract, aren’t they? Thankfully a quick spell is enough to blow the debris off her. ]
[Makima is a lot of things; stronger and more resilient than most being one of them. But she is still very much human-shaped, and thus her anatomy comes with all the nasty human failings -- in this case, that she can't bear the weight of a whole ceiling crashing down, that her bones cannot take the sudden weight of the forces slamming into her.
It's lost in the sound of being blanketed by detritus, but there's a lot of snapping and cracking. It's probably fine!
Anyway, when the dust clears out, there lies Makima's body, her head cracked a little and bleeding, her limbs somewhat twisted in very odd, probably not very pleasant angles. Just give her a moment!]
[ Oh. Hm. Warren has certainly seen worse by way of gore and injury – mostly things that he’s directly responsible for, actually – so that’s probably the least off-putting thing here.
Mostly he’s just morbidly curious to see how this injury transference thing is going to work. Providing it does.
[She just lies there for a few long moments, and if one has middling faith in the power of their contract, one might wonder if she'll heal up at all. That would suck, wouldn't it.
But eventually, she stirs. Blinking up at the ceiling once, twice, and sits up. Bloods runs down the planes of her face, ending with a trickle around her chin.]
That was... badly timed.
[Is she still on top of the corpse of a demon? Well, who cares. One arm is twisted at a bad angle, clearly broken in an inconvenient spot, but there's a nasty snapping noise yet again as it seems to... set itself. Unpleasantly, but her face gives no sign of pain.]
[ She is down long enough that Warren is just starting to wonder whether or not she’s going to get up… and then she does, with relatively little ceremony. Warren’s eyebrows wing up as he watches her slowly put herself back together with all sorts of unpleasant sounds, seeming unbothered all the while. ]
Come on, now. It was a little funny. All that work only to be done in by the ceiling.
[ He moves over to where the duffel back sits and digs out a towel, which he tosses her way. ]
But it looks like the terms of the contract are working as intended.
[ RIP to whoever ends up with this batch of injuries. ]
[She catches the towel with one hand, bringing it up to her forehead to wipe away excess blood.]
You know, I'm not exactly sure what to think about your one instance of amusement-
[Finished with that, she wobbles to a stand, dust falling from her shoulder. She's mostly standing on one leg, actually, while the other twists around and back into place again.]
-centering around me being flattened by the ceiling.
[Her legs back in working order, she nudges a big piece of ceiling away with her foot... then hops down. The demon is still buried beneath the rubble.]
But you're right. I don't want to get hurt too often, or else maybe all the wizards in your community will start asking questions.
[Because, right now, there is already some poor soul(?) who has had their limbs mangled for apparently no reason whatsoever.]
[ RIP to that person, whoever they are. Warren doesn’t particularly care one way or another. ]
No, best we save that reveal for later, should we need it.
[ He’d like to keep that in his pocket, in case someone gets it in their head to take the fight to Warren’s new companion. What’s worse than someone you can’t hurt? Someone you can’t hurt without hurting others, of course. ]
Makima gives one more roll of a shoulder. It lets out a loud crack before she turns and looks at the rubble, then bends over to move a huge piece out of the way, revealing a dead demon beneath.
He glances at the corpse of the demon, then back to Makima. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what the limits to her physical strength actually are, but if she says she can handle it… ]
That should work. It’s going to be a very long drive home, so we should get going.
[She's far from the most physically powerful Devil, but she's nothing to scoff at, either. Still, it's going to be a bit of a comical sight -- which soon becomes clear as she grabs the now-cooled hellhound by the snout and pulls.
Rubble from the ceiling clatters off of its form as its dragged forward.]
Honestly, this outing was more driving than any actual entertainment. [Not really a complaint, but an observation. Still-] But I suppose I should thank you for it, anyway.
[ Oh. Okay. This is happening. Perhaps a giant tract carved through the weeds as if someone were dragging a dead body might be cause for alarm, but by the time anyone chances their way back out here, they’ll be long, long gone. ]
Would you rather still be fighting the demon? Because that’s on you for finishing it off so quickly.
[It's fine. Who's going to come all the way out here anytime soon, anyway?
She will absolutely drag it out until it's free of the rubble altogether, kicking up so much dust in the meanwhile, and pausing just long enough to straighten and hand Warren the clapper she's still been keeping from under her elbow.]
Hold this.
[DO IT, SIR, VERY IMPORTANT]
I said I should thank you, anyway! I'm not complaining. But maybe next time, I'll drag it out and let you fend for yourself more than I did.
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makimavellian) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
finalflight2023-03-24 06:21 pm
no subject
So, Makima is free to approach, but the beast regards her with little more than animal intelligence in those embers that sit where its eyes should be. Its upper lip curls back, letting a new stream of black smoke stream through teeth like sharpened onyx.
It sure doesn’t speak, so if it has a name that will have to remain a mystery. Instead, it’s about to try to take Makima’s hand off with a sudden lunge, jaws flashing open.
No doubt she’s fast enough to move, but even so, something unseen slams into the side of the demon’s head, knocking the attack off course. ]
None of us are here to make friends, Makima.
[ Says Warren, hand raised and poised to cast again. A small handful of his tricks still work, so long as he hits the parts of the beast that aren’t flush with hellfire. The demon turns its eyes on him with a flare of hunger, muscles tensing to pounce. ]
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But this is yet one more instance of things being different in this world than what she's used to, and that's made clear the moment the canid-demon snaps in her direction, likely in an attempt to take a limb off.
Instead, Warren's magic collides into its skull, taking it off course and saving her the trouble. She looks mildly from the demon to the wizard.]
Maybe I just wanted to put a name to my meal.
[Well, with the creature now poised to leap at Warren, the onus is on her to keep it busy, isn't it?]
Hey, doggy.
[Time to get its attention. She hops back a yard or two in one swift movement, then raises her arm in her usual fingergun gesture, pointed straight at the creature's middle.]
I'll play with you.
[Bang. That massive force of hers goes wheeling towards the enemy.]
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Warren already has his Enhancements up, and is poised to spring out of the way, but Makima quite handily returns the favor paid just a few moments ago – invisible force colliding with the demon’s middle. The blow is far more powerful than what Warren had managed, and the demon is taken off its feet and sent tumbling into a pile of furniture. The set dressings splinter apart with the impact, and some of the pieces begin to smoke thanks to sheer proximity to that incredible heat.
The demon scrambles to its feet inelegantly, splinters of wood burning away from its flesh. Warren is already moving subtly, trying to find a more advantageous position while the demon’s attention is once again on Makima. It lets out a guttural growl, and red-orange flames begin to crawl across its flesh. A protective barrier of hellfire, casting an unnaturally red glow around the room in strange contrast to the cold light of the illusory orb floating above them.
Well, at least beyond that, the creature doesn’t seem one for tactics, because it springs at Makima, teeth flashing. ]
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What a heated thing, she thinks. Literally. That hellfire is likely to set nearby furniture alight, and she cannot imagine what it might do to her flesh if she got too near. (A curiosity that she might seek to sate herself if it came down to it. The part of her contract that declares any injury to her body would be borne onto someone in the wizarding society requires testing, after all.)
Still, best not to test it just yet. It really is an animalistic creature with animalistic tendencies. The fact that it comes lunging at her immediately isn't a surprise, and Makima dashes to the side to avoid the flare of its everything whipping past.
Anyway, this is why she wanted to keep the clapper, because she appreciates drama, and she thought it would be funny: she holds out the item, the arm raised in one hand and then bottom balanced in the other.]
Let's try that again. Take 2.
[She snaps the arm down with a clack! In that same motion, two unseen forces around the demon slam downwards and upwards, aimed at its middle again, as though to catch it in an obliterating vice.]
Action.
no subject
But it’s true that the demon is much more animal than anything else. It lacks the intelligence to realize that Makima is the one hurting it, to stand back and assess the threat for real, and act accordingly. It’s all fire and teeth and claws as it blows past her, digging gouges into the half-decaying floor in its efforts to wheel around.
Those opposing forces slam down around its middle, and the creature yelps. It quickly turns into a wet-sounding noise, dark blood spattering from its maw. The floor sizzles and smokes where it lands. But the wounds are not entirely internal – a steady stream of boiling blood also spills from its belly, before the hellish flames redouble their efforts, crawling over the gash to cauterize it.
It seems the hellfire is a minor annoyance at best, when it comes up against Makima’s abilities.
Now the demon has learned a bit of caution, and it stalks – a bit awkwardly, thanks to its injuries – in a slow, wide arc around Makima. ]
no subject
And she really is enjoying herself, so maybe there's something to be said about a personality that takes sincere pleasure out of violence. Amusement from the potential of pain. Perhaps that's just a Devil thing; or maybe it's inherent in Makima, some part of being a Control Devil that relishes in being the one to dole it out. There's a sense of authority and jurisdiction in a moment like this, isn't there? To overwhelm someone, or something, in such a violent way that they have no reason but to accept their circumstances are they are? To be at the mercy of something other?
Though from what she can tell, even with that searing blood sealing up any wounds on its body, this might not be too big of a challenge, despite her abilities not being 100 percent up to snuff. She isn't quite sure if she should be pleased or disappointed.
Ah, well. She snaps the clapper down again (yes, Warren, you get to see this a second time), and the force this time focuses on the hellhound's legs, clenching down hard.]
We didn't have too much to worry about, did we.
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Don’t get too cocky.
[ Mildly. Now seeing how easily her abilities seem unbothered by the hellfire, he’s not too worried himself. Apparently his role in this is going to be quite minimal indeed, but it probably evens out since he did the summoning.
Makima’s opposing forces clamp down around the demon’s legs, and something snaps, sending it to the floor in a heap of roiling fire and pain. The creature struggles to right itself, and finding itself unable to do so, angles its head at Makima instead. Its mouth opens wide, and the inferno within it roars anew, a bright and unfathomably hot ball of flame coalescing in its maw. Makima might want to do something about this before something bad happens. ]
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Having downed the demon, maybe Warren's advice is something to take to heart. Of course severing its mobility wouldn't be enough; not when it can possibly shoot flame from its maw.
The giant head tilts toward her, and the inferno blazes behind overlarge fangs. While the notion of getting hit by a huge blast of hellfire doesn't really phase her, she has to consider all the angles: namely, she doesn't know if this creature cares if it takes the whole place down with it. It probably doesn't.
Which means Warren could possibly, you know, not survive the ensuing damage. Not an ideal outcome so early into their partnership.
Time to act fast, then. She leaps up and lands heels first along the ridge of the creature's back, spinning around to aim her "gun" right down at the demon's skull. This close and personal, maybe she'll get to blow its brains out. Enough to kill the engine to that conflagration.]
Bang.
[Hopefully it won't be too messy, though.]
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The demon barely has time to realize she’s alighted herself on its back when bang. Blood and bits of gore, brain and bone and ashy flesh, go flying as she quite effectively does blow the creature’s brains out. It's a mess but perhaps not as bad as it could be, with the lion’s share of gore cascading across the floor where it sits and sizzles, scorching the wood.
WIth a final shudder, the demon goes still, flames extinguishing, though the heat remains, slow to die.
Warren steps out of his place somewhere on the far side of the room. ]
That certainly could have gone worse.
1/2
When the life from this demon all but fizzles out, even if the flame lingers, she hitches a hand to one hip, remaining atop it. The other is still holding onto the movie clapper.]
I think it went about as smoothly as possible.
[Nothing bad happened at all! Neither of them got hurt! Well, she assumes.]
You're not hurt at all, are y-
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Said ceiling caves in right above Makima's head and--from what Warren can see, anyway--a huge chunk of it unceremoniously tumbles down and crashes right on top of her.]
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And even the theatrics could prove useful. ]
I’m f– [ fine. And there goes a bit of ceiling, crashing down. It takes out his light orb on the way, and for a moment, the room is shrouded in darkness, save the small bits of guttering flame still clinging to the demon’s corpse and some bits of the furniture. Not enough to see by. All he hears is the crash. ]
Makima?
[ Hello??? He sends up another orb and… oh god. Well. They’re really going to test the injury clause in their contract, aren’t they? Thankfully a quick spell is enough to blow the debris off her. ]
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It's lost in the sound of being blanketed by detritus, but there's a lot of snapping and cracking. It's probably fine!
Anyway, when the dust clears out, there lies Makima's body, her head cracked a little and bleeding, her limbs somewhat twisted in very odd, probably not very pleasant angles. Just give her a moment!]
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Mostly he’s just morbidly curious to see how this injury transference thing is going to work. Providing it does.
So yes, he’ll give her a moment. ]
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But eventually, she stirs. Blinking up at the ceiling once, twice, and sits up. Bloods runs down the planes of her face, ending with a trickle around her chin.]
That was... badly timed.
[Is she still on top of the corpse of a demon? Well, who cares. One arm is twisted at a bad angle, clearly broken in an inconvenient spot, but there's a nasty snapping noise yet again as it seems to... set itself. Unpleasantly, but her face gives no sign of pain.]
Don't say "comedically."
[Timed. Comedically timed.]
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Come on, now. It was a little funny. All that work only to be done in by the ceiling.
[ He moves over to where the duffel back sits and digs out a towel, which he tosses her way. ]
But it looks like the terms of the contract are working as intended.
[ RIP to whoever ends up with this batch of injuries. ]
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You know, I'm not exactly sure what to think about your one instance of amusement-
[Finished with that, she wobbles to a stand, dust falling from her shoulder. She's mostly standing on one leg, actually, while the other twists around and back into place again.]
-centering around me being flattened by the ceiling.
[UNSURPRISING but she's not offended.]
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[ Said with a mild shrug. He lifts the duffel bag, slinging it over one shoulder. ]
In any case, when you’re finished putting yourself back together, we should get moving before the whole place comes down on our heads.
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[Her legs back in working order, she nudges a big piece of ceiling away with her foot... then hops down. The demon is still buried beneath the rubble.]
But you're right. I don't want to get hurt too often, or else maybe all the wizards in your community will start asking questions.
[Because, right now, there is already some poor soul(?) who has had their limbs mangled for apparently no reason whatsoever.]
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No, best we save that reveal for later, should we need it.
[ He’d like to keep that in his pocket, in case someone gets it in their head to take the fight to Warren’s new companion. What’s worse than someone you can’t hurt? Someone you can’t hurt without hurting others, of course. ]
Are you able to carry that?
[ He means the corpse. ]
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Makima gives one more roll of a shoulder. It lets out a loud crack before she turns and looks at the rubble, then bends over to move a huge piece out of the way, revealing a dead demon beneath.
She's... an average-sized woman at best, so-]
I can drag it to the van.
[Like a big, heavy, demonic sack of potatoes.]
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He glances at the corpse of the demon, then back to Makima. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what the limits to her physical strength actually are, but if she says she can handle it… ]
That should work. It’s going to be a very long drive home, so we should get going.
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Rubble from the ceiling clatters off of its form as its dragged forward.]
Honestly, this outing was more driving than any actual entertainment. [Not really a complaint, but an observation. Still-] But I suppose I should thank you for it, anyway.
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Would you rather still be fighting the demon? Because that’s on you for finishing it off so quickly.
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She will absolutely drag it out until it's free of the rubble altogether, kicking up so much dust in the meanwhile, and pausing just long enough to straighten and hand Warren the clapper she's still been keeping from under her elbow.]
Hold this.
[DO IT, SIR, VERY IMPORTANT]
I said I should thank you, anyway! I'm not complaining. But maybe next time, I'll drag it out and let you fend for yourself more than I did.
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