ooc: Soonish.
IC:
Dionysia was beginning to tremble all over - at least the paralysis was beginning to wear off, she noted analytically. She felt numb, her mind refusing to take in what had just happened, and what had nearly happened. "I..." She forced out, "Another minute..."
She couldn't bear to look up into the big-bro's eyes, their recent... discussion still fresh in her mind. But even now she couldn't accept what he'd said. Her brain was frantically denying everything that had occurred since she'd walked into this store room. It couldn't have happened.
"Krik... Is he alive?"
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When Anni failed to give any sort of reply, Emlech went on, "It's time for you to come back with me."
"I'm not going back," Anni said defiantly.
Jim, cowering half behind her, was watching this with a rising feeling of panic deep inside his gut.
Emlech looked angry, "You're coming with me, Anni."
"I'm not," She said angrily, and Jim suddenly found the whole thing totally ridiculous! This whole are/aren't/are/aren't children's argument between a vykker and a mudokon; he had the same feeling he'd had the morning Anni had been shot. He felt the familiar panic, especially with the slig so close, but it was like it was boxed tightly inside of him; he had to be the one to act and there wasn't time for panic.
"I'm not here to play games," Emlech growled, "You are my property Anni, and you will do as I tell you or I will have to force you!"
"What are you going to do to me?" Anni asked defiantly. "Arnie won't let you hurt me!"
"I can do what I like; I created you!"
Jim, half a second from grabbing Anni by the wrist and legging it down the corridor, froze. He could see the same expression on Anni's face as he could feel on his own. Anni was created by vykkers?!
She was shaking her head slowly; the vykker was looking smug. Jim snapped out of his shock and leant towards Anni, caught her wrist in his hands and whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here."
He yanked hard on her wrist to get her going and started running; she was instantly running beside him, "Don't trust him!" Jim shouted at her. She couldn't have been made, whatever the vykker said.
Down the corridor he could hear the vykker yelling at #7 Slig, "Don't just stand there! Stop them!"