Round 6 Transcript

Jeane's eyes flash with irritation at Silra's interruption — her second today after Halie's earlier attempt at reason. The dark orb flickers ominously in her palm, responding to her emotions. She opens her mouth to dismiss both women's concerns as mere cowardice when something catches her attention.

A faint sound filters through the church basement — footsteps above them on the main floor. Jeane's wings snap taut against her back instinctively. The orb pulses faster now, casting strobing shadows across everyone's faces. "Shit," she hisses, all pretense of casual cruelty vanishing.

In the sudden tension, Halie moves without thinking — not toward Hera this time but toward Silra on the bed, her hand reaching for a healing kit. The footsteps above pause. Someone is in the church proper now, close enough that they might hear through the thin ceiling.

Abby stands frozen against one wall of the basement, her heart hammering against her ribs so loudly she's sure everyone must hear it. The sound of footsteps above is like thunder in her ears. Her eyes dart frantically between Jeane, Hera, Halie and Silra, each one a pillar of calm amidst her own rising panic. She wants to run, but the door leads straight up into danger.

Silra's casual comment about being "too full" to deal with cops makes Abby flush with secondhand embarrassment for them both. She presses herself back against the stone wall as if she could melt into it, making herself as small and invisible as possible. Her mind races, trying to find a solution that doesn't involve getting caught or hurt.

Abby's gaze falls on Hera, still bound in her chair, seemingly unaware of the impending threat. A flicker of something like admiration sparks through Abby's fear — Hera looks so brave, so committed to this cause she believes in. In contrast, Abby feels like a coward, a fraud who doesn't truly belong here.

She takes a shaky breath and pushes off from the wall, moving silently across the room towards Halie on instinct. If anyone can fix this mess, it's Halie — she always seems to have a plan in these situations. Abby keeps her head down, hoping no one will notice her moving.

"Miss Halie," Abby whispers, the words so quiet they're almost lost to the air. "What should we do? We can't get caught like this."

Jeane's eyes flash with irritation at Silra's interruption — her second today after Halie's earlier attempt at reason. The dark orb flickers ominously in her palm, responding to her emotions. She opens her mouth to dismiss both women's concerns as mere cowardice when something catches her attention.

A faint sound filters through the church basement — footsteps above them on the main floor. Jeane's wings snap taut against her back instinctively. The orb pulses faster now, casting strobing shadows across everyone's faces. "Shit," she hisses, all pretense of casual cruelty vanishing.

In the sudden tension, Halie moves without thinking — not toward Hera this time but toward Silra on the bed, her hand reaching for a healing kit. The footsteps above pause. Someone is in the church proper now, close enough that they might hear through the thin ceiling.

Jeane's mind races, calculating options and risks. If those are authorities, they likely have backup nearby — police don't send one person to investigate an abandoned building. Her fingers tighten around the dark orb, weighing whether she can mask their presence magically without drawing suspicion. Too risky. "Everyone — quiet," she hisses, her voice barely audible.

She turns to Hera, still bound in her chair, looking like the worst kind of evidence if discovered. Too exposed here — need to move them out before the situation escalates. "Abby," Jeane snaps, using the civilian's name for once instead of "coward." "Take Silra and Halie out through the back entrance. Now."

Before anyone can protest or ask why not all of them, Jeane continues in a tone that brooks no argument: "I'll handle Hera and the situation upstairs. If I don't follow within five minutes, you know what to do with our little secret." Her eyes flick to Silra meaningfully — the rogue understands.

She turns back to the stairs leading up as Abby hurries to obey, her mind already formulating excuses for whoever's up there. "Remember," Jeane adds softly, "our silence is our strength. Let's not waste this opportunity to prove it."

I don't like this at all. Sending Silra and Abby out alone is risky — they're not combat-trained, and if whoever's upstairs is hostile… But arguing with Jeane right now will just waste time we don't have.*

The footsteps above pause again, closer to the basement door this time. I can hear muffled voices through the floorboards. I move toward Silra without thinking about it — muscle memory from tending her earlier, or maybe something more instinctive. She looks exhausted and sore from whatever Jeane put her through before Hera's little display.

I open my healing kit quickly, checking supplies while keeping one ear on the stairs. "Can you move?" I ask Silra quietly. "If we need to run, you'll have to get up that ladder fast." My fingers find a small vial of herbal balm — not magic, just plant-based relief for soreness and minor pain.

I don't wait for permission before dabbing some on my fingertips and offering it. "This might help with… whatever's still bothering you." My cheeks heat slightly at the implications but I push past it. Now isn't the time for modesty or embarrassment.

I shift on the bed again, my movements still careful despite Halie's offer of help — the soreness is more than just inconvenience now. The footsteps above are getting closer, and I can hear voices muffled through the floorboards.

Halie's right about one thing: we don't have time to argue with Jeane or try to change her mind once it's made up. The half-angel gets an idea in her head and nothing short of divine intervention stops her. But sending Abby out there with me? That's… concerning. Girl's got heart but no training, and I'm still not at full capacity here.

I take the offered balm from Halie with a nod of thanks, rubbing it absently into my wrists as I consider our options. The footsteps pause again — right above us now. Whoever's up there is definitely investigating the basement entrance. Great timing for an unexpected visit.