NINETEENTH SHOT

[dog_eat_dog]

Who: Tess and Kate
What: JUNGLE SURVIVIN'
When: Jumanji plot. I'm just making things up.
Where: The... castle... all jungley...
Rating:



Tess has been in the jungle for far too long now, and it hasn't even been all that long.

And frankly, she’s sick of it already –– as much as she enjoys the sights and smells, it’s the kind of place that wreaks havoc on her anxiety, given the close quarters of trees and rock and plant growth. Any turn could have something jumping out at her, and in territory without a lot of potential for improvised weapons, that’s not a very good situation. Without any clear line of sight, every obstacle hides a potential threat, and the fact that the jungle is also technically a castle makes it even harder, as the castle’s stonework is embedded in the jungle floor and walls block off a lot of directions as escape routes.

As such, Tess is clutching her gun very, very tightly as she slips through the trees, so tight that her hand starts cramping a little.

Then she slips on a thin patch of slick mud overtop the cobblestones and right down a set of stairs. Fuck. All she needed on top of this was a bruised tailbone and skinned palms, which is exactly what she winds up with. Her gun clatters out of her hand in the process, and at the bottom she’s more frantic to get her gun back than to assess the damage.

And to her great alarm, she spies her gun at someone else’s feet –– someone who is none other than Kate Beckett. There’s no threat to herself, she knows, but her gun...

“Do not touch that,” she growls as she picks herself up to rush over. It’s low and dangerous.

(It figures she would see Kate in person for the first time since Kate’s return when she’s even scrappier-looking than her usual street-crawling, drug-smuggling average.)

Comments

[themuse]

Kate had been looking for Alexis and Castle, of course. Keeping tabs on them over the journal wasn't the same as being physically with them, and even though the two had their history of holding their own, Kate didn't feel good unless she had her eyes on them. She'd promised Alexis she'd take care of her; that she would take care of both of them. That had been back the worst of it all was Alexis having a mermaid tail and not... Whatever this nightmare was that resulting in growing vines and the wild animals of the forest that Kate feared wreaking havoc within the castle walls.

Tess' gun clattering to her feet was the cherry on top of the shit sundae as it happened, and being this was Tess and Kate was still unbelievably irritated with her, she didn't even hesitate to lean over and snatch up the gun, keeping it lowered at her side before she took a lengthy step back.

"And what, let you shoot me? In your dreams, Tess," Kate remarked, keeping her gaze locked on the other woman. Kate knew she was playing with fire, but this was a dominance game that was a long time coming and Kate was ready just to get it over with.

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess bristles almost immediately, and she doesn't even pause to brush herself off, even caked with mud. She stands up straight, shoulders squared and chin lifted — the kind of posturing she'd use on any official with authority, and she does it with second nature.

"I had no plan to, but if you're seriously thinking of holding onto it, then I have a legitimate reason to fuckin' wreck you," she growls. "Give me my fuckin' gun and we go our separate ways."

And with that tight, coiled body language, she acts like she might just do it anyway.

[themuse]

Kate steps back again, the gun still clutched in her palm and her gaze still leveled. If she had any amount of common sense, she would have handed over the gun and stepped away. Unfortunately, Kate's pride was drowning out any voices of common sense.

"Considering the circumstances, I think it's better that I hang onto this for the time being." Kate's own sidearm was still tucked up in her room, which was a decidedly terrible plan, but she hadn't known exactly what she was walking into.

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess moves forward as Kate moves back, mirroring her steps, and she's not shy about getting right up in Kate's face and reaching for that wrist.

"Give me the gun, Kate," she growls, lower. Her own pride is fierce, and she curls her hand into fists. "What are you going to do to stop me?"

[themuse]

Kate keeps backing up, the gun behind her back. If she were any other person, she'd turn it on Tess, but she wasn't going to do that. Kate only pointed a gun if she planned on pulling the trigger, and she didn't plan on shooting Tess.

Instead, flicked her wrists and popped the magazine out the gun, shoving it into her back pocket before bringing the now empty gun back around and hanging it in front of Tess' face.

"Fine. Here's your gun back. Good luck shooting me now."

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess takes the gun with gusto, yanking it from Kate's grip none-too-kindly, and with the expertise of someone very used to handling guns she flips it in her hand so she's holding it by the barrel. Her pistol, like most, has a barrel too short to use as an effective makeshift club, so using the butt is easier to strike with, and at this point, she's feeling like she needs to.

"I don't want to fuckin' shoot you, Kate, I want to be able to defend myself from whatever wild animal comes out of the bushes next!"

[themuse]

"You expect me to believe that? When I don't have the slightest fucking clue about what is going on here, and you have been nothin' but hostile to me since I showed up. Christ, Tess, what did the last me do, anyway, kill your dog?"

Kate throws up her arms and moved away, but there isn't anywhere she can really go. She needs to find Castle and Alexis and get them somewhere safe, and there's no way in hell she's planning on leaving the castle without them. Not that she thinks that's a smart plan, anyway; even if Katniss gave her a few pointers on battling wildlife, she's still not ready to take her chances.

Of course, taking her chances with Tess isn't really that promising either, and she feels like she's stuck between a rock in a hard place.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Back in Boston, people like you execute people like me," Tess snaps, "So excuse me if I'm always on my goddamn defenses, but what I've said to you doesn't even approach hostile. It's called being a survivor."

By her strung-out, trauma-survivor standards, anyhow, and god knows those have edged more and more violent over the years. Tess stays put for once, though, and she lowers the gun enough to gesticulate to it with her free hand.

"I'm not going to die in here just because you want to play cop right now."

[themuse]

"It's called being a bitch. And believe me I know a hell of a lot of being hostile to survive and you take it to a whole new goddamn level!"

Kate does take note of Tess' body language though, and even though she keeps her distance, Kate slows down a little. When it comes to her own trauma, she's gotten better at handling guns aimed at her over the years, but this was a whole new circumstance and she's aware she probably overreacted. She doesn't trust Tess, though, and that doesn't help matters.

"I'm sorry that me being a cop offends your fragile sensibilities, but I'm sick of having a one-sided fight with you. You wanna survive, fine, but you might wanna figure out how to properly handle your side-arm if you expect to make it ten more minutes." With that, Kate bit her lip and freed the magazine from her back pocket, offering it back to Tess with an outstretched hand.

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess rolls her eyes, a million kinds of exasperated and irritated and combative, but she takes the magazine. Bullets are precious, and even with them having only been out of her possession for a moment, she feels the need to take stock and re-count before putting the magazine back in the gun.

And to keep herself from doing anything stupidly rash, she holsters the gun in the back of her pants, off to one side.

"Well, this isn't petty crime in the city, this is real life," Tess replies. Her real life has always included military rule, the constant threat of attack and a near-inevitable death by violence. "And you know what? You want me to stop being a bitch to you, then stop assuming I'm a fucking idiot just because I don't have a certificate saying I know my shit. I know how to properly handle them."

Falling down a hill notwithstanding, anyway.

[themuse]

"Jesus Christ, Tess, with you just shut up? You don't know anything about my life at home so just stop fucking assuming that you do."

Kate turns away, exasperated and angry. Never in her life has she had anyone assume because she's a cop her life is somehow fields of flowers and dancing and singing and all the shit that Kate's life really wasn't at all; maybe a little, maybe after she met Castle but only because he was the first thing in her life that made her ever want to try to be happy again. And even then, living with the constant knowledge of having a price on her head still managed to sully that.

"I've never assumed you were an idiot. Maybe instead of being in love with the sound of your own voice, you should listen to what other people have to say every once in a while." Kate didn't even look at her, instead concentrating on pulling a branch off of one of the overgrowing vines. Since she didn't have a weapon, any kind of blunt object would do at this point, especially since Kate still wasn't sure Tess wouldn't pull her gun again. Kate turned to look at her for a second, raising her eyebrow. "And you really should consider getting an actual holster for that, you know."

[dog_eat_dog]

All that and then more commentary on gun handling. Tess considers some sort of rash response –– she's certainly tempted to give into her worst impulses and shoot Kate when she's got her back turned. And why shouldn't she? She's killed people for less, after all. She put a bullet in Raoul's skull just for calling her a "bitch", and she never lost any sleep over it.

But Tess reminds herself that she hasn't killed anyone in eight whole months, and maybe she's been better off for it. After all, eight months out of Boston and the black market has done a lot for her body and mind, so there's no reason to think it hasn't been a reprieve on her soul, too, even if the guilt has been a lot.

So instead Tess just makes a "tch" noise and waits for Kate to finish poking around.

"I'll work on that." Both the holster and listening to others, but she won't admit to the latter outright. "Finding something that's concealed for women is a pain in the ass, though."

[themuse]

There's an eerie silence that falls around them once Tess responds, and even though Kate hasn't entirely freed her chosen branch from the vines, she still turns around to look at her. She would have vouched on Tess putting a bullet through her before getting that kind of metered response. She doesn't quite grasp how close she actually came to that end, or how thankful she should be that Tess actually paused long enough to think it through, but the decision isn't completely lost on her.

"I have a decent one at home," Kate remarks, turning slightly to start tugging on her branch again as she speaks. "I could see if the castle can replicate it." Which, unbeknownst to Tess, it an hell of an offer. Up until now, Kate refused to ask the castle for anything.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Yeah, I've tried, but I've never actually seen one, so the castle won't pony up for me," she replies.

Then she pauses, too, before stooping to fish her knife from the side of her boot, the handle hidden by her pant leg. It's small, but it'll do the job, and thank god she never goes anywhere without that, either. She moves towards Kate to help free up the branch, but she doesn't offer up the knife –– she'll do it herself.

"Usually I just find the smallest men's size I can, pop a few extra notches in it for belt buckles, and duct tape the rest. But yeah... you replicate it, I'll do you a favour in return."

That's how Tess works, after all.

[themuse]

Kate moved her hand, letting Tess take the lead and just helping with freeing the branch. She lifted her eyebrow and shot Tess a quiet, nearly questioning look. She liked the idea of Tess owing her a favor, if she had to be honest. She knew how people like her worked, and having her owe Kate a favor was only going to work to her advantage later down the line.

"Once we get out the jungle, consider it done," Kate said, the corners of her lips lifting into a near smile. She wasn't even sure if the castle was granting wishes at the moment, or if it was too distracted by the new game it had been playing with its inhabitants. "Where were you headed before you fell?"

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess works quickly, freeing the branch with a bit of effort.

"Good," she replies, as if Kate owes her rather than it being the other way around. Tess is fine with owing favours if it means setting up some sort of bartering relationship. "I was looking for my partner's kid and her friend. Two teenage girls –– a white girl with red hair and a black girl, rarely out of each others' sight. Seen 'em?"

[themuse]

"I haven't," Kate replied, taking the branch and grasping it in her hand. She was surprised by that response, actually; Tess seemed like the type of person who would ne looking out for number one. Knowing she had two kids in her charge made Kate wholly sympathetic.

"I'm trying find Castle and his daughter. We could look together, if you want. There's something to be said about safety in numbers."

[dog_eat_dog]

"Alexis," she says, just to confirm. Tess likes knowing who people are — it gives her leverage, and it doesn't help to remind people she knows what's going on. "But sure, it's stupid crossing this kind of territory without cover."

There was a certain irony in a detective and a criminal working together, anyway.

[themuse]

The irony was not lost on Kate, either, and she had to bite back a wry smile as she took a look around and tried to orient herself. She wasn't particularly familiar with the castle yet as it was, and seeing it overgrown like it was not only furthered to disorient her. She huffed a resigned sigh, deciding that Tess probably did have the upper hand in this circumstance, and it was probably in Kate's best interest to follow her lead for the time being.

"I'm hoping that Alexis and Castle are actually together somewhere, so that might make them easier to find. Do you have any idea where the girls you're looking for might have gone for safety?"

[dog_eat_dog]

Tess considers that for a moment.

"Ellie and Riley probably went for cover — they're used to this kind of navigation, so I'm sure they're okay sneaking around and keeping out of sight. Castle and Alexis probably made for open ground... Better visibility, easier to see what's coming after you," she says. Survival methods change as you adapt, making Ellie and Riley just as predatory as the things they'd be hiding from.

She glances up at the canopy. It's difficult to believe they're in a castle, sometimes.

"Probably fewer predators up high than on the ground."

[themuse]

"Maybe," Kate agreed, trying to ignore the stab of fear for what kind of trouble Castle and Alexis would find themselves in. She didn't have time to be worried. Worry got in the way of action, and the most important thing right now was that they keep moving.

"Maybe the gardens? Or even the forest, I mean, as far as Castle is concerned, anything out there isn't as bad as what's in here. I just hope he was smart enough to stay on the grounds." Kate peeled off her jacket and tied it around her waist, shoving her stick snug between her waist and the sleeves so her hands were free before she glanced back up above them. "You think we should climb, stay off the ground?"

[dog_eat_dog]

With a shake of her head, Tess puts her knife back in her boot.

"Not when it makes us slower, or need to focus more on balancing than defending ourselves," Tess replies. "If we were making camp, it'd be fine, but unless you want to sit tight and wait for them to find us, it's not my plan of action."

That and Tess isn't sure how good she is at climbing trees. Trees are pretty few and far between in the Quarantine Zone, and the rest is bombed out enough that trees haven't been able to grow back properly, especially not in numbers large enough to make climbing them worthwhile. The only time she saw trees was when she was out with someone, but how often did that happen? (And who was someone, if not Joel?)

There's more pressing things to worry about, however.

"But really? You think they escaped an indoor forest to hit up an outdoor one? Why would they do that, exactly?"

[themuse]

"I hope not," Kate admitted, taking a breath. "Listen, Castle... He's a city boy. He's going to have no idea what to do in this situation. He's gonna have two objectives; keep Alexis alive, and find me. I'm hoping he's not dumb enough to try to get out of here through the forest, but we've never exactly had the 'what would you do in a situation where the castle you are trapped in is suddenly overgrown and filled with dangerous predators' conversation."

Kate sighed, taking a moment to force down the panic again as she looked up at the trees. She was thankful Tess hadn't planned to climb them, considering that was a sure fire way for Kate to end up falling to her death. She was in good shape and a hell of an athlete, but she couldn't even remember the last time she climbed a tree. Probably not since college.

"No... He's probably holed up somewhere. He knows I'm going to be looking at him, so hopefully they are staying in one place. Probably down low because I think Castle knows better to get cornered up in one of the towers. The thing is, he knows the castle layout a hell of a lot better than I do, so I'm not sure what he would qualify as a safe place."

[dog_eat_dog]

Idiots. She's looking for idiots.

While Tess has had her fair share of incompetent allies, the worst-case scenarios are generally all passed on into death. After all, you don't survive twenty years without acquiring survival skills, even in the quarantine zone. With that in mind it'd almost be better for Castle and his kid to die, sparing Kate the burden and freeing up her potential, but Tess isn't about to say that.

"Having their backs to a wall isn't a bad thing if they think they can stay holed up there until this is over," Tess says, pointedly. "It's one less side to guard, too, when you have to be looking out for your kid, first."

Besides, being holed up means you can at least die on your own terms, but Tess doesn't say that, either. This is temporary, she reminds herself. Nobody will be forced to that point.

[themuse]

It was for the best that Tess kept her thoughts to herself. Castle was an idiot, but he was her idiot, and there was nothing that was going to stop Kate from making sure he was okay. Kate just hoped that this would all pass before things got worse, or deadly.

"Hopefully that's what he's thinking," Kate conceded, absentmindedly bracing the palm of her hand on the stick wrapped around her waist. "Let's try the bar. There's food and drinks there, Castle might think it's the best place for the time being." Kate took a step in the direction of the bar - or at least, what she figured was the direction of the bar, but she was a little disoriented. "Do you know Rick and Alexis well?"