Hargreeves Mansion | Night

[knife_bender]

Everybody had split off to do their own thing after the family meeting. Luckily when your home was a literal city block with forty-something bedrooms it was easy to avoid other people.

Diego had found his way back into his childhood bedroom and was thinking about how he would go about taking Luther down if he tried to shut off their mother. Right now a knife to the neck was involved in the plans.

Hazel & Cha Cha	So apparently these rich people didn't lock their doors. Hazel and Cha Cha would have been able to break in easily regardless, but it was a nice surprise. They stayed together as they searched the house for Five, knowing that splitting up against him would end in one (or both) of their deaths. Best do this quickly.
Diego	Diego was pretty familiar with the sounds of the mansion, even after all of this time. He had even already gotten used to Luther's lumbering steps since he gained all that weight. So when he heard the steps of someone(s) clearly trying to sneak around, he got up from his bed, knife in hand. He didn't know what he expected to see when he poked his head out the door but two people in suits and children's masks was a new one.
Hazel & Cha Cha	If Diego was surprised to see Hazel and Cha Cha, they were equally surprised to see him. Five was famously a loner so why would he be in a house with other people? They didn't stop to ask questions, instead opening fire on Diego right away.
Diego	"Shit!" Diego threw two knives in quick succession before ducking back down into his room. The shooting stopped temporarily but since he didn't hear any cries of pain he figured he didn't hit anybody too badly. He heard footsteps moving closer and once they were on him, Diego rushed out and tackled the bigger of the two masked people into the wall.
Cha Cha	Oh, great. This guy wanted to actually fight. Cha Cha raised her gun, trying to get a good shot on the guy in black without hitting Hazel. "Move, idiot!"
Diego	Diego could already feel the big guy moving to turn him so the woman could get her shot in. Impulsively he headbutted the guy, forgetting for a moment that he was wearing a really hard mask. He wasn't the smartest sometimes. Painful as it was, it did the job. The grip loosened on Diego and he ran down the hall, jumping off the second floor balcony to land on the couch in the sitting room.
Hazel & Cha Cha	"Come on!" Cha Cha yelled, running down the stairs to get to the room the guy jumped into. The room appeared empty at first, but she knew better. Once Hazel was beside her she gave him a nod and the two of them let loose, shooting the room to shreds. If anybody was hiding they'd get hit soon enough.
Luther	You'd have to be deaf or blasting music through headphones (Klaus) to not hear the gunshots in the mansion right now. Luther and Allison had been in the attic just talking when the shots rang out. Luther got to the shooters first, grabbing the shoulder of the shorter one and throwing them across the hall.
Allison	Allison went for the second guy, coming up from behind trying to disarm him. Unfortunately, either she had moved too slow or the guy was better trained than he looked because he immediately turned and got a hand around her throat.
Diego	Diego had been hiding behind a desk, and once the shots stopped he stood up to see his sister being attacked. He immediately ran up and jumped on the guy's back, doing what he could to get him to loosen his grip.
Luther	Yeah, no, that wasn't going to do anything. Luther shoved Diego out of the way, punching the masked guy in the face twice, throwing him into the hallway next to his buddy once he had let go of Allison. "You're welcome," Luther said to Diego.
Allison	"Who the hell are these guys?" Allison rasped, hand going to her throat. A question that would have to be answered later, as the masked assholes were getting up. She started moving, heading towards the kitchen downstairs. They'd be better off splitting them up. "Go."
Diego	"I had it handled by the way," Diego said to Luther, ducking down when the shooting started again.
Luther	"Oh yeah, I could tell!" Luther shouted. He saw the woman running towards where Allison went. "You go after Allison, I'll get the big guy."
Diego	Diego ran off in Allison's direction. He heard a struggle going on as he approached the kitchen. He came in just in time to see his sister get punched in the face. "You want to rumor this asshole?" Really, Allison, your powers were right there.
Allison	Allison pushed herself up, wiping at the blood trickling from her mouth. "I don't need to because this bitch just pissed me off."
Cha Cha	Cha Cha picked up a broken pool cue, twirling it a few times as she approached Allison. "We just want the boy."
Allison	"Oh, well, in that case--" Allison lunged for the woman, blocking a hit from the pool cue with her forearm. It had been awhile since she had to use this training, but it was coming back to her more easily than expected. She managed to get in a few hits before she missed a block and got smacked in the face with the cue.
Diego	Diego whistled to get the masked weirdo's attention, grabbing a bar off the foosball table next to him. Don't question why the kitchen and the game room were in the same area in a house this big.
Cha Cha	Cha Cha could see Allison getting up after the hit from the cue and realized it was about to be two against one. She decided to cut her losses and run for the exit, needing to find Hazel.
Allison	Allison picked up a knife from a block on the table and handed it to Diego. "Get her."
Diego	Diego smiled as he took the knife from his sister. That was the kind of family bonding he preferred. He whipped the knife, curving it around the doorway. The scream that followed soon after told him he hit his target. "Come on, let's find Luther."
Luther	Luther...had been having a time of it. He was still in the hallway in front of the staircase, trying his best not to get his ass handed to him by a guy who was just about as tall as he was. It was a pretty even fight, but one good hit to the back of his head had him hitting the ground.
Diego	Diego and Allison made it back upstairs in time to see Luther go down. They both rushed forward to help him, both of them getting under one of his massive arms to try to lift him. "You gotta cut down on the fast food, soldier," Diego grunted as he tried to help Luther up.
Cha Cha	Cha Cha could see this was getting away from them. Hazel was barely standing and, worse, they didn't even find Five yet. Best to cut their losses and regroup. Speaking of cutting--Cha Cha found the rope holding up the massive chandelier that hung above the main hall, right where the annoying people were standing. She pulled a knife out of her pocket and cut the rope. Hopefully that would be enough of a distraction to get them out of the house.
Luther	Luther heard the chandelier fall. Without thinking, he threw Allison and Diego to the side, clearing them out of the way before the chandelier landed on him directly. It had hurt--fuck, it had hurt a lot. Luther couldn't even move at first, just trying to breathe through the pain. Once the dust settled around them, and he could see that Diego and Allison were safe, he mustered up his strength and tried to stand up. His shirt and coat got caught on the sharp ends of the chandelier. Luther could hear the fabric ripping but right now he was so focused on getting the thing off of him he didn't even care. It was only once the twisted iron of the chandelier was pushed off of him and the remains of his shirt had been pulled off with it, that Luther realized what had happened.
Diego	"Holy shit." That was--he knew Luther had gotten big since he saw him last. Almost impossibly big, but Diego deluded himself into thinking it was all that time on the moon. Last thing he expected was to see that his brother now had the body of an ape.
Luther	Luther took in a shaky breath. He looked over at Diego, and then at Vanya. He hadn't even realized she had been here, but the blood on her face told him she had been in on the fight too. Of course right now they were ignoring the fight and looking at him like he was a freak. Finally he met eyes with Allison, who was looking at him with such a look of pity that it made him feel sick. Eventually he couldn't take it and he left, lumbering past Diego and going upstairs to his room.
Vanya	Vanya, who had been incapacitated before anyone realized she was there (typical), looked over at Allison. "Did you know?"
Allison	"No," Allison said quietly, looking towards the stairs where Luther had gone. "No, I didn't."

Diego	The house was a mess, Luther was upstairs sulking, god knew where Klaus and Five were. Since Allison was tending to Vanya, he decided it was up to him to see how the rest of the house fared. He stepped into the hall and looked up when he realized he heard humming coming from upstairs. "Shit, Mom." Diego sprinted upstairs to Mom's little sewing nook. She was sitting there calmly, working on a cross-stitch and singing to herself. "Mom, are you okay?"
Grace	"Of course I am," Grace said, not looking up from her work.
Diego	"You didn't hear the noises?" Diego asked, kneeling down in front of where his mother was sitting. "The guys in masks that just shot up the house?" He didn't know why he didn't think of it before, but Grace's programming should have gone off as soon as shots were fired. It should have been her taking care of Vanya downstairs, not Allison. That was what she was made to do.
Grace	Grace looked up at Diego with a smile. "What are you talking about, silly?"
Diego	Diego looked down at what his mother had been working on and gasped softly. Grace had been sewing into her own hand, and she hadn't even noticed. She hadn't noticed that, she hadn't noticed the shooting...even now Diego could admit to himself that she hadn't quite been the same since Dad's death. Still, he wasn't going to let Luther shut her down. If this needed to be done, then it was going to be done by someone who loved her. Maybe he could try to make her understand. He took a knife out of his harness, reaching for the arm that already had punctures in it from the cross-stitch. He could feel Grace's attention focus on him as he put the knife to her skin and pressed down, exposing her wiring.
Grace	"Diego?" Grace asked, frowning. "What are you doing?"
Diego	Diego's eyes immediately started tearing up at the genuine confusion in her voice. He started pulling at wires, trying to get this done quickly. "It's going to be o-oh--" He squeezed his eyes shut, hating himself for his weakness at the moment. "O--"
Grace	"Remember what we worked on," Grace said calmly. "Picture the word in your mind."
Diego	That was not helping Diego not cry throughout this whole thing. He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, looking up at Grace. "It's going to be okay, M-m-mom." Grace's arm went limp in Diego's hand and he could see her eyes fluttering as her systems shut down one at a time. He thought that she opened her mouth to say one last thing to him, but it was too late. She was gone. Diego got up, stepping back from Grace like he couldn't bear to touch her anymore. He wiped at his eyes again, heading back downstairs. "Fuck. Fuck."
Allison	Vanya looked like she might have a mild concussion, but Allison decided it could have been worse. Now that she was patched up Allison would have to see to Luther, but before she could Diego came into the room where they were, looking both pissed off and like he had been crying. "Diego?"
Diego	Diego ignored Allison, focusing on Vanya. He lost Mom tonight, and he almost lost a sister as well. "What the hell are you still doing here?" Of course he was too upset to actually express himself in a sane way.
Vanya	Vanya looked confusedly from Diego over to Allison and then back to Diego again. "I'm just trying to help."
Diego	"No, you could have been killed or gotten any of us killed," Diego snapped. His gaze flickered over to Allison. "She's a liability." Always had been, which was why Dad had always made her stay behind. One of the few things he got right.
Vanya	Vanya could feel her cheeks redden as Diego hit a sore spot. She knew that he knew it too. She looked over at her sister, hoping to find some understanding. "Allison?"
Allison	"I think what he is trying to say," Allison started slowly. "Is that this stuff is dangerous. You're just--"
Vanya	"Not like you," Vanya finished, standing up. She turned for the door, not willing to hear this lecture yet again.
Vanya	"No, that's now what I--" She stopped herself, because that was what she had meant. "Vanya, wait."
Diego	"Let her go," Diego said, heading to the bar to make himself a drink. "It's for the best." At least one of them should get to go out there and live a normal life.

[NFI, NFB, OOC is always great. Preplayed with myself and taken from 1x03 "Extra Ordinary". Warning for character death? Maybe? The character isn't really alive so idk]