The Blame Game

[Ankh]

Ankh sees the look on Tug's face and guilt spears through her.

Me and my big fucking mouth. Why can't I ever take a page from West's book and just shut up?

She looks over to the big man. "I'm sorry Tug, I didn't mean-"

What? Didn't mean to upset him? Really? Then maybe next time you shouldn't imply that Banishers ripped his brother's soul apart and shoved it in a box.

Ankh falls silent again, glancing at Animus and Ash and trying to regain her train of thought. "So, is there a way to track them? Hunt them down? Can we use this Soul Stone against them?"

[West (The Mage)]

"Nooooo...," West muses. "If they had kept it in a container or on a, uhhh, holder," he stumbles, not really wanting to suggest something as crass as an egg cup, "Maybe the resonance?"

It's clear he's speculating, and possibly just to fill the awkward miasma of Tug's grief.

"Why don't we pick this up later? Give it some time to... digest."

Before Tug goes insane right in front of us all.

[Darren Nash]

Ash nods, the thought of Falx being part of a sacrifice for his soul turning his stomach as it is.

"Sounds good. Anyone wanna hit the bag?" he semi-jokes, taking each in turn, his gaze lingering over Tug.

Get it outta your system, mate.

[Animus]

Animus looks slightly relieved when West calls off the discussion. The thought of ripping out a piece of one's soul wasn't a pleasant one, nor were the hints of the uses to which they could be put. And the way this was affecting Tug ...

For just an instant, Tug seems to waver and, Animus gets the impression of him as a ghost. It's far too easy to imagine how any of a number of factors could have been nudged just a little and Tug would've joined Falx. Because of my failures. He shakes himself, trying to unseat the image.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go home and crash." Even if, as with the past few nights, he isn't looking forward to his dreams.

[Tug]

"'s okay," Tug says quietly to Ankh. If the Banishers had stolen part of Tom's soul, he would get it back. Donnie couldn't imagine the pain of forcibly having your soul ripped out, but there was nothing he could do about that. What he could do was make sure every drop of agony inflicted upon his only brother was repaid in kind.

He nods numbly at West's suggestion they break the meeting here, then a bit more life-like at Ash's suggestion. "Yeah." He nods at Animus and hands him his truck keys. "Here, take Lady. I can get a cab later."

[West]

Scene Ends