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[dolljudas]

I...I need help.

[ A man can be seen kneeling in the plaza, his clothes rumpled as though he had just been running. His expression is both pained and saddened, but he keeps his voice calm.

He needs to say this.]

Some of you may recognize me as Doctor Riffael Raffit. I am Riff Raffit, but...the man known as Riffael is the one who has been terrorizing people for a month.

I am sorry I could not do anything sooner...if I had-

[All the people who had been hurt by his hands..shared hands, but his nonetheless.]

I know what I am saying might not make sense in full but if it helps, if it is easier: I am the one you've been looking for.

[He pauses, eyes closing a moment.]

I have control right now, I won't be moving from this place. I beg of you, someone, come stop him.

Please.

((OOC: And, thus, ends the murder plot, for the most part. All replies will be made by Riff (loyaljudas)

Comments

[Action, if that's okay]

[closedcircuit]

[Ky doesn't bother to answer before running to the plaza, to as fast as he can. He's not sure he believes that the man who's been doing all this would turn himself in, but if there's any chance...

Ky doesn't trust that Riff or Riffael, if there's supposed to be a difference there, will stay for long, or that this isn't a trap, but he still has an obligation to be there, an obligation to stop him.

Which is why he shows up at the plaza, one arm bracing the other from when he ran, but he catches his breath quickly.]

Even without my sword I do have magic and can hurt you. Don't try anything.

[Action] <3

[loyaljudas]

[Riff didn't move, as promised, but he did give the man a considering look. The memories were fuzzy and barely coherent as they weren't, strictly, his own, but he could remember this man's face. He knew why Ky's arm was hurt.]

You are one of the victims.

I know it does not help, but I am sorry I could not help you.

Please, if you have come to detain me, I would ask that you do it quickly, I do not want to loose control to him and have this start again.

Ky -> Riff -> Zelos?

[chosen_gigolo]

[The second Zelos had checked the network and seen Riff's message was the very same instant Tethe'alla's Chosen sprouts his wings and goes racing to the plaza, sword and shield at the ready.

If this bastard thinks he can just come out of the woodwork and make up some bullshit about a separate personality to get off scott free, he's got another thing coming. He'll Mystic Arte him so hard there won't be anything left for the coral to revive! Only Ky is there when Zelos arrives and enraged as he is, Zelos isn't going to risk hurting Ky.

He'll just have the pleasure of turning Riffael into a bloody smear on the cobbles by hand.

Zelos lands next to Ky and starts towards Riff immediately, murder in his eyes.]

Sounds good to me.

[closedcircuit]

[Ky shakes his head, pausing a bit back from Riffael. He badly does want to detain him, but he's also scared that this is some kind of trap, and that getting close enough in his current state will only lead to him being kidnapped again.

So he brightens a little when Zelos arrives, stepping between him and Riff with a little nod.]

Please help me detain him, Zelos. Time is of the essence, as far as I understand it.

[loyaljudas]

[Riff looked between the two men, and turned his eyes to the ground.

He didn't recognize the red-head, but he could recognize murderous intent when he saw it, there was plenty of it back home.

He stood and held his hands out before him in an effort to show he meant no harm.]

Please. I do not know if he will try to take control back or even if I could stop him if he did.

[chosen_gigolo]

[Zelos doesn't give Riff the chance to finish, cutting him off with a yell.]

Don't feed me that load of crap! You're gonna pay for what you did to Lloyd and the others!

[He continues forward, past Ky, ready to simply run Riff through unless held back.]

I'm not going to detain him Ky, I'm gonna kill him!

[closedcircuit]

Others like me?

[Ky's doing his best to try to stay calm, like he knows he should, like he doesn't want to run a sword through Riff's throat himself. He grabs Zelos' arm with his good one, trying to pull him back.]

Killing him isn't a solution, because it wouldn't solve anything.

And he might not be as inclined to pretend reasonableness when he comes back.

[strength_of_tomorrow]

[Kratos had read the posting carefully, going over his options for a brief few minutes before heading to the plaza at top speed. Ky may be able to hold back one vengeful angel, but he's going to have a little difficulty with two. Rather than speak to Zelos or Ky, Kratos turns to Riff and addresses him directly.]

You say this is a mental problem?

[That does narrow their options, doesn't it? Deterring an insane man with physical force isn't particularly effective. But there is a way he can think of to "help".

It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Lloyd's wounds were focused on his hands.]

Give me your hands.

[loyaljudas]

Yes.

[He was apprehensive but he knew he was in no real position to argue with whatever the man was planning.

Slowly, he held his hands out, wrists together, anticipating some form of restraint.]

[chosen_gigolo]

[He's about to shout at Ky when Kratos arrives, wrenching his sword arm away. He goes quiet as the older Seraph speaks to their captive and even smirks derisively when Kratos asks for Riff's hands. An eye for an eye, then. But...]

That's not exactly a permanent solution when you've got the magical healing coral here, y'know. Not to mention the sheer number of bleeding hearts that'll believe this insanity bullshit.

[closedcircuit]

Kratos, what are you..?

[ His head whips to look at Zelos as he talks and then back to Kratos. ]

I would support killing if he would stay dead here. Anything else would be torture, and you can't.

[ Ky is pretty sure he can't throw himself between Kratos and Riffael, but he's plenty willing to try to get there fast enough. ]

[strength_of_tomorrow]

[Kratos looks over his shoulder at Ky calmly, holding Riff's wrists with one hand.]

It's practicality.

[Zelos does have a point, though. He'll just have to make sure that anyone trying to heal this man will have to break his hands all over again to heal them correctly. His movements are swift as he drops the calm expression, jerking Riff to the ground with all the strength his crystal bestows on him. With his free hand, he draws his sword and turns it to the hilt, bringing it down on the other man's hands with a sickening crunch.

Unfortunately, he doesn't stop there. Keeping in mind what Zelos said, he drags Riff's hands to the nearby coral and presses them against it, making sure they heal at least part of the way incorrectly. Now it shouldn't be such a simple task for any healer that takes pity on a murderer.]

He's no longer a threat.

[loyaljudas]

[He'd honestly been hoping the redhead was wrong, that what he'd implied wasn't what was going to happen, but then it did. It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to react besides registering the burning, excruciating, pain that shot through his hands and up his wrists as bone shattered and dug into muscle, nerves and veins.

The healing effect of the coral was soothing as things mended together, but he could feel it was incorrect and that left lingering pain and stiffness in his hands.

A hiss escaped through his teeth as he tried to move his fingers and winced.]

[chosen_gigolo]

[There's no flinching from Zelos as Kratos shatters Riff's hands, no flicker of pity in his expression at all. As far as he's concerned not enough has been done. They'll need to figure something else out, something more immutable to make damn well sure that no one ever gets hurt because of this man again.

He'll come up with it later. For now he says nothing, merely stands in silent approval of Kratos' actions and Riff's pain.]

[closedcircuit]

[Ky only watches in silence as Kratos drags Riff to the coral, after the sickening crunch and the equally sickening quiet hiss that seems to reverberate through the silence.]

How... dare you!

[Ky can move now, wrenching at Kratos' shoulder, to get him away from Riff, too little, too late.]

It wasn't your decision to make!

[strength_of_tomorrow]

It was a decision someone had to make. If you feel the need to have me detained as well for it, then so be it.

[He won't allow someone who has the potential to snap at any moment to walk free like that. Not when people he actually cares about could be hurt again. There's no shame or remorse on Kratos's face, only a grim sort of satisfaction.]