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birthright_rpg2013-12-06 01:18 am
st_clare) wrote in birthright_rpg2013-12-06 01:18 am
Firmer Ground
She felt much better in the daylight.
Julianna felt much better altogether, really. She'd done the best she could to cleanse her office of the taint of Elfleda's presence. Her desk had been removed and was being replaced. There had been questions about the damage, but she'd deflected them with a set of careful half-truths. The school had asked her to compensate the institution for the expense of a new desk. The cost was an inconvenience, but a small one.
Nathan's calm demeanor had assisted immensely in restoring her equilibrium. When she left his apartment to retrieve her car, he'd given her a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. She was certain he must have dozens of questions, but he had yet to ask them. If this was going to go on, she'd have to think of something to tell him.
December weather was crisp, even in Nevada, a cold front having come in. It made her smile with fondness, because it reminded her a tiny bit of home. Wisps of clouds dotted the blue sky. She'd left a note with one of Valerie's professors, asking the Slayer to meet her on the patio of a coffee shop near the campus. There was a mug of tea in front of the Watcher, one she'd been sipping from. The stone was in her messenger bag, wrapped in a scrap of cloth. She was glad she'd be rid of the filthy thing.
The sunlight was comforting. Natural light was best to ward of entities like the Corruptress, at least according to the new information she'd obtained. Julianna was still afraid. Only a fool wouldn't have been. But she was no longer scraped down to the bone by terror as she had been. The fear was manageable, and that was the first step towards being proactive.
Julianna felt much better altogether, really. She'd done the best she could to cleanse her office of the taint of Elfleda's presence. Her desk had been removed and was being replaced. There had been questions about the damage, but she'd deflected them with a set of careful half-truths. The school had asked her to compensate the institution for the expense of a new desk. The cost was an inconvenience, but a small one.
Nathan's calm demeanor had assisted immensely in restoring her equilibrium. When she left his apartment to retrieve her car, he'd given her a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. She was certain he must have dozens of questions, but he had yet to ask them. If this was going to go on, she'd have to think of something to tell him.
December weather was crisp, even in Nevada, a cold front having come in. It made her smile with fondness, because it reminded her a tiny bit of home. Wisps of clouds dotted the blue sky. She'd left a note with one of Valerie's professors, asking the Slayer to meet her on the patio of a coffee shop near the campus. There was a mug of tea in front of the Watcher, one she'd been sipping from. The stone was in her messenger bag, wrapped in a scrap of cloth. She was glad she'd be rid of the filthy thing.
The sunlight was comforting. Natural light was best to ward of entities like the Corruptress, at least according to the new information she'd obtained. Julianna was still afraid. Only a fool wouldn't have been. But she was no longer scraped down to the bone by terror as she had been. The fear was manageable, and that was the first step towards being proactive.
no subject
It was very what? 'Enlightening' could be apt, but given the Corruptress' nature the word choice would also have been ironic. Julianna's ringless hands clasped the mug of tea between them and lifted it to her mouth. There was just the right amount of sugar in it. She put the cup back down, steepled her fingers together.
"Firstly, her name isn't Beth, it's Elfleda." Even pronouncing the brunette's name made the Watcher's spine stiffen, but at least she didn't shudder. "My books only gave me scant information, but it was enough to make me wary. I took the stone you gave me and performed a few simple spells on it, to test its properties. It seems as if that was the trigger for what happened next."
She looked Valerie over, noted that the blonde seemed withdrawn, quieter than normal. And the smile hadn't quite been genuine. But it seemed politic to deal with the most pressing matter first.
"She came to me, in my office. Formed a portal from whatever nether realm she resides in and...wafted through it, like a foul breeze." Julianna picked up her tea, took a slow sip. She and Valerie were alone on the
patio. That reduced the likelihood of being overheard.
"She gave me a warning."
no subject
Elfleda.
A small noise escaped Valerie as she lifted her chin, now she knew the name to the cryptic entity. Before she had a chance to really ponder that, the elder said something to snap her out of her thoughts. “Wait, the stone is a trigger? It felt harmless when I carried it around. Are you alright?” Admittedly, that paled in comparison to Julianna’s revelation that Elfleda had not only just waltzed into her life, but had taken the time to warn the woman. That felt instinctively interesting.
“What kind of warning?”
More importantly, why? Elfleda had the ability to come and go as she pleased from different dimensions and yet spoke of only dealing with those that held some sort of potential. Why bother a Watcher? Unless she felt that Julianna was somehow interfering in her plans. No, if that were the case then it meant Valerie was part of them… Inside, the essence twisted as if sensing the topic at hand, a queasy sensation made saliva pool in her mouth. She swallowed it back with a grimace.For now, the cocoa was abandoned on the table.
“It’s because I gave you the stone, isn’t it?” It feel like a form of punishment. Twice in two days she’d found out something bad had happened to people she was trying to form a relationship with. Which, in her eyes, made it her fault. Green eyes sought out Julianna’s and for a tense moment she didn’t say anything, just tried to read the woman’s expression before finally whispering, “What did she say?”
no subject
Julianna was looking at Valerie full in the face when she said it, maintaining eye contact. She didn't even know what it meant not to interfere. Otherworldly entities, especially demonic ones, were notorious for being capricious. There was a reason Greek mythology was filled with stories of the lives of humans being destroyed by gods looking for playthings. Elfleda had given her the barest taste of what she could do, and if it hadn't been for an enormous act of will, she might never have walked out of that bathroom after expelling her lunch into the toilet.
"The stone seems to be a kind of...homing device," the Watcher said. "A calling card, as it were, with a signal attached to it. It may have been the spell I used that led her to me." She darted a quick look at the Slayer, then lifted her hand. "I'm fine. Physically, anyway. She never laid a finger on me. And I was foolish to tamper with the stone by myself. I'm not particularly skilled with magic, I only know the basics. Given what occurred, I'm fortunate I didn't harm myself."
That was a difficult admission to make, but she could say it because it was true. Intellectual curiosity was all well and good, but not when it stood a chance of getting one killed. Or worse.
"She was human once, an innocent girl given in some dark ritual. Whether it was for power or wealth, I've no idea. She serves as an emissary for a being she calls her 'betrothed'. Leviathan."
no subject
Clearly she was being sarcastic, though not maliciously. The fact that Elfleda had somewhat ambiguously staked some sort of claim to… What exactly? Her future? Her potential? Her life? Unfortunately it was hard to tell, given the details of her life Elfleda seemed to know. The motivation behind it unclear and the blonde found that unequivocally unsettling. It was all very well lurching around in the dark, but what if you found something lurching right back? With a deep breath in she exhaled slowly and shook her head.
“Well how she came to be is depressingly tragic and yet not really surprising. It never fails to amaze me that it’s usually always women that are sacrificed.”
She fell silent then. Thumbs stroking the lip of the mug thoughtfully as she gazed at the heap of cream like it were a crystal ball filled with answers. “I don’t know what she wants.” Valerie’s voice was quiet, not resigned, just vacant of emotion. “She sought me out and I haven’t seen her since that time in the park. If she’s warning you not to interfere I can only assume it’s because she’s somehow invested in, well, me.” That evoked a cringe as she glanced at Julianna.
“I have no idea why. I mean she can travel to other worlds.” As if that somehow explained Valerie’s insignificance, despite the fact that the blonde wasn’t insignificant in this world. She had a destiny, a purpose, and she tried her best to fulfill it every day. “Seems pointless. I wouldn’t waste time with me when if I could float through worlds.”
no subject
Julianna said it gently enough, but there was a thread of intensity beneath the gentleness. She knew the party line; Slayers were assets, warriors to be trained, and sometimes to be lost. The way Allison had been lost. The Watcher could feel her expression trying to close up, to help her shut out the memory. She forced herself to remain accessible.
"I considered disposing of the stone," she admitted. "Or trying to destroy it. But given its properties, I don't know if it can be destroyed. Regardless, attempting to do so would mean I broke my word. If this is to work, we must establish trust between us, and if I take the decision out of your hands you'll have no reason to trust me. So."
Julianna grasped the strap of her messenger bag where it was slung over the back of the empty chair at the table, pulled it towards her. A bit of rummaging followed, and she discovered the cloth-wrapped stone at the bottom of the satchel. She plucked it out, set it on the scratched surface of the Formica tabletop. It was the size of a carved scarab from Egypt.
"I'm going to return this to you because I said I would, but I must advise you to dispose of it yourself. I don't care how. Drop it into Lake Mojave. Bury it out in the desert. But get rid of it. Elfleda is very dangerous."
no subject
The confession had the blonde watching the elder curiously. Julianna could have easily said nothing and just handed it over with the words of caution but she hadn’t. She chose to share that part, she chose to expose her inner workings and worries and while it touched Valerie it left her feeling heavy with guilt. The blonde had been honest but had made a point to not discuss Certain Things that could quite seriously cause some sort of Council wrath. Teeth worried the inside of her lip as the stone got placed on the table between them. She didn’t reach for it, just took a moment to reflect on it, bundled up.
“She found me without it, she’ll find me with it.”
Valerie’s features twisted between a small smile and a grimace as she looked at the elder.
“I’m kinda damned if I do, damned if I don’t.” She shook her head, a slight lift of shoulders. “I’ve had a few strange dreams, I can’t actually remember them though I’ve tried, but when I wake I feel…” Valerie lifted her hands and let out a huff of breath. “Restless. I can actually feel the essence inside me. I have since I met her, and I don’t…” She struggled, forced herself to maintain eye contact. “I have no idea what it means. I mean I don’t feel different, I’m just acutely aware that it’s there.” She cleared her throat. “Merged with me.” She added in a whisper, like it was some sort of dirty secret.
When did life get so complicated? No, wait, when did life get more complicated? University had been a dream, this was meant to be the time of her life, not a risk to it. Since coming to UNLV she’d come to the conclusion that the area itself seemed more dangerous than anywhere else she’d been. Nevada was like a magnet to supernatural activity. It was like an open door frat party only the human’s were the snacks.
“Listen, Julianna there’s something I…” Valerie’s gaze dropped to the mug of cocoa as she worried her lip between her teeth. “Okay, there’s this… It’s just...” A huff of breath to accompany a shift in chair. “I can talk to you, right? This isn’t like you’re a teacher and you’ll go report me to the Council for bad behaviour or anything, I mean there’s not like a rulebook.” One foot began to bounce beneath the table. “Is there?”
no subject
Julianna's mug of tea was still three-quarters full. When she looked at the surface of the liquid, she could see a hazy reflection of the sky. Seconds ticked by on her gold wristwatch. The corners of her mouth turned up into a rueful smile.
"There isn't a 'rulebook', per se," she told Valerie. "There is a list of very strong suggestions that govern the relationship between Watchers and Slayers, and most of those are directed at Watchers. Acceptance of those suggestions has helped to build the Council's tradition of grooming girls into warriors. As for me..."
She paused. She didn't want the blonde getting the wrong impression, that she was some kind of rogue who'd strayed from the beaten path because she'd been unnaturally attached to the girl she'd trained. If she'd been a different person, she could have taken a much darker route to escape the pain. But she genuinely believed in the Council's work, and even now that included most of their ideals. So where did that leave her?
It left her conflicted, is where it left her.
"I did think you seemed troubled when you sat down," she finally said. It was best to be frank. She wanted so badly to return to the place she'd been seven years ago, to be good at this again. That meant establishing trust and honesty.
The Watcher sipped more tea. "If there's something concerning you besides the dreams, you can speak to me about it. Anything you say will remain in the strictest confidence."