alwayskayaking | Duplicity Inbox

𝕯𝖆𝖒𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚! Damn 𝖞𝖔𝖚 and 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖞 and 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚! 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖘𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖙 𝖆𝖑𝖑! When I heard you had been hurt I wept! When I found it had been one I cared for, 𝕴 𝖌𝖔𝖙 𝖔𝖓 𝖒𝖞 𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖘 and begged him never to touch you again! When I could have let you suffer, I tried to talk to you and make peace with you!

[ Her voice only grows louder, the sound off, in so many ways. Because she speaks, clear, sharp words, the second sound falls each inflexion, of weeping. Of a woman weeping and weeping and weeping. A wail of misery as all her control that she has clung too for months starts to slip well and truly. ]

𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖔𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖑𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖒𝖞 𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖞𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖒𝖞 𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉! When the thing that had your face forced itself on me, I told no one! No one but 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉 because I did not want further enmity between us! Even when Jack pressed me and I wept in his arms with its bite on my skin! 𝕴 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖚𝖘! No matter how I wanted to scream and cry at the sight of you! I have kept my peace! I have kept it for weeks and weeks 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐𝖘, no matter how I felt! I have been debased as a woman on every level, by everyone I meet, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖞𝖊𝖙 𝕴 𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖐𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖒𝖞 𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖊.

𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖊 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖍𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕵𝖆𝖈𝖔𝖇 𝕱𝖗𝖞𝖊, 𝖔𝖗 𝖓𝖔𝖙, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖆𝖓𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖗!

Would you even believe what I tell you?! Why don't you go ask him? [Even if he was hurting Jacob, why would he admit it? If she truly thought of him as an abuser why would she think she could trust his response over Jacob's? No, Tim didn't think she actually wanted that answer. Tim is certain she is just here to threaten him.] For the record I suggested that we should stop out of respect for you. I can now see why he was so scared about telling you anything! [Because you're acting just like a monster over it. He bites his tongue before he can say what's on his mind.]

If you don't leave now I'm calling the cops. [His finger is hovering over the call button.]

[Generally speaking, if Charlotte is at the apartment, the door is closed to her room and her headphones are in. And loud. She knows how not overly wanted she is at Tim's, and he's usually doing whatever with whoever, and it's just easier to stay out of sight. But when banging on the front door and screaming from both sides of said door make it through the screaming of Zeppelin as loud as she can stand it?

Problem. Big fucking problem.

She's grumbling as she pulls the small speakers from her ears.]

I hate everything...

[Charlotte flings the door to her room open, noting the little bit of the back and forth between Tim and Gilia she's missed most of, but Tim has the phone. Gilia is threatening Tim's... Jacob?

And what the fuck happened to Gilia other than what happened on Halloween with Tim?

Focus, Charlotte. She keeps a few feet between herself and Tim before she gives a sharp, ear-piercing whistle between her fingers.]

HEY! What in the actual fuck is going on?

[Tim stands with phone in one hand and a gun in the other. Doing his best not to look scared and likely failing a little bit.] Gilia seems to think I'm harming a man we both know named Jacob and won't leave. Instead she's threatening to break down the door.

Tell her I haven't been hurting anyone. She might believe you.

Guards?! You would call guards upon me!?

[ She is aware she is sounding more and more unhinged, that her anger is bleeding out of her and that is dangerous and does nothing but prove his point.

The creep of seawater that is dripping from her fingers, however, feels only like comfort. The wrap around her in the only comfort. ]

What humiliation do you think you can give to me that I have not already had?! Go on! Do you worst, I shall surely do mine!

[A gun. That gun that Jon had told her about, but she couldn't figure out how to actually approach that subject without Tim likely feeling threatened.

She sighs heavily, closing the space between herself and Tim. If he looks at her, she'll attempt to catch his eye and hold the gaze before grabbing the arm holding the gun, lowering it to point at the floor.

Her voice is quiet; calm, but firm.] Put it away. We're not doing this tonight.

Gilia? [Charlotte speaks louder for the woman to hear.] Listen to me. Please.

[The redhead sighs, hoping so much that this doesn't turn into even more of an unmitigated disaster. Because she doesn't need anybody bleeding or dead or dealing with the law tonight.]

I know Tim and Jacob have spent time together. And I don't think Tim is looking to do anything but spend time with Jacob. And it's really okay.

I promise. Let Jacob tell you the same.

[He only ever glances at her. His gaze firmly fixed on the door and what he knows to be on the other side.

He yanks his hand away from Charlotte when she touches him. Too nervous and high strung to want to be touched, but he will at least lower the gun.] We are if she breaks that door down. [He grumbles out angrily under his breath. Intending only Charlotte to hear that.]

Go home! [Tim says loudly for Gilia to hear. Her last chance before he calls the cops.]

[ There is silence, one long, long moment of silence. Maybe, almost, she might have relented.

But it is long, long past that. Rightly, or more correctly: wrongly, her pain is too much and her anger with it just wanting to land on something, anything at all.

Then the sound of water rushes. Trickling, like there is an ocean on the other side of the door and it will not be kept out. ]

𝕮𝖔𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖉! Coward that she gives me truths where 𝖞𝖔𝖚 will only spit pathetic deflections so you may save your pathetic ego! Yet you accuse me of not holding my 𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖊! Do you want to know what it looks like when I truly no longer wish to do so?! I am 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝕾𝖙. 𝕷𝖔𝖊. I am 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖊𝖆-𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 and you are a l̵̰̫̰̤̭͒̅͑̐̋̏̓į̵̳͔̥̞͇͕̙̲͙̊̊͛͌̿̾͘͘͝͝t̶̹̬̜͓̭́̅͆̽̒͌̚͜͜ͅṫ̵̢̪̩͎͂̉̌͗͆͛̌̏̏l̵͙̘̤̳͓̼͋͐̈́̔͝ė̶̛͈̓̂̄͑̄͗͝ ̶̻̥͍͖̍̆́m̸̨̲̟͎̩̩̤͗̊͗̍̐̃̉͝á̶̱̈́͌̃n̶̢̟̐ filled with fear of what he barely comprehends and 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖐𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖒𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖙 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖕𝖘!

[ The door shatters. She does not barge through it, she does not follow in. Simply that it cannot stand the pressure she forces against it, and the decompression between where he stands and here she stands explodes it. She stands there, pulled up to her full height and her hair a mantle that floats above her head, her eyes, and the black, black eyes of the Sea-Father above them so that two sets open, stare. The water that bids her clothes to float and twist around her. ]

[Charlotte's not stupid enough to let Tim have a whole lot more time with that stupid gun. She's bending back his arm and wrist, not quite hard enough to break, but enough to be painful and hopefully get him to let go. Thanks to the very supernatural part of her? She's stronger than him without having to put forth a whole lot of effort.] Don't be fucking stupid. Drop the fucking thing, Tim! [It's vaguely reminiscent of when she had to tell werewolf!Tim to drop Jon. The problem is the door is suddenly no more, and that makes Charlotte loosen her grip.

She's quick to move between Tim and what's left of the door/Gilia, though it takes her a few seconds to register what's happening. Charlotte has seen a lot of bizarre things over the course of her life. This is a moment that's both terrifying and equally fascinating.

Get it together, vixen. You don't have a lot of time to stare.]

Gilia... [Charlotte takes a deep breath. Be cool, Honeybunny.] Please. You're my friend, right? I have never lied to you, and I'm not about to start. Jacob went after Tim to defend your honor, yes. They've made peace--as far as I know. I know you're trying to protect Jacob, too, but-- this isn't right. What Tim's doing now, what you're doing now. This isn't going to get anyone anywhere but hurt or killed. It doesn't solve anything. What would Jacob say?

[She's pretty sure her voice wasn't shaking too much. That is to say, it kind of was. Charlotte's attempt at peacemaking is kind of dependent on Tim, and good Gaia...

She has zero faith in him to keep his mouth shut right now, and wonders what part of her's left that hasn't bled for Tim fucking Stoker that's probably going to start now.]

Ow! [Tim hisses with pain and discomfort as he's forced to drop his gun. Glaring at Charlotte for disarming with him with a threat to his life just behind the door.

The cops are dialed just as the door crashes in. Now feeling completely defenceless he's even more afraid.] Charlotte... [He nervously tries to plead.] The fire escape. Go. [He reaching for his dropped gun with the phone still on with emergency services. He raises his voice so that hopefully they can hear and understand that he can't freely talk right now.] Gilia. Leave. You have no right to break into my home on LEVEL SEVEN of the DOMINANT HOUSING. I'm not hurting anyone so you need to go. [Not his most subtle, but he's hoping that is enough that they'll send a guard or a hundred here.]

[Her eyes turn to Charlotte before her head turns. The dark black depths, that move without seeing and look without acknowledging. Her rage palpable. Her absolute sensatio of pressure. The pressure that blasted the door from its hinges. It fills the room as sea water begins to run and pool at her feet. ]

That's what I thought. That's what I thought. I thought if I swallowed it, if I swallowed it all, nothing would be left!

Then I woke up, with a thing that had his face, saying that it was punishing me because of sending others of 'my kind' after him. Then I had him force himself on me with his face and his voice and his touch and still I swallowed it! I look at him every day and must say nothing because I wanted no harm to come to him! I did not even tell my Dominant what this face had done to me because I was doing everything I could to stop this between us.

[ Her mouth twists to something near hysterical in rage, trying so hard to keep her form singular. ]

And now when I want one single answer that my friend, a man whom I love, is being treated well! Is safe and protected! And I hear the petulant scream of a coward that would rather accuse me than ever answer a simple question. I will not have it! I will not leave someone dear to me at the hands of one who has no honour!

Edited 2021-02-09 04:34 (UTC)

[Gilia's form and anger are absolutely terrifying, and Charlotte feels her own gut churn at the thought of the description she's providing. She has no idea of what she speaks of, a thing with Tim's face, and all she can think of is that Festival somehow managed to go utterly mad. She hopes this is not the case, hopes there's a better explanation than what Charlotte is hearing now and what she hasn't been told.

Communication in this town? Forget it. Trauma? Good Gaia, everybody in this place has some semblance of it, and all of them need therapy. And then some.

Charlotte shakes her head at Tim's pleas, choosing to stand her ground between him and Gilia. Gilia who might actually be able to tear through Charlotte to get to Tim.]

Do you not trust Jacob with his own thoughts and feelings about how he would handle Tim if he's wronged? I don't know if he would want you to do this, Gilia. What Tim did to you before wasn't right, no matter how terrified he is of pretty much everything--including me. You have every right to feel the way you do. Your feelings matter and are so valid. But I'm asking you to please trust me. Trust Jacob. Tim's suffered plenty because of his own fear and anger, and he's trying. I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, and that's okay. But I don't think this is going to help. I wish I had known--I wish I could have helped you. I wish so much you could have talked to someone. It's so hard to reach out when you need it most.

[Charlotte runs a hand through her hair, feeling like she's just standing there being a blathering dumbass.] I don't really want to drown, Gilia. Dying really sucks. A lot. I don't want to do that again. I don't want anybody to die for words or lack thereof.

Edited (sleep is winning. Words are dumb today.) 2021-02-10 03:45 (UTC)

[Tim listens to Charlotte's words and quietly tries to move towards her side. Not to run and leave her, but to come out from behind her. She was right; he was still afraid of her, but he was also tired of her constantly getting hurt because of him.]

I'm sorry. [He says continuing try to get out from behind Charlotte and away from her as well.] I didn't know about my clone until it was much too late. No one should have had to suffer what it was doing. [It's an honest and genuine apology.] But that wasn't me. I'm not my clone. My clone was a monster. Probably the worst I've ever come across, but it's dead now. You can ask Jon. We killed it.

You need to go home, Gilia. You don't need to hurt anyone, but if you're going to then I hope you remember that it was my face and not Charlotte's that hurt you. [He hopes he can survive whatever Gilia is long enough for the cops to show up.]

[ She freezes. Not to say she just stops moving.

But like, in a second, she realises what she is doing. What has overcome her. One look at the terror on both their faces and her whole being stops. An ocean that snapped frozen and inside of her chest. Her mouth opens and language dies and the creatures in pain that live inside of her want to scream. But all motion ceases. To nothing, nothing, nothing as her eyes go wide.

Looking at them both. Her hands at her seize into claws at her side.

Then her hands cup her face and she begins to wail. Sobbing so violently the water spreads out. Creating a puddle as the black eyes that have opened on her eyes keep staring, unchanging, from her face. But she only cries harder, and harder, a sound that is not human. It is a whale song, groaning and vibrating deep inside of the chest before it is heard. It is the whistle of wind between rocks. That somewhere between all of it, is her words. The same, repeated words: ]

What have I done? What have I done? Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me-

[ Then she takes a step back -

She disappears. Straight into the pool of her own shadow, that swallows her down cannot be followed after. ]

[Charlotte's reaching over for Tim, moving to step in front of him because of the two of them? The vixen is probably the one who's better able to withstand what might come at them, and give Tim a chance to get the hell away. She's trying to back up and keep him behind her when Gilia practically folds in on herself, emitting sounds of anguish that Charlotte has never heard before in her life and apologizing profusely in the midst of it all. The vixen keeps her focus on what's happening before her, ready to grab Tim --

--and with a last plead of forgiveness, Gilia's gone.

Charlotte opens and closes her mouth a few times, trying to either catch her breath or find something to say that's sensible as she looks over at Tim.]

Holy fuck.

[Tim is trembling in terror and doing his best to pretend like he wasn't. The thought racing through his mind is that he didn't want to stand frozen again like before. When he had stood motionless and watched his brother killed in front of him.

Yet what can he do against a force like this? Even as Gilia wails she's still so terrifying to him. He grabs at Charlotte's shoulder and upper arm. Tugging at her and trying to pull her a bit further into the apartment. Get away! His natural flight instinct was screaming at him. Get away! Get away! GET AWAY!

Then suddenly she vanishes and he jumps as if to avoid an attack, but there is no attack to dodge.] Is it gone? [He had been trying to call those he say as monsters by their chosen pronouns lately, but in his fear he defaults back to an 'it' when talking about Gilia.] Maybe we should go out the fire escape just in case.

She's gone, Tim. [Charlotte swallows the lump in her throat that had built up out of that very real fear. She was the last person to know what the hell to do in this situation, but she was also, unfortunately, better situated than Tim had been.

She looks around at the mess of the place and into the hall, listening for the authorities to show up.]

I don't know where she went, but it's not here. And--[Dear Gaia, she wants so much to tell him to get rid of that stupid gun before he actually kills somebody, but Charlotte leaves it. It's not the time. Never is probably the time, and she'll talk to Jon later.

She sighs, rubbing her forehead. Tim's practically vibrating out of his skin.] The guards are on their way. Let's get you a drink and get them a statement.

How can you be so sure? [His eyes never leave the puddle she left behind.] She could be hiding in the water.

[Speaking of the gun, Tim pick it up off the floor and puts the safety back on it while they wait.] I should have called them sooner, I was really hoping she would have just left without breaking the door.

[She looks at Tim in much the same way Jim looks at the camera in 'The Office'.]

I'm ... kind of built to get an idea of this stuff? Senses... that whole thing? We can mop up the floor.

[Charlotte frowns at the gun and moves on.] I tried. I really, really tried. That was all I knew.

M-Maybe let's wait for the police to arrive. Just in case? [He still doesn't trust that puddle.]

And I know you did. [A beat as he swallows and takes a nervous breath.] Thanks. You know, for being there.

Sure. Of course. [Not like it was the first time, but Gilia's form and mindset had honestly scared the bejesus out of Charlotte. Granted, it's not the first time she'd faced off with something she'd never seen before, but there was a very different something about this time. A level of unknown she's not run into before.]

If it's worth anything? [She looks up from the puddle to Tim.] I was scared shitless, too.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. [Because of him.] I'm glad it mostly worked out.

[She brushes away some of her hair from her cheek before turning back to whatever the remnants were of the front door.]

Yeah. Something like that.

I'll get the mop. [Tim will do his share in working to clean up the mess that was left behind. That is until he hears the ding of the elevator and hands whatever cleaning item he was holding quickly over to Charlotte with a muttered apology. He still needed to act like a dominant when the city was watching.

The guards have several questions that Tim will answer honestly while also trying to insist that he thinks the danger has passed so they were no longer needed. No, he doesn't want to press charges anymore or have her arrested tonight, but they still request he show up tomorrow morning to make another statment about the events tonight. Also to call back should his neighbour threaten him again.

After that it's just arranging with the housing people to get a new door. A couple submissives are sent up and get to work right away on the replacement.]

[A little later on once shit's mostly calmed down, Charlotte will take a good hard look at that untouched bottle of bourbon. It's something she really hadn't wanted any part of, but tonight was a night of 'what the actual fuck?'. She'll call out in the apartment.]

Feel like getting drunk?

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