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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 8:53:09 GMT
Alright... it was now or never! Fanny had finally managed to seperate herself from her friends a little to carry out a plan she rather had kept a secret. They would all tell her she was mad for even considering it, and she could live without that hassle. What she set her mind to, she would follow through with! Yes, it was risky, and yes she would need a darn good explanation should it fail, but she would cross that bridge when she got to it!
Two test tries amongst friends had already shown that it was best not to talk to more than one person at once, because apparently the appearance the spell chose was not steady. Two people would see someone entirely different in you, and that of course would betray the whole thing as a scam. Someone as considerate as Baylee would probably tell her to stay clear of any more test runs before she hadn't figured out these flaws... but the moment was too good an opportunity to pass it up!
Her eyes were scanning the clearing for someone standing a bit apart... but there were not many. Only the snatchers patrolling. Her guts squirmed in anxiety, knowing that the government didn't choose them at random. They were ruthless... but at least many of them were rumoured not to be too smart either.And they didn't know her like the teachers would... but they might still have some valuable information. Stop stalling! she told herself resolutely and walked in the rough direction where she just had seen a figure patrolling, whispering „Amicus Inimici“ as she pointed her wand at her face.
Then she quickened her pace and called out in a hushed tone „Hey, wait up!“ Belatedly, she realized she didn't even have the name of this guy, but then she had worked through enough embarrassing moments somehow circumventing the name of a person, because she couldn't remember it for the life of her. People constantly seemed to know her better than she knew them –
No, concentrate!, she chided herself inwardly. Concentration is the key... you're one of his friends... hopefully a snatcher friend, but you'll have to find that out by his reaction. Keep calm and concentrate!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 9:51:43 GMT
That voice.
Thorfinn had, at first, not been certain it was addressing him. He'd registered the voice as not belonging to his current line of acquaintances and who else would be calling out to him as casually and as fearlessly? So, initially, he had not even stopped and turned to check it out. But the footsteps behind him did not disappear and something about that particular tone did tug at the distant corners of his memory---
That voice.
Merlin. Spinning about suddenly, Thorfinn blanched rather obviously when faced with his wife... of sorts. His wife that had been dead for ten years.
It made no sense. He was sober. He was coherent. He had not even been thinking of her that much lately; yeah, she might have passed his mind while he was looking for Piper among the Hogwarts students present here. If he'd had to estimate what exactly his hallucinations, once he finally lost it, would have consisted of, he would have guessed Greyback chasing after him or the torture of random children. Not her. Not Gaby.
He blinked, but she did not disappear. Instead, she was approaching with a smile on her face and Thorfinn supposed he had finally lost it, indeed. Maybe he was dead. Or dying. Maybe someone had ambushed him and put an end to his miserable life and he was seeing dead people on his way to hell. Blinking harder and digging his nails rather painfully into his palms, he pushed such thoughts away. Hell. You're already in hell, Thorfinn. And you're alive.
But why is she here? How is she here?
It occurred to him he had not ever asked to see her body. Or he had seen it, but did not really remember. Maybe it had all been an elaborate ploy to get away from him. Maybe she had been in contact with Piper the whole time. Maybe he had not robbed his daughter of a mother who would have, despite any faults, been a much better parent to her than he could.
Actually, through all the shock, he did feel a glimmer of something similar to hope; despite how cold their entire relationship had been towards the end.
But I have to make sure it's real. I have to make sure she's real.
In a couple of quick strides, he crossed the distance between them and grabbed her hand rather roughly-too roughly, as he never had while she'd been---well, before. But he had to make sure she was real.
He'd wanted to say something eloquent, witty, the way he usually did. But all he managed was a rather weak; "Gaby?" It came out as more of a hoarse whisper than anything else. Well, that was hardly his fault. She was dead, for Merlin's sake.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:23:59 GMT
Oh dear... she hadn't expected that kind of a stark reaction! The way the snatcher blanched made clear he hadn't expected to see her disguise at all either. But why?! Who the hell was she representing?! Was it a good surprise for him or not? All these thoughts buzzing through her head made it difficult to keep a grip on the spell, but she managed it by a hair's breadth. Why was this so difficult? What was she supposed to do now? Her alias would know him, of course... and they might know also why he was so surprised to see them. But how to get it out of him? SHE was the one wanting information, she wasn't in the least ready to give them! That way she'd be found out immediately. Think... think and concentrate!
„You... I know you didn't expect to see me here“, she hazarded a good guess with a sheepish voice she didn't need to fake. It took all her self-control not to just turn around and run. When would she finally learn to calculate risks right?! It might be something about always having been Haley's tag-along. She didn't know the responisibilities of her own actions until recently, and therefore was still unsure what was too much of a risk and what was not. But there was no time to worry about it now... she needed to focus on making him believe she was whoever he thought she was...
And then suddenly he grabbed her hand! It was such a shock, Fanny could feel the spell slipping for the fraction of a second, but she grit her teeth and put it back in place. Had he realized something?! Her guts had turned to lead by now. What had she been thinking?! Of course this could not have been something easy. She had to have stumbled on the one Snatcher who would not see his drinking buddy, but someone completely else. Someone that troubled him.
She had a name now, at least. But the way he spoke it made her guts drop further. There was emotion in this voice, pent up emotion she would have never expected in a Snatcher. The worst of it all, however, was the hope she detected there. The sound of hope against all hope. Fanny realized with a jolt that she was doing something bad here in fooling this one. He might be a Snatcher and Snatchers were evil sadistic scum... but with that one word only he had shown more feeling than she had thought them capable of having.
„I've been gone for... quite a while“, she began again, trying to pull herself together. „You might need to fill me in...“
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 13:24:27 GMT
It really was her. Somehow, although it was impossible, although he never would have believed it if he was not seeing it, it was her. The way she stumbled over her words, like she always had when in a difficult situation, the color of her eyes he'd nearly forgotten and she even smelled of Gaby's perfume. Really. He didn't let go of her hand, still - he couldn't. She might disappear again and he might realize he's just fit for St. Mungo's Ward for the mentally ill. If it was even called that nowadays. The same place where Gaby had been going for therapy because she couldn't bear living with me. Huh. That would have been poetic justice, of sorts.
He did not fully grasp her words right away. When he did, he deduced that she had not been in contact with their daughter. Obviously --- obviously, she had run off to somewhere far, far away from anything that could have reminded her of him. So I have robbed Piper of her mother, even if she's not dead and buried. Of course. He couldn't expect to get away of any guilt as easily. Even if they had been in contact, he would have been the one responsible for lots of hurt and pain in their lives.
So. Gaby. Standing in front of him. A person he had wanted to--well, a person he had considered wanting to let in. In the end, he had not, since they'd grown rather far apart as she disapproved of nearly every habit he had and was rather blunt about it. And he was too much of an idiot to listen, ever. He guessed he had not really loved her. But he could have. If things had been different.
There were many things he had considered saying to her. Things he thought he should have said before she died. Killed herself, not died. Often, he had thought he would have jumped at the chance to amend the fact he had left so much unsaid. Now, though...he guessed he was still overly shell-shocked. So, he spoke rather automatically, asking a simpler question; "Where were you?"
You drove her to despair. You made her disappear for ten years. If you're too much of an idiot to offer an apology, the least you can do is fill her in if she asks.
Yeah. Right. Fill her in. Right.
"Piper's...somewhere around, I guess." He managed, still far from his cocky and confident self, but at least he'd found his voice, "She's in Slytherin. Sixth year, now. She--we--we don't talk much. Guess she blames me for, y'know, everything." He couldn't tell her much about Piper because he did not know much about her, a fact that struck him rather hard now since he was the parent that had not been considered dead for the past ten years, "After you...well, I sent her off to Aunt Dana. She was glad to take her in - guess she wanted a daughter."
He was certain he saw that accusing glint in her eyes, one that used to drive him mad when they had been together and one that had been present every time he had done something she considered wrong. Anger rose within him and he ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously gripping her wrist even tighter, "Don't you bloody look at me like that!" Politeness be damned. Gaby had known that he had not had a pleasant time at Aunt Dana's and he was certain she wondered why he'd sent their only child there, "I made sure she was fine. And you should keep your damned mouth shut, considering the fact you've faked your own damned suicide, have been playing dead for the past ten years and haven't been much help to anyone."
Maybe it was not Gaby. It was too surreal. Maybe he was arguing with himself and someone was bound to notice and snap him out of it. And send me to an asylum. Huh. I'd better keep my voice down, just in case.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 0:06:35 GMT
Fanny's head was reeling and every sinew in her body was taut as a bowstring. She never would have imagined this to be so difficult, keeping up her concentration while her mind nearly fell over itself to take in all the information this Snatcher was throwing at her like large slabs of meat at a dog. And she was definitely too small a dog to swallow them in whole! But the time to munch them into comfortable pieces, so to say, she didn't have it! She needed to think on the spot and that with all this unfinished business her pretended self and her target had. Glorious...! Why can't anything just go according to plan for once?! And I can't even bow out now... he's still got my hand in that grasp of his!
As much as it would be dangerous and definitely blowing her cover, now Fanny almost wished for someone to come along and drag her off. For the thousandst of times she asked herself what in Merlin's name she had been thinking! Running head first into a tight spot, it just HAD to go wrong...! And to break the illusion now, it would just make the Snatcher angry beyond belief and she'd be standing here with nothing at all gained.
And then... the dreaded question. Where were you? – Well, how the heck should I know!! It was almost on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back with a huge effort. This was not the time and place to be snarky. "Places" she said reluctantly. „I never quite settled down anywhere.“ Well, he couldn't prove her wrong, if he had no idea, right?!
Now he was throwing a whole sermon at her and with every word, Fanny started to panic more. Piper... sixth year Slytherin... sent her off to Aunt Dana - „Wait, what?!“ it was out before she could stop herself. Oh sweet Merlin's beard... I have a daughter. I am a mother... well, not I, but SHE is... Oh God, this is way more than unfinished business! How am I gonna get out of that one?!
If she thought the worst was over, however, she had been mistaken. The next bomb dropped on her so unexpectedly her eyes became slim slits of utter disbelief and confusion. How can she be dead?! This spell is supposed to show you as a friend and ally... does this guy really not have any LIVING friends in this world?!
„Let go, you're hurting me!“ she snarled, tugging at the hand she was holding. This was too much, simply too much. Was she even still holding that spell in check? She had wanted to be filled in about Death Eater business, not about this horrible story of a failed marriage! From what she gleened so far, there was a lot of anger on both sides involved. „Well you had your wonderful lot of friends“, she hurled at him, feeling like an actor in a soap opera as she gestured around the clearing. „The heck I knew what you were up to all the time and you didn't care! I still don't know it, as a matter of fact.“
Well, that wasn't even so much of a lie. Fanny had absolutely no idea how thin the ice she was treading on was by now. She might break through any second.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 9:01:33 GMT
Wonderful. After ten years of regretting what an insufferable fool he had been to this woman, sometimes wishing she was there so he could have at least, y'know, said some nicer things, if not doing them---Well, there she was, in front of him again - he still had trouble wrapping his mind about that fact - and he was acting the same way he had acted before. The same way that had driven her to do what she had done. Damn it. Not only that, but he was acting worse. I'm actually hurting her now. Physically..
His look fell upon the hand that was bound to have left bruises on her wrist, "Ah, shit." He let go of her as if burned, letting out a long sigh. For a moment, she somehow...wavered in front of his eyes and he was afraid that she was about to disappear and that he was out of his mind. But it must have been the entire situation. Damn, his job must have actually rubbed off on his behavior. Maybe Gaby was lucky she had not stayed at his side. Maybe he would have been an abusive husband, rather than just a horrible one, if she had.
"I'm sorry." He was whispering again and he didn't like it. And her accusations were all true. He wondered what would have been if he had listened to her. Or if he had just taken her somewhere far, far away from all this madness. Maybe they'd still be together, a happy family. Maybe they'd have had more kids. Maybe Piper would have been a happier girl; "I'm sorry for everything." There, he was finally saying it, " You were just..." How to put this? He had not really come to terms with all of it, on his own and now he was trying to actually say it. To her; "Well, every time I told you to sod off, you'd actually listen. And brood on your own. " Whoa. That sounded like he was trying to make it out as her fault. Again; "It wasn't your fault." He hurried too much to say it, "You probably just didn't want me to wreck the entire place in an outburst." He forced a grin, "Maybe if you'd just used a bloody hex or two on me instead of turning so damn cold, things would've been different."
There he was, angry at her again. And he hadn't said anything redeeming or overly glorious to her. But he would not have known how to say it even if she hadn't been dead for the past ten years. Damn it. All of it sounds too wrong and creepy. It was what it was, he guessed.
"You could have at least let Piper know." Yeah, he was going to accuse her of being the bad parent. Go figure, "She wouldn't have breathed a word of it to me and neither would have Aunt Dana. I'm guessing you didn't think of that when you ran off on your little vacation, did you?" Maybe there was a reason he and Gaby should not have ever lived together. She just knew how to piss him off real well. Really, Thorfinn? Seriously? Probably has more to do with the fact that I'm probably too much of a bastard to live with anyone. "Forget all that. Maybe you should've done us all a favor and just killed me in my sleep."
He hadn't expected to actually say that, but he had. Huh. Maybe his words were wiser than he knew. For the first time during their conversation, he actually looked away fully - she still has time to disappear and turn me into an utter lunatic.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 17:36:49 GMT
Getting out of hand wasn't even a vaguely close description of how wrong this was going! It got harder and harder to keep a hold on that spell and keep the disguise in place with all the things the Snatcher was throwing at her. And he hurt her, with those iron claw his hand had become. Thinking on the pain made her concentration waver yet again and she grit her teeth so hard she thought they would splitter. Focus, Fanny, focus! She should have ran off minutes ago, but the scene that would cause had kept her from it. If he came running after her, what he likely might do in the state he was in, it would become evident to others that something was off, they would see her as all kinds of different people and the chaos would be perfect. There was absolutely no way to get out of this unscathed after that! There were enough Death Eaters around here who would curse first and ask questions later. They were certainly a trigger-happy bunch!
„So you wanted me to turn as brutal as you are, just so we two worked out?“ she retorted, even though she had absolutely no idea how to get out of this conversation. Maybe that was why she was still going on with it... she simply was out of any better ideas, even though it was more than ludicrous to fight a battle in the name of a woman she didn't even know. „You knew that hexing was never my way...“, that at least seemed safe to say, if that so-called Gaby had never used it on him. Fanny herself, however, was almost tempted to whack this Snatcher's head over with a well-placed jinx, since he really got on her nerves. One moment all regretful, the next passive-aggressive. No wonder Gaby had left him! She'd go batshit with this kind of man!
A moment later though, she wished she would have really knocked him out by magic, using the element of surprise, for then something he had said caught up with her and really sank in. Piper... Slytherin 6th year... Were they talking of Piper Rowle?!?! That very same girl who had become the target of sneering and fear alike, because her father was... Thorfinn Rowle... the meanest and most brutal snatcher the Wizarding World had ever seen. What he did to that one girl...Oh. GOD!
That was it for Fanny's composure and control. The realization who she had been choosing for her reckless little stunt, whom she had ultimately angered beyond belief for posing as his ex-wife – whom she now recalled was rumoured to have killed herself because she couldn't bear what her husband had become – all that came rushing down on her like a wagonload of ice and fire at the same time.
The spell all but evaporated in her mind and she hastily turned in a futile attempt to hide her real face. „I'm sorry, this was a mistake, I shouldn't have--“ she stuttered and forced her legs to break out into a run.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 20:28:44 GMT
It was not Gaby.
Of course, that thought didn't just sink into his mind that easily. That, after somewhat getting over the initial shock, after actually hoping that she had not died and that he might have, potentially, one day disposed of that damned guilt that he had been feeling for ten bloody years because he had caused her to go ahead and slice her wrists open--after bloody well apologizing to her and after actually discussing their relationship with her and believing that Piper had not lost her mother, after all--and after even, for a split second, imagining a future for the three of them as a family ( though he hadn't even been aware of it until now), it was not her.
It is not Gaby.
Gaby's gone.
Gone for good.
Silvery hair was replaced by a heap of red hair.
And it was like having Gaby die all over again. Only, this time, he was there to see it - more than he had been last time, in the half-sober state he'd been.
It might have made someone else keel over, or just stare blankly ahead - or really end up in St. Mungo's. But with all the defenses from shock that Thorfinn's mind had installed due to his line of business, he reacted the only way he knew how.
The first thing to do was to get rid of the girl's wand. He stumbled somewhat as he chased after her - he was upon her in an instant, since she was hardly a match for his trained physique. His mind had not even begun to process the why's and the how's of the entire situation. He grabbed both of her wrists this time rather instinctively - and once he actually had his hands on her, he let go nearly all thought of her wand.
Instead, he slammed her into the nearest tree. Hard. Good. Good. She deserves to die of a damned concussion. She deserves worse. He slammed her head against the tree once again. Then he reached for her hair - red, red, not silver - and yanked at it--
And when he looked at her face, he saw how young she was. Not much older than Piper. And scared. She looked scared. 'Course she's scared - she should be. She played a nasty trick and it's all coming back at her now. But another image of Gaby flashed before him ( okay, it would be really crazy if this actually was Gaby and she was playing a trick on him to see if his temper has changed or not) and he remembered he had never been this violent with her. Or any woman. When off work, naturally.
He could have broken her neck here and now for---well, for everything, damn it. But didn't he have enough of dead girls at work? She may have deserved some roughing up. But she was young - too young to be killed for something stupid she may have done for Merlin knew what reason. Tempting as it seemed to just vent all his rage right now. Maybe it's not worth the nightmares.
Not that he was just going to let her go.
In fact, his brain was still rather addled and he had no idea what to do. So, he did what he did best - play the big, bad snatcher.
Pulling out his wand, he aimed it at her neck, letting go of her hair. His other hand, he extended, ready for any shifty moves on her part, though.
"Your wand." He finally found his voice again. It was low and threatening, "Now. And after you've given it over . What. The. Hell. Was. That." Not very articulate, again. But how was he supposed to put it? Why, what magic was it, was it a potion--what the hell was that sumrised all of it pretty well.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 21:38:16 GMT
She was not going to make it.
Fanny practically knew that the moment she started running, but her flight instincts were too strong. She just wanted out and away from this horrible situation she had maneuvered herself into so unwittingly, but it was too late for regrets. Way too late. She was going to pay for this, and roughly. If she came out of this alive, Fanny knew she ought to call herself lucky indeed! What devil had possessed her... but asking herself pointless questions wouldn't make all this undone. And she didn't have a time turner to rewind the last ten minutes and knock some sense into her foolish self.
Instead, she was seized and shoved against a nearby tree before she had even time to cry out in surprise. She did cry out in protest and pain however as the rough bark of the gnarly tree bit into the skin of her face and neck. A split second later, all air was driven from her lungs and for a horribly long moment she thought she was going to suffocate. That it was over, that she would die here and now. But then her lungs refilled with an agonizing pain, just in time for her to cry out again as this brute yanked at her hair as if he wanted to tear off her scalp. She knew it... he was going to skin her alive...!
It was over. Any minute now he would utter one of the Unforgivables. The question only was whether he would torture her first or kill her right away. A part of her, a very detached part of her brain even considered whether she didn't deserve that punishment in a way. She had made him believe his dead wife had arisen from the grave again. He had practically bared his soul in front of her, a stupid girl the same age as his daughter. Piper... Would he really kill a girl that was her age? Was there any soft spot left in him? A few minutes ago she would have tapped her forehead at anyone suggesting such a thing of Thorfinn Rowles. But they had not heard him speak... about rather killing him in his sleep than allowing a deadly silence to settle between him and his former wife.
When he finally spoke, she was surprised it was no curse. Instead, he 'merely' asked for her wand, though that was just as bad. Alright, Sig had taught her a thing or two about hand to hand combat, but that was clearly ruled out here. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out, fighting against the pain with grit teeth. „I'm sorry...“ she muttered, realising how lame it sounded. She needed an explanation and a good one. Now.
„It was a mean trick... I wanted to try it out.“ So far, so good. That much was the truth. But she couldn't very well tell him that she had wanted to spy on him for the Order. Hopefully, she would get an idea in the little time she had bought with her stalling.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 22:40:51 GMT
Thing was, Thorfinn was not very much interested in whether or not she was involved with the Order or not. In fact, such a thing never even crossed his mind. It would have, on another day. When his mind was not so very full of Gaby who had just died in front of him again. Sort of. And the girl in front of him would forever remind him of her now; if he ever was to see her again when visiting/spying on Piper. He hoped he would not - and he wondered why on Earth was he thinking as if he had decided on letting her go.
She muttered out obtuse apologies; they meant nothing to him and he still had not a clue as to how exactly to deal with her. At any rate, scaring her some more was definitely on his to-do list. Didn't know I had a damn to-do list. Definitely what she had had coming. Bits of his old, snarky, witty self were coming back. Good. That might just mean he was a step closer to figuring out his next course of action.
"Try out what, exactly?" He'd even regained his composure enough to smirk as he cocked his head at her - and then he had to go and ruin it all, "You know me better than to think I'm as easily thrown off track, Gaby--"
His eyes must have widened in spite of him. Because he was absolutely mortified when he realized he had actually called her Gaby. Again. Even if he knew Gaby was dead and that this person in front of him was a damned idiot--
But Gaby's scent had lingered. And he wished it really was Gaby.
He pushed away from her suddenly, letting her drop to the ground. He still had her wand, but he had pocketed that automatically, not giving it much thought now. He needed a bloody moment. Needed to catch his breath. The hand he ran through his hair shook more than just slightly and he willed it to stop.
"Your name." He demanded, forcing himself to look back at her and not see her, "What's your real name?" Yeah, that was it. He needed her real name. Then it would all be just lovely, right? Huh. He wasn't even capable of finding that remotely amusing, now.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 11:07:24 GMT
In any other surroundings, Fanny would have bothered to cry out for help. But here crying for help meant even more unwanted attention and no one would lift a finger against a Snatcher anyway. Those on his side would consider him having a very good reason for his actions or they would not care, those against him for the most part were too scared. One simply didn't get involved those days, one kept the head low and the shoulders hunched, lest you be next. Maybe she would not die after all... though she didn't dare hope yet. In any way, dying or not, the situation was the height of discomfort and danger. Her head was reeling from the force it had collided with the tree with and she could feel a tickling sensation trickling down her cheek where the bark had cut her skin.
And of course, he was not done with her yet. A part of her was glad he was only asking for now and not torturing or worse. She knew better than to provoke him now, which was why her mind ran two miles a minute to give him a satisfactory answer. Why would someone cooperating with the regime want to fool a snatcher? Why would she try out something as nasty on him? Simply because she liked being nasty? That might have been enough coming from a Slyth, but she wondered if the crest on her robes were already telling him part of the tale. There was a simply rule in lying: Stick as much to the truth as you dare to... then embellish the rest or give it a slightly different twist in the desired direction.
„I... I needed a guinea-pig for a new spell“, she admitted gruffly, as if she was annoyed to admit it. Which she was, in a way. „It's an illusion...“ Now what? But then it occurred to her how she could use the way the spell had backfired to her advantage after all. Magic was just magic, whether used for good or for evil lay in the hands of those holding the wand. „It's supposed to show your adversary someone they're close to... but who is dead“, she added, thinking on the spooky effect she had unwittingly created. This was the lie part... but since it had worked that way with him, he could not prove her wrong, right? „You can use it to torment muggles for instance“, she added for good measure, but already wished she hadn't said that.
Luckily, he seemed to throw himself off track by calling her Gaby once again. Fanny winced involuntarily, realizing just how much she must have shocked him, if he still couldn't let go of the illusion. What followed wasn't made however to fuel the spark of compassion she had felt for a second. Gladly her sport training had provided her with a few good reflexes and an idea how to fall without much damage, so the impact she hit the ground with was far less painful than he might have wished for. Even though her instincts still told her to run, she stayed in place, only slowly tried to scramble to her feet. Being forced to look up to him was way too demeaning.
Should she lie … could she even? Fanny didn't want to give him her name, but she guessed he would find out anyway. They all were mapped out and marked by the Death Eater regime. And if she lied to him again... no better not think about those consequences.
„Fanny“, she therefore admitted reluctantly. „Fanny Dakota."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 12:34:45 GMT
When he laughed, it was a rather desperate sound.; "Fanny. Fanny!" Yes, it was official, Thorfinn Rowle had definitely lost it. But it was so funny, looking upon it all. There she was, this girl, who had come up with this fancy spell for Merlin knew what reasons. Wait, he was supposed to find out those reasons. Oh, he would. As soon as he was able to stop laughing like an idiot, sure. He'd launch a full-fledged investigation. Definitely. He laughed once more, turning fully towards this--Fanny. Hah!
"Not Anna? Or Lillian? Or, I don't know, Dolores? Hepzibah? Helga?" He had no idea where those names were coming from, but he went on, flailing his hands about in mock dramatizing, "You could have bloody well made up a different name, you dunce. You could have said your name was damned Salazar, all I care. Do I really look like I give a shit?" He didn't. Really, he didn't care at all what her name was, just-- "Alas, no. You're Fanny. And she was Gaby. And you were just Gaby. And now--" He snapped his fingers in the air, "You're Fanny!" And he was laughing again.
And it all seemed very much pointless all of a sudden. Once he actually caught his breath, he took in her features. She was positively terrified, bleeding, her hair was a mess and her head probably hurt like hell. Yet she's standing on her feet. Didn't stay down. It wasn't really her fault. Especially not that their names sounded alike. Sure, he was very much annoyed by the fact she had dared to play that dirty little trick of hers on him, of all people. But he did feel a pang of remorse at the blood trickling down her face. Just a girl. Probably has classes with Piper. And whatever she's been up to with that spellwork of hers, she sure as hell has a lot more guts than I do. He would have rather obediently tortured kids to death than made any attempt to change anything in his life, obviously.
Before gathering his thoughts in any way-before even comprehending he had stopped smirking - he drew his wand and crossed the distance he had put between them again. Before he knew it, he raised the wand and murmured a quick healing spell for the wound oozing blood. Then he cleaned her face with another. He barely dared to breathe in her scent; he didn't want to smell Gaby again. So, he stepped away.
His mind might have cleared somewhat, now - or worsened, he guessed he'd never really be able to tell. Shit. So he just healed the girl he'd nearly pummeled to death. Neat. What was next, cut off her arm and then have her grow a new one? Or attach the old one right back? Trying to pretend he had the faintest idea of what he was doing and why (although he did not think he'd had that for the entire length of his life) , he sighed and looked at her askance; "Well. I usually don't act this way unless I've head lots and lots of firewhiskey." Ah. Why, again, did this make him sound as if he knew what he was doing? That's right - it didn't.
So, he gave up. And said yet another surprisingly honest thing this evening, despite himself.
"Merlin, you've messed me up, you know? Not that I was terribly sane to begin with." Great job - what did he expect her to say to that? Why, yes, sir, I do think you're rather crazy. Please don't send me to Azkaban or take one of my limbs off, please! But despite all the obvious things he could have asked or said, he could not have, for the life of him, recalled any. So, he just stood there and simply stared at her.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 14:21:39 GMT
Whatever it was about her name... it seemed to anger him somehow. Fanny fought hard to keep down a wince as he started nearly to shout at her and called her a dunce. He certainly was one of the rude kind, but slowly she began to ask herself whether he had lost it. He showed signs of madness clearly, what with his laugh and the way he acted. Maybe it had been there all along and what she had done had just finally sent Thorfinn over the edge. Congratulations, Fanny... St. Mungo's won't be happy...! Then again, maybe some poor muggles or runaway wizards and witches would thank her for it. A lunatic Thorfinn Rowle might be a less brutal one... or even more dangerous...
Her brows furrowed and her chin went up almost subconsciously as she decided to stand her ground no matter what. She was Fanny Dakota and yes, she had made a mistake, but she would not shy away from it now. She would lie in the bed she had made for herself! Even though there still was fear. Fanny'd be mad if she wasn't afraid. The trick was just to conquer it when it mattered most. „Yes, I'm Fanny. And you're Thorfinn Rowle. I guess that's the obvious part.“ Shit... it might be her defence mechanism to become snarky when scared, but it might not be the best policy now. You didn't anger a Snatcher. Unless you had a death wish of course. Who cares who gets me first, she thought glumly, either him or someone in the duels later. though it could well be that after this encounter, she would go into the duels with a devil-may-care attitude. What could possibly be worse than this?
Perhaps what he was doing now... Fanny's bravado died down again along with the hot sting in her guts as Thorfinn suddenly came towards her, wand raised. That's it... he's going for it after all, was all she thought, when suddenly he muttered something she hadn't expected. Had he just...?!
Fanny's hand darted up to her face to check, but there was indeed no cut there anymore. And also no blood. Blinking, she stared at her unsoiled fingers, for a moment completely dumbstruck and then back at him. Now he really must have lost it!
„Um... thanks I guess...?“ she let it hang there in thin air, completely at a loss as how to deal with this situation. „So you're usually not the 'cleaning up your own mess' type?“
And then he even admitted flat out that she had messed him up with that spell of hers. A part of Fanny wanted to apologize again, say that she hadn't known it would turn out that way – but that would be revealing her own lie. It would be the stupidest thing to do! Therefore she only shrugged a little helplessly. He probably didn't want her pity either. „It's not the nicest thing to have done yes...“ she muttered, as once again her tongue was running away with her. „Quite a taste of one's own medicine. Pain and all...“
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 15:59:50 GMT
She was right, of course. She was right and this grand shock treatment she had put him through must have affected his senses enough for him to admit it. Not that he was usually in denial about that particular fact. He just never, ever said it out loud. Unlike now - now, he narrowed his eyes at her and grinned wickedly; "Oh? You really think that?" His voice was menacing just for the sake of it. And it had taken her terribly long to figure out who he was - especially if she knew about what he did, had done and kept doing. He wondered if she would have gone ahead with her trick if she'd realized it sooner. Maybe she would have. Actually, scratch that. She definitely would have, what with that tongue of hers.
Again, he stepped closer, just for intimidation purposes. Just out of habit, because the words that left his mouth were only intimidating to him; "You really think that, for all I've done, this little bit is enough to even qualify as a taste of my own medicine, mhm?" That was not what nice, proper snatchers were supposed to say. But, for some reason, he took another step closer and went on; "Do you have any idea what you would have to do to me to even begin making me pay for all I've been up to for the past year?" He snorted disdainfully, "I think you would have a hard time imagining how to even punish me for the last bloody month."
Looking back on it, maybe it did sound like good snatcher talk. Yeah, it definitely could have passed as him merely trying to scare the shit out of her by flaunting how horrid he was. If she had not taken notice of how bitter his eyes looked and how much he seemed as if he wanted to be punished. Not that there's any truth to that. If I wanted to be punished, I'd just walk up to Greyback and punch him in the face. Yes, that would earn me some right punishment. But this entire little scene had hurt him more than he would have cared to admit.
"And cleaning up my mess is hardly in my job's description." Was this discussion getting them anywere, really? Was it even a discussion? It wasn't like it was giving him any ideas what to do. Still, he could not have helped a grin; "I'm not really working now--technically. Though, I am, but let's call this a..." He mused, "Lunch break?" If he was working for real, she'd probably be a corpse already. If she was lucky.
"So." He spoke to interrupt his own train of thought, "What do I do with you for spoiling my lunch break...Fanny?" Maybe she'd really have some idea.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 12:41:49 GMT
Merlin's beard, and she had thought this was over!!! Apparently Thorfinn was slowly finding back to his old self and Fanny couldn't exactly say she liked the direction this was going. Proximity had always been an issue with her, since she was a fierce advocate of personal space, unless with people she really liked. Since Thorfinn didn't qualify for this group at all, she could feel her muscles tense and she had to fight down the urge to take at least two steps back. But he would have liked that way too much. It was better to try and force her calm. His words caused differing emotions in Fanny. On one hand, a part of the effect he had intended surely was working on her, on the other hand however Fanny had always disliked bragging and bristled at the mere tone he was using.
„Alright, so you win the boast battle“, she retorted, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in her stomach. She had heard enough stories of what happened to those the snatchers caught and she wasn't naive enough by far to put them off as exaggerations. Thorfinn Rowle was said to be the worst of them all. Maybe she even knew someone whom he had found... it wasn't even that far fetched. However, there was still that spark of pain she had seen in his eyes. Now she had two images of one and the same man that just didn't want to go together in her mind. „And since I have better things to do with my time, forgive me right now, if I step down from the task of Avenging Angel.“ After all, she wasn't really a fan of tit for tat. Yes, the Death Eaters all deserved to pay for what they had done, but not in kind. Lifelong sentences at Azkaban, surrounded by Dementors... wasn't that punishment enough?
And what was this talk about being on lunch break?! Should she be thankful now he only nearly had bashed her head in?! Then again... perhaps she should. Someone else might have killed her the moment he or she had found out they had been had. If only to avenge their pride.
So now... he was actually posing a good question. Not that he would probably think her suggestions any good, but it was worth a try.
„How about... you give me my wand back and let me go... and we never mention this ever happened?“ she proposed, shrugging. „Might be best for both of us.“ Long shot, yes... but what were her options really?
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