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Role-Play Boards => St. Mungo's => London => First Floor: Creature-Induced Injuries => Topic started by: Demitria Strelnikov on February 26, 2012, 08:04:40 PM

Title: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on February 26, 2012, 08:04:40 PM

Demitria woke up with a start, her back ram-rod straight. Around her, the room was white and sterilized, nothing like the organized chaos she normally woke up to. It wasn't right. Where on earth was she? Blinking moniters surrounded her and there were flowers at the foot of her bed. What was going on?

It all rushed back with an onslaught of fatigue. She slumped back down to the pillow that was not hers in the bed that was not hers, but she didn't have the strength to complain. Xavier, the forest, Pelmeni, picnic baskets, charm, eyes dark with longing, terrifying howls, claws, teeth, roses, the ground... it was in bits and pieces, but she remembered it all. Her obsessive mind took care of that. Every detail was remembered with picture perfect precision. Nevertheless, there were two images that stood out in her mind.

Warm lips. Tearing Claws.

Where her mind started shorting was at the floo call to Darya. There was so much blood. How much of it was roses and how much of it was from the werewolf, neither Xavier nor Demitria could tell. So much blood. She was positive she fainted before her body hit the floor of her "manor." She didn't remember going to St. Mungo's.

Her eyes fluttered open again and registered the wraps on her arms. A small sigh escaped her lips. She was so tired. She had used more charm in one night than she normally used in a full week and it had left her completely bereft.

She heard the door click open and closed. Normally, she would have flung herself up to see who it was, but this time, she didn't even move. She didn't feel anything, not even pain.

"Mrs. Strelnikov, your daughter is awake." The unfamiliar voice didn't even make her twitch.

"Thank Merlin!"

Mimi turned her head slightly when she heard her mother's voice echo through the room. "'Mat?"

The Ukranian pureblood swept past the nurse and sat on the bed next to her daughter. "Demitria Strelnikov, you scared me beyond all measure for the second time in your life." The words were harsh, but the tone was softer than a child's. "You are more trouble than you're worth."

Mimi usually would have had a sharp retort, but her senses were still numb. After a moment, the nurse began to wave her wand over the tiny Russian's bed. Slowly, Strellie felt herself returning to normal. With other sensations came a dull ache on her arms, neck, and back. Just from looking at her mother, Demitria knew that the older woman already knew what was going on. "Am I okay?"

The question was vague, but the meaning was clear. Was she going to heal or had she caught lycanthropy? Darya smiled softly. "It will be no worse than the crups. Nothing but scars."

The breath she didn't know she had been holding came out in a whoosh. "It could've been much worse." Her eyes inadvertently fell on the flowers at the foot of the bed. "And thank you for the jonquils, 'Mat."

Darya's eyes flicked back. "I didn't leave you those."

Suddenly, Strellie had a very bad feeling. Shakily stepping out of the bed, her bare feet didn't make a sound on the cold ground. She knew who they were from even before she opened the pristine white card that had come with them.

The garbage needs to be taken out once in awhile, Princess.
M. 176
Papa

Before either the nurse or Darya knew what was happening, the tiny soon-to-be sixth year sprinted out of the room. She looked searchingly at the doors she passed. 189..185...179... 176.

176

Instinct had driven her here, but nothing had prepared her for what she would find. In the middle of the room, in a bed as white and sterilized as her own had been, lay her first Hogwarts friend. He didn't appear to be unconscious, possibly only asleep, but Strellie couldn't tell. Huxley Ward had been well and truly thrashed. His condition made the wraps around her arms and the bright new scars on her neck seem like nothing.

"Huck?" She whispered at first. "Oh, Merlin. Huxley Ward, wake up this instant!" Her voice rose in pitch as she rushed to his bedside. 

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on February 29, 2012, 06:13:52 PM

Well, it had sucked, to be sure.

Waking up had, in fact, sucked as much as- if not more than- the beating, or what he could remember of it. It was made possibly more horrible by the fact that the second he'd opened his eyes, still disoriented, his mother had grabbed his shoulders, given him a good shake, and had hit the side of his head with the butt of her hand, all the while crying and yelling something about how much of an idiot he was. Huck's father had attempted to pry her loose, but she had backhanded him across the chest and snatched her son up, clinging to him and crying.

Once the dramatics were over, he'd had to speak to several aurors and healers, both of which were entirely boring endeavors. The news that his wounds were going to look and feel pretty bad for a while was unsurprising to Huck when he recalled how they'd felt to receive, but still unwelcome. The prospect of going to school looking like a hobo wasn't one he cherished by any means.

It surprised him that he wasn't more concerned about the reason behind the attack. He understood it fully well. Not a lot of traditionalist, purist parents were exactly thrilled about their kids spending time with a penniless, dirty-blooded lout like Huxley Ward. What did he have to offer people like that? Nothing, except the possibility of their kids winding up with a venereal disease or a teenage pregnancy. Wards were notoriously poor and notoriously unapologetic about their miscreant behavior.  But the thought hadn't so much as flitted across his mind to stop hanging around Strellie. He hadn't first considered it and then dismissed it. It just hadn't occurred to him whatsoever. In fact, the only thing that had occurred to him was that he must have meant a lot to her if her father was willing to do a thing like that.

When he'd arrived at St. Mungo's, Huck's bones had been broken in so many places the healers hadn't even tried to list them. The deep gouges left on the sides of his face from being ground into the pavement were full of dirt, pebbles, and broken glass. One of his fingers- his ring finger- had been snapped backwards. His kneecaps were broken. His achilles tendon was snapped. Nearly all of his ribs were in pieces. Both eyes were swollen shut and sunken in a sea of deep purple bruising. His body showed more green, blue, red, and gray than peach. Most vertebrae were fractured and bruised. His jaw was essentially only held together by the skin around it.

And yet, as Mr. Strelnikov had intended, Huck had survived and was going to recover. It was meant to be a lesson, not a death sentence.

The healers at St. Mungo's really were the best around. In only forty-eight short, tense hours they had  pulled off what was, for all intents and purposes, a miracle. His limbs had regained sensation. He could speak in complete sentences. He could see. Still out of his reach was the ability to sit up or really move his limbs or use his hands properly, but that would come soon enough.

His sisters had been buzzing around him since he'd regained consciousness, and had assumed a good deal of his caretaking without being asked. Penny immediately took it upon herself to look after his cleanliness. She brushed his teeth, washed his face, kept his hair neat and clean, and even took care of his annoying itchy stubble for him. Her touch was by far the most delicate of all the siblings, and she was able to file his nails while he slept without waking him. Veronica had assumed the role of a coach, in a way, and was constantly concerned with how they should progress. Whether he was ready for certain liquids and foods. Whether he should be doing some physical therapy. Their father had tried to gently remind her that it had only been two days since he'd been thrashed, but she'd have none of it. Frankie contributed to the effort by keeping him entertained. There was such a huge amount of downtime that the way she saw it, he'd go nuts by the end of it. She certainly wasn't the best reader in the world, but she read to him from Superfudge and Captain Underpants. Played practical jokes on the healers. Stole things from the other patients. The moment Huck regained his ability to smile, he smiled because of her.

But he was still, for the most part, a mess. He slept a lot and could only handle clear liquids. When he was conscious, he could really only muster up the energy for very basic sentences and requests. And he still looked as haggard and destroyed as he had the moment he was admitted.

He'd fallen asleep rather soundly, and his family had taken the opportunity to quickly floo home and regroup. They hadn't left his room even at the request of the healers for the entire two days, and they were beginning to really feel the effects. "Go home," he'd told them finally, his eyes sleepy. "You reek."

The sleep he had was dreamless and deep. Every once in a while a healer would come in to check up on him, and even when they'd touch him or shift him he wouldn't so much as stir. It was as if his body was so desperate for the rest it just made the unified decision to shut down all its other operations. His chest barely rose and fell when he breathed.

Gradually, though, something began to poke holes in his dark, warm little world of sleep. It was something a little shrill. Something familiar and yet somehow off. He knew even in his drowsy and addled state that he didn't like hearing it the way it was.

...Strellie?

It took a great deal of effort to open his eyes, but he managed admirably. Luckily, his head and upper torso were propped up to prevent him getting sick to his stomach, so he didn't have to struggle to raise his head.

The little blonde witch was closer to him than he'd thought upon hearing her voice. Maybe that had just been how far he was from his own body. He squinted, trying to decide whether it was really her or just a loopy hallucination. His eyes were still having a good deal of trouble focusing. Finally, he grinned a little sideways grin and groaned a little. "Hullo, love," he said, his voice tired and weak but his tone cheerful. "What are you doin' here?"

 

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on February 29, 2012, 08:26:32 PM

As Demitria rushed to Huck's bedside, her overly analytical mind took in completley what had happened to the other Slytherin. He was a complete and total wreck! Bruses, bandages, cuts, newly healed scars... they littered every part of his visible body. Which amounted to his face, neck, and arms. She couldn't even imagine what the rest of his body looked like.

She stood there for a few moments in silence, her brain whirring. What had happened? What did her father have to do with it? How long had he been here for? Why hadn't she heard about it before?

The Russian forced herself to calm down. As soon as the adrenaline wore out, she realized what a state she was in as well. She was still exausted enough to fall down where she was. Every patch of skin on her neck and arms were covered in new, dark, tense scars or by white bandages where the healers had not been able to close the gashes of the werewolf's claws. She wavered slightly when-

"Hullo, love. What are you doin' here?"

She looked down to see Huck's face peering weakly up at her, the smile more of a grimace. Her blonde hair fell over her face as she dropped down. "Oh Merlin, Huck. I thought... You look terrible." She managed to gasp out. "Me?" Her small smile of relief melted.

How was she supposed to tell someone what had just happened to her? Especially in his condition. Oh... by the way, our good friend Xavier Tawse and I shared a hell, we're going to die snog before being attacked by a werewolf. In the process, I fell into a rosebush, turned veela on that wolf's arse as it was trying to tear my throat out, and Xav shot it in the back. Lovely evening.

She forced the smile back on her face and tried to let out some charm to keep the subject from coming up again. As soon as she tried releasing the charm, she felt her vision blur. "I'm in St. Mungo's like you. I need to sit down..." Strellie said and decided to sit on the edge of his bed. Oh her head. "But you... what on earth happened to you?"   

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on March 02, 2012, 01:19:33 AM

He was confident that it was the real Strellie and not a bizarre specter of his addled mental state- the way it had been when Professor Storm had 'visited' him on the first day. He was trying his best to focus his eyes, and felt a bit like he was trying to finagle the lens of a troublesome camera.

Finally he was able to really take in the sight of her, and almost immediately he regretted it. "Jesus, Strell'," he said quietly.

Naturally, the thought occurred to him that maybe the incidents were related. But then, it melted away with the memory of the fact that her father considered her his little princess, and had ordered the beating on him mostly to protect her. In a totally dysfunctional, psychotic way, well... it was almost sweet. "Are you in pain?"

Sighing through his nose, he let his gaze shift to the floor in guilt. On the one hand, he thought she should know what kind of things her father was up to (although he was sure that she already had a pretty good idea). On the other, it was still her dad. He really didn't want to drive a wedge between them anymore than he (apparently) already had. A predicament indeed.

"Took a wrong turn off Knockturn, ended up on Punch-in-the-Face Boulevard," he joked. "It looks worse than it is. He cursed the bejeezus outta my face," he added.

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on March 06, 2012, 05:55:38 PM

Demitria lost focus for a few seconds as a sharp jab of pain came from one of the bandages on her arm. She had been in the hospital for roughly twelve hours, by her reasoning. It hadn't been nearly long enough to heal or even regain the strength she displayed in her mad dash to find Huxley. She noticed red beginning to seep from one. She took a deep breath. Her mother still had her wand.

She opened her eyes again to see Huck looking at her with concern. As if he was one to talk! He was in far worse condition. She had merely been mauled. He had been mutilated. It was a strange way to think of it, but it was true. And honestly, her mind was not in the best condition at the moment. Nothing was making much sense. There was no use in lying about her condition."Yes. I only got here last night."   

What she did know, without a single doubt, was that her father was responsible in some way. She didn't know how, but she knew why. Oh Merlin, why had she been the one blessed with such a forgiving family?

"What on earth were you doing in Knockturn, Huck? Especially without Xa- Xavier." Her voice stumbled over the name. "That couldn't have turned out well in any situation." A tear slipped down her face. What was wrong with her? There wasn't an ounce of control in her body at that moment.     

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on March 08, 2012, 04:21:42 PM

Huck's brain was still sluggish. Keeping up with these new developments was a bit tough for the boy. Even so, he was aware enough to notice the red seeping through her bandages, and a tiny swell of panic rose inside him. "Christ, sweets, should you even be outta bed?"

He squinted at the table near his bedside. "Is that water? I can't tell. If it's water, get a glass of water. Don't push it."

Groaning a bit as he rolled his head back to its vantage point of the ceiling, he tried to process her question. "What was I... oh." In truth, the memory seemed quite fuzzy to him up until he had begun to speak to Strellie's father. Had someone tinkered with his memories, or was this just a side effect of having his head kicked one too many times? Huck scrunched his face up tight. It had always helped him think.

"Walking," he said finally, opening his eyes. "Going somewhere." As he thought about it more, his expression broke into a subdued little smirk. "I wanna say going to find a bum to buy firewhiskey for me. But the ol' brain bucket's been knocked around quite a bit. I'm surprised I remember gettin' thrashed."

His gaze turned again, then, to her. "How long are you gonna be in here?"

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on April 05, 2012, 07:09:26 PM

Strellie sighed slightly. "Oh Huck." Focusing all her energy on moving to the pitcher of water and pouring herself a glass, the tiny Russian knew that she shouldn't have been out of bed. Of course, not even having the energy to think led to, well, not thinking. The moment she saw the card, she had to see if her best friend was alright and not dying. He seemed to be on the road to recovery from what she could tell. But it must have been terrible.

Her hand shook as she raised the glass of water to her lips and drank. Her throat burned like Hell. There was no way she was going to be able to eat. It must have been a byproduct of the screaming and stress from being weighed upon. Holding out her hand to balance herself, she walked back to Huxley's bedside. As he spoke, she knew for certain her father had payed the werewolf to beat up Huxley. "No, I shouldn't. I was admitted this morning. I don't know how long I'll be in here for..."

She paused slightly. "They have to run a few more tests to- to make sure I'm not... infected." Her throat tightened on the word. Huck knew nothing of what happened. Sighing again, her rosebud lips frowned. She had to let someone know and it might as well be one of her oldest friends. "Xavier and I were at his manor last night. It was alright at first. We ate dinner and he was going to show me a flower he had seen that only blooms when the moon is full." She closed her eyes. He had been so close in those few precious moments before the world collapsed. Lips. Eyes. Fire. "But then there was a werewolf." Her eyes filled with tears. "He had a gun, but it got both of us multiple times before Xav managed to kill it." Her arm motioned at herself. "Every scar on my chest, neck, and arms are from last night. It was so close to us. So close to me."

Her breath hiccuped. "The only reason we are alive is because I nearly killed myself again. Again. I led the wolf away with my charm. Oh Huck. It was on top of me. It was going to kill me. And then when Xavier shot it, it fell on top of me and I was covered by the blood and fur and I- I..."

She put her head in her hands. She had never been the strong one. 

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on April 12, 2012, 10:31:40 PM

If Huck had been totally himself, he would have spazzed. Lost his mind. Grabbed her face and made her tell him every detail, and then paced the room at a loss for what to do.

As it was, he could only listen, his face knit into stoniness, as his best friend recounted the gruesome details of her night with Xavier and the beast. To a certain degree, he could understand. After all, he was still licking his own wounds, so to speak. But Huck's pulverizing had come at the hands of what was essentially a deeply disturbed man, not a snarling and howling animal. Huck had been chased down and bitten fairly severely on the calf by his neighbor's dog as a boy, and that had been terrifying enough. It had only been a dalmatian. He could scarcely imagine the way it must have felt for Strellie.

He felt embarrassed by his own injuries. More than anything, he wished he could just be whole again just so he could do whatever it took to make the world right for her. As her only-somewhat cool exterior crumbled and she put her face in her hands, his face melted from its grimace. "Oh, pet, nah, c'mere," he cooed to her. It took every ounce of strength he could muster, but he managed to scoot over to one side of the bed and raise his arms to beckon her over.

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on April 12, 2012, 11:12:08 PM

Demitria sniffed quietly and wiped at her eyes. She had to pull herself together. Part of her brain screamed that this was extremely unseemly, but the vast majority told the much smaller bit to shove it. Mindful of the bandages on her chest, she crawled over to where Huxley had his arms outstretched. He didn't care who she was supposed to be. The friendship between them was too strong and too old. He had known her when she was a confused, homesick first year who could barely speak English. He didn't care what proper was.

She pulled her slightly shaky legs onto the bed and burrowed into Huck's side, all the while being careful not to hurt either of them. As soon as his arms were around her, she flashed back.

"Strellie." He choked out himself and closed what little distance was between them. With her arms open for him, Xavier practically fell into her, wrapping his own strong arms around her back pushing her tiny body into his own. He buried his face into her hair desperate to smell anything other than the stench of the dead beast to the side of them.[1]

It took everything she had drag her mind from the events of the night before. Pressed into Huxley, she knew he could feel her shaking. It wasn't Xavier beside her. It was Huxley, her best friend. But Xavier-

"Huck..." She whispered, more tears sliding down her face. "Oh Huck. There's something else."
How could she say this to the boy that was essentially another older brother to her? How could she explain the desperation that had filled the two of them and the sheer relief that they were alive? How could she even begin to describe what had happened with the two best friends there on the forest floor with the adrenaline rushing through their system. It had been new, terrifying...
How could she prevent Huck from kicking Xavier's ass if he felt so inclined?
 
She settled on the simplest way to say it.

"Xavier kissed me. And I didn't stop him."   

1.	Reckless Abandon (http://www.absitomen.com/index.php?topic=9973.msg84533;boardseen#new)

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on April 14, 2012, 11:28:34 AM

The tense pain of the shift to the other side of the bed melted into a warm and comfortable feeling as Strellie snuggled next to him. He allowed himself one sharp breath in through his nose to relax, and then let it slowly flow out past his pursed lips as he nuzzled his head against the tiny mop of blonde hair. As much as he was still re-learning to use his hands, they somehow took the job up admirably and did their best to fortify her shoulders against the storm of her flashback.

"You're alright, you're alright," he repeated, interspersing his reassurances with soft 'shh' noises. He tried to rub her shoulder with his thumb in comforting circles, the way he often did with Frankie when she had a nightmare, but the function was not totally restored. As a result, he could only drag it back and forth in a not-very-smooth way, which made him a little sad.

Not many things in life made Huck want to actually kill- like, grab a double-barrel shotgun and stick it in someone's mouth- but this was one of them. Even his own attacker hadn't elicited the same response. "Xavier killed it?" he asked, his voice llittle more than a quiet murmur. "Is... is he okay?"

When she went on to deliver the next piece of information, Huck's eyebrows shot up. "He wh-" he began, trying and failing to reposition himself to look at her face. His own battered countenance broke into a rather surprised and amused grin, as a little breathy laugh escaped him. "Really?"

He pulled her closer and planted a little peck on the top of her head. Two of his best friends in the world, in the span of only one night, almost died and made out. It would have made a good movie. Huck loved Xavier. Really, he did. Huck's heart was sweet and accepting, and it loved earnestly with the ease and innocence of a little boy. For all his partying, drinking, sex, and general debauchery, Huck really was fairly pure-at-heart.

For all of his purity, however, he knew that there was at least a small part of Xavier that possessed a darkness Huck would never understand. He had seen it boiling inside his best friend at times, and though Huck was no stranger to the occasional bout of berserker rage he knew he would never feel anything like the things that Xavier was capable of feeling.

"Was it... I mean, was it okay?" he asked. He felt stupid, not being able to come up with a real question, but that was more or less the extent of his ability. "Him, I mean? ... I mean..."

He scrunched his eyes shut for a split second to clear his head. "Was he like, ...nice to you, like?"

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on April 26, 2012, 06:15:40 PM

Demitria didn't know how close she was to bawling her eyes out and not stopping until every dreadful thing that had happened in the past 24 hours was purged from her skin. She could feel the catharsis sneaking up on her second by second, but despite the few tears the spilled over, she was managing to keep a decent face. She was vaguely aware of Huck cringing as she leaned into him and lightened her touch slightly. Nevertheless, he pulled her in close. She sighed and let her head lean lightly on his bandaged chest. Her hair cascaded down his side. It was getting so long...

"I don't know. After I passed out, I haven't seen him. He might be here too. Actually, I don't doubt it at all. He was hurt almost worse than I was." Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "I think he may have even been bitten. Oh Huck, I don't think it broke the skin, but I don't know." 

His answer to her confession literally made her rose lips part and her head whip around slightly. What? That was not the answer she had been expecting. Maybe she had been expecting a far more Fyetka or Vasily response. She had underestimated the amount of lovable puppy dog there was in Huck. And honestly, she was better with that. She could handle someone who could accept that rather than go off and kick his ass. No, it wasn't even that. It was the fact that Huck was closer to her than any of her cousins or siblings and if Huck had opposed it, she would have felt terrible. With her family, she could have just flipped them off and told them to mind their own business (out of sight of any women, though).

Huxley's second question made her pause for a second. What? Oh, there was the brother instinct kicking in. She nodded, but realizing he couldn't see the motion stopped. "Yes. He was."

It was a simple answer for the most difficult question. One she didn't know the true answer to. Her eyes dropped downward and she pulled herself as physically close to Huck as possible without hurting either of them. "But Huck. I'm so afraid. There was so much going on. And I was on full Veela charm and we had just survived and there was adrenaline and we're so comfortable with each other and... I don't know Huck. I haven't seen him since and he could regret it or try to forget about it and I don't know what I'd do if he did. Because he's one of my best friends.  And I betrayed him, Huck. I saved him and betrayed him in the same action and he may not forgive me for making him kiss me when he probably didn't want to just because I was using so much charm for the wolf and I know he can never be with me because I'm not a pureblood, I'm hardly even human, and it was fine when we were just friends, but he's a pureblood and can't be with me even though no one knows and its my fault for luring the wolf and him and probably every other -"

The next words were impossible to understand since she buried her face in Huck's side. Demitria Strelnikov was a mess. In her confusion, she didn't even realize she had just revealed her deepest secret. 

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on April 26, 2012, 11:14:33 PM

Huck clicked his tongue gently. The surprise of seeing Strellie in the place was wearing off a little, and was being replaced by the reality of it all. People didn't run into each other in St. Mungos because of silly coincidences. They had both come fairly close to death, as far as Huck could piece together. His hand became a little steadier with that knowledge, and he gripped her shoulder more firmly. "C'mon, darlin', c'mon now," he cooed to her.

She was so wound up. Huck felt badly- he wanted his brain to keep up, but it was just not doing a good enough job. "Sweet'eart, ev'rything's peaches and cream," he insisted. "C'mon. Xav's a thorny ol' bastard, I highly doubt one mangy mutt would be enough to take him down, right?" he grinned a little, giving her an extra tight squeeze. "Yeah, not to worry, dearheart." He paused while she continued to rant, gearing up to speak several times and each time deciding against it.

One phrase stood out-

"-I know he can never be with me because I'm not a pureblood, I'm hardly even human, and it was fine when we were just friends, but he's a pureblood and can't be with me even though no one knows and-"

Once again, Huck's brain was chugging along as fast as it could go, which was even slower than usual. Wait a minute...

He knit his brows. "Hardly even human? C'mon, don't be a goof," he smiled lopsidedly, giving her a little playful shake. "I'm lookin' right at you. ...Or I would be, if I could crane me damn neck. Can see you in my head perfect, though, ya little matryoshka doll. Nothin' not-human doin', there."

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Demitria Strelnikov on April 26, 2012, 11:47:53 PM

Even though Huxley was doing everything in his power to make her feel better, he wasn't very successful. Every minute or so, she kept relapsing. It was a strange thought. If fate had not been kind, all three of them could have been dead or weres. All three of the misfit Slytherin trio. It made her shudder.

She was finally beginning to calm down, having let her mouth run until she had no more words. It was a purging of all of the pent up emotions and confusion that she was suffering from. For a few blessed moments she lay there at Huxley's side and simply breathed in and out. The rusty smell of old blood. Sterilized rooms. Fresh bandages. Flowers. The ointments on both of them.

 "Hardly even human? C'mon, don't be a goof,"

As soon as the words left Huxley's mouth, her breath caught in her throat. Her mind played back to her rant and her heart stopped. She had spilled. She had told him. Oh god. Blessed Merlin. WHY? She didn't even hear the rest of Huck's words except for when he called her a matryoshka.

It was enough. With that one truly familiar word, her breath came back. It was a lifeline. Matryoshka. Breathe in. Matryoshka. Breathe out. She would have to explain now.

"Huck. You know I have the Charm. When I found out from my family last spring, the news traveled quickly." Too quickly. Damn rumor mill. "But that's not all."

It had been easy to tell Xavier and Leon. Why was it so hard to tell Huxley who had known her forever? The answer was simple. She was guilty, so guilty. For years, she had looked down on Half-bloods and Mudbloods because it was her nature. She had been raised that way. She had truly believed she was better than her oldest friend and no matter how much she adored him, there had been that modicum of superiority.

"I'm illegitimate."

There, step one was out.

"I know that there's nothing surprising about that because Purebloods are infamous for mistresses. But to father a half-blooded child and keep it? It's unheard of. But my father loved me in his twisted way ever since I was born."

Step Two. Her voice broke again. Her control was slipping.

"He figured out later that the dock wench was a half-veela. No one knew because muggles don't know about such things and that makes me nearly a full-blooded veela with some muggle thrown it and magic, it must have been an accident. I would more likely have been a squib."

Control? Gone once again. "That's why Xav could never truly want me because no proper pureblood could love a witch with blood thats dirt. Filthy rich dirt. Oh, Huck. You have to promise not to tell anyone because this makes 4 people at Hogwarts that know and that's four too many. And if everyone knew, I'd lose everything."

She wasn't crying, but her jaw was clenched tight and her ghost green eyes stared a hole into the opposite wall.

Title: Re: [Aug. 7] Two Days Too Late [Huxley]
Post by: Huxley Ward on May 02, 2012, 07:09:55 PM

Huck was- needless to say- very surprised. The intricacies of the blood concentrations became fuzzy as soon as she started elaborating but the point was not lost on him. Being a guardian of such information had always made Huck feel both powerful and extremely nervous. He felt as though he were holding a very deadly weapon- he liked having it because he knew he would never use it the wrong way, but Huxley Ward had always been painfully aware of the fact that he was a bit of a knucklehead. And such people should, in truth, never be trusted with things of great gravity.

Another part of him felt sheepish because he had never understood the whole importance of being pureblood. To tell her that he understood and that it would be okay no matter what would be a lie. He knew what some members of the Aristocracy could be like, though he also knew they had as many metaphorical holes in their stockings as anybody else. "Hey, shut up," he said finally, his voice more clear and firm than it had been in his addled state. "I wouldn't let somebody else talk about you like that, and I'm sure as shit not gonna let you do it to yourself."

"I know I'm not... I mean, I know I can't ever really get it and I know Xav is... he's..." Huck fumbled in his mind, his eyes focused to a spot across the room. "I know sometimes he can get wrapped up in that kinda stuff..."

"But do you really think this changes anything? You've been who you were since day-bleedin'-one and you've shone brighter than anybody here- and- and- and you did it with 'dirty blood.' I mean, Chrissakes, Demitria," he sputtered, trying to find his mental footing again. He was acutely aware of the fact that he sounded angrier than he was, but he wasn't sure he would be able to explain himself rationally. The fact that he had used her full name for the first time in- well.... he wasn't even sure, but it had certainly been a long while- escaped him. "If I knew that he would chuck you based on that... I'd... I mean... I'd have to give some serious thought to... I dunno... ripping out his still-beating heart and showing it to him!"