[Thread] Stranger with my face

[inked_wiccan]

Characters: AU!Willow Rosenberg, OU!Saetan SaDiablo, (Anyone else from the Black Jewels who wish to interact with Dorothea-looking Willow)
Where: Oh...all over. Library, the road, etc.
When: Early evening.
Summary: Willow goes searching for the woman that put the illusion on her, but doesn't exactly find her.
Warning: Exciting (or not) chase scenes and

Comments

[papa_high_lord]

Saetan was going half out of his mind knowing Dorothea was here, even if he had figured out quickly enough it was Tersa. In a way, that made it all the worse after all the bitch had put Tersa through. He'd tried to stay locked up in his room and away from the temptation to maul someone but had finally decided to get some fresh air in the hopes it would clear his mind. It wasn't.

The cane he usually relied on to get around was nowhere in sight today. Rage had lent him a dangerous, predatory grace that matched the glacial calm in his golden eyes. Anyone near him would have found it impossible to believe it was July; the air was freezing, a byproduct of the cold, lethal rage that made Warlord Princes so deadly. It would take only the slightest thing to shove him over the killing edge.

And that catalyst took place as he glanced up and caught sight of an all to familiar dark haired witch ahead of him. A quick psychic probe revealed to his horror that the figure was not Tersa - he was too distracted to realize it was not the real Dorothea, either - and a low snarl slipped from his lips. He sent out a blast of Black power, intending to knock the woman down unless she shielded and ignored the warning shock from the cuff on his wrist as he prowled over to her, revenge the only thing on his mind.

[inked_wiccan]

Willow hadn't been that far from the church, when she felt a pressure at her back that sent her sprawling to her stomach. All the air in her lungs whooshed out of her and she felt a sharp pain beneath her ribcage. She rolled into a sitting position, checking her ankles to make sure they were all right. One of her knees were a little banged up, but nothing fatal.

The redhead-turned-black-haired witch studied the ground to make sure she hadn't tripped over anything. There was nothing there and she frowned a little, slowly climbing to her feet, blaming her stumble to her occasional klutziness. She brushed off her hands on the fabric of her dress, pushing her cloak back over her shoulders. Stupid ungainly thing.

[papa_high_lord]

Saetan frowned slightly at the fact that Dorothea had not noticed him; he'd expected her to identify him as the source of the Black power instantly. He was still too lost in anger to put together that he was facing an impostor, not the real witch. Her stumble had given him time to catch up with her though, and the predatory smile grew even more dangerous as he strolled silently up behind her.

"Fancy meeting you here, my dear." The voice was a deep, deadly croon that made the endearment a threat more than anything else. He was going to enjoy this thoroughly.

[inked_wiccan]

Willow heard an older man speak and the tone sent a shiver down her spine and she didn't know why. Willow turned slowly, looking at him. He had almost a Giles-esque quality to him. Good-looking older man-type dealie. "Well, not necessarily formal...or informal," Willow replied to his 'fancing meeting you'.

"Can I...help you with something?" Willow asked softly, her skin feeling all tingly, like the way she was around Tara and Surreal, other magic-users. His gold eyes seemed to bore into her soul and she felt like she couldn't move.

[papa_high_lord]

Saetan had to admit, he had expected a bit more of a dramatic reaction. Then again, Dorothea probably did not know exactly what he was capable of. It was easy for people to dismiss him as a myth or legend, particularly if they were afraid of him. And, after all, Zuulaman had been far too long ago to serve as a lesson to her.

"Being cooperative? I'm surprised, darling." He murmured, reaching out to run one hand down her face, the long black nails and the threat of the venomous snake tooth beneath them an obvious threat to a Black Widow like her. "But if you want to be helpful, certainly. You can stand there nicely while I rip your heart out and if you're feeling particularly sweet you can try not to bleed on my suit."

[inked_wiccan]

"I...I don't know what I did," Willow replied in a whisper as her green eyes studied his face. She'd never seen this man before let alone done something to piss him off. The heart he spoke of beat furiously against her ribcage and she blinked several times to keep the tears away.

"I...I quite like my heart where it is. Please don't rip it out," She said softly, her bottom lip trembling. She froze when he touched her face. She wasn't sure how much he could do before the cuff shocked or sedated him, but she was afraid to find out.

[papa_high_lord]

A furious snarl crossed Saetan's face at her denial. "You know exactly what you did, you bitch, and don't you dare deny all the pain it's caused me by pretending you don't." The cuff on his wrist was starting to go crazy by now, but sense he was not quite ready to start carrying out his threats - he planned on talking a bit more first - it seemed content to wait before it sedated him.

The tears only infuriated him; as if she had the right to look sad when facing him. But suddenly he noticed the eyes they were falling from. Green eyes, a color no Hayllian had. He knew what Dorothea looked like and that face included golden eyes, not emerald.

He jerked his hand away as though it had been burned, snarling again because he had thought he had finally found an outlet for all those centuries of rage and pain and now it looked like he had been wrong. If he had not been so furious with fate he would have wept. "May the Darkness be merciful! You're not Dorothea SaDiablo, are you?"

[inked_wiccan]

When he jerked his hand away, Willow almost collasped in on herself as another tear spilled down her cheek. She panted softly, shaking her head. "I'm really...really not. My name's Willow Rosenberg. That...Dorothea woman did this to me two days ago. I haven't been able to find her. I've looked all over the place."

She sneered a little, looking down at her form. "I don't wanna look like this anymore. I haven't been able to get a hold of Surreal to see if she can help me." The former redhead sniffled, lifting he hand to wipe at her nose.

[papa_high_lord]

Impossible as it might seem, Saetan was becoming even more emotional over all this, although this time it was sorrow taking over his features. "Lady, I am deeply sorry for the mistake. I have a very personal grievance against Dorothea and I let that pain get in the way of my judgement." Attacking a female like that went against every part of the honor code that defined his life and which he depended on to keep from abusing his own immense power. Male protected and served. That was one of his most important values and one he almost never went against unless it was truly justified. In this case it had not been at all and he'd almost committed a mistake that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.

"Surreal can't help you in this case." He replied, trying to calm down but still looking agitated and on edge. "This is Black Widow Craft, and she's not a member of the Hourglass Coven. I am, though, if you would like me to remove the illusion."

[inked_wiccan]

"Forgive and forget," Willow nodded reassuringly. She wondered what this witch had done to hurt him so.

"Oh, god, would you?" Willow asked, her eyes widening and she took a small step towards him. "I'd totally forgive you for threatening to cut out my heart." Willow added with a nervous chuckle.

[papa_high_lord]

"In her case I don't believe that's possible, but I hope you can find it in your heart to do so with me." Saetan replied, rather wishing she would in face least choose not to forget. Sometimes he worried that people here had too tame an opinion of him, and forgot how careful they needed to be. Also, knowing she remembered this encounter would go along with the guilt he would always feel about it. Seeing the question in those green eyes he added, "I do own an explanation and I can give it if you wish."

The reminder of his threat made him wince, but it took only a moment to focus on the illusion spell. Dorothea was a skilled witch, but she only wore Red Jewels, which could never equal his Black. It took only a sharp burst of power to destroy them, much like the say a single well placed hammer blow can shatter a bolder. "Better?" He asked, glad to no longer have to look at that face.

[inked_wiccan]

Willow lifted her hands slowly, the illusion gone and she looked at them, turning them over, seeing the clothing that she had been wearing when Dorothea had changed her. She exhaled sharply, and lifted her hand to her hair, feeling it brush against the tops of her shoulders and against her neck and turned her head a little, seeing a flash of red at the corner of her eye.

Willow turned those sage green orbs to the man, then in an instant, threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. "Thank you so much! I don't know how to thank you!"

[papa_high_lord]

Saetan was caught off guard by the hug only for a moment, staggering slightly as his bad leg protested but recovering his balance easily enough. But being a father figure to anyone who needed one was just what he did so, chuckling softly he returned the embrace.

"You're too kind, my dear, but you're welcome. It was the least I could do, after everything." He replied with a smile that grew slightly more serious as he asked, "The witch who did this to you, she looked just like you did, correct?"

[inked_wiccan]

Willow released the hug and nodded. "Yeah. But I've never seen her around before. Or since," Willow said, looking up and down the road for emphasis. "She distracted me by talking about the Craft in my world so she could weave her little illusion."

Willow's eyes narrowed for a moment and her temper flared. "If I get my hands on her..." She trailed off, unsure of what she would do.

[papa_high_lord]

Saetan nodded gravely. "I believe her presence here I product of the strange magic that's been going on lately so I doubt either of us will encounter her again. It's just as well; it's hard to face an innocent with her face and still not loose my temper." Knowing the person who had been transformed was Tersa made things even worse.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line, my dear. There's a very long list of people who want her dead." He replied softly, glancing away for just a moment before deciding he owned her a more detailed explanation than the one he had provided. "In my case she stole two of my sons from me when they were just children, and did it in such a way that I was powerless to stop them. She enslaved them, twisted and abused them into something horrible while I was left powerless to help. She also arranged and carried out a plot to have my daughter raped and murdered when she was 12, although thankfully we were able to save her before she was killed. Dorothea has corrupted an entire culture and I know for a fact I am not the only one who hates her for it. Still, if someone does beat me to killing her at least I'll have the pleasure of being able to make her stay in Hell short and very unpleasant." The smile that followed that last line was so calm as to seem deadly. He already had Dorothea's execution planned out, and it would not be quick.

[inked_wiccan]

As his story progressed, the look on Willow's face was more and more empathetic and she felt so terribly for him. She'd teared up once more, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. "Oh Goddess, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed quietly, her tear-filled sage green eyes meeting his gold.

"Whatever happens to her is nothing short of what she deserves," Willow said in a firm tone, despite the waveriness in her eyes. "It's terrible when people are such...monsters."