Elaine was sitting beneath a tree, a book in hand and a bottle of water laying on its side next to her, forgotten. She was trying to get back into a regular schedule after that nasty secret Gossip Girl had dropped about her and Harry. It wasn't even really the fact that now the whole school knew that they dated - it was the thought that someone could possibly find out about their past with Justin.
There were a lot of ex-criminals at this school, but Elaine didn't want to be reminded of it. Not when Justin had done all those things to her mind.
So she had found a quiet place to read a book for one of her classes, not even bothering wrapping an illusion of invisibility around her.
Ah, here was a familiar face. He never did have the chance to thank her for her compassion and understanding of Nunnally's predicament. Such a selfish woman. Well, he supposed he could get a bit of what she owed him in the form of helping him learn a few things. She may have stumbled upon some kind of clue as to where Nunnally was headed without realizing it. "Excuse me, Elaine," he began, to get her attention. He put an easy smile on his face, as though to set the stage for an apology. "Would you mind if I joined you for a moment?" He gestured to a place in the grass beside her.
She knew that voice. She peered over the edge of her book, blinking up at Lelouch the moment his shadow fell across her. She really did not feel like dealing with him today, on top of everything else that was going on.
She frowned up at him. "What do you want, Lelouch?" Her tone was cool but obviously tired. She may not have wanted him around, but she didn't really feel like arguing with him either.
He didn't let his exasperation with her attitude show, instead, he let it just buffet against him, and he pretended to acknowlege that he deserved her spite. He sat beside her, an appropriate distance between them. "Nunally never did approve of how we didn't quite see eye to eye," he began. He supposed that would be as good of an introduction to his apology scenario as any. Once she was a bit more on board, he'd see what she knew.
She sighed, putting down her book. "Listen. I never had anything against Nunnally - she's a sweet girl. And I appreciated what you were trying to do for her." She shook her head. "It was the way you went about it that irritated me."
She didn't expect him to understand and she wasn't going to apologize for her words or actions towards him the first time they had met. She gave Lelouch a steady look. "But I guess what is, will be."
He nods. "I must owe you an apology for my behavior," he said. Note, he's not currently offering one, he's simply stating that she is owed one. But he had business to attend to first. He pulled off his sunglasses. "Answer my questions, first," he said, meeting her eyes. But this was not going to go according to plan.
"It does go like that sometimes," Elaine murmured dryly and was about to roll her eyes at his command, but-
She knew this, she knew this feeling, she knew what this felt like and he was about to do it again and oh god not again not again
She opened her mouth to respond, but her mind was already leaping ahead, throwing up defenses on the sworn promise to herself that she would never let anyone get inside her head again. A defense of illusion, something that she had learned in those terrible lessons, but something to protect her nonetheless. She wouldn't let him do this, she couldn't let him do this.
The world faded around her to become a quiet, black plane. She still felt the rough bark of the tree behind her back and the grass beneath her and the chilled water bottle resting against her hand. But she didn't see any of them - they had all melted away into an illusion of darkness. But she knew this, she controlled this.
As if in a dream, she turned her head away from where she was looking at Lelouch and wanting to say something,
( ... )
Things just went horribly wrong. Everything around him froze. Before he had an opportunity to properly assess the situation, the ground began to fall away, leaving himself and the tree at the top of a narrow cliff. The sky was dark, cloudy, and lighting jumped between them. A bolt raced down from the sky, and he hand to jump aside to keep it from hitting him. The resulting thunder sounded more like a woman screaming than anything else
( ... )
A migraine pounded furiously against her temples and the bridge of her nose, her vision darkening at the edges as every sound and every sight became absolutely unbearable. Her illusions never hurt her before, even the ones she had created in the mind.
She swayed, biting her bottom lip as she moved away as far as she could from Lelouch. Her next words were laced with fury, barely restrained panic and pain. "Get the hell away from me, you son of a bitch."
How to explain what happened? She couldn't. She didn't want to.
And she was about two seconds away from punching Lelouch in the face. She didn't care if he didn't know what had happened, but she did know what he had tried to do.
She staggered to her feet, grabbing at the tree to steady herself. "You. You tried to-"
So she still knew what he was doing despite that. Alright, he could cope with that. "It was a mistake. I have to watch my words without my sunglasses," which he picked up off the grass, and promptly replaced onto his face. So the rest of it had to have come from her. "It was a mistake. I apologize." Sure, it was an act, but he made sure it was a compelling one.
It didn't make sense - not with what she had seen in that illusion. His words didn't fit with his actions - if he had so much control, if everything was perfectly planned and executed... someone like Lelouch didn't carelessly make mistakes, didn't overlook small things like this.
There were a lot of ex-criminals at this school, but Elaine didn't want to be reminded of it. Not when Justin had done all those things to her mind.
So she had found a quiet place to read a book for one of her classes, not even bothering wrapping an illusion of invisibility around her.
Reply
Reply
She frowned up at him. "What do you want, Lelouch?" Her tone was cool but obviously tired. She may not have wanted him around, but she didn't really feel like arguing with him either.
Reply
Reply
She didn't expect him to understand and she wasn't going to apologize for her words or actions towards him the first time they had met. She gave Lelouch a steady look. "But I guess what is, will be."
Reply
Reply
She knew this, she knew this feeling, she knew what this felt like and he was about to do it again and oh god not again not again
She opened her mouth to respond, but her mind was already leaping ahead, throwing up defenses on the sworn promise to herself that she would never let anyone get inside her head again. A defense of illusion, something that she had learned in those terrible lessons, but something to protect her nonetheless. She wouldn't let him do this, she couldn't let him do this.
The world faded around her to become a quiet, black plane. She still felt the rough bark of the tree behind her back and the grass beneath her and the chilled water bottle resting against her hand. But she didn't see any of them - they had all melted away into an illusion of darkness. But she knew this, she controlled this.
As if in a dream, she turned her head away from where she was looking at Lelouch and wanting to say something, ( ... )
Reply
Reply
A migraine pounded furiously against her temples and the bridge of her nose, her vision darkening at the edges as every sound and every sight became absolutely unbearable. Her illusions never hurt her before, even the ones she had created in the mind.
She swayed, biting her bottom lip as she moved away as far as she could from Lelouch. Her next words were laced with fury, barely restrained panic and pain. "Get the hell away from me, you son of a bitch."
Reply
He could still see that army out of the corner of his eyes. He shook his head, trying to shake the image away.
Reply
And she was about two seconds away from punching Lelouch in the face. She didn't care if he didn't know what had happened, but she did know what he had tried to do.
She staggered to her feet, grabbing at the tree to steady herself. "You. You tried to-"
Reply
Reply
Gray eyes narrowed. "You...are a godawful liar."
And then she swung a fist at his face.
Reply
Leave a comment