(no subject)
Who: Alex and The Other Cho
When: Tuesday Morning, October 7th
Where: Alex's subconscious
A figure walked out of the mists and looked around. It certainly was a foggy day in this close approximation of the Scottish Highlands. She waved a hand dispelling some of the mist. Green rolling hills, grey sky, fog... a loch... and was that a ruined castle up on the hill? Gods, it was like Scotland as envisioned by someone who had never been to Scotland. At least, not in the past 100 years at any rate. There was even a dull droning in the background, like a bagpipe idling. She rolled her eyes.
"Oi, Alex... Come out come out where ever you are...." She turned about, calling after him.
He appeared behind her. "Och, Cho? What do you want?" She turned to face him with a malevolent smile. "Oh, not Cho... Not our Cho... You're that other Cho."
"Yes, I am the Other Cho. I figured it was about time for us to have a chat. I need your help."
"Is that so?" He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, listening.
"Michael is useless to me, Will is useless, even enslaving Sven didn't do me any good. So at last we come to you. Of all the men in my life, I fear and respect you most."
He snorted. "Go on then, pull the other one."
"It's true. Where I come from, you're the one I'm afraid of. You're the sinister one."
"Where you come from?" He scoffed looking vaguely amused and slightly confused.
She laughed. "She's sending you messages, Alex. I can tell now that I'm here... In your mind. You must have figured it out by now, I know you're not as stupid as you pretend to be..."
"Why are you here? In my head?" He looked considerably less amused.
She shrugged. "I thought you'd be feeling left out. Everyone else got so many lovely dreams last year... But you never got any..."
He shrugged dismissively. "I never used to dream very much."
"Of course not." She responded, taking a step closer. "Dream are a special kind of magic we cast on ourselves... and you were made immune... you were special... I could make you special again you know..." She placed her hand on his chest and smiled up at him.
He glowered at her and pulled away. "I don't want to be special."
She threw her arms in the air, shouting. "You were the greatest of them all you ass! You stood toe to toe with Heirs! You are probably the only person in the history of... well... EVER to take on Voldemort one-on-one and LIVE! And you threw it away! You pissed it away! Why? Poor little Alex, didn't like being mistaken for a squib anymore?"
"Shut up!"
"And you didn't even ask your parents why? That's the part that kills me." She started pacing, gesticulating. The fog was thinning. "You've got every reason in the world to suspect your parents dropped one Hell of a charm..."
"It was a curse."
"...on you. And you didn't even ask why? Not a peep. Not a 'Och 'ey ma and da, why the feck did ye fook with ma like tha'? Why cannae nae doo any magick?'" She paused a moment and stopped pacing, turning to face him with a smirk. "Say where is your accent anyway... it's a lot milder in here? More of a slight burr than the full blown mess you usually manage in your attempts to mangle the English language."
"Shut up!"
"It's all a lie isn't it? A fake. A put-on. Why do you pretend? What does it matter?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be caught dead with an accent like that. Running around like some ignorant throwback Northerner." The sky darkened.
"Stop it. Stop it right now." He advanced on her, fists clenched.
"What are you gonna do, caveman? Hit me? Bring it, you great Scottish bastard. You dribbling tartan imbecile. Do your fucking worst."
He did. He reared back and hit her as hard as he could directly in the face. The Other Cho crumpled to the ground her nose exploding with blood. He stood over her, breathing hard, adrenaline roaring in his ears, waiting for her to get up. As he watched her hair went red and her face changed... there was a distinct aroma of strawberries in the air... He shuddered and stepped back. No... No... Not her...
There was a voice in his ear. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Hurting her. Losing her. You were so strong, Alex... So wonderful and strong and noble... and she's all it takes to make you weak..."
He spun and grabbed the Other Cho by the shoulders, shaking her violently. "STOP FUCKING WITH MY HEAD!" He shook her until she came to pieces, dissolving into the fog and coalescing behind him again. He spun around and saw her floating there lazily just out of reach.
"I can make her yours... Forever... You'll never have to worry about how you're not good enough again... No more worries about Max... You'll be out of his shadow forever... Poor hero boy tortured to death... You know how girls are when their first loves are killed tragically... They never really stop loving them, I know I didn't... Or maybe you'd like Jade? I know you enjoy her company where I'm from... Maybe we can get you your Adeline back... I know you miss her... Or Padma... A big boy like you needs a harem, doesn't he? So why choose?"
He sunk to his knees, holding his head. "STOP IT. LEAVE ME ALONE!" He was sobbing. "I am good enough, I am! She loves me, dammit! I don't want Adeline back, I never want to see her again!"
She knelt in front on him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really? Really>? You never want to see her again? Why do I doubt that?"
"She left me. Without a word. She got bored of me... of everything... and left."
"Hurts doesn't it. Must be Hell being so dull." She stood, sneering. "Kat will leave you eventually too. She'll get bored of you. Same way Addy left... Or you'll get bored and let some other lassie catch your eye... and you'll hurt her like you did Padma... Or she'll figure out that you're just using her, like Natasha... or she'll figure out how worthless you are... Like that girl at Lothlorien... The one from Montreal. The one who was so cute and sweet and shy and almost got teased as much as you did for not being able to speak English. The one who's brother beat the shit out of you because a squib wasn't good enough to talk to his sister. What was her name?"
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD." He howled.
"No one ever asks you about Lothlorien, do they? I mean at least there's a few people here who know about Durmstrang and how miserable you were there... But no one asks about Lothlorien... Or Scotland before that..."
"I don't like talking about myself."
"Because there's nothing to talk about! It's almost like your life didn't start until you came to Hogwarts. No one asks, because no one cares."
He stood up snarling. "I WAS A NOBODY UNTIL I GOT HERE. I WAS NOTHING. My life didn't start until I came to Hogwarts..."
She took a step closer. "Guess what, sweetheart. You still are nothing. You threw away what made you special. If the Alex of my world knew about you, you'd make him sick. And then he'd kill you. Like he's killed so many others. But no, not you... not our weak little Alex. All full of self-pity and self-loathing. No confidence, no self-esteem. Hell, you make me sick. I hate you and I hate your weakness... But because of Adeline you've still got some connection to my home... And I need to exploit it. You're my last hope... And in return I'll give you anything you want... Hell, I'll give you everything you want. Just. Say. Yes." She smiled and bobbed a little closer to him.
He looked down at her. "You know what I want? Ye ken what Ah want?" His eyes were red and tears were running down his face. "Ah want ye to go feck yuirself." He smiled and emphasized each word by poking her in the chest. "Go feck yuirself, ye great one-eyed coonte."
She laughed. "Bravo. If that's how you want it, Alex." and she was swallowed by the fog, leaving him alone.
When: Tuesday Morning, October 7th
Where: Alex's subconscious
A figure walked out of the mists and looked around. It certainly was a foggy day in this close approximation of the Scottish Highlands. She waved a hand dispelling some of the mist. Green rolling hills, grey sky, fog... a loch... and was that a ruined castle up on the hill? Gods, it was like Scotland as envisioned by someone who had never been to Scotland. At least, not in the past 100 years at any rate. There was even a dull droning in the background, like a bagpipe idling. She rolled her eyes.
"Oi, Alex... Come out come out where ever you are...." She turned about, calling after him.
He appeared behind her. "Och, Cho? What do you want?" She turned to face him with a malevolent smile. "Oh, not Cho... Not our Cho... You're that other Cho."
"Yes, I am the Other Cho. I figured it was about time for us to have a chat. I need your help."
"Is that so?" He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, listening.
"Michael is useless to me, Will is useless, even enslaving Sven didn't do me any good. So at last we come to you. Of all the men in my life, I fear and respect you most."
He snorted. "Go on then, pull the other one."
"It's true. Where I come from, you're the one I'm afraid of. You're the sinister one."
"Where you come from?" He scoffed looking vaguely amused and slightly confused.
She laughed. "She's sending you messages, Alex. I can tell now that I'm here... In your mind. You must have figured it out by now, I know you're not as stupid as you pretend to be..."
"Why are you here? In my head?" He looked considerably less amused.
She shrugged. "I thought you'd be feeling left out. Everyone else got so many lovely dreams last year... But you never got any..."
He shrugged dismissively. "I never used to dream very much."
"Of course not." She responded, taking a step closer. "Dream are a special kind of magic we cast on ourselves... and you were made immune... you were special... I could make you special again you know..." She placed her hand on his chest and smiled up at him.
He glowered at her and pulled away. "I don't want to be special."
She threw her arms in the air, shouting. "You were the greatest of them all you ass! You stood toe to toe with Heirs! You are probably the only person in the history of... well... EVER to take on Voldemort one-on-one and LIVE! And you threw it away! You pissed it away! Why? Poor little Alex, didn't like being mistaken for a squib anymore?"
"Shut up!"
"And you didn't even ask your parents why? That's the part that kills me." She started pacing, gesticulating. The fog was thinning. "You've got every reason in the world to suspect your parents dropped one Hell of a charm..."
"It was a curse."
"...on you. And you didn't even ask why? Not a peep. Not a 'Och 'ey ma and da, why the feck did ye fook with ma like tha'? Why cannae nae doo any magick?'" She paused a moment and stopped pacing, turning to face him with a smirk. "Say where is your accent anyway... it's a lot milder in here? More of a slight burr than the full blown mess you usually manage in your attempts to mangle the English language."
"Shut up!"
"It's all a lie isn't it? A fake. A put-on. Why do you pretend? What does it matter?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be caught dead with an accent like that. Running around like some ignorant throwback Northerner." The sky darkened.
"Stop it. Stop it right now." He advanced on her, fists clenched.
"What are you gonna do, caveman? Hit me? Bring it, you great Scottish bastard. You dribbling tartan imbecile. Do your fucking worst."
He did. He reared back and hit her as hard as he could directly in the face. The Other Cho crumpled to the ground her nose exploding with blood. He stood over her, breathing hard, adrenaline roaring in his ears, waiting for her to get up. As he watched her hair went red and her face changed... there was a distinct aroma of strawberries in the air... He shuddered and stepped back. No... No... Not her...
There was a voice in his ear. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Hurting her. Losing her. You were so strong, Alex... So wonderful and strong and noble... and she's all it takes to make you weak..."
He spun and grabbed the Other Cho by the shoulders, shaking her violently. "STOP FUCKING WITH MY HEAD!" He shook her until she came to pieces, dissolving into the fog and coalescing behind him again. He spun around and saw her floating there lazily just out of reach.
"I can make her yours... Forever... You'll never have to worry about how you're not good enough again... No more worries about Max... You'll be out of his shadow forever... Poor hero boy tortured to death... You know how girls are when their first loves are killed tragically... They never really stop loving them, I know I didn't... Or maybe you'd like Jade? I know you enjoy her company where I'm from... Maybe we can get you your Adeline back... I know you miss her... Or Padma... A big boy like you needs a harem, doesn't he? So why choose?"
He sunk to his knees, holding his head. "STOP IT. LEAVE ME ALONE!" He was sobbing. "I am good enough, I am! She loves me, dammit! I don't want Adeline back, I never want to see her again!"
She knelt in front on him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really? Really>? You never want to see her again? Why do I doubt that?"
"She left me. Without a word. She got bored of me... of everything... and left."
"Hurts doesn't it. Must be Hell being so dull." She stood, sneering. "Kat will leave you eventually too. She'll get bored of you. Same way Addy left... Or you'll get bored and let some other lassie catch your eye... and you'll hurt her like you did Padma... Or she'll figure out that you're just using her, like Natasha... or she'll figure out how worthless you are... Like that girl at Lothlorien... The one from Montreal. The one who was so cute and sweet and shy and almost got teased as much as you did for not being able to speak English. The one who's brother beat the shit out of you because a squib wasn't good enough to talk to his sister. What was her name?"
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD." He howled.
"No one ever asks you about Lothlorien, do they? I mean at least there's a few people here who know about Durmstrang and how miserable you were there... But no one asks about Lothlorien... Or Scotland before that..."
"I don't like talking about myself."
"Because there's nothing to talk about! It's almost like your life didn't start until you came to Hogwarts. No one asks, because no one cares."
He stood up snarling. "I WAS A NOBODY UNTIL I GOT HERE. I WAS NOTHING. My life didn't start until I came to Hogwarts..."
She took a step closer. "Guess what, sweetheart. You still are nothing. You threw away what made you special. If the Alex of my world knew about you, you'd make him sick. And then he'd kill you. Like he's killed so many others. But no, not you... not our weak little Alex. All full of self-pity and self-loathing. No confidence, no self-esteem. Hell, you make me sick. I hate you and I hate your weakness... But because of Adeline you've still got some connection to my home... And I need to exploit it. You're my last hope... And in return I'll give you anything you want... Hell, I'll give you everything you want. Just. Say. Yes." She smiled and bobbed a little closer to him.
He looked down at her. "You know what I want? Ye ken what Ah want?" His eyes were red and tears were running down his face. "Ah want ye to go feck yuirself." He smiled and emphasized each word by poking her in the chest. "Go feck yuirself, ye great one-eyed coonte."
She laughed. "Bravo. If that's how you want it, Alex." and she was swallowed by the fog, leaving him alone.