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Vaughn Davis ([info]shebringscurses) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-04-06 02:04:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:black forest witch, cinderella

Who: Vaughn & Hannah.
What: Playdate at the park.
When: The day before her lunchdate with Mr. Hook.
Warnings: None? TBA.


The sun finally came out today.

While Vaughn was preferential to darkness on most occasions, the rarity of sunbeams was enough to pry her loose from her first floor den of secrets and cast her out into the world. It was just one of those days that even a witch wouldn't dream of denying.

Because she was becoming The Witch, Vaughn was more certain of this than ever. There was a rising tide of emptiness inside of her, she felt it's black marker crawling higher and higher like a thermostat. Like a Doomsday clock.

She'd realized it on the night in Shane's apartment. Amidst all that blood, and Daniel. It was like being able to separate herself from.. well, herself. Vaughn had wanted to destroy the wolf for what he'd done, and Vaughn had wanted to claw Ella to pieces for her betrayal, and Vaughn had wanted to even kick Daniel while he was down.. but she'd done none of those things. For the sake of self preservation, yes. Because she'd been Kate at the time, and all of those things would have been very unsatisfactory for Kate to do. But also because it had been almost.. easy to turn it off. To blink the Vaughn part of her back.

The Witch understood revenge, but not in terms of anger or jealousy.. the Witch was a cold, calculated thing. Revenge was equal parts punishment and curiosity; The Witch wanted to see them all suffer. It would be quite beautiful.

During the course of her musing, Vaughn walked to the park. It was not very far, and her steps seemed to naturally lead her there. While she was far from the outdoorsy type -- she did not like dirt, or sand, or leaves -- she liked it here. There was a quietness here that wasn't found in most parts of the city. Plus, she could smoke here. Not like cafes or bookstores or any of those facist, modern institutions.

Vaughn lit a cigarette, and loosened the brass buttons of her denim jacket, as she strolled down a path.



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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-06 06:44 am UTC (link)
Hannah had been taking Gabriel for walks around the block during the past week or so, mainly because the weather hadn't been as predictable or warm as she would have liked. She didn't mind winter - especially the snow - but she was about ready for spring to finally make itself known. When she woke up to the sun pouring through the slanted shutters in her bedroom, she knew that today was going to be a good day. The bright rays were a sign of a fresh start, the transition from the icy hibernation to a slow reawakening. It sounded almost sickeningly optimistic, but she was trying to avoid looking on the darker side of things these days.

It wasn't very far to the park, and Gabriel tugged at his leash the whole way, overflowing with an abundance of energy and exuberance that only animals seemed to possess. The air was considerably warmer than previous days, although a light breeze made her attire of jeans and a thin sweater perfectly bearable. Hannah decided to let her dog off his leash for a bit, since there didn't seem to be many people around, and let him finally get some proper exercise. He was too small and friendly to hurt anyone, so she didn't have to worry about that.

Perhaps he was a bit too friendly, though. All it took was a moment's distraction and Gabriel was off like a shot, determined to make friends with the first person he met - who just so happened to be a woman in a denim jacket and holding a cigarette, heading towards them on the path from the opposite side. Tail wagging furiously, he circled around the woman's legs, occasionally stopping to bump his head against her in an attempt to be petted.

Hannah bit back a groan and hurried towards them, offering the woman an apologetic smile. She hadn't gotten a decent look at Vaughn the night she'd met her, and there wasn't the slightest flicker of recognition as she looked at her now. "I'm sorry. My dog - he's very excitable."

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-06 08:00 pm UTC (link)
Surprises come in all shapes and sizes.

While the park had been far from uninhabited, it was still early enough to be populated mostly by joggers and pigeons. Which is why, when Vaughn saw something bounding toward her from the outskirts of her periphery, she wasn't necessarily alarmed. She expected the cardio-conscious or maybe a rogue bird.. but.. it was a dog. Vaughn took one last pull from her cigarette before flicking it into the grass when the animal arrived on a crest of excitement and pawed at her black denim'd legs.

It might have had something to do with the warm weather, but Vaughn was amused by the creature rather than bothered. She dropped into a crouch on her booted heels and let the animal sniff and lick at her hand, laughing. The sound of rushing footsteps drew her attention then, and she tilted her head, shielding her eyes from the sunbeams that haloed Hannah.

Hannah. Vaughn recognized her instantly - as she remembered everything from that night with a prickling clarity. Although, the sun practically blinded her, and Vaughn dropped her attention back to the dog. She ran her hand behind it's ears with an amused, self-aware smile falling into place.

"What's his name?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-06 11:00 pm UTC (link)
Some people weren't very fond of animals, she knew, especially not wiggling balls of energy that seemed intent on licking any body part they came into contact with. Hannah steeled herself for some kind of snappy response, but once she saw that the woman didn't seem to mind, her smile became less of a formality and more genuine.

"Gabriel." She stuck her hands in her pockets, watching her scratch behind the dog's ears. "Like the archangel, as silly as it sounds." Her guard was slightly lowered here - Bellum was like a whole separate world, and she didn't want the outside world here to be contaminated by what went on within it. Besides, with the sun shining like this, things seemed a little less hopeless than they had before.

"I'm Hannah," she offered impulsively, before she lost her nerve entirely. "Do you have any pets?"

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-07 12:45 am UTC (link)
"Gabriel," she repeated with a smile as the dog went bananas with further bouts of excitement. Vaughn didn't dislike animals, just the neediness that came with them. Other people's pets were fine, but she wasn't going on a rescue mission to the pound any time soon. Even Aaron's puppy wasn't minded - it helped her understand the importance of pets for people. They were a blinded love kind of companionship - a best friend for the lonely or untrusting.

When Hannah asked about Vaughn's own pets, she stood with a smile that seemed keen and genuine. Her thoughts went to Daniel, to Boyd. "A couple."

Her eyes were like shards of glass - in the sunlight, colors were found in them that couldn't typically be seen. Parts of blue in the gray, a touch of violet bleeding out from the pupil. "I know who you are, Hannah."

There went that smile again.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-07 02:09 am UTC (link)
Hannah pressed her lips together in an effort to keep back a giggle at Gabriel's excitement - just his name being spoken was enough to send him into near hysterics. She figured he would lose a lot of his excess energy as he got older, and she supposed she should be grateful that he wasn't one of those puppies that barked all the time. Somehow, she doubted her neighbors would take kindly to that.

Asking what kind of pets the woman had seemed a bit much, but she was at least expecting a return introduction. What she wasn't expecting was for the woman to recognize her, and her own smile wavered slightly.

"You do?" Her voice was polite, masking the faint stirrings of suspicion beneath it. "Oh, I'm sorry - have we met before?" Hannah didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but if need be she was sure she could get away - she wasn't trapped in an apartment this time. If she ran, Gabriel would follow, and surely she'd be able to find someone before the woman could catch up.

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-07 02:55 am UTC (link)
"Yes," Vaughn said as she dusted her hands onto the faded fronts of her jeans. She seemed oblivious to the concern that crested in Hannah's eyes, the way she withdrew her smile in wariness. But, of course, Vaughn was rarely oblivious to anything.

"On the stairs," she murmured as her gaze drifted in the direction of Bellum. She could not see the building from here, but there was a compass inside of her that knew where it was no matter how far into this park she'd walked. The memory stirred loose a small smile when her focus weaved back to Hannah, "I'm Vaughn."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-07 03:21 am UTC (link)
Hannah tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out if she could place the woman. She hadn't met everyone in the building, so she supposed she could be a resident - maybe the woman had recognized her name? The forums might explain that, but Hannah wasn't exactly an uncommon name.

"On the stairs?" She followed the woman's gaze, her puzzled frown slowly disappearing once she gaze her name. Vaughn. The woman Boyd had warned her about was here, but this time they weren't fairy tale characters - they were just themselves.

"Oh." Hannah knew she probably should have just run right then and there, but Vaughn seemed harmless enough right now. Besides, they were in a public place - maybe if she could somehow convince the woman that she didn't believe all the rumors, it might end up being a good thing in the future. "I remember. It's nice to finally meet you in person - properly, at least."

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-07 04:58 am UTC (link)
While Hannah seemed momentarily taken aback and confused at the notion that Vaughn knew her, the witch was pleased to at least see that she didn't appear to be overly alarmed or suspicious. It was an interesting change of pace. "Yes," she agreed absentmindedly when Hannah mentioned how nice it was for them to finally meet properly. Her eyes scraped the skyline, and thought twisted her brows into an arched knit before attention befell Hannah once more.

"Did you ever find your prince?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-07 05:39 am UTC (link)
Although she wanted to reattach Gabriel's leash, she thought it might be a too obvious a display of suspicion, so she tried to appear as calm and relaxed as she could instead. If they'd met under different circumstances, maybe somewhere less public, Hannah would have seen more reason to worry.

"No... I didn't." She wished she'd had enough sense to keep quiet, or at least manage to keep her memories straight. It was frustrating to try to remember exactly what she'd said - with any luck most of it hadn't made sense to Vaughn. "Did you find who you were looking for?"

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-07 06:58 pm UTC (link)
"Yes, and no.." Vaughn tucked spindle boned hands into her front pockets, pulling at worn black denim as she pivoted loosely on her heels. She glanced down the long stretch of paved park trail as if waiting for someone to come walking out of the trees, but nobody did. She ground the toe of her boot into the grass and sighed, "Sometimes people just aren't who you thought they were, yeah?"

Her eyes were still focused down the trail that stretched further into the park, and Vaughn seemed to have made her mind up about something. Deceptively thin shoulders drew up into an impartial shrug, "Walk with me, Hannah and Gabriel?" Gabriel certainly seemed down, he was still bounding around and panting cheerfully.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-07 08:21 pm UTC (link)
'Yes and no' wasn't a very comforting answer, but then again Hannah still didn't know who, or what, Vaughn had been searching for that night. She'd heard about the vampire and the wolf attack over the forums, but she was certain neither of them was her. It still didn't make sense - if she was a witch like they said, why wouldn't she have cast a spell on Cinderella or something? That was what witches did in fairy tales; they were hardly ever merciful or kind. Her question hit too close to home for her to deny, so instead she nodded. "Yeah."

Her wariness clashed with her curiosity, but the latter won out when Vaughn asked her to walk. "Alright." Gabriel's agreement didn't need to be voiced, since it was clear the dog would go anywhere within walking distance. Hannah took the opportunity to clip his leash onto his collar, beginning to follow the other woman down the trail.

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-07 10:13 pm UTC (link)
Although the sun was bright, it wasn't yet hot enough out to be uncomfortable. They were pitched in the epicenter of a perfect spring. Everything seemed green and lush; and if not for the distant blare of car horns, the city could have been miles away at the moment. Vaughn lit another cigarette, the snap of a silver lighter introducing curls of mentolated smoke into the Earthy air. There was something to be said about second-hand smoke, it looked so beautifully mysterious for a poison.

"When did you move into Bellum?" She asked conversationally. Vaughn made a point of keeping track of what kinds of people came and went in Bellum, but many of the less dangerous ones were put on the back shelf of her interest. Toys to play with on a lazy day, just like this.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-08 02:22 am UTC (link)
Hannah watched her curiously, having heard so much about her that it almost seemed impossible that she was actually taking a walk with Vaughn, the woman who'd managed to throw the building into near hysterics over and over. She looked fairly normal, but she knew better than most that appearances could be the most deceiving guise of all.

"About three months ago, give or take." It's an estimate, accompanied by a small shrug. "It doesn't sound like a lot, but somehow it seems longer than that." She'd managed to stay under the radar for quite a while, which had suited her just fine. "How long have you lived there?"

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-08 03:10 am UTC (link)
Vaughn tried to remember what was happening three months ago when Hannah had moved in. It was difficult to place everything on a timeline - events blurred together so well inside the walls of Bellum. It all became one long, unending and rickety ride of chaos and blood. When Hannah mentioned how her stay in the building seemed much longer than it was, Vaughn smiled. The expression was ghosted with a knowledge that said she'd felt the same way once upon a time.

"Around three years.." Might as well have been a lifetime, really. She was reborn inside those walls. The Vaughn that had existed in the outside world wasn't exactly who she was today. She'd changed. It was all because of the building, though - Vaughn understood that. When she went outside, she sometimes didn't feel as strong, as wonderfully unstoppable, as she did on the inside. ".. longer than most," she continued thoughtfully as they walked on.

"You enjoy it?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-08 03:51 am UTC (link)
"Three years?" She couldn't keep all of the surprise out of her voice, realizing how foolish it was to not have realized that there must have been people who'd lived there for that long. Had it always been so crazy, even years before she'd ever considered finding her own apartment - even while she'd still been stuck in a mental institution miles away? "Was it... were things always so strange, even then?" Vaughn might not have been the best person to ask, but Hannah didn't know anyone else who'd lived there that long.

Enjoy it? She shrugged again, tugging on Gabriel's leash when he tried to pull too far ahead. "It's alright." There was no need to mention that it was only the second apartment building she'd lived in, or why that was in the first place. "Some of the people are nicer than others - the anonymous posts are proof of that. It's... well, it's a place to live, I guess."

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-08 05:03 am UTC (link)
"No," she mused with a thoughtful tightening of those ghostland eyes. This was a subject that Vaughn had debated over for some time. Why did all of these events happen now, and never before? Was it possible that this magic wasn't because of the building at all, and only someone newly inside of it? "Things were fairly.. uneventful once."

Her smile was sketched in bad luck, but strangely playful when she turned to Hannah when she mentioned some people in Bellum being nice. "You've made some friends, then?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-08 05:28 am UTC (link)
"I wonder what changed it," she mused, realizing too late that she'd spoken aloud. The building was only beginning its descent into chaos when she was moving in, and it seemed that things had only gotten worse from there. "Maybe there wasn't enough people, or..." Or it was one person who pushed it into motion. "Well, I don't really know."

This was dangerous territory, but Hannah knew she couldn't make it obvious that this particular topic unsettled her. "A few, I guess. Mostly they're just acquaintances - people I talk to over the forums, but that's about it. I haven't really been involved with any of the more... dramatic happenings in the building." Which was just fine by her, thanks. "Things get blown way out of proportion, I think."

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-08 05:46 am UTC (link)
"Maybe.." The word crested on an almost dreamy and skeptical sigh. It wasn't something that Vaughn thought about very often anymore. It was one of the questions that would likely never have a true answer. Besides, the why of it all hardly mattered. It was here now.

There was a slight tilt of her raven crowned head as Hannah skated gently over the thin ice topic of her friends. No names were mentioned, but Vaughn didn't pursue the subject. Instead, her focus drove out over the trees and sky once more, quiet for a few heartbeats before she spoke. "You're not like the others, Hannah."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-08 06:03 am UTC (link)
If Vaughn knew anything above what the general population did, it was very doubtful that she was going to be willing enough to share it. Besides, it was more likely that the owner of the building or the now-absent landlord would be the one to really know what was going on and why.

Hannah was expecting some sort of follow-up question, maybe a careless mention of names or apartment numbers in an attempt to determine who her 'acquaintances' were and if they had any in common. What she got instead surprised her, and she turned her head to fully look at her. "The others? Who do you mean?" She could have meant the horrible ones, full of gossip and spite, or... well, she could have meant Boyd.

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-08 07:45 pm UTC (link)
"You helped me," she offered the explanation at the urge of Hannah's surprised question. The answer seemed fairly obviously to Vaughn. When a strong percentage of the building would have gleefully seen her on the wrong end of a hatchet, Hannah had assisted her up the stairs. The fact that Hannah had not been herself, or exactly known that she was helping Vaughn at the time didn't seem to matter.

Vaughn always remembered the people that were kind to her. Like Aaron, like Hannah. Ella had once been in that elite pool, but.. things changed. Even being one of her favorites didn't save them from the black edge of her cruelty - her sister would have to learn that the hard way.

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-08 08:10 pm UTC (link)
She decided not to point out the fact that she hadn't known who Vaughn was at the time, or that Cinderella was far too good-natured to have done anything but help her up the stairs. Hannah knew that there were people in the building who wanted Vaughn dead, but she wasn't one of them. She didn't think she was capable of murder, nor could she fathom actually wanting someone to be killed. That didn't mean she thought the woman deserved to get away consequence-free, however.

"Well, you needed help," she said carefully. "Some people might have... done differently, but you've never done anything to me. In fact, you were nice to me." Hannah realized it didn't technically count, since Vaughn hadn't been herself either, and that hurting Boyd was bad enough. She also knew this was dangerous, but it was better than getting on her bad side right away.

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-09 12:22 am UTC (link)
Kindness was a rarity these days. Vaughn, better than some, understood just how rare it really was. How difficult it was. The unreasonably kind were the true martyrs; being nice could be such a sacrifice.

She nodded thoughtfully when Hannah mentioned how she'd needed help on the stairs. Not exactly, but the message was there in full. "And I hope that one day if you need help, Hannah, you'll come to me."

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-09 08:06 am UTC (link)
All she needed was to owe Vaughn a favor, but she nodded nonetheless. Hannah knew she looked naive and innocent - sometimes she even acted that way without even realizing it. She'd never been the sort of person to use it in a manipulative way, but if the woman thought she was willing to keep an open mind about things instead of jump to conclusions, what could it hurt?

So Hannah offered a grateful smile, tilting her head to the side as though she wasn't used to people offering their help. "Thank you, Vaughn. I'll do that." She wasn't about to make the same offer, so instead she distracted herself by looking at the scenery around them.

"It feels good to get out of there, even if just for a while." It came out suddenly before she could think to filter her words, but she suspected that Vaughn probably felt the same way.

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-10 05:34 am UTC (link)
Vaughn nodded with that same absentee attention she'd been crowned with for this entire visit. Celestial eyes always skirting the horizon in a keen mixture of awe and wariness. It was nice to get out of there, even for just a while.. yes. She could see how people would think so. But already, Vaughn was itching to get back. The further away from Bellum she was, the less she felt that magic in her bones.

"Mm," she murmured on a touch of smoke, agreeable, whilst flicking her cigarette into the grass. Hannah was distracted with the pleasantry of the scenery, and Vaughn used that moment to step up and catch the side of the princess' cheek with one pale palm. Already quite tall, Vaughn didn't even need to stretch onto her toes to deposit a saccharine sweet kiss to the top of that blond head.

"I'm glad we talked, Hannah.. goodbye.." With that, she turned on her boots and starting back down the path in the direction that they'd come. But, after a few feet, Vaughn turned again, there was a question twisting up her expression into something interested and therefore unfamiliar.

"Meet me here next week?"

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[info]noglass_slipper
2010-04-10 07:14 am UTC (link)
She was beginning to think that this wasn't going too badly, really - Vaughn seemed sane enough, which probably meant she only went after people if she had reason to. It wasn't exactly comforting, but it was something. The hand on her cheek surprised her, but before she could accomplish more than a sharp turn of her head the kiss had already been given. It caught her off guard, but she resisted the urge to pull away.

"So am I." Hannah even managed another smile, swallowing heavily when Vaughn turned and began to walk away. Her confidence was faltering, and Boyd's warning echoed in her mind louder than ever. Maybe she should have just run in the first place.

She knew she couldn't say no to her request, so she nodded. "Alright. I'll be here."

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[info]shebringscurses
2010-04-11 05:18 am UTC (link)
When Hannah confirmed their future date, Vaughn beamed. There was a draw of thin shoulders, in one of those joyful and effortless shrugs. Then, she turned down the path and continued her way back to Bellum humming.

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