layla 'double betrayla' fairbourne (boundless) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-01-12 19:07:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | alicia spinnet, layla fairbourne |
WHO: Alicia Spinnet and Layla Fairbourne.
WHAT: Typical Girl’s Night In: Drinks, Moana, Betrayal.
WHEN: Tonight! 12 January, night -> morning 13 January.
WHERE: Angelicia’s place!
WARNINGS: Torture -- Cruciatus curse.
The tip of Layla’s wand glowed blue as the tracking spell took hold. The same glow echoed on Alicia’s favourite coat for a split second, and the witch looked over her shoulder again. Her friend was still gone, but her presence still hung heavy. Because Layla knew what this was. Betrayal. More of it, and the guilt was cloying. Still, she didn’t particularly have a choice. Either she did this, or someone else did. That didn’t make her feel less like sub-witch scum, however, but nor did she really want to feel better. It was good that it hurt so much, she reasoned. It meant she still cared. Without a doubt, she cared. The process repeated itself on a few more personal items, and then the sound of footsteps returning brought her up to her full height. A ruffle of her robes placed her wand back in the pocket of her jeans as she turned around. A few paces and then she flopped down on the couch. “Sorry, what was that?” Alicia popped her head through the door and grinned at her friend. She inclined her head toward the mobile in her hand to indicate she had someone on the other end. “What do you want on your pizza?” she asked again, holding her hand over the receiver. “The usual?” “Of course the usual — or whatever, you know?” Layla peeked up over the back of the couch to see her friend. “Just no anchovies. I’m not that daring!” She plucked the remote from the coffee table and navigated to Netflix, because of course. “What’s your poison tonight?” Alicia mumbled a few words into the phone before she hung up and rounded the sofa to slide into a seat next to Layla. “Hmmm,” she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Let’s skip the poison and go for something nourishing. Moana? One for the soul?” “Haven’t even seen it yet,” Layla admitted, still feeling the roils of guilt. Although not over not having seen Moana, of course. When did she get so… so… good at lying? The answer was easy: Layla didn’t have a choice but to continue the act. If she didn’t, none of this would exist. And the rest of the Death Eaters wouldn’t hesitate to be a lot more heavy handed than she was. “Consider your soul nourished.” Layla selected the program, and then looked over at her friend as she tried to smooth her feelings internally. It was weak at best, and she covered by bringing up her fist in a challenge. “Rock, parchment, cutting-spell to see who has to answer the door for food and make drinks?” “Ugh,” Alicia groaned, sinking into the sofa. The weeks’ worth of broken sleep was starting to catch up with her and despite having done nothing out of the ordinary that day, her exhaustion crept in as soon as she’d sat down. “Can’t you just volunteer?” But she held her fist up and slanted a tired grin at her friend anyway. That weary look hit home, and Layla quickly swallowed the lump in her throat as she raised her fist. “On three.” Although, she should just volunteer… but she had to feign some ignorance, naturally. Layla’s fist stayed as it was. Good ol’ rock. Alicia held her hand out straight and let out a snort when she saw the results. “Every time,” she said, clapping her palm down on top of Layla’s rock. “You never learn.” “What the hell,” Layla sighed as Alicia’s hand covered her own. “Maybe you should stop going with the Ravenclaw option,” she chided, pushing herself up off the couch. “But fine, fair is fair. These are going to be doubles, mind you.” “Saving yourself a second trip?” Alicia asked, propping herself up on the arm of the sofa to watch her friend head to the kitchen. “Who’s the Ravenclaw now?” Raising a hand to point accusingly at Alicia for her grievous slight, Layla paused, and then snorted in amusement. “I suppose you could call it a mix. Saving a second trip, but also going hard right away.” “A very Gryffinclaw solution,” Alicia said with a laugh. “I’ll accept that, this time,” Layla accepted, sounding much more put upon than she felt at the situation. “Besides, who wants to be able to walk after Moana?” “Trust me,” Alicia called to her. “You’re going to be crying your eyes out too much to walk by the time this is over.” Layla’s head re-appeared in the doorway. “Spinnet,” she said, letting the surname sink in, “I never cry.” Alicia grinned. “Moana’s going to melt even your cold heart. I’m telling you. Mark my words. Just you wait.” She waved a hand impatiently. “All those things.” “All those things?” Layla’s disembodied voice came from the kitchen along with the clinking of bottles and glasses as she went to work. The mixology portion of potions was so much more fun than… well, any of the rest. She continued, “I’ll have you know I’m stone cold. ‘Nary’ an emotion in me, as my gran used to say. Because who else would say ‘nary’?” “A massive nerd,” Alicia raised her voice to answer. “I’ll remind you how stone cold you are whilst you’re slobbering all over your sleeves.” Laughter flooded out through the doorway. “Well, gran was a Ravenclaw. I dunno how, mind you.” A few moments later Layla returned carrying two Screwdrivers. It was apparent from the smell of vodka how strong they were. Setting both glasses down on the table, Layla shrugged, “I’m like the rock. No tears.” “That’s what you think now,” Alicia teased as she took one of the drinks. She wrinkled her nose at the strong smell but took a sip anyway, only to recoil with a wince. “You weren’t kidding about these!” “What can Moana do to me?” Layla boasted, taking a decent sip of her own beverage and wrinkled her face. “Okay, so I went a little overboard, but on the other hand after a few more sips you won’t notice so much.” “Cheers to that,” Alicia said, tipping her drink in Layla’s direction before she took another sip. “And there’s a box of tissues next to you for when you’re reading to admit I’m right,” she added with a smirk. Then reaching for the remove, she settled in next to her and started the film. “Do it,” the Death Eater hissed. Layla made no move to attack the bound and gagged victims in front of her. Too paralyzed, too shocked and horrified to consider it. “Do it, or I will. We will.” Francine — face bloody and streaked with tears — shook her head. In defiance or fear, Layla couldn’t tell. Beside her Angelina, Alicia, and Katie also struggled, not wanting to give an inch. And Layla was helpless. “Do it!” the Death Eater commanded. “I can’t, I won’t, they don’t deserve—” Layla’s pleas were cut short and drowned by the Death Eater’s Cruciatus Curse striking Alicia, and her howling — screaming — in pain even through the gag. She felt sick, she turned her head in an attempt to avoid the scene— There were more Death Eaters now, coming up behind her. Masked, but Layla could feel their disdain and disappointment. Alicia had stopped screaming, but was sobbing more heavily now. Francine and Angelina looked murderous. Katie — she couldn’t look at Katie. “Stop, just stop,” Layla pleaded, her voice coming across weak despite the charms on her own mask. “As if you have a choice, Fairbourne.” In the moment the name graced her friends’ ears, Layla knew that they’d been hurt far more than anything she could do with her wand. Layla awoke atop Alicia’s bed with a loud sob, mid-thrash from the nightmare she’d been having. Her breath was heavy, and fresh tears welled in her eyes that she moved to wipe off on her sleeve. Alicia heard the noise from where she’d fallen asleep on the sofa and stumbled around the corner a moment later. Her eyes went wide when she saw Layla, and she was beside her in a flash, a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you’re okay,” she said, her voice soft, reassuring. “It’s okay. You’re safe.” It was clear that Layla wasn’t sure what to do at that precise juncture. Recoil and flee, knowing she was a danger to her good friend, or — fuck it. Whether Alicia was expecting it or not, Layla reached an arm around her back and pulled her into a tight hug as soon as she’d sat up. Tears be damned. “It wasn’t a Moana dream,” she joked, trying to add any sort of lightheartedness to the situation. Alicia’s arms went tightly around her and she hooked her chin over Layla’s shoulder. She’d been in this position so many times before that it took a long moment for her to realize — she’d had a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks. It was Layla who’d had a nightmare in her room this time. “It was a dream though, wasn’t it?” she asked in a hushed voice. “A bad one, right?” And then Layla’s brain, no longer clouded by the copious amounts of alcohol she’d consumed the night prior or by the fresh nightmare, finally clicked. She glared daggers at the innocuous bunny sitting on Alicia’s dresser despite knowing, of course, she deserved every second of what had transpired. “Yeah,” she answered still resting on Alicia’s shoulder. “It was pretty horrible.” Layla actually sniffled. “You saw no tears.” “Nope, didn’t see anything,” Alicia said, lingering in Layla’s embrace a bit longer before she pulled back to look at her. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her friend’s face before she admitted, “I’ve been having them too. Every night.” Hearing this straight up while being comforted only twisted the knife in Layla’s heart more. She shook her head in attempt to clear it, and then looked Alicia straight in the eye. It was time to abandon this. Layla knew she couldn’t keep this up. “That’s not natural,” she said, features creasing in concern. “Or like, — what about last night?” Alicia swallowed. “Not last night,” she said and cast a wary look around her room. “You don’t think — could it be something —” And then Alicia shook her head, because the thought was ridiculous. “I don’t know.” “I don’t know,” Layla echoed, following Alicia’s looks around the room. “I don’t normally have nightmares, I mean like, who does? I’m sorry you are though, really.” Her voice crackled as she said the last bit, meaning it so intensely. She sighed heavily, trying to calm herself more and failing. After a moment, she added, “Try sleeping on the couch again tonight?” Alicia nodded slowly. “I thought it was just stress, you know?” “Yeah, that’d make sense.” Who wasn’t stressed? “It sounds well… weird, but we’ll figure it out, okay?” Layla reached out and squeezed Alicia’s hand in support. “Okay,” Alicia said, nodding again. At once she felt relieved at the possibility this wasn’t just her slowly losing her mind, concerned that something of hers might be causing it, and guilty for her friend having to suffer through it to figure out even that much. “Until then…” She gave the room one more suspicious look. “Let’s get out of here.” Layla didn’t need to be told twice. She wiped her eyes once more on the sleeve of her free arm, and then nodded. “Yeah, let’s go get hangover food. My treat.” At the words ‘hangover food’, Alicia was already on her feet and holding a hand out to her friend. “Deal.” |