InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I am NOT responsible."

Lily Evans (emerald_eyes) wrote in indarkness_logs,
@ 2010-09-18 01:02:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2032 09, jaime davies, lily evans, lucky washburne, severus snape

RP: Missing Moments
Characters: Lily, Jaime, Lucky, Severus
Time/Date: Saturday, 7:30 AM-ish
Location: Kitchen
Warnings/Rating: ~~None?~~ Teal effing deer. Sorry.
Summary: Lily "returns", unaware she'd been missing
Status: Complete

Lily opened her eyes slowly, the standard signs of having been drugged present -- a slight throbbing in her head and a slightly dry mouth. A glance to her nightstand proved that her wand had been returned, and while she thought about checking the drawer to see if she now had James' as well, she reasoned it wasn't likely. Not now that he was here. That, of course, reminded her that she had to talk to him, about everything. Their relationship, their son, the fact she was not-quite-but-not-exactly-not sleeping with someone else, and what he wanted ... or thought he wanted ... to do about it.

Rubbing her hand down her face, Lily sighed softly. So first order of business was a shower, and then ... breakfast, and then she'd compare their registry against the current one downstairs to see who'd gone missing, unless Jaime or Tyler beat her to it.

Reaching over, she picked up her wand and wondered if it was a horrible thing that her first thought was posting something to Balthazar to suggest they work on their magic while they were able to. That had led to a nice place last time, though even without their magic things had gone nice places. Places ... she shouldn't think about things going while James was here. Or at least not until she'd sat down and really talked with him. She really, really needed to stop putting that off. She couldn't avoid it forever, and now it had to look like she was deliberately avoiding it. Which, she supposed, she was.

Lily flicked her wand and cast the lumos spell. The tip of her wand glowed, and she exhaled softly. At least there was that, right? It was something, anyway.

So right ... up ... shower ... dress ... breakfast ... checking the registry, and then she supposed she'd see what the day brought.

___________

After she'd showered and dressed in jeans and a loose blue blouse, Lily picked up her Blackberry without checking the posts; she could do that easily enough after breakfast was served. Given that they were expecting to lose some people today, she anticipated some angst or drama or ... something. So it would be good for them to have a hot breakfast.

She started out of her room, wand in her pocket, Blackberry in the other, to head down to the kitchen. She did check the doors on her way out, but nothing seemed off yet. Which she supposed just meant that no one at this end of the hall had been affected. Trotting down the stairs, she paused as she reached the ground floor. Someone was already cooking, and she heard an unfamiliar voice. Her brow furrowed slightly, but it wasn't as though there was some law that no one but her could cook.

It was just .. weird.

Crossing the floor toward the dining area, she peered into the kitchen. She saw Jaime and a younger girl she didn't recognize, and that was also sort of odd. Someone she didn't recognize had to be new, but she was chatting at Jaime and helping like this wasn't her first time. The fact that Jaime was up and in the kitchen this early was also a little disconcerting, and Lily's smile faltered. Had they taken Mal?

But no ... Jaime wouldn't be in the kitchen at all if that were the case.

"You're up early," she offered teasingly, lifting one hand to rub absently at her temple. But she knew the drill well enough; the headache would fade eventually -- faster if she could get some aspirin. Distracted as she was by the pain, Lily didn't see Jaime's twisted expression of pain, horror, and hope as the girl turned toward her. She did glance to her in time to notice ... something though. "Love, what's wrong?" she murmured, her brow furrowing. "Did they take someone? I haven't gone to compare yet ..."

Lily's emerald eyes widened slightly in alarm as Jaime darted out of the kitchen, all but flying at her. She staggered back a step as Jaime wrapped her slender arms around Lily, burying her face against Lily's shoulder as their bodies collided. "Jaime ..." Lily said, very genuinely confused by the reaction. Surely Jaime would have checked the registry already, if she was up.

"They took you," Jaime managed to get out. "They took you, Lily. We all thought they'd k-killed you when you came up missing."

There were jokes, and then there were jokes, and this one wasn't very funny. "Jaime," Lily chastised gently. "If James put you up to this ..." Though it would more likely have been Sirius to do that, wouldn't it?

Jaime shook her head, but wasn't quite ready to let go of Lily.

Lily glanced past Jaime to the teenager currently paying an awful lot of attention to whatever she had cooking in that pan. Clearly, there'd be no help from her. "I'm fine," she promised Jaime, just a little uneasy now. "What do you mean, they took me?"

"You've been gone since Tuesday."

"It is Tuesday," Lily replied.

Jaime shook her head again. "Saturday. Lily, it's Saturday, and they announced a lottery yesterday and there's ... they're doing it later today. It's ... it's Saturday," she repeated.

"It's Saturday," Lucky confirmed quietly, glancing over to the reunited pair. "I'm Lucky," she introduced herself, studying the red-head curiously. So this was the infamous Lily, she was guessing. "My name's Lucky," she clarified, since one of the boys she'd introduced herself to as Lucky had asked her if she wanted to get lucky, at which point she'd promptly kicked him in the balls and walked away.

"Lily," she introduced herself as she lifted a hand to stroke Jaime's hair gently. "It's very nice to meet you," she continued before she glanced to Jaime. She wanted to know if everyone else was back as well, but she supposed Jaime wouldn't know that. Not if she'd only just realized that Lily herself was back. "I'm fine," she reassured Jaime.

"Yeah," Jaime agreed as she finally, reluctantly, released Lily. She had to admit she was ... very curious what had happened while Lily was gone. What they'd done to her. Where they'd kept her. Or if they really had sent her home but then pulled her back. Which ... didn't make sense. She was curious to check the registry now, and see if everyone else was back, too.

"You should go ... see ..." Jaime made a slight gesture. "People," she finally finished. She wasn't sure, exactly, what name should go in that blank. Even so, she pulled out her Blackberry to let people know.

"Well, if you're telling them I'm down here, be a bit silly for me to go see them, wouldn't it?" She smiled affectionately to Jaime before she crossed into the kitchen. Just because it was Saturday and not Tuesday didn't mean she couldn't still make breakfast.

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 05:24 pm UTC (link)

That voice. He'd know that voice anywhere.

Though he hadn't been in any exceptional hurry to have a cup of tea and breakfast, when Severus heard Lily's voice in the kitchen, his steps quickened, and his face broke into a relieved smile upon seeing her again. Better here than dead, which was what fate he thought befell her, earlier in the week or later, even, if she had truly been returned home.

"Lily," he said quietly, and then shook his head. He didn't want to follow it up with saying he was glad she was back, because he knew she certainly didn't want to be here, but still -- he was glad. "Are you all right?" he asked instead. And yes, he vaguely registered that there were other people in the kitchen, as well, but he didn't know them, and they hadn't gone missing, as far as he knew.

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 05:33 pm UTC (link)

Lily turned away from the task she was attempting to set herself to, feeling vaguely shoo'd away by Lucky, who seemed impeded by Lily's presence in the kitchen. It wasn't as though she didn't have things under control, so Lily supposed she could let things stand for right now and deal with sorting things out later.

"I'm fine," she assured him as she glanced up to him, wondering if he was going to tell her it was Saturday, too, but she supposed the question was evidence enough. The expression he was wearing, the tone of his voice.

"Apparently I took an extra long nap somewhere, but ... I'm fine, I promise," she assured him. "I see we've got our magic back as well. I don't suppose they've ... ah. Mentioned anything about ingredients for the Wolfsbane then?"

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 06:08 pm UTC (link)

Severus exhaled a relieved sigh when Lily assured him that she was fine, and he barely resisted the urge to step forward and wrap her in a hug. But he wasn't certain their newly reformed friendship extended that far, so he managed to refrain. Then he nodded, regarding the Wolfsbane. "I had the ingredients as of Monday, even if I couldn't do anything with them until Tuesday, and..." He trailed off, frowning, before he shrugged and added, "It's Saturday, by the way, in case ... no one's told you."

A second later, it occurred to him: if Lily was back, that might mean ... "Excuse me," he muttered, pulling his Blackberry from his pocket and making his way over to the directory, scrolling back through the network, to the list of captives who had disappeared, as he went. He flipped through the directory, comparing it to the list, and smiled again. They were all back, including Harry and Dr. Scully. Thank God, he thought, exhaling another relieved sigh. At the back of his mind, there was also a niggling voice that warned him again not to get attached, but he told it to bugger off. He could do with some friends, however much he might miss them if they were taken away again.

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 06:18 pm UTC (link)

"Jaime had mentioned, and Lucky confirmed it, yes," Lily admitted with a glance to the girls. Jaime was looking over at her as if uncertain she wouldn't simply vanish again. Lily supposed she couldn't blame her. If she really had been missing ... and the collaboration seemed to confirm that ... then there was certainly precedent for a vanishing, wasn't there?

She watched curiously as he went to the directory to check it, and she smiled faintly. "So is everyone else back then, too?" she inquired as she followed him over. Clearly, the kitchen was no longer solely her domain, and she thought she'd have to make friends with Lucky to get it back.

Resting a hand lightly on his back, Lily peered around his arm at the book. Her notes were upstairs though, so she wouldn't be much for comparing it just then, save what she'd remembered. She did seek out Balthazar's name, relaxing a little when she saw it on the page. Why she thought he would suddenly vanish simply because she'd returned, she didn't know, though on the heels of that she felt a flash of shame that she hadn't sought out James' name first.

It was telling, but she wasn't sure she liked the story it told. Absently rubbing at Sev's back, she continued to regard the book until she saw James' name as well. So, she still had to go have a talk with him then, didn't she?

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 07:35 pm UTC (link)

Severus closed his eyes when he felt Lily's hand on his back, and he sighed again when she started rubbing his back -- unconsciously, he was sure. That was ... comforting, he had to admit. Almost ridiculously so, and he realized with a small pang of regret that a cuddle might not have been out of the question earlier. Pity he'd missed the chance. He also realized that he'd stopped looking through the directory for a noticeably long moment, so he resumed shortly.

"Everyone except Bellatrix, thankfully," he answered with another smile, glancing over at her. He noticed then that she looked a bit troubled, but he decided against asking what might have been on her mind just then. If she wanted to tell him, she would, and if she didn't? Well, it wasn't really his place to pry, now was it? After all, they hadn't been best friends for an exceptionally long time, even if they were sort of friends again now.

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 07:44 pm UTC (link)

"Good riddance to that, then," Lily murmured. It was about then she realized what she was doing, and she flushed slightly as she dropped her hand. "Sorry," she murmured. Lacing her hands behind her back, she wondered if anyone was going to come rushing downstairs when they saw Jaime's note, and supposed it wouldn't matter whether or not they did.

She'd see everyone eventually, she was sure of it.

"So did anything drastically exciting happen while we were gone? The hotel didn't look attacked or anything of that sort," Lily said. She was disturbed, yes, that four days of her life were now missing, and she was troubled that something may have happened to her while she'd been missing. She hadn't noticed any marks or anything like that ... but she hadn't looked. Later, perhaps, she'd have someone look her over completely to see if there were any tattoos or needle marks or scars or stitches.

She didn't feel anything like that, but given what they'd proven they could do, that wasn't assurance enough. It was perhaps a ridiculous, paranoid worry. For all she knew, she'd simply been hibernating in her room under the influence of drugs. Perhaps she hadn't gone anywhere at all. But perhaps she had.

Perhaps there was no physical evidence, and perhaps there was.

Lily shook out of her thoughts before tipping her chin to regard Severus to hear his response.

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 08:25 pm UTC (link)

His jaw clenched when Lily actually apologized for touching him and removed her hand, but he forced it open a second later, with a whispered, "No, it's all right." Because it had been. More than all right, actually. Bloody wonderful, if he'd had to describe it. But it was foolish of him to even think such a thing, because Potter was here now, and he was twice her age, anyway.

Severus cleared his throat at her question, trying to think back to what all had happened since Tuesday. "A few more arrivals, I talked to your granddaughter--" He paused there, with a small smile. "--and a lottery." Shrugging slightly, he added, "Apparently I've 'won'."

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 08:33 pm UTC (link)

She smiled lightly when Sev mentioned talking to the other Lily. She was chatty, wasn't she? She frowned when he mentioned having won the lottery, but ... well, Jaime had been in the last one and it had just been puzzles.

Puzzles that led to reavers.

Jaime had said they'd announced a lottery, but she hadn't really put it all together until just now. So would it be more reavers? Or something else entirely this time? Her hand found his back once more, resting below his shoulder blades before she rubbed gently once again. "I ... it shouldn't be so bad," Lily tried to assure him before realizing he might not need assurance. For all she knew, Jaime had already told him what it was about. Or what hers had been about at any rate.

"Hopefully it won't be reavers again," she offered, trying to smile and failing a bit at it. It could be worse than reavers, couldn't it?

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Though he managed to keep his eyes open this time, Severus couldn't stop the sigh when Lily touched his back again. He really ought to tell her to stop that, because even if he was certain it was nothing more than a comforting gesture to her, it ... meant a great deal more to him. Even so, he didn't want her to stop -- not really -- even if it was daft of him to hope. He knew what sort of man she fancied, and it was ... someone who was nothing like him. That thought made his jaw clench again, but he forced himself to relax it in order to reply once more.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," he answered with a shake of his head and a slight smile. He still wasn't entirely sure what these reavers were -- apart from highly destructive -- but he decided not to ask. Instead, he simply shook his head once more and added, "Hopefully not."

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 09:03 pm UTC (link)

"No, I ... I'm sure," she agreed. She herself had never been to one, but she supposed after this one they'd see if it kept to a pattern or not. Granted, two instances didn't make a pattern, but ... still. If she'd learned anything about this place it was not to assume things. Still, she slid her hand down, reaching for his. She briefly laced their fingers together to squeeze his hand, not unlike when they were children. It occurred to her she might be acting too familiar with him, but ... she'd always been a very tactile person. She comforted with touch, and took it the same way.

"It's today then, isn't it? The lottery. Jaime ... mentioned," she made a vague gesture with her free hand toward the kitchen. "You'll let us know? If it's ... something ..." she made another slight gesture, well aware she should be more coherent than this.

If it was something, the more time they had to prepare, the better.

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 09:45 pm UTC (link)

Severus swallowed when Lily's hand slipped into his, and he was torn between pulling his away and clinging to hers for dear life. He was sure she hadn't the first clue what this was doing to him, the sheer wonderful torture of it all, or she never would have done in the first place. But if he asked her to stop, she might be upset or hurt. Or worse, she might want to know why, and telling her the reason would have been tantamount to admitting that he was in love with her still, even after all these years. He couldn't do that to her. She had enough on her mind, as it was. The last thing he needed to do was add to it.

So, instead of saying anything along those lines, he simply inhaled a deep breath to steel himself, even if it wasn't as steady as he would have liked. If he was lucky, however, she would simply put it down to nerves regarding the lottery. "Yes, it's today," he answered with a nod, fiddling with his Blackberry for a moment, to avoid looking at her just now. He probably ought to send a message to Dr. Scully and Harry, now he thought about it, but he couldn't very well do that one-handed. "I will -- don't worry," he answered, to her second question, and then gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Though whether it was more to reassure her or himself, he wasn't rightly sure.

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 10:26 pm UTC (link)

"Good," she replied as she released his hand, in case he wanted to actually use his Blackberry rather than just play with one hand on it. "Suppose I should wish you a bit of good luck or something, but that seems ... odd," she murmured. "I mean, you've already won, right?" Her eyes flicked to his, a faint smile on her lips before she looked away.

Maybe it would just be puzzles, and a warning, and ... whatever came next, they'd deal with it. They'd dealt with it last time, hadn't they? Perhaps not spectacularly, but as well as they could have, given what little warning they had.

Lily exhaled softly. She supposed she should go see if anyone else had come down to see her, and if not ... she should probably go get that talk out of the way. "Guess I should go make the rounds or some such," Lily murmured. She supposed he'd have to head to the lottery at some point, though she didn't think that was until later.

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delicate_power
2010-09-18 11:04 pm UTC (link)

When Lily released his hand, he still wasn't entirely sure whether he should be pleased or not. So, instead, he decided to take it for what it was -- nothing more, nothing less. Lily had been trying to comfort him, and even that was a good thing. At the very least, it meant she had been serious about being friends again. Which, frankly, was more than he deserved and was also more than he had ever hoped for. He ought to take that and be happy for it, and therefore, that was what he resigned himself to doing.

"Right," he answered with a nod, followed by a sardonic, "Lucky me!" Then he rolled his eyes. Now he had both hands back, he had no excuse not to start that message. When Lily said she needed to make the rounds, however, he stopped, swallowing again. Of course she would need to. Numerous people would have noticed her absence, and some had probably even panicked, but ... "I'm glad you're back," he said then, quietly, with a slight shrug. Of course, he wouldn't wish this fate on her, but neither would he wish the others on her. And besides, if she was here, he could help to look after her, at the very least.

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emerald_eyes
2010-09-18 11:21 pm UTC (link)

While she didn't remember being gone, and had only seen a couple of people she'd known, their reactions had ... inspired something in her. "Perhaps it's a bit twisted, but ... I think I might be glad to be back." It was twisted, wasn't it? Who would want to be kidnapped, stuck in a place where emotional exploitation and physical attacks were part of a routine? But she'd met people here, and if she died here ... it wouldn't be because of a supposed friend's betrayal.

"If I don't see you again before you ... go to wherever they're having the lottery ... good luck. Or congratulations or something," she amended, a faint laugh crossing her lips. It was just ... absurd, and she hoped it was just puzzles and voices, because she didn't fancy the idea of her friend being subjected to anything worse.

She brushed her hand along his arm before she turned away. Perhaps she'd go snatch a bit of breakfast and then ... go say hello to the people who hadn't noticed her return yet. And talk to James. She had to talk to James.

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delicate_power
2010-09-19 12:44 am UTC (link)

"There are far worse things to be glad about, I'm sure," Severus answered with a wry grin. The things his fellow Death Eaters had so often crowed about being quite high on that list. But he decided not to mention that, just now.

"Thanks," he added, when Lily wished him good luck. Because, really, congratulations didn't figure into it at all, he didn't think. But he appreciated her well wishes, all the same, and he smiled more genuinely as her hand trailed down his arm. Then he cleared his throat and got back to that message. After all, he was quite glad to have Harry and Dana back, as well.

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