Room 515, Tuesday Afternoon

[anarchist_queen]

Leda was not hiding. Okay she totally was. Just what and who she was hiding from she didn't particularly know. Just, hiding in general. From the world she supposed.

Spending the weekend as Florida again had been an oddly enjoyable experience. Odd considering it was due to a cursed necklace. But she had liked spending time with Momoko and James and others while in her wee state. It reminded her of happy times with Wolfboy.

But then things had taken a drastic turn for the worse.

So, now she was hiding in her room, huddled on her bed, trying to ignore the ache in her shoulder, which was harder every time she tried to adjust the sling. Which she probably shouldn't be doing anyway.

She was trying to hide from the memories as well, hiding in memories of better times. Making pizza with Momoko, flirting with James and his sword, playing with Jello with Karla, or her reunion with her mother and Mooner.

She even tried thinking of fairly innocuous things like the first time she saw Kurt without his disguise. He'd been so cute, she kind of had a minor crush on him. Which made her think of meeting and flirting with some of the new kids.

But then she'd think of something like learning fencing from James, and the events of the day before would come crashing back down upon her.

[Door is closed, post is open.]

Comments

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Well I lived on the streets, and so did those who protected me. At that time in my life anyway."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"She came upon James and I while we were out for ice cream. She used magic on James to make him let me go, and used the necklace to force me to come with her."

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

He laughed. "When I was young, we had a guild to take care of us. For a fee, of course."

[glacial_queen]

And here, James got huffy at a little energy beam aimed at his face. Really, the male needed priorities. "How'd you get free?"

That was the next logical question, as asking what happened to her in the interim would only have Karla going to dig up the bitch's corpse.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"They called it dues?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"James and Momoko came to my rescue. She distracted Crystaviel and James figured out that the necklace was controlling me. He took it off, breaking her spell."

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

He grinned. "Something like that."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"We were more a, share and share a like cause we're all in this together type of group."

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"Not ours. You were expected to pay your share."

[glacial_queen]

"And what happened to her?" Karla asked.

If she were still around, planning the next step to get her hands on Leda...

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Different societies." she shrugged. "We all contributed something, but it wasn't like, pay us or get out."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

There was a long silence. Then;

"I killed her."

[glacial_queen]

The tea could wait. Karla was back at Leda's side, pulling her in for another close hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It isn't easy, I know. It never is."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"We fought, I, I was losing, she tried to drown me. I summoned a gun." She'd been trying to hold it together, but she started to break. "She looked so shocked, and...almost like I'd hurt her feelings."

And it was ridiculous to feel bad right? It had been a life or death situation. But, could there have been another way?

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"Yes, indeed."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"In Bordertown we didn't even have a set monetary system. It was all barter. If you had something to trade, you used that. Otherwise it was, I give you this, you do this for me, or vice versa."

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"We had protection, place to stay if things got heated, protection from the town guards, but if you did something against the rules, you were out on your own." He looked away. "Scum get their deserves."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

She looked at him sharply, wondering if that meant what she thought it meant. "Scum by who's definition?"

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"By ours. Oh, we're a bad lot, full of murderers, thieves, and people who would scam out of your last copper--" like the lad in front of the elf, in the not-too-distant past "--but we do it civilized like. For profit. We run off villains like assassins, bastards who live for the killings, those who hurt children. No love for slavers, either." His voice was flat.

[glacial_queen]

Karla rocked Leda, whispering "Shhh, shhh," while she cried. There wasn't a whole lot she could say to make Leda feel better. Each person had to react to their first kill their own way.

"I don't blame you," she murmured. "She was trying to kill you first. She's devoted her entire life to hunting you down and hurting you. She would have just escaped and tried to find another way to hurt you again."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Well they didn't sound as bad as some she'd come across. "So you were a guild then?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Eventually, Leda had calmed herself. "Thank you."

[glacial_queen]

"Not a problem," Karla said sincerely. She gave Leda another squeeze, and then got up to pour the tea. "I'm sorry I wasn't around to help. I was distracted with my own problems and..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm glad James and Momoko were around to help."

Times like these, she really missed Jon.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda really missed Jon too. And Eleanor. And perversely Stormy Waves. Sure he'd been in league with Crystaviel, but he'd been a good lover, and Leda wouldn't have minded that sort of comfort.

"Stupid fates, scheduling both our problems at the same time." She sighed, further pulling herself together. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about Crystaviel a long time ago."

[glacial_queen]

Karla offered a cup of sweetly-smelling tea. It wasn't that kind of comfort, but it would help, at least a little. "It's hard, I get that," she said, accepting Leda's apology and letting her know all was forgiven. "Who wants to know that someone they considered a friend is actively trying to hurt them?"