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]

"Which at first wasn't even so bad. I mean I was scared at first, because I didn't know how I'd gotten here, but everyone here was nice. 'Specially James and Momoko. But...it also allowed Crystaviel to control me."

[glacial_queen]

"That bitch!" Karla cursed. The tongue of witchlight warming the water flared up a moment, then settled back down as Karla regained control of her temper. "How'd she get her hands on you?" she asked a little more calmly.

[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."

[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]

"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."

[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]

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?

[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]

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?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Is it weird that that's part of what's bothering me about how it ended? I know she was my enemy, but I spent so long thinking she was my BFF that part of me feels like I..." She shook her head. "I couldn't just feel guilty like a normal person could I."

She closed her eyes, inhaling the aroma of the tea.

Leda ladies and gentlemen, she'd cursed someone who turned out to be one of her very best friends even.

[glacial_queen]

"Taking a life is difficult, even when you don't already have positive feelings for the other person." Trust her, Leda. She knew. "And I don't care what the novels say. You can't instantly switch feelings on and off."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda sipped her tea. "This is good." she complimented her. "Karla, how, how did you deal right after, you know."

[glacial_queen]

"My first time?" Karla asked, hiding the shadow of a smile behind her tea. "There was a lot more going on--there were three of them and they were most assuredly not trying to kill me. Plus, Morton was there. He helped. But those first few hours in the Coach, I was terrified and trying not to cry, even as my body cried out for poison. It was...complicated."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

If she remembered right, they were trying to do worse than kill her. By some people's judgment of such things. "Any um, nightmares?"