[Beginning of the End 6/7] Fighting Back
|| Everything was already a blur by the time Chava got back home. Ingrained in her head were the orders Aeron had given her, and all she knew was that she had to follow them. It wasn't even an option. She couldn't even imagine not obeying. She knew what she had to say, not knowing why, and yet she was also afraid. Damien was smart. He was a Ravenclaw, he just had to think enough and he would know. But why was she /afraid/ of this? Why was she afraid of Damien finding out she was sending information to both of his brothers, who wanted to /kill/ both of them? She should want Damien to find out. Right? Aeron had told her to be her usual self, with only a few modifications. But as it turned out, trying to be her usual self while simultaneously betraying herself, her husband, her whole family, and their entire shot at happiness... was a difficult feat. It was something she didn't know if she could do without completely destroying herself in the process. She already hated herself, how much worse could she get? But she couldn't stop herself. The most she could do was trying to be her normal self- and that meant being as obvious and unable to keep a secret as possible. Throwing her training in subterfuge out the window for their sake. So she didn't sneak into the Manor. She strides right in through the front door, as if nothing had happened at all. As if she /hadn't/ snuck out of the Manor while Damien was away at the Ministry. As if she hadn't broken a little piece of his trust in doing just that.
| Damien didn't want to stay at the ministry. Far too recently he and Chava had something of a falling out. They had broken one too many bridges, and they had just managed to patch it up. At least... Damien /hoped/ everything was good. With the injury he'd cast upon himself, he had no idea if Chava was still mad, or blaming herself, or whatnot. And with her pregnancy, and things that had happened before, he wasn't so sure it was safe for her to be on her own, with hundreds of daggers littering the manor. He had managed to get out of the ministry, and return home, when to his surprise he walked into an empty home. At first, the worst swirled into his mind. Was she dead? Did she leave him, despite her word? He couldn't be sure. At the height of his panic, he heard the door open, and he turned around to see Chava walking in. Relief flooded his mind first, before doubt and suspicion clouded his mind. What was she doing out? Especially with both her state, and without a polyjuice potion. "Where have you been?"
|| She knew the answer to this. She did. Deep in her mind, she knew the /correct/ answer, which was that she was out to meet Aeron. That she had originally planned to kill him, but that it had turned around on her, and Aeron had been let off very alive. The strangest thing was for her, was that she wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. The next thing she knew was that she had to do what Aeron said. So here was that test. She couldn't tell Damien the truth. She took as long as she could to answer, standing there staring at him for several minutes before she could answer. "I was feeling sick," she manages to say, very softly. "Nauseous. I went out to get fresh air." She made herself pause there if only for a moment. She had used the fresh air excuse on him before, long ago, so maybe he would see through it again? She vaguely realized she was seeming very standoffish and distant, from him. This wasn't going to be good. "I went to get a potion to help." Per Aeron's request, an actual potion to reverse the effects of nausea was in her bag, that she had been told to buy after he released her.
|| Several alarm bells were ringing in his head, though he decided to take the cautious route with this situation. He didn't want to attack her thinking she was someone else, when Chava had done the same thing to him before. She was acting strangely, but it could be just something to do with the sickness. He would move subtly, just in case. If it was Chava she would easily be able to see what he was doing. If it wasn't Chava, then he would know. He moved his hand slowly towards the hilt of his dagger, his hand resting in a casual appearance near it. "Understandable." He spoke, taking the time to observe her just in case something was off about her. It was her final comment that really ticked the warning bells in his mind. While she could have gotten a potion, and it could easily be somewhere on her person, it didn't make any sense for her to do so, with a perfectly competent brewer at her beck and call. Why pay several galleons for a potion, when she could have him brew one up at nearly no cost. Hell, he probably already had a sickness potion somewhere in his brewing room. "Why not have me brew one? I would have relished in the chance to leave work early." He offered a slight grin, which was meant to appease her, if it wasn't Chava. If it was, he was sure she could figure out what he was doing and confirm her identity. Make himself appear very casual and relaxed, when in reality he was poised to strike at any moment.
|| He was being very cautious, this she knew. And she was trying to be as well. The only plan she could think of was to try and be unlike herself as much as she could, while at the same time acting exactly like herself. So in other words, she really didn't have much of a plan. A strange shock of excitement hit her when he spoke, refuting her excuse about the potions. He could have easily made the potion. And everyday, normal Chava would have asked him as much, if he even had one. Her expression does not change at his smile. She didn't know how to answer his question. "I didn't want to bother you." That certainly sounded plausible for her- and yet she had asked him for potions before, in the past. Still, she stood there, not moving from her spot. She didn't know what would make Damien the most suspicious of... whatever was wrong with her. But just seeing him made her want to fight back against what her mind was telling her to do. How could she be herself if who she was, was so erratic and out of a pattern? She winces slightly, as if there was some pain in her head.
|| Head pain. That seemed important somehow, and yet Damien couldn't figure a single bit out. Something was wrong, that much he could tell. He still wasn't sure whether this was Chava or not but slowly it was seeming more and more like it was Chava, just that something was affecting her. His first instinct was to try and figure out if she was being possessed, yet he felt that was a highly unlikely scenario, and he was one to know. He drew his blade from it's sheath, examining the blade, while keeping one eye on Chava. He mulled everything over in his mind, before putting the blade back in it's sheath. This was Chava, that much he could tell. It was just a problem of what happened to her. If it wasn't possession, what could it possibly be. "You're acting strangely. Are you alright?"
|| When the blade came from its sheath, Chava winces again. She couldn't help it. She bites down on her bottom lip, mulling over her options in her head. If only she actually had options. She takes a step back, closer towards the door. "Yes. I'm fine." She says this almost too formally, but her movements and expressions show the fear and the confusion really invading her. She even started to shake. One of her hands reaches up to grab her head, rubbing her temples. Just seeing him, she wanted to tell him she was lying. She hadn't went out to get a potion for her sickness, she had snuck out to meet Aeron. To kill him. But it backfired. But how did she tell him that? It hurt her, this battle in her head. It was killing her seeing him before her and knowing she had to betray him, knowing she was lying. It was ultimately her fault. She had snuck out to meet Aeron. She failed and allowed this to happen. She winces again. "I'm even feeling sick now," she groans, almost completely contradicting her last statement of being just fine. To make matters worse, her knees chose this moment to buckle under her, sending her to the floor.
|| "How could I be so fucking stupid." He slammed his hand into a wall, before walking up towards Chava a low growl sounding from his throat. Head Pain, not acting like herself, and now this. He crouched down onto the floor, reaching out, gripping her chin. He tried to get her to look at him, his eyes hardened, a flash of red growing from within them. Anger was welling up inside him, but not at Chava, but whoever did this. It was either Lucedio or Aeron, but whichever, he would make sure they suffered for what they did. "Who did this." He spoke, trying to keep himself calm, though his voice didn't quite stay as even as he wanted. "Who cast the Imperius at you?"
|| Even in this state, an angry Damien scared her. Especially after- and she hated to admit this- the last time had resulted in a dagger in her shoulder. It wasn't his fault. But still, it scared her. So as he walks closer to her, she shrinks into herself, pressing herself back against the door. Yet he didn't seem to be angry at her. She squeezes her eyes shut, still inching further back. His last question shook her, seemingly to her core. Imperius? That Unforgivable curse? Is that was this was, or was he wrong? The strongest part of her brain told her that he was wrong, no one did anything to her, no one hurt her... and that she certainly couldn't answer his question. The smaller part of her brain, fighting for control, though rather miserably, wanted to reach out to him and tell her everything. But she couldn't tell. Her own brain wouldn't let her. Aeron had told her no. "No one did, I'm fine. I'm just sick, I haven't taken the potion yet." That's what Aeron wanted her to tell him. The stronger part of her brain with the curse winning against her. A sharp pain in her head, and she gasps loudly, her body shaking. "Damien, I..." she froze. She had to get the words out. At least these words. Though they wouldn't do much to help her in the long run. "Can't... tell... you..."
|| It hurt him to see Chava like this, afraid of him, yet his anger wasn't directed at her this time. Regardless, he took a deep breath, hoping that might calm him down a bit, despite knowing that if he found out who did this to Chava, he would hunt them down no matter what. Even Chava couldn't keep him calm forever. This was a moment where he would unleash his anger anyway. Similarly to what he once told one person, you couldn't fuck with what was his, and expect to get away with it. "I don't know whether or not you believe that to be the truth, or whether you were told to say that if I suspected, but it's bullshit." He took a few steps back, so Chava didn't feel as threatened by his anger. "Someone clearly hit you with an Imperius, and when I find out who, they'll wish they hadn't." He turned back towards Chava, his eyes narrowed, and a brow raised, before he asked the question that he hoped she could answer. "Was it Lucedio or Aeron." Those were the only two possible people who could have done anything, as everyone else thought she was dead. Much like how everyone thought Lucedio was dead. "You can tell me. You can fight, even if only for a little while. I just need a name."
|| She was starting to get more to work with, and this was good. Even though she didn't remember any Imperius, his argument did make sense. Could Aeron have really hit her with an Imperius curse? It certainly wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Knowing Aeron he certainly could have done something like that. And since she had to follow all of his orders... It clicked, and she believed Damien, but that didn't do much to help her. Becoming self aware of the curse was only the first step to breaking it. She still couldn't say or do anything Aeron wouldn't have allowed for her. But she could drop one clue without doing any harm... Right? "Lucedio didn't do anything," she emphasizes. He had given her a choice, and she could follow up. The thing was, she couldn't leave it at that. Her mind wasn't letting her. "No one did anything." She still hoped he would catch the hint. She was supposed to be acting like herself, and yet this seemed next to impossible. Seeing Damien made this harder than she could have imagined, creating this battle being waged in her mind. "It hurts," she rasps.
|| A wicked smile crosses his lips, as he turned away from Chava. He had the information he needed, but he couldn't rush off and hunt down Aeron now. His wife needed his more immediate attention. so he settled on doing something small when it came to Aeron for now, He grabbed a sheet of parchment, and tore off a small piece, before jotting down a quick note. He quickly revised over it before nodding in satisfaction. 'You will suffer. Run for your life.' With that he set it on the table, figuring it would be best to use a rented owl rather than his own for this type of note. With that he turns back towards Chava, his rage settled down, now that he knew that the one who did this would be dealt with. He sat down next to her, before pulling her into his arms. "Fight." he spoke softly, hoping she took up his advice, and that Aeron wasn't as strong with magic as Lucedio. "I can't live without you, the real you. So fight. If not for yourself, then for me." He was reminded of the conversation they had a while back, where they decided that since they wouldn't fight for themselves, they'd fight for each other. And in some small way, this was similar, though at the same time very different. This wasn't a battle where one's very life was at stake, this was a battle of control. And since he'd fought both, he hoped he could help her.
|| All it took was that smile on his face, and Chava knew Damien had been smart enough to deduce that it had been Aeron. The bad part came after, when he went to write a note. And just as he was finishing, she knew what he was doing. With a small scream, she jumps up, running over to grip his arm, as if that could stop him from sending the letter to Aeron. "NO!" she screams, and this was successfully the best bit of control that she could manage. She wasn't supposed to let Damien suspect- but that was out of her control. She couldn't exactly stop Damien from finding out. But she also couldn't let Damien tell Aeron he had found out. Words from Aeron float in her brain, threats that if Damien finds out... Aeron would tell Lucedio she was pregnant, and she... "I'll wish I was dead," she unknowingly mutters aloud, quoting Aeron. And she had already sworn to Damien up and down she would do everything she could to stay alive. She didn't press the point. The letter was gone. And hence, she freaked out. She was crying and shaking by the time he began to pull her into his arms, unsure what to do or how to fight. She wasn't strong enough, she never had been. That's why Aeron put the curse on her in the first place, she was certain of it. She was weak. But did the curse even still matter, could it still be in effect, when she and Aeron were already found out? "I don't know how..."
|| If he was expecting a reaction towards his letter, which he wasn't, this wouldn't have been the reaction he was expecting. It seemed so strange that she would react in utter fear that he would send a letter off towards Aeron. Even if he wanted his brother to fear his arrival, her reaction changed everything. Did he make some sort of threat? It seemed like it, and her next words even seemed to confirm it. He picked up the letter, and walked over towards the fireplace, before placing the note inside. Perhaps this would settle her down a bit. He fumbled around for his wand for a few seconds, before aiming it at the note. "Incendio." Striking with the element of surprise would work as effectively as scare tactics. "No note." He stated simply, before tilting his head at her. This was turning towards a topic he never liked to talk about, but if it could help her, he needed to. "You need to want to be in total control." he started, looking off into emptiness. "You need to be willing to do whatever it takes for that control. Every step of the way, you need to remember exactly what it is you are fighting for. Whether you are fighting solely for your own control, the safety of others, the little things like the touch of someone you love. Whatever it is, you need to remind yourself of it constantly and never give up. Their mind can never win unless you let it. This is /your/ body, /your/ life. Don't let that asshole control you."
|| She hadn't expected him to get rid of the note, but doing so managed to help her a great deal more than she originally thought it would. Of course, thinking logically, Aeron would find out anyway, eventually, and hence so would Lucedio. They couldn't quite avoid that... but she couldn't think about that now. She had to get in control of herself so she could better work their way out of this situation. She was aware, that was one step. And there was nothing else she could do to obey Aeron until he sent her a direct request. All she wanted to do was keep denying anything was wrong, but that wasn't going to fool anyone anymore. "Trying..." she growls, squeezing her eyes shut again. Her head felt like it was going to split open into two. She grips Damien tighter, her fingernails digging into his arms as she tries to breathe. It helped, a lot, just to be near him. "I hate him," she whispers. It was one thing to fight the curse off now, it was another to fight it off when his first letter came and she had to obey whatever it said. When she was supposed to respond to the letter or tell him if Damien suspected anything. The letter had probably already arrived upstairs, waiting for her to answer, waiting to hear back from her so Aeron knew the plan was working. But it wasn't. With that thought finally in her mind, she tries to pull herself back from Damien again- as if to go upstairs to find the letter and tell Aeron everything. She /knew/ she couldn't do that... But the Imperius curse wanted her to. She holds tighter to Damien to try and stop herself from leaving. She had a small idea. "Damien!" she shouts with a suddenly urgent demeanor. "I snuck out remember? I broke your trust, and I'm sorry." She wasn't sure how she could tell him her plan without outright saying it. If she told him to do it, she'd be sinking further. "Just don't body bind me for it, please." She said this, and yet also tried to portray to him the idea of doing the exact /opposite/ of what she requested. "Because I need to go out again." Speak slowly, look closely at him. He had to realize.
|| For a long time, Damien sat there wondering if what he said helped or not. He didn't speak of his past often, and with this sort of situation there was a chance that what he said didn't even apply. So he sat there, broken, wondering if he could ever help Chava get back in control. He couldn't break the curse with magic, nor could he leave her here alone to hunt down Aeron. The whole situation just seemed more and more hopeless. When she moved away, he reached out trying to grab at her hand. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to get better. He wanted to help her fight. And he wanted to give up. He was conflicted. A broken mirror that only reflected weakness and fear. "I don't blame you. I just want /you/ back." So despite what she asked of him, he flicked his wand, ropes springing from his wand to bind her. "So I can't let you go off."
|| She couldn't tell if he understood her motive or not, but nevertheless, it had worked. This is what she had wanted, but he didn't seem to realize exactly that. This way, she couldn't go anywhere. She couldn't obey Aeron's orders no matter how badly her mind wanted her to. She couldn't go answer any letter and she couldn't go off to meet him and spill any plans they might make. Even just this body bind allows a sigh to escape her- one of relief. "Thank you," she mumbles, now trying to think harder on what he had told her. He had sounded as if he had personal experience. Which he would have- especially when he and Lucedio were connected so long ago. Damien had beat him out. He had been strong. So Chava could do the same, right? But she was much weaker mentally than Damien was. The thing that helped the most was him. Him being there, his touch, a gentle kiss, anything. And it was easier to stay in control, to fight for him above anything else. "I can't do as he says now," she whispers, looking down at the binding. "I won't do as he says," she says with a little more force. Her head was still killing her, but that part of her brain was finally beginning to fight even harder against the curse, after realizing there wasn't anything else she could do. "Because I love you."
|| It seemed strange. She was thanking him. Did she have some small form of control? Did she want him to bind her, make sure she couldn't follow the curse's will, and thus take control, or was it something else entirely. It almost made him regret not looking into the forbidden curses further. The only real thing he knew was a basic description on what they did. If it wasn't for their situation, he could almost laugh. A Ravenclaw not researching something. "No you won't." He paraphrased her slightly, before pressing his lips to her forehead. "Now you can do nothing but fight." He tilts his head back, glancing up at the ceiling thinking upon everything that happened recently. Earlier he'd felt broken, where now he felt something he couldn't quite figure out. Something he hadn't had for a long time. Hope. "I love you too." He spoke softly, before sighing again. "So fight."
|| For some reason she thought the breaking of the curse would bring some kind of relief to her. That once it was broken it would be like a snap of the fingers, immediately gone and everything would be okay again. She would be able to breathe. Instead, it was nothing like that. It was a slow, strange process. There were times she was certain the curse was gone, but then seconds later it would come back in full force, trying to break against the bonds to do what she had to do. Internally, when the curse knew it was too late at this point. There was no turning back. She couldn't obey the order. And knowing that, and having Damien near, of course, helped with the process. Left to her own devices and stuck in her own misery, she would have never been able to fight the curse. It would consume her until she was nothing but Aeron Thorne's little puppet. Given that she had someone to fight for, and a new motivation for finding happiness, and to kill Lucedio, it made this all the easier. But the breaking of the curse didn't come with peace. Instead, with rage. "I hate him," she says softly at first, until it begins to grow, and fester. He had taken her will power away from her. She hated him. She wouldn't allow him that kind of control. "I fucking hate him," she starts to snarl, her face burning red. She hated herself for this too, and her only consolation was that she was able to fight it. That not all hope was lost. And she knew it must have been broken when she found herself able to recount the story back to Damien. Story now, panic later. "Fuck. I went out to kill him. I was going to KILL him," she hisses. "I wish I had. But the spell, I hit him and then the spell hit me. I had to tell him... everything. I was supposed to just... fucking BETRAY you..." A gasping breath of panic escapes her lips. She'd be up and pacing and breaking everything in sight, even herself, if she wasn't still bound. "And then you would hate me." Then, the panic came. Even without the curse, she was still backed into a corner that would be bad either way she turned. There was no escaping at this point- things had just been made worse for them. "OH FUCK, Fuck, no..."
|| If it wasn't for the plans formulating in his head, he would agree with Chava, and then release her so they could hunt him down and kill him. However, the sadist inside him was screaming out that death was far too much of a mercy. "Good. Use that hatred. But, we're not going to kill him." He knew she would try to protest that, so he kept talking, keeping her from being able to interject. "We're going to make him suffer." In one quick motion, he flicked his dagger up from it's sheath, before throwing it at a wall opposite of Chava from him. As the blade pierced and splintered the wood, a smirk took over his expression. "No, love." he started correcting himself, walking over towards Chava. "We're going to absolutely destroy him." A brow raised up at her fear-filled screams. It didn't' take him long to piece the puzzle together. "If he knows everything, he could tell Lucedio, and then we lose whatever edge we had. However, let's assume he doesn't know that you've just broken from his curse." He crouches down, waving his wand, retracting the ropes binding her. "Then we have the element of surprise. We can play along for now. Pretend you're still under his curse. And whenever you two are supposed to meet, we can spring a trap."
|| While an angry Damien might typically scare her, when it wasn't directly related to her, it was something she absolutely loved. Her bloodthirsty sadist of a husband managed to make her freeze in her words, pausing to hear everything he had to say. And a small smile made it's way on to her lips. She had wanted to kill him, with her own bare hands, to watch the life leave his eyes, to have him begging her to kill him. But she liked this idea better. If he was begging to be killed... but they granted him no such reprieve. He would not get what he wanted. When the body bind is released, she stands, walking back over to him as if she hadn't previously been suffering in a kind of mental anguish. "I like the way you think," she muses, before his continuation makes her pause, her smile start to fade. Would that really work? Regular Chava was far too different from puppet Chava. "He'll know," she states simply, trying to swallow down her fear. "I'm not sneaky. That's the only way I got you to find out I was under the curse." She wasn't sure how, but everything was telling her it wouldn't work. "If he realizes, he's going to tell Lucedio... he could have already told Lucedio..." She wraps her arms around herself. "Lucedio will come for us. I'm sure of it."
|| And there was the woman he loved, someone who had her own voice, and wasn't the mindless puppet of another. He smirks slightly at her comment, before kissing her cheek. "Of course you do. I doubt we'd be married if you didn't." He chuckles slightly before tapping on his arm as he thinks. If she would be found out too easily, then someone with enough subterfuge skill would have to step in. "Then you spring the trap, and I take your place under a polyjuice potion." The hardest part of that plan would probably be in getting Chava to agree to him taking her place. At least that's what he figured the hardest part would be, given their many arguments in the past. "Lucedio will come after us one way or another. It's just a matter of when. I say we choose our battlefield. We control the situation. No more being passive." He turned his head over to the ashes of the note he burned earlier, before remarking sullenly, "It seems that's no longer an option anyway." He hated to bring it up, especially since it was still somewhat fresh, but it proved his point anyway. "Remember our last fight. What we said at the end. Kill Lucedio, and we can be free. Let's have it on our terms."
|| She loved his plan, she did, and she did think it a better idea to no longer be passive. Fight back as hard as they could- so they would no longer be too easy a battle for Lucedio. But, there was one thing she certainly wasn't having- him taking her place under polyjuice. "No," she states firmly, reaching for his hand and looking him directly in the eye. She wouldn't allow him to take any fall for her. She was Lucedio's first target, this she knew, especially while she was much weaker than usual. And that's something she would not risk for Damien. It was already dangerous for him to just be himself. "No. I refuse. You will not take my place." She shakes her head over and over again, attempting to tug on his hand to pull him back closer to her. "I agree with everything else, but not that. If it goes wrong I will be the one to take the fall for it, not you."
|| Just as he suspected, she was trying to argue against him taking her place, not realizing he was already dead set in this path. Either she accepted that willingly, or he would wait until she got a letter from Aeron, bind her, and go in her place anyway. She'd be angry, but they'd have a better chance of succeeding if he went. "We have a better chance if you just let me take your place." Before she could argue again, he drove his point home with arguments even she couldn't refute. "Out of the two of us, I have the most experience fighting off another's mind. So, if Aeron tries to renew the Imperius, I can fight it off. I also happen to be the best between us at subterfuge, so I'll have the better chance at making him believe you're still under his control." he started pacing back and forth in front of her, as he continued listing his points, "In such a meeting, thinks will be kept to close quarters. Thus, if things go wrong, I have the best advantage. And the best of all, the element of surprise. He'll be expecting you, a magic user. Thus if things do go south, he wouldn't expect a dagger."
|| Even though every single one of his points made perfect sense, and couldn't be refuted, Chava still didn't like the idea. If it went wrong, Damien could get hurt for it. And she hated the idea of him getting hurt, especially while taking her place. She groans, looking down at the floor. "I still don't like it," she grumbles, shaking her head. "Its a good idea, but that doesn't mean I like it or want to follow through. I messed up, love. I left the Manor, I snuck out, with plans to kill Aeron. And look what it resulted in? I could have made this a hundred times worse for the both of us, had you not immediately found out." She leans on him now, just slightly. "But I have a strong feeling you're going to do it whether I like and agree or not." She knew him well enough to know this. And she knew there was no convincing him. If she kept refusing, he would probably just bind her and do it anyway. And she'd be left in the Manor alone having no idea what could be happening. No, it was better for her to at least be able to be out there with him, watching, ready to set the trap and come out and fight if it came to it. She releases a long sigh. "You're impossible," she chuckles. "If he does one thing to hurt you at all, I will do anything I can to protect you. I hope you know that."
|| A breath of relief escapes his lips. Perhaps two stubborn people were finally learning to compromise, perhaps not. Either way, he was glad she decided to agree "I know you don't like it, but it's our best chance. I wouldn't do it otherwise." He wraps his arms around her, just taking in the moment, letting it seep into his mind that this was why he was fighting. He tilted his head, before smirking. "Would I do it regardless?" he smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible, yet with the sadistic grin that kept creeping onto his face, failed entirely, "You bet your $!# I would." Perhaps it wasn't smart to outright state that, but Damien didn't care. "It's just easier if you go along with it." He snorts at her name calling, shaking his head. "I know. Just like I would try to protect you if you were about to be hurt. While we may not fight for ourselves, we can at least fight for each other."
| Damien didn't want to stay at the ministry. Far too recently he and Chava had something of a falling out. They had broken one too many bridges, and they had just managed to patch it up. At least... Damien /hoped/ everything was good. With the injury he'd cast upon himself, he had no idea if Chava was still mad, or blaming herself, or whatnot. And with her pregnancy, and things that had happened before, he wasn't so sure it was safe for her to be on her own, with hundreds of daggers littering the manor. He had managed to get out of the ministry, and return home, when to his surprise he walked into an empty home. At first, the worst swirled into his mind. Was she dead? Did she leave him, despite her word? He couldn't be sure. At the height of his panic, he heard the door open, and he turned around to see Chava walking in. Relief flooded his mind first, before doubt and suspicion clouded his mind. What was she doing out? Especially with both her state, and without a polyjuice potion. "Where have you been?"
|| She knew the answer to this. She did. Deep in her mind, she knew the /correct/ answer, which was that she was out to meet Aeron. That she had originally planned to kill him, but that it had turned around on her, and Aeron had been let off very alive. The strangest thing was for her, was that she wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. The next thing she knew was that she had to do what Aeron said. So here was that test. She couldn't tell Damien the truth. She took as long as she could to answer, standing there staring at him for several minutes before she could answer. "I was feeling sick," she manages to say, very softly. "Nauseous. I went out to get fresh air." She made herself pause there if only for a moment. She had used the fresh air excuse on him before, long ago, so maybe he would see through it again? She vaguely realized she was seeming very standoffish and distant, from him. This wasn't going to be good. "I went to get a potion to help." Per Aeron's request, an actual potion to reverse the effects of nausea was in her bag, that she had been told to buy after he released her.
|| Several alarm bells were ringing in his head, though he decided to take the cautious route with this situation. He didn't want to attack her thinking she was someone else, when Chava had done the same thing to him before. She was acting strangely, but it could be just something to do with the sickness. He would move subtly, just in case. If it was Chava she would easily be able to see what he was doing. If it wasn't Chava, then he would know. He moved his hand slowly towards the hilt of his dagger, his hand resting in a casual appearance near it. "Understandable." He spoke, taking the time to observe her just in case something was off about her. It was her final comment that really ticked the warning bells in his mind. While she could have gotten a potion, and it could easily be somewhere on her person, it didn't make any sense for her to do so, with a perfectly competent brewer at her beck and call. Why pay several galleons for a potion, when she could have him brew one up at nearly no cost. Hell, he probably already had a sickness potion somewhere in his brewing room. "Why not have me brew one? I would have relished in the chance to leave work early." He offered a slight grin, which was meant to appease her, if it wasn't Chava. If it was, he was sure she could figure out what he was doing and confirm her identity. Make himself appear very casual and relaxed, when in reality he was poised to strike at any moment.
|| He was being very cautious, this she knew. And she was trying to be as well. The only plan she could think of was to try and be unlike herself as much as she could, while at the same time acting exactly like herself. So in other words, she really didn't have much of a plan. A strange shock of excitement hit her when he spoke, refuting her excuse about the potions. He could have easily made the potion. And everyday, normal Chava would have asked him as much, if he even had one. Her expression does not change at his smile. She didn't know how to answer his question. "I didn't want to bother you." That certainly sounded plausible for her- and yet she had asked him for potions before, in the past. Still, she stood there, not moving from her spot. She didn't know what would make Damien the most suspicious of... whatever was wrong with her. But just seeing him made her want to fight back against what her mind was telling her to do. How could she be herself if who she was, was so erratic and out of a pattern? She winces slightly, as if there was some pain in her head.
|| Head pain. That seemed important somehow, and yet Damien couldn't figure a single bit out. Something was wrong, that much he could tell. He still wasn't sure whether this was Chava or not but slowly it was seeming more and more like it was Chava, just that something was affecting her. His first instinct was to try and figure out if she was being possessed, yet he felt that was a highly unlikely scenario, and he was one to know. He drew his blade from it's sheath, examining the blade, while keeping one eye on Chava. He mulled everything over in his mind, before putting the blade back in it's sheath. This was Chava, that much he could tell. It was just a problem of what happened to her. If it wasn't possession, what could it possibly be. "You're acting strangely. Are you alright?"
|| When the blade came from its sheath, Chava winces again. She couldn't help it. She bites down on her bottom lip, mulling over her options in her head. If only she actually had options. She takes a step back, closer towards the door. "Yes. I'm fine." She says this almost too formally, but her movements and expressions show the fear and the confusion really invading her. She even started to shake. One of her hands reaches up to grab her head, rubbing her temples. Just seeing him, she wanted to tell him she was lying. She hadn't went out to get a potion for her sickness, she had snuck out to meet Aeron. To kill him. But it backfired. But how did she tell him that? It hurt her, this battle in her head. It was killing her seeing him before her and knowing she had to betray him, knowing she was lying. It was ultimately her fault. She had snuck out to meet Aeron. She failed and allowed this to happen. She winces again. "I'm even feeling sick now," she groans, almost completely contradicting her last statement of being just fine. To make matters worse, her knees chose this moment to buckle under her, sending her to the floor.
|| "How could I be so fucking stupid." He slammed his hand into a wall, before walking up towards Chava a low growl sounding from his throat. Head Pain, not acting like herself, and now this. He crouched down onto the floor, reaching out, gripping her chin. He tried to get her to look at him, his eyes hardened, a flash of red growing from within them. Anger was welling up inside him, but not at Chava, but whoever did this. It was either Lucedio or Aeron, but whichever, he would make sure they suffered for what they did. "Who did this." He spoke, trying to keep himself calm, though his voice didn't quite stay as even as he wanted. "Who cast the Imperius at you?"
|| Even in this state, an angry Damien scared her. Especially after- and she hated to admit this- the last time had resulted in a dagger in her shoulder. It wasn't his fault. But still, it scared her. So as he walks closer to her, she shrinks into herself, pressing herself back against the door. Yet he didn't seem to be angry at her. She squeezes her eyes shut, still inching further back. His last question shook her, seemingly to her core. Imperius? That Unforgivable curse? Is that was this was, or was he wrong? The strongest part of her brain told her that he was wrong, no one did anything to her, no one hurt her... and that she certainly couldn't answer his question. The smaller part of her brain, fighting for control, though rather miserably, wanted to reach out to him and tell her everything. But she couldn't tell. Her own brain wouldn't let her. Aeron had told her no. "No one did, I'm fine. I'm just sick, I haven't taken the potion yet." That's what Aeron wanted her to tell him. The stronger part of her brain with the curse winning against her. A sharp pain in her head, and she gasps loudly, her body shaking. "Damien, I..." she froze. She had to get the words out. At least these words. Though they wouldn't do much to help her in the long run. "Can't... tell... you..."
|| It hurt him to see Chava like this, afraid of him, yet his anger wasn't directed at her this time. Regardless, he took a deep breath, hoping that might calm him down a bit, despite knowing that if he found out who did this to Chava, he would hunt them down no matter what. Even Chava couldn't keep him calm forever. This was a moment where he would unleash his anger anyway. Similarly to what he once told one person, you couldn't fuck with what was his, and expect to get away with it. "I don't know whether or not you believe that to be the truth, or whether you were told to say that if I suspected, but it's bullshit." He took a few steps back, so Chava didn't feel as threatened by his anger. "Someone clearly hit you with an Imperius, and when I find out who, they'll wish they hadn't." He turned back towards Chava, his eyes narrowed, and a brow raised, before he asked the question that he hoped she could answer. "Was it Lucedio or Aeron." Those were the only two possible people who could have done anything, as everyone else thought she was dead. Much like how everyone thought Lucedio was dead. "You can tell me. You can fight, even if only for a little while. I just need a name."
|| She was starting to get more to work with, and this was good. Even though she didn't remember any Imperius, his argument did make sense. Could Aeron have really hit her with an Imperius curse? It certainly wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Knowing Aeron he certainly could have done something like that. And since she had to follow all of his orders... It clicked, and she believed Damien, but that didn't do much to help her. Becoming self aware of the curse was only the first step to breaking it. She still couldn't say or do anything Aeron wouldn't have allowed for her. But she could drop one clue without doing any harm... Right? "Lucedio didn't do anything," she emphasizes. He had given her a choice, and she could follow up. The thing was, she couldn't leave it at that. Her mind wasn't letting her. "No one did anything." She still hoped he would catch the hint. She was supposed to be acting like herself, and yet this seemed next to impossible. Seeing Damien made this harder than she could have imagined, creating this battle being waged in her mind. "It hurts," she rasps.
|| A wicked smile crosses his lips, as he turned away from Chava. He had the information he needed, but he couldn't rush off and hunt down Aeron now. His wife needed his more immediate attention. so he settled on doing something small when it came to Aeron for now, He grabbed a sheet of parchment, and tore off a small piece, before jotting down a quick note. He quickly revised over it before nodding in satisfaction. 'You will suffer. Run for your life.' With that he set it on the table, figuring it would be best to use a rented owl rather than his own for this type of note. With that he turns back towards Chava, his rage settled down, now that he knew that the one who did this would be dealt with. He sat down next to her, before pulling her into his arms. "Fight." he spoke softly, hoping she took up his advice, and that Aeron wasn't as strong with magic as Lucedio. "I can't live without you, the real you. So fight. If not for yourself, then for me." He was reminded of the conversation they had a while back, where they decided that since they wouldn't fight for themselves, they'd fight for each other. And in some small way, this was similar, though at the same time very different. This wasn't a battle where one's very life was at stake, this was a battle of control. And since he'd fought both, he hoped he could help her.
|| All it took was that smile on his face, and Chava knew Damien had been smart enough to deduce that it had been Aeron. The bad part came after, when he went to write a note. And just as he was finishing, she knew what he was doing. With a small scream, she jumps up, running over to grip his arm, as if that could stop him from sending the letter to Aeron. "NO!" she screams, and this was successfully the best bit of control that she could manage. She wasn't supposed to let Damien suspect- but that was out of her control. She couldn't exactly stop Damien from finding out. But she also couldn't let Damien tell Aeron he had found out. Words from Aeron float in her brain, threats that if Damien finds out... Aeron would tell Lucedio she was pregnant, and she... "I'll wish I was dead," she unknowingly mutters aloud, quoting Aeron. And she had already sworn to Damien up and down she would do everything she could to stay alive. She didn't press the point. The letter was gone. And hence, she freaked out. She was crying and shaking by the time he began to pull her into his arms, unsure what to do or how to fight. She wasn't strong enough, she never had been. That's why Aeron put the curse on her in the first place, she was certain of it. She was weak. But did the curse even still matter, could it still be in effect, when she and Aeron were already found out? "I don't know how..."
|| If he was expecting a reaction towards his letter, which he wasn't, this wouldn't have been the reaction he was expecting. It seemed so strange that she would react in utter fear that he would send a letter off towards Aeron. Even if he wanted his brother to fear his arrival, her reaction changed everything. Did he make some sort of threat? It seemed like it, and her next words even seemed to confirm it. He picked up the letter, and walked over towards the fireplace, before placing the note inside. Perhaps this would settle her down a bit. He fumbled around for his wand for a few seconds, before aiming it at the note. "Incendio." Striking with the element of surprise would work as effectively as scare tactics. "No note." He stated simply, before tilting his head at her. This was turning towards a topic he never liked to talk about, but if it could help her, he needed to. "You need to want to be in total control." he started, looking off into emptiness. "You need to be willing to do whatever it takes for that control. Every step of the way, you need to remember exactly what it is you are fighting for. Whether you are fighting solely for your own control, the safety of others, the little things like the touch of someone you love. Whatever it is, you need to remind yourself of it constantly and never give up. Their mind can never win unless you let it. This is /your/ body, /your/ life. Don't let that asshole control you."
|| She hadn't expected him to get rid of the note, but doing so managed to help her a great deal more than she originally thought it would. Of course, thinking logically, Aeron would find out anyway, eventually, and hence so would Lucedio. They couldn't quite avoid that... but she couldn't think about that now. She had to get in control of herself so she could better work their way out of this situation. She was aware, that was one step. And there was nothing else she could do to obey Aeron until he sent her a direct request. All she wanted to do was keep denying anything was wrong, but that wasn't going to fool anyone anymore. "Trying..." she growls, squeezing her eyes shut again. Her head felt like it was going to split open into two. She grips Damien tighter, her fingernails digging into his arms as she tries to breathe. It helped, a lot, just to be near him. "I hate him," she whispers. It was one thing to fight the curse off now, it was another to fight it off when his first letter came and she had to obey whatever it said. When she was supposed to respond to the letter or tell him if Damien suspected anything. The letter had probably already arrived upstairs, waiting for her to answer, waiting to hear back from her so Aeron knew the plan was working. But it wasn't. With that thought finally in her mind, she tries to pull herself back from Damien again- as if to go upstairs to find the letter and tell Aeron everything. She /knew/ she couldn't do that... But the Imperius curse wanted her to. She holds tighter to Damien to try and stop herself from leaving. She had a small idea. "Damien!" she shouts with a suddenly urgent demeanor. "I snuck out remember? I broke your trust, and I'm sorry." She wasn't sure how she could tell him her plan without outright saying it. If she told him to do it, she'd be sinking further. "Just don't body bind me for it, please." She said this, and yet also tried to portray to him the idea of doing the exact /opposite/ of what she requested. "Because I need to go out again." Speak slowly, look closely at him. He had to realize.
|| For a long time, Damien sat there wondering if what he said helped or not. He didn't speak of his past often, and with this sort of situation there was a chance that what he said didn't even apply. So he sat there, broken, wondering if he could ever help Chava get back in control. He couldn't break the curse with magic, nor could he leave her here alone to hunt down Aeron. The whole situation just seemed more and more hopeless. When she moved away, he reached out trying to grab at her hand. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to get better. He wanted to help her fight. And he wanted to give up. He was conflicted. A broken mirror that only reflected weakness and fear. "I don't blame you. I just want /you/ back." So despite what she asked of him, he flicked his wand, ropes springing from his wand to bind her. "So I can't let you go off."
|| She couldn't tell if he understood her motive or not, but nevertheless, it had worked. This is what she had wanted, but he didn't seem to realize exactly that. This way, she couldn't go anywhere. She couldn't obey Aeron's orders no matter how badly her mind wanted her to. She couldn't go answer any letter and she couldn't go off to meet him and spill any plans they might make. Even just this body bind allows a sigh to escape her- one of relief. "Thank you," she mumbles, now trying to think harder on what he had told her. He had sounded as if he had personal experience. Which he would have- especially when he and Lucedio were connected so long ago. Damien had beat him out. He had been strong. So Chava could do the same, right? But she was much weaker mentally than Damien was. The thing that helped the most was him. Him being there, his touch, a gentle kiss, anything. And it was easier to stay in control, to fight for him above anything else. "I can't do as he says now," she whispers, looking down at the binding. "I won't do as he says," she says with a little more force. Her head was still killing her, but that part of her brain was finally beginning to fight even harder against the curse, after realizing there wasn't anything else she could do. "Because I love you."
|| It seemed strange. She was thanking him. Did she have some small form of control? Did she want him to bind her, make sure she couldn't follow the curse's will, and thus take control, or was it something else entirely. It almost made him regret not looking into the forbidden curses further. The only real thing he knew was a basic description on what they did. If it wasn't for their situation, he could almost laugh. A Ravenclaw not researching something. "No you won't." He paraphrased her slightly, before pressing his lips to her forehead. "Now you can do nothing but fight." He tilts his head back, glancing up at the ceiling thinking upon everything that happened recently. Earlier he'd felt broken, where now he felt something he couldn't quite figure out. Something he hadn't had for a long time. Hope. "I love you too." He spoke softly, before sighing again. "So fight."
|| For some reason she thought the breaking of the curse would bring some kind of relief to her. That once it was broken it would be like a snap of the fingers, immediately gone and everything would be okay again. She would be able to breathe. Instead, it was nothing like that. It was a slow, strange process. There were times she was certain the curse was gone, but then seconds later it would come back in full force, trying to break against the bonds to do what she had to do. Internally, when the curse knew it was too late at this point. There was no turning back. She couldn't obey the order. And knowing that, and having Damien near, of course, helped with the process. Left to her own devices and stuck in her own misery, she would have never been able to fight the curse. It would consume her until she was nothing but Aeron Thorne's little puppet. Given that she had someone to fight for, and a new motivation for finding happiness, and to kill Lucedio, it made this all the easier. But the breaking of the curse didn't come with peace. Instead, with rage. "I hate him," she says softly at first, until it begins to grow, and fester. He had taken her will power away from her. She hated him. She wouldn't allow him that kind of control. "I fucking hate him," she starts to snarl, her face burning red. She hated herself for this too, and her only consolation was that she was able to fight it. That not all hope was lost. And she knew it must have been broken when she found herself able to recount the story back to Damien. Story now, panic later. "Fuck. I went out to kill him. I was going to KILL him," she hisses. "I wish I had. But the spell, I hit him and then the spell hit me. I had to tell him... everything. I was supposed to just... fucking BETRAY you..." A gasping breath of panic escapes her lips. She'd be up and pacing and breaking everything in sight, even herself, if she wasn't still bound. "And then you would hate me." Then, the panic came. Even without the curse, she was still backed into a corner that would be bad either way she turned. There was no escaping at this point- things had just been made worse for them. "OH FUCK, Fuck, no..."
|| If it wasn't for the plans formulating in his head, he would agree with Chava, and then release her so they could hunt him down and kill him. However, the sadist inside him was screaming out that death was far too much of a mercy. "Good. Use that hatred. But, we're not going to kill him." He knew she would try to protest that, so he kept talking, keeping her from being able to interject. "We're going to make him suffer." In one quick motion, he flicked his dagger up from it's sheath, before throwing it at a wall opposite of Chava from him. As the blade pierced and splintered the wood, a smirk took over his expression. "No, love." he started correcting himself, walking over towards Chava. "We're going to absolutely destroy him." A brow raised up at her fear-filled screams. It didn't' take him long to piece the puzzle together. "If he knows everything, he could tell Lucedio, and then we lose whatever edge we had. However, let's assume he doesn't know that you've just broken from his curse." He crouches down, waving his wand, retracting the ropes binding her. "Then we have the element of surprise. We can play along for now. Pretend you're still under his curse. And whenever you two are supposed to meet, we can spring a trap."
|| While an angry Damien might typically scare her, when it wasn't directly related to her, it was something she absolutely loved. Her bloodthirsty sadist of a husband managed to make her freeze in her words, pausing to hear everything he had to say. And a small smile made it's way on to her lips. She had wanted to kill him, with her own bare hands, to watch the life leave his eyes, to have him begging her to kill him. But she liked this idea better. If he was begging to be killed... but they granted him no such reprieve. He would not get what he wanted. When the body bind is released, she stands, walking back over to him as if she hadn't previously been suffering in a kind of mental anguish. "I like the way you think," she muses, before his continuation makes her pause, her smile start to fade. Would that really work? Regular Chava was far too different from puppet Chava. "He'll know," she states simply, trying to swallow down her fear. "I'm not sneaky. That's the only way I got you to find out I was under the curse." She wasn't sure how, but everything was telling her it wouldn't work. "If he realizes, he's going to tell Lucedio... he could have already told Lucedio..." She wraps her arms around herself. "Lucedio will come for us. I'm sure of it."
|| And there was the woman he loved, someone who had her own voice, and wasn't the mindless puppet of another. He smirks slightly at her comment, before kissing her cheek. "Of course you do. I doubt we'd be married if you didn't." He chuckles slightly before tapping on his arm as he thinks. If she would be found out too easily, then someone with enough subterfuge skill would have to step in. "Then you spring the trap, and I take your place under a polyjuice potion." The hardest part of that plan would probably be in getting Chava to agree to him taking her place. At least that's what he figured the hardest part would be, given their many arguments in the past. "Lucedio will come after us one way or another. It's just a matter of when. I say we choose our battlefield. We control the situation. No more being passive." He turned his head over to the ashes of the note he burned earlier, before remarking sullenly, "It seems that's no longer an option anyway." He hated to bring it up, especially since it was still somewhat fresh, but it proved his point anyway. "Remember our last fight. What we said at the end. Kill Lucedio, and we can be free. Let's have it on our terms."
|| She loved his plan, she did, and she did think it a better idea to no longer be passive. Fight back as hard as they could- so they would no longer be too easy a battle for Lucedio. But, there was one thing she certainly wasn't having- him taking her place under polyjuice. "No," she states firmly, reaching for his hand and looking him directly in the eye. She wouldn't allow him to take any fall for her. She was Lucedio's first target, this she knew, especially while she was much weaker than usual. And that's something she would not risk for Damien. It was already dangerous for him to just be himself. "No. I refuse. You will not take my place." She shakes her head over and over again, attempting to tug on his hand to pull him back closer to her. "I agree with everything else, but not that. If it goes wrong I will be the one to take the fall for it, not you."
|| Just as he suspected, she was trying to argue against him taking her place, not realizing he was already dead set in this path. Either she accepted that willingly, or he would wait until she got a letter from Aeron, bind her, and go in her place anyway. She'd be angry, but they'd have a better chance of succeeding if he went. "We have a better chance if you just let me take your place." Before she could argue again, he drove his point home with arguments even she couldn't refute. "Out of the two of us, I have the most experience fighting off another's mind. So, if Aeron tries to renew the Imperius, I can fight it off. I also happen to be the best between us at subterfuge, so I'll have the better chance at making him believe you're still under his control." he started pacing back and forth in front of her, as he continued listing his points, "In such a meeting, thinks will be kept to close quarters. Thus, if things go wrong, I have the best advantage. And the best of all, the element of surprise. He'll be expecting you, a magic user. Thus if things do go south, he wouldn't expect a dagger."
|| Even though every single one of his points made perfect sense, and couldn't be refuted, Chava still didn't like the idea. If it went wrong, Damien could get hurt for it. And she hated the idea of him getting hurt, especially while taking her place. She groans, looking down at the floor. "I still don't like it," she grumbles, shaking her head. "Its a good idea, but that doesn't mean I like it or want to follow through. I messed up, love. I left the Manor, I snuck out, with plans to kill Aeron. And look what it resulted in? I could have made this a hundred times worse for the both of us, had you not immediately found out." She leans on him now, just slightly. "But I have a strong feeling you're going to do it whether I like and agree or not." She knew him well enough to know this. And she knew there was no convincing him. If she kept refusing, he would probably just bind her and do it anyway. And she'd be left in the Manor alone having no idea what could be happening. No, it was better for her to at least be able to be out there with him, watching, ready to set the trap and come out and fight if it came to it. She releases a long sigh. "You're impossible," she chuckles. "If he does one thing to hurt you at all, I will do anything I can to protect you. I hope you know that."
|| A breath of relief escapes his lips. Perhaps two stubborn people were finally learning to compromise, perhaps not. Either way, he was glad she decided to agree "I know you don't like it, but it's our best chance. I wouldn't do it otherwise." He wraps his arms around her, just taking in the moment, letting it seep into his mind that this was why he was fighting. He tilted his head, before smirking. "Would I do it regardless?" he smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible, yet with the sadistic grin that kept creeping onto his face, failed entirely, "You bet your $!# I would." Perhaps it wasn't smart to outright state that, but Damien didn't care. "It's just easier if you go along with it." He snorts at her name calling, shaking his head. "I know. Just like I would try to protect you if you were about to be hurt. While we may not fight for ourselves, we can at least fight for each other."
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