Girl's Night!.... Or... Er... Afternoon?

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

((Backdated to shortly after Gillian was sorted as well as after the Dean incident))
((Semi-Open. If you have business to be there and feel the need to intercede, I suppose you could))


Kid,
I heard you got sorted into Hufflepuff. Care to spend some quality female time with a not-quite so old friend? If you do, meet me outside of the school, by the lake. I really can't stand the hoity-ness of the Hufflepuff dorms.
-Faith


Faith had taken a strange liking to the girl and it was the perfect thing to clear her head. So she'd sent the owl. Kid. Kid. It was an affectionate nickname, like her calling Ginny "Red". She nicknamed everyone. ANd hey, people had earned worse. So it was all good... right?

Faith sighed as she walked out to the grounds, wrapping herself up in a tight leather jacket to ward off teh cold. She leaned up against a tree and looked out across the water. She could only look at it for a few seconds before looking away, however. It was pretty. She didn't feel like looking at pretty things. She felt too dark on the inside.

She reached into her coat and pulled the knife out of her belt. The knife her boss had given her. Her knife. It was beautiful and deadly, the twisting metal sharp enough to draw blood with barely an pressure. Twisted. Deadly. Sharp. Destroyed anything it touched. Just like her...

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[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

Gillian approached quietly, her arms wrapped around herself and her new puffy down jacket, provided by a thoughtful house elf. It was pretty here, with the sun striking sparks off the lake and the... the... was that a knife in Faith's hands? Gillian stopped short, not a little scared. Had she been all wrong about Faith?

She spoke uncertainly. "Uh... hi?"

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

Faith jumped at the sound of Gillian's voice. Absorbed in thoughts had put it lightly. She had been thinking back to the Mayor... The only real father-figure she had ever known. She missed him... more than a little.

"Oh! Hi." She turned and faced the girl, not realizing she still had the blade in her hand until she saw the look of caution with maybe a subtle hint of fear on the younger girl's face. She looked down and saw the glittering piece of metal and then groaned at herself, shoving it into her belt.

"Not a murderer I promise." She raised both hands to show they were empty. "It's got sentimental value. Plus... you start trouble here and they kick you out... And I can't afford anymore trouble, trust me." She smiled the charming smile that had enthralled countless people. "No harm intended, cross my heart."

She missed the mayor she really did. But Buffy had killed him, taken him away from her, just like everything else. Faith felt the flare of anger rise up inside of her and she fought to subdue it. Anger was bad, it belonged to the dark place.

[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

Gillian took a step back, trying to figure out the waves of anger that were hovering around Faith. The other girl's words were reassuring, though, and it only took a moment longer for Gillian to realize the anger wasn't directed at her.

"I don't want any more trouble either," she tried with a small smile. "Is there anything wrong - or, I guess, stupid question. Is there anything I can do to help?"

((Let me know if there's stuff you don't want Gillian to read, or if Faith is trying to block her - Gillian could probably barge on through, psychically, but if she sensed that Faith didn't want her to she wouldn't. But I am assuming she can read by accident anything that Faith is projecting.))

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

Faith looked away. She crossed her arms and tried desperatly not to think about Dean... Which of course got her thinking about Dean. Her fingers traced around the still dark skin near her wrists, glad she had worn her jacket to cover the bruising on her neck.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Everything's fine. I just wanted to know how you're settling in? You want to take a walk? I know a secret passage to Hogsmeade. Have you been yet?"

She smiled at Gillian, warmly. Somehow looking at the girl made her feel a little bit better and the thing with Dean a little bit farther away.

[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

Something was wrong, Gillian knew that. It came off Faith in waves. Somebody'd hurt her, and the very idea upset Gillian. But if Faith didn't want to talk about it...

"Hogsmeade? Is that a place?"

Dean? Some guy... Gillian frowned.

((If Gillian's reading too much let me know and I'll redirect - don't want to godmod!))

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

Faith nodded and smiled. She didn't like the look on the girl's face. It was far too quizzical, like she was trying to figure out some strange puzzle, but was still gathering all the pieces. And then it dawned on her.

She was a psychic. Right. Faith had forgotten. Oh well. She just needed to focus on happy things. Things not involving the bruises on her neck or on her wrists. She pulled her shirt sleeve down without thinking about it. Hadn't this girl killed someone? Maybe having her lose her temper would be a less than good thing.

"Yeah, Hogsmeade. There's drinks and taverns and a joke shop and all sorts of stores. We could go shopping total Girl's Night. And you can tell me all about your first day and if anyone is giving you trouble. I could use a few heads to knock." She took one hand out of the pocket of her coat and rested it gently on the girl's shoulder, reassuringly. She wasn't usually touchy feely but she remembered that the girl seemed to need that reassurance. Even through the layers of clothing, Faith could feel the tingle of electricity.

((I meant to put this in my last post but I was distracted by many conversations and left it out. Anything that Gillian shouldn't pick up on because of Faith trying to block it or something I'll put in strike-out so that no worries will occur.))

[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

Of everything Gillian picked up from Faith, the overriding feeling was that the older girl didn't want her to know something, so... she shoved aside her curiosity and let it go. Although she made a mental note: a guy named Dean.

She jumped when Faith touched her. "Don't," she said. "I mean... you have to be careful. I don't want to hurt you." Gillian took a deep breath. "The doctors at Paragon said that when my powers happen I project an electromagnetic field that makes people bleed. So if you've got a cut or a bruise or anything I can make it worse. A lot worse. And if you have your period or an ulcer or something..." She shrugged helplessly. "I can't control them yet, so I never know if I hurt someone until it's too late."

Gillian's voice reflected her sorrow and loneliness, even if she wouldn't look at Faith. God, she missed being touched, being hugged. But she would never risk it - and certainly not with someone she cared about. Not until things were under control.

((You get to decide if she's made Faith's bruises worse or not! XD))

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

She hadn't made Faith's bruises any worse. At least, not through the many layers of clothing. She felt fine. And... hey... Faith had never been one to listen to the warnings of others. Why should she? She was like... Xena minus teh chainmail!

She looked at Gillian and how sad the girl looked. How alone she looked. Faith was overwhelmed with a sense of maternal feelings and she leaned forward without thinking and wrapped her arms around Gillian in a brief hug before backing off. The contact had been brief but she could still feel the ache almost doubling in her wrists. She pushed the thought aside. Pain was no stranger to her.

She reached up and brushed a piece of hair off the face of the startled girl. Her fingertips brushed against her bare skin and an arc of electricity raced through the veins in her hand to her wrist. Her hand spasmed slightly and that caused her sleeve to slip down, revealing the almost black bruises on her wrists. Yes, they looked worse than they had that morning, but still better than right after she had finished with Dean. She fought teh cringe that wanted to sweep across her face bitterly... and she won.

[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

((Psychic with a side of angst, anyone?))

Gillian caught sight of Faith's wrist and nearly grabbed it, stopping herself in time. "Did I - oh my God, Faith! Don't - why did you - " And with that, Gillian started to cry, big, heaving sobs that closed off her throat and made her head hurt. "I know you meant well - you don't know - but please, don't make me live with this! I... don't... want... to... hurt... anybody... anymore..." she gasped out between hiccupping sobs, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not... worth it..."

Gillian looked around wildly, trying to calm herself before things - or people - started to explode. No good. Nonononono! No good! Her hair was starting to fly, the air was charging - she could feel it. Gillian panicked.

And she ran from Faith, as far and as fast as she could.

((Ok, that last line? Wins the emo award for double meaning. :) ))

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

"Gillian, wait!" Faith yelled after the younger girl as she sprinted away. The slayer sighed and started running after her. Every once and awhile super powers came in handy.

She easily overcame Gillian and gripped her firmly by the shoulders. She applied as much pressure as she oculd without hurting the girl to keep her there. Using all of mental capacity she said this silently rather than outloud.

IT WASN'T YOU! She screamed in her head. Tears were bubbling in her eyes. Dammit. She didn't cry. She wouldn't cry. The tears were gone but she still felt like they were there, invading her sight and causing her shapes to blur.

"It was Dean!" Her voice was forced and she couldn't believe that she said it. She wished she could take it back. But somehow... she had to chill this poor girl out. Faith couldn't go on letting Gillian feel like she had doen something wrong. That her touch had hurt Faith. Which yeah... it had a little but HELLO, super powers!

"I'm fine, kid. Do you understand me? I'm fine. You didn't do anything wrong." She refused to let go of the girl's shoulders and there was a wild look in Faith's eyes, blatent fear showing up. Not fear for her own well-being. But fear for losing her friend.

((D'aww, I thought it was cute. How it was all... angsty and sweet. Poor Gillian. *puts her in a box and huggles her* ))

[gillians-fury.livejournal.com]

((I need to email you about possible scenarios from here on out - I have a plot bunny but I want to know what you want to do from here. Where can I reach you?))

[fivebyfive-x.livejournal.com]

((Sounds good. My email is lilgaleq@aol.com but I'm also always on AIM, for which my sn is LaFilleDeSor_x))