|
Post by Alecto Carrow on May 17, 2020 20:57:45 GMT
▶︎ and as the years go by the other woman will spend her life alone, alone, alone... The short note had been written after a few days of jealous insecurity and sent without reservation. If Bellatrix was having one-on-one "meetings" with the pretty young recruits, what was keeping her from doing the same? Her lover's insistence that she had met with Meredith in a business-like fashion to gain more insight into the young woman's potential to serve was not something Alecto could simply believe. Our first meeting was hardly the "tea time" that was promised. Even if they didn't leave the Wyvern together, the groundwork is being laid. Who's to say what will happen next time? The blonde had felt such thoughts before about Bellatrix, wondering if she really could be true to her, when Alecto was the other woman. It felt so long ago that Rodolphus had first found them, when Bella had defended her against her husband's attack, where she had made a stand for them. That moment had been seared across her heart, a permanent mark in favor of the dark woman. But six years had come and gone. And she was little more in the eyes of anyone who mattered than the paramour she had become at eighteen. Did she not deserve more? Had she not earned more? She'd thought that tying herself to the older woman would accelerate her successes, but she was not even a proper Soldier yet. But unless she was wholly off the mark, Bronwyn Nott looked to her like she had looked to Bella in those early months of her recruitment. Whether that admiration and respect held a comparable level of lust was yet to be seen, and the main point of tonight. Just how sincere was the engagement between Bronwyn and Regulus, when the boy was at Hogwarts? She was deserving of her own acolyte, with or without private benefits shared with the beautiful girl. And maybe Alecto was wrong - maybe she was imagining a growing distance between them, maybe when Bella found out about this, she would be thrown into such a fit of jealous rage that new promises of devotion between them could be made and trusted. But if Bella didn't care? If Alecto had lost hold of the special place she thought she held for the other woman? Then you'll have Bronwyn. In one way or another.For Bronwyn had beaten her to the Wyvern, Alecto noted with a smirk upon her entry. One way or another, something was here, and she was keen to find out what it was. "It's good to know you can be timely for what matters to you," Alecto remarked, half in tease as she came up behind the blonde. She let her smile show and kissed the other on the cheek, taking her hand to lead her to an empty table. They drew the eyes of other patrons, she was pleased to see, and soaked in the needed attention. "I'm glad you came to join me. I thought you may be in the need for a night out," she said, grimacing as she went on, the name of one of Bellatrix's other lovers twisting painfully as it left her lips. "Living at home, with Regulus away? Crabbe for company at work? You can come to me, I hope you know that."
|
|
Bronwyn Nott
Death Eater
Posts: 113
Relationship Status: Engaged: Regulus Black
Player: Tay
Title: Intern - Level Five, Ministry Of Magic | Recruiter - Death Eaters
|
Post by Bronwyn Nott on May 20, 2020 3:39:16 GMT
It was rude to ignore an invitation from a Carrow. Bronwyn had been surprised when the note had shown up to her place, as she’d never in her life have guessed that Alecto Carrow wanted her to meet for a drink. Her, Bronwyn Nott. She was nobody in comparison to a Carrow, not really. Sure she had a good family name, but she was a fresh faced Hogwarts graduate. She was working an okay job at the Ministry. Her goals of getting the apprenticeship had blown up in her face, and her backup plan wasn’t as good as she had thought it could be. She’d gotten through the summer with Regulus, her dearest friend a good source of company after a day at the office. But since he’d gone back to school, she’d been lonely. So when she’d received the note from Alecto, she’d hopped on the chance. Bronwyn had always looked up to the other woman. Alecto had been in her last year of school when Wyn was in her first, and Bronwyn had looked up to her even then. She was so pretty, so deadly. But the other woman had hardly crossed her thoughts over the years. Not until the night of the dinner with the Dark Lord, where she had been late. Bronwyn had a hard time keeping her eyes off the other woman, even when she was supposed to be focused on getting her mark. Absentmindedly, she ran a hand over the mark on her arm, trying not to think too much about her after work activities. Right now she was simply a recruiter, looking for more people to join their side at the Ministry. But it was hard, especially when she had to work with Aaron. Leaning up against the bar, trying not to stare at the door, Bronwyn was nervous. What did Alecto want with her? Did Alecto know that Bronwyn was into girls, and if she did - was she going to use it against her? Were the rumors about Bellatrix and Alecto being lovers true? She didn’t have any more time to let her thoughts wander, and she stood taller as the other woman approached her. She laughed at Alecto’s words, hoping that the fact she was on edge didn’t show through. But she couldn’t stop her face from flushing as Alecto kissed her on the cheek, and she followed Alecto to the table with a smile creeping onto her face. “I have been in the need for a night out, thank you for extending the invitation,” she said as she sat down, noting the way Aaron’s name left her lips. “It’s been quite a bore being at home with nothing to do, and my company at work is always displeasing.” While she wouldn’t have ever considered going to Alecto with her problems, but if the offer was being extended, perhaps she should take her up on it. “Did it feel like this when you graduated? That nothing was going according to plan?”
|
|
|
Post by Alecto Carrow on May 20, 2020 18:49:57 GMT
Within moments of their encounter, Alecto had made the little blonde laugh, blush, and smile. And it felt good. To be the one holding the power, to have someone arrive at her directive, to know she could get a rise out of someone new. While she didn't want to think any more of her lover tonight, she couldn't help but wonder if this is how Bellatrix had felt in their early times - when Alecto was the shining newcomer, not yet so hardened by the ugliness of their holy war, when she was quick to trust and no length was too far to go to show her affection. To be on the other side, to feel the tug of a different and alluring sort of power... Do I not give this feeling to her anymore? Is this why she's after Mulciber?She let go of Bronwyn's hand as they sat and listened with a growing grin; her diligence in looking into the other's affairs was showing promise of delivery already, the loneliness in the woman so evident. If Alecto played her cards right, Bronwyn would be hers, and soon. Because while her offer of confidence was mainly showboating, Bronwyn shocked her by revealing something personal so soon. She's working for the Dark Lord, engaged to a boy in a good family. Working at the Ministry. What's gone wrong? She felt her grin falter momentarily in confusion and surprise, so rare it was that someone truly desired her perspective, but picked it back up with a snap to a passing server. "If we're talking of plans gone awry, we're getting drinks. White Rat, neat, and whatever she wants," Alecto directed, waving Bronwyn on. When the man had left them, she retook Bronwyn's hand atop the table, playing idly with the girl's engagement ring. Just how attached was she to the boy who'd given it to her?... "This world isn't made for people like us," she said simply and succinctly, meeting those pretty blue eyes. "We have ambition and talent. We deserve to be taken seriously. We aren't. Until you make them see you like they should." She let out a short laugh, remembering the long days spent protesting against Meadowes's regime, the frustrations of a time that had never truly gone away. "I had to suffer being Meadowes's mentee. Watch as my brother was given rewards that should have been mine. Until I got Bellatrix on my side. We girls have to be there for each other, if any of us are going to make it. But I digress - what's happened to your plans, love? Who do I need to hex for upsetting you?"
|
|
Bronwyn Nott
Death Eater
Posts: 113
Relationship Status: Engaged: Regulus Black
Player: Tay
Title: Intern - Level Five, Ministry Of Magic | Recruiter - Death Eaters
|
Post by Bronwyn Nott on May 22, 2020 23:14:24 GMT
Was this what it felt like, to be a part of this world now? Should she expect more notes from powerful people, expecting her to join them for a drink? She knew that Meredith had met with Bellatrix, and her friend from school had walked away from that meeting unscathed. But Bronwyn wasn’t privy to exactly what Bellatrix had wanted from Meredith, just as she doubted that she would fill in Meredith about this evening. They were friends, but ever since Meredith had won the apprenticeship Wyn had felt the need to keep some things to herself. She had worked so hard, and Meredith had won yet again. Every time she tried to follow her dreams, they ended up getting crushed. And Bronwyn was over it. She just wanted to be herself, in a world that wanted her to be anything but what she was. That was why she looked up to the woman seated across from her, a woman that dared to be herself in their male dominated society. “Mulled mead,” she said to the server, watching as he walked away from them. This was real, she was having a drink and a conversation with Alecto Carrow. Bronwyn felt her heart flutter as Alecto took her hand once more, watching her play with the ring on her finger. The ring that still felt so forgein on her hand, even though she’d be wearing it every day for months now. It was everything she had ever dreamt about in an engagement ring, she and Regulus had talked about it of course. They had plotted everything out, and it was the perfect arrangement. And yet thinking about it made her sad, because she didn’t want either of them settling, not when they should be allowed to be with those that they loved. Even though some days, Bronwyn felt she’d never love again. Not like she’d loved Corry. Alecto met her eyes as she spoke, and Bronwyn couldn’t help but smile. Us. It was so surreal, to be hearing what she was hearing Alecto say. If she was being honest, Bronwyn had thought that Alecto hadn’t a clue who she was, other than Cantankerous Nott’s daughter. Wyn felt bad for Alecto, having to learn under Meadowes. She didn’t know much about Dorca’s father, but she had to assume he was just as annoying as her former classmate had been. Yet Alecto had succeeded, she had risen to be someone respected. Because of Bellatrix, a woman who Bronwyn was admittedly a little afraid of. Letting out a laugh, she grinned at the woman across from her, “Meredith Mulciber. I almost hexed her myself when she beat me for the apprenticeship under Mistress Max. Now I have to work with Crabbe. Or my father, he’s the one who talked me out of pursuing Quidditch.” She was blabbering now, she knew it, but it was so nerve wracking talking to Alecto, feeling as if the other woman was on her side. She hadn’t been able to talk to anyone since Regulus had left for school, not in the way she felt she could talk to Alecto. “The job is nice though, it’s just boring.”
|
|
|
Post by Alecto Carrow on May 25, 2020 20:34:58 GMT
You're giving me names. You are actually giving me names. You don't do this in our line of work unless you mean it, little one.This was more than Alecto had expected, but then again, she'd only really known the woman from brief meetings at the Dark Lord's house, or overhearing her father speak of her. Did Bronwyn, likewise underestimating her, not expect her to follow through on her offer of hexes? Or more, if the young Death Eater so desired? The junior Mulciber and the senior Nott were well connected, powerful in their own ways, and outspoken enough for any targeting of them to be heard of by everyone in their circles. Nonetheless... "They should pay for belittling you like that, darling. You just say the word, and I'll have them out of your hair for good," Alecto promised, dropping her head to the side sharply as she used her necklace as a mock-noose. She straightened with a wicked grin, letting out a sharp laugh as she squeezed the blonde's hand. While she'd never admit it, it would be a bad move for her to damage either party, but was there any harm in making Bronwyn think she would? That she was on her side, above the others? Even if the other did insist on her taking action, they could play the long game together. Some poisons were slow to act, slow enough that tracing them to their origins was more difficulty than it was worth... "Boredom is the worst thing there is, isn't it? It's not too late to pursue one of those other ventures, you know, as long as you still make time for our work. Show this Mistress Max, the Quidditch League, what they're missing out on!"The server returned and Alecto took up her glass, clinking it against the other's and taking her first sips as she thought. Bronwyn was dissatisfied with her work, an old friend, and her father...what else made the woman tick? "So you had planned to study, or to compete," Alecto mused over her glass. "Had you planned to join us? Or to join your lot to young Regulus's? I imagine it can hardly be ideal for the one you love to be so far away." She'd finally let go of Bronwyn's hand, and leaned back in the stiff chair as she surveyed her for any tells. While she had abhorred her years in recruitment, the training involved had admittedly proven useful time and time again. How do you feel about your commitments, really?
|
|
Bronwyn Nott
Death Eater
Posts: 113
Relationship Status: Engaged: Regulus Black
Player: Tay
Title: Intern - Level Five, Ministry Of Magic | Recruiter - Death Eaters
|
Post by Bronwyn Nott on Jul 18, 2020 19:38:51 GMT
There was one thing she was sure of, and that was that Alecto’s offer was serious. If she said she wanted Meredith or her father truly gone, it would happen. And that was terrifying, but at the same time, she’d never held power over either of them before. So to have Alecto on her side of things, to have someone willing to put them in their place - it was enticing. But perhaps she had jumped the gun in giving the other woman the names of those she was upset with right now, because surely it would pass. Meredith had won the apprenticeship, but their friendship was still intact due to their dealings with the Dark Lord. Her father would see that she was more than just a woman, that she was fierce and able to take care of herself. Hadn’t she already proved that with surviving on her own since she had moved? And when the war was one, she’d be the first one there for try-outs. Things would get better, she just needed to wait it out. But if they didn’t? They’d both learn a lesson. Bronwyn returned the squeeze of her hand, smiling across the table at Alecto. Alecto was funny, and pretty, and dangerous from what Bronwyn had heard. And yet, here they were together at the Wyvern. Why Alecto had picked Bronwyn as her company tonight, Wyn wasn’t sure. She was just happy for the invite. And what Alecto was saying was true, boredom was the worst. She’d taken to zoning out at her desk at work, thinking about happier times, like when she and Cordelia snuck off together back in school. Sort of like she was doing now, zoning out just staring at Alecto and thinking about how pretty she was. “I guess they are missing out, aren’t there? I bet Meredith is just struggling under Mistress Max,” she said with a laugh, the idea of Meredith failing just too funny to not laugh at. She took her drink from the server, clinking it against Alecto’s before she took a drink, setting it down on the table. Alecto was still holding her hand in hers, and Wyn was enjoying it. But then Alecto was asking about joining the Death Eaters, and about her engagement to Regulus, taking her hand away. Bronwyn took another sip of her drink, stalling to she could get her story together. The first question was easy, as she’d planned for a while now to join them. It was the second she was panicking about, because Alecto wasn’t the person who needed to know the truth about their arrangement. “I’ve wanted to join the cause for a while now, ever since I overheard my Dad talking about you,” she said as she placed her drink back down, giving Alecto a smile, “I didn’t think I could join until I heard about you, and about Madame Lestrange. Ever since then I had my heart set on joining.” That wasn’t a lie, it was what had sparked her interest in following the Dark Lord. “Regulus being gone is hard, but I get to see him on Hogsmeade weekends. Regulus and I have been friends for a while, so the arrangement between our parents was quite nice.”
|
|
|
Post by Alecto Carrow on Aug 19, 2020 2:48:56 GMT
"I bet she is," Alecto agreed, with truly no way to have a proper opinion on the woman's other options, but that was no matter. What mattered was that Bronwyn felt important in her presence. There was no way to build the sort of rapport and trust that Alecto needed in an underling if all they did was see each other at headquarters. They needed this kind of time together for Alecto to start making the blonde feel special. Understood. Taken care of. She could still remember with painstaking clarity the empowerment that she'd felt when Bellatrix first paid attention to her. Not to Amycus, not to her family, her. The brunette hadn't dismissed her need for vengeance as a childish whim - she'd taken her hand, yes, but taken her seriously. Bellatrix had given her the tools to success from then on, needing nothing but her loyalty in return. Stop it. Stop thinking about her!Here she was, seated with a beautiful little thing in need of such guidance, and she couldn't get Bella out of her mind? That frustration drew longer pulls of whiskey from the glass that really was too short, and leaving Bronwyn's hand on the table when she really should have held on. Alecto watched with interest as the woman seemed to suddenly need to weigh her words, the whiskey's fire - attributed to those foul Ridgebacks, somehow - dancing down her throat, leaving its flames behind. Once Bronwyn began to speak, however, whatever flickers of worry she'd had were gone. Oh you sweet little thing.Even mention of Madame Lestrange wasn't enough to fully distract her from the compliments her ego so desperately needed, the idea that Bronwyn had been looking up to her for eons, and Alecto hardly needed to listen to the rest. Yes, yes - the Black boy was away, how tragic to be away from a friend. The boy didn't have her heart, however fondly she spoke of him, and Alecto could not have been more pleased. She felt herself relax, hazel eyes drinking in the beauty before her as her drink was held idly in hand. "I hope your father told you the truth," Alecto began, "I've never gotten the feeling he likes me, particularly. Does he know you're here with me?" A wicked grin alighted on her face as she took a languid drink, nodding to the last. "I'm glad you're with a friend, then. Someone who is understanding and supportive of you, I hope. From what I've observed, it's so rare to find a match that counts for anything other than the approval of your parents."
|
|
Bronwyn Nott
Death Eater
Posts: 113
Relationship Status: Engaged: Regulus Black
Player: Tay
Title: Intern - Level Five, Ministry Of Magic | Recruiter - Death Eaters
|
Post by Bronwyn Nott on Dec 19, 2020 19:49:41 GMT
Alecto was truly listening to what she was saying, agreeing with her words about Meredith. For so long she’d felt like she’d so few people on her side besides Regulus, even her friends couldn’t be trusted with truths sometimes. But Alecto was powerful, she was menacing when she wanted to be. She was everything that Bronwyn wanted to be someday. Respected, free to live her life the way she wanted without her family's expectations weighing her down. And that meant a lot to her, because she wanted Regulus to be able to live his life the same way, one day the two of them not needing the arrangement they had so carefully crafted to be with the people they really loved. But there was hardly time to start that argument in her head again, how even once their world changed it would never truly be enough change. But at least for right now, Alecto was on her side and that was what mattered. She hoped she had overstepped with her compliments to Alecto, but she wanted the older woman to know that she truly did look up to her. Her father did hate Alecto, he’d made his feelings on both her and Bellatrix running free quite clear over the years. But Bronwyn had always been in awe of both of them because of it. “I doubt he told me the whole truth, he’s not very fond of women. He doesn’t know I’m here, we’ve hardly spoken since I moved out on my own,” Bronwyn said, taking a sip of her drink to hide her displeasure. She’d wanted a flat out of her own with her father’s money, someplace in a wizard only zone. She was barely affording the place on her own, but she couldn’t admit defeat to him. She was very lucky, she felt, to have Regulus by her side. The scheme they had come up with had worked perfectly, she felt very honored to be marrying into the Black family. She adored the interactions she had had with Walburga, so she knew she could get along with his mum. And her and Regulus could probably figure out a way to avoid having an heir one day in the future when both of their parents started demanding it. “I’m very lucky to have been paired off with Regulus, we’re a good team. And it pleased both our parents, so it’s a very good match indeed,” she said with a grin, unable to stop thinking of how perfectly it had all played out, their little plan. They’d figure out a way to get Phil on board one day, and Bronwyn would find someone besides Corry who could love her, “Although I envy you, able to be free on your own without being tied to someone.”
|
|
|
Post by Alecto Carrow on Feb 13, 2021 3:06:55 GMT
"He's not very fond of women?" Alecto scoffed, laughing anew at the severe understatement. She and those like-minded had Cantankerous Nott to thank for the Pure-Blood Directory, if the rumors were true about who was behind the anonymous publication, but even if he had done the research, even if he had penned it...his disdain for Bellatrix and herself (and, evidently, even his daughter) would yet outweigh any of his contributions to the cause. To want so badly to be more than he was that he had to try and knock them down... "What a sad, small life he must lead," she continued, the grin between them one of secrets shared, "and how good of you to remove yourself from it! What is it like to be out on your own?" And a genuine curiosity it was - Bronwyn was even more of a rarity than Alecto had expected. Did she know anyone who had lived alone, besides Amycus's brief stint between his graduation and her own? She doubted that she did. It wasn’t something she would want for herself, her mind too prone to restlessness even when entertainment wasn’t lacking, and wondered if it suited the young woman… How much easier will this be if it doesn’t? As much as she appreciated her brother, the apartment they shared was not somewhere she even brought Bellatrix; she preferred to join her at the manor, even with the "threat" of the husband lurking within every shadow. And Bronwyn, lonely and alone somewhere in London? No friends to speak of besides wee Mr. Black, so conveniently far away? She’s perfect. As Bronwyn spoke, smiling as she thought of the boy who'd weighed down her hand with a ring, Alecto found herself biting the rough edge of a fingernail, as always making the state worse than better. She winced as she went too far, replacing the nail in her mouth with the glass, and turned Bronwyn’s wistfulness over once or twice before responding. That desire for freedom felt far more pressing whatever was between Black and herself - she spoke of him fondly, but without a trace of romance… "You are as free as you believe you are," she said with a hint of a smirk, "and you're freeing yourself, bit by bit, aren't you? You left your father's house, against his will - I'm assuming. Who says you can't do more? I mean - this is lovely," she continued, leaning over the table to give the bold engagement ring a smart tap, "but if tying yourself to him feels…constricting, rather than freeing...why hold yourself back? The paths they've limited you to aren't the only ones that exist, you know." Alecto shrugged, meeting her eyes - such a flawless blue, weren't they just out of a dream? "I may not be engaged, but I have my ties," she admitted, sipping at her drink. Bellatrix had given her the strength to stand up for herself, to pursue what she deserved out of life. Amycus had pushed her, driven her, shielded her, despite the kicking and screaming self she had been as a child. Listen to you, as if you’ve outgrown throwing a proper tantrum - "And as solitary as we all like to seem, and as much as I hate to admit it, and as much as I'll deny it if you tell anyone," Alecto smiled, catlike, and lowered her voice to a whisper, tones lilting nonetheless, "I'd probably be dead in a river somewhere if I didn't have them. We need people that we can trust, trust with our lives, in this business. Can I trust you, Bronwyn?" she asked, abrupt, hazel eyes flicking up again to meet the other's, a smile still playing at her lips.
|
|
Bronwyn Nott
Death Eater
Posts: 113
Relationship Status: Engaged: Regulus Black
Player: Tay
Title: Intern - Level Five, Ministry Of Magic | Recruiter - Death Eaters
|
Post by Bronwyn Nott on Apr 13, 2021 0:42:32 GMT
Saying her father wasn’t fond of women was certainly an understatement. He was a smart man, who had given their society things he thought they needed. But he was also a foolish man, and Bronwnyn had been able to see that for years now. He thought little of his Wyn’s well being, and she’d learned she would need to take matters into her own hands to get anything she wanted out of life. It had been her idea to try out for Quidditch without her father’s permission, the gift of her own broom only coming once her mother insisted Cantankerous encourage his daughter. Mostly, Wyn thought he spent his time wishing he had a son to carry on the family name. She had been lucky, his disdain for her had allowed her to date freely during her school years without being secured to a match. Thankfully, she’d taken that situation into her own hands before he’d even had a thought about pairing her off to someone. She shared a smile with Alecto, the kind of smile that only another woman understood, and laughed. Her small minded father was the least of her worries these days, and Bronwyn liked it that way. Living on her own was different from what she expected, she was so used to the commotion of her dorm room when she wasn’t at her parent’s house. She also couldn’t afford to live in a magical only community with her salary, and living amongst muggles was proving to be interesting. “Most days living alone is wonderful, it’s just me and the cat and no one telling me what to do,” she said with a sip of her drink, finding herself relaxing more as they spoke, “But it does get lonely, Beauregarde doesn’t talk back to me.” Now she probably thinks you are weird because you talk to your cat, good going Nott. Bronwyn found it easier to talk about her engagement to Regulus, it was a well practiced speech. It was wonderful to be paired to a Black, the ring was beautiful, they were absolutely ecstatic about their life together. From the outside, it was absolutely perfect. It solved the problem both of their families were having, and she was free to be. At least, as free as she believed she was, according to Alecto. There was wisdom in those words, but if the woman sitting across from her knew any of the thoughts that ran through Bronwyn’s mind. Private thoughts, intimate thoughts. Things she wanted to do to Alecto, just there on the tip of her mind, and Wyn tried to push them down. Yes, Alecto was attractive and had invited her for a drink, but this was nothing more than a chat. “I suppose bit by bit, I am freeing myself.” she said slowly, unsure if she should fully admit to the set up. It was done, the ring on her finger, but either family could back out at any time if they so choose. “This path, this engagement, it allows me to be as free as I can truly be. I don’t know what other path I could take.” Admitting her true self to her father would end badly, and she’d never be allowed on the estate again. And what was she supposed to do, beg Corry not to marry Rabastan, to run away with her and live a life in the country together? They hadn’t even been honest with their roommates about their relationship, there was no way they could ever truly be together. She drank to hide her reaction to Alecto’s admission, because it meant the rumors about Madame Lestrange and Alecto were likely true. She felt special, as Alecto lowered her voice, to be privy to such secrets about the older woman. To be able to know something about Alecto that others didn’t, like they were becoming friends as they sat here chatting. Eyes wide, Bronwyn sat her drank and leaned forward, lowering her voice to match Alecto’s tone. “You can trust me, cross my heart,” she gestured, a grin spreading across her face. She knew this was a serious moment, but she couldn’t help it. “In seriousness this, I won’t tell a soul. I’d be lost without the people who got me through school, but I’m hoping to find new allies in this business.”
|
|
|
Post by Alecto Carrow on Sept 4, 2021 1:50:15 GMT
"Bronwyn," she smiled, drawing out the woman's name and savoring the taste of it. It was like the mead glistening on her lips - sweet, enough to be pliable, but with an unpredictable spice buying its time, enough to keep things interesting. "As appealing as it sounds to have no one tell you what to do, humor me - you're trying to converse with your cat. We need to make this a regular occurrence, seeing each other. There are far more...enjoyable routes to take to lose your mind. Trust me." Alecto took a slow drink, openly eyeing the blonde. She's perfect. Alecto so rarely got to play the game like this. Winning someone's wand not through overt threats or fear or ridicule, but rather...winning their favor. It was a new sort of game, a more delicate thread to balance on - to work enough truth into her words to not be caught out should her young companion go digging around, but not enough to scare her away. To show enough understanding of their shared plight to gain her trust, but not so much that she seemed weak. And the possible rewards of a game of this sort? To not only have another talent watching her back in battle, but to have someone willing to sacrifice themselves for her, as she would have done for Bellatrix? To have someone at her beck and call, someone craving her knowledge, her touch... She'd never had the discipline to completely master mental magic, to go undetected for long, to influence another's mind, however much her mentors had desired it of her - and deciphering what was in the other's mind, she was far too narcissistic for unbiased interpretations - but she knew enough to make it advantageous at a time like this. And as Bronwyn would be thinking of her, without a doubt, what was the harm in taking a look? Especially as the younger Death Eater's rehearsed words about Regulus hardly needed her concentration... She saw herself, she saw Bronwyn, and she did not think the fiance would approve of their...closeness, however much she did. Unless he knows? Your friend? Alecto broke eye contact with a satisfied grin, finishing her glass and setting it down with a thud, gesturing for another round as Bronwyn continued. "As free as you truly can be," Alecto echoed, trying to sound thoughtful, but far too thrilled at her prying to be convincing or contained. "Tell me, your father - you haven't spoken since you left home. With that, I can't imagine him footing the bill for your apartment. And he denied your dreams of flying. And the arrangement with Regulus, done to please your families - but it's not enough to keep Father on your side? Are you hoping it will be? When he sees the announcement in The Prophet - the Blacks will run an announcement, the full page if they can, something to gloat about at long last - and you, resplendent in your wedding gown, will he realize his mistake?" She sighed, sadly, and drummed her empty glass impatiently until the server hastened over. "Bit of a gamble, isn't it? Sacrificing your freedom for a man who won't accept you as you are?" As sympathetic of a look as she could muster, a squeeze of the hand. "I understand wanting security. We all desire it. But you don't need it from them, not when you can have it with us. Something to think about, hmm?" They leaned towards each other, voices low and strained with promises, smiles mirrored, and Alecto felt the earnestness from the woman, warm and inviting. "Then you have one in me, pet," she whispered, breathing in the headiness of sweet and spice as she firmly took Bronwyn's chin in her hand, eyes meeting. "I will call on you. And we will hunt, and we will celebrate our victories, and we will mourn our losses, as one."
|
|