( lilith knows the moment that agnes has set foot onto the boundaries of her property, having set wards for such a purpose. it's a familiar energy, a pleasant energy that has he moving towards the door, opening it just as the woman's knock sounds.
but-- as opposed to the other times when agnes has been here-- something feels wrong. she's used to her doubts, her quiet nature but there's a cloudiness in her, something almost wanting to burst )
Agnes-- what is it?
( and that concerns her. it's also unusual for someone to come to her as a retreat but hopefully she can help, stepping back from the door to let her in )
[Her immediate impulse is to say that it's nothing. She's fine. For most people, it would likely work. Her face is a mask of apathy...but Lilith knows it much better than anyone else here. And she looks haunted. She won't meet the woman's eyes, which isn't a decision she's cognizant of.
Once inside, Agnes doesn't make to remove any of her layers. She wants to wear them all like a fortress of cotton and cloth.]
I'm sorry for coming unannounced. I wasn't thinking...but I...I don't think I can be alone right now.
( she takes it slow, watching the woman's appearance, a gentle touch on her hand to lead her further into the small room. lilith didn't even mind that she was here, that it wasn't planned-- agnes was one of the few that would always be welcome in her home, though obviously she wished it for more pleasant reasons. not that she minded this )
Let me get you some tea.
( it's partly an offer of comfort, partly a delaying tactic for her to try and figure out what she needs to do, what she can do. people don't come to her for comfort though lilith typically also doesn't offer that. it also gives agnes a moment to get herself a little more comfortable, to sit herself wherever she needs to be.
the kitchen's still within earshot just a few steps away, tea quickly brewed and brough back to them, placed on the small table by the couch. a whispered word lights the fire, lilith then pouring the tea before sitting with her )
Who did this?
( though there'd always been something else to agnes her first instinct is that someone has hurt her, done something to cause such a concern in her. someone that will find themselves with a very unpleasant end )
[Bowed over on the couch, head nearly down to her knees, Agnes sits in silence. Under the curtain of her hair she pushes her gloved hands over her face like she wants to scrub it off.]
It doesn't matter.
[It matters too much. Anyone else, she'd have taken her own vengeance. As much as she doesn't like to hurt people, she has no qualms defending herself under the right circumstances.]
I broke my contract...I brought it on myself. I should have known that he'd find out.
[She just...she thought that things would be different. No, that isn't it. She wasn't thinking clearly. She wasn't herself. She was too eager to be rid of her cold affliction and so eager to just have a bit of privacy to make that happen.]
( whilst lilith can't comment on whether or not agnes did break her contract the phrase i brought it on myself, i should have known-- rings painfully with her. they're words that she's offered about lucifer before, tried to justify what had happened to her, to ensure that the blame was with her, that she was the foolish one. words so many women had used throughout the millennia )
Elias.
( his name comes out colder but the look that she has for agnes is entirely sympathetic )
His unreasonable demands don't make it your fault. He chose to punish you-- to hurt you as he did. No action deserves such a thing.
( and lilith doubts that she'd done much at all. some men hurt for the simplest of things )
[Agnes shakes her head, but doesn't argue with Lilith's conclusion. She doesn't disagree--she thinks this was unfair and unkind and uncalled for, but it's the way things are, and it's always been easier for her to live with the things that hurt her if she only just accepts that there is no hope.
Hope only make everything worse.]
I can't shut him out. I'd only wanted...just a few moments.
[Agnes breathes deeply, the heat spooling out over her face like a welcome caress. But her eyes burn with the emotion of what she has now seen. If Lilith knows, she'll take her at her word. There are others here who could have told her, or perhaps she found out some other way; she wouldn't doubt it. But...]
Do you know that he can enforce that sight on others? To make them see, to make them know?
( he'd told her many things about the beholding, its avatars, what each part could do that he'd experienced but-- not that. details on elias had been scarcer.
she doesn't ask what he made agnes see. that part isn't important as troubling as it is, not wanting to make the woman relive any more of the pain )
What do you need from me?
( her hands move to rest on agnes's, knowing it'll be simpler for the woman to ask for what she needs than for lilith to try and figure it out to give it. if it's simple company she can do that. she'd love to do more, to take the fight to elias but it's one action that she won't risk. she isn't foolish )
[After a long moment, Agnes' hands clench onto Lilith's, as if they've only just finally realized that they're there. It's more than an affectionate squeeze--it's desperate and wanting. When she look up ant meets Lilith's face, she blinks rapidly, holding back the searing tears that she doesn't want to shed. Still, steam squeezes out from between her lashes, blurring her vision. Her voice is hardly more than a whisper.]
I don't know.
[She doesn't know what she needs from herself, either. Her thoughts had always been a place she could escape to, to keep her loneliness from seeping in too close. There was peacefulness there, in her own mind, sorrow too, of course, but dreams and whimsies and fancies of her own making. It was a tenuous balance, keeping herself together, and with this knowledge now wedged inside of it all, a knowledge that she can't shake, that persists and replays itself with so much intensity...she can feel all of it cracking.]
[Agnes breathes slowly, as if to filter new air throughout her body. Slowly, her shoulders lose some tension, her grip on Lilith's hands aren't quite so desperate, and she uncoils.]
( lilith doesn't know what to say. though agnes's grip lessens lilith doesn't yet release her hands, not until she pulls away, thumbs running still over her. comfort isn't her forte, at least not in words but-- )
[Agnes nods, sighing, and says no more about it. She doesn't need words, anyway, she just needs...she doesn't know. It's clear that she's exhausted, her mind having been put through something that's been draining her of much more energy than usual, and she hasn't gone out to feed because of that, either. But she can't fathom resting. Can't fathom what she'll see when she gives herself over fully to unconsciousness.
She just wants to stay, just like this, and focus only on the feel of Lilith's hands in hers.]
( lilith watches her for a moment, assessing her, looking for everything that agnes isn't telling her. and there's so much, the worry, the exhaustion--
she leans forward, press of lips to her forehead and as she does casts a non-verbal spell, putting the woman to sleep. if she's this tired she wouldn't have slept alone.
lilith lays her carefully on the couch and as much as she could let her lay with her head in her lap there's something else she needs to do. slipping from the couch lilith lays a blanket over her before settling herself on the floor, a little meditation to clear her mind before reaching out to agnes's dreams.
she knows from experience that they won't be restful, planning on slipping into them to soothe them, to keep agnes calm and banish any nightmares, pretending she's just a pleasant dream herself )
[In her dream...her nightmare, Agnes doesn't think about how strange it was how quickly she fell asleep. Doesn't know she's sleeping. There are submissives being tortured, humiliated, punished, in a warped prison reality, and Agnes stands, stuck.
I thought you were better than this.
Elias Bouchard stands behind her, talking calmly, as if nothing is amiss, but his fingers have her eyes pried open and she can't move, can't look away, can't stop it. He says to her:
Have a pleasant day, Agnes.
And then he lets her go, but she can't go anywhere, because her collar jerks on a leash that shouldn't be there, and she tumbles back, dragged toward the other victims, joining them in the lineup.]
( she'll catch the action just as she's dragged back, an extension of her magic holding the image of elias in place, lilith stepping forward from the shadows, her other hand reaching out to try and stop agnes from moving.
but elias isn't her concern, not now that she can see the rest of this dream and her fist clenches, causing the agony in him that she wishes she could cause in reality, crushing his heart until he dies.
and then she's quick to move on agnes, a wave of her hand snapping the chain before both her hands cup her cheeks )
Focus on me.
( once she had the woman's attention she could begin to manipulate the dream )
[Agnes all but crumples in Lilith's hold, and it seems so natural she should be here, if anyone should be here, to save her. Her eyes are heart wrenching as she meets the other woman's gaze, and she can't help herself, can't stop her tears from spilling, hot and steaming.]
Do I deserve this? Is this my punishment for being born a monster?
( the word is a whisper and though lilith normally keeps it covered she looks a little sad, not just for agnes but the reality of the entire situation. it's painful and part of it is starting to be a reminder of her own life )
You're not the monster, Agnes, he is. The actions he chooses are monstrous ones, seeking only to harm. To harm you.
[She raises her shaking hands to curl around Lilith's.]
I feed on the pain of others. Feed on it. My life has caused so much pain for so many people. The damage is irreversible, and killing myself did nothing to fix it. What else can I do? There must be something.
( there's a whisper of a spell and agnes will be filled with a warmth, though something far different to her own heat, intended to soothe her even if she can't take the pain away )
As have I.
( she's not going to touch on the revelation that agnes had died, wanting to try and ground the woman first )
You were given something cruel and unkind. What people make us is hard to deny but it is not all there is.
( the fact that agnes was concerned about being a monster showed something )
[Lilith's manipulation helps, and slowly, Agnes calms, saying nothing more as her tears stop falling and evaporate against her cheeks. Around them, the setting starts to change, the rehabilitation center chanting into an open park.]
It would be so nice to live a life untouched by destiny.
( her whisper is filled with so much, an undernote as if lilith knows exactly what she's talking about. certainly, it's never been her own destiny but she's been led and manipulated to enact someone else's plans-- a prophecy. but hadn't she come into existence on someone's whim? a destiny of the first woman. she may have rebelled but things hadn't gone well for her after that )
But whilst that may be more difficult to obtain-- there are others here that will help you, that understand.
( she doesn't just mean her but she does understand )
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but-- as opposed to the other times when agnes has been here-- something feels wrong. she's used to her doubts, her quiet nature but there's a cloudiness in her, something almost wanting to burst )
Agnes-- what is it?
( and that concerns her. it's also unusual for someone to come to her as a retreat but hopefully she can help, stepping back from the door to let her in )
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Once inside, Agnes doesn't make to remove any of her layers. She wants to wear them all like a fortress of cotton and cloth.]
I'm sorry for coming unannounced. I wasn't thinking...but I...I don't think I can be alone right now.
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Let me get you some tea.
( it's partly an offer of comfort, partly a delaying tactic for her to try and figure out what she needs to do, what she can do. people don't come to her for comfort though lilith typically also doesn't offer that. it also gives agnes a moment to get herself a little more comfortable, to sit herself wherever she needs to be.
the kitchen's still within earshot just a few steps away, tea quickly brewed and brough back to them, placed on the small table by the couch. a whispered word lights the fire, lilith then pouring the tea before sitting with her )
Who did this?
( though there'd always been something else to agnes her first instinct is that someone has hurt her, done something to cause such a concern in her. someone that will find themselves with a very unpleasant end )
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It doesn't matter.
[It matters too much. Anyone else, she'd have taken her own vengeance. As much as she doesn't like to hurt people, she has no qualms defending herself under the right circumstances.]
There's nothing to be done.
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( her voice is a little firmer, just to get her attention, to hopefully get her to listen )
Someone hurt you. That does matter.
( which she'll remind her every time agnes claims otherwise )
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[She just...she thought that things would be different. No, that isn't it. She wasn't thinking clearly. She wasn't herself. She was too eager to be rid of her cold affliction and so eager to just have a bit of privacy to make that happen.]
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Elias.
( his name comes out colder but the look that she has for agnes is entirely sympathetic )
His unreasonable demands don't make it your fault. He chose to punish you-- to hurt you as he did. No action deserves such a thing.
( and lilith doubts that she'd done much at all. some men hurt for the simplest of things )
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Hope only make everything worse.]
I can't shut him out. I'd only wanted...just a few moments.
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( her voice quietens a little again, eyes briefly closing )
No one should have that much control over someone, to know each moment of their life. I know what he is-- what he can do.
( she also knew the same about agnes thanks to her conversation with the archivist )
He may have the power to watch but he shouldn't.
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Do you know that he can enforce that sight on others? To make them see, to make them know?
[Quieter, more to herself, she adds:]
It's a terrible thing, this knowing.
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( he'd told her many things about the beholding, its avatars, what each part could do that he'd experienced but-- not that. details on elias had been scarcer.
she doesn't ask what he made agnes see. that part isn't important as troubling as it is, not wanting to make the woman relive any more of the pain )
What do you need from me?
( her hands move to rest on agnes's, knowing it'll be simpler for the woman to ask for what she needs than for lilith to try and figure it out to give it. if it's simple company she can do that. she'd love to do more, to take the fight to elias but it's one action that she won't risk. she isn't foolish )
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I don't know.
[She doesn't know what she needs from herself, either. Her thoughts had always been a place she could escape to, to keep her loneliness from seeping in too close. There was peacefulness there, in her own mind, sorrow too, of course, but dreams and whimsies and fancies of her own making. It was a tenuous balance, keeping herself together, and with this knowledge now wedged inside of it all, a knowledge that she can't shake, that persists and replays itself with so much intensity...she can feel all of it cracking.]
Would you let me stay, just for a little while?
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( her thumbs rub across agnes's hands, a soothing motion against her grip, her head dipping slightly )
As long as you need.
( she wasn't going to let her go until agnes was certain that she was fine. and maybe-- she'd do something to help her with it )
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[Agnes breathes slowly, as if to filter new air throughout her body. Slowly, her shoulders lose some tension, her grip on Lilith's hands aren't quite so desperate, and she uncoils.]
I don't know what I'd do without you here.
[She'd just be alone.]
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Then be glad I am here.
( no use thinking of what ifs right? )
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She just wants to stay, just like this, and focus only on the feel of Lilith's hands in hers.]
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she leans forward, press of lips to her forehead and as she does casts a non-verbal spell, putting the woman to sleep. if she's this tired she wouldn't have slept alone.
lilith lays her carefully on the couch and as much as she could let her lay with her head in her lap there's something else she needs to do. slipping from the couch lilith lays a blanket over her before settling herself on the floor, a little meditation to clear her mind before reaching out to agnes's dreams.
she knows from experience that they won't be restful, planning on slipping into them to soothe them, to keep agnes calm and banish any nightmares, pretending she's just a pleasant dream herself )
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I thought you were better than this.
Elias Bouchard stands behind her, talking calmly, as if nothing is amiss, but his fingers have her eyes pried open and she can't move, can't look away, can't stop it. He says to her:
Have a pleasant day, Agnes.
And then he lets her go, but she can't go anywhere, because her collar jerks on a leash that shouldn't be there, and she tumbles back, dragged toward the other victims, joining them in the lineup.]
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but elias isn't her concern, not now that she can see the rest of this dream and her fist clenches, causing the agony in him that she wishes she could cause in reality, crushing his heart until he dies.
and then she's quick to move on agnes, a wave of her hand snapping the chain before both her hands cup her cheeks )
Focus on me.
( once she had the woman's attention she could begin to manipulate the dream )
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Do I deserve this? Is this my punishment for being born a monster?
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( the word is a whisper and though lilith normally keeps it covered she looks a little sad, not just for agnes but the reality of the entire situation. it's painful and part of it is starting to be a reminder of her own life )
You're not the monster, Agnes, he is. The actions he chooses are monstrous ones, seeking only to harm. To harm you.
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[She raises her shaking hands to curl around Lilith's.]
I feed on the pain of others. Feed on it. My life has caused so much pain for so many people. The damage is irreversible, and killing myself did nothing to fix it. What else can I do? There must be something.
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As have I.
( she's not going to touch on the revelation that agnes had died, wanting to try and ground the woman first )
You were given something cruel and unkind. What people make us is hard to deny but it is not all there is.
( the fact that agnes was concerned about being a monster showed something )
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It would be so nice to live a life untouched by destiny.
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( her whisper is filled with so much, an undernote as if lilith knows exactly what she's talking about. certainly, it's never been her own destiny but she's been led and manipulated to enact someone else's plans-- a prophecy. but hadn't she come into existence on someone's whim? a destiny of the first woman. she may have rebelled but things hadn't gone well for her after that )
But whilst that may be more difficult to obtain-- there are others here that will help you, that understand.
( she doesn't just mean her but she does understand )
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