[Piper]

Piper had lived in Elysia for over two years but had seen shockingly little of it. Her trip to Danurai with Cal had reawakened her desire to see something more than the city walls, but it had been too big a step for a beginning. She'd enjoyed their day out together but she'd stretched herself too far and had felt more a burden than a companion. So, when she realised it was a gloriously sunny day and the boutique was quiet, she'd decided to take an extended lunch and start out with teeny tiny baby steps by taking her pets for a walk.

She didn't have a destination in mind when they set out, beyond seeing something she hadn't seen before, so she let Fawn and Comet lead. It was only when they'd passed a few unfamiliar shops (that she mentally filed away for a future shopping spree) and they'd been waved through the east gate and the buildings grew further apart that a destination popped into her head. Even then, it was more a vague direction to head in than an actual "I want to be there", so when they hit the outskirts of town where fields of gold and green were more common than the buildings she'd left behind, Piper was happy to let Fawn and Comet off their leads.

Gazing out across the tilled land as she ambled along with the two canines bounding to and fro in chase of butterflies and rabbits, Piper sighed with a combination of bliss and melancholy. She couldn't believe she'd never been out here before, that she'd missed this. It was a great place to let her pets run around without having to worry who they were bothering or if they'd get run over, and the way the wheat fields sparkled in the sunlight made her wish she could draw or paint.

"Comet, leave it alone!" Clicking her fingers as her voice filled with affectionate exasperation, Piper wrinkled her nose, hoping she'd managed to avoid a bloody present. Comet darted away from the rabbit he'd been chasing, distracted by her command long enough to lose sight of it and instead focus on a stunning crimson butterfly that had landed on a stalk of grass. He was currently crawling towards it on his belly, his tail wagging enthusiastically.

Fawn, meanwhile, had apparently grown tired of running around and was now munching on a yellow flower only a few feet away from Piper, her own tail flicking lazily.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

For the first few weeks since the fall of the company, Elise had been sane enough to hide in Earth. However, she’d returned to Elysia within a month. The beauty and mystery of the realms were too strong of a lure and she could no longer stand the mundane Earth. If she were saner, she’d have remained in Earth, but what sane person would have done what she did for the company?

Anyhow, she’d survived the first year, and it was the holiday season once more. She felt that it would be safe enough to return to New Alexandria for just a few days...Espur was a large city in its own right, but New Alexandria was the place for shopping, and she’d missed shopping. So just two days ago, she booked a room in Le Bon Hotel, took a few days off from work in Espur, and made her way to the Ao Portals. New Alexandria was always changing so she wasn’t surprised to find that some of her favorite locations had relocated. However, she'd tracked down her favorite stores fairly quickly and even managed to find some gifts for the people back in Espur.

Having spent the morning strolling around the east side of town, Elise directed her course out of town to get some quiet. She walked alongside the wall after leaving the city and kept her eyes on the expanse of golden grass. It had been a while since she’d seen New Alexandria, let alone the outside of it. Whereas the fields outside of New Alexandria were golden at this time of the year, the floodplains bordering Espur were green. Personally, Elise preferred the green, but she liked New Alexandria for its wares, so both areas were attractive in their own rights.

Sighing, she gently dropped her bag of newly-bought trinkets on the floor and leaned against the wall, placing her hands in her back. She’d visited all the stores she’d wanted to and had gotten her fill of shopping by now. If only she could summon the nerve to visit her old friends…It should be okay to do so by now. They wouldn’t be pulled into her business. Elise had only been a minion of the company, so who’d think of looking for her? Probably Verdant, the shapeshifter she’d helped nab, the anyeli she’d helped to anesthetize. Oh hell—why not add the numerous Others who she’d delivered lunch and dinner to? Elise frowned. If there was a deity of guilt, it was a mean one.

((Blargh. Sorry the post is messy. I'll grab control of my muse soon. I hope. ^__^))

---

· Piper's Boutique · BG Credit ·

[Piper]

"C'mon guys, time to go." The sun was just starting to set and the sky had a pink tint that reflected off the fields spectacularly, making her reluctant to leave, but she couldn't afford anymore time off today. Besides, she was oddly tired, the kind of exhaustion that came from doing something that was utterly tranquil. Piper felt as if she'd had a good spiritual work-out, a sensation she really couldn't have put into words.

Comet and Fawn were equally reluctant to return to their leads, dragging their feet when she clicked her fingers to summon them to her side. "Don't worry, guys, we'll be back. We'll definitely be back." This was a wonderful place to get away from... well, everything, really. Her pets certainly seemed to love the place.

Finally getting the pair to hold still long enough to clip their leashes back on, Piper tied the other end to her belt and tugged them back towards the gate, brushing her braids back over her shoulders. She'd barely gone a few feet when one flipped back, and she grabbed the end to play with the fluffy white Christmas scrunchie she'd received from Xanth.

Spotting a girl leaning against the wall, Piper smiled politely. She didn't expect to see Elise there, so it took her a moment for her mind to register that she was seeing her childhood best friend.

Pausing, Piper gaped at the girl, still not convinced it really was her. "Oh my god, Elise?" Screaming for joy and not caring that she'd look all kinds of foolish if she was wrong, Piper threw out her arms and dashed towards the other girl, Comet and Fawn bounding along happily beside her as if just as eager as her.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

Elise emptied her mind of worries and allowed herself to simply stare at the skies and the fields. She didn’t look directly at the sun, but she stared at the light that reflected off of the wheat fields. Eventually, the sky began to take on a warm hue and Elise admired the shades of pink-orange-reds that reflected off the grass. Vaguely, she noted that it was sunset and that she should be heading back to the hotel for dinner.

Slowly, a speck in the fields became a figure, then a person---no, a person and two creatures. The person brushed a braid over a shoulder in a manner just like Piper’s. Elise held her breath. Piper? It couldn’t be, but didn’t Piper also have a pet fox? When did she get a wolf? She stood silent, stunned that her friend could just show up like this.

"Oh my god, Elise?"

She really is… "Piper!?" Elise ran toward her best friend with an equally schoolgirl-ish scream. She held out her arms to hug Piper back, then continued with a smile, "I never thought I’d see you here! Have you been well? I just dropped by town and so many stores have moved around! I was thinking of visiting you but I wasn’t sure how. Do you still own your boutique? It’s been months since I saw you!"

She was babbling. Really, it had been over a year since Elise had seen or written to Piper. Despite her wish to distance herself from the Elysians she knew, Elise was glad (and still surprised!) to see her longtime friend.

---

· Piper's Boutique · BG Credit ·

[Piper]

[d=black]OOC:[/d] Umm, I can't remember if Piper's supposed to know but I vaguely remember us discussing Elise's having escaped before the rescuers arrived so I'm going with her not. I can edit if you'd prefer something else.

Savouring the hug from her friend, Piper was practically bouncing up on and down on her toes as she talked over Elise's questions with plenty of her own. "Oh my god, where've you been? I was so worried about you! What are you doing here, do you have someplace to stay? How are you!?"

Fawn and Comet dashed around and around the pair, jumping up as if trying to get in on the excitement. She couldn't remember if Elise had ever met the wolf. Fawn had just been a baby but she certainly seemed to remember Elise. That, or they were just hoping for some goodies.

Taking a breath to let her mind catch up, Piper clutched at Elise's hands and grinned, her fangs flashing. Excitement fading, she studied the girl seriously. "Elise, what happened?" Piper had been so wrapped up in her own things, getting used to her new life as a vampire, she just hadn't seen that Elise was struggling too. Or maybe the other girl had been as happy as Piper thought her, but then why had she left?

Then again... it wasn't like Piper had stuck around either. At the first sign of trouble, she'd up and quit into the woods without a word. She wasn't in a position to judge the girl's disappearance. "Have you been doing okay?"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

Her smile faded to a weaker one under her friend’s inquiry. How had Elise been? She’d spent a third of the past year hiding in some town on Earth before she moved to Espur. Adjusting to life in Espur had been a trial. In order to fit in, she had to spin so many lies and keep track of them. She’s been living in fear that somebody from her past would find her. She’s been paranoid and weary.

Elise didn’t say any of that to Piper. As much as she yearned to tell what happened last year, Elise couldn’t. Since childhood, both of them dreamed of being crime-fighters…What would Piper say? Probably something like “I’ll keep this secret for you, but don’t ever talk to me again”. Elise lost so many friends when she left Earth for Elysia...she couldn’t bear to lose her childhood best friend as well. No. Elise needed to create a different story that was convincing enough.

Realizing that she’d been too quiet, Elise replied, "I’ve been alright. You know the weapon business I had? It brought in some trouble that I’m still hiding from." It was so far from the truth, but it was believable. The corner of her mouth curled upwards as she said ruefully, "Anyway, I’m living in Espur right now. Heh, a lot of tourists go through that place. If you drop by, I could show you around." Someday, Elise would tell the truth that Piper deserved to know.

Finally realizing that two canines were still jumping around her and Piper, Elise let go of Piper’s hands and stooped toward the wolf. "Aren’t you an adorable wolf?" she said as she tried to lighten the mood. As she reached out to ruffle the wolf’s neck fur, she asked, "Last time I saw Wolf, he was with a wolf pup…is this the same one?"

((Elise indeed escaped before the rescuers arrived. Thanks for checking with me though. <3))

---

· Piper's Boutique · BG Credit ·

[Piper]

Piper's face fell at the thought of Elise being in trouble and Piper not being there to help. She didn't question the lie at all; she knew far too well how easy it could be to get in trouble with no way out. If Elise had been there when Kaida threatened Piper, she probably would have run too rather than risk the human. She'd almost fled a time or two anyway, afraid of putting Wolf in danger, but she'd always justified staying by assuming Kaida would be scared off by Wolf's parentage.

So no, she couldn't fault Elise for running, but she did wish things could have been different. Maybe if Piper hadn't been so self-centred...

"Oh, Elise." Saddened by the thought of her friend in hiding, Piper sighed. She couldn't imagine what kind of trouble Elise had run into as a weapon designer and could only hope it was nothing like the Viper Group. Those censoreds had only wanted Kaida but they'd killed several women and caused a heap of trouble for the lot of them just to get to her - she didn't want to think of Elise going through anything like that.

"Anyway, I’m living in Espur right now. Heh, a lot of tourists go through that place. If you drop by, I could show you around."

Piper smiled, still peering at the girl as if she could read how she was doing just from looking at her. She didn't really look worse for wear but it was hard to tell what kind of damage the stresses of physical danger could do.

Deciding to let Elise change the subject for now, Piper shook her head. "I went through Espur on my way to Danurai with Cal - remember him? I think you met him at the boutique once - but I haven't toured the place itself. If I'd known you were livingt here now, I'd have come back to find you!" She should have looked harder, instead of just assuming Elise had gone back home to New York.

Stepping back to let Elise greet her pets, Piper grinned affectionately at the two canines, surprised just how eager they were for Elise - who was essentially a stranger, at least to Comet - to pet them. "Last time I saw Wolf, he was with a wolf pup…is this the same one?"

Smile fading as she thought of Kashii and of Wolf, Piper shook her head. "Kashii disappeared. I expect she's back in the wild somewhere." In all honesty, she'd been glad to see her gone - the pup had been so mean and completely out of control. Wolf had enjoyed it and never bothered to discipline his pet, but Piper hadn't liked Kashii after she'd encouraged Comet to bite her. "We got them together, though - Comet is Kashii's brother." Ruffling Comet's ears, she shoved him playfully and he growled, then dashed around her in a circle before racing back up to them and shoving her in return. Giggling, Piper untangled herself and Fawn from his lead.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

Elise felt horrible for stating such a lie, so she felt relieved when Piper didn’t pry. Hearing about Piper’s trip through Espur, Elise’s eyes widened and she replied with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, I’ll tell you my address so you can go next time." She didn’t see any harm in telling her friend where she lived in Espur.

"Anyway, you went to Danurai with Cal…?" She struggled for a moment to remember about Cal, trying to recollect when she’d seen such a person in the boutique. She’d only been to Piper’s Boutique a few times, and the last time there had been a blackout, not to mention some kind of trouble.

"I remember him," she said eventually. "Tall, lean, and quite pale? He was polite." She’d met him once in New York City, but that was only very brief. She didn’t know much about him.

"Last time I saw Wolf, he was with a wolf pup…is this the same one?"

" Kashii disappeared. I expect she's back in the wild somewhere. "

Elise was surprised to hear that, and she peered up at her friend. The troubled look on Piper’s face was apparent, and no matter how mean the wolf had been to Rusty the first time they’d met, Elise understood the worry that Piper might feel. "I’m sorry…you two must be so worried." She paused, then offered, "Kashii she was very energetic when I last saw her. Kind of fierce. She’ll survive."

She leaned back as Pipe ruffled the wolf’s fur, and giggled with her friend when Comet dashed around in a circle to shove at Piper. Obviously, Kashii and Comet had different perceptions of ‘play’.

Placing her hands on her lap, she looked toward the setting sun. "Do you want to get dinner?"

---

• Piper's Boutique •

[Piper]

"Yes, that's him," Piper nodded as Elise described Calanthiel. Piper was a bit surprised that she remembered given that their visit had been brief and cut even shorter by the attack on the boutique, but then, Elise had always seemed so much more "with it" to Piper. Besides, the fact that the store had been attacked while the two of them were in it had probably gone a long way towards imprinting it on the other girl's memory. It sure had been imprinted on Piper's...

"He just got back from a trip to Australia." Smiling almost conspiratorially as she thought about her childhood dreams to travel and the fact she'd never managed to so much as leave the city, Piper started to tell Elise about the Anyelos, but then what she'd said actually sunk in. "You two", like... Oh god, she didn't know...

Face falling again as a wave of sadness swelled, Piper focused her gaze on Comet, who had apparently grown tired and was now lying beside Fawn with his tail wagging. "Yeah, I think she's better off in the wild, really." Glancing back up, Piper smiled with effort, wondering how to broach the subject of Wolf's leaving.

It was ironic in a way. With Tom, she'd been the one to run off without so much as a goodbye, and no wonder he'd been such a wreck. And now, karma had put her in his shoes with a different guy.

She hated karma.

"Do you want to get dinner?"

Perking up at the thought of being able to spend some time with her long-missed friend, Piper nodded eagerly. "Definitely! Have anywhere in mind? I passed a cute little bistro on my way here but I haven't checked out the food yet..."

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

"Oh good! I was worried that you might have other plans. I just appeared out of the blue..." Glad that Piper seemed happier at the mention of food, Elise placed a hand at each side and helped herself to stand. Elise still remembered the days when she, Piper, and Tom lived under the same roof and cooked meals for each other. Each of them left at different times in the morning to run their own shops, but on certain days, everybody came home at the same time to share stories or gossip about the latest news over dinner. She grinned at her friend, delighted that they would be having a normal dinner together since a very long time.

"I haven't a clue where to eat. Why don't we decide where to go while getting back to the city. I'm gonna grab my bags before I forget about them." She made her way back to the wall, assuming that Piper would follow. As she picked up her bags, she tilted her head toward Piper and said, "I haven't been here for ages so we'd better let you choose where to eat. We can check out the menu at the bistro, but what do you feel like eating?"

[Piper]

Piper never enjoyed making decisions for anyone but herself, hating the feeling that she was forcing her own whims on others. She much preferred letting the other person take the lead, but since Elise said she didn't know the city very well anymore, Piper didn't feel too bad taking the reins.

As Elise moved off to collect her bags, Piper followed at a slower pace with her pets ruffling along either side of her and considered the question. "Hmm, I was thinking fish. It's been a while since I had salmon, but I don't know if that's the sort of thing they sell. Otherwise, probably a salad." Catching up with Elise, Piper opened her mouth to return the question, but hesitated. She had to ask...

"Elise... why didn't you call me? I could have helped, I - I mean... I was dating an Aide's son, I could have said something to her, she could have helped you." Well, maybe not. But Mister Rhea would have, she just knew it, and even if Piper couldn't help much with the fighting, she could have tried to comfort and support her friend. "I mean, I know I wasn't around much, and I'm sorry, I was such a bad friend, but I thought..."

Gesturing helplessly, Piper shook her head. She shouldn't have broached the subject, she didn't want to know the answers - mostly because she thought she knew what they'd be. She'd failed her friend, locked in on what she wanted and needed, and the first signs she'd seen that Elise was in trouble had been when she'd disappeared. Was it really any wonder Elise had never called?

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

Espur was right by the sea so it gave the town access to all sorts of fish throughout the year. As result, Elise’s diet often included very fresh fish. Elise would prefer something other than fish, but she kept the opinion to herself. She was sure that wherever they went, there would be something other than fish on the menu. Like salad. "Fish or salad sounds good to me," she said as she started making her way toward the city gates.

As Piper continued talking, Elise could hear the hesitation in Piper’s voice, as if Piper wasn’t sure whether to continue the topic. Elise carefully kept her gaze on the ground. She had considered calling Piper. Various times. But every time she picked up the phone or started dialing, she’d stop. It wasn’t fair to share the burden with Piper. That and Piper was now somewhat related to Dazadi through Wolf. Elise could imagine what would happen if the Aide heard of her crimes. Before she started running from the raid, she’d seen through the cameras what the Archangel and her friends had done to the guards. And anyway, Elise had betrayed Elysia, including her friends. She didn’t want to know what Piper would say to her.

" I'm sorry, I was such a bad friend, but I thought…"

Surprised, Elise turned toward Piper and halted. She hadn’t thought that Piper would take her silence that way. She shook her head and replied with wide eyes, "You’re my very best friend, Piper, I know you would have helped me, regardless of where you were. I just…What I…"

Turning her gaze toward the ground again, Elise fiddled with the handles of her bags and mumbled, "It was illegal business, what I did. It was wrong and I couldn’t possibly get you or anyone else involved in it." Gods...Elise felt so ashamed.

[Piper]

Piper stopped walking to stare at her friend. Illegal? But Elise wasn't a criminal, she couldn't be. Piper would have known, she would have... "I don't understand..." And she didn't, because the idea of her best friend breaking the law - any law - was ridiculous.

Then again... Elysia was different in many ways. Piper had managed to stay on the good side of the law through luck and the fact that she rarely did anything interesting. Elise's business probably made it harder to stay out of trouble, but then if she'd done something wrong by accident, why was she looking so shame-faced? It couldn't possibly have been her fault, and Piper knew just how easy it was to fall in with a bad crowd.

Reaching out to touch Elise's arm reassuringly, Piper shook her head. "It's okay. I wish you'd told me anyway, but I... Well, I can understand why you didn't." It wasn't like she hadn't made plenty of her own mistakes, or kept her own secrets, so staying upset would only mean having to face up to her own shenanigans. "Are you... Are you still in trouble?"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

It was okay for Piper not to understand. Elise herself didn’t quite understand how she’d gotten herself to do all those things either. Well she did, a bit. What harm was it to help those scientists study things in Elysia? They knew about the world already, anyway. They only wanted her to bring in sentients, at first, and later they’d only asked her to bring in the more criminal Others who possibly deserved to be treated how they were. Possibly…Elise stopped shuffling her bags and just stared at the ground. There was nothing else she could do as she felt Piper’s gaze on her. What could her friend be thinking?

She flinched slightly as Piper touched her arm, but looked over as she heard her friend’s words. Piper still believed in her. And she didn’t ask further, and Elise felt grateful. "Are you…Are you still in trouble?"

Was she? Yes, and she will always be. Elise had figured that out even before Dazadi had rampaged through the labs. Even if people weren’t looking for her, she’d always have to be wary. Even if the experiments were criminals, that never warranted cruel and unjust punishment. And not all of them were evil...She'd done something illegal, and it was much worse than stealing an offering from Xanth. She wished she could tell Piper, so her friend wouldn’t be so forgiving. Elise didn’t deserve to be trusted.

Her heartbeat was accelerating, and suddenly she felt so nervous. She really wanted to just tell everything. It was quiet enough here, no one else would hear..."I...There might be people looking for me, I don't know...but I deserve it. I mean...I took th---" She stopped. No. Piper shouldn't have to hear this. She had a good life with Wolf now, but that was only after so much crap that happened. This was selfish of Elise, but...

"Piper, have you heard of human scientists? Around Elysia?"

[Piper]

Piper really was starting to wish she hadn't said anything. Elise looked like she'd run over somebody's dog, accidentally killed the same person's cat, and then destroyed their home all in the same day. What on Earth could she have possibly done that was nearly as bad as all that?

She wasn't sure how to comfort her friend, either. This wasn't like when they were kids and she could just let her pick the toy they played with, and she doubted a hug would help much either. "What people? Elise, don't say that." Even if that sentence ended with theft, she couldn't deserve to have her life put on hold while she hid from trouble. But Piper seriously couldn't picture her childhood friend stealing anything, even if she'd been starving.

And then the other girl completely changed the subject, and Piper could only stare at her in confusion as her brain tried to switch gears. It was a clumsy way to get off an awkward, uncomfortable topic but Piper relented after a brief pause. If Elise wanted to keep protecting her, then Piper wasn't going to make much head way by pushing. If she were in Elise's shoes, she'd just dig in and get more stubborn by the second. But she could keep pecking away until the human finally spilled the beans, and hopefully it wouldn't be too late for Piper to help her.

"I don't... I don't..." Her brow furrowed as she thought back to the fiasco of a rescue mission that had taken them to a remote facility on Earth, and the crease only deepened as she thought of the result. "Yeah, we, well." Sighing as she tried to think what this could possibly have to do with Elise's problems, Piper turned and slowly started walking again. Comet and Fawn, who had settled either side of her patiently, kept pace. "Suka's sister - " Piper had forgotten the poor girl's name. " - was kidnapped by them and Suka kind of... went berserk. A few people followed him in a rescue attempt, but..." She shook her head. To this day, she wasn't sure what had really happened. Wolf had ordered Sacha to trap her in the back room of the Hind's Head, his crazy attempt to keep her safe, and she'd whittled herself silly until Wolf returned in a foul mood. She'd known something bad had happened, but he refused to talk about it and she'd eventually dropped it.

It actually wasn't that long after that he'd left her, and Elysia altogether. But what did any of that have to do with Elise?

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

What was she getting herself into? Inwardly, Elise fought to tell the truth. Just spit it out. It would give Piper the choice to remain friends with her or not. Gods…Elise wish the secret were just something small like her old crush on Zack, or that there really wasn’t a tooth fairy.

She saw Piper’s expression change, and wondered what could be going through her friend’s mind. They hadn’t spoken during the months before Elise’s disappearance, so Elise wasn’t sure how much Piper knew.

But then her friend started talking about a rescue attempt, and that Suka had been in it. Elise had seen a group of people enter separately from Dazadi, but she hadn’t known that he’d been a part of it. And Suka’s sister had been in the cells.

She’d known that not all of the experiments were criminals, that the scientists had also taken normal, everyday Elysians. She’d probably met with the captured anyeli as well, and supplied the syringes and the drugs… the more Elise heard from Piper, the more she felt like a backstabbing kelpie.

God help me, she glanced toward the skies. She hadn’t expected Piper’s involvement in any of this. Although it didn’t sound as if Piper had been part of the rescue group, that basically put them at odds with each other.

Piper was walking again, but Elise did not follow. Instead, she ran a hand through her hair and started twirling the strands at the end with both hands. She found it increasingly difficult to make eye contact with Piper and found herself staring, again, at the ground.

"I didn’t know…When they first asked me to…" She paused, realizing that she was only causing more confusion. Tentatively, she began to talk again. "I was also in the facilities. But…I was one of the assistants. I brought sentients in, and I helped catch some of the Others---I don’t know why I was so stupid---I thought they were all criminals at first… "

There was no point in alleviating the burden. Elise was already damned. "I’m so sorry, Piper. I basically helped those people." Her eyesight was getting blurry, and she blinked back her tears. She didn’t want to look at her friend for fear that she’d see the look of disgust on Piper’s face. Oh, they’d had arguments before, in the past, and there had been times when they refused to speak to each other for a week, but they eventually forgave each other. This would not be one of those times. Elise feared that the silence would be forever.

→ Piper's Boutique — the-butterfly.de — Kristen Bell

[Piper]

Piper had gone on a few yards before realising Elise hadn't actually followed, turning with a confused frown and tracing her steps as Elise began to talk. She'd thought that discussing something else would help the girl relax, but she seemed more torn and ashamed than ever. And what she was saying...

Okay, it was official. Elise had somehow lost her marbles in the time she'd been out of touch. That was the only thing Piper could think of to explain the rambling, because it certainly didn't make sense. Had she gone back to the other subject? Piper would have been glad to find out more, that her friend had decided to open up after all, except it didn't really make sense in that context either.

When they'd first asked her to what? Who had asked her? Had she been caught up in some kind of weapon smuggling gang, or asked to design illegal weapons? What facilities? Wait, catch who?

As the girl's broken explanation continued, Piper's eyes widened, her brain finally making the connections but not wanting to believe what she was hearing. She wanted to pass it off as a bad joke on Elise's part, but the way she was acting... Instead, Piper shook her head and grinned. "Don't be silly. If you were..." She frowned. "I would have known, I... But... What are you saying, Elise? You can't have..." And then, another furious shake of her head and dawning horror. "You can't have helped those people, Elise, they were monsters. You're not a monster, why would you even joke about something like this?!"

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

She chanced a look toward Piper and bit her lip. Her friend looked so horrified. Probably at how Elise could have been so stupid to do all those things. Elise wished that she hadn’t opened her big mouth to reveal what she’d done. Now even her friends would think she was one of those monsters.

Face reddening with shame, Elise shook her head. "I’m not joking. I’d never joke about something like this." But I wish I were.

Piper was a few inches shorter than Elise, but at the moment Elise felt like a mouse under scrutiny. Elise wondered how to continue, or if Piper even cared to hear anymore.

"I am one of the monsters. I didn’t perform the actual experiments, but I might as well have done so. Those Elysians that were caught in the facilities…I knew that some were being tested beyond their limits, even dissected. But I didn’t do anything to save those Elysians…I just gave food, offered pain meds…I couldn’t do anything else for them."

Elise wished there could be a storm right now, and that she'd be struck by lightning.

→ Piper's Boutique — the-butterfly.de — Kristen Bell

[Piper]

[d=crimson]((OOC:[/d] Joy, do you mind if we time this thread so it's after my others (say, it takes place in June/July instead of November when we started it)? That way, I can account for her reaction. ^^[d=crimson]))[/d]

Piper's jaw was slack and her hands hung limply at her sides. A vague part of her was aware of Comet licking her fingers.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The words made sense, but her brain couldn't connect them to what was coming out of Elise's mouth, like someone else's voice was superimposed over her friend's face.

"No. No, no no!" Shaking her head frantically, Piper covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Fawn whimpered and leaned heavily against the back of her leg, Comet now butting her hip with his nose. Piper opened her eyes to give Elise a pleading look. Say it's not true. Say it's not true!

"I can't... I can't do this. Elise, why?" Her voice broke on the last word. Piper didn't really want to know, anyway. She couldn't handle it, not now. She didn't know if she ever could. It was just too much.

Shaking her head again on a sob, Piper turned and walked away.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Aethereality

[Elise]

“No. No, no no!” Elise winced as Piper started to yell, and lifted her head to look at her friend. Her friend was staring at her, as if pleading her to say this was a joke. But it wasn't, and Elise had nothing left to say. Really, there was no reason to justify her actions. Pained, Elise shifted her gaze to the canines instead and watched as their mood picked up on their owner’s.

Elise knew that Piper wouldn’t be able to forgive what she’d done. Ever since she started talking about the scientists, she knew that the conversation would end horribly. And yet, when Piper shook her head and walked away, Elise felt as if somebody had stabbed a sword through her stomach and twisted it.

Her chest felt heavy. She fought back her sobs. ““I’m so sorry,”” she said hoarsely, almost to herself, for it was too quiet to be heard by any other. She had been fighting back her tears, but now as Piper’s form disappeared, she let them flow freely.

Falling to her knees, Elise dug her hands into the grass, and sobbed.

((OOC: That's fine.))

→ Piper's Boutique — the-butterfly.de — Kristen Bell