venom [elaine]

[Deleted]

Hogsmeade. It really wasn't all that excellent of a day, but Theodosia was going to go the village anyways. She had someone to meet, and it wasn't the kind of meeting that one could put off. Elaine didn't take well to being scorned, and since Desirae had been removed as her right hand and most trusted confidante, Theodosia was angling to take her former idol's place. She would be better than Desirae, though - smarter. She would evade the Aurors the way Desirae couldn't, and she wouldn't let her ties with some Gryffindor scum of a sister distract her from the cause. The tricky thing in this situation would be to convey to Elaine all of her enthusiasm for moving up within the ranks without appearing as if she was desecrating Desirae's name. Yes, she had been flawed, but Elaine had trusted her, and even with her flaws, Desirae had done great things for the purebloods of the world - like getting rid of her blood traitor sister. It was a fine line for Theodosia to walk, but she was confident in her ability to walk it. As she approached the bench that Elaine had asked to meet her on, Theodosia straightened her spine and put on a smile. She was going to be amazing, and she was going to blow Elaine away.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine wore the guise of Anise today; the girl had gone to work at the Hogs Head for the morning, then had entered the bedroom always cordoned off for Elaine's use.  The girl was currently sleeping there, while Elaine was able to walk freely without the concern for being recognized for her true self.  Today she was to meet with Theodosia Washington; she knew the younger Slytherin girl had somewhat idolized Desirae Rousseau while the woman had lived.  It had been Elaine to call the meeting however; with Desirae dead and another one in her ranks clearly a traitor, Elaine did not feel it prudent to host a meeting of all her followers in one place.  No, that would be easy for the traitor to gather intelligence and feed it to the likes of that mudblood Hermione Granger at the Ministry, and that simply would not do.  

She had sent a coded letter to Theo, letting her know what she would be asking as proof of her identity, and what her answer should be should it be safe to talk.  Elaine flounced down the streets of Hogsmeade, nobody paying her mind.  She spotted Theodosia and smiled.  She hurried over to the girl and grabbed onto her wrist.  "Excuse me miss, but have you come to try the new pies at the Hogs Head?" she asked in Anise's breathy voice.

@theodosia

[Deleted]

Theodosia hadn’t been sure who she was looking for in the crowd, but she kept looking anyways. All she had to do was find the person in the crowd who seemed to be looking for someone else. There had been a few false alarms during her wait, but Theodosia was patient enough, and when a blonde girl approached her, Theo knew who lay behind the mask. “Yes, I’ve heard the roast chicken is the highest regard.” Theodosia answered easily, using the code phrase she had been given in an encrypted letter from Elaine. As far as she knew, no one had followed her from Hogwarts, and the only people who could intrude on their conversation would be passersby from the crowd that was milling and seething around them. “Sadly, they don’t allow students in there, so I don’t think I’ll be trying the pies anytime soon.” Theodosia said for the benefit of any of those passersby who might be eavesdropping and wondering how a student could get into an establishment that was notorious for its less-than-friendly atmosphere. “I was hoping this meeting would have come sooner.” Theodosia said lightly – nothing that was amiss for two old friends reuniting. Theo understood the need for caution, given Desirae’s death, but still, it had taken longer than she had hoped for the meeting to be organized. Speed was of the essence to make sure no one stole her spot as Elaine’s rightful heir.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine smiled; she was sure that on Anise a smile looked quite delighted, but it was not genuine. She rarely smiled genuinely, typically it was for someone elses benefit, or because she was about to introduce something terrifying to the person in front of her. “It’s a shame, I think the pub will be...turning around quite a bit with its’ new management,” she said lightly. She’d had a discussion with Nikolaj about placing Anise in his pub, and while he had put up an argument to begin with, Elaine had won out in the end, as she had expected. Nik could be stubborn, but the moment Elaine brought up his precious son, it was all too easy.

Elaine glanced over as Theodosia mentioned she had hoped the meeting would have occurred sooner. She appreciated the young girl's...enthusiasm for the cause, but after Desirae’s death, every single move she made was a calculated decision. She placed no trust in anyone but herself, for anyone could be turned at the right price in her opinion. She would be more careful now, and less forgiving for those who betrayed her. When she found concise evidence on who betrayed Desirae to her death...well, she didn’t envy what she had planned for them. “Good things come to those who wait,” she replied, her voice sweet and almost birdlike. It was strange; Anise’s voice was nearly an octave higher than her own, and had taken some getting used to. “My little birds tell me you have made yourself an antagonist against a certain blonde-haired Slytherin...one with an elder sister in t he Auror force. Can you confirm this for me Theodosia?” she asked, inclining her head so that she saw the young girl out of the corner of her eyes. Claire Slater had been named as the Auror responsible for killing Desirae, so any manipulations or bullying of her siblings Elaine was perfectly fine with.

@theodosia

[Deleted]

Theodosia nodded once when Elaine said that the pub would be turning around under its new management. Nikolaj Lestrange was the one who owned The Hog’s Head, if she wasn’t mistaken. There were whispers about the Lestranges in the school, because the youngest, Andromeda, had never returned from winter break, but Theodosia was certain that Elaine knew more about that than the Slytherin could ever hope to. “I’m sure that whoever it is will do just fine, with enough outside help.” Theodosia said with a shrug. She didn’t particularly trust Nikolaj, not after the way his sisters had turned out, but Elaine could keep him in check.

Blonde haired Slytherins who Theodosia had been annoying…Honestly, that probably could have fit more than one person, but Theo was going to guess that, out of all of the blondes she had bullied, Addilyn Slater would be the most memorable – or at least the most visible. Theodosia was curious as to why she was being asked about that particular person, but she wasn’t going to ask any questions, just answer. That was how things worked if you wanted to keep Elaine in your good graces – give more than you take, always. “As far as anyone in the school is concerned, I haven’t done a single thing to Addilyn Slater.” Theodosia answered steadily. She wasn’t about to go admitting anything about her interactions with Addilyn in a clearly public place, especially since some of them were punishable by expulsion, and, on one occasion, a visit to Azkaban. The implications in what Theodosia was saying were clear, though, and she was certain that Elaine would be able to figure out that, though she denied everything, Theodosia had indeed been toying with Addilyn. She hadn’t known that the girl’s older sister was an Auror, but that was just the icing on the cake.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine gave a little smirk at Theodosia’s comment; oh Nik would certainly do just fine with the outside help if he knew what was good for him. She had seen the stubborn resistance within him when she told him about Anise and how she’d be coming to work for him at the Hogs Head; all she had to do was find a little something to remind him who really was in charge here. Finding out he had a son seemed to do the trick; Anise had started work that Monday, and there were no issues so far.

Elaine’s eyebrow raised as Theodosia denied bullying Addilyn in a very politically correct, not entirely honest way. So Hogwarts was blissfully unaware if Theo was bullying the fellow Slytherin, the better for Elaine and her mission in the long run. “Good. See that they stay that way; that particular individual has a…..close relation that was involved in a very unfortunate incident that happened in November. People are saying she was the individual directly responsible. So if anything happens to this persons’ relations, shall we say that they could use this to curry favor with the lady.” She chose her words carefully, but Theodosia was a smart girl. Elaine was giving her free reign to do whatever she wished, and she would reward her for it.


@theodosia

[Deleted]

Seeing Elaine’s emotions on someone else’s face was still a little strange for Theodosia. It had been easier when her face had been resting, but as soon as Elaine smirked, it reminded the Slytherin just who was waiting behind the mask. She wondered if she would be able to tell who it was even without her previous knowledge, and Theo glanced around to see if anyone else had recognized the expression. It seemed no one was paying attention to the conversation on the bench, let alone the facial expressions being made, but Theo figured a little paranoia wasn’t amiss when you were conversing with the Ministry’s most wanted criminal.

Theo followed Elaine’s comment about Addilyn’s sister easily, and if anything, it made her hate the girl more. Her blood had killed Desirae, and that simply wouldn’t do. Theodosia wasn’t sure that she could be as overt about her bullying when it came to Addilyn thanks to the near-miss in the Great Hall, but she had played that off well enough. “It would be beneficial if said person’s other elder relation could be distracted, or otherwise disposed of.” Theo said. She was a better witch than Grey Slater was a wizard, but she wasn’t keen on the idea of looking over her shoulder every minute of every day to see if ickle brotherkins would finally gather the courage to protect his sister. Maybe he was a Gryffindor, but Theo knew that Grey wouldn’t play by the rules when it came to protecting Addilyn.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine was still not used to being in anothers' form; it was the only way she could move freely from her lair without being noticed too much.  The women she had chosen so far had their specific purposes; Anise was the barmaid that could wander Hogsmeade without too much fuss from anyone, and that meant Elaine could talk to her followers who, like Theodosia, were still attending Hogwarts.  She saw Theodosias' facial features change just ever so slightly as she spoke of Addilyn and Claire Slater.  "Rest assured, that is being addressed," she said smoothly.  With Isolde completely under her control and both Jesse and Logan working at the Ministry, Elaine felt pretty confident that a path directly to Claire would reveal itself to her.  

"The middle one, the boy has already begun to feel the effects of his sisters wrongdoing.  They do say that the easiest way to inflict pain on someone is through their families," Elaine said lightly.  Thankfully, Ondinas' Love Potioning of Grey Slater had been misconstrued as her abusing her uncles products instead of something far more sinister.  "I trust you know how to do that," she added, inclining her head slightly towards the young Slytherin.


@theodosia

[Deleted]

Theodosia was going to choose to believe Elaine when she said that things with Claire were being handled. There wasn’t really another choice to make, all things considered. With the information she had, Theodosia saw no reason not to believe her superior, and that, combined with Elaine’s history of making good on promises, was satisfactory, even if the promise was a bit more vague than Theodosia would have liked. She liked plans more than promises, but then again, didn’t everyone?

Theo nodded when Elaine said that Grey Slater had begun to feel the effects of his sister displeasing Elaine. The Gryffindor had been off of her radar for quite some time, but if he was going to be punished, then Theodosia was going to start paying attention to him again, if only for the pleasure of the show. “It would be preferential if you could assign someone else to that task.” Theodosia said bluntly. She wasn’t going to complain if Elaine decided that it was going to be Theo’s responsibility to subdue Grey, too, but it was easier to handle one victim at a time, and not having to juggle both of the school-aged Slaters would make Theo’s work much higher quality.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine raised an eyebrow in Theodosia's direction, her eyes glinting dangerously.  She didn't believe she had given the implication that she expected the girl to take on both Grey and Addilyn Slater herself after all; besides Ondina had already sunk her claws into the boy with her specially crafted love potion.  "As I already said, the boy has been taken care of," Elaine said sharply, then smiled.  "Then again, my little birds tell me she had a bit to do with some destruction of the girl too.  I believe a Mr....Thomas is it?  He provided the little Slater girl with a kiss she won't forget any time soon," she said slyly, then cackled.  Oh, that had given her a laugh when she had received word about that.  Petty teenaged drama usually meant nothing to Elaine, but if it provided Claire with familial drama, then by all means she was all for it.

As she looked around, Elaine saw perhaps one person looking over towards them, but that was one person too many for her comfort.  Best to get down to business; she wasn't just here for catching up after all.  "I've come up with this concoction that has been tested on some...volunteers, shall we say," she began casually.  She very quickly slid her fingers up her sleeve and removed a tiny vial of a sunshine yellow liquid.  "From my research, it produces visions that pull from the fears in the deepest part of their mind.  I'm sure someone of your....determination could find use for it."  Elaine pressed the vial into the girls hand.  "Anything else?" she asked quietly.

@theodosia

[Deleted]

Theodosia didn’t dare say anything else on the subject of Grey Slater; Elaine was getting annoyed, and Merlin knew that annoying Elaine Dupree was the last thing that some people did. Theodosia cocked her head when Elaine said that Addilyn had been kissed by one of the Thomas boys. There was more than one, Theo was sure, but she didn’t know, nor did she particularly care, which one had kissed Addilyn. “If you wish, I can continue to keep her and the Windsor boy apart.” Theo offered. She wasn’t sure if that fell under the umbrella of punishment for Addilyn or if Elaine had bigger plans for the Muggleborn royals, Edmund included.

The Slytherin girl raised her eyebrows when Elaine mentioned a concoction. She wasn’t sure what Volunteers there would be to test it on, but then again, most of Elaine’s volunteers weren’t voluntary at all. Theodosia accepted the vial, only glancing down at the vial for a half of a second. The liquid was an interesting color, given its purpose. Elaine was giving her free reign with this vial, it seemed. Theo did trust that she would find a way to put it to good use, as long as she was patient and didn’t jump on every opportunity she saw. Oh, this would be fun indeed. “Will you have any other fun toys for me the next time we meet?” Theodosia asked. She didn’t want to be greedy, but she did want to know if she ought to expect more gifts in the future, because that would change how she used this one.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine mulled over the idea of keeping Addilyn and the boy, Edmund she believed his name was - he had been in the same house as her but as a Mudblood she had paid him no mind. The only reason he had not been the subject of her torment was that the Sorting Hat for whatever reason chose to put him in Salazar’s noble house, and Elaine took that quite seriously. “No, no need to meddle in that relationship I don’t think,” she said finally, the gears in her brain already whirring rapidly. Sure, keeping a part two simpering teenagers in love was hilarious to her, but Claire had killed Desirae. There was more that needed to be done than teenaged heartbreak for the Slater siblings. She smiled; an idea had started to form, but the roots were barely implanted and she was not ready to share that with anyone. “There will be other opportunities for Addilyn; for now continue to treat her as normal,” she instructed, smirking a bit. Normal was being a bully for Theodosia when it came to Addilyn, and Elaine was perfectly fine with that continuing.

“Perhaps, once I get a report on how this first toy goes,” Elaine said with a sly smile. She was happy to reward anyone who not only did what she was told, but brought detailed results along with their reports. When Ondina had brought her back news of how the love potion worked on Grey Slater, she had rewarded her fellow Slytherin with another potion with a few...sadistic little tweaks. “There’ll always be a new toy for good behavior and proper followup,” she added; to anyone trying to listen in, she probably sounded a little crazy, which was exactly how she wanted to be thought of while in the guise of Anise.

@theodosia

[Deleted]

Theodosia waited, on edge, for Elaine’s answer about Edmund and Addilyn. She had to admit she was more than a little disappointed that she wasn’t going to be allowed to keep them apart, but she figured that Elaine had a reason for whatever she was doing. At least the amount of time it had taken for a response meant that it had been a good question, and not one that the young Slytherin already ought to have known the answer to. Elaine went on to say that there were other opportunities for the half-blood, and Theodosia nodded. With her off the table as a possible recipient for her potion, Theodosia was left trying to think of others whose minds she would be able to poison with the fear potion. It would be easier if it was a Slytherin, because then she could easily slip it into their drink at a meal, but that would also make her a more obvious suspect.

“A report you shall have, then.” Theodosia said. The fact that this wouldn’t be her last opportunity to wreak havoc would make her a little looser in who she decided to give the potion to. “I will keep that in mind.” Theo added when Elaine said that there would always be a new toy available. That was exciting, but she was careful to keep her emotions in check so as not to arouse any suspicion. “Thank you for trusting me with this task.” Theodosia said, moving to stand. “Do you have anything else?” The Slytherin asked, just in case Elaine had thought of something else. Otherwise, they had already lingered around each other for perhaps too long.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine nodded as Theodosia thanked her for entrusting her with this vial.  "You have proven to be a loyal follower in the past, I seek only to give them only the best sort of opportunities," she told her, stopping in the middle of the lane.  She looked around and rolled her head on her shoulders, closing her eyes.  She knew that her hour in Anise's body was almost up; she had a supply of Polyjuice Potion on her person, she really didn't feel like staying in this feeble girls' body for much longer.  The sooner she got back to the Hogs Head to put the real Anise back to work, the sooner she could go home and just be herself for a little while.  It was the little things like that she could appreciate.  "No, there's nothing more," she told her, turning on her heel to head back to the grimy pub.  She stopped though, not turning around.  "Get it done before Valentines Day," she instructed, then set off down the road, to go have a few hours of normalcy.


@theodosia


ELAINE OUT