Standing on the Edge (Elaine)

[Deleted]

It was Jess' day off and she was wandering around Diagon Alley, not really sure what she was up to. In all honesty, she should be shopping for food right now, but she really didn't want to. She was hoping to run into someone she knew and could talk to ... or at least hoping that something interesting would happen. She mostly just didn't want to go shopping, weird as that sounded. 

However, after wandering around for more than half an hour without anything of interest, Jess decided she might as well get her grocery list out of the way. She could always come back after everything was put away at home. Maybe it'd be easier to run into someone later on, after most people got off work. Jess started making her way when she saw a familiar figure a short distance ahead of her. "Hey Isolde," she called out, a smile on her face. "How are you doing?" It'd been a few weeks since she last saw her new ministry friend and Jess was glad to see her now.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine knew it was high time to enact part two of her plan with Jess, specifically her plan with Isolde and Jess.  Isolde was wearing out her usefulness, and by the end of the summer the poor woman would meet her untimely end.  Elaine hadn't decided yet if it would be by death or institutionalized; she would see how today went with Jess before making her final decision.  It wasn't as though Isolde hadn't served her well; it was more that she was becoming too....recognizable, too involved.  Add to the factor that the real Isolde was starting to fight back sometimes when Elaine would take on her image as a disguise.  Truth be told, Elaine was ready for a change.  Thanks to Lucy Weasley, she now had a male disguise in the form of a Cursebreaker, and she rather enjoyed playing the part of the opposite sex; it was frustrating but men did appear to still have the upper hand in the power play.  Now, that would be changing of course once she came into power, but that was a worry for another day.

Elaine had positioned herself in Diagon Alley this afternoon; she had had to tie up the real Isolde and magically lock her in a room, which only proved her usefulness was ending.  She strolled down the alley, pretending to look at the different items for sale in the windows while on the lookout for Jess.  Just five minutes in, she spotted her target, and had to stop the smirk from spreading across her face.  As expected, Jess came up to say hi to her, and Elaine turned around, a confused expression on her face.  "Excuse me?"  she asked, making herself sound nervous.  "I'm so sorry, I think you have the wrong person."  Elaine's face was painted on, but inside she was bursting with anticipation how Jess would react.

@jessavette

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Jess was still smiling when Isolde turned to look at her, obviously confused. What? Her mouth fell open for a moment and she felt a raging blush cover her cheeks. "Wait, you're Isolde, right? From the ministry?" She paused for only a moment before continuing, certain that she was right. "I'm Jess Dupont. I was the one who interviewed you for that article in the Daily Prophet about a month ago ... and we went out to lunch a short while later. Remember?" Jess gave a confident smile, sure that Isolde would remember. She must be having a really stressful week with work or something. They were friends. This was weird, for sure, but Isolde would remember her. She was positive.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine’s carefully trained face showed confusion and uncertainty. “Isolde? Who is this...Isolde you’re speaking of?” she stammered out, twisting the green stone cuff on her wrist nervously. She had gone back and forth between several options for dealing with Jess’ knowledge of Isolde. There was the identical twin idea, the memory loss idea, but Elaine decided on a completely different one. The dual personality; she had gotten the idea from her newest recruit, who had informed her of a girl he worked with who had two distinct personalities. The woman seemed to handle it quite well, so Elaine had done some background research into it before deciding on Isolde’s alter-ego - Giselle. She had noted that sometimes personalities aren’t aware of the other, and this was the way she decided to go.

“My name is Giselle young woman, and I do not associate myself with the press,” she said stiffly, wrapping her gauzy shawl closer around her shoulders, even though it was not cold outside. “I am a MINISTRY worker, I don’t give interviews without express permission from Miss Granger herself,” she added with an air of finality.

@jessavette

[Deleted]

Isolde looked totally and completely confused, and Jess was right there with her. She asked who Jess was talking about and her mouth fell open in surprise. This didn't make any sense. She knew that she and Isolde had only met with one another a few times, but she thought that the older woman at least considered her a friend. She seemed almost disgusted by Jess, who felt entirely embarrassed by this turn of events. People nearby were turning and staring at them, giving Jess weird looks and nodding as Giselle said that she didn't talk with the press. Jess felt entirely humiliated. "I'm so sorry I bothered you. It won't happen again," she promised, raising her hands in a gesture of giving up as she backed away.

Elaine Lyra Dupree 
(new interaction time?)

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine nodded haughtily as Jess backed away, before turning on her heel and walking off. She bit back a laugh that was trying to escape her throat; the girl had looked completely humiliated. She’d probably run home to Fin and tell him all her troubles. She didn’t know if Fin would bring it up; he likely wouldn’t be that stupid, but she had seen him do his fair share of stupid things when it came to this Mudblood. This wouldn’t be the last time Jess saw Isolde; indeed, the next time would be QUITE interesting.

-------

A few weeks had passed since their last encounter, and Elaine had “let” Isolde escape from her confines, though she was being closely followed by Elaine, who was disguised as Aloysius this time. Due to the Unbreakable Vow she had made each of her disguises take, they couldn’t reveal much to any outsiders, but Isolde was aware of who Jess was and why Elaine hated her so much. It would be too good to let this opportunity for the woman to try (and fail) to tell Jessavette what was really going on. Isolde had a scratch on her cheek, courtesy of Elaine’s falcon Morgause, and she was dirty from falling down in a pit of mud during her “escape”. She crouched behind some barrels, not knowing Aloysius was not far behind, watching, waiting for her next move. Isolde saw Jessavette, and called out to her. “Psst! Jess!” she called in a cracking voice, tears sliding down her face as she waited for the journalist to turn in her direction.

@jessavette

[Deleted]

Jess wasn't thinking about Isolde anymore. The day she'd rejected her and humiliated her in front of a bunch of other people, Jess decided that she wouldn't approach the woman anymore. She didn't want that to happen again and if Isolde wanted to pretend she didn't know Jess, there was nothing she could do about it. 

She was walking down the street, but paused when she heard someone calling her name. Jess looked around curiously, noticing someone standing behind some barrels. She made her way there cautiously, having no idea what to expect from this person. Rounding the corner of the barrels she saw Isolde, dirty and with a cut on her cheek. "Isolde?" She asked slowly, not knowing what else to say. The woman was crying. "Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?" Sure the woman was a jerk, but that didn't mean Jess couldn't be nice.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine watched, invisible as Isolde let out a shaky breath as Jessavette walked over to her. If she wanted to, she could easily kidnap Jess here and now, and do away with the Mudblood, but no. Finley would never forgive her if she touched a hair on Jess’ head, so she had to resort to other methods. She leaned in slightly, listening to the raspy words coming out of Isolde’s mouth. “Please….you have to help me...I’m sorry….it wasn’t me.” The words sounded just as pitiful as what was left of the woman in front of her.

Isolde reached up and grabbed onto the edge of Jess’ robes. “She won’t….let me go…..kill me….save me….” she pleaded, the tears forming trails on her dusty cheeks and dripping off her chin. Elaine had to stifle a chuckle; Isolde had no idea she was right there watching them. “Help…” Isolde trailed off suddenly as Elaine lazily silenced her with a spell. She watched, like a cat looking at its’ prey, for Jess’ reaction, wondering if the bleeding heart could resist such pitifulness.

@jessavette

[Deleted]

Jess took a step closer to the woman, whose voice was frantic as she was asking for help and apologizing. Jess glanced to the sides, but no one was paying any attention to her or the fact that she was standing awkwardly beside some barrels. This was weird. Her eyebrows furrowed as she listened to Isolde continue on frantically. Then the woman grabbed her robes and Jess had to resist the urge to step away. What in the world was wrong with her? Was she mad? Then Isolde mentioned that someone wouldn't let her go, and something about killing and saving. It didn't made any sense. "Who are you talking about?" Jess asked softly, trying to sound encouraging to the woman. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on." She paused a moment, thinking. "We should go sit down somewhere so you can calm down and explain some more." That was the right thing to do, wasn't it? She hoped Isolde would be alright with that idea, though she doubted whether the woman would be. She was acting insane right now.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine was nearly doubled over from laughter as she watched Isoldes’ movements grow more and more frantic as she struggled to speak. “Its…..her,” Isolde managed to get out. Now, that was more than Elaine wished for the woman to say. With a silent incantation, Isolde’s jaw snapped shut, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth. She tried to speak, tried to scream but was unable to do either. Silent as a snake slithering in the grass, Elaine crept forward and grabbed Isolde by her hair. It was easy enough to drag the woman backwards; Elaine had trained in martial arts to maintain her physique and Isolde was just so….tired. To Jess, it would look like Isolde was being dragged backwards by an invisible force, something she couldn’t see. Mere seconds later, Elaine turned on her heel and Disapparated, leaving Jess behind. Once they were back in a safe space, Elaine let go of Isolde’s hair and dropped the cloak, smiling at the woman why was sobbing quietly. “Do not worry my pet, for you are almost done,” she cooed, before pulling out a small tuft of hair and leaving the woman in the room alone. There was a few more things Elaine needed to do, before Isolde’s time of usefulness ran out.


@jessavette

ooc: one more time hop?

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Jess was listening intently, watching Isolde carefully as she fought to speak. At the next words that left her mouth, Jess shivered. Her. Isolde couldn't be talking about ... Elaine, could she? Jess shook her head, deciding that she was making things up or overreacting or something. If Isolde knew anything about Elaine Dupree, she wouldn't be out in the open. "Isolde," Jess started, freezing when the girl's mouth closed and started moving backwards awkwardly. What was going on? Jess took a few steps forward, trying to figure out how she could help the girl when she disappeared. She was gone. Jess frowned, moving back to the main road. Something weird was going on, but Jess didn't know if there was anything she could do about it.

-    -    -    -    -

Once again, Jess was walking down the streets in Diagon Alley. She just got off work and was headed home. She was supposed to be meeting with Fin tonight and was really more excited than she needed to be. It was just, she didn't get to see him as much as she wanted. Still, she knew she was going to have a nice time and was definitely looking forward to it. She was so busy thinking about their plans that she really wasn't paying much attention to anyone or anything around her.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine was, for the last time, masquerading around as Isolde. She Imperiused the woman into going into Gringotts and emptying the contents of her vault, then had sent her back to the hidden Purifiers base to await her fate. Ondina Weasley would be joining them shortly, and it would be the young lady’s decision that would determine if Isolde was to see another day. Wearing Isoldes’ face like a mask, Elaine walked briskly down the alley when she all of a sudden spotted Jess. A small smirk crept up onto her lips; Jess had seen Isolde’s twin, then crazy Isolde, but today there’d be perfectly normal Isolde. Perhaps with a few twitches here and there to stir the pot a little.

“Jessavette! Yoohoo!” Elaine called shrilly, standing on her toes and waving impatiently over at the young woman. She walked briskly towards her, making sure to twitch twice before smiling widely. “Ohhh I know that smile, you’re on your way to see Fin aren’t you?” she asked, swatting at Jess’ arm playfully. “What do you two lovebirds have planned for this evening?” she followed up with, placing her hands on her hips and looking imploringly at the young woman.

@jessavette

[Deleted]

A familiar voice started calling her name and Jess started looking around curiously, pulled out of her thoughts about Fin. Who would call her Jessavette? Most people didn't know that was her name, since she never introduced herself that way. Then she saw the woman walking towards her and her eyes widened. Isolde? She looked entirely different than she did the last time Jess saw her. She was walking around normally, dressed nicely and didn't seem nervous or anything. What was going on? Jess forced a smile on her face, though she was more confused than she could imagine. "Isolde! It's so nice to see you again," she answered, walking towards the other witch in return and noticing as the woman twitched. She started to tease Jess about being on her way to see Fin and Jess offered a short laugh. "Yes, I'm going to see him tonight," Jess admitted with a shrug. "We're not doing anything big, just going to make dinner and watch a movie together." It was one of her favorite things to do with him, honestly. Jess loved being alone with Fin, having the chance to talk to him and get to know him better. "What are you up to?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She knew it might not work with Isolde, who seemed to have a one-track mind, but she might as well try.

Elaine Lyra Dupree

[Elaine Lyra Dupree]

Elaine could almost see the gears turning in the young Mudbloods’ head; she had no idea what was really going on, did she? Confusing her was so much fun, she almost hated to dispose of Isolde. But the woman had begun to fight her mind control, and a disobedient servant was something Elaine simply could not tolerate. Not after the Nott incident back at Riddle Manor. “How sweet, sometimes the most romantic moments are the quiet and cozy ones at home,” she simpered, managing to hold bag a gagging noise her mind was making.

Jess quickly changed the subject from her love life to Isoldes’ comings and goings; it was interesting to see that talking about Fin made her nervous. She wondered if it was trouble in paradise (not likely) or that Isolde’s quirky charm was wearing off (much more likely). All the more reason to find another mole within the Ministry. Elaine briefly wondered how Jess would react when the Aurors found Isolde’s body in a few weeks - would the Daily Prophet have the lowly intern write up the obituary? That would certainly be an interesting turn of events. “Oh you know, same old same old, work, eat sleep and repeat.” Elaine paused for good measure, before continuing. “Is there something wrong dear? You seem rather nervous,” she asked, feigning the concern in both her tone and facial expression.

@jessavette

[Deleted]

Jess couldn't help the uneasy feeling coursing through her. She wanted to trust Isolde and be upfront with her, like she had been during other conversations, but the woman wasn't consistent. One day she knew Jess, the next she was a mess and now she was back to normal. Something was going on, but Jess had no idea what it was. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know either. Still she nodded, "Yes, it's nice to be away from everyone else," Jess agreed. 

She forced a smile when the other woman said that she was just doing the same thing as always, but Jess didn't really know what to say to her. She wasn't sure why Isolde wanted to talk with her in the first place, unless all she wanted to do was ask after Jess and Fin. She chuckled and shrugged when the woman asked if she was all right. "Oh no, I'm just a little tired. I've had a hard time sleeping lately." That was natural, right? At least, it should be natural when one was receiving menacing notes and such, but Jess wasn't about to talk to Isolde about that. "It's nothing," she added after a moment, unconvincingly. Jess wasn't a very good liar.

Elaine Lyra Dupree