Tick Tock [EMMANUELLE & CLODAGH]

[Deleted]

It was the middle of the day, which meant Club Indigo was completely empty. They didn’t open until eight o’clock after all; Elaine had mentioned maybe introducing food down the line, but for now they would just stay a club. Besides, it was the perfect place for the Purifiers to do business dealings when nobody else was in, and that was what Aerick needed right now - no interruptions. He had brought Clo with him, but she was in an upstairs room for now. He’d met Emmanuelle a few times, both at the Club and outside it, and he had slowly filled her in on the details of Clodagh’s curse. Clodagh would be able to tell her more, and Emmanuelle could see for herself what the curse did to the poor girl. Elaine was certain Emmanuelle could help, and Aerick knew that he had done well in his mistresses’ eyes, so he trusted her word.

Aerick was seated at a table with a small glass of whiskey; he felt nervous, but he hid it well. He knew Emmanuelle’s instructions were to wait at the back door until two o’clock exactly, then knock twice before coming in. His ears were trained towards the back, waiting for the telltale knock, so they could begin to, hopefully, remove Clodagh’s curse and free her from her small nightly prison.

emmanuelle antoinette picquery

@clodagh to join after a few posts

[emmanuelle antoinette picquery]

Spring 2026

Emmanuelle had done plenty to assist Elaine since she had joined the Purifiers, but the latest challenge that she had given her was closer to her area of expertise than anything that she had done previously. It wasn't very often that true voodoo came up in this part of the world, save for her own work, which made the task ahead of her that much more interesting for her. She had met with Aerick, one of the other Purifiers, a handful of times. Over those meetings, he had gradually told her about the woman she would be assisting, Clodagh, and the curse under which she had fallen.

She and Aerick had arranged to meet each other again that day, with the hope that she would have the opportunity to meet Clodagh herself. What, after all, was the point of working to reverse a curse if she couldn't meet its victim? To ensure that their work wouldn't be affected by any undesired intrusions, Aerick had requested that she knock twice at the back door of Club Indigo at exactly two o'clock. What they were doing wasn't illegal, but Emmanuelle knew that voodoo could look suspicious to the wrong people and didn't want to risk anything.

In preparation, she had gathered as much as she could that she thought might be of use. Still, Emmanuelle was curious to know what Clodagh knew about what had happened to her and if she could provide her with any information beyond what she had been told by Aerick and Elaine. That would help to determine the best course of action, though Emmanuelle knew that she couldn't promise a quick fix. The more likely outcome was that it was going to be a process at first, but she felt confident that the curse wasn't out of reach of her abilities. With two o'clock rolling around, she carried her supplies in a nondescript black backpack to the back door of the club and checked her watch.

Then, as soon as the second hand ticked over to two o'clock, Emmanuelle knocked on the door.

@aerick
@clodagh

[Deleted]

Aerick’s anxieties as to whether or not Emmanuelle would show were quickly quelled when precisely at 2pm, he heard the telltale knock at the door. His eyes automatically flicked upwards to where Clodagh was waiting for him. Part of him wanted to run up the stairs to let her know that the Voodoo specialist was there, but it would cause him to delay in answering the door, and he didn’t exactly want Emmanuelle angry at him. Voodoo was just something he didn’t fully understand, but he did know making someone practiced in the arts mad was not a good idea. So taking a deep breath, he went and opened the door.

“Emmanuelle, please come in,” he greeted her, stepping aside so she could walk into the empty Club. Voodoo was not outlawed by any means, but he knew Clodagh wanted as few people as possible knowing the truth of what happened to her. “She’s upstairs, she had a rough night,” he explained, trying not to allow the notes of concern edge into his voice. Emmanuelle knew Clodagh was important to Aerick, but nobody, not even Clo knew he was in love with her. He had just figured it out himself that morning, putting her to sleep in a spare room upstairs and finding himself feeling…things he had never felt for another person before. It was unnerving, and Aerick didn’t like feeling unnerved. “I will go and wake her now,” he told Emmanuelle, before pausing to add “Part of her curse is she cannot speak of the specifics. Her throat will close up and she’ll make a choking noise when the curse forbids her to speak.”

With that, Aerick turned on his heel and went upstairs to rouse Clodagh. He paused again seeing her sleeping form, not wanting to disturb her but knowing this was the best shot they had at a semi-normal life together. “Hey,” he said softly, gently shaking her awake. “She’s here.”

@clodagh your turn!
emmanuelle antoinette picquery

[Deleted]

Spring 2026
@aerick & emmanuelle antoinette picquery

Clodagh wasn't having many "good" nights now a days, as Aerick had been witnessing first hand. She'd told him when she first returned to London that the curse was getting worse, but he hadn't been able to see the progression before she'd returned. Now though, it was clear that the voodoo curse was one that wasn't meant to weaken over time, but actually worsen. Thankfully, Clo had two individuals in her life that made the progressing curse a little easier. Ophelia, her roommate, was one of the most patient people she knew. And Aerick, who (for reasons she couldn't fathom) cared deeply and would go out of his way to help her at any given moment. To be honest, Aerick not only seemed to help her have the strength to face each night and helped her piece herself back together each morning.

Clodagh knew he kept a great many secrets, so when he'd managed to arrange for a voodoo expert to meet with her she hadn't asked how. Part of still in disbelief that he'd go to such lengths to help her, but she was grateful and her heart couldn't help but flutter at the thought.

Today was going to be particularly interesting, and terrifying for her. Today was the day she'd meet Aerick's voodoo acquaintance. Though, unfortunately, she'd had another rathe difficult night. She hadn't come to with any injuries (which was always good! It was never a good morning if she came to, only to need to go see a healer), but she was extremely exhausted. Without a doubt she hadn't slept at all last night when she was a mouse. Which meant she hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Thankfully they weren't meeting with Aerick's acquaintance until two and he'd brought her with him to the club early, giving Clodagh some time to catch up on some sleep. She'd passed out practically the moment she laid down, and hadn't stirred since.

Clodagh had curled up almost into a ball on her side, using her folded arms as a pillow. It was the same exact position she'd been in when Aerick left, not even an inch off. Though a voice and soft shake was enough to rouse her from her slumber. Clo, though a naturally skittish person, didn't jump for once. She was quite comfortable with Aerick's presence, he'd been around more then once when she was in extremely vulnerable situations. She murmured, the words not really any language but more the incoherent grumbling of someone that didn't want to wake. She shifted, hiding her face in her folded arms momentarily and grumbling a little more, before finally raising her head and opening her eyes. "Okay," the mumbled. She was still so desperately tired, but at least a little sleep was better then none. She sat up, stretching her arms over her head before stumbling to her feet. It was probably a good thing she was so tired. Tired seemed to trump nerves.

[Deleted]

Aerick smiled encouragingly at her. “It’ll be alright, we can trust her. She comes highly recommended,” he told her. Taking her by the hand, he folded her arm into the crook of his elbow and led her down the stairs to where Emmanuelle was waiting. He knew Clodagh had mixed emotions about meeting this Voodoo Priestess, but she seemed more at ease than he thought she would be. Selfishly, he thought maybe he had something to do with that, and he couldn’t help allowing a satisfied look cross over his face.

“Emmanuelle, this is Clodagh,” he introduced. He had decided to not give everything away to his fellow Purifier before this meeting, but now more information seemed prudent. “She was cursed by a fellow Voodoo practitioner some time ago, where she is transformed into a mouse and sundown, turning back at sunrise. She’s not able to verbally reveal anything about the curse or who cast it on her, but I’ve been able to discern this from being around her for long enough. She tried to get it lifted last year, but it only made it worse. Now she remembers nothing during her transformed time period, and when she transforms back she’s more...disoriented than she used to be.” Aerick paused then chuckled a little. “It reminds me of inebriated customers stumbling out of the club at dawn, though no alcohol is involved,” he added.

emmanuelle antoinette picquery
@clodagh

[emmanuelle antoinette picquery]

Spring 2026

Emmanuelle waited for Aerick to return from upstairs with Clodagh. She found it a little bit strange that Clodagh was still sleeping so late in the day, but Aerick had said that she'd had a rough night. From that, though, Emmanuelle wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Clodagh, though she soon saw Aerick returning with a young woman who appeared to be about her own age, maybe even slightly younger than she.

Sure enough, Aerick introduced the other woman to her as Clodagh. He then revealed more about the curse under which she had been placed. It helped Emmanuelle to have every detail she could, especially because she was doing this because Elaine had called her attention to it. "She tried to get it lifted last year," Aerick added, but it only made it worse." That was different, Emmanuelle thought, but it wasn't unworkable. "Now she remembers nothing during her transformed time period, and when she transforms back she’s more… disoriented than she used to be."

As Aerick spoke about how it reminded him of some of the inebriated customers at the club, Emmanuelle nodded but looked at Clodagh, studying her. Though Clodagh couldn't speak about the curse itself, she considered, there were ways around it. Getting Clodagh to trust her, especially given what she had been through, was important. Emmanuelle knew that part of that was in keeping Aerick from speaking for Clodagh when it came to things about which she could speak for herself.

"Hi, Clodagh," Emmanuelle smiled, her drawl already apparent. Reaching out her hand to shake Clodagh's casually, she added, "Emmanuelle Picquery." She had no qualms about providing her last name. "I know you're tired, but can you answer some yes or no questions for me?"

@clodagh
@aerick