Cathouse: In the Quiet
Apr. 17th, 2011 08:00 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsVanessa and Laura talk after everything is said and done with the case.
In the hours since Jubilee and Sarah had driven off with Barry and his men things had settled down in Vanessa's head a bit. A lot of the stress she'd been carrying around for the last week seemed to be releasing slowly and that constant need to do something had faded. Laura was out. The bad guys had been taken away. Libertine had her girls back. "Riley" had made sure the girls got what medical care she could give and Libertine would see to them getting any more extensive treatment they needed. It was really a big win for the good guys, but Vanessa's mind wasn't on winning so much. It was on the twenty year old girl currently sitting on her couch.
Vanessa held out a carton of chinese noodles to Laura as the metamorph curled up on the couch near the girl. They had already eaten with Jean-Paul earlier but Laura had one of those mutant metabolisms and Vanessa figured more food was better after the week she'd had. "You doin' okay?"
Laura grabbed the carton in silence. She was out, and it was a good thing, but at the same time, victory wasn't really making her go in a happiness rush. Not even a little victory dance. Just a weird emptiness. She knew she hadn't stayed in the brothel for that long, but still, there was damage. How much it was, she didn't know. Looking up at Vanessa, Laura realized she was tearing up. "I guess...not really?" She wiped the first few that tried to fall with her free hand, but the effort was proving to be futile.
Sliding over to her, Vanessa slipped a leg around behind Laura so that her ankles could lock on the far side of the girl. An arm draped across the young woman's shoulders as well, elbow on her shoulder so Vanessa's fingers to stroke through her hair. "Yeah, I didn't think so. You had some real scum in there. I don't know what you got, but not all johns are disgusting, despicable people. Some are just needy. Or socially inept. Or pathetic. Harmless despite what they come to you for." There was a sad sort of nostalgia in her voice. "You can move past it eventually, but I don't think you'll ever be the person you were again. Not really. I'm sorry for that, more than I can say."
She didn't throw herself at Vanessa, but Laura did lean on her leg, hands wrapped around her torso in a hug as she let her tears roam free. Funny though, they weren't doing much to keep her from talking. She obviously sounded pretty bad, though. "It's okay", said weakly as she left the carton with food somewhere it wouldn't fall over. "I...some were nice. Or tried to be. Not most of them but- but-" The first sob came to pass, and she hugged herself a little tighter. "I'll be stronger. Whoever I become, I will be stronger." She felt anything but stronger as the sobs were replaced by moans, and she slowly started to lose her sense of time as everything seemed to melt around her in tears and pain. Mostly pain though.
For a long time Vanessa just sat there and held the girl. She wrapped long limbs around her and cradled Laura against her. Soft murmurs dropped from her lips, soothing words that didn't mean much and mostly served as a comforting melody to break up the sound of crying. Vanessa wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but she wasn't particularly bothered over it. Laura needed to let it out. If she kept it inside then it would fester and rot and the problem would grow exponentially. At least if she could let out what she'd been holding in all week she could start to heal the damage. When the sobbing slowly to crying and sniffling Vanessa slowed the rocking of her body which she hadn't even realized she'd begun. "It'll be alright, little bit. It'll take time, but it'll be alright."
By the time she started to regain a little of self control, Laura felt like crap; she was out of breath, felt her entire face reddish and wet, and her eyes were puffy. She wasn't out of tears, but she had already cried it all; she was going to cry again later, but it won't be nearly as bad, and that was something to be glad about, if anything. She pressed herself against Vanessa, still not ready to let go of her. "I...I have to go back to the mansion, right?" She sounded a bit scared about it, actually.
"Nah. You can stay here tonight if you want. With me and the weapons. The mansion's a safe place but," she trailed off a shrugged. "Sometimes having your own personal bodyguard is more comforting, aye? I could call Eamon, even, if you wanted. Laurie's boyfriend? He could play bodyguard on the couch and stay up all night and you can come hang out with me and actually get some rest." There were not many men Vanessa would have put near Laura right now, but Eamon was the least threatening guy she knew. Funny given how entirely deadly the guy was, but he had an unassuming, friendly quality about him that made him come off more like a puppy dog than a predator.
Laura gave her an amused look. "I don't think I need a guy to watch over me. I mean, I think so, at least. But I haven't met Eamon yet." She left the sentence there, feeling tempted to take Vanessa's offer. She had refused it once before already. "You can call him over, if you want? Anyone dating Laurie is surely an interesting person." And that way she also accepted the offer without saying so.
"Eamon's basically my big brother. I trust him with my life more than anyone else on the planet aside from maybe Thom. Thom's getting a bit up there in age, though. So's Ea but he's still spry." She didn't mention his specific age since he was closer to Jean-Paul's age than her own and Laurie wasn't much older than Laura. Some people thought the age difference was gross. "He's the one who taught me to knife fight. I bet he could figure out some stuff to teach you with your claws if you ever wanted him to."
She paid attention like a five years-old listening to her favorite teacher. Even if there was no age named, Vanessa did call him 'big brother'; Laura couldn't care less about the age difference, though. "That would be awesome." Someone who had taught anything to Vanessa ought to be a master of sorts. An idea appeared in her mind, too. "I want...I mean, maybe you could...you know, teach me. But, not how we have been training up until now. I mean, teach me seriously what you know. The good, the bad, and the dirty. If you want?" She couldn't help to hope transmit a bit of hope in her voice.
"Are you sure you want that?" Laura had problems with the fact that she was more or less designed to be a weapon. They had cropped off after she had killed someone when X-Factor had raided a safe house in the city trafficking girls. Vanessa had been pretty careful to keep Laura away from as much violence as possible since then. If she wanted to learn to fight in earnest Vanessa would teach her, she just wasn't sure it was really what Laura wanted. The girl had learned martial arts, which Vanessa never had. Vanessa was mostly a boxer with an assortment of moves and techniques from other disciplines mixed in. She was a knife fighter. Above all, though, she was a marksman.
In the middle of how pathetic she looked, Vanessa would recognize the same rock solid determination that had shone in Laura's eyes about a week ago; at least that hadn't left her. "I'm over feeling like a tool. I don't want to turn into a murderer, but I want to grow, to become more capable of helping, in any way necessary. I will not let you down on this, either."
Smiling, Vanessa kissed Laura's temple. It was a very familial gesture. "You've never let me down. I don't anticipate that changing any time soon either. If you want me to teach you then I will. Not just how to fight but how to think about it. You'll meet Eamon and maybe we'll get Thom to come visit. They taught me. You've got to learn how to process what you learn, how to stay calm enough to figure out your move and how to see the smartest move to take. I can teach you archery and shooting, too, if you want."
Against her will, Laura smiled at the kiss; it was like no other she had gotten before; oddly gratifying, too. She nodded affirmatively at everything, eyes shining, and not due to the tears. "Archery and shooting still sound like two totally awesome skills to have around." Not to mention she got the chance of knowing more about Vanessa's past, which was something she was mildly interested about. "But for now, I guess we can just relax and forget about the past days, right? I would kill for a spa right now."
Laughing and shaking her head, the metamorph flopped over into the back cushions of the couch. She didn't let Laura go, though she did loosen her hold on her. "I find archery very relaxing. And gardening, actually. Jean-Paul and I are going to set up a garden on the roof. I'm no good with a spa, though. Adrienne was great for stuff like that but I haven't had anyone take up the distinctly girlie mantle since."
"We need a new garden oriented person then. Callie?" She fell with Vanessa, allowing herself a small laugh. Those moments of happiness, she was going to make the most of them. "Archery sounds...tricky. Totally looking forward to it." Letting go of the woman, Laura made herself comfortable next to her, making sure she didn't accidentally bump her off the couch. "It's going to be alright, I know it."
Vanessa smile a little, looking over the girl again. She nodded once. "Aye. It'll be alright."
In the hours since Jubilee and Sarah had driven off with Barry and his men things had settled down in Vanessa's head a bit. A lot of the stress she'd been carrying around for the last week seemed to be releasing slowly and that constant need to do something had faded. Laura was out. The bad guys had been taken away. Libertine had her girls back. "Riley" had made sure the girls got what medical care she could give and Libertine would see to them getting any more extensive treatment they needed. It was really a big win for the good guys, but Vanessa's mind wasn't on winning so much. It was on the twenty year old girl currently sitting on her couch.
Vanessa held out a carton of chinese noodles to Laura as the metamorph curled up on the couch near the girl. They had already eaten with Jean-Paul earlier but Laura had one of those mutant metabolisms and Vanessa figured more food was better after the week she'd had. "You doin' okay?"
Laura grabbed the carton in silence. She was out, and it was a good thing, but at the same time, victory wasn't really making her go in a happiness rush. Not even a little victory dance. Just a weird emptiness. She knew she hadn't stayed in the brothel for that long, but still, there was damage. How much it was, she didn't know. Looking up at Vanessa, Laura realized she was tearing up. "I guess...not really?" She wiped the first few that tried to fall with her free hand, but the effort was proving to be futile.
Sliding over to her, Vanessa slipped a leg around behind Laura so that her ankles could lock on the far side of the girl. An arm draped across the young woman's shoulders as well, elbow on her shoulder so Vanessa's fingers to stroke through her hair. "Yeah, I didn't think so. You had some real scum in there. I don't know what you got, but not all johns are disgusting, despicable people. Some are just needy. Or socially inept. Or pathetic. Harmless despite what they come to you for." There was a sad sort of nostalgia in her voice. "You can move past it eventually, but I don't think you'll ever be the person you were again. Not really. I'm sorry for that, more than I can say."
She didn't throw herself at Vanessa, but Laura did lean on her leg, hands wrapped around her torso in a hug as she let her tears roam free. Funny though, they weren't doing much to keep her from talking. She obviously sounded pretty bad, though. "It's okay", said weakly as she left the carton with food somewhere it wouldn't fall over. "I...some were nice. Or tried to be. Not most of them but- but-" The first sob came to pass, and she hugged herself a little tighter. "I'll be stronger. Whoever I become, I will be stronger." She felt anything but stronger as the sobs were replaced by moans, and she slowly started to lose her sense of time as everything seemed to melt around her in tears and pain. Mostly pain though.
For a long time Vanessa just sat there and held the girl. She wrapped long limbs around her and cradled Laura against her. Soft murmurs dropped from her lips, soothing words that didn't mean much and mostly served as a comforting melody to break up the sound of crying. Vanessa wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but she wasn't particularly bothered over it. Laura needed to let it out. If she kept it inside then it would fester and rot and the problem would grow exponentially. At least if she could let out what she'd been holding in all week she could start to heal the damage. When the sobbing slowly to crying and sniffling Vanessa slowed the rocking of her body which she hadn't even realized she'd begun. "It'll be alright, little bit. It'll take time, but it'll be alright."
By the time she started to regain a little of self control, Laura felt like crap; she was out of breath, felt her entire face reddish and wet, and her eyes were puffy. She wasn't out of tears, but she had already cried it all; she was going to cry again later, but it won't be nearly as bad, and that was something to be glad about, if anything. She pressed herself against Vanessa, still not ready to let go of her. "I...I have to go back to the mansion, right?" She sounded a bit scared about it, actually.
"Nah. You can stay here tonight if you want. With me and the weapons. The mansion's a safe place but," she trailed off a shrugged. "Sometimes having your own personal bodyguard is more comforting, aye? I could call Eamon, even, if you wanted. Laurie's boyfriend? He could play bodyguard on the couch and stay up all night and you can come hang out with me and actually get some rest." There were not many men Vanessa would have put near Laura right now, but Eamon was the least threatening guy she knew. Funny given how entirely deadly the guy was, but he had an unassuming, friendly quality about him that made him come off more like a puppy dog than a predator.
Laura gave her an amused look. "I don't think I need a guy to watch over me. I mean, I think so, at least. But I haven't met Eamon yet." She left the sentence there, feeling tempted to take Vanessa's offer. She had refused it once before already. "You can call him over, if you want? Anyone dating Laurie is surely an interesting person." And that way she also accepted the offer without saying so.
"Eamon's basically my big brother. I trust him with my life more than anyone else on the planet aside from maybe Thom. Thom's getting a bit up there in age, though. So's Ea but he's still spry." She didn't mention his specific age since he was closer to Jean-Paul's age than her own and Laurie wasn't much older than Laura. Some people thought the age difference was gross. "He's the one who taught me to knife fight. I bet he could figure out some stuff to teach you with your claws if you ever wanted him to."
She paid attention like a five years-old listening to her favorite teacher. Even if there was no age named, Vanessa did call him 'big brother'; Laura couldn't care less about the age difference, though. "That would be awesome." Someone who had taught anything to Vanessa ought to be a master of sorts. An idea appeared in her mind, too. "I want...I mean, maybe you could...you know, teach me. But, not how we have been training up until now. I mean, teach me seriously what you know. The good, the bad, and the dirty. If you want?" She couldn't help to hope transmit a bit of hope in her voice.
"Are you sure you want that?" Laura had problems with the fact that she was more or less designed to be a weapon. They had cropped off after she had killed someone when X-Factor had raided a safe house in the city trafficking girls. Vanessa had been pretty careful to keep Laura away from as much violence as possible since then. If she wanted to learn to fight in earnest Vanessa would teach her, she just wasn't sure it was really what Laura wanted. The girl had learned martial arts, which Vanessa never had. Vanessa was mostly a boxer with an assortment of moves and techniques from other disciplines mixed in. She was a knife fighter. Above all, though, she was a marksman.
In the middle of how pathetic she looked, Vanessa would recognize the same rock solid determination that had shone in Laura's eyes about a week ago; at least that hadn't left her. "I'm over feeling like a tool. I don't want to turn into a murderer, but I want to grow, to become more capable of helping, in any way necessary. I will not let you down on this, either."
Smiling, Vanessa kissed Laura's temple. It was a very familial gesture. "You've never let me down. I don't anticipate that changing any time soon either. If you want me to teach you then I will. Not just how to fight but how to think about it. You'll meet Eamon and maybe we'll get Thom to come visit. They taught me. You've got to learn how to process what you learn, how to stay calm enough to figure out your move and how to see the smartest move to take. I can teach you archery and shooting, too, if you want."
Against her will, Laura smiled at the kiss; it was like no other she had gotten before; oddly gratifying, too. She nodded affirmatively at everything, eyes shining, and not due to the tears. "Archery and shooting still sound like two totally awesome skills to have around." Not to mention she got the chance of knowing more about Vanessa's past, which was something she was mildly interested about. "But for now, I guess we can just relax and forget about the past days, right? I would kill for a spa right now."
Laughing and shaking her head, the metamorph flopped over into the back cushions of the couch. She didn't let Laura go, though she did loosen her hold on her. "I find archery very relaxing. And gardening, actually. Jean-Paul and I are going to set up a garden on the roof. I'm no good with a spa, though. Adrienne was great for stuff like that but I haven't had anyone take up the distinctly girlie mantle since."
"We need a new garden oriented person then. Callie?" She fell with Vanessa, allowing herself a small laugh. Those moments of happiness, she was going to make the most of them. "Archery sounds...tricky. Totally looking forward to it." Letting go of the woman, Laura made herself comfortable next to her, making sure she didn't accidentally bump her off the couch. "It's going to be alright, I know it."
Vanessa smile a little, looking over the girl again. She nodded once. "Aye. It'll be alright."
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Date: 2011-04-18 05:45 am (UTC)