queenofseers | ic inbox (mask or menace)

aion

that's the name he gave me, at least. my real name's utena. utena tenjou.

[She hates that name now. She hates everything it represents. But as much as it makes her skin crawl, it was still her name, if only for a little while]

Edited (html >() 2018-09-06 05:43 (UTC)

[ Ah, hell. Despite all the feelings that brings up for her- anger, disgust, in some ways defeat- her experiences with the "fake gods" have made her want to stick her neck out for them, despite that. Utena deserves something, as much as the rest of them do. ]

That explains that.

Basically? Woden just happened to show up to kidnap someone while they were waiting in Blake's office. He told people he was going to be gone for the week. He had files of every one of you "gods" on his computer, in advance, and then some. Not to mention some shit I already knew about him that didn't make sense anymore.

You can come see it, if you want. I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it, but you've got the chance if you want it.

is it bad if i say that i DON'T want to see it? just thinking about him spying on us makes me sick

but i can't ignore it either. and if he tries to start any crap again then i NEED to know what he knows.

i guess what i mean is: what's a good time to meet up with you?

[ That thought process reminds her of herself, a bit; her stomach churns, but for once it's because she can relate. ]

For this? Any time's fine. [ She barely sleeps, after all. ] I live in Maurtia Falls, in the apartment housing. You need any more directions than that?

just your apt #. other than that i'm good. see you tonight?

Here, I'll just send you the address. It's one of the individual ones. [ And then she sends Utena an image she appears to have screencapped for reference, because she's that sort of efficient. As in she has other things to worry about than...typing her address. ]

I'll see you, yeah. Anything else I should know?

other than the fact that he's been a fucking creep ever since he met me? not really

anyway thanks for the address. see you later

[And true to her word, Utena shows up at her door later that night, and gives a short knock. She's a tall girl, dressed in some baggy hand-me-downs, and while she's in her mid-teens she could pass herself off as older... then again, that might just be because of how tired she looks right now]

[ Cass grimaces when she opens the door. It's not Utena's fault- it's Woden's. Even if Utena looks older than she may be, Cass knows she's a younger girl, and exactly the type Woden would have been an absolute creep to.

That's enough to immediately make her feel a little sick. As if most everything about Woden didn't do that already. ]

Hey. [ She glances around. She doesn't really expect anything suspicious about Utena, nor was she expecting the girl to be followed or anything, but...this topic puts her on guard. She waves a hand towards the inside of the house as she speaks. ] Come on.

[Utena catches that grimace and can't help but wince a little. Is it because of what Woden's fake pantheon had done? Before she can think anymore on it, Cassandra gives her invitation, and she signs out in relief.]

Alright.

[So she straightens her posture and steps in, bracing herself for whatever discoveries lie in store for her.]

[ Cass has only just moved into this apartment, so not everything is unpacked yet, a few boxes pushed up against the back wall of the living room. But Utena may notice she doesn't have an awful lot in terms of personal belongings altogether- odd, for one of these usually ostentatious gods. She isn't as in need of the spotlight as the rest of them; instead of concerts, she's been doing the occasional ghostwriting gigs on the side, mostly throwing herself into research on Lachesis and, now, Atropos. It's been a bit all-consuming, if the sheer lack of decoration around here is any indication.

She has her laptop open on the table, and once she's moved towards it, she picks up a flash drive sitting close by. ]

Most of what's relevant to you is on here, unless you want me to ramble to you about various Norse myths. [ The pretentious asshole. Waving it in people's faces. ] I don't know if you're going to learn anything you don't already know, but you'll have the proof, at least.

[She doesn't think much on Cassandra's apartment, but she picks up just enough details for her subconscious to run wild. There's a cold atmosphere here, something Utena can't place her finger on, and she doesn't want to stay longer than she has to.]

No thanks. I've had enough myths to last a lifetime-

[She stops herself, and clears her throat when she remembers just who she's talking to]

-no offense.

[She takes the flash drive and sits down, ready to plug it into the laptop, when she remembers her manners]

Uh, you don't mind, do you?

[Sorry, Cass, all her computer time is limited to what technology she can bum off of others]

[ Ha. Despite the years she put into her master's on Mythology, she knows exactly what Utena means. Maybe she's tired of it too.

But she startles a little when Utena takes the flash drive- she wasn't holding it up for Utena to take, really. She makes a small noise, but then doesn't protest, just raising an eyebrow. That's not usually like her, but she's exhausted. And curious. She barely knows anything about this girl, after all. ]

Yeah, that's...the point of having it out? [ But she sees Utena's point. ] Go ahead.

Thanks.

[Nice sarcasm, Cass. She sighs and plugs it in, jiggling her foot while she waits for it to load. It doesn't take long for her to find the files, and it shouldn't take her long to read through hers. Except she keeps reading, and rereading, until she slams her hand against the table hard enough to jostle the laptop]

I should have- I knew-

[If Cass wants clarity, she'll need to wait a moment. Utena's fury is too strong to channel into anything coherent right now]</small.

[ Oh, that wasn't sarcasm- for all her posturing about knowing the exact way to do things, Cassandra's social skills are somewhat lacking.

She watches Utena as she goes through the files, expecting a question, more comments- but not the show of force. The kid looks athletic, sure, but she's still a kid. ]

Hey- [ If she'd had a slightly worse impression of Utena before this, or if this were something far less stressful, she'd be a bit angrier than just one short yelp. But that's the way she had reacted to this knowledge; she'd torn the shit out of David Blake's office, only partially to find information, and in the end mostly out of sheer anger. It's remarkable she hasn't fucked up this apartment yet.

So she can't help but sympathize. It isn't something she's good at, but this is too close to home. ]

Be careful, alright? I get it. It's the creepiest fuckshit imaginable. [ After a moment, hoping Utena's calmed down somewhat, she speaks again. ] You knew what?

I knew how awful he was.... and I knew this wasn't the first time he did this, either.

[Good news: she's no longer smacking your furniture, Cassandra. Bad news: she's so furious she's trembling in her seat. Utena takes a deep breath, and tries to center herself]

Were you here, last December?

[She swallows the lump in her throat, and looks down at the table, unable to look her in the eye]

Back then I was Skadi.

[ For once Cass' expression shifts from exasperation to surprise and, genuinely, some sadness. She'd heard all about Woden's original experiments, and even had heard Utena's name in relation to them- but she hadn't really comprehended the scale of it.

Knowing this happened to Utena twice, Utena who, as far as she's concerned, is a young girl... ]

Shit. No. I got here in February. I... [ She sits down. She feels the need. ]

He did this to you twice? Or at least close enough for it to be twice? Fucking hell. [ She's not good at saying comforting things, and that's nowhere more obvious than right now. And she twists the name over in her mind- Skadi. Familiar enough, as it should be. ]

[She laughs, but the sound is quiet and breathless, with no hint of amusement]

You know what the worst part is? I actually came to him the second time. He was in the library, without his stupid mask, and I-

[Her voice cracks, and while she's not crying yet, it's only a moment or two before she starts to tear up]

I remembered him - from the Network. I asked him about the Pantheon. I asked if he could help. I...

[She sniffs and hunches over the table, resting her head in her hand]

God, I feel so stupid!

[ For a moment Cassandra's face contorts with such anger that she has to turn away, realizing- for once- Utena may think she's angry at her. But no. Fuck no. She's angry because she realizes this means Utena was used, the exact same way Cassandra herself was- the same trust betrayed, warped.

And, frankly, that's a worse kind of betrayal than anything that happened to her. At least she wasn't brainwashed. At least she was in control of herself. ]

...You're not. [ She says, sounding colder than she should. ] It's him who should be suffering for this shit. Not you, not anyone else he hurt, not anyone but that fucking shithead.

[ It's strange to react to this without yelling, for her. But the energy feels like it's been sucked out of her body. And- more importantly- a sort of sickness has built up in her chest. Utena's so young. And she's exactly the sort of girl Blake would mess with, isn't she. ]

Listen. Did he tell you anything that could be useful for when he shows his face again? Or was he just spouting bullshit as usual?

[She sniffs one last time, and shakes her head. At least her voice is more stable when she speaks]

Nothing. He just put his number in my phone, and said to call if-

[Then it clicks. She looks back up at Cassandra, her eyes widening as her stomach lurches]

...if I needed anything.

[ Cassandra isn't quite sure what Utena is getting at, but she can tell she's had a realization. She balls her hands into fists, trying to mask the way her gut is churning, that her head is pounding. ]

What, do you- do you think he was tracking you? Or that you called him and didn't remember it?

[ This fucker. This gross, controlling asshole. ]

[She shakes her head]

I definitely didn't call him. But his whole thing is being some kind of weird techno wizard, isn't it? I don't know - he must have done something to it.

Edited 2018-10-17 19:54 (UTC)

[ She sits there in silence for a moment, processing the idea. ]

He could have. I also know plenty of people he made gods who never would have had Blake's number, but- he could have done something through the Network if he didn't do it through other means, anyway.

[ She leans forward on the table, rubbing a hand through her hair. ] Back in our world, he'd give people powers through fancy robot suits. Here he's worse. You don't even have to get close to him for him to fucking warp you. I'd tell you how it works...but the asshole's been smart enough to keep it close to the chest.

I know - he offered me one.

[Utena spits the words out and shudders, when something inside just snaps. She throws her arms up, and when she speaks again, her voice is louder, more agitated]

And he just- he wouldn't let up! Even when I told him no, even when I didn't want his stupid suit, he'd find some way to drag me into his... his games! It's just...

[She slaps a hand on her lap and looks up at Cassandra, her expression have furious, half bewildered]

Why me?

[ As if plenty of people haven't been asking that question as of late. She sighs, and doesn't look directly at Utena. ]

Look, there's an easy answer, and it's that he's always enjoyed praying on young girls to get his fucking kicks...but he's diversified here, for better or worse. Not sure if I should read into that, but I'm not sure I want to.

[ Even if he doesn't have his Valkyries around here? She won't forget them. ]

He has all these reasons for fixating on people. He definitely has them for me, and he doesn't bother to hide how gross they are. Whatever his reason is for you? You have the right to know, but you're doing to lose your mind if you think about it too hard. I feel like I'm going to explode just hearing his shitty robot drone at this point.

[ She makes eye contact again. ] And if you ever do find it out, you should know it's complete horseshit. Automatically.

[When Cassandra says "his type", Utena feels like she's going to throw up; she knows exactly what she means. But there's other reasons behind these obsessions, aren't there? Cassandra catches her eye again before she can get lost in her own thoughts, and she nods, steadied by Cassandra's reassurances, by the kind of steady anger that validates her without inflaming her own rage]

So, just like everything else he says. Everything he says is shit, it's fake, it's... god, everything about him is fake, isn't it? He's just- underneath that helmet, underneath that suit, there's just nothing.

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