Post by The Madness Menagerie on Mar 27, 2021 20:44:05 GMT -5
OOC Note: This rp takes place after our last Zephyr RP entitled "Nothing to do, but to do." It isn't necessary reading, but if you're curious as to why Belle is acting the way she is, it's recommended reading. As always thank you to mystifyingoracle for the collab!!
Belle was lost. At least, mentally speaking. Carrying her luggage behind her, she makes it to her car, only chancing to look back at her home when she was in the driver’s seat. For the briefest of moments, she thought she saw the blinds in the front window flicker as if someone tried to hide the fact they were watching her leave. Belle pauses, her hand on the gear shift, her foot on the brake, and her gaze locked on that spot in the window. Maybe, just maybe she’d stop her…
But there was nothing. Feeling the uncontrollable sobs well up within her throat, Belle has no choice but to back out as safely as she can and drive away. Her makeup was probably running down her face but she didn’t care. What she cared about, WHO she cared about, just made it clear that they were willing to put her second. That they were willing to throw everything they had built together away, just so they can pursue a personal vendetta against a group of people who Belle couldn’t believe hadn’t been arrested yet.
Barely noticing where she was going, no clear destination in mind, Belle lets her mind wander. Zephyr would worry if she had known that Belle had nowhere really to go in this situation. Both her parents, while still in Baltimore, were both dead, the result of a car accident long ago. The pang in Belle’s stomach twists and she sobs again, Zephyr’s visage dancing in front of her mind’s eye.
“HOW COULD YOU?!”
Belle sobs again and yells several expletives at the person behind her who just honked because she wasn’t moving fast enough.
“FUCK YOU DICKHOLE!”
Belle stops and sucks in a sharp breath, then another. She repeats the process as she pulls her car over so she didn’t start anything she couldn’t finish. Driving was probably an awful idea, but options were minimal and she had no other option. Clenching her hands into fists Belle yells out, unleashing her frustration on the steering wheel in the form of punches and slaps. She didn’t care if anyone was watching her break down. She didn’t care that her makeup was nothing but a trail of inky black down her cheeks, and she didn’t seem to care that she was making her car rock back and forth, drawing even more attention.
No, what she cared about lay in ruins before her and she had never planned for this day, thinking that it was all but impossible. Stopping her assault on the steering wheel and ignoring the painful throbs in her hand, Belle looks up, still quietly sobbing to herself. She had managed to get herself into the city on a quiet sidestreet far away from the hustle and bustle of the main street.
“Wait…”
She looks across the street from where she is parked and is surprised to find Witch Dagger Ink, the tattoo shop run by Carnage’s own Silvio Leon. She smiled despite herself wondering why exactly she brought herself here. Trying to regain her composure, Belle straightens her shirt and grabs her purse before getting out of her car and heading across the street. Entering the shop, Belle is briefly comforted by the calming aura that surrounded her before wondering if Zephyr had ever made it here. If she stood in the very spot Belle currently stands…
Her lower lip quivers as she moves to sit down, hoping she would find a magical tattoo design to erase her pain. Or at the very least take her mind off of it.
Silvio is in the middle of rearranging some of his reference books when he hears the shop’s door chime. He turns with a big smile to greet his new customer that instantly drops when he sees Belle’s expression.
“Belle? Jeez, are you okay?”
He sets aside his books, crossing the parlor to her.
“Did something happen?”
Oblivious to everything around her, Belle jumps at the sudden noise, dropping the portfolio she was looking at. "Sorry!" With a sniffle, Belle picks it up and places it gently where she found it. She nods in Silvio's direction and does her best to smile despite it all. "Several things. Might be a long story, do you mind if I use your shoulder? I'm sorry, I didn't have anywhere else to go and," Her lip quivers. "I left Zephyr."
“Aw...Belle, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Silvio says, expression sympathetic. He picks up a box of tissues from the front counter and lays it down on the low table set before the sofa in the waiting area. “Have a seat. You want anything to drink? I got some waters and soda.”
Belle shakes her head. "Thank you I just… I don't know, everything is just a mess right now. There's all the nonsense with The Institute, Mia, and Zephyr's twin psycho sister getting back I just…." Her lip quivers as she grabs a handful of tissues to try and impede the oncoming storm of tears. "I'm not strong enough to be there for her. I can't watch her do this!" For emphasis, Belle slams a fist into her thigh and winces slightly. "I want her just… She's a fighter, I get that, but I NEED her to choose me as a priority just once."
Silvio listens, brow furrowed in concern. “You’ve told her this, right?”
Belle pauses and bites her lower lip. “I think that I have. I know she feels the same I do about this, she can’t be all that innocent. She knows she’s focusing on the wrong thing she…” Belle stops again and looks up at Silvio. “I left her crying. Or at least that’s what I heard. Maybe some space would be good though? I mean, we’ve been inseparable for almost a year maybe a break is what we need to reestablish boundaries? It just… It HURTS more than any breakup I’ve had before…”
Silvio exhales at length, running a hand over the top of his head. “That...sounds rough, but...heh…” He shakes his head with a little grin. “Something I keep hearing from the people around me is that I should be putting myself first for once. Maybe...that’s something you need to do, too.”
Belle sighs. “Yeah. Maybe. Probably. I just… I felt that she was… She IS my one and only. When I’m with her the world is less of a dark place. I can’t picture a life without her.”
“Giving yourself boundaries or putting your own health first doesn’t mean you don’t love her. It just means you love yourself, too,” Silvio says. “And do you think that you’ll be able to love her the best you can if you don’t feel safe? Would it be better to just hide your feelings and endure whatever discomfort comes your way?”
Belle bounces her leg nervously. “I… I never really thought of things like that. Love always seemed like something of a fairy tale, nothing that I’d ever get to experience truly. Now? Now that I’ve had it, I don’t want to let it go. But… You’re right it can’t be at my own expense, right?”
He nods. “And I don’t think Zephyr would want you to. She might be upset right now, but do you honestly think she’d want you to love her at the cost of feeling unsafe?” He shakes his head. “I really don’t think she’d be okay with that.”
“She does go out of her way to protect me,” Belle smirks, her eyes still filled with tears. “I hope she’s handling this alright.”
“Do you want me to check in on her?” Silvio asks. He had wanted to look after the Carnage roster. Belle and Zephyr were such integral parts of it; its conscience and its voice. If they needed help and he could offer it, there was only one thing he could do.
DID YOU NOT JUST SAY HOW YOU NEEDED TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF? SO SELF-SACRIFICING. CROWNLESS KING WITH HIS NOBLESSE OBLIGE.
Silvio did his best not to make a face at that.
“We look out for each other here, right?”
Belle nods. “Thank… Thank you. Yeah, someone other than me should check on her. I don’t know how she would deal with something like this.”
Nodding, Silvio gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “I can help you with that. Is there anything you want me to ask her? Anything you want me to keep an eye out for?”
Belle shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. She’s probably upset at herself. She knows she messed up but I don’t think she’s ever felt this way about messing up with another person like this, if that makes sense?” Belle sighs as she responds, her voice shaky. “Just let her know this isn’t permanent, that we can fix this. No matter what, I’ll always love her…”
“Sure thing, Belle. Is there anything else I can do to help? Do you wanna vent some more, do some art catharsis, heal yourself with consumption of highly sugary, dangerously fatty foods?” he suggests helpfully. “Wait for some hot weather and go throw lunch meat on BMWs?”
Belle blinks her eyes and looks up at Silvio. “Those all sound like amazing options. I think I’ve vented enough to you but if we were to do some art catharsis while indulging in a cinnamon roll or two? That very well could be the money maker.”
Silvio beams. “Consider it done. How about I go get some pastries and you decide what kind of art you wanna do? I got colored pencils, crayons, paint, ink - you name it.”
Overwhelmed Belle stammers. “I’ve always been partial to crayons and colored pencils, but ink has the more vibrant color? Little bit of everything?” She ponders the thought for a moment as she taps a finger against her chin and a mischievous smile crosses her lips. “You seem prepared for those two. I have to wonder what would have happened if I had taken you up on lunch meat and beemers…”
“A lot of running,” he says with a grin. “And a lot of casual voyeurism when the owner comes back. Mostly I save it for assholes who park across multiple parking spaces. And we can use any and all of the art stuff I got - mixed media’s fun! Did you want to come with to get the pastries, or make yourself comfortable here for a little bit?”
“If you don’t mind the company I’d love to join you.” Belle says as she pictures making a smiley face made of bologna on the windshield of an expensive car. “Just let me know when we get to the part we need to run during so I can take off these pumps.”
Laughing, Silvio gets to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. “Will do. C’mon - let’s get our sugar high and meat-related vandalism going.”
Belle nods as she gets up and follows Silvio, looking forward to an afternoon of coloring, cinnamon rolls, and possibly lunch meat vandalism. She smiles at the thought and fights back a giggle but her giddiness is quickly washed away as one thought permeates above all the others.
How was Zephyr?
Belle was lost. At least, mentally speaking. Carrying her luggage behind her, she makes it to her car, only chancing to look back at her home when she was in the driver’s seat. For the briefest of moments, she thought she saw the blinds in the front window flicker as if someone tried to hide the fact they were watching her leave. Belle pauses, her hand on the gear shift, her foot on the brake, and her gaze locked on that spot in the window. Maybe, just maybe she’d stop her…
But there was nothing. Feeling the uncontrollable sobs well up within her throat, Belle has no choice but to back out as safely as she can and drive away. Her makeup was probably running down her face but she didn’t care. What she cared about, WHO she cared about, just made it clear that they were willing to put her second. That they were willing to throw everything they had built together away, just so they can pursue a personal vendetta against a group of people who Belle couldn’t believe hadn’t been arrested yet.
Barely noticing where she was going, no clear destination in mind, Belle lets her mind wander. Zephyr would worry if she had known that Belle had nowhere really to go in this situation. Both her parents, while still in Baltimore, were both dead, the result of a car accident long ago. The pang in Belle’s stomach twists and she sobs again, Zephyr’s visage dancing in front of her mind’s eye.
“HOW COULD YOU?!”
Belle sobs again and yells several expletives at the person behind her who just honked because she wasn’t moving fast enough.
“FUCK YOU DICKHOLE!”
Belle stops and sucks in a sharp breath, then another. She repeats the process as she pulls her car over so she didn’t start anything she couldn’t finish. Driving was probably an awful idea, but options were minimal and she had no other option. Clenching her hands into fists Belle yells out, unleashing her frustration on the steering wheel in the form of punches and slaps. She didn’t care if anyone was watching her break down. She didn’t care that her makeup was nothing but a trail of inky black down her cheeks, and she didn’t seem to care that she was making her car rock back and forth, drawing even more attention.
No, what she cared about lay in ruins before her and she had never planned for this day, thinking that it was all but impossible. Stopping her assault on the steering wheel and ignoring the painful throbs in her hand, Belle looks up, still quietly sobbing to herself. She had managed to get herself into the city on a quiet sidestreet far away from the hustle and bustle of the main street.
“Wait…”
She looks across the street from where she is parked and is surprised to find Witch Dagger Ink, the tattoo shop run by Carnage’s own Silvio Leon. She smiled despite herself wondering why exactly she brought herself here. Trying to regain her composure, Belle straightens her shirt and grabs her purse before getting out of her car and heading across the street. Entering the shop, Belle is briefly comforted by the calming aura that surrounded her before wondering if Zephyr had ever made it here. If she stood in the very spot Belle currently stands…
Her lower lip quivers as she moves to sit down, hoping she would find a magical tattoo design to erase her pain. Or at the very least take her mind off of it.
Silvio is in the middle of rearranging some of his reference books when he hears the shop’s door chime. He turns with a big smile to greet his new customer that instantly drops when he sees Belle’s expression.
“Belle? Jeez, are you okay?”
He sets aside his books, crossing the parlor to her.
“Did something happen?”
Oblivious to everything around her, Belle jumps at the sudden noise, dropping the portfolio she was looking at. "Sorry!" With a sniffle, Belle picks it up and places it gently where she found it. She nods in Silvio's direction and does her best to smile despite it all. "Several things. Might be a long story, do you mind if I use your shoulder? I'm sorry, I didn't have anywhere else to go and," Her lip quivers. "I left Zephyr."
“Aw...Belle, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Silvio says, expression sympathetic. He picks up a box of tissues from the front counter and lays it down on the low table set before the sofa in the waiting area. “Have a seat. You want anything to drink? I got some waters and soda.”
Belle shakes her head. "Thank you I just… I don't know, everything is just a mess right now. There's all the nonsense with The Institute, Mia, and Zephyr's twin psycho sister getting back I just…." Her lip quivers as she grabs a handful of tissues to try and impede the oncoming storm of tears. "I'm not strong enough to be there for her. I can't watch her do this!" For emphasis, Belle slams a fist into her thigh and winces slightly. "I want her just… She's a fighter, I get that, but I NEED her to choose me as a priority just once."
Silvio listens, brow furrowed in concern. “You’ve told her this, right?”
Belle pauses and bites her lower lip. “I think that I have. I know she feels the same I do about this, she can’t be all that innocent. She knows she’s focusing on the wrong thing she…” Belle stops again and looks up at Silvio. “I left her crying. Or at least that’s what I heard. Maybe some space would be good though? I mean, we’ve been inseparable for almost a year maybe a break is what we need to reestablish boundaries? It just… It HURTS more than any breakup I’ve had before…”
Silvio exhales at length, running a hand over the top of his head. “That...sounds rough, but...heh…” He shakes his head with a little grin. “Something I keep hearing from the people around me is that I should be putting myself first for once. Maybe...that’s something you need to do, too.”
Belle sighs. “Yeah. Maybe. Probably. I just… I felt that she was… She IS my one and only. When I’m with her the world is less of a dark place. I can’t picture a life without her.”
“Giving yourself boundaries or putting your own health first doesn’t mean you don’t love her. It just means you love yourself, too,” Silvio says. “And do you think that you’ll be able to love her the best you can if you don’t feel safe? Would it be better to just hide your feelings and endure whatever discomfort comes your way?”
Belle bounces her leg nervously. “I… I never really thought of things like that. Love always seemed like something of a fairy tale, nothing that I’d ever get to experience truly. Now? Now that I’ve had it, I don’t want to let it go. But… You’re right it can’t be at my own expense, right?”
He nods. “And I don’t think Zephyr would want you to. She might be upset right now, but do you honestly think she’d want you to love her at the cost of feeling unsafe?” He shakes his head. “I really don’t think she’d be okay with that.”
“She does go out of her way to protect me,” Belle smirks, her eyes still filled with tears. “I hope she’s handling this alright.”
“Do you want me to check in on her?” Silvio asks. He had wanted to look after the Carnage roster. Belle and Zephyr were such integral parts of it; its conscience and its voice. If they needed help and he could offer it, there was only one thing he could do.
DID YOU NOT JUST SAY HOW YOU NEEDED TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF? SO SELF-SACRIFICING. CROWNLESS KING WITH HIS NOBLESSE OBLIGE.
Silvio did his best not to make a face at that.
“We look out for each other here, right?”
Belle nods. “Thank… Thank you. Yeah, someone other than me should check on her. I don’t know how she would deal with something like this.”
Nodding, Silvio gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “I can help you with that. Is there anything you want me to ask her? Anything you want me to keep an eye out for?”
Belle shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. She’s probably upset at herself. She knows she messed up but I don’t think she’s ever felt this way about messing up with another person like this, if that makes sense?” Belle sighs as she responds, her voice shaky. “Just let her know this isn’t permanent, that we can fix this. No matter what, I’ll always love her…”
“Sure thing, Belle. Is there anything else I can do to help? Do you wanna vent some more, do some art catharsis, heal yourself with consumption of highly sugary, dangerously fatty foods?” he suggests helpfully. “Wait for some hot weather and go throw lunch meat on BMWs?”
Belle blinks her eyes and looks up at Silvio. “Those all sound like amazing options. I think I’ve vented enough to you but if we were to do some art catharsis while indulging in a cinnamon roll or two? That very well could be the money maker.”
Silvio beams. “Consider it done. How about I go get some pastries and you decide what kind of art you wanna do? I got colored pencils, crayons, paint, ink - you name it.”
Overwhelmed Belle stammers. “I’ve always been partial to crayons and colored pencils, but ink has the more vibrant color? Little bit of everything?” She ponders the thought for a moment as she taps a finger against her chin and a mischievous smile crosses her lips. “You seem prepared for those two. I have to wonder what would have happened if I had taken you up on lunch meat and beemers…”
“A lot of running,” he says with a grin. “And a lot of casual voyeurism when the owner comes back. Mostly I save it for assholes who park across multiple parking spaces. And we can use any and all of the art stuff I got - mixed media’s fun! Did you want to come with to get the pastries, or make yourself comfortable here for a little bit?”
“If you don’t mind the company I’d love to join you.” Belle says as she pictures making a smiley face made of bologna on the windshield of an expensive car. “Just let me know when we get to the part we need to run during so I can take off these pumps.”
Laughing, Silvio gets to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. “Will do. C’mon - let’s get our sugar high and meat-related vandalism going.”
Belle nods as she gets up and follows Silvio, looking forward to an afternoon of coloring, cinnamon rolls, and possibly lunch meat vandalism. She smiles at the thought and fights back a giggle but her giddiness is quickly washed away as one thought permeates above all the others.
How was Zephyr?