[003. Mirror Mirror]

[lydiascreams]

[Open Spam]

[Lydia is bored and that just won't do. If she's going to be at the barge, she'll need something fun to do. At least until she has a pet of her own to play with. And she can't wait until she gets her own inmate. Lately she's been playing with others, and she even has a couple of favorites but it's not the same thing.

Until then, though, it will have to do. She considers going to find one of those to pass the time, but she wants something a little more challenging today. Of course she won't pass the opportunity if one of them cross her path, but as she makes her way down the hallways she's looking for a few specific individuals: Blight, Chris or Arya and Nymeria.

With the power loss and everything that has been going on, it's been a few days since she's seen Scott around and she just can't go long without taunting him or he will think she's done playing.

Of course, if she can't find any of her body guards for back up, she might just have to go find Scott's little sidekick instead. That always sends her message across, too because she knows the Alpha will be able to smell her all over his Beta.]

(ooc: Lydia is completely affected! Here are some handy links: Profile, Plotting, Assumed CR.)

Comments

[Spam]

[mistconduct]

[Chris is being his usually unholy terrible self. The loss of power to the Barge has been stressing him out recently: he needs to get Slevin graduated as soon as possible and get the hell off this ship. He's in the gym now, practicing for when he goes to dig up his inmate, and on both hands are a pair of brass knuckles.

With these, he viciously pounds into a worn punching bag, over and over again. He'll always be small and scrawny, but there's some mean muscle underneath all appearances]

[Spam]

[lydiascreams]

[She hears the noise inside the gym as she's making her way past it and decides to make her way inside just to see who is in there. They sound... angry? motivated? Either of those emotions could be fun depending on the person behind them.

When she realizes it's one of the people she's been looking for, though, she grins and makes her way inside. He certainly looks angry and that works for her.]

Hello, Chris. [Her voice is almost melodic.]

[Spam]

[mistconduct]

[Chris looks up as his name's called, rubbing his forehead with his arm]

Hey, Lydia. Sup. What's going on?

[Lydia seems to be one of the few people Chris can stand onboard the ship. He likes her moxie. He likes her ambition. He doesn't like being played, but fortunately is usually too slow to realize when it's happening]

You're kinda interrupting my workout.

[Spam]

[lydiascreams]

Oh, sorry, Chris.

[She sounds sincerely apologetic, even though she could care less about his workout. She even smiles softly at him then glances back toward the door.]

We can chat later, I know this is your you time, even though you obviously don't need it.

[spam]

[walkingmeltdown]

[Blight is one of the few people that's still been regularly out and about after the loss of power - cold and dark are things that of course don't bother him.

Boredom does though. Frustration does. And being given an inmate as his own personal property hasn't helped alleviate that much, considering it's an inmate that gives him hardly any satisfaction when he wants to try and make somebody squirm.

He send the robot to some laps in the part of the ship without air or life support, because it passably amused him for about five seconds. Now he's stomping around on his own in the hallways, looking for someone he can let off some steam on preferably.

Though it can be supposed he'll settle for someone he considers likable to vent to.]

[spam]

[lydiascreams]

[Well, he's certainly hard to miss. And he will do just fine for what she wants at the moment. Actually, he's her best choice right now considering he's all anger and no judgement. She gets to make that judgement for him most of the time.

As she approaches him, she's already smiling. Today could turn out to be a lot of fun.]

Blight? You look a little... [Aimless. Like she could use you.] Irritated.

[spam]

[walkingmeltdown]

[He turns tightly, reacting to the sound a split second before he sees who it is. Once he registers it's her though the set of his shoulders relaxes somewhat. Ah, Lydia. Always worth his time, and usually even a pleasure.

So few things on this damn boat are, lately.]

Most people would follow that with a "so what else is new". [The remark is sardonic out of habit, without any real bite. Not for her. He doesn't return her smile, but that's all lingering aggravation. He even manages to be mildly teasing, in a knowing way.] And whatever naughty little pleasures are you up to today? Or has all the fun gone out the window with the current state of things?

[spam]

[lydiascreams]

[Apparently he's tense, too. Looking like he could use someone to take that tension out on. Yep, that's exactly what she's looking for.

She grins softly despite his lack of smile.]

The fun never goes out the window for as long as I'm around, Blight.

[She cocks her head and pretends to study him.]

You look like you could use some fun.

[semifreakingnormal]

[He smells her long before he sees her.

Scott groans to himself when he realizes she's coming his way, and though he considers turning in the other direction, he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction.

This was his ship first. He's not interested in sharing, especially not with her. So he stays his course, and growls a greeting when he sees her.]

Lydia.

[His eyes are red, like usual, his teeth are sharp, like usual.] Doing the walk of shame, or on your way to one?

[lydiascreams]

[The first thing she sees are his eyes and she almost giggles when she realizes it's him.

And then the growls and she grins brightly. Yes, a part of her is still very much aware of the fact that not only did he kill her before, he could easily do it again, but most of her just enjoys seeing proof of the frustration she's been causing him. Getting under his skin is just worth it.]

Aww, c'mon Scottie. Don't be jealous just because I won't touch your disgusting little werewolf ass.

[Her voice is sweet as she speaks, but she doesn't get too close to him. She needs some distance in order to have time to scream if he decides to attack her. She pauses with a hand on her hip, the other twirling around her hair gently.]

But if you're so curious, why don't you ask Stiles?

[semifreakingnormal]

[He knows she needs room, so he keeps walking toward her, slowly, like he's approaching a friend. Casual. Except he would casually rip her throat out again if he had to. The death toll might even break again, and leave her down for the count.

Stiles would probably be down about that, but he'd get over it.

Referencing his beta brings another growl to his throat, and Scott's eyes narrow.]

You know, you don't need to be able to speak for him to fuck you. So why don't you watch your mouth around me?

[lydiascreams]

[She knows what he's doing and she wants to glare at him, but instead she pulls her hands to her sides and balls them up into fists. She will start concentrating her energy into a scream now. Just in case.

But she can't let him win by advancing on her, so she takes a step forward, hips swaying for distraction even if she doesn't actually expect Scott to be distracted by her body like Stiles is. She's still smiling, though.]

Oh, sweetie, you're not my Alpha, remember? You know you don't intimidate me.

Speaking of Alpha, don't you have some more low rank losers to recruit for your pack?

[myresponsibility]

[Peter feels more conspicuous in his baggy black hoodie with the hood pulled up than he ever has in his bright red and blue spandex costume, and it's because he just knows he doesn't really know how to be covert. There's a part of him that feels like he should bug James about giving him some pointers when this is over, but then he remembers this is a spy who gives his real name to strangers and goes through buildings like a wrecking ball, so maybe that's a lost cause, too.

But he can't just stay in his room, and he needs to figure out who else he can trust, and who needs to be stopped before they do anything too stupid, so he shuffles through the hallway trying to look like the moody asshole he'd been last time they were here.

He glances at Lydia maybe a little too quickly, fixes his face into something that might pass off as a grouchy scowl, and then hesitates. He doesn't know enough about her to know what she could be like here, if she's someone he's going to have to label as a potential threat.

He kind of gets the feeling that he might have to.]

[lydiascreams]

[When she sees him, Lydia is pretty much strutting her way down the dark hallway. She nearly pauses, because she knows that although he's not one of Scott's, he isn't exactly one of hers, either.

Stupid stubborn Peter. He could be. And he would come in handy, too. But in the end, it's his loss. Not being on her side is always their loss. Its too bad Banshees can't be Alphas, because she would totally have made a pack out of most of this boat by now.

But Peter almost seems to hesitate when he sees her. And that is new. Her eyes narrow and she stops in front of him, blocking his way. What the hell?]

What? No hello for me, Peter?

[myresponsibility]

[It's only because of his reflexes that he manages a half step back in time to avoid bumping into her, and he does his best to frown again, looking at her with a serious, guarded expression that probably doesn't look too out of place.

Better start thinking up excuses for why he's acting different.]

Hi.

[It's grudging, frustrated, like he's more annoyed than anything else by the interruption.

That's right, right? That's what the other him would have been like if this happened to him?]

What do you want?

[lydiascreams]

[That surprises her, too. He actually takes a step back, that's almost gentleman-like of him, really. You know, for Parker's standards. He's even worse than McCall with his attitude and she barely even knows him.]

Don't you wish I would want something with you?

[Lydia smirks and shakes her head, lifting a hand as if she is going to touch his chest, but she lets it hover without actually touching instead.]

I saw McCall eying your new pet, by the way. Might want to make sure he doesn't try to steal her.

[Create a little chaos there even though she's never seen the new blonde girl anywhere near Scott. Because, why not?]

[voluntaryapnea]

[The fact that the Barge shook and the power went out? Stiles thinks it's probably a bad sign. Which isn't surprising. They've been anticipating something bad for awhile now. He's just worried about what kind of bad it's going to be. Silent Hill? Mirror Barge? Something else? It's hard to imagine something worse than either of those options but at least so far he seems to be alone in his head.

He doesn't hear the whispered taunts of the nogitsune in his mind the way he had for so many weeks. He doesn't feel off. Thank god. He shuts his eyes and leans his head against his door. It is tempting, very, very tempting -- to stay inside his cabin and not go out and face any of the possible insanity that lay outside his door.

But he isn't going to be a coward. Steeling his nerves, he unlocks and opens his door, stepping out into the hallway. He almost immediately spots Lydia. He lets out a breath. At least she's okay. Now he just needs to find Scott and make sure he's okay, too.]

Hey.

[lydiascreams]

[This wasn't what she was going for just yet, but when she almost bumps right into Stiles as he comes out of his room, she figures he will do.

She doesn't really hate the Stiles from her world for himself. No, she hates him for his connection to Scott. And for what Scott's goddamn pack did to Jackson. But Stiles wasn't even a beta then, even if he tried hurting Jackson, he would have found himself dead faster than he could realize what was happening.

Which is why she went after him like Peter had suggested back home once she got here. Because everyone knows he's been pathetically in love with her for years and, well, he clearly doesn't trust his own Alpha enough to willingly take the bite. He's an easy target.

And, he's fun. Sometimes.]

Hey Stiles.

[She smiles and walks right up to him, eying him up and down before letting her her smile turn into a smirk.]

Just who I was looking for.

[voluntaryapnea]

[There's a moment where his eyes widen at the way she looks at him, like he's something she's dying to eat and he thinks, oh shit. So she's not exactly okay. She's way too flirtatious to be herself. And it's not that Lydia isn't sometimes flirtatious, but she's never really been flirtatious toward him and oh god, this is not good.

She thinks he's the other him, the mirror him, and he has no clue what the other him is like, and no idea how to go about pretending that's who he is, and Lydia is smart. Really smart. She's going to know something's off. And all he can think is Scott, please do not be affected because I'm going to need your help. He draws in a breath even as he returns the smile.]

Am I?

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Arya wants to stick to the shadows. That's a little harder with a direwolf to keep near.

She knows she will be seen, and she knows she will be spoken to, so she exercises all the mummer skills that Izembaro taught her. When the flood hits and she is herself, she researches. She reads back on the network, finds every appearance of her own and remembers the last time she was here. When she's done, she covers Nymeria's muzzle in blood - but rather than have her attack another, she cuts her palm and smears it over the direwolf's jaws. She doesn't like it much, tossing her head and licking herself: they argue, in their silent way. The first time she climbs to Nymeria's back, she's thrown off. The second time, she holds on tight and refuses to budge.

That is how they walk down the hall, gray fur dark with blood, Arya sitting astride her pony-sized wolf. She looks, to anyone affected, as she always does.

She watches Lydia as they approach, judging. This isn't the girl who screamed, she thinks. It's hard to tell: she doesn't know Lydia well. But she knows how the other Arya feels about the other Lydia, so she makes herself smile a little.]

Hello.

[lydiascreams]

[Lydia notices the wolf first. It's hard not to. And she smiles.

Unlike most smiles, this one is as sincere as she allows herself, because Lydia actually cares about Arya. At first, she approached the little girl, or allowed her to approach her because she knew the wolf could come in handy, but she had grown on her. For some reason Arya looks up to her, it's almost like she wants to be like her and while Lydia wouldn't want that for her, she feels like she can protect her from everyone else in this place. She's not entirely sure when or why she started to care, but considering her family history and the little she knows about Arya's, she figures they can help each other. At least while they are there.

As she approaches, she runs her hand lightly over Nymeria's head and stops to stand right next to Arya.]

And who did you have Nymeria play with on your way here?

Another wolf, I hope?

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[She runs through a list of other wolves in her mind and it is very, very short. Chris doesn't technically count. Lark is gone. There's another boy, a werewolf, but she has kept away from him, knowing her own pack dissolved.

But on this ship? She thinks there might be at least one other.

She smiles for Lydia, shrugging lightly like she doesn't have a care in the world.]

Just a dumb inmate. Which wolf do you think she'd play best with?

spam

[versusnurture]

[Abigail recognizes this place. She's doing her best to keep quiet about it - to breathe deeply and panic quietly - but she can't entirely keep from being noticed. Especially from people like Lydia.]

[The thing is, she knows what most of these people are like on the other side of the mirror . . . but not Lydia. She's a completely unknown quantity.]

[Abigail passes her in the hall with every intention of walking on by, but she can't help glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. Anything could happen, and a part of her is morbidly curious.]

spam

[lydiascreams]

[Lydia can tell she's trying to go by unnoticed, which is ridiculous because really the hall isn't that big. She wasn't looking for an inmate but Abigail is just so much fun. How can she not?

So she starts by letting her think she's getting away with it, walks right past her without looking at her, and then she smirks, stops, and turns around, her hands going to her hips.]

Abigail? I almost missed you. Are you trying to blend in with the wall, sweetheart?

spam

[versusnurture]

[Her heart beats in her throat. Not good enough. She should have known better than to think it would be.]

[She turns on her heel and looks at Lydia squarely. Her scarf is tight around her neck, and chafes - she wasn't used to wearing it on the real Barge, but here, she assumes she still would be, to hide the scar.]

Obviously not well enough.