#pepper-green

The journey between her small apartment and Pepper's estate was one Altaire had come to know like the back of her hand. Whether on foot or by car, she had made the journey countless times in the period that the pair had been dating.

It had been a decent amount of time since the incident, her encounter with Katherine de Cambout. And while things were at least somewhat returning to normal- Pepper having regained her health and Altaire regaining a trust in her magic. Ever since that day, Altaire had dedicated her time to research. She had never put in the time to learn her ancestors' history before, being as far removed from it all as she was.

Perhaps, knowing what she had since learned, the danger she was in just by de Cambout knowing she was alive, she should have taken better care as she made her way towards Pepper's estate. Having told Harlow she woulr let him know when she arrived, she was on her way. The sun hadn't long set, it was a warm summer's evening and she had no reason to believe there was anything to worry about.

She didn't realise the danger she was in until it was much too late. Her powers, despite the effort she had taken to improve her control of them recently, still weren't something she trusted entirely. Even as she began to get the familiar twist in her stomach as panic began to set in, she forced herself to push the thought aside, convincing herself there was nothing to worry about.

She didn't even register that anything was wrong until she was stopped dead in her tracks, ambushed in the middle of a shadowy alley. She didn't recognise them, it was unclear whether they were even human or not. It was hardly like she had too much time to look at them, let alone enough time to fight back, before a knife plunged into her chest. Again, and again.

Altaire was barely conscious by the time she was tossed aside, her assailants evidently satisfied with their work as they made their exit. Her body discarded in a heap on the pavement, she was left to stare up at the twilight sky as she bled out. The last thoughts she was aware of were of love, of Pepper. After everything they had been through together, was this it? Would this be how it ended? It was too soon, she wasn't ready to say goodbye...

--

Hours had passed, and Harlow hadn't heard a word from his friend. He wasn't worried at first, reminding himself that this sort of thing was typical Altaire behaviour, being the easily distracted sort. It wouldn't be the first time she had forgotten to text, or to charge her phone.

His distrust of Pepper was what pushed him over the edge. No matter what Altaire tried to tell him, the opinions everyone but him seemed to have of her, he would never be able to trust her completely.

And so he picked up the phone, and called the one number he knew might put his anxieties at ease.

"Andrei! Hi, how's it going? I was just calling to check that Altaire made it over okay?"

@pepper-green

"Yes, it went according to plan... Of course, I will contact him shortly to make the offer... I have already taken precautions... No, but I will stay in contact." De Killer hung up and with his gloved hands he took out the battery of the phone. It would only leave an opening to track him down, which he won't allow. To avoid any complications, he had also memorized the number of his client already.

De Killer then proceeded to go to the adjoining room to see if his kidnapped victim was awake yet. He had come to understand that this assignment would take a long time, maybe four to five days. He prepared for a handful of weeks, just in case. It had been difficult to track the Interpol agent down, but with some  diligent preparation and efficient research, De Killer had finally managed to capture the young woman alone and left her on the floor of the sparse room just a few hours ago with her hands and legs bound together.

The assassin glanced at his pocket watch. “The anesthetic should have worn out about ten minutes ago. You should open your eyes now, young lady. We have some work to do.” He pulled out a radio transceiver and seated himself calmly on the chair beside the young agent’s lying form, waiting.

“Nonsense.” She tried to minimize the fracture. “It’s not...”

She tried to stand up. She shouldn’t.  

Yep, her knee was broken and it hurt like hell.

As time passed, Altaire had come to think of him less and less. In the weeks following their last fateful encounter, not a moment went by where each and every thought was flooded with him. She would hear his voice in the back of her mind whenever she caught herself doing something she knew he would have chastised her for, she would see his face every time she closed her eyes.

She was being well and truly haunted by Charles Elwood.

But the months and the years slipped by. Healthier coping mechanisms mostly replaced her self destructive tendencies. Whilst not detangling herself entirely from those circles, she had made huge strides in moving on in her life. Truthful, genuine relationships had filled the void left by him. He had occupied far too much of her life than he deserved, she was more than justified in reclaiming it.

Especially since he had by no means consented to his departure. The guilt she felt had at some points been near enough insufferable, but the right support and guidance had been more than enough to set her on the right track.

No matter how truly awful he had been for her, it wasn't until Pepper had come along that she had properly moved on. Elwood's untimely death had instilled in her a near suffocating fear of any and all long term relationships. Hookups had come and gone as they pleased, but commitment had terrified her right up until she met her current, loving girlfriend.

Pepper had provided her with exactly what she had always wanted, the kind of relationship that she had always dreamed about. Patient, attentive and caring, it had taken Altaire months to think herself worthy of the compassion she treated her with.

But with the support system she had in place, Altaire was able to grow and overcome the tribulations that had held her back.

If only magic forgot like she did.

Magic that she had still not mastered. Magic that still fell out of her control. Magic that could be so overwhelming, not even Altaire could fathom its potential.

It was the same magic that had stripped Elwood of his life those years ago, whether she had meant to or not. Magic truly was a blessing and a curse.

Even if Altaire could say with absolute certainty she rarely consciously thought of Elwood anymore, that wasn't to say that he never wormed his way into her mind. Dreams were where the truth spilled out, where magic ran free and was supposedly harmless.

Whilst Altaire lay dormant, comfortably wrapped within her girlfriend's soft embrace, her fleeting mind had descended down a dark little rabbit hole that she tried to keep covered up.

It wouldn't be the first time she had relived that night in her dreams, but never before had it been quite so terrifying. She was entirely unaware that she was dreaming, as she let loose and let her powers consume her, having no say in what the raw energy decided to do.

Almost a year had passed since Altaire had boarded the near-twelve hour flight and moved from London all the way to the States, but she remembered the fateful day as if it has just passed. Being in first class didn't make it any less terrifying, being there alone made it even worse.

But it was hardly as if her present company was a great deal better.

At the time, entering into a relationship with a mob boss sounded like a foolproof idea. Charles Elwood had offered her everything. Stability, security, physical comfort- there was nothing more that a vulnerable young woman on the verge of homelessness could ask for. She was foolish, she should have seen through every one of those false promises, every whispered word that told her everything she wanted to hear.

It was only in recent months that she was coming around to the realisation that things weren't as good as she had convinced herself they may be. He had developed a desire for control, and that meant over Altaire too. It had started off small, but wasn't long before she struggled to think of a single aspect of her life that he wouldn't decide for her. Where she went, what she wore, who she spoke to- Charles decided it all.

She was alone, for lack of a better word. Completely and utterly isolated in a country she knew next to nothing about, with nobody around who would even attempt to understand her. But in a literal sense, she was as far from being alone as possible.

Her dear Charlie had come to the conclusion that in order for him to maintain true control over his girlfriend, he must have her under constant surveillance.

There had been a few bodyguards in the past. All of them particularly disgusting men- hired in regards to their physicality rather than competency. Fortunately, none had stuck around, and so Altaire had taken the risk of asking for the next to have a specific quality that the others had lacked. Fortunately, and much to her own surprise, he had agreed.

They were both to meet with her tonight. One of Elwood's informants had put him in contact with her. Little did he know he may have other allegiances...

Sat in a dimly lit office, perched on the edge of his particularly imposing desk, Altaire waited. Dressed glamorously, her toes barely skimmed the floorboards. There was a lot riding on this particular plan of hers. She prayed that they would get along, that Charlie would like her...

If there was one thing Raoul couldn't stand, it was meeting clients. He spent a lot of time building up a wall between himself and those who he supplied for, that it took a great deal of persuasion for him to meet any of them in person.

That is precisely why he chooses to keep to himself. If it wasn't necessary for plant growth, he would never elect to see the sun. And although it has proven dangerous in the past, it is also why he delegates the majority of the actual work to others- namely, Altaire- never really sticking his own neck out.

However, everyone has a price. And this fairy's just happens to be rather high.

He had, reluctantly, been called out to meet a particularly loyal client. With the promise of a large sum of money, he was here to discuss future business. Why this had to be done in person, he was unaware, but he cared too much about his potential profits to really complain.

Raoul was well aware of the sorts of people his clients were. It did take a certain kind of individual to come to Raoul for business, after all. However, the man was of the philosophy to never ask questions, take the money, and move on.

So it really came as no surprise to him that, as he was being led through the dingy office space his clients occupied, he came across a... hostage? of sorts, tied up and severely bloodied- a beefy man giving her an incredibly hard time.

He gave it no further thought, however, until something in him clicked a mere moment later.

He was yet to see her in person, but he sure had heard plenty about her. Pepper Green, the woman who his two closest friends were slowly abandoning him for. The Frenchman had a strong dislike for essentially every member of authority, but none more than her.

He found his eyes lingering on hers, filled with a morbid sense of interest as he watched her struggle, clearly suffering greatly at the hands of these fiends.

Perhaps it was what she deserved.

@pepper-green

Halloween had always held a special place in Altaire's heart. It was simply... Different to other holidays- many of which she couldn't bother with.

She had grown up lacking a proper family to celebrate Christmas with. Her birthday went forgotten for years. The memories connected with so many other celebrations did nothing but put her off them entirely. But Halloween, it was different. As a teenager, the holiday was a chance to get up to a multitude of regrettable activities, with which she held a great deal of nostalgia for.

Nowadays, it was a time she could let loose and enjoy herself. She had friends who shared her passion, and the advancement of her magic aided her greatly in a good night.

She found herself expressing her love of the holiday to Pepper whilst sat together on the agent's sofa on an October night. Back at their flat, they were in the midst of planning this year's big Halloween party- and she was eager to say the least.

Her girlfriend, she had noticed, had seemed different lately. Quieter, more withdrawn. Ever since the month began, Altaire had seen her less and less. Not by the choice of the artist, but due to the various excuses made to her.

And now here they were. Pepper, in passing, had mentioned how she didn't like Halloween, how she had never celebrated it.

"Oh... Sorry, yeah... A lot of people are like that." Altaire's excitable gushing was brought to a bit of a standstill with this comment, but she pressed on regardless. "But, well, I'd recommend it."

She sat closer, her fingers drifting upwards to run her hand through her girlfriend's golden hair.

@pepper-green

If dear old Charlie had intended to keep his lover out of the dangers of his work life, he hadn't exactly gone about it too well.

The young girl had certainly realised it, too. On more than one occasion, Altaire had tried to gently suggest that if he wished to keep her safe, then forcing her to bear witness to so many awful acts with dangerous people would surely put her into a fair amount of anger.

But it hadn't taken her that long to realise that if there was one thing he disliked more than not succeeding, it was being proved wrong.

Aside from the undeniable danger she was put in, there was something to be gained from this exposure to the criminal underworld. Altaire had grown to become very well-versed with many major criminals: both allies and rivals that Elwes had gained throughout his career.

And it appeared that someone had become acquainted with her, too.

It took some time for her to come around. Whatever substances that had been administered to the girl had seemingly taken a toll on her slight frame, so she found herself rather lethargic upon waking. Groggily lifting her head, Altaire peered around through bleary eyes, finding difficulty in completely comprehending the situation.

She did, however, notice two things.

One: her wrists and ankles were bound tight to a chair that was far more comfortable than she would ever have expected from any sort of hostage situation- if that's what this was.