tampered | Log; Complete

When; Friday the 13th
Rating; PG
Characters; Valerie

alessalearnt
Summary; Valerie and Alessa talk about things.
Log;

The chapel had quickly become Alessa's favorite place to go. It was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful, for one thing. The atmosphere that the chapel gave off comforted her. The scent of incense and the sound of the Gregorian prayers that echoed throughout the chapel gave her a sense of peace and contentment that she couldn't find anywhere else. Here, in these stone walls, the Thorned King trapped in his visage of endless suffering, gazing down at her with sympathetic understanding, Alessa could forget, at least for a little while. The Thorned King himself was an intriguing figure to her. She had finished reading what the priest called 'the Word of God' and, although she hardly believed that it was the word of God, she knew that it was Henry's religion, and obviously the religion of many others. The Thorned King had suffered just as she had suffered, and that in and of itself made her feel as if she had an odd kinship with him.

She closed her eyes and let the priest's chants wash over her and ease her mind. Valerie had said she would be coming. It would be a lie for Alessa to say that she wouldn't be happy to see her. Valerie had a visage that made Alessa timidly want to get close to her as possible. She knew Valerie was not her mother, but she reminded her so much of Dahlia that she couldn't help but want to take comfort in her friend's arms. She knew she was only lying to herself, that Valerie could never love her as much as Dahlia did, but...Xulchibara was no longer a comfort; neither was Pyramid Head. Alessa only got confused and nervous whenever she was near Henry, Walter was just a child, and Lucy didn't understand. Valerie was the only one who could provide the comfort she needed.

Alessa sighed. I hope she gets here soon...

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They had put off the meeting far too long, in Valerie's mind. But, what could be done, with the city throwing curses at them left, right and centre? Even when she had returned home there had been little time for something so simple as getting together for tea. And really, since it had been so long, what would another day have been?

Of course, that had been before the woman heard exactly how distressed Alessa was.

Valerie walked swiftly, nearly on the verge of running to the chapel. She couldn't stand the thought of Alessa being alone at a time like this. The girl woke a posessiveness in Valerie, a kind of maternal instinct to hold and protect her and chase the nightmares away. But even without knowing Alessa's past, she knew such comforts could only go so far.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

Giving up on the brisk walk, she jogged the rest of the way to her destination, slowing only when she hit the staircase that lead to the entrance. It would be rude to explode into the building; it was the closest thing to a sacred space Valerie had witnessed in the cursed city. So, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm both nerves and adrenalin, she pulled one hand through the curls of her hair before pushing the heavy doors open (not without the customary gentle squeak) and stepping inside.

Alessa's blue eyes snapped open when she heard the doors to the chapel open. Turning in her seat, she saw Valerie begin to make her way down the center aisle quietly. Alessa could sense the woman's urgency and desperation, and so she gestured for the woman to sit in the pew next to her.

'Valerie,' Alessa whispered. 'Thank you for coming. If you would rather talk someplace else, I can completely understand.'

She tried desperately to ignore the feeling of familiarity that hung on the air. She had once sat beside her mother in the chapel of a church, listening to the sermons. Christabella's voice would echo around the building, and although the crowd listened with rapt attention, Alessa could still feel the hate seeping off of them into the air, and see the children's glares. Blinking, Alessa willed herself out of those painful memories and forced herself to look at the present.

'I hope I didn't alarm you too much...things are awfully complicated.'

"Alessa," The name came out hushed, but flooded with relief. The girl didn't look too worse for wear, and while Valerie knew that appearances could be deceiving, it still eased her anxiety the slightest bit. She sank into the space next to Alessa as if she belonged there, one slender arm reaching out to curl around the girl's shoulders. Auburn curls swept to one side as Valerie tilted her head, gently pulling Alessa snug against her side.

"Don't worry about it," She soothed, and though her voice was soft and patient, her eyes were lit with concern as she peered into Alessa's face. "Talk to me?" She asked, free hand lifting up to tuck loose strands of black behind Alessa's ear.

Alessa relaxed at the soothing presence of her friend. Valerie always made her feel better. She wrapped one arm around the woman's waist and turned to her with the utmost trust in her eyes. 'Things are...just so confusing. All my life I have been treated as an outsider. My mother was the only one who, up till now, loved me. I had no friends, nothing....and then the burning happened, and Xulchibara and Pyramid Head were my companions for such a long time, but when I came here...

'Everything's changed. I have people here who care about me, and I'm just so confused. I'm supposed to be the jury. I'm supposed to pick out who is guilty and who is innocent. But...I'm not sure if that's what I want to do anymore. Is this making any sense?' She asked, knowing Valerie couldn't possibly understand all of it, but wanting reassurance all the same.

Valerie remained quiet as she searched Alessa's face, listening as the girl started talking immediately. Her hand had fallen from hair to forearm, holding softly to Alessa, thumb tracing soothing circles onto the inside of her wrist. It was true, Valerie had next to no clue exactly what all of Alessa was attemping to explain-- after all, jury? Choosing who is guilty and innocent? Valerie didn't believe in human beings having that kind of control over others. Not since Sutler.

However, while she didn't understand the exact situation, she could understand an individual changing their mind. Especially in something like this.

"Yes, it makes sense," The woman said. "You're allowed to change your mind, Alessa." And here she tilted her head again, curious. "Are you confused, because you've never doubted that before?"

[ooc: omg. >( sorry for taking forever. ♥]

Alessa nodded. 'It's all I've ever known, and I'm scared...what if I can't be normal?' She could feel her distress and confusion building. 'What if people keep thinking I'm a monster because of my powers? What if they blame me for things that I didn't do and want to punish me and...'

She felt like a twelve year old again as she began to cry. '...I feel like I've lost my best friend. This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life.' She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her free arm.

"Shh," The woman hushed gently when the tears began to fall, the circle of ehr arm tightening around Alessa's shoulders like a protective shield. Her hand left Alessa's arm, petting back her hair again with a maternal kindness. She hated seeing the girl in so much pain.

"Listen. Being here... in this City. Its like.. starting over, isn't it? A new beginning, of sorts," She said quietly, her palm cradling the edge of Alessa's jaw, eyes focused and honest, "I don't know what it is that you've done. But Alessa; that is all in the past. You have the power now to change what will happen."

Once again, her fingers stroked through Alessa's hair, then smoothed back down to hold just above her elbow. Not once did green eyes leave her friend's face: focused, compassionate. "I know change can be frightening. But I want you to know... Even if, as you say, you've lost your best friend-- you aren't alone in this."

Alessa gazed back steadily into Valerie's eyes, and burst into tears all over again, leaning forward to hug her friend tightly. She cried for Lisa and what she had done to her; she cried for leaving Pyramid Head and feeling forsaken as a result; she cried in fear that Henry would never love her like she loved him; she cried for the fact that she had been burnt and was hurt by adults that should have protected her; but she cried the most for her mother. Her mother who had become broken, her mother who had failed to protect her, and was lost to her forever....the mother who she would never see again.

"I miss my mother...I miss her so much," Alessa choked out, her tears beginning to soak the woman's shirt.

"I know, sweetie," She soothed, accepting Alessa welcomingingly into her arms as the girl collapsed into her. Her cheek tilted against the soft black of her hair, one arm locked around her shoulders, the other hand stroking up and down her back. And she could understand-- perhaps it wasn't the same situation, but Valerie had lost her mother. She had lost her father. She knew what that kind of pain was; to be unaccepted, to be alone.

She whispered shushing sounds to Alessa, holding her tight in the protective circle of her embrace, rocking side to side. Valerie knew she could never replace that person, but she would do her best to fill that empty spot. She silently vowed to always be there for the girl whenever the need arose.

Log; Complete

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