seven | video

[halfwitch]

[Private to Boyd Langton; forward dated to the 8th]

I need to talk to you. I did something. Don't be mad.

Comments

[plays_with_dolls]

What's wrong? What happened?

[halfwitch]

Can you do that encryption thing? I never got Midii to teach me how and I don't want anyone else to hear.

Permaencrypted

[plays_with_dolls]

Of course. There it's on, now what's wrong?

Permaencrypted

[halfwitch]

[A deep breath, then flatly:]

I killed someone. Three someones.

[plays_with_dolls]

[There's a brief pause before Boyd speaks.]

First, are you hurt at all? Second, what happened to the bodies and where are they? Third, do not throw anything away! Tell me where you are and hold on to everything. I'll come get you and I'll take care of any evidence.

[halfwitch]

I'm fine. The bodies were burned. They're still here, in the alley behind me. I'm on [Street name], close to the bar.

You're not yelling.

[plays_with_dolls]

Alright we'll leave them be then. I'm on my way right now.

And of course I'm not yelling. Why would I?

[halfwitch]

Dad would yell when I did something wrong back home.

[plays_with_dolls]

Did I say this was wrong? Where these people anyone important? Where they as important to me as you are? No, they weren't. I am concerned that you did this out where they might be discovered, but we can talk about that later. Right now I'm just glad you weren't hurt.

[halfwitch]

I'm not hurt. And I'm pretty sure it's not where anyone can see. No one was around when it happened. I know better than that.

[plays_with_dolls]

Good. Then if they are discovered you'll be long gone and you said it was in an alley correct? Should be enough foot traffic to obscure any evidence on the ground.

What did you kill them with? I'm curious.

[halfwitch]

[She holds up a wand] Magic.

[plays_with_dolls]

No obvious murder weapon then. That will make things easier to hide.

[halfwitch]

Magic is pretty much the best weapon. You never have to touch them. No fingerprints.

[plays_with_dolls]

My only concern is can the other magic users here detect that it was used? I am not saying to not use your magic. Just keep in mind coroners like cases that are easy to close and if you leave some other cause for them to latch on to they'll usually do so.

[halfwitch]

I don't know if all of them can. I never asked Mr. Weasley or Mrs. Tonks about that. Our kind back home could.

[plays_with_dolls]

We'll have to assume they can, but as long as there isn't anything to attract their attention we shouldn't have anything to worry about.

[Boyd's personal car pulls up to the alley. The limo would have drawn too much attention.]

I'm here.

[halfwitch]

[She doesn't bother with replying via the communicator, she just runs up to the car. She pauses before touching it, keeping her hands close to herself while giving a small wave to catch attention. She doesn't know if she's allowed inside yet.]

[plays_with_dolls]

[Boyd reaches over and opens the passenger side door.]

Come on. Let's go home and finish dealing with this.

[halfwitch]

[She climbs in slowly and sits stiffly in her seat. She leans her head forward so she's staring at him sideways through her hair.]

Thanks for coming for me.

[plays_with_dolls]

[Boyd begins driving back to his penthouse as he talks.]

You don't have to thank me for that. I'm supposed to take care of you, this is part of that.

[halfwitch]

I feel like I'm supposed to. No one's taken care of me like this before.

[plays_with_dolls]

I'm sorry about that, but that is never going to happen again. Alright? I'm always going to make sure you're taken care of.

[halfwitch]

You swear? Even though I've killed people? Even though those guys weren't the first?

[plays_with_dolls]

I figured they weren't the first, and yes I swear even though you've killed people. You're not the first member of my family that's done something like this. You are important to me, those corpse back there are not.

[halfwitch]

[It takes her a moment to speak around the lump in her throat.]

My brother used to be the only person important to me. I hurt a lot of people to protect him, because I thought only he mattered. But then I came here and Midii became important. And you. You're important, too. The only important thing I have left.

[That's her way of showing her gratitude.]

[plays_with_dolls]

[Boyd nodded slowly. The emotions he was feeling were getting through even his extremely controlled exterior.]

Thank you. Without Topher here you're the only important thing I have left too.

Which is why when we're finished with taking care of these...details, we need to talk about some things. Some people more specifically. People that I need you to be careful of. I...should have already told you, but I didn't want you to worry and with Topher here there was no need to put you through that.

Now though.

[halfwitch]

[She turns to him anxiously.]

Who? What happened?

[plays_with_dolls]

A woman named Echo, or she might go by the name Caroline Ferrel. She was someone very close to me. I loved her and she loved me too. Not romanticly, but as family. It wasn't enough to make her listen to me though and she killed me.

So if you ever meet this woman do not trust her. She's dangerous. I wasn't the first person she cared about that she sacrificed in the name of her crusade.

[halfwitch]

She killed you? Why would she do that? Family doesn't do that!

[plays_with_dolls]

No, they don't. Why she did it? She thought with me gone, she could save the world.

She didn't. It ended exactly as I'd warned her it would except now everyone I cared about was in danger. Instead of they had listened they all would have been kept safe. Yes, the people who weren't my family would have suffered, but as I said before, they weren't important.

[halfwitch]

She was stupid. Even if it meant saving the world, it wouldn't have been worth it if you had to lose your family in the process. She should have listened. I would have listened. I bet Topher would have too.

[plays_with_dolls]

[Well Topher had been the one that wiped him, but Boyd didn't blame him for that. It was Echo's fault in the end.]

I'm glad to hear that and again I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just wanted to protect you.

[halfwitch]

It's okay. I used to do the same thing to Hansel. Just know you can tell me things. I can handle it.

[plays_with_dolls]

I will, as long as you promise to do the same. No more hidings things from each other.

[halfwitch]

Does that mean you want to know everything?

[plays_with_dolls]

Yes. If you're willing to tell me.

[halfwitch]

[She shifts down into her seat.]

Like I said, I've killed people before. To protect Hansel. I had to, or they would have killed him.

[plays_with_dolls]

And there's nothing wrong with that. You understood what you had to do and you did it. I'll never judge you for that and don't let anyone else do it either.

[halfwitch]

They did. At least I think Dad did, even if he didn't know the specifics. I think he blames us for what happened to our old stepmother, too. Which is dumb because she died of a heart attack. I mean, I probably would have killed her because she tried to kill us, but I can't make someone get sick.

[plays_with_dolls]

He should hope the Porter never brings him here.

[Boyd would make a special place in the Attic just for him.]

[halfwitch]

I hope he doesn't either. I don't really want to hurt him because he's our dad and Hansel still loves him. But he's not a good person. Most people back home weren't.