Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread)

Subject: Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread) Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:51 pm

It was a Saturday night and usually the young witch would be killing time by practicing a hex or a martial arts move. But instead of a curse, a spell came out of Mari's wand as she stood before the mirror in her bathroom a Glamour covering all her scars and coating her vocal chords so she looked and sounded like before she'd been captured. Then she straightened her messy curls to sleek waves that cascaded down her now scar-free shoulders and applied some red lipstick and black cat-eyeliner. Instead of her usual black trousers and covering blouse the witch was clad in a mini dress that was tight in just the right places and showed enough decollté and leg to be sensual, (she could also move in in perfectly, still had to be practical) and her toned legs ended in black heels.
When she looked in the mirror again she couldn't barely recognize herself.
The situation was as follows: she had indeed called Callum and he was picking her up in half an hour. They were going to go to his place and have 'drinks' which really meant have one drink and then a one night stand.
In a way she was using him. The witch wanted to explore intimacy and become more familiar with it, this was a step towards normality, she told herself. And it was okay to use him.
Because honestly he was just using her, too.

Luckily she was done by the time the doorbell rang (Callum couldn't apparate in, he wasn't written into her security) so she walked up to it and opened it,
"You're early-" she began with a small smile that froze into slight horror as she realized who was actually standing in front of her doorstep.
"Jake, I-" But she couldn't speak, she was completely thrown off track in surprise and had no idea how to explain. Well, that wasn't true. It wasn't a complex situation, she was going out. But the words wouldn't cross her lips, because in that moment she'd remembered the glamour she was wearing, because she'd heard her old voice say his name.

Guest

It was a Saturday afternoon in April, Jake was bimbling around the house, mainly getting under his parents feet as he tried to think of something to do. The more he lazed around, the more agitated his mom was getting with him, until she finally snapped and told him to go out and do something.

Jake had reluctantly gone up to shower and got changed in to a pair of smart jeans and a shirt, it was only as he pulled a comb through his hair, applying a small amount of gel to keep it in place, that he finally decided on what he was going to do. A small smile touched his lips in that moment, and he knew that it was the best idea he had whilst it was still term time.

No more than ten minutes later, Jake had made his way downstairs and out on to the road. First stop, get a bottle of wine, he couldn't turn up empty handed afterall! After the light walk from the shops close to Mari, Jake knocked gently on the door to Mari's flat, waiting patiently for the witch to answer. He could have just apparated in, but coming unnanounced it would have been rude.

"You're early-"

"You were expecting me?" Jake asked confused in the same moment Mari's features turned in to the same expression. No, they weren't Mari's features, they were the covered features, her voice was not her own and everything just seemed... wrong. "I thought we could hang out..." Jake explained, lifting the bottle of wine in explanation before he gestured to the witch who was dressed up.

"But it looks like someone beat me to it." The comment was slightly deflated in tone, though Jake hadn't realised he'd been hoping she'd accept so much. Turning to go, Jake paused. "Who invited you out under the condition you cover the real you up?" Jake asked softly, turning back to the witch. He was disappointed, there was no other way to say it right now.

Just completely disappointed.

Subject: Re: Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread) Tue Jul 15, 2014 3:13 am

The look on Jake's face made Marilyn feel like she'd been slapped. And like she was going to be sick.
She'd never wanted to be the reason for Jakes unhappiness but here they were. And he sounded so..defeated, that she felt sorry and was just about to invite him in for a few minutes to talk. But then the Auror heard him say something in a tone that made her skin crawl.

"Who invited you out under the condition you cover the real you up?"

Now that was really low. She couldn't meet his eyes, and really didn't want to, unable to face his...disappointment. But then her mood shifted. She had nothing to be sorry for. He had no idea what is was like. On this a train of thought she couldn't help but snap back,
"The real me? This was the 'real me', Jake. And I'm going out with Callum, if you must know." Marilyn shook her head, "Don't you dare give me that disappointed look, Jake, you have no right- And you have no idea what it's like-" The witch couldn't even finish her sentences she was so angry and hurt.

Guest

"The real me? This was the 'real me', Jake. And I'm going out with Callum, if you must know."

Jake could only shake his head at the witch's words. She really thought covering up the scars, her voice, made this... façade real? The Quidditch star listened as the witch told him that he didn't understand, didn't know what it felt like, and to an extent, Jake would have to agree. But only to an extent.

"I might not have been through it, Mari, but I watched my sister for years with her disability and never once did she try to hide it, nor was she ever ashamed. Yes, I know they're different things, but if anything, Victoria embraced her condition." Jake tried, it was similar, not the same. It wasn't him, but his sister. But she had overcome every obstacle thrown at her, and never hid from the facts of life.

The mention of Callum made Jake shake his head, trying to dispel those words. "You're going out with him?" Jake asked, his features showing how much of a surprise that was. "Why? Why like this?" Jake asked, really trying to understand but failing as round after round of emotions tried to take precedence in his head. This wasn't right, not right at all.

Subject: Re: Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread) Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:51 am

Marilyn's face burned as brought Victoria into this and she glared, "Well congratulations that she is a better person than I am, is that what you wanted me to say? She's completely different, her appearance didn't change, she hasn't lost everything and everyone, she has you and your parents and you all love her!" The words were pouring out without restraint, everything she hadn't told anyone, refused to think about, "My family can't even look at me! My sisters can't look at me or talk to me. Or hear me speak. What do you think it feels like, Jake, to have a daughter that sounds like deaths rattle because of the year she spent screaming? How you think it feels to look your mother in the face and know she can't look back? How would you feel if Victoria refused to see you? So I can do what I damn well please. I'm sorry that's not good enough for you. But Callum," she took a deep breath, fists clenched, fighting the urge to slap Jake to next century (which she really won't be held responsible for if he kept this up), "With him I can just pretend for just one night, that none of it ever happened. Why do you even care?" She huffed, angry tears pricking in her eyes.

Guest

The words of what Victoria had and didn't have Jake listened to. Physically, Victoria hadn't been tainted by her accident, not outwardly. Her spinal chord had been broken, but no one could see that. They could only see the effects of a wheelchair. "Neither of you is better than the other, Mari. I'm saying she dealt with her problems without letting people's opinions matter to her." Jake tried to reason.

The Quidditch star listened, flinching slightly at the mention of Victoria not wanting to talk to him again. His little sister would never demand such things, Jake knew that. But even thinking about it was painful. "I don't know." Jake replied shortly, sensing the witch's anger and for a moment thinking about backing down.

But only for a moment.

"With him I can just pretend for just one night, that none of it ever happened. Why do you even care?"

"What do I care?" Jake asked, shaking his head at the witch once more. "I'm sorry, Mari, but have the last few weeks not shown you I care about you? I've done so much with you to build your confidence these last couple of weeks, and I turn up out of the blue to find you hiding behind glamour charms! I care, Mari, because you can't see that Callum doesn't give two shits about how you look because he's only interested in what's between your legs. But instead of making him appreciate your beauty, you're hiding it. I care, because the Mari I know isn't... She doesn't hide!"

Subject: Re: Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread) Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:21 pm

"Exactly! You don't know! And I hope you never do know, because let me tell you, it sucks! It sucks hard! But you don't know and couldn't possibly understand! So stop playing Holier-Than-Thou with me, you have no right to judge me. Other people opinions? You think I did this because of some stranger in a bar that stared too long? These 'people' are my family, okay? My family that I can't have anymore because they won't see me! And it hurts-" her voice broke on the last word and she closed her eyes, trying to calm down, because she was shaking. But then Jake exploded.
"...Mari, because you can't see that Callum doesn't give two shits about how you look because he's only interested in what's between your legs.
"You think I don't know that? We're not on a bloody date, Newbury, I'm going to his apartment. To spend the Night. Not that that's any of your business, you entitled-self aggrandizing-prick!" She stepped closer to him, "You treat me just like you treat Victoria but I'M. NOT. HER. I am not perfect, sorry for the wake-up-call. I don't recall ever showing an indication that I was even remotely going to deal with my problems the way she does. Maybe I need this, jake? Has that occured to you? Maybe this will help me somehow? Maybe not. But I am a grown woman and I can decide that for myself!" now she was right in front of him. 'don't slap him, don't slap him, don't-' she repeated in her head, teeth clenched.

"I care, because the Mari I know isn't... She doesn't hide!"
"No, what? What were you going to say, huh? Spit it out. Isn't what, Jake? Please do enlighten me as to what I am since I am obviously incapable of deciding that without your help." her voice dripping with sarcasm and venom, her heels putting her more at face level with him.
"You don't get to judge me, by Merlin, you don't get to do that. This is my face. My body. And when I'm moaning Callums name tonight This is the voice he's gonna hear. Deal. With. It." The witch glared, her anger making the lights behind her flicker with sparks of uncontrolled magic, fists still clenched so hard at her side that her knuckles were white and her fingernails were digging into her palm.

Guest

The rant from the witch made Jake's lips purse in to a thin line, his eyes remaining firmly on Mari's as she spat out many different words. She couldn't see what she was doing. She couldn't see the mistake she was making, because the moment she stepped out, covered up, it meant people didn't treat her with the respect she deserved. People forced her in to hiding, and Jake didn't like that. And if the young man had been anything less than angry with Mari, he would have moved to comfort her when she told him it hurt, but no, he was angry and he would not give her such things.

"You treat me just like you treat Victoria but I'M. NOT. HER."

As the witch moved closer, so that their faces were barely an inch apart, Jake didn't flinch away. He might not be a fighter, but he wasn't a coward either. "Victoria isn't perfect." The Quidditch star hissed back. "But she works damn hard. She thinks things through a lot before jumping in to them." Another time, another situation and Jake's words would have been different. He knew his little sister wasn't perfect, but sometimes it was nice to pretend. But if Mari wanted to use an image of perfect to hide behind, Jake would tear it down. "It's not going to help, Mari. For Merlin's sake listen to me!"

"You don't get to judge me, by Merlin, you don't get to do that. This is my face. My body. And when I'm moaning Callums name tonight This is the voice he's gonna hear. Deal. With. It."

The comment on Callum. The disgusting thought of Callum's hands... Jake shook the thought away, but no matter how hard he tried, the images stirred in front of him. It was too clear, too striking and Jake did not like the whole idea for a second. For a moment, Jake looked away from the witch. Not moving, but not looking at her, he couldn't, when she spoke of such vulgar things, Jake simply couldn't look at her.

"You're a coward." Jake whispered in reply to her earlier question of what he was going to say. "The Mari I know isn't a coward. But this... you are a coward." Jake told the witch, his eyes moving back to hers. "But go ahead, fuck him. Get your temporary high. But when the glamour fails. When you forget to put it in place and he comes around. When he reacts negatively, don't you dare come running to me, Mari. Don't you dare."

Subject: Re: Is It Wrong? (Jake+Mari Mini Thread) Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:08 pm

Marilyn shook, teeth clenched when Jake spat right backat her.
*SLAP* her hand met his cheek with a resounding crack and tears trickled down her cheeks and her eyes were flaming angrily.
"Fuck. You." she managed, venemously, still shaking, "Fuck. You. Leave. Now, Leave!" She turned around, visibly crying now and slamming the door behind her. Now she was going to redo her makeup and leave with Callum when he arrived. They'd go to his apartment and they'd spend the night together and she refused to think about Jake. When she got back home she went to bed and cried.

Guest

The slap to Jake's face had been unexpected. Jake merely blinked as the tingle of pain ran through his cheek. He could feel it reddening from the blow, and really he shouldn't have been so shocked at the power the witch could hit with.

As she told him to go, Jake merely stood looking at the door as it closed, his hand reaching up numbly to his cheek. It felt like it was burning from the slap and his eye was watering slightly, perhaps a nail caught him? Or perhaps it was the shock. It was a good five minutes before Jake moved, heading down the stairs and placing the bottle of wine on a neighbours doorstep.

The Quidditch star moved in to the street, trying to decide where to go now. It only took a few seconds to decide as the young man moved to the bar he'd taken Mari to not a week before. Merlin only knew where the night ended, but Jake knew where he woke up, head ringing as some blonde haired woman slipped out from under the sheets and wished him good morning. There was a mention of breakfast and Jake shook his head, dressing and thanking the anonymous witch for the evening he could not remember before he apparated home.

His mom had fussed for the first five minutes of being home because he hadn't told her where he'd been. The next five had been fussing over the slight hint of purple in his cheek. A slight bruise his mom told him, and even though he protested when she said she'd fix it, he'd been hushed and she'd healed it with a paste she kept especially for these kind of times.

Jake had spent the rest of the day in his room, sat in the window sill watching people going by. Thinking over what had happened and what he should do. There wasn't much he could do, he was sure. He'd blown it and now he could do nothing but sit around all day waiting for Monday to come and work to kick back in to place.

» Rising Resistance (Mari & Jake)
» Payback (JAKE+MARI)
» The Aftermath (Mari & Jake)
» A Storm Abrewing (Jake+Mari)
» One Step at a Time (Jake & Mari - Hints of Substance Abuse)