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[sub][color=crimson]LOCATION[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Grant Household [Home][/color]
[color=crimson]TIME[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Late Afternoon[/color]
[color=crimson]INTERACTING WITH[/color] ⤑ Evelyn [Mother]
[color=crimson]FEELING[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Mmm...?[/color]
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[img]https://i.gifer.com/6gXe.gif[/img]
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After their conversation, Helene had let Alyssa rest in her room. Gigi seemed adamant that she reveal what she knew, but she soon realized that unless she knew the extent of what Jacob had told her, there was little point in interrogating her. For one, they'd potentially expose the others unnecessarily, and she knew they would [i]definitely[/i] be in hot water if they said the wrong thing. Honestly, she still couldn't believe Jacob had opened up to her like that. Love really was dangerous. Was that what everyone was like when they were in love? Stupid and thoughtless? She couldn't help but shudder at the thought. She hated even having the slightest of headaches, feeling that anything that distracted her was a nuisance, so if being in love clouded your judgement that much then she didn't want it. Speaking of love, however, she was now seriously concerned about Helene's intentions with Terrance if that was the case. Not that she thought Helene loved very guy she slept with, but she needed to know. And so, with cigarette in hand, Gigi waited on the front porch, leaning against the banister as she watched the road. Ariadne would be here soon, and she would rather greet her than be surprised at her arrival.

Helene came outside as well, crossing her arms as she watched Gigi for a moment. Returning her stare, it was like they were waiting for the other to talk. Figuring she should voice her concerns first, Gigi took a long drag from her cigarette, blowing out the smoke above her. "[color=orangered]I got word from Jun that the third man was taken in a short distance from the mall. Interrogation will be getting their hands on him soon to see if he's Bastien's man, or some random group who wanted to kidnap you for whatever reason,[/color]" She said, tapping the end of her cigarette. "[color=orangered]I do think Ariadne's trip is a little premature.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]You're telling me,[/color]" Helene rolled her eyes. "[color=lightsalmon]I love her, but if I get so much as a paper cut, she completely freaks out. If she's going to fly down here for every little thing it negates the whole reason I came.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]To avoid getting suffocated?[/color]" When Helene nodded, Gigi nodded in understanding. "[color=orangered]What do your folks have to say about this?[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Folks? You mean my parents?[/color]" Helene asked. 

"[color=orangered]Or at last your father. Gaspard is a good man, you definitely have his personality,[/color]" Gigi said.

Helene smiled, letting out a laugh. "[color=lightsalmon]Ah, so you two have met. But no, Gaspard--the current head of the family--he's my uncle. My older sister and I are the only girls in our sea of cousins, so he's always been fond of us. Made sure we were taken care of when my father decided to ditch us.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]I didn't know,[/color]" Gigi was actually caught off guard by this. "[color=orangered]I'm sorry.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]It's fine. He didn't want us when Mama was alive, so why would he want us after she died? Gaspard took us in...and I think that's why we're so close. He may as well be my father, I guess, but I haven't seen my father in about ten years.[/color]"

Gigi raised her eyebrows, nodding. "[color=orangered]Ah, so your daddy issues are why Terrance was able to get in your pants so easily...[/color]" She noted.

Helene scowled at her. "[color=lightsalmon]I'm literally baring my soul to you and this is what you have to say?[/color]"

"[color=orangered]I couldn't resist. My apologies.[/color]" She cleared her throat as she spotted a sleek, black sports car. "[color=orangered]There she is. Ready?[/color]"

No, but there was no stopping Ariadne. Parking the shiny new car into the garage, once the door opened a woman with long legs stepped out. She was pale, green eyed and gentle looking, her should length red hair bouncing as she walked over to the porch. At a first glance, she looks like an average housewife, though as soon as she saw her sister, it was like a burst of energy had possessed her. Despite Helene's pleas, she wrapped the girl in a very tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning them. "[color=coral]Ma petite soeur! Mon étoile, l'amour de ma vie![/color]" She cooed, placing several kisses on Helene's face, covering her in wine colored lipstick.

"[color=lightsalmon]Arrêtez! Ariadne! Please![/color]" She begged, squirming to get out of her grip.

Ignoring Helene, she looked at Gigi, giving her a smile. "[color=coral]Hello, Giselle, thank you very much for your work today,[/color]" She said politely, still holding onto Helene rather comically. "[color=coral]After some investigation, the men are deemed to be unrelated to Bastien.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]How do you know, ma'am?[/color]" Gigi asked.

She giggled, holding Helene tightly. "[color=coral]Oh, you know there's no stopping Evan once he puts his mind to it,[/color]" She said rather casually. "[color=coral]He was going to come here, but I said it'd be a little overkill, so he went to the holding place instead.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Why are you here, then?![/color]" Helene whined, finally managing to get out of her grip and hurriedly wiping her face.

"[color=coral]It could've been a third party, so I'm going to do a sweep juuuust in case,[/color]" She said, sighing as she smoothed Helene's hair. "[color=coral]And I wanted to say hi, so why not? I'll be in town for a little bit, we can hang out after your classes or whatever.[/color]" If Ariadne was going to stick around, maybe it was an opportunity for them. Gigi wondered if she should say anything, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she caught Helene's eye, who was shaking her head. No, they needed to handle the Alyssa situation on their own. No point in bringing in a professional when they could likely handle it themselves. "[color=coral]I also wanted to thank Gigi personally, because [i]someone[/i] is irresponsible with her possessions,[/color]" She added, taking out her cellphone. She turned around to make a phone call, though it was relatively short. She threw the keys she held at Helene, who caught them. "[color=coral]Ah, duty calls, take care of my sister, okay, Giselle?[/color]" She bid the girls farewell, hopping off the porch and beginning her walk down the street.

Hurricane Ariadne had left just as easily as she came. Helene sighed, though she turned to Gigi. "[color=lightsalmon]Thanks for not saying anything,[/color]" She said.

Gigi sighed. "[color=orangered]So...what now, then?[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]I don't know. Invite them over so we can have an all out brawl?[/color]" She threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "[color=lightsalmon]I'm sure we can handle them.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]Wrong. Two on four? And one of those four is Arthur Myles? If it were one on one, I'm sure I could go toe to toe with him. But as a group? Forget it,[/color]" Gigi dismissed the idea, even if it was a joke. "[color=orangered]If I go for the weakest, Arthur would take me out immediately. And if I went for him first, the rest would overwhelm me.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]What am I, chopped liver? I can fight![/color]"

"[color=orangered]I don't doubt it. But I do doubt you being effective against Terrance,[/color]" Gigi pointed out, though as she did, she remembered something. "[color=orangered]Tell me, did Terrance approach you, or did you go to him?[/color]"

Helene thought about it for a moment. "[color=lightsalmon]He approached me. Why?[/color]"

If Gigi was a normal person, she would've screamed at that point. So this meant Terrance was a step ahead of them. Did he know about Helene? With recent events coming to light, it was too convenient. That's what she got for underestimating him. Dropping her cigarette on the ground, she eyed Helene for a moment. There was one little factor that they could play to their advantage, but she wondered if Helene was too kind to use it. "[color=orangered]I was just wondering,[/color]" She admitted. "[color=orangered]If worst comes to worse, though...there [i]is[/i] one avenue we can take.[/color]" Helene perked up considerably, waiting for her to continue. "[color=orangered]It's not ideal, but...considering Arthur would be our biggest threat...we could take him out beforehand, making it two on three. Slightly better odds.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]What? How--[i]no[/i]![/color]" Helene's realization took a second. "[color=lightsalmon]That's--absolutely not.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]It's an option.[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]A shitty option. Absolutely not, Gigi, I'm not dragging Eva into this if it can be helped,[/color]" She immediately dismissed the idea. "[color=lightsalmon]I'm not comfortable with the idea of using an innocent person just to get an edge![/color]"

"[color=orangered]Of course. My apologies,[/color]" She said, watching as Helene brought her phone out.

"[color=lightsalmon]I have a missed call. I'll be right back,[/color]" She excused herself, entering the house once more.

She really was heartless, wasn't she? Of course, it wasn't an avenue she [i]wanted[/i] to take, but Gigi felt Helene wasn't really aware of how much trouble she was in trying to protect Alyssa. Of course, just the thought of manipulating Eva to their favor left a bad taste in her mouth. If they had, to, though, it would be an absolute last resort. Or that's what Gigi kept telling herself, pulling out another cigarette as she tried to go over their options. As much as she criticized Helene, however, Gigi felt like a damn hypocrite. She was attached to both Alyssa and Eva, too deep into their friendship. God, friendship and love were so damn troublesome...

[hr]

"Evangeline."

The voice sounded so far away, Eva thought she was still dreaming. It wasn't until the light in her room was turned on that she finally stirred. "[color=pink]Arthur...?[/color]" She mumbled, trying to shield her eyes. 

"[color=palevioletred]Is that his name?[/color]"

Had she fallen asleep? She figured their...activity was rigorous enough that she had just plain knocked out after the fact. But she remembered Arthur being right next to her, and she didn't feel his warmth as she tried to open her eyes. He was so sweet to her, so loving, but holy crap he definitely put her through the ringer. Not that she was complaining, he was super patient at the start. He was so concerned about hurting her that she didn't want to admit how much it hurt when it first went in, but she was so happy to see that side of him that it was so worth it. He was a lot more passionate than she would have guessed, too. Remembering the question, her eyes fluttered open as she brought her blankets to her chest. "[color=pink]Yes--[/color]" The answer had barely gotten out as suddenly Eva was shocked awake, and sitting up she saw her mother standing over her, arms crossed. Oh no. "[color=pink]Wh-what are you doing here?![/color]" She squeaked in horror.

"[color=palevioletred]I falsely assumed you wanted to speak out something, as I had to cut our previous conversation short,[/color]" She stated, her face stony. "[color=palevioletred]I'm assuming since you didn't get to ask me about birth control--as I'm guessing that was what you wanted to ask--you thought, 'hey, I'll invite him over since my parents won't be home anyway' and took the risk.[/color]"

"[color=pink]What--that's not--No, that's not what happened,[/color]" Eva said, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice. "[color=pink]I swear on everything that's not what I wanted to ask you.[/color]"

"[color=palevioletred]My question is, who do you think you are bringing a man here in [i]Marshall's[/i] house?[/color]" She snapped, the cracks beginning to show. "[color=palevioletred]Have you [i]no[/i] respect whatsoever? What if he was the one that had come home first, what would you have done, Evangeline?[/color]"

Shame fell on Eva, and she clung onto the sheets tighter. "[color=pink]It's not like that,[/color]" She said, her voice breaking as she had to fight back tears. "[color=pink]Don't look at me like that, please, I--[/color]"

"[color=palevioletred]I hope to God you don't end up pregnant, you won't be staying here if that's the case,[/color]" She stated, pinching the bridge of her nose. "[color=palevioletred]I don't understand why you've been acting out so much lately. What, you don't know how to communicate like an adult, so you think throwing temper tantrums and partying all night is how you get my attention?[/color]"

"[color=pink]Get your attention--is that what you think it is?[/color]" She asked, surprised, though it just as quickly turned into anger. "[color=pink]Why are you always assuming the worst out of me? Why is everything I do wrong?[/color]"

"[color=palevioletred]Evangeline, [i]look[/i] at you! Look at this room![/color]" She motioned around. "[color=palevioletred]Your clothes are everywhere, you're naked, and your boyfriend missed the wastebasket,[/color]" She pointed to the floor. "[color=palevioletred]Oh, I'm sorry, not boyfriend--boyfriends stick around after the matter, this was a hookup that got what he wanted and then left.[/color]" Eva had enough at that point, throwing the sheets aside and getting out of her bed. She put on the first things she pulled out of her dresser, a shirt and a pair of shorts that she stuffed her phone into, though as she tried to leave, her mother grabbed her arm. "[color=palevioletred]Where do you think you're going?[/color]"

"[color=pink]Somewhere where I don't have to see your face,[/color]" She hissed, though she winced as her mother's grip tightened.

"[color=palevioletred]We aren't finished talking,[/color]" She said, glaring at her. "[color=palevioletred]You think any self respecting man is going to accept you like this? Promiscuous women are only good on the street.[/color]"

Something in her seemed the snap at that point. "[color=pink]Oh, you know all about that, don't you? You couldn't even stay faithful to your first husband, so who's the whore now?![/color]" She yelled, going straight for what she knew was her mother's weakness. It worked, with Evelyn's eyes widening and her grip loosening, but it worked too well, as Eva didn't notice her raised hand until it slapped her clean across her face. She stumbled back slightly, holding her cheek as she looked at her mother. "[color=pink]Like mother, like daughter, then,[/color]" She mumbled, her face stinging.

"[color=palevioletred]How [i]dare[/i] you...[/color]" Evelyn's voice was shaking, though whether it was because she was just as angry as Eva was or if she was upset, she didn't know. "[color=palevioletred]Alright then, you think you're an adult, go see if your 'man' will take you in.[/color]" She grabbed Eva again, though this time she pushed her towards the stairs. "[color=palevioletred]Go on then! And don't bother coming back![/color]"

Eva was shocked, but something in her did as her mother said, and she ended up running down the stairs. Pulling on her heels, she ran out the door. She heard her mother call her name, but she ignored her and kept going. Her face started to hurt, her heels pinching her feet, but she just kept running. Running...where? Her body felt like it had been possessed by something, a force whisking her away. But of course, eventually she came to a stop, breathless as it dawned on her that she had no where to run to. She walked another block, spotting a small park with a swingset and a slide. She recognized it, realizing she had made it pretty far all things considered. But now her face hurt, her feet hurt, and she was alone. She didn't understand why she was treated the way she was, though as she thought about it, maybe her mother was just ashamed of her. Taking a seat on one of the swings, she just sat there, not knowing what to do. The heat felt terrible, the sun beating down on her even as it started to go down. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone, deciding to call Helene first. When she didn't pick up, she placed her phone in her lap. A few minutes later, her phone rang again; Helene was returning her call.

"[color=lightsalmon]Sorry! I didn't mean to miss your call![/color]" Helene's cheerful voice came out. "[color=lightsalmon]So how was it? You haven't texted me. Are you still with Arthur?[/color]" Arthur. For some reason, she couldn't hold it in when she heard his name, and her phone slipped from her hand as she began to sob uncontrollably. "[color=lightsalmon]What the--? Eva, what's wrong? What happened? Eva, please, what's going on?[/color]" Helene kept asking, but Eva could only drop down to her knees and cry more.

[hr]

"[color=lightsalmon]Eva, say something![/color]" Helene pleaded into the phone, but all she could hear was crying. Shit, what happened? Did Arthur--no, no, she wasn't going to jump to conclusions just because of what happened. But Eva wasn't replying, and she was getting worried. As the call dropped, Helene stared at her phone. Shit, she knew what she needed to do. Taking in a breath, she opened up her texts. [i][color=lightsalmon]I'm really sorry to bother you, but if Arthur's with you, please tell him to call Eva. There's something wrong and she's not telling me anything. I need to know what's going on.[/color][/i] She sent the message to Terrance, and once it sent, she placed her phone to her chin. What a fucking day.

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