Poppy// 19// York//

[elliot-morrissey]

poppys-patch​:

Poppy watched Elliot as they sat down, she glanced around the room having felt more than one pair of eyes on her but couldn’t discern the direction.

She sat back in her chair and held her arms around herself and thought over their question, there was a moment before she replied, “I think so yes, or I assume so anyway.”

She paused, “Am I a monster?” She asked, and there it was, the barrier broke and tears rolled down her cheeks only to be quickly wiped away.

“Sorry I just, I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She said and tried to regain her composure, she felt awfully foolish crying in-front of Elliot.

.

Reaching into their inner blazer pocket, Elliot pulled out the small packet of tissues they kept in there for emergencies like this, and handed one over, trying their hardest not to sigh so audibly at how the question winded them. “No, Poppy, you’re not a monster,” she said softly, suddenly feeling very out of her depth. How on earth was she going to explain such a thing? It was bad enough breaking the news to a wix, but to a muggle? Elliot didn’t know how to approach it.

“That’s understandable,” they nodded before commenting lightly, “and I’m sure you have a lot of questions, all which might sound absolutely bonkers, but I can promise you definitely I’ve heard weirder, alright? Trust me, my line of work kind of deals in that sort of thing.” Elliot offered a small, sympathetic smile in an effort to ease the mood; if there was one thing she knew helped lighten the heaviness of such tough topics, it was humor.

“I can be totally honest with you and tell you the straight facts, or get you there gently; it’s up to you. It seems like you already sort of have an idea on what’s happened, but it’s still a hard truth to hear. What I can tell you from the off is that I’m going to get you sorted, alright? I’m gonna help you however I can; you’re not gonna be on your own,” they promised. Elliot already had half an idea on where Poppy could get shacked up for the meanwhile, but didn’t want to risk anyone from the Ministry catching wind of it.

[poppys-patch]

Poppy nodded, “Yes, I think I have some idea at least, I heard stories growing up about people who…” Poppy paused and wiped the tears from her eyes with the tissue Elliot had given her. “Transform under a full moon, Werewolves…am I one of those?” She said and looked up at Elliot.

Her face was full of worry and pain as she looked at the officer sat across from her.

“You’re n-not a…well not just an officer are you?” Said Poppy as her voice hitched through her crying.

“Have you seen someone like m-me before?”

[elliot-morrissey]

poppys-patch​:

Poppy looked up, protective custody?

Who were they protecting her from, she was the…monster. She shuddered at the thought of what happened when she had been broken, stretched; every bone shattered and ligament torn when she turned. Beyond the pain, the blinding seemingly never ending pain there had been a darkness, a lapse in memory and when she awoke she had been naked and afraid.

She looked down at her clothes, all too aware of what she must look like let alone smell like sitting here. This person seemed to want to help though, all others had ran, as had she.

Poppy looked up at Elliot when they asked the question and she nodded, “Yes, that does sound good.” and folded her arms around herself, “M-may I have some water, please?” She asked, not sure of how much she could ask for.

Those that had found her seemed eager to bundle her into their car, and she hadn’t been able to retrieve her backpack of supplies from a hiding spot she’d found under the bridge.

She’d not eaten or drank anything for hours.

Originally posted by emilylkinney

“Sure, we can get you some water too,” Elliot nodded, knowing it wouldn’t take too long to get everything Poppy needed. Ideally, Elliot wanted her out of this room as fast as possible, somewhere more comfortable and familiar, but for the moment this would have to do.

“Now,” Elliot started, settling into their seat and resting their arms against the table, “This is not a strictly formal interview, okay? You’re not being charged with anything, so I want to make it clear to you that should you want to be formally released at any point, you can do so. You just have to say the word and you can leave. With that in mind, protective custody is for your best interest, above anything else.”

They waited patiently for a response, allowing Poppy as much time as she might need to be on the same page. When everything feels so wildly out of place, it can take a while to get your bearings. “Do you know why you’re here?” she asked plainly.

[poppys-patch]

Poppy watched Elliot as they sat down, she glanced around the room having felt more than one pair of eyes on her but couldn’t discern the direction.

She sat back in her chair and held her arms around herself and thought over their question, there was a moment before she replied, “I think so yes, or I assume so anyway.”

She paused, “Am I a monster?” She asked, and there it was, the barrier broke and tears rolled down her cheeks only to be quickly wiped away.

“Sorry I just, I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She said and tried to regain her composure, she felt awfully foolish crying in-front of Elliot.

[elliot-morrissey]

poppys-patch​:

Poppy gently took the police badge from the Inspector and looked at, turning it over in her hands before setting it down in front of her.

“Poppy will be fine.” she said and looked at the person before her. She hoped she wasn’t in trouble, and if she was then not too much, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to ring her mother and explain well….everything. Poppy looked down at her hands and picked at her nails, dirt was set deep under them. The back of her hands were scarred from foraging and general survival and her clothes, well they weren’t hers, not anymore. It had been tough outside and on her own and after passing through one lunar cycle she’d had to find whatever she could to wear; which currently consisted of a pair of brown cord trousers with holes at the knees and an oversized baggy t-shirt of a band she’d never heard of. Her feet however were bare, shoes were hard to come by, and the soles of her feet were blackened like soot.

Poppy’s blonde hair hung loosely over her shoulders and slightly over her face as she looked down, “Elliot, am I…going to prison?” she asked nervously.

Originally posted by ghorbanis

Elliot’s heart sank at the question, quiet devastation pressing at their chest. They recognised the young woman’s fear, the same one they had endured themselves at a young age when your whole understanding of the world gets thrown into oblivion. Leaning forward, Elliot took her badge back and rested her arms against the table.

“No, Poppy, you’re not. I’m sorry if it’s not been explained to you clearly, so I can understand it might all be a bit confusing, but you’re being held in protective custody as a precaution,” they said, watching to gauge a reaction. It was bloody typical that the other aurors had done a half-arsed job with making an effort to explain to her what was going on. “We’re going to get you sorted with a change of clothes,” she said, gesturing to the side of the room her colleague was silently watching from behind the charmed wall, knowing they’d have to follow up on her instruction as the superior officer, “and we’ll have a chat about why you’re here. Does that sound good to you?”

[poppys-patch]

Poppy looked up, protective custody?

Who were they protecting her from, she was the…monster. She shuddered at the thought of what happened when she had been broken, stretched; every bone shattered and ligament torn when she turned. Beyond the pain, the blinding seemingly never ending pain there had been a darkness, a lapse in memory and when she awoke she had been naked and afraid.

She looked down at her clothes, all too aware of what she must look like let alone smell like sitting here. This person seemed to want to help though, all others had ran, as had she.

Poppy looked up at Elliot when they asked the question and she nodded, “Yes, that does sound good.” and folded her arms around herself, “M-may I have some water, please?” She asked, not sure of how much she could ask for.

Those that had found her seemed eager to bundle her into their car, and she hadn’t been able to retrieve her backpack of supplies from a hiding spot she’d found under the bridge.

She’d not eaten or drank anything for hours.

[elliot-morrissey]

the wolves are out // poppy & elliot

“She’s been here about an hour. We did our best to calm her down—”

“And keeping them in a holding room was supposed to help? Great idea, that,” she interrupted, gaze settling on the generally miserable state of the room ahead of them, the wall charmed in a similar fashion to a two-way mirror. It was a familiar set-up to a typical interview room — a table with chairs — and the gentle frame that occupied one of the seats seemed anything but than dangerous.

“It’s protective custody, Morrissey, it’s not supposed to be nice.”

She shot a glance to her colleague, offended and irritated, before gesturing to the papers they were holding and taking them to hand, “Is that everything we know?”

“Yes. Her name showed up on the registry yesterday, but Merlin only knows how long she’s been turned; just not more than a lunar cycle. We’ve only just managed to track her down, since she wasn’t staying at her home address,” they added.

Flicking through the notes, Elliot sighed — the kid wasn’t even in her twenties yet, barely lived through that abundant youth, let alone a non-wix — and now they had been pulled from their blissful existence and dragged into their world by some reckless idiot. An idiot who had yet to be caught. They ran a hand through their hair in exasperation, rubbing at the back of their neck in an effort to settle their thoughts. There was a grumble of dissatisfaction before they nodded to themselves, preparing to make their way inside by pressing at their clothes and flattening the dark black POLICE lanyard around their neck. Something familiar, they thought, that might help.

Without much delay, Elliot knocked on the door out of politeness more than anything before heading inside, offering a gentle smile to the other person in the room. “Hi,” she said gently, making her way to the chair opposite and pulling out her badge to offer across the table, “I’m Detective Chief Inspector Morrissey — I’m the one handling your case — but you can just call me Elliot. You must be Poppy. Or would you prefer Ms. McGowan?”

@poppys-patch​

[poppys-patch]

Poppy gently took the police badge from the Inspector and looked at, turning it over in her hands before setting it down in front of her. "Poppy will be fine." she said and looked at the person before her. She hoped she wasn't in trouble, and if she was then not too much, she couldn't bear the thought of having to ring her mother and explain well....everything. Poppy looked down at her hands and picked at her nails, dirt was set deep under them. The back of her hands were scarred from foraging and general survival and her clothes, well they weren't hers, not anymore. It had been tough outside and on her own and after passing through one lunar cycle she'd had to find whatever she could to wear; which currently consisted of a pair of brown cord trousers with holes at the knees and an oversized baggy t-shirt of a band she'd never heard of. Her feet however were bare, shoes were hard to come by, and the soles of her feet were blackened like soot.

Poppy's blonde hair hung loosely over her shoulders and slightly over her face as she looked down, "Elliot, am I...going to prison?" she asked nervously.

[metamorphesque]

― Margaret Atwood, You are Happy