A Compelling Argument || Orobas & Layla ft. Ulf
timing: Saturday morning (6/20) before Lucas’ & Layla’s Party parties: @eldonash & @laylacooke ft. Ulf (mentioned) summary: Orobas helps Layla get ready for her party. warnings: Mentions of being tied up, injury, and being compelled.
With dried blood staining her face and red hair, Layla groggily shifted in the chair she was tied to. Her head was pounding immensely, but somehow, she had forced herself to open up heavy, tired eyes. It took her a moment before she realized where she was at, and when she did, the look of confusion turned to anger, “What am I doing here?” Looking around, no one seemed to be in sight, and it angered her. “LET ME GO!” With her mind automatically shifting to escape mode, Layla tried to pull her hands free, but was met with chains around her wrists binding her to the last place she wanted to be; back in Ari and Ulf’s trailer.
Orobas’ mood had greatly soured. He stood there dressed in his best suit, his expression dark, gray under his eyes, and looked beyond exhausted even for an undead. He had been numb for the last three days, unable to feel anything physically, and his emotions were quiet making him seem indifferent. When she screamed, he stepped into the room silently, looking stoic and monstrous with the lack of blood in his systems tonight. “Tsk--” he clicked his tongue. “We really should have hosed you off--” He voice held no emotion to it, unblinking looking at her still as a statue came alive. “Let me ask you, Layla,” he stepped forward, a charm settled in his tone, almost undetectable, but held power. “Are you fighting this magic?”
Orabas had been the last person Layla had expected to see. He had promised her a birthday present, but this clearly couldn’t have been it. Or was it? Had he been working with Ulfric and Ariana this whole time? Her glare was cold, and if he wasn’t already dead, she was pretty sure it would have killed him, “What are you doing here? Were you working with them the entire time?” She looked around and started to rattle the chains and chair even more, until a sharp pain ran up her leg from where Ariana’s claws had dug into skin and muscle; fresh blood starting to seep from the wound. The pain forcing her to stop moving, she noticed as the vampire now stood closer to her, “What magic? What are you talking about?”
Orobas watched her, noting the details of her injuries, and her accusations didn’t stir a reaction, his features restless. The pain that paused her struggles allowed him to speak more. “I want to tell you a small story. Over two hundred years ago, I met a werewolf who had a fierce bite, and a loud laugh, and we connected when we saved a young little girl with flaming red hair. I dared to call him a friend, I watched him raise this pup, I saw him grow old. I endured the loss as his bones ignited in flames upon a boat in the river.” He walked forward; eyes dipped in red. “You see, immortality brings repeated occurrences. Like life enjoys seeing you go through things again. Here you are, a child--” He cut himself off, gaze distant like he was thinking deeply. “What I am here for almost doesn’t feel like it is for you.” The words were heavy, and he stepped forward again. “This magic, it has compelled you to lose something of yours. Have you felt different? What I need to know is if you are still present beyond it. Explain to me how you feel right now.”
Layla’s injuries had left her weaker than she would have preferred, and she knew there was no use in trying to shift. Instead, she listened as he spoke. And that small bit of her heart ignited. It was a very small piece. Nothing that would be noticeable, if he hadn’t been inquiring about it. And while every piece of the darkness of her mind tried to persuade her to force back that hairline crack in the suffocating armor around her heart, she spoke out of some small sense of retaliation, “I feel angry that Frankie, Ariana, Simon, and Ulfric won’t just let me be. That people can’t accept what I’ve done for them. I feel like if I let that part of myself back in, I’ll crumble, and who wants to see me fall and crumble, yet again?” As she spoke tears quietly crept down her cheeks from the anger and frustration. Even though it resulted in a pretty nasty injury for Ariana, her small act of nearly crushing the fidget spinner had made a difference. But for Layla, it felt like the quiet voices of a slow forming rebellion starting in soul; and that was something she was battling to keep suppressed, if not for anyone else but for her own pride and determination to prove she was anything but a weakling.
Orobas’ gaze lingered on the tears, the swell of emotion, and the admittance of truth. Seeing anyone crumble over and over was pleasurable to watch, and something he wished even now he could enjoy if he wasn’t suffocated in the haze of his own tormented situation. In an awful way, Orobas could hear between the lines, knowing how to get anyone to that broken point with ease required him to listen, and it allowed him to know what she was really saying. He reached out and touched her damp cheek with the lightest of touch, smearing it into blood splatter-- “You know, you probably always felt this way and you suppressed it. You see, when you are not your entire self, when you swallow down things. It sits in your stomach, souring it. Eventually, it comes out. Doesn’t mean you won’t crumble again when this is over, you will-- I’ll even encourage it. No need to be ashamed. You should speak your mind more; those people should see and be proud of the things you do. Don’t you think?” Orobas was so tempted on many fronts.
That part of Layla that had broken, and was apparent in her words, was being forced back down as Orobas spoke. She couldn’t give in. She had hypnotized herself not to be the same person she once was. And with a growl, she fiercely jerked her head away from his soft touch, “No! I did this to be strong. I was born from greatness and bitten from greatness, and once I get free from these changes, the world’s going to see that. Don’t you understand? Even you have a power that people would give anything to have. Humans fear you. They don’t underestimate you. And they don’t think you’re some stupid child begging for attention.” In all honesty, all she had been doing the whole week was acting out. She was a walking contradiction looking for greatness in all the wrong places, when she had already had it all along. But until the hypnosis was broken, she would continue to force down that little part of her true self that was trying to breathe again. That little part of her that would be the return of her humanity if it could just escape, “So why are you here? Ulfric feeling too guilty for smashing a rock over my head, that he needed to call a babysitter?”
The hand with a gentle touch morphed quickly. Orobas grabbed her jaw, his hand large, and imposing, the plated bones, muscles, and tendons under its grasp creaked from the strength he just barely held back. As if with one fraction more, her entire skull would shatter. “Humans-- mean, nothing. Fear me? You think that has been my goal over the centuries? My desires? Do you know my story? Do you know who I am.” His gripped steadied. “You small thing-- you lack experience. Even in this state, you cry for attention.” He leaned forward, fangs subtly pointed, eyes molten red consuming the white looking far from human. “I’m here for him.” The four words seemed to come with vibrations of sound, the fluttering of wings, and the unseen energy of his abilities. Looking her in the eyes, his command true, and forceful. “Whatever piece of yourself that you have suppressed with this magical artifact. You will allow it forward of mind, to reverse the effects.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her ear so only they could hear. “And you will owe me a favor. You refuse-- I will drown you in the lake.”
Even under the influence of the fidget spinner, seeing the vampire’s change in demeanor startled her. The way he gripped her jaw made her feel like he was surely going to crush it and add to the list of injuries she had received this week. She was unable to speak. Unable to defend herself. And before she could even begin to look away, she felt herself drawn into his gaze, much like the fidget spinner had taken her. His suggestions echoed in her brain, and even the fidget spinner couldn’t ward off the effect his words had on her; the last part embedding itself deep inside and sending a chill down her spine. Blinking a few times, Layla looked around. It was like she was free from the effects of the fidget spinner; at least for a short amount of time, but there was a burning in the back of her mind. That told her what she was feeling was wrong, and that this wasn’t what she was supposed to be. However, Orobas’ words had won out, and Layla felt almost normal again, “What-Where am I?” Her eyes looking around only to come back to him and the grip he had on her made her cower in fear; much like the first day she had met him.
Orobas released her and broke the chains on her wrists. Not sure how long such a thing could last when the magic seemed strong and bound to itself in nature. Even a compulsion had its limits when battling someone’s natural instincts. He’s seen it many times over, with the dolls at the lake, and with people not wanting to hurt their loved ones. Orobas made a soft noise in his throat in answer and walked out. Striding through the door and passed Ulfric without a single word muttered. Though a glance, one of challenge towards the man he wanted to consider and friend but was doubting with recent developments in his life. His expression was distant, and not exposing his inner feelings, but it was impossible not to feel the chilly vibe off of the vampire. He got in his Porsche and drove away.
Layla was confused. Everything about the moment she was in seemed wrong. Why had she been chained? What had she done that was so wrong? But there was a nagging feeling that just wouldn’t leave her alone. Watching as Orobas left and with Ulf standing in the doorway, she knew that being on her best behavior was adamant. Whatever was hanging over her heart seemed to mask the destruction she had caused all week, and while she knew deep down people weren’t pleased with her, she also knew that she just wanted to be near Frankie, Ari, Simon, and her friends. Slowly climbing out of the chair, she whimpered at the pain in her leg. Dizziness plagued her, but all she wanted was a nap. At least, until it was time to go to a party she had been waiting for all week. A birthday party that she had hoped would make up for the year she had.
