obsidianlogs | august mingle;

i. The Library
[ She is on library duty this month. Find her at the desk, reading magazines and not being particularly helpful. Or among the stacks, collecting any forgotten contraband in the pages. ]

ii. Dominion
[ See here for details. You can hit me there for plotting, or feel free to post a starter for whatever you want. ]

iii. Misc
[ Open to other things as well! ]

[Dinah eventually finds her way to the library. She's never been a great reader: school hadn't been a high priority once she'd ended up in the foster system and as an adult, she had never really bothered. Still, with twenty years of sitting around watching a crackling TV and trying not to get involved with anyone else stretching ahead of her, Dinah figures she may as well give it a go.
And at least the library's quiet.

She wanders through the shelves aimlessly, thinking more about how frustrated she already is rather than the books. None of this is bloody fair. She kicks out at a shelf, and then again. And again and again. And then she pulls books off the shelf, flinging them at the one opposite until the shelf is empty and Dinah is left standing, panting slightly, in the middle of a jumble of books.
It's only then that she spots the other inmate, obviously working there, amongst the books. She raises an eyebrow.]

I... uh... dropped one.

[ At the desk, the Countess has her feet propped up on the desk and crossed at the ankle so she can lean back in her chair and flip through this month's Vanity Fair. (Obsidian's library actually maintains a well-stocked variety of fashion and culture magazines -- the Countess has subscriptions and donates once she's done with them. She keeps all of the perfume samples.) From there, she silently watches this complete embarrassment of a scene play out, her expression dour and disapproving. This only grows as the childishness continues.

Her voice is tart in response. ]

If you're done, you can put those back. In order. By 4:30.

[Dinah's embarrassed by her loss of control. She's usually quite stoic but it's all been getting on top of her. This whole prison thing...
She raises an eyebrow at the woman snapping her orders though]

Why do you care?

[ The Countess is not a woman who is often questioned. When it happens, she tends to retaliate, but being in prison has actually tamed that urge a bit. People do stupid, stupid things when they're thrust into new situations, and she has always been a fan of forgiving first transgressions.

But only this first. This new girl has already used hers wrecking the stacks. ]

Because this is my assigned job, and I get a shot if the library's trashed at closing. I'm not getting a shot because you had a temper tantrum. Put them back.

'S not my problem then, is it?

[Dinah holds her ground for a moment, staring the Countess down, before she sighs. She tips her head back, looking at the ceiling, before nodding and bending to pick up the books.
Quieter now, more in control of herself, she answers.]

Uh... sorry. It's just -

[Dinah gestures at the space in general. She shoves the books haphazardly onto the shelf.]

This place, you know?

[She shuts herself up. What's the point in sharing? Nobody wants to know anyway. She works silently for a few minutes, quickly picking up the last few books and shoving them onto the shelf.]

There. Happy now?

[ Her glare to match that stand is powerful and dangerous, and it doesn't let up until well into the clean up. By about halfway through, her face has softened a bit, and she opens her magazine back up. ]

Your feelings don't give you any right to screw other people's day up. And I am certainly not the one to test.

Throwing a fit won't help you.

Seriously?

[Dinah snorts and shakes her head. The line's from some cheesy prison show. She shuts herself up, though it's clear she's quite amused by the little power play from the smirk on her face.

The loss of control had helped, actually. Just that little release, a mad five minutes, had helped her feel a bit more in control of at least something.

Dinah watches the woman for a moment, her expression more thoughtful. She's obviously been in prison for a while now, and Dinah just can't imagine ever being that relaxed, that comfortable in this place.]

How do you do it?

[ She is, of course, free to scoff as much as she wants, but The Countess's place in the prison hierarchy is very much secure and high up. Also she eats people, so that's usually a big deterrent when it comes to people wanting to challenge her.

Obsidian lesson number one: messing with the cannibals is a Bad Idea™.

The Countess certainly does look comfortable, at home enough that she has styled hair and makeup, like her uniform is a fashion statement more than a punishment. She flips a page in her magazine slowly, reads a few captions. ]

Stop fighting it. The more you sit and fume, the more energy you're wasting. You're here now. Make it your domain.

[Dinah definitely hadn't meant to challenge any sort of hierarchy.Prison's going to be a learning curve, she can see that.

She pulls a book from the shelf: it could be upside down for all she's actually looking at what she thumbs through. Instead, she tries to surreptitiously study the Countess.]

Have you made it your 'domain'?

[There's still a teasing tone to Dinah's voice.But it's apparent even to her.]

How long have you been here?

It wasn't hard. I have never been someone who ignores facts, and the fact is that I'll be here whether I like it or not. So I found the right people and made myself comfortable.

[ She had been angry, at first. Enough to get herself thrown in SHU for two weeks. That was when she decided that she would make prison work for her as much as possible. ]

Two years.

Yeah? Who are the right people?

[Because so far, Dinah knows Harley, and as interesting and likeable as Harley might be, she's not exactly focused enough to be the 'right people' in prison.

Dinah shakes her head.]

Two years? I've been here two weeks. I can't imagine two fucking years of my life just gone. Sat here.

Two years is the blink of an eye.

[ Which is true, at her age. Remember how long each year seemed when you were a kid waiting for Christmas, but as an adult, the months fly by? Now multiply that to be over a century old.

And also, she's in here for life, so what's two years? ]

You want Flagg, to start with.

[ The Countess isn't exactly part of the cult, but that doesn't mean she won't recruit for her boo. ]

"I guess..."

[Dinah's still uncertain. Her beef is the injustice of it all. Except, it's not even an injustice that she's here. She let her boss get away with torture and murder for years, and only did something about it because they went after a kid she actually knew. The guilt that's weighed on her since her arrest is really getting to her now.

Still, she nods at the Countess gratefully.]

Flagg? Yeah, I'll look him up. Thanks... uh... What's your name?

[ The Countess feels no guilt, no remorse. She had enjoyed her previous life, and she had done what she needed to in order to stay young. She would sacrifice anything necessary for it. ]

I'm The Countess.

[ SUPER NORMAL AND NOT WEIRD. ]

The Countess?
[Dinah looks sceptical before she starts to laugh.]

Yeah, and I’m the Queen of Gotham City.

[ Yeah, she's not laughing. She looks very serious. ]

Do you take issue with my name? Because I've been The Countess for a very long time.

[Dinah’s still sniggering. She tries to straighten her face, but the smirk’s still there.]

No. Not at all, your Highness.

[she rolls her eyes.]

I’m just messing. It’s just a joke, right?

[ DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A JOKING FACE, DINAH? ]

If you think my name is so funny, I'd be happy to meet you later and show you why it's not.

[ Danger danger, Will Robinson. Do not get into fights with cannibals! ]

Hey...
[She’s realised her misstep and is trying to back off.]

I’m not looking for trouble.

Then choose your book and hurry along. There are others waiting, you know.

[ Sorry she's a heartless horrible bitch, Flagg will no doubt cajole her into making amends for the sake of adding to the cult. She's just used to a century of no one questioning her. ]

I'll need your name for checkout. No more than five books in your cell at a time, checkout is two weeks with one extension. Questions?

Uh... no?

[Dinah hurriedly takes the book in her hand and another one that she pulls randomly from the shelf and plonks them both in front of the Countess.]

I'm Dinah. Lance? Dinah Lance.

[It doesn't feel right to be giving her real name to the Countess, not now she's insulted her. Not that a fake name would be much use here. She tries to look as inconspicuous as possible as the Countess checks out the books.]

[ Well, giving a false name for library checkout is also something that can get her a shot, so good choice, there Dinah.

The Countess fills out the checkout slips with practiced ease, filing her copies in a small box and sticking the others into the pocket inside the cover. She holds the books out for the other woman to take. ]

Here you go, Dinah Lance. I'm sure I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later.

So, this is the place.

[ This isn't exactly how Flagg expected to see the Cortez for the first time, but he's not going to complain. He'd spent the past few nights in his own dominion and it was good to branch out. Especially if he could finally scratch some of those murderous itches he's been denied these last few years. ]

You wanna show me to my room? [ He holds up his keys, which he got at the front desk. Of course there was a reservation in his name. He just hopes there's something fun in store. ]

[ The Countess joins him in a flowing couture gown, cut low in the front, sheer black fabric trailing her as she comes down the stairs (She does, of course, own more casual clothing, but she has so missed sweeping around in evening wear.) Curiously, she has a single silver glove with sharp tips on the fingers. She has always kept herself together in prison, but now she is in full form, like she was painted into existence rather than born.

This is where she belongs.

Beaming, the Countess extends her bare hand to him, not even glancing at the keys. She knows where he's been put, because there's only one place that would call for Flagg, one room that could possibly contain him. Room 64. ]

Oh, it's not much to see. Not nearly as fun as the other things I could show you, love. The amenities have already arrived.

Edited 2020-08-17 06:04 (UTC)

august mingle;

The Countess

1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ii

no subject