I wish I could trust someone, anyone. But it seems like that will never happen. I can’t even trust my own crew.

I’m not but it seems majority can’t figure that these people I can’t trust is in actuality only a single person.

You know, if you’re pissed at Harry, you could just...say you’re pissed at Harry.  It’s not going to hurt anyone. 

asktheprincessofhearts‌:

But her smile faded the moment Quilla started to talk about her ex. Her eyes narrowing into slits, she asked (the words razor sharp), “What do you mean your ex is up to his old antics?” Cora hadn’t been around when Quilla’s tulgey, slithy, jerk of an ex had first been truly awful to her, but she was now. Cora wasn’t about to let anyone treat her friend like that.

Quilla looks down and twiddles her thumbs around each other. She knows she can trust Cora, but that doesn’t mean talking about any of it is easy. It’s not necessarily the one recent incident—it’s a stockpile of incidents growing and growing over time, and she would’ve been able to push past it if it weren’t for the fact that he had been so public about it.

“Just…” she stops and lets herself breathe before the inevitable rant. “He’s spreading some…slander about me. To his people, as well as my own. He had this interview with a local news reporter, who asked about me and his relationship with me, and well…” she shrugs. “He managed to convince a lot of people that…I, um…I’m not fit to be a ruler. That I’m too cra…” she bites her lip, unable to speak that word. A word Maq had weaponized against her, cut into her core with. Crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy… “I…I was hoping now, now that I’m not with him, that he wouldn’t be able to affect me anymore. That I would no longer feel trapped. But, I…I still feel that a part of me is, and I don’t know if that feeling’s ever gonna go away, not while he’s still out there spinning that tangled web of his. I’m always getting caught. No matter what I do, I’m stuck.”

“He’s just…he’s so charming and attractive and knows all of the right things to say, never loses his cool, always makes sure he sounds perfectly logical…these things add up. I’m…I don’t have any of that in me. I’ve tried to be, tried to change myself so that my people would see me as more credible, but, they…I don’t know…” Burying her face in her hands, she steadies her breathing. It’s all she can do to prevent herself from breaking down into sobs.

Cora’s hand clenched into fists as she mentally finished the word Quilla couldn’t say.  Crazy.  She hated that word, almost as much as she hated the word “Alice.”  She hated it when it was used against herself, and to think about it used against Quilla- who was the last thing from crazy -made Cora’s blood boil.  

When the other princess was steps away from crying, Cora herself had already decided that she’d track down this ex someday and make him pay personally for what he’d done to her friend.  But in the meantime...

“Q,” Cora slowed her own breathing, trying to redirect the rage and instead focus on Quilla, “I hate to tell you this, but all those things you just described?  Charming, attractive, right things to say, always makes sure they sound logical?  Those are all you.  And I speak from experience of having you as a PR manager:  you manage to be all those things under pressure.  The difference here is instead of going on the defense, you need to go on the offensive.”  Cora raised her eyebrows, hoping Quilla got where she was going with this. 

Ally blinked, “Well, you see…” her explanation was ended by Cora’s repetition of her name, “Why, yes, that-that’s right…” her eyes glanced warily towards the clenched fists and scarily narrowed eyes, wondering if her harmless civilities had not been a good idea, “Alice Beaumont is my mother, but, you see, the reason I…” her words died in her throat, and she took a few hesitant steps back. 

Cora staggered to her left, gasping with shock and fear as a wave of dizziness overtook her.  In her quest to take back Wonderland, she’d been desperately trying to control her demeanor and her reputation in Auradon.  To keep her emotions under control.  To keep her demons- and her disease -at bay.  But this?  This was the last thing she needed.    To meet Alice’s child...and to have another slip at the same time?  This was just...

“Frabjous,” the princess said aloud, a little demented giggle escaping her lips, “Wicked to meet you...Al...ly.”  Cora’s right hand straying towards a sheathed dagger, her left playing with a lock of hair, Cora walked towards Ally, observing the other girl’s retreat with an inner satisfaction. 

She should be afraid, Cora thought to herself.  I’ve always been afraid of her, and her mother.  It’s time the tables were turned. 

“The reason you what?” Cora prompted, “Wasn’t there a second part to your sentence?  I’m so curious.” 

Cry havoc and let slip.

asktheprincessofhearts‌:

“Cora- No. Cora, this isn’t going to help!” River attempts to pull her back by her shirt. It wasn’t that he was worried about the droid getting damaged, but he has to make it look like he tried stopping her. The droid was capturing everything and it’s all making her look bad. It would be such a bonus too if she could turn around and hit him, give everyone a show.

What else could the boy do but be helplessly dragged by a crazy, nutty, delusional heir presumptive? A lot of things really. It would be so easy to knock her unconscious seeing as she’s not focused on him. But that would mean ending the party a little too early, and it was just getting started. “Stop! Come on! LEAVE IT!” 

As she climbs the ledge, River feels almost compelled to push her and he has to fight back the urge to do so. Really, this was all too easy. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he musters all his strength to pull her in. He wasn’t Hector, but he had enough Atlantian in him to manage.

Cora screeched with annoyance as River yanked her backwards, and they tumbled onto the floor.   Her voice was so shrill it could have broken glass, and vaguely, she wondered if anyone had heard.  

Let them hear me.  I’m tired of locking myself away.  A stray giggle escaped her at that thought.  What would Fairy Godmother do?  What would any of them do?  If she embraced her madness?  Would they send her back to the Isle now?  Or could she get to Wonderland first?  After all, Cora knew where at least some rabbit holes were now...

Somewhere in the back of her mind that wasn’t raging in turmoil (and possible revenge plans), a part of her wondered if River had always been that strong.  He was younger than her, and shouldn’t have been able to pull her- a trained fighter from the Isle -away from the window.  Yet he had.  If River had always been that strong, why hadn’t she noticed?  It should have been a red flag, but as it was, she was too far in her slip- too out of control -to care.  

“Let me go!” Cora demanded, trying to roll away from River, “No one’s going to lock me away!  Not again!  Not Ben- not you- NO ONE!”  Each phrase was punctuated by her struggling for one of the sheaths on her leather pants.  Neon seeping in on her from all directions- everything looked red -she reached for a dagger and slammed it into the floor, just beyond River’s shoulder.  She wasn’t aiming for him, just trying to get a grip in something she thought was stronger.  The princess struggled to get her other hand around the hilt of the dagger and pull herself across the floor. 

Open Starter: A Nice Fall

asktheprincessofhearts‌:

Though he gave a slight smile at Cora’s familiar joke, Cole didn’t feel much like joking while we was recovering, “You’re only as old as you feel, which is why I am 87 years old,” He took a few short breaths to gain his balance and composure again, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a way that could be considered and action of affection, but Cole also just very much needed to support for his legs.

“This time was actually just a trip, I promise. I uh…I think I should start taking my cane places,” He admits more to himself than to Cora. Having known her for so long and shared medical worries with her for a long time, it didn’t feel quite as awkward as with other, though it was still hard to get the words out.

“Hmm.  Nice-looking 87 to me,” Cora teased, before realizing he very much wasn’t able to support himself.  Adjusting her stance to accommodate his weight, she wrapped her other arm around his waist, keeping him a little closer until he caught his breath.   Cora bit her lip at his admission.  On the one hand, it probably would be a wiser decision.  But on the other hand, she knew this had the potential to bother him.   “I’ll support you no matter what you decide,” the princess said seriously, “Though if you seriously consider taking the cane places, maybe we should get you an official prescription?  That way you can get any extra features you need, and if any teachers hassle you, you’ve got a doctor’s statement to back you up.”  She grimaced, knowing how people weren’t so...accepting back on the Isle.  

“In any case, if you’re going to get the cane, I think you should go all out with it,” Cora continued, “Not plain brown.  I was thinking lots of pastels.  Something that reflects your personality.” 

OPEN STARTER: Contacts

Charlie was looking around in the entrance to an alleyway, trying not to seem too suspicious but failing a bit. He was waiting for a contact that he had found from an old, friend. He needed to talk to this person pronto, he was told they might have info on where he could find something to help his sister. 

Someone he hadn’t seen before walked up to him and pulled him into the alley way. His initial reaction was to growl and flash his gold eyes at them. They seemed unbothered. “Who are you?” He asked with an edge in his voice.

Taken aback, Cora raised her eyebrow at him, “Uh, Charlie? It’s Cora, remember?” Sure, they weren’t close, but they’d run into each other enough times that he should have recognized her by now.

Looking around the area, she bit her lip, “What are you doing here? This is a seriously sketchy area. FG would freak if she knew we were-“

Cora immediately cut off her own tirade as she saw his eyes flash. She took one step backwards and demanded, “What was that?”

Charlie immediately blinked, his eyes changing back to their stormy blue. He had hoped she wouldn’t notice. Time for damage control. “Cora! Oh my goodness I am so sorry! You startled me. I was just waiting for someone, but they seem to be a no show.” He said, ignoring her other question. He hoped she would think it was a trick of the light. His eyes flashing was something that happened a lot lately and he was hoping to avoid a situation like this.

Cora noted the side-stepping, and she didn’t like it. Crossing her arms, she repeated, “What *was* that? With your eyes?” It reminded her of the neon coloring her own eyes when she slipped- though to her knowledge, that neon wasn’t visible to observers, but rather a signal of a neurological change happening in herself. But Cora had never heard of slips occurring outside the Hearts family, and surely she would have seen one in Charlie before now...

“Who were you meeting? And why?” Cora asked, steadily growing more suspicious.

Open Starter: A Nice Fall

After the last class of the day, Cole was feeling drained like always, though his KT tape wasn’t seeming to be helping. With a sigh, Cole reigned himself to just being immobile the rest of the day once he got back to his dorm. That would’ve been fine enough, though a couple steps out of the building, his foot slipped on the stair case. Not enough to send him tumbling before he could catch himself, but it sends a shooting pain up his thigh and hip as he clings to the railing.

“Hey uh, sorry if this is weird, but do you think you could give me a hand?“ He calls over someone else’s attention to help his stability when walking.

Cora immediately raced over to him. Kneeling at his side, she quipped, “Hey, if you can’t ask your girlfriend to help you walk, what can you ask her to do?” Reaching one arm around and under him, she hauled him back on his feet:

“There you go. Now, are you gonna tell me what happened? Or are you gonna say you just need some sleep?”

Cry havoc and let slip.

asktheprincessofhearts·:

As feared, it seems, he had pushed her a little too far. He’d beat himself up later for that mistake but for now his focus is on her and the situation in which he’d put himself into. Backing away cautiously and carefully as to not agitate her any further, one hand slowly slips into his pocket. Plan B. Though he holds off only for a moment, trying to gauge what she was going to do next. It only took the unsheathing of the dagger for him to initiate the second plan.

“You’re right, you’re right.” His voice cracks as he feigns fear and swallows. Looking deeply into her eyes for any signs of the Cora he knew as he slowly holds his palms up to show he was defenceless. “But if I were you I’d be careful of what you do or say next. The walls have ears and Auradon has eyes everywhere, remember?” And at that he points to the window behind her where a drone just hovers outside. It wasn’t his drone, of course. He wouldn’t be so stupid as to use his own. Auradon wasn’t in short supply of them either, almost every third student had one and although banned within the prep by the fairy godmother, some students still found a way to fly them.

This particular drone had been a prize scooped up from the lost and found box. And to his luck it came with full battery and a built-in camera. Though it took him weeks to tweak the thing to be able to fly to his location at a press of the button, soon enough it will pay off. Whatever footage the drone has will be sent not only to his computer but also to the original owner’s. She should be so thankful he hadn’t set it to a live recording. With another press, it would fly straight down to the King’s office, just to add to his stress. If all goes according to plan, the owner of the drone will be called forth by the king, and hopefully, whoever it might be, take credit for the detective work done. Because from its point of view, it looked like Cora was threatening a helpless little royal, and if she were strike it down with her dagger, it would be damage of property. 

Before his silence becomes a little too suspicious, he cries out a plea. “Please Cora. You have to snap out of this. I can’t help you if you prove them right.”

Cora stopped and cocked her head, a bit perplexed by what she saw outside, even in the midst of her slip. She’d seen them in pieces on the Isle, but never whole and functioning. It looked like a floating hunk of metal, but one that was clearly staring right at her.

River was obviously *warning* her about it- he’s said Auradon had eyes and ears everywhere. And then this hunk of junk had shown up...

“Do you mean they’re *spying* on me?” Cora spat out, her attention now completely redirected away from him and towards the window. It would make sense, of course, that they’d want to monitor her. Fairy Godmother hasn’t spelled her yet- but maybe the reason for that wasn’t the woman being generous. It was the fact that she could stay on her high horse about “not using magic” and helping to rehabilitate a villain...while using a fake metal bird to spy on her the entire time. The princess laughed, then started to climb the window ledge, hoping for a clean shot where she could retrieve her dagger.

OPEN STARTER: Contacts

Charlie was looking around in the entrance to an alleyway, trying not to seem too suspicious but failing a bit. He was waiting for a contact that he had found from an old, friend. He needed to talk to this person pronto, he was told they might have info on where he could find something to help his sister. 

Someone he hadn’t seen before walked up to him and pulled him into the alley way. His initial reaction was to growl and flash his gold eyes at them. They seemed unbothered. “Who are you?” He asked with an edge in his voice.

Taken aback, Cora raised her eyebrow at him, “Uh, Charlie? It’s Cora, remember?” Sure, they weren’t close, but they’d run into each other enough times that he should have recognized her by now.

Looking around the area, she bit her lip, “What are you doing here? This is a seriously sketchy area. FG would freak if she knew we were-“

Cora immediately cut off her own tirade as she saw his eyes flash. She took one step backwards and demanded, “What was that?”

dovchkiin :