Summary:
Maybe there's a reason Shadow Weaver is the way she is....
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Angella was two weeks into interrogating Shadow Weaver and still nothing! Other than sly comments and insults there was nothing but silence. Angella wished she had help but Casta had long since returned to Mystacore and there was no way she was allowing Adora anywhere near this woman. Angella had to think of a way to get her to crack, to get inside her mind just like she did to others. She opted to do just that, as she sat on a nearby couch in silence and watched.
"Given up, have you?" Shadow Weaver spoke in a cooing tone. She was met with silence and the same staring hateful gaze. She tried switching her responses. "Whatever you're trying now, it won't work. I told you I will only speak to Adora."
Angella sat quiet, she was thinking. Shadow Weaver was always so comfortable, even in prison she made it her personal mission to make everyone else miserable. Why? Angella thought it was high time to put a stop to this. It was time for her to make Shadow Weaver uncomfortable and miserable.
"Shadow Weaver, you've been here for two weeks and haven't asked to bathe yet." She could see the sudden shift in her prisoners demeanor. "Gotcha," she thought.
"What does that have to do with the interrogation?" Shadow Weaver asked. Just the sound of her voice was different, and they both could hear it.
"You are a prisoner of Bright Moon, and as such you will receive proper sanitary care. That includes bathing." Angella spoke in a tone that told Shadow Weaver there was no way out of this. Yes she would have loved to bathe ages ago, but never under the supervision of anyone. She hung her head in defeat.
"It's settled then, tomorrow after breakfast I will escort you to take a bath." Angella almost couldn't hide the smirk as she could tell how uncomfortable Shadow Weaver must've been. She headed towards the door.
"Good night Shadow Weaver." She heard the other woman scoff behind her as she left the room. The queen headed off to her own room thinking of a way she could safely transport the prisoner to a place to bathe. Where would she even bathe? Surly she shouldn't make her use the guards bathhouse.
Angella thought about it and came to the decision that it wouldn't hurt anyone if Shadow Weaver used her private bath. Right? Angella decided on that and quickly turned around to inform the gaurds of Shadow Weaver schedule tomorrow. She could see the questioninh look, even under the masks, but they didn't comment on it. Now if she could just find a way to get shadow Weaver there with out the threat of her trying something, maybe she could sedate her in someway, just until she got her to the bath of course. Angella didn't like the idea at all for so many reasons, but because she had no other ideas this would have to do.
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The next morning Angella headed to the prison(spare room) with Shadow Weaver breakfast in tow. She noted that the prisoner never ate much, just nibbled on small things and drank the tea. Today she was given oatmeal, a pear, toast, and green tea. She expected the other woman to go straight for the pear as she did every morning with all her fruits, but was very surprised when she picked up the spoon to start eating the oatmeal.
"Good morning Shadow Weaver." Angella stated. She was met with an acknowledging nod from the prisoner. She thought that weird as she was surly expecting some sort of snide remark. Maybe she just didn't want to talk, Angella thought.
Angella decided to just wait until she was finished eating, and hopefully drink her tea, which had been laced with a light sedative to help her transport. It had been about fifteen minutes now and Shadow Weaver was still eating her oatmeal, rather slowly too. Was she really trying this hard to delay her bath?! Unbelievable!
"Eat slowly all you want eventually you will be done, then you will take a bath. And if you think I won't make you take one at night, think again." Angellas tone was strict and Shadow Weaver knew she was serious. The woman let out a small sigh and pushed the tray out of the forcefield. She then took a few sips of her tea while angella watched her intently she finished it off and waited, waited for angella to call someone, waited for someone to take her away. But no one ever came, angella never called for anyone, see just sat there staring at her.
This went on for a while and Shadow Weaver was starting to feel tired. "Are you going to call someone?" She asked, putting her hand to her head, it felt like her brain was spinning.
"Oh I will, in another minute or two." Shadow Weaver was about to ask what she meant by that when her vision started to blur and her world went dark.
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Angella called for a gaurd to help her escort Shadow Weaver to her room, they cuffed her wrists just in case and made the journey to the queens quarters. Shadow Weaver was taken inside and placed on the bed while angella instructed the guards to stay posted outside her bedroom doors.
Angella closed the doors and went back to where Shadow Weaver laid on her bed, peacefully. Shadow Weaver looked different now: less threatening in a way.
She had about thirty minutes before Shadow Weaver woke up and in that one she had run the bath, set out all the things the other woman would need and in finally thought. Taken her mask. The way angella saw it Shadow Weaver used the mask as a way to have an indifference over everything, by removing it she would have no control over any conversation.
Angella reached towards Shadow Weaver's face, searching for the two latches on either side of the mask like she had seen Shadow Weaver do every morning at breakfast. She lifted the two latches with a click and slowly slid the mask off. Who laid in front of her was now someone else entirely; light gray skin, long black hair, pointed ears, a cleft lip that revealed a fang, and scars.
The scars which she assumed to be Demon Scars, weren't what she expected at all, everyone who was in Mystacor that day had said that Light Spinner had turned into this hideous unrecognizable monster. But that wasn't true at all, here, laying before her, was Shadow Weaver. And if anything the scars enhanced her beauty and made her more attractive. Wait, did she think Shadow Weaver was attractive?! No no, she was simply saying she wasn't as bad as they said. That's all.
Angella moved her hand up to caress Shadow Weaver's cheek. She expected the scars to be rough and jagged, but they weren't; they were soft, if she had her eyes closed she didn't think she'd be able to tell where the skin stopped and where the scars started. They were just like one big birthmark.
Shadow Weaver's ear had started to twitch as a sign that she was waking up, Angella picked the woman up finding that she was dangerously light and carried her to the bathroom.
By the time shadow Weaver started stirring awake she was already in the bathroom, she could see angella setting out towels. She tried to stand but her legs felt like jel-o.
"What did you do to me?" She asked groggily.
"I gave you a light sedative to help transport you here." Angella answered.
"And where is here?" Shadow Weaver asked.
"My bathroom." She replied. "Everything is all ready, you can strip now." She stated calmly.
"S-strip?!" Shadow Weaver practically yelled.
"Yes, so you can get in the bath." Angella explained, pointing to the full bath.
"With you watching?" She asked, her voice seemed almost nervous.
"Of course, you are a prisoner. Besides it doesn't matter anyway I can already see your face." Shadow Weaver's face changed drastically, her hand shot up to her face in search of her mask. Her gaze darted back to the queen.
"Y-you took my mask?!" Shadow Weaver's voice sounded like a mixture of anger, and fear.
"I did. While you're in here, your mask stays off. I feel like I talk to a wall that can talk back. You have no control over any conversations." Angella stated.
"You're not disgusted by my face, do the scars not make you uncomfortable?" Shadow Weaver's voice was just fear now.
"Disgusting, no. You look fine to me, I don't care what you look like, only how you act." Angella couldn't help the sympathy that crept into her voice at how small the other woman sounded. Unfortunately for her, Shadow Weaver didn't like that.
"Fine, well you can at least turn around while I get undressed?" All the venom had returned to her voice, so Angella let that sympathy die.
"And have you jump me while my back is turned, forget it." Angella stared at the other woman for a moment, studying her features.
"Well then don't look directly at me, avert your eyes. You wouldn't want someone staring at you while you got undressed would you?" She asked matter-of-factly.
"I am not a prisoner." Angella huffed but sighed. "But out of respect, I won't look directly at you." She instead focused line of sight at a painting of flowers hung on the wall right behind Shadow Weaver's head.
Out of the corner over her eyes she could see the other woman bending over to grab the end of her dress, she slowly raked it up and over her head. Angella couldn't help but peek momentarily before focusing back on the painting. Shadow Weaver had on a black bra with matching underwear. Angella also took note of her body; small waist, subtle curves, slim legs, and cute breasts. She felt her face growing warm.
She couldn't stop herself from looking back, Angela's eyes traveled from Shadow Weavers chest to her ribs, she couldn't help but notice how clearly she could see them. She didn't notice she was staring until she heard an ahem from the smaller woman. She apologized and went back to the painting, a couple moments later she heard Shadow Weaver dip into the water.
Angella turned her head to look at Shadow Weaver, the other woman was now sitting in the tub of bubbly water that reached just above her chest. "You have a staring problem y'know." Shadow Weaver said.
"I was just making sure you didn't try anything." Angella retorted, despite the very present blush on her face.
"Ppfft sure you were." She said accusingly.
"Ugh you're talking to me as if I'm the reason you're in this position!"
"Aren't you?!"
"No! You're here because of your own actions! Here for the crimes YOU committed!"
Shadow Weaver turned away, the rest of the time was silent, only the sound of the other woman washing and Angella trying to pretend the bubbles in the bath hadn't dissolved. Angella looked away when Shadow Weaver emerged from the bath and wrapped a towel around her frame and another wrapped up her wet hair. She walked out of the bathroom and made herself comfortable on the side of Angella's bed.
Angella stood up and walked over to Shadow Weaver, she handed her a pair of her pajamas. "What're these for?" She asked, irritation present in her tone.
"They are for you to wear, your clothes need to be cleaned." Angella replied sarcastically. Burned was more like it.
"No. These are uncomfortable, bring me something else." She demanded.
"No. You wear what I give you!" Angella was angry now, even with her mask removed Shadow Weaver was still trying to be in control, she didn't care!
"And what're you gonna do if I don't?"
"Then I'll make you!" And before she knew it Angella was on top of her wrestling her arms away in an attempt at stopping her from fighting back.
It worked.
Angella was now straddling the other woman and had Shadow Weavers wrists pinned on either side of her head. In the midst of their struggling Shadow Weavers head towel had come undone and her hair was everywhere, Angella thought she looked quite nice in that moment but was too angry to admit it.
"What's your problem, Shadow Weaver?! Why must you be like this?!" Angella was yelling again, her face so close to Shadow Weaver's, she could hear her breathing. Angella was staring her directly in the eyes when she noticed the other woman's eyes dart down momentarily before regaining focus. She watched as her face grew various shades of red. Did she just look at my lips a blush? Is that what she was thinking about?!
Angella couldn't believe it, her sole mission was to make her uncomfortable but she was thinking about that. If she couldn't make this woman uncomfortable but there was something else she could do.
Angella took both of Shadow Weavers' wrists in her hand and pinned them above her head. Shadow Weaver was confused and asked what she was doing, Angella ignored her question and instead let her free hand rest on the other woman's stomach.
"I think I understand you now Shadow Weaver." Her tone was calm her actions were not. Angellas hands explored her body, the only barrier being the soft cotton of the towel that still wrapped Shadow Weaver's body.
"Angella stop! You're going too far!" Shadow Weaver tried and failed to use force to free her wrist but it was of no use, the queen was much too strong for her.
"You're weak" Shadow Weavers heart dropped. "You use so much of the black garnets power for image because you yourself aren't threatening at all. Maybe you wear your mask because of your own self consciousness, but everything else is just to compensate for the fact that no one is afraid of you." Angellas words hurt, but they were also true.
Shadow Weaver couldn't take it, she was on the verge of tears. She had no more smart remarks left to dispense. Angella thought she had finally broken through to the woman, but in fact she was just pushing Shadow Weaver back into a very dark part of her life.
Angella almost didn't feel it when Shadow Weavers hand connected with her face. Angella looked down at Shadow Weaver with shock, who stared back at her with teary eyes full of fear and anger. Angella removed her hand at once and got off of the other woman. She stood there for a moment while Shadow Weaver stayed on the bed, listening to her loud breathing.
"I- I'm sorry Shadow Weaver, I only meant to make you uncomfortable. I had no intention of scaring you." Angella waited for a response, she hated herself for having pulled that reaction from her. She wouldn't want that for anybody, even Shadow Weaver.
So many things were running through Shadow Weavers head; She was firstly confused on why anyone would touch her in that way when she looked the way she did. Second, she was angry at Angella for having crossed such a line. Lastly, she was angry at herself, for ever letting anyone get that close to her again.
The other woman's silence was worrying Angella even more. "Say something. Please." Angella walked up to the bed, she had a better look at the woman from here. Her hands were back above her head, as they had been only moments ago. She was staring up into space, her eyes dazed. There were tears now openly streaming down the sides of her face and into her ears.
"You're right." Angella flinched, expecting nothing more from the woman than silence. "I do use fear to control people, because......I'm afraid." The confession took Angella by surprise, she sat down on the bed beside Shadow Weaver.
"What happened?" Angella's tone was full of genuine concern as well as curiosity.
Shadow Weaver took a shaky breath before speaking. "The last time I felt like this, I was only a hundred twenty years old. Before you ask, that's young for my species, only about twenty for you all.
"That's not that much." Angella replied.
"Not for you maybe, you're immortal." Shadow Weaver expressed with a sarcastic chuckle. Angella smiled at the other woman, the way her right fang peeked through when she laughed. But she watched as the smile slowly faded. "Back then I was naive and stupid, I was so excited to explore the world that I wasn't carful and loaded myself in a situation with me versus two other guys." Shadow Weavers tears had returned, yet she kept telling the story. "Well you've seen me, you can probably guess how that fight went."
"I'm so sorry that happened to you Shadow Weaver, how did you get through that?" Angella had grabbed the other woman's hand and was holding it in her lad as she listened.
"I didn't have a choice but to get through it. I can't say my coping mechanisms helped much, I blocked everyone out. I was afraid of being hurt again, so I hurt everyone else around me first instead. I blamed anyone and everyone for what happened to me, I wanted them all to feel how I had felt that day; alone, scared...broken." Shadow Weaver had finally looked at Angella in the eyes and it was the second time today that Angella had seen the truest of shadow Weaver.
All she could do was hug her and to her surprise, the other woman had hugged her back. Shadow Weaver got dressed and Angella decided not to send her back to the prison, they sat there for the next few hours talking about everything and nothing at all. It was soon time to take Shadow Weaver back to the prison, they said their goodbyes and Angella left the prison to return to her own quarters. As she laid in bed she made two very shocking revelations.
Shadow Weaver wasn't as bad as she thought, just very misunderstood; and secondly that she would surely enjoy making new excuses as to why Shadow Weaver needed to be in her room for such extended periods of time.
Hope you enjoyed, this was my first time writing a one shot so sorry for any misspellings.