IC: Returning to Darkness [Genevieve Carrington]

[Pickman37]

Genevieve watches the young man leave. The owner had rules against gentlemen callers being in the flat and Genevieve was relieved that a scandal was avoided, in case anyone witnessed him entering the premises. She ushers Eliza to the commons room and motions for her to take a seat. Genevieve remained standing by her.

"Now, Eliza..," Genevieve softly speaks. "Is there anything you need? Perhaps a glass of water or a cup of tea to sooth you before you tell me what is wrong. I am here to listen."

Genevieve gently holds the young lady's hand in her own but she is nervous to leave Eliza in the room alone after the display of attempted self-mutilation with her dull fingernails. Taking Eliza to the shared kitchen with her was even more of an unviable option, where she would have access to knives and the such...

Kadael,Will a Pyschology roll here garner Genevieve any useful information?

[Kadael]

Eliza sniffles and shakes her head, then turns to look at the couch. She moves to sit down, pulling on Genevieve's hand. She doesn't want to let go.

"Dean and I were... we were walking outside..." She talks with deliberate slowness, blinking as her eyes mist over again. "A... a man ran up, a-and he... he..."

Her lips draw into a thin, tight line as tears run down her cheeks and she starts to tremble.

Genevieve,It certainly would.

[Pickman37]

Eliza's hold on her hand prompts Genevieve to stay...

"It's O.K. Go on..." Genevieve looks for any tissue nearby while encouraging the girl to sit with her...

Genevieve tries to assess the situation by reading the girl's body language and the way she communicates in an attempt to ascertain any additional information pertaining to the girl's state. Again, Genevieve feels her education is paying off...

[Kadael]

Eliza's mental state is as readable as a dime novel. Her eyes dart around the room when they aren't focused on Genevieve, indicative of paranoia - likely related to this ominous "man" she mentions. It can also be inferred that she sees Dean as a source of protection from this man, hence the hysterical anger when he had to leave.

Interestingly enough, she seems to have associated Genevieve with this sort of protection now; her insistence that she stay close, the tight hold on her hand, and the instant trust in her eyes all point to this.

"His eyes were gone," Eliza whispers.

[Pickman37]

Genevieve hears this last statement and is perplexed....

His eyes were gone? Does she mean he was blind or were his eyes physically missing? Genevieve contemplates for a moment. Maybe this man is a veteran of the Great War and suffered a terrible injury. I need to get her to explain...

"Eliza," Genevieve speaks at a volume just slightly higher than her whisper. "I do not want to put you through it again but I need you to elaborate for me to understand..."

[Kadael]

Eliza's breathing grows ragged and heavy, and her face flushes red with emotion. She sits without speaking for a long, tense moment before she breaks into wailing sobs and throws herself at Genevieve.

"He didn't have any eyes and his fingers were all bloody and Dean ran off and left me alone with him and he was looking right at me!" Eliza puts her head on Genevieve's shoulder, fingers pressing into her palm. "And every time I close my eyes I see him again, and he's looking at me, and he's going to take my eyes..."

[Pickman37]

Genevieve holds the young woman and tries to absorb this information...

She's insinuating that the man scratched out his own eyes? It can't be unless this man is utterly mad... Suddenly Genevieve's eyes widen.....Or he is possessed by some malign spirit!

While Eliza sobs violently, Genevieve attempts to formulate a course of action...

She's too hysterical to give accurate information and too distraught to be left alone. I wonder if...

Kadael,Can I attempt to hypnotize [b]Eliza[/b] in order to gain the necessary information, such as what happened and the location of this occurrence, as well as potentially calming her down enough to move her to a safe locale?

[Kadael]

"...and Dean doesn't care even though he said he was sorry and there were all these people coming around and then the police and Dean said everything would be okay but it isn't!"

Genevieve,Certainly.

[Pickman37]

Genevieve removes the silver U.S. Half Dollar from her pocket and clenches it in her free hand. She suspects Eliza would not allow her to leave the flat to investigate this incident further. She also believed that Eliza would not want to leave the flat with her either.

Maybe I can get her to relax through suggestion. Genevieve considers. Her distraught condition may prevent this but its worth a shot...

"Eliza," Genevieve gently speaks. "I want to try something to help you relax. Would you be willing to try?"

[Kadael]

Eliza pulls back and nods, sniffing through her tears. "A-anything... I'll try anything, you're so kind..."

[Pickman37]

Genevieve nods and positions herself in front of Eliza, holding up the silver coin between the two of them...

"Now Eliza," Genevieve softly speaks. "I need you to focus in on the coin. I want you to stare directly at the coin and relax. Feel your breath pass through you...Inhale through your nose slowly and exhale through your mouth...Just focus on the coin and your breathing and just relax..."

Genevieve lets a moment of silence pass then continues...

"Eliza, I want you to relax even more. Just focus on my voice and take deep, slow breaths. I want you to let all the stress flow from you...feel it leaving your body. Just focus on your breathing and my voice...deep...slow...breaths..."

Genevieve looks at Eliza, checking to see if her eyes were fluttering and slowly closing. This would be a sign that the hypnotism was taking effect....

[Kadael]

At first, Eliza's panic surges and spikes; her knuckles go white and her breathing quickens almost to the point of hyperventilation. Her eyes, wide as saucers, don't quite manage to focus and keep drifting to Genevieve's face.

After a moment, though, she collects herself and manages to slow down. The tension in her arms and shoulders goes slack as she listens to Genevieve's soothing voice. Taking deep, controlled breaths, she stares at the coin with heavy eyelids.

[Pickman37]

Genevieve notes Eliza's eyelids drooping and continues...

"Eliza..." Genevieve speaks even softer. "I want you to close your eyes...Feel your limbs becoming heavier but focus on your breathing....deep..slow..breaths."

"Now, I'm going to slowly count down backwards from ten. With each number, I want you to slip into a state of deeper relaxation by breathing even slower, deeper breaths. I want you to feel your arms and legs becoming even heavier...your body completely relaxed...free from any stress...Like you are melting into the chair..."

Genevieve begins to slowly count down, monitoring Eliza's reaction...

"Ten.....nine........eight.............seven........"

Genevieve continues counting down, listening to Eliza's breathing while spacing the distance between the numbers...

"......three.............two..............one."

Genevieve waits a moment, watching Eliza to see if she is under. Then she speaks again...

"Eliza, when I say 'home,' I want you to raise your right hand."

Genevieve waits a few minutes, allowing Eliza to relax a little more then speaks...

"Home."

[Kadael]

Eliza slowly shuts her eyes, leaning back against the arm of the couch. Her breathing is quiet and even.

When Genevieve says the word, she responds immediately, holding up her right hand.

[Pickman37]

"You can put your hand down."

Genevieve is satisfied that Eliza is under but nervous that the mention of her encounter might disrupt the girl's calm...

"Now, Eliza. I want you to remain calm. Focus on your breathing and know in your mind that the man you met today has been taken to a place for his own safety by the police. He did not want to hurt you. He was disturbed and needed help and now he is in that place. You will be safe. Do you understand?"

Genevieve awaits a response and gauges Eliza's reaction to the mention of the incident before continuing...

[Kadael]

Eliza folds her hands in her lap, taking a deep breath. She shudders slightly, but otherwise has no strong reaction. "...Yes, I know." Her voice is very quiet. "There are things I know that I don't believe, sometimes. You don't have to tell me I'm hysterical... the man didn't even touch me. I understand."

[Pickman37]

Genevieve can feel herself relax upon Eliza's reaction and response and exhales deeply before continuing...

"Very good Eliza. Now can you tell me where this encounter occurred and exactly what happened. Share any details you may have forgotten in your excitement..."

[Kadael]

"Dean and I were out for a walk before classes started. He said we were passing the Department of Physics. It was just the two of us, and he stopped and took my hands." Eliza breathes a light, shivery sigh, a small crease forming in her brow. "Then... a man ran up. He was tall, and had dark blond hair, and was wearing one of those jackets that hold your arms, but he'd... torn through it, so I could see his hands were covered in b-blood."

Her fingers twitch uncomfortably. "I saw him before Dean did. His eyes had... had been ripped out of his face, b-but the empty spaces seemed to be looking right at me. I started screaming, then Dean turned and saw him. He told me to stay with the man, that he was going to go get help... and ran off."

[Pickman37]

Genevieve absorbs the information and carries on...

"Eliza..." She speaks softly. "Continue to breathe deeply and relax. He was injured visually and could not have been looking at you. Now try to remember.....Did anything happen when Dean left you alone with the man? Did he say or do anything?"

Genevieve is wary...

Maybe this man was just an escaped inmate....

She awaits an answer but is attentive to Eliza's body language and response...

[Kadael]

"He was talking about a star," Eliza says, letting out a small sigh. "He didn't touch me, but he kept... acting like he could see me. I think he might have said... 'Judith' at one point, but he kept going on about stars."