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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 16:28:49 GMT -5
Lyra had hide the painting in the back of her closet and made sure neither Samantha nor Nicolas had seen that she brought it back with her. She couldn't bear to use a shrinking spell on it for fear that she would somehow ruin it and with it she would again ruin Julian's love. So it sat there, staring at her day after day as she decided what to wear each morning. Finally, after three days of trying to avert her own gaze on the canvas Lyra decided she'd had enough. It had to go back and she couldn't stand to wait any longer.
She waited until nightfall, which came earlier now as the seasons were changing, then snuck out of the castle and apparated to Julian's manor. She didn't think anything of ringing the doorbell and waiting on the large stone steps that led to the front door. It only occurred to her after her finger parted from the button that perhaps no one would answer at all. If Julian was gone he wouldn't have kept the staff on.
He was already planning to leave before I got there, she realized, remembering that the door had been left open and no one came to greet her as she arrived for what she thought was to be a reconciliation over the poorly executed reunion between Julian and Mason. She had spent most of the day getting ready for that night. She bought a new dress, which was now ruined and discarded. Lyra had put so much effort into that evening all while Julian was planning to leave her.
Tears welled up in her eyes just as the front door opened, startling her. "The house is not accepting visitors," an older house elf said before shutting the door. Lyra rang the bell again but there was no answer. She knocked on the door, as if the bell had suddenly broken, and when still the door didn't open again she began pounding on the heavy oak.
"Fine," she said through her tears, giving up on being let inside. She held the painting under one arm and walked down the steps into the driveway and turned to look up at the massive manor. "If you won't let me in, I'll bloody let myself in!"
All of the windows had the curtains drawn but she could see light glowing behind from one of the grand windows on the left side of the house. Lyra turned to the right and walked up to a dark window as she drew her wand. She uttered several spells which all failed. Growing panicked that she'd never be able to get into the house and return Julian's art, Lyra looked around frantically. She found a large, decorative rock near the shrubbery and picked it up then smashed it into the window repeatedly until the glass shattered and there was an opening large enough to fit her tiny body. She ignored the sound of the alarm as she tried to pull herself and the painting up onto the window ledge but she couldn't manage both at the same time. She set the painting down against the wall and then hoisted herself up onto the ledge, kicking her legs and wiggling her body as she struggled to make it in through the window.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 16:42:34 GMT -5
The Faust estate, in addition to other well off family estates, were connected to the MLE. If there was a problem, not only would private security be called, but MLE officers would be sent out to file a report. Had to keep the rich safe and happy.
It must have been nice to be able to afford such security measures. Aaron would have loved to give Adele the same kind of safety after their family's history of 'accidents'.
Aaron was the first on scene as he had already been within apparating distance.
He saw the intruder immediately. He saw a rather lovely view of the intruder with her legs and rear end displayed.
"Beg pardon Miss."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 16:53:58 GMT -5
Lyra's efforts stopped as she was greeted by an unfamiliar voice. She froze in terror; not at being caught breaking into the expansive mansion but at the thought that she was once again up against a strange man. Could she defend herself properly this time?
Lyra turned and looked past her body which was only partway through the window and currently flashing the man behind her. Lyra pushed herself out of the window in a hurry and scrambled for her wand. There were red scratches running up her arms and legs from where she had struggled against the window ledge that was just too high for her. The skirt of her dress was caught on a shard of broken glass that still hung in the frame of the window, exposing her thigh and the thin scars that rested there. Among the smaller ones was a large, nasty scar that was raised and purplish not yet healed.
Lyra tugged at her skirt with her right hand as she raised her wand with her left. "Stay away from me!" Her lip quivered and her hands shook. She wasn't going to let him take her.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 17:31:27 GMT -5
He liked to think of himself as a gentleman and avoided staring at the ample display in front of him. Additionally the girl appeared to be scared witless. He already had his wand poised, but he was loathe to use it unnecessarily.
"Well Miss, I'm afraid I can't do that. This is private property and you're trespassing. You've also caused a bit of damage to the home. I'm going to have to bring you in for booking."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 17:43:57 GMT -5
Lyra's brow furrowed in confusion. Booking? She realized then that he was a police officer. He was trying to arrest her!
She lowered her wand and tugged firmly on her skirt until the fabric tore and freed her from the window. "I'm not trespassing. This is Julian's home. I'm his..." she stopped herself. She was Julian's nothing. She wasn't his girlfriend or his ex, as they hadn't really ever dated legitimately.
"Just call Julian, he'll tell you. I'm not trespassing. I'm just giving him back his painting." She picked up the portrait of herself that Julian had given her and held it up as proof that she wasn't a loon trying to rob the place.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 17:49:49 GMT -5
"Unfortunately miss, we're unable to speak to the owner. His house elf is already at the station filing a claim. You've damaged private property. We're going to have to go back to the station to clear this up."
He looked at her and the painting and then the damaged house. She was clearly not stable.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 18:02:49 GMT -5
"Are you serious? It's a simply spell! Look I can fix the glass right now!" But she knew the damage was worse than she could fix. She had trouble enough fixing her dishes when she broke them; the large window stood no chance at Lyra's hand.
She sighed as she pouted and then stepped out from the bushes. She held the portrait tight against her chest as she batted the hair from her face. She was being arrested. How mortifying. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow again as she realized she would have to call Sam. Heads were going to roll and Lyra was pretty sure that hers would be one of them.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 18:09:52 GMT -5
He gave a sigh of relief that she was going to come willingly rather than having to chase her, or hurt her. His voice softened.
"I'm sure it'll work out. There are excellent repair wizards, you'll probably only have to pay a fine." he said encouragingly.
"I'm going to have to take the painting for evidence." he said not apologetically, but softly all the same.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 18:17:45 GMT -5
A fine, she could handle that. The tabloids, that would have to be Sam's department. But when the officer attempted to take the painting Lyra held it tighter. "Evidence?! It's my bloody painting! It's only evidence of Julian loving me, you're not taking it!"
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 18:22:57 GMT -5
"Miss, Please." he said his hands up defensively. "I'm sure if it's your property then it will be returned to you at the station. We just have to follow procedure. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can have your painting back and this whole thing will be behind you." he hoped.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 18:29:37 GMT -5
"I don't see why I can't hold it. If it's going to the station and I'm going to the station, then what's the bloody difference? It's my painting! He painted it for me!" The emotion in her voice warped from agitated to desperate and the tears began again.
Julian had put love and effort into the painting. She couldn't keep it, but she couldn't just let anyone take it. It belonged with Julian and since she didn't know where he was, the next best thing was in his art studio.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 18:43:46 GMT -5
She claimed the painting was hers, but from his point of view she was either entering or escaping the premises, and until they could verify whether or not the painting belonged to her, they had to keep it.
When her tears started he became agitated. He was uncomfortable with a woman's tears, he had seen too many tears from his sister.
"Look Miss, we have to verify whether or not the painting is your property. I can promise you that it won't be damaged, but the fact of the matter is you were caught in the middle of breaking and entering. If you want this to go smoothly then you're going to have to do as I say. Understood?"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 18:53:34 GMT -5
"But it's my painting!" Lyra cried. She didn't understand why he was being so difficult. They were all going to the same place, she didn't need to give up the portrait if they were all going to the MLE office. Why couldn't she hold it? Why couldn't she just keep it? Better yet, why couldn't she just finish what she started and take it in to Julian's studio? The officer couldn't possibly have a problem with that. Then the painting would be where he thought it was supposed to be in the first place, and where Lyra was intending it to go. Obviously it was the smartest option.
Lyra turned away from the officer and hurried back to the window, her heels sinking in the earth beneath her as she moved.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 19:00:56 GMT -5
Graham took a moment to roll his eyes in frustration. He was dealing with a nut. That was exactly what he felt like dealing with on this shift.
"Stop!" he ordered.
"Incarcerous!" he cast, followed quickly by, "Levicorpus!" so she didn't fall to the ground.
"Accio painting." he said, once all was said and done.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 19:08:51 GMT -5
Lyra didn't stop at the order. She made it to the window and had just started to jump up toward the ledge when thick ropes wrapped around her and her body was hoisted into the arm. The painting fell and Lyra screamed.
"Let me go, let me go!" she demanded over and over again as she wriggled against the binds. "It's my bloody painting, let me go!"
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 19:19:42 GMT -5
"Silencio." he added for good measure, knowing that her incessant wailing would drive him nuts. She was struggling too much to attempt a side along apparation, she might break loose and splinch something which would be horrible. He would have to do this another way and summoned an MLE pick up vehicle to assist.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 19:25:33 GMT -5
The silencing spell did little to stop Lyra's complaining. She merely kept on insisting that it was her painting and simply wanted to put it inside, despite having no voice to speak with. She fussed about against the ropes until the vehicle arrived. She sat in the backseat, crying silently and pouting. Periodically she'd try to talk and explain herself further but she was unable to make a sound and simply went back to crying.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 19:30:23 GMT -5
Graham enjoyed the peaceful ride back to the station. He retrieved his detainee from the back of the car, and only felt a little bad for her tears. Otherwise he plunged forward.
Once inside the station he went to the main desk and informed the secretary that Lyra would need to be booked and detained until the mess was sorted out.
He finally went back to Lyra.
"Alright Miss. I'm going to take the charms off now, I have a few questions for you. Nod if you understand."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 21, 2017 20:03:20 GMT -5
It was a miracle that she hadn't fallen into one of her panic attacks once taken in the precinct. She cried and continued to explain herself despite having no voice to be heard, but there were so many things happening around her she was too busy keeping track of her surroundings to give in fully to the anxiety. At least her original binds had been swapped out for handcuffs and she had more range of movement than before.
Lyra had never been to a police precinct before. In fact, she'd never been in trouble like this. She'd had to give a report once or twice but during those times an MLE officer had always come to her. The MLE office was quite different than she'd expected. There were lots of people, all busy with something or other out in the bull pen. But in the room where Lyra was being detained it was mostly quiet. There were only two other witches in the room with her. One was an elderly woman who was asleep on the bench, every few minutes she would snore loudly and try to roll over but catch herself before she fell off the bench and then go back to sleep as if the holding room was a nice hotel room. The other witch was about Lyra's age and she was sitting quietly in the corner, her arms folded across her chest, muttering and sneering at anyone in her line of sight including Lyra herself.
She was actually relieved when the officer who arrested her came to fetch her and brought her into a smaller room for questioning. Lyra nodded and waiting to regain use of her voice.
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Post by Thomas Aaron Graham on Jan 21, 2017 20:26:17 GMT -5
Relieved that she seemed to have calmed down, Graham restored her voice.
He sat down across the table from her and adjusted the quill to write on the notepad.
"Now, before we begin you have the right to a formal representative. At this time would you like to call upon representative or have one appointed to you?"
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