Sorry is the hardest word

[morevacant]

Closed to Lydia and Nancy
Warning for Ces talk



It might have been a minor thing to Nancy, but to Lydia, their falling out was a big catastrophe. It came at a time where she thought she was losing Cesare, when she thought that people would be laughing at her, and then Nancy revealed she'd been with Ces too.

Lydia's missed her street smart, wise BFF though. She's grown up a tiny bit, and she's totally stressed out. She needs to hear Nancy's story, she needs advice about Cesare. She needs her best mate.

She's got the wine in: Cesare doesn't care how much she spends, so she's gone for the most expensive stuff she could find in the bar downstairs. Champagne, red wine and white stand ready. She paces, uncharacteristically restless, until she hears a knock on her door.

"Nancy?" She's over at the door at once.

Comments

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Lydia snorts a giggle. God, in all of this, it's Nancy comforting Lydia all over again. Spoiled, selfish little Lydia. She takes Nancy's hand, and squeezes it tight.

"Don't be sorry. Look, Nancy, I still think it's ridiculous. Like, seriously. Twelve? It's just - wow!"
She closes her eyes briefly, still trying to process everything that Nancy has told her. "Look - Nance, when you're ready to go to the police and all that, I am totally here for you. You have to tell them, you know that, right? What if whoever made you do it has another twelve year old? You could save them."

She sips some of her champagne. "That Dodger is mega weird. I don't like him. You know, when I was panicking about uni and all that, he was telling me about selling my blood to the vampires. He was saying what a good idea it was - and the cuts of my profits. He's dodgy, Nance. You need to stay away from him: he's trouble."

[stauncherhearted]

She shakes her head. "One of the police, he already knows. The Night Council knows, too. But he's been at this for hundreds of years. He's got friends in high places, he does." For as base and vile as Fagin was he had connections.

The idea of Lydia telling Nancy to stay away from Dodger of all people actually makes her laugh. "he's not dodgy- Lydia, he's my brother! Look he-" then the words catch up with her and she almost chokes.

"He- told you to sell your blood?" She asks carefully. "no. Don't do it- there's donors now and it's not safe. I've nearly been bled out- I cannot believe he'd say that! Bloody hell, I'm going to kill him. It was one thing to nearly ruin my relationship but- No, don't sell your blood, Lydia. Trust me. Besides, vampires- they want it both when they can get it. And they don't care about paying."

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"He's creepy," Lydia says flatly. Brother or not, Nancy needs to know what the little creep is up to.

"Thing is, I might not have known that, but if he is your brother, I'm guessing he did. He was totally setting me up to get killed or... or - well, you know?" She can't bring herself to even think the words.
"Nancy, he's a proper weirdo."

She takes another drink. "I let Ces do it," she admits. "We rowed - remember after you saw me in Starbucks? God, I am such an idiot. I come here to yell at him for sleeping with everyone else, and I end up letting him drink from me." She smiles sheepishly. "It feels god though, doesn't it?"

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy blinks. "He- he was a child when I started doing it. He's been spared the gritty details as best as I can manage it. He don't know enough about it." Fagin may have sold Dodger, but his fae blood was off-limits. Never mind that none of them exactly knew what the boy was.

"Regardless, I'm having another talk with him." Seriously, he was going to get his ass murdered. By Nancy. He was better than that.

...Or maybe he'd turn out just like all the rest.

Nancy nods, leaning in close. "It is- Cesare'll tell you at some point, but there's a vein right on your inner thigh." She grins at Lydia. "Highly recommended."

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"He's a creep, Nance." Lydia repeats. "I don't know if he knows what you did, but he definitely told me to do it. I mean, seriously, that's dodgy."

Despite their serious conversation, Lydia can't help but start giggling at Nancy's comments. "Oooh - I'll have to get him to show me. He went proper vampire and bit my neck. It was so good though." She giggles again, but still reaches for Nancy's hand, which she squeezes.
"You really are the bravest person I know, you know."

[stauncherhearted]

"I'll talk to him." and kill him. "Between telling you and Cooper these things..." She sighs.

She has to laugh. "Yeah- that's how I started. For a long while Cooper only bit my wrists- but we weren't dating then." He never bought sex from her, she always held that dear.

Nancy squeezes her hand back. "Brave? No, I'm just an idiot. But thank you. You know if you've got any questions about it- other than telling the police- you can ask. I want you to understand fully, I guess." She takes another swig.

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"He's an idiot, Nancy. You seriously, seriously need to be careful."

Lydia rolls her eyes. "I think we both know who the idiot is here. I just..." She trails off. Lydia doesn't know what to ask. She can't even begin to imagine the life that Nancy has led.
"I don't know what to ask you, Nancy. But... you know if you ever want to talk, I am so totally here for you, right?"

[stauncherhearted]

"He's a kid. Trust me I've handled far worse than Jack Dawkins."

Nancy gives a small shrug. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I don't have anyone to talk to about it anymore... Cooper gets so angry now that he knows the truth... Fuck." She exhales heavily. "No one ever wants to hear the truth about it. When they do they shut down... Or they try to turn it against me. Fucking Redbright did."

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"What did Redbright do?"

Lydia just cannot fathom what Nancy's life is. She glances guiltily at her friend before turning to the prosecco again.

"I know I don't get it, Nance. I know I'm going to say the wrong thing, but I am here for you, you know? I care about you. And I will listen to you."

For the moment at least, Lydia means every word she says.

"Nancy, you've been abused. It's not your fault. But we need to sort it out. You know that really, right?"

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy takes a nice long swig of her flask. "You're not saying the wrong thing- it's nice to know you'll listen. Redbright... Okay, last year when Circle Midnight fell, I was technically a fugitive?" Best way to put it. "A friend of mine, a guardian, convinced me to go in for a pardon hearing. Redbright did her research; asked me what my job was." Nancy takes another drink.

"So I told her. Same thing I told you. Been on the streets since I was thirteen." She's got a little bit of a smirk going, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"There's nothing that can be done, Lydia. Trust me."