Description: Gertrude sees a familiar face at a high school and so she does the only sensible thing - threaten to assault a child in front of her friends! But Eve's deviousness is enough to save her teeth... /this time/. (Scene from 01/15/15)
It is a warm winter day. The weather was nice and the temperature quite welcoming, making the snow melt gently outside. Enough to be inviting considering the colder and rougher days that happened a few days ago, making the students poke their nose out during lunch break.
After all, the 'cool' thing to do was hanging out aimlessly until break time was over, for those who didn't participate in club activities or things of the like. It was at least warm enough for the schoolgirls to go out with skirts and their winter coat on.
Amongst the group of students outside was a group of cheerleaders. They were making their way back from the village, where they had their lunch. Their discussion seemed to be manly gossips, rumors and other friends related talks. One of the girl in the group seemed absent-minded, not really paying attention to the discussion. It was Ashley, a blonde haired student with locks of blue and green in her hair, a set red ear muffs on her head.
Gertrude has found it difficult to believe there might really be something going on at the inter-school tournament. It is a tournament for kids, how much trouble could there really be? Surely the government would oversee that sort of thing, make sure there was no shady business going on.
But Natsu's concerns had resonated with her somehow, and Southtown HAS been the site of most of her woes. So, the tall german woman - wearing, today, a surprisingly sensible black trenchcoat with a plaid scarf, heavy jeans and sneakers - has made her way to the school. Just to give it a once over.
And then she sees her.
'Ashley' doesn't fool Gertrude for a moment. The flashback hits her hard. The woman's eyes narrow behind her thick-rimmed glasses, and all at once, Gertrude is striding across the playground. The woman's body language could not be much more menacing, shoulders hunched, hands balled into fists as she bears down on the young woman who had caused her so much trauma.
In her reverie, it does not seem like Ashley noticed Gertrude coming her way. Her gaze is low, fixing the ground as she walks slowly by the side of her friends. Her hands are in the pockets of her winter jacket.
Unlike Gertrude, Ashley could have not been less menacing and intimidating. Everything in her posture and stance indicated someone meek and docile, gentle and soft : probably the girl in the gang who's doing everything the other girls don't want to do.
"Heh, who's that woman? What does she want?" Says one of the cheerleader in the group, pointing out in Gertrude's direction to get all the girl's attention that way. They weren't sure, but her threatening posture and the way she approached them made them think she might want something with them.
The words from her friends Ayumi, which was a totally different topic than before, actually seems to interest Ashley who arches a brow and gives a lazy glance in Gertrude's direction. Probably a false alarm.
Gertrude is acting like a bit of a psychopath. It is pretty bad for a random adult to wander into a school at the best of times, but truth be told - Eve's assault on her had shaken the woman up pretty badly. Between the disturbing amount of /power/ she had felt calling upon her heritage, the fact that it hadn't been enough, and that the girl and her 'pet' had seemed intent on killing her brutally... it has been an encounter which has preyed on her mind for a while.
"Hey. You."
These oh-so-diplomatic words are given as Gertrude aims to cut the meek girl off, stepping in front of her and roughly *shoving* at her - though not, really, in anything like a martial context... yet. "What the hell are you doing here, huh? Who ARE you? You better start talking, or..."
She hasn't really thought that far ahead, and she hasn't taken the girl's friends into account, either. She's pissed, though, that much is immediately obvious. She might well be willing to escalate... even with all these witnesses, in this very public place!
Resisting to other teenager is one thing, but when a determined adult like Gertrude comes in... And seems to want trouble with the new girl, the other cheerleaders take a careful step back. Ashley barely has the time to lift her gaze up at Gertrude that the other woman's already on her and shove her.
Caught by surprise, Ashley doesn't have the time to react. She takes a few steps back, about to fall on her back, her arms leaving her jacket quickly to try and regain her footing. Thankfully, one of her friend was there to catch her and support her before she falls.
"Heh! What's wrong with you!?" Shouts one of the girl, finally taking up Ashley's defense and taking a step in front of Gertrude. Ashley seems more surprised than anything else, her eyes wide as she stares at Gertrude. Her mind was reeling, obviously... Trying to figure out who this was. "Do you know that girl, Ashley?" Whispers the girl who supported her and helps her regain her balance and back on her feet.
"I, huh, don't know..." Says Ashley. She seems to cower a little at Gertrude's accusation, averting her gaze from her, shoulders slumped foward a bit almost in submission. Her voice is soft, already above a whisper. "I don't know who you are, Miss.... Please, just leave us alone.." She whimpers softly, keeping a fleeting gaze from Gertrude's own.
There's... a part of Gertrude that questions herself. Natsu's accusation that she's a bully, the sting of it, the... hazy, edge that the actual fight she remembers having wiht this girl maintains... it all combines to make her less than absolutely confident in her recollection. Especially as the girl's demeanor remains so different to the crowing little monster that she remembered from before.
"Stay out of it." She snaps to the cheerleader, and she reaches out again - trying to grasp Ashley's multicolored locks and tug her head up so she can look her in the eye. She's anything but gentle, and from the set of her jaw, she's still quite determined to get to the bottom of this.
"You almost killed me, you little brat!" She spits, "Don't play innocent with me! You know who I am, you know what you did! Where's that monster who was with you, huh?! ANSWER ME!"
The cheerleaders are quick to disperse and take a step away when Gertrude shows her aggressivity and intimidating demanor. If Ashley had trouble with this adult, they didn't seem like they would interfer, no matter how much they seem to hesitate, they watched the scene silently, powerless.
Ashley does little to defend herself when Gertrude reaches out for her hair. Perhaps she was not expecting it, or she still keeps on the act of the meek schoolgirl. The blonde girl winces painful as Gertrude forces her to tilt her head back and look into her eyes.
Alas, she had no choice -- not with so many people around, so many witness. Ashley bites her lips, her eyes meeting Gertrude's own. "I... I don't know what you're talking about.. You've got the wrong person.." She whispers softly, meekly. Though the look in her eyes, the fierce glare she gave to Gertrude the moment she pulled on her hair and hurt her showed a much difference look of Ashley than what she was showing.
This is the moment of truth, in many ways. Would Gertrude trust her own instincts enough to risk hitting a perfectly ordinary teenager, and perhaps hurt them badly? Or would she back down? The longer she looks into the girl's eyes, the more she feels like she's missing something. Something IS going on here, she can feel it in her gut, but... who knows what? Maybe this girl has a problem. Maybe she really doesn't remember what happened that day. Maybe she's... just some frightened kid.
Letting go of the girl's hair, Gertrude flexes her fingers. The look in the girl's eyes spoke to something... but she just can't bring herself to do it. If she's wrong - if she's starting to crack and see thing that aren't there... she... she could ruin this girl's life forever.
"Fine." She says, stepping back a pace. "But .... but I'm on to you. I don't know what's going on here, but I know YOU'RE involved. I'll be watching. Count on it."
Slowly, she starts to back away...
When Gertrude finally lets go of Ashley, the other cheerleaders walk up to her. No one noticed that anger filled glare from Ashley, one that almost had murderous intent in it except Gertrude. For the simple reason Gertrude had all the other girl's attention.
Who would suspect anything from the gentle, shy and meek Ashley? She can't even stand up to defend herself on her own, after all. The girl whimpers a bit when Gertrude lets go of her and she takes a few steps back. She glances up at Gertrude, a malicious smile spreading on her lips. Though it disappears the moment she hears the concerns of the other cheerleader who rushes at her side, "Ashley, you okay?" The other girl /now/ takes up her defense, once it's relatively safe.
Ashley doesn't say a word back to Gertrude, though by the evanescent facial expression she had, one can wonder if Ashley will truly leave it at that.
But for now, Ashley is just Ashley... A meek, not so confident girl who seems to have had a rather traumatizing experience.
Log created on 12:56:08 01/15/2015 by Gertrude, and last modified on 09:50:28 02/24/2015.