Roleplaying Page for Pg. 171!

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Mz.Hyde
Mz.Hyde 
@disqus_NnFUI30kih 8 months ago
Happy New Year everyone! Looking back, 2018 for me was a year full of adventure. I got to study in China and the UK and I started learning how to drive! For 2019, my parents and I are hoping to move closer to coast at some point and start a new chapter in our lives.
Was 2018 a good year for you? And what do you look forward to in 2019?
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Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
((MillieGriffin Red Death Redemption, cont'd:))
"People do not return as animals, you ignorant goat," the man tried to goad, staring past the gun to where he guessed his assailant might be standing. "And opium is a small pestilence compared to what your people have done to my country." Briefly turning his head to Lewis, he continued, "The Red Death is the only way to stop the English. If I die, it is a small price to pay for my countrymen's freedom."
Christ, a fanatic! thought Lewis, even as he saw the fellow's point.
"But when it gets out you did it, the spiked boot heel of the English will come down all the harder. On your people especially," countered Lewis with a shake of his head. "What freedoms you presently enjoy will be stripped away."
He could see the man's skepticism.
"You think I don't know whereof I speak? I'm Scottish!" exclaimed Weir with a feeling of old wounds opened afresh. "They slaughtered our women and children! Our armed forces were banned! We weren't even allowed to wear kilts for three dozen years! They bloody well eviscerated us, and all we'd done was fight honorably! Think they won't do worse to you, with your biological warfare? Victoria lost some of her own children to cholera and--bang!--London got a new sanitation system. Her scientists have already found a cure to your Red Death, and they'll distribute it. What do you think the Queen's army won't do to you and yours, when they get wind of this?"
Though the Sikh still had a look of defiance about him, it turned sullen as, for the first time, the Scotsman's words gave him pause.
The Indian narrowed his eyes.
"You are bluffing," he ventured, the uncertainty in his voice belying the strength of his words.
Lewis turned to Griffin.
"Tell me, Vincent--is anything I've said the least bit untrue?"
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Weir detachedly noted that the Sikh didn't seem to find Griffin's invisibility the least bit odd--which was itself rather an odd reaction.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Oh, it's quite true, Boyd. All of it. And the scientist that found the cure I can guarantee is ten times better than whoever you got to create your viruses." The voice replied.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"[She did not create--]," the man began, but cut himself off.
"'She'?" echoed Lewis. He'd seen no women here, after all.
Wait a minute...
One of the energies he'd sensed on his earlier outing here had been passing familiar, though he'd not been able to place it.
Now, however...
His eyes widened.
"[Tell us who gave you this virus]," he said in a whisper. "[If we find her, you're free to go, no questions asked--I'll make sure of it.]" He took the Sikh's hands. "[Please, by the life of my son in Jaipur, I swear it! Just tell me her name! If it's who I think it is, then I fear this entire ordeal has little to do with England or India, and everything to do with her vendetta against me.]" If Weir wasn't desperate, he was certainly doing a magnificent job acting the part.
Taken aback, the turbaned man seemed to actually consider it.
"[How do I know this isn't some trick?]" After all, if an Englishman could lie...might not a Scotsman?
"[Look me in the eye]," said Lewis, his expression at once concerned and pleading, as if he feared for someone more than himself.
With a brief hesitation borne of caution, the man did so.
"[If she's here]," said Weir with utter sincerity, "[my entire family is in danger. To a one.]" He continued, "[Raj and Khul and Mahinder--even little Anita. She'll hurt them--God forbid, kill them--just to get at me. She's ruthless. Amoral. Wicked. She tricks men into doing what she wants.]" He slipped back into English with the emotion of it: "If they don't comply...she ruins them. If they fight back...well, let's just say this entire scheme is right up her alley for revenge. Did she tell you to sell the opium, too?" he asked, picking a bit of it up off the floor.
Hesitantly, the man gave a nod.
"She is...very persuasive," he said at last, as if struggling internally. "I..." He blinked, hard. "I cannot..."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"You're afraid of 'her'?" Asked the voice the gun still aimed at the man.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"I...no. Not afraid. I cannot... Even if I wished to speak her name, she..." The Indian man shook his head. "She is...she has forbidden..." he struggled to get the words out.
"When she forbids you," asked Lewis quietly, "does she hold your gaze? Do her eyes look strange?"
"Yes!" blurted the man, as if relieved to do so. "They are...not the same color as before."
Weir looked in Griffin's general direction with a muted expression of alarm or, at the least, perfectly warranted concern.
"Well. That certainly rings a bell."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Though neither of could see it as Griffin's eyes widened at the relation that finally struck who they were talking about.
"Bloody 'pacifist' my arse..." He muttered.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"Well said," seconded Weir. "Perhaps she conflates pacifism with indirect slaughter." It wasn't lost on him that not just the Society but all of London--the city from which she'd been exiled--could have died. Of course, knowing her, she likely has an antidote or a simple immunity.
"I fancy you can't tell us where she is," conjectured Lewis as he turned his gaze to the Indian man. "What's your name, by the by?"
"Rajpal Singh Chaudhry," he answered.
"Any relation to the Malout Chaudhrys?" asked Weir.
"You know them?"
Lewis nodded as he broke into a smile, and was about to speak further.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Is She the reason my invisiblity doesn't bother you? Do you know any other like me?" The gun drew closer to the man as Griffin spoke.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"She told me you exist--I know no other like you," he got out quickly. "She said it was science, but said not how."
He turned his gaze to Lewis, then back in Griffin's vicinity.
"I know not where she goes, but when she comes. This I can tell you--she never said not to.
"I have decided: I want to live--I will not die some pawn for an Englishwoman. Science-witch," he spat, as if it were anathema. "I will tell you if you let me go--I will even stay and open the door, if you do not trust me. I never wish to see this cursed country again," he finished with a mixture of disappointment and disgust.
Weir looked to Griffin as if to say the deal seemed fair enough to him.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
The gun lingered over the man for a beat and it started to shack, "Fffffffffffffine..." Griffin reluctantly said through clinched teeth as the gun tilted back, the little hammer on it clicked back to its disarmed state. As the gun moved away they could hear mumbling along the lines of, 'Guess now I have to clean up the bloody place instead of just burning it down nice and easy...'
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Very good," Weir said with a nod to signal his agreement to the arrangement with Rajpal.
Lewis extended a hand to help him up.
"'Sorry about the knee," he apologized with a sheepish look.
A clock in the emporium chimed loudly.
"She comes in one-half hour," said Chaudhry with a look to it.
"Bloody Hell," said Weir. "We haven't much time."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"F*uuuuuuuuuck..." Griffin groaned, "where the bloody hell am I supposed to put him then?" The gun pointed at the other Indian that lay dead on the floor, "I don't think quick lime would work fast enough... Is there an empty trunk or a closet...? Well I'm going to need a mop for the blood too— Dammit!"
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"I'll see to it," Lewis volunteered as he handed Rajpal his cane.
"[I'll be respectful]," he added for the latter man's benefit.
Weir was quickly beside the body. True to his word, he closed its eyes and lifted it as if he were carrying a fragile princess, even though it was rather heavy.
He disappeared behind some shelves, came back out, and picked up one of the dozens of crates.
"If you wouldn't mind seeing to the rest..." he asked Griffin.
Chaudhry, for his part, hobbled over to the table and took a seat. Once there, he did helpfully point out a mop and bucket.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin put the gun in the pocket of his invisible trousers as the went to grab the mop and bucket. Grumbling the whole time, he started cleaning up the blood off the floor and picking up the straw, incense and opium.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Lewis took the crate behind the shelves, then repeated the process with another. And another. And another.
Before long, he'd stacked an impromptu pyramid of crates around and over the deceased.
Rajpal, though he didn't rise, chanted from his holy book, as was proper to do for his fallen comrade.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Griffin purposely ignored the other two as he gathered the splintered crate up to put in the rubbish bin.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
After a time, the chanting and the cleaning concluded--and not a minute too soon, if the clock was anything to go by.
"Given I'm not invisible, I suppose I ought to hide," Weir thought aloud.
"She may recognize that cane, though," he warned Chaudhry.
The latter hobbled to the door and leaned on it for support.
"Take it," he bade Lewis.
Weir did so, then promptly hid behind the corpse-covering pyramid of crates.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin put the mop in Chaudhry's hand, "Here, you can say you slipped while mopping." Then with that he went to the table and the gun that was at hip level lifted up and then set itself down on the table as a chair slid out and made a creecking sound.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Chaudhry leaned on the mop for support as the other two readied themselves.
It wasn't long before a key turned in the lock of the door to the emporium.
In walked an all-too-familiar scientist.
"Hello, Dr. Radcliffe," said Rajpal as he stepped aside with the aid of the mop.
She'd seemed about to say something, but stopped short when she saw the lack of henchmen about.
"Where've the lot gone?" she more accused than asked, wheeling on him with a stare. "Slacking off again?" she said threateningly as she pulled a small device from her pocket.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Griffin had slipped around the table with the gun and behind Rajpal. As soon as he saw her pull something out of her pocket the gun sprang out from behind the Indian and shot her right in the shoulder joint. in another split moment she was barreled over to the floor landing on her chest and pinned down with the sash that was snatched off Rajpal in the struggle pressed against her eyes.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Radcliffe cried out as the bullet ripped into her shoulder. Her gas-dispersing device clattered to the floor as Griffin tackled her; it landed well away from Chaudhry, him, and her.
"Get off me you daft idiot!" she shouted through the pain, struggling with her good arm to rip the sash from her eyes. She tried unsuccessfully to kick Griffin with her heels.
"No," said Rajpal, eyes narrowed at her prone form. He pressed the mop against the back of her head and leaned on it, forcing her face to the ground.
"I really would lie still, if you fancy drawing another breath," said Lewis--who'd suddenly appeared behind Griffin--as Weir hooked the crook of his cane around her neck. Between it and the mop, and with Griffin's weight atop her, all Lewis would have to do was pull up a bit more, and she'd have no airflow.
Foolishly, she continued to struggle.
"MMMMMMFFFFFFFFFF--GH--!!!!!!" she cried in frustration; the sound cut off as Lewis lifted the cane.
She tried to kick again for good measure, knowing full well it was futile--the action was more akin to a child pitching a fit than it was a true struggle.
Eventually, she went still.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Griffin put his ear to the back of her torso between the shoulder blades, he could still hear her heart beat.
"Alright."
The gun put it's barrel to the other shoulder joint and fired. He then sat up and tied the sash properly over her eyes.
"She should be harmless now."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Chaudhry moved the mop aside so Griffin could tie the sash.
"Good," he said with a mix of vehemence and relief.
Weir removed the cane from its place against Radcliffe's throat, allowing air to flow freely once more.
It wasn't long before she was breathing again, if faintly.
"I probably ought to patch her up at least a little--as I've questions for her, it wouldn't do if she bled to death just now," said Lewis.
"I have questions also," put in Rajpal.
Weir laid down his cane, rolled Radcliffe onto her back, and set to work removing the bullets, glad for her current unconscious state.
He'd soon finished patching her up.
"Right. That's that," he pronounced.
He picked up the cane with his left hand and took smelling salts from a waistcoat pocket with his right. These latter he held under Radcliffe's nose.
She sat up with a start, disoriented. She went to grab at the sash on her face, but found her arms simply wouldn't obey her. More than that, they hurt like Hell.
"Get this bloody thing off me!" she demanded as she remembered what had happened.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin had pulled up a chair before Weir woke her up.
"Nope."
She felt a hand grab the back of her neck and she was lifted up. "Have a seat." And she was roughly dropped on the chair.
"Hello, Ariadne." Griffin said as he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders keeping her back against the back of the chair.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Griffin," she said with disgust, then added, just for good measure, "--the false one."
"Don't forget me," chimed in Lewis.
"I am also here," Rajpal reminded her. "You have much to answer for."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Mm-hm, Aheheheheh, better make it quick, luv... We're not 'pacifists'."
His hands tightened on her shoulders.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Radcliffe winced at the pain. She turned her head to where she thought Griffin might be, as if wishing to affect him despite the impromptu blindfold over her eyes.
"You have played me!" Chaudhry exclaimed. "You told me you would help my people, but you endangered us all! Tell me why!"
"Because you're gullible, you idiot!" she yelled back, finally accepting the jig was up.
"This was about us," Weir stated as if she'd just confirmed a pet hypothesis.
"Oh, you put it together? Bravo," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You're the ones who did something to Hawley!" she leveled at them. "I know it!"
Rajpal looked decidedly confused at that.
"Who is 'Hawley'?" he asked.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"He's just a ghost now." Griffin answered a bit ominously.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
By Griffin's tone, Weir wondered if he didn't mean it literally.
"Someone who tried to sell us out to Moriarty--a man who wished to be crime lord of the city, if not the world," answered Lewis.
"Ha!" scoffed Radcliffe in a strained voice--she had, after all, had no painkiller. "He was a real man," she asserted as she turned to Griffin. "Not like you, you cheap imitation! He was going to double-cross Moriarty and take over London--with me at this side!"
"This is all to do with criminals?" said Chaudhry, almost to himself, as if he couldn't believe he'd been duped over a petty underworld squabble. "[You English are crazy.]"
Weir's eyes went wide at Ariadne's revelation.
"Is that what he told you?" He broke into a laugh. "Ohoho, you bloody daft coo! Hawley? And you?" He fell into a laughing jag and couldn't stop.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin gave a short chuckle before leaning into her ear.
"I can tell you from experience, he cared nothing for you. You were just a skirt to hide behind to get out of trouble. You were nothing but a shield to him and a flimsy one at that. You failed."
He stood up straight again, "Now! How about those questions you should be answering?"
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"You're wrong!" exclaimed Radcliffe, though a tremor of doubt in her voice let Griffin know his words had hit home. "Hawley loved me! I saved him from a beating! I took over some of Moriarty's operations when Hawley disappeared," here she turned her head in Weir's general direction, "at your treacherous hands! We're going to rule London together just as soon as he comes back!"
"You speak to me of treachery?" said Lewis, whose incredulity at her words had finally stopped his laughing. "Have you even met Hawley? I'd call him a snake, but that'd be an to insult ophidians everywhere. He endangered the entire Society for no reason at all--even after he'd been given a second chance! He beat a man's sickly son to death just because the poor lad didn't have the information he wanted! He was more mad dog than cool crimelord--he'd've turned on you the second you ceased to be of use to him."
Chaudhry shook his head at the whole situation.
"Why did you choose me and my cousins to trap in your schemes?" he asked at last.
"Because you're all idiots," snapped Ariadne with a smug sneer. "You were easy to manipulate."
Incensed, Rajpal struck her in the face as he cursed in Punjabi. His repeated blows had the unfortunate effect of dislodging her blindfold, which fell to the floor. Chaudhry's expression reflected the vertiginous drop he felt in his stomach as Radcliffe's eyes changed color and she opened her mouth to speak.
In the blink of an eye, Weir'd interposed himself between the two...and made the happenstance mistake of letting her gaze find his.
Even better, she thought with a smile.
"Kill the others," she commanded him, "then yourself."
The green near the outer rims of Lewis's irises pushed itself toward the pupils, shrinking the brown and black. Then the reverse happened, the dark center pushing outward at the expense of all other color. Lastly, his eyes returned to their normal green-hazel-brown-black graduation of hues.
"You really are daft," he concluded.
For the sake of prudence, he pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to Griffin, though Weir really didn't see what all the fuss was about.
Mind-control eyes, my arse.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin had the gun out and was about to shoot either Ariadne or Weir when he saw Weir's eyes change but started to lacks a little when his business partner taunted her and held out his handkerchief, which Griffin hesitantly took.
As he tied it around Radcliffe's eyes he threatened in her ear, "Try anything like that again and I personally make sure you meet your little crush again in a second."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Wha--? Why didn't it work? thought Ariadne with a mix of surprise and anger.
Griffin threatened her as he covered her eyes again.
"I can't try it with a blindfold on, can I?" she retorted, as if he were an ignoramus. Yet beneath her bubbling bravado lay the beginnings of a very real sense of loss. The way Griffin and Weir spoke of Hawley, she was coming to realize, her love might very well be gone--no bluffs, no tricks, just...dead.
"She should meet him now," opined Chaudhry. "My cousin's death," here he looked briefly in the direction of the stacked crates, "is her fault! Honor demands her death in return."
Technically, isn't it Griffin's fault? Weir silently questioned, but knew better than to say. They didn't need Rajpal at their throats, and Chaudhry didn't need to die by Griffin's gunshot. Ah, well. If he wishes to interpret it in his own way, so be it.
"Before she does," put in Lewis, "I'm curious where she got the virus in the first place--and whether there's more than just the case of vials here."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Radcliffe taunted.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Well," Griffin said as he circled around to the front of Airadien, "I suppose it time to stop playing nice.
He then put his hands on the side of her head and placed his thumbs over the parts of the blindfold where her eyes were.
"You have until you feel a rather nasty popping senation to tell us what we want to know."
And with that said Airadien started to feel pressure on her eyes growing more and more into something painful as he started to squeeze.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Eeyah! Stop, you bloody lunatic!" shouted Ariadne, anger mingling with panic as she felt the pressure increase. "Stop! Stop!"
"The information...?" prompted Weir.
"Stop! Fine--I've two more cases! Damn you all!" she cried.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"And they are where?" Griffin asked still keeping the exact level of pressure on her eyes.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"In my flat!" she got out.
"And the original source?" questioned Lewis.
"A bloody boat off the coast of Bombay!"
"The ship of death," said Rajpal in a hushed tone as he put the pieces together. Eyes wide and wary, he muttered something in Punjabi as he drew back from Radcliffe.
"She should not be alive," he said with a haunted look.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Where's your flat?" Asked Griffin, who was starting to get tired of this by now.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"If I tell you, you'll kill me!" protested Radcliffe.
"If you don't, he'll make it a slow and rather painful death," countered Weir as he took out his journal. He wrote something on a blank page, tore the note out, and held it where Griffin--but not Chaudhry--could see it:
May I kill her slowly when we're done?
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin considered the silent request for a moment.
Hmm... I thought the brutal murder and such was my job... then again, if Lewis has that big of a grudge against her I don't see why I should get in the way... Oh, and what about the Indian, he obviously wants revenge too, are you going to take turns and share Weir? Aheheh... Oh whatever! so long as the job gets done.
"...Yeah." Was all he said.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
To Radcliffe, it simply sounded as if Griffin were agreeing that he would, indeed, cause her a slow and painful death if she didn't give them the information they wanted.
"I can show you," she offered, hoping to weasel her way out of their clutches--or at least the blindfold--on the journey. "Otherwise, how will you know I'm telling the truth?" Even in her desperation, she never lost that last bit of smugness at her own cleverness.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Or I could just pop out your eyes right now and break every bone from your toes up until you tell us the truth..." Griffin said flatly dead pan.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Radcliffe weighed that possibility.
"White Horse Street off Commercial Road East," she said at last with an air of reluctance. "Two doors south from the Ratcliffe Schools."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Hmm..." 
After a long moment Griffin finally let go of her head. He then said an invisible hand on Chaudhry's shoulder.
"You know of this ship of death, do you know if we can we get to it?"
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
"The authorities burned the ship in the water before it could reach the dock to make us die," answered Chaudhry. "I did not know anyone but one official had gone to it." He cast a superstitious look at Ariadne. "Much less survived. For he did not."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Well one less thing to worry about then." He said a little cheerily then handed the gun to Weir.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"I suppose I should stay here and guard her," Lewis suggested as he accepted the firearm, "on the off chance she's lying."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Of course! And I'll what i said I would do to her if she is laying." Griffin agreed, "Now give me back my coat."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Weir did so, handing Griffin the hat as well for good measure.
Lewis then addressed Rajpal.
"And you?"
"I will make a pyre for my cousin," Chaudhry stated. He looked at Ariadne with a shiver, then used the mop to hobble over to some of the crates. These he began to splinter for kindling.
"Best of luck," Weir bade Griffin.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Mm-hm..." The sleeves of the coat flattered one at a time before the coat was stood full, "And if she tries to escape, give her a little reminder of Hawley by shooting her legs." With that the Invisible Man put his hat on and left for the location.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Weir couldn't help but guffaw at Griffin's poetic suggestion.
Once Griffin had left, Lewis leaned in and spoke in a low voice to Ariadne.
"You know, sometimes I wish Hawley weren't dead--just so I could have the pleasure of ending his miserable existence myself."
Her response was a cry of rage as she attempted to headbutt him.
Weir's response was to immediately lean back and shoot her in the shin.
"[Is she dead?]" asked Chaudry as he poked his head up from the crates.
Radcliffe's response was to curse them a blue streak.
"[No,]" Lewis stated the obvious, "[but I imagine she'll soon wish she were. By the way, did you want to do the honors, or...?]"
Surprisingly, Rajpal shook his head.
"[She's unnatural. I might taint myself by contact. If I'm allied with you and you do it, then honor is satisfied.]"
Weir nodded.
"[I'll do it. You have my word]," he promised the Sikh.
* * *
A westward route on Commercial Road East led Griffin past the Ratcliffe Iron Foundry; a quick turn north took him up White Horse Street. The Ratcliffe schools for boys, girls, and infants were each marked as such by faded signage, their paint cracked and peeling--this wasn't exactly the choicest of neighborhoods.
Two doors south of the southernmost school was a narrow little two-story building crowded in by its neighbors. The battered-looking door with its worn, iron knob wasn't even locked. Persons toward the lower end of working-class passed through it on their ways to and from shifts at the foundries and factories nearby.
Inside were stairs leading to the upper story and the basement. Doors with numbers long ago painted on them lined the halls on all three floors. Each portal led to its own one-room apartment. With six per floor, that made eighteen in total.
Radcliffe had neglected to tell Griffin which was hers.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin did take this into account before the got there, he had brought a half dozen of his "employees" to help search the entire building for the two cases.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Despite the buildings' denizens, they conducted a thorough search...but came up empty-handed.
* * *
Chaudhry, in the meantime, had finished putting together the funeral pyre but had yet to light it.
Weir had treated Radcliffe's leg, though she did try to kick him in the face more than once.
She'd also unsuccessfully attempted to escape, and wound up bound to the chair for her trouble.
Both men couldn't help but wonder what was taking Griffin so long.
There was also still no sign of the six Indians who'd earlier fled the scene.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
After a while Griffin came back with his six men and one of them was wearing his hat and coat.
"Well we searched the whole building and found nothing." Said the voice sounding frustrated and tired.
Griffin walked up to Radcliffe, "So as I promised..." He grabbed the sides of her head and plunged a thumb into one of her eyes.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Ariadne's scream echoed off the emporium's walls.
Given what often occurred in this part of town, however, any potential outside witnesses opted to mind their own business--just as they'd have done with the earlier sounds of gunfire. It was an added irony that Radcliffe herself had paid off the three policemen who walked the local beat to ignore any such suspicious sounds.
Lewis shook his head.
"He did warn you..." he said of Griffin.
Ariadne would have clutched at her bleeding eye socket, but she hadn't the use of her hands nor arms.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Now are you going to tell the true location of the cases or do you want to loose the other eye?" Griffin asked with a growl in his throat as he placed his thumb over the other eye.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Hhnnnngg..." Radcliffe desperately wanted the pain in what had once been her right eye to stop, but even more desperately wanted to avoid repeating the experience with the one she had left.
"North corner of Upper Baker Street and the Allsop Mews," she managed through the agony. "Upper floor."
"I think she's telling the truth," put in Lewis with an air of surprise.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"We'll see..." Griffin said ominously.
Griffin then went over to the men he brought and clapped three of them on the shoulder, including the one wearing his coat. "You, you, and you are coming with me. The rest of you can stay here, Boyd's in charge while I'm gone."
With that he and the other three men left .
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
The new address Radcliffe had given them was clear across the city.
Griffin and the trio arrived to find a well-kept building, freshly whitewashed. The brass-handled door was both sturdy and locked.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Hmm..." Griffin pondered as he held the doorknob.
"Why don't we just go through a window?" said one of the men before he started to go around to find a low window.
"Hey, be careful!" Griffin said after him, "that sl*g's crazy, she might have booby-trapped the windows."
With a nod the man went off to find a window.
"You think she'd really do that?" The man wearing Griffin's coat asked.
"I wouldn't put it past her..."he replied, "does one of you have a lock pick?"
"I never leave home without one." Said the other man as he took out his lock picking set and started to get to work on the door.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
The man who'd gone round the corner to the window was able to spot and avoid triggering a tripwire Radcliffe had rigged to it. There was no way to open the window without doing so, and the next was outfitted the same way.
To make matters worse, there came through the misty distance a patrolman walking down Baker street. Though the lackey standing by Griffin didn't notice the policeman, Griffin certainly did. It appeared the cop hadn't yet caught sight of them.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
As soon as Griffin saw the patrolman he tapped the two men on the shoulders.
"Cop, hide!" He hissed and the other two quickly went around the corner of the building. The lockpicker cursed the rotten luck.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
In due time, the patrolman passed by. He remained oblivious to the presence of Griffin and his men.
At Baker Street Station, the policeman turned left onto Marylebone Road and passed out of sight, the sound of his footfall fading gradually away.
(( Key: Fuchsia-circled building is Radcliffe's flat. Red "X" is cop. Blue "X" is where the would-be window thief tried to get in, around the corner of the building--a good place to hide. Green spot is the front door to the building.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Griffin stood in front of the door as he waited and watch the policeman go around the corner before calling the all clear to the others. The two men came back around the corner again and the lockpicker went straight back to his work. Soon after came the third man back around grumbling.
"D*mn, the Invisible Man was right about the windows," he said, "bloody b*tch's gottem rigged..."
"Well at least that means this is the right place..." Griffin said.
"And nearly there..."said the lockpicker.
"Better hold your breath and cover your nose." Griffin warned
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
With a click, the bolt slid back.
Success.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
As the lockpicker opened the door feeling very proud of his skill everyone looked down and saw a tripwire just past the door.
"Oh, wow... That's subtle." Said the man in Griffin's coat sarcastically with an amused smirk on his face.
"Yeah, Very amateurish." Said the lockpicker as he put away his tools and just stepped over the wire.
"It was like this in the windows too," said he third man as he stepped over it as well, "all you had to do was look in, and low, there was a trap as plane as day!"
"Well they kept you out, so it must've worked." The lockpicker mused with a sly grin before the man smacked his arm causing him and the man in the coat t chuckle.
"That's enough," ordered Griffin causing them all to be silent, "we need to find those two cases. You remember what I told you they'd look like?"
The men nodded in unison before one of them spoke up.
"Can we keep any loot we find?"
"I don't care. Just so long as we find those cases and you be careful not to break anything. That women works with some poisonous gasses."
"Right!" All three of the men said at once before splitting up. The man in Griffin's coat closed the door behind them before searching.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
In the course of searching the place, no one found anything of value before there came a thunk from upstairs, followed not ten seconds later by another.
The locksmith had run afoul of a chemical trap when opening the locked drawer of Ariadne's nightstand. He'd attempted to get out of the way of the cloud of gas that'd bloomed forth, but he'd been only partially successful. Still, he was merely unconscious, and would wake in a few hours.
The man who'd been at the windows fared much worse. He made the mistake of opening exactly the wrong cupboard in Radcliffe's lab, and was rewarded with a dose of poison gas potent enough to kill twelve men. He held his breath...but this poison was absorbed through the eyes, the ears...any orifice. He was unrecognizable as he fell to the floor, dead.
The man in Griffin's coat, meanwhile, encountered nothing of interest in Ariadne's downstairs study.
Griffin himself hadn't run afoul of anything, either.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
As soon as Griffin and the other heard the thuds upstairs the man in the coat was about to go up to check on them before Griffin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Don't you dare you fool!"snapped Griffin, "not until we find some protection!"
Reluctantly the man agreed and continued to such the downstairs study before he found a couple of gas-masks.
"I found something!" He called. When Griffin saw the masks in his hands he felt a bit releaved.
"Good," Griffin said as he took on of them, "with these we can go upstairs a little more safely now."
They both put on a mask before going upstairs.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Thankfully, the exposure of the gas in the lab to oxygen had quickly condensed it to vapor, then liquid. It now sat in harmless-looking little droplets on the floor around the dead man.
The locksmith had received a bruise or two upon impacting the floor, but was otherwise none the worse for wear. His breathing was shallow but steady.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Oh God..." The man in the coat muttered as he looked down at his dead friend.
"Just focus on finding those cases." The floating gas-mask ordered as it was looking around, "then we can worry about those two."
Griffin then looked in the now opened drawer that the locksmith got knocked out by and the other man looked in the deadly cupboard.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Inside the lethal cupboard was one case of the equally lethal Red Death.
The nightstand drawer contained a checkbook, some periodicals of a scandalous nature, and Radcliffe's personal journal.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
The coated man carefully took out the case.
"I got one of them!" He said triumphantly.
"Good work," Griffin said as he took the contents out of the drawer and placed them under his arm, "just one more to go."
The man nodded but then looked back down at his dead comrade as the thought struck him.
"I'm going to get a long stick or something." He said as he put the case on the floor and went to grab the poker.
"Now you're thinking..." Griffin off handedly commented while still looking around, "get me one too!" He called.
After the man returned with a poker and an umbrella Griffin took the poker and they used the tools to continue their search for the last case.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
It took some doing, but they finally found the second case in the rear of a kitchen cabinet, behind a large tin of prunes. There was no booby trap--Radcliffe must have counted on its odd placement to keep it out of others' hands.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Finally!" Griffin sighed in releaf as he took the case out of the cabinet. 
"Alright grab the other case and let's go."he ordered.
"What about Pursy?" The coated man asked.
"Who?"
"Pursy. The one that picked the lock and was knocked out...?"
"Oh, him... I'll arrange for him and he other one to be picked up later, for now we worry about getting these cases back."
".... Okay..."said the coated man reluctantly.
After he got the other case and Griffin stuck the masks and other things in the coat pocket, the two of them headed back to the spice shop.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
By the time Griffin and the coated man returned, Chaudhry had lighted his cousin's pyre and finished the chanted benedictions. The Sikh kept watch over the controlled fire, waiting for the body to burn completely. The warehouse was of such a height that the smoke wasn't really a bother at ground level--at least, for now.
"You're back! Did you find the cases?" remarked Lewis when Griffin and the henchman returned. "Oh, where are the others?" Weir wondered when no more walked in.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"One of them is still alive..." Griffin answered in a low volume so Radcliffe wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing her cases was at the cost of one of his men. 
"Here are the cases!" He announced as he took them from his laky and presented them to Weir.
"Along with other things, Aheheh." He said pulling out the checkbook, the scandalous periodicals , and Radcliffe's journal of the coat pocket.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Weir's brows rose at the mention of the dead man.
"Oh. My," Lewis said equally quietly.
"Oho," he said with a growing grin when Griffin gave him the cases. "That's good news indeed." Weir very carefully placed them on the card table, well away from the pyre.
He turned to see what else Griffin meant and was surprised at the items in question, particularly the periodicals.
"My, my, Doctor Radcliffe..." he teased as his accent hewed Scottish, "aren't we the naughty lass?"
Radcliffe naturally had no idea what Griffin had returned with save for the Red Death.
"Go to Hell," she retorted on general principle.
Lewis had to laugh at that.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"I suppose even a one-eyed crazy b*tch has her needs too, Aheheh."
Griffin casually sauntered over to Airadien as he spoke, "Well, since you finally decided to cooperate, I decided I won't kill you."
Then he grabbed her head, "I'll just do this." And he plunged his thumb into her other eye.
"There, now they match." He quipped
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Radcliffe went from disbelieving relief to utter agony in a mere handful of seconds, her shriek drowning out the crackling of the fire.
[These English are savages], thought Rajpal, even though he had no love of Ariadne.
DAMN IT, I WANTED HER TO SEE ME! thought Lewis as his face contorted into a silent snarl. His fists clenched so hard they shook.
He tried to calm himself, to take a breath, but was so perturbed the exhalation came out a low, whispery, animal sound from the back of his throat, akin to a warning growl.
"Animal" wasn't inaccurate--his body language resembled nothing so much as a predator defending its kill, tensed to lash out.
By a staggeringly difficult effort of will that went against his every instinct, he forced shut his eyes--which he knew to have changed--and remained where he was.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
As Airadien shrieked in pain Griffin guffawed at the awful trick he played. When he looked back at Weir and saw the look on his face, his laugh started to die into a chuckle then to a half hearted laugh as his expression (though no one can see it) turned from jovial to a confused half grin.
What the hell is his problem? I didn't kill her, I'm leaving that for him... he thought before shrugging it off.
"Oh, quite whining!" He said to the now blind woman, "Just look on the bright side, you won't need the blindfold anymore." He purposely chose that phrase, "I'll leave you to the good doctor now."
With that he went to his four men to relay orders on getting the two fallen men back.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
The blind pain of her ruined eyes put Ariadne right on the edge of breaking down; Griffin's last revelation pushed her over it. Through the blood and tears running down her face, she managed a desperate cry:
"No! You said I would live!" She well knew Hawley had vanished after Weir'd given chase. How would she ever get her revenge if Lewis did to her whatever he'd done to her love?
Griffin's words naturally had a much different effect on Weir. They came to Lewis as if from a great distance; it took him a few seconds before they sank in. When they did, a wave of ecstatic relief welled up within and rolled through him. His posture relaxed as a smile sprang to his lips. His breath held a regular rhythm, even if it did come and go in a light pant.
"Finally," he managed. He cleared his throat and opened his eyes, blinking thrice for good measure. "I was beginning to fear there'd be nothing left."
Belatedly, he remembered the gun in his waistband. 'Good thing I didn't have that in hand a mere moment ago, he reflected with a shake of his head. I don't need Griffin as my enemy.
He wondered at his own temporary lapse of self-control, but reasoned it shouldn't, in hindsight, have come as a surprise--the past few days had been especially stressful, and he was only human, after all.
His gait a study in efficiency mixed with exhausted relief, he strode over to Radcliffe and removed the dirtied, black blindfold.
She was, to say the least, rather gruesome to behold.
He tsked at the sight, then sighed.
"You certainly did a number on her," he remarked to Griffin, though Weir's tone made it difficult to tell if he meant it as a compliment or a criticism--perhaps a bit of both.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Hm?" Griffin's attention was mostly on getting his coat back from his lacky before all four henchmen left, after a second it registered that Weir was talking to him.
"Well I didn't say, 'I' wasn't going to kill her." He replied, "Just wanted to get a last good one in before handing her to you."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Fine, fine," Weir waved it off as he prepared a syringe he'd pulled from his pocket.
He administered an eighth of its contents to Radcliffe's neck, but it had no visible effect.
He checked the speed of her pulse as Ariadne protested her situation.
This done, he gave her another dose, twice as large as the first.
Her pulse and breathing slowed as she once again faded into unconsciousness.
"That's better," pronounced Lewis when she'd fallen silent. "Anything I need to help with here, as far as clean-up?" he asked Griffin.
"[Is she dead?]" Chaudhry asked with hope on his face.
"[No, but she soon will be]," Weir assured him.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"I don't think–" Griffin was about to answer Weir before Chaudhry came back.
"What about him?" He asked referring to the Indian, "He is a witness..."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"True, but I doubt he'll he go to the authorities, given his own part in this business," whispered Lewis with a shrug. "He asked me to promise I'd kill Radcliffe for him--not that I needed convincing--since she's 'unnatural' and he thinks her mere touch might taint him. He even said he's allied with me and honor will be satisfied that way. From all I've seen, I believe he's telling the truth."
He pondered a moment.
"But, if you're still uncertain, it might be better if he packed off to India. Would that be amenable to you?" he asked in a crisp, businesslike manner while keeping his voice down.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin glanced between Weir and Rajpal for a moment.
"Fine, whatever!" He said flippantly as he put on his coat and boots.
it's not like we aren't already losing money in our business,
just throw money at any Indian you like... He thought sarcastically as he put on his hat then looked at Chaudhry.
"You! Rajpal...? Was it...? What's the strongest incense you have I can rub on these? He asked picking up one of the cases. "I don't want the scientist I'm giving this to know where and who it came from."
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
Weir had no earthly idea why Griffin was so upset.
Isn't this the best outcome for all parties? No one to pay off, no additional body to dispose of--Hell, with any luck, Raj'll take his cousin's remains with him and save us that trouble, too.
He shook his head. If Griffin was in a mood, that was the man's own doing.
"Yes," confirmed Chaudhry. He made his way to and rummaged through a sack in the corner. He shortly produced more than enough incense to get the job done and handed it over.
"[By the by, Rajpal, what do you think you'll do after we finish things here?]" asked Lewis, as if he were merely making conversation.
"[I...don't know.]" The Sikh shook his head. "[I want no more of London, that's for sure.]"
He stroked his beard in thought.
"[I think]," he said after a bit, "[I'll find my other cousins and we'll go home. It's been too long since I've seen my sister's children.]"
He looked to the pyre; the fire had nearly run its course.
"[I'll also tell my cousin's widow the news and scatter his ashes]," he declared solemnly.
Weir nodded soberly.
"[Safe travels, my friend]," he bade the Indian.
That, at least, prompted a smile from Chaudhry.
"[Stay well]," returned Rajpal.
He went to attend to the waning fire.
Lewis informed Griffin of the situation.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Okay, fine." Griffin said offhandedly as he grabbed a handful of the incense from the bag and started rubbing it all over the cases. "We'll give him enough money for the tickets..."
Then the thought struck him.
"Oh, or Radcliffe could..." He suggested picking up the checkbook off the table. An invisible grin formed on his face.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
It hadn't occurred to Lewis that Griffin would even consider paying for the Indians' passage home.
"That's a grand idea," Weir agreed regarding Radcliffe as a lopsided smile spread across his face.
"All we need is one signature and we can use her checkbook freely--I'm a decent forger, if I do say so myself."
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"And you have her personal diary for examples, Aheheh..."he added now picking up the diary.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Lewis came over to look at the book in question.
In large handwriting on the inside front cover was:
This journal is the personal property of Dr. Ariadne Radcliffe. If found, return promptly and do not read.
Weir broke into a laugh.
"Would you look at that!" he exclaimed.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Aheheheh, yeah." Griffin chuckled as he continued to rub the incense on every inch of the cases. The invisible grin was still on his face.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago • edited
It wasn't long before Lewis had practiced enough to get Radcliffe's signature right. He wrote a check large enough to cover passage to India for Raj and his cousins.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
By the time Weir had forged the check Griffin finished making the scent of all three cases.
"That should do it." He said wiping the leftover incense that coated his hands with his own serviette.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Right then." Lewis handed the check to Rajpal. "This should be more than enough to get you and yours home."
Chaudhry gave his thanks and began to gather up his cousin's remains.
When this was done, he bade Weir and Griffin goodbye and set out to find his family.
"That's that," proclaimed Lewis.
"Anything else that needs doing, or shall I take Radcliffe elsewhere before she wakes up?"
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin had turned his hologram back on after Chaudhry left, when Weir asked if there was anything else that needs done Griffin just walked over and grabbed a whole jar of ginger.
"This is mine now."
And with that he picked up the cases and other things and left.
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Jekyll1886  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Right."
It occurred to him then that he was in a warehouse...into which no one could see...alone with Ariadne, who had the key in her pocket.
"Huhuhuhuhehehehehoo," he laughed to himself.
He took the key and locked the door, then went back over to her and untied her from the chair. Lastly, he injected her with adrenaline.
Her eyelids fluttered open as she woke with a start.
"Hello, dearie..." he said with a nasty grin.
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Griffin took a cab back to the society after picking up some food from a nearby shop, since he hadn't eaten since that morning and he was finally 'off the job' as he would put it. He felt an immense relief to see the society come into view through the cab window. After paying the cab man he walked up the steps of the society to it's big green doors. With the ginger, the food and the three cases his arms were too full to enter himself so he started kicking the door with his boot until someone answered.
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Less than half a minute later, the door swung inwards as Helen opened it, her eyes widening a touch the sight of an overburdened Griffin.
“Oh! Here, let me help you with that,” She offered, reaching out to help carry some of the items.
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Sure. Here."
He let her carry the food and the big jar of ginger as he walked in.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Where should we bring everything?” asked Helen as she shut the door behind him and walked with him into the main hall, holding the food under one arm and the ginger under the other.
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"That is going to our room." He instructed pointing at the food and ginger, "I have to get these straight to Millie" he said referring to the cases.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Of course,” Helen replied with a nod, “Should I wait for you there for your report?”
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"If you must..."he said with a sigh as he went off to find his neice.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
Helen went to the room Griffin and Millie shared, using her key to enter and place both the jar and the food on the desk.
That done, she simply stood out in the hall, waiting for Griffin to return.
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Not even a minute passed before Millie came down the hall from the opposite direction.
"Helen." she acknowledged before she unlocked the door to her room, "Were you waiting on one of us?" She asked without looking at her.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Yes, I need to hear Griffin’s report from his recent outing with Lewis,” Helen confirmed with a nod, “I don’t suppose you know if he’s headed this way? He had said he was going to find you.”
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Oh! Well, yes he'll probably be here soon if he's looking for me. Probably went—" she stopped herself as she glanced at Helen then opened the door, "If you want you can wait inside..." She offered out of pure cant then anything.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Thank you,” Helen said with a kind smile, stepping inside.
“I take it you’ve already managed to secure the samples Lewis acquired on his reconnaissance?”
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Yes..." Millie sighed.
She noticed the food and the jar instantly as she entered.
She started inspecting it curiously, especially the ginger.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Oh, Griffin asked me to bring those here,” She explained when Millie noticed the items, “I’m not certain if they’re intended solely for him or not.”
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"You never can tell with him..." She said with her back towards Helen.
why a whole jar of ginger though...?
She decided to leave that question for when her uncle got back.
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“Well, with luck, he’ll be here soon to clear matters up,” She said with a good-natured laugh.
“How have you been recently, Millie?” Helen asked, genuinely wishing to know.
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MillieGriffin  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Millie nerrowed her eyes at Helen as she gave her a sideways glance.
". . . Very slightly better than yesterday at least..."she finally answered, again trying to be as neutral as possible, "Why do you ask...?"
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Helen Jekyll  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
“It’s rather important for me to monitor how all of the Lodgers are doing,” Helen explained with a dip of her head, “And asking is simply the polite thing to do.”
“Not to mention, I know this whole Red Death situation has been stressful for you,” She continued, her gaze sympathetic.
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Pyrogue  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((Sorry to interrupt, but who is Radcliffe? Just interested in the storyline, that’s all. It seems like she’s been in a previous RP?))
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Jekyll1886  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
((She has. Several months (or maybe more than a year?) back, there was an arc with Hawley Griffin (different from Millie's Griffin), Moriarty, and Ariadne Radcliffe. The arc ended in Moriarty's and Griffin's deaths and Radcliffe's exile from London. She was told point blank not to return on pain of death.
She did leave, but it was only to plot her revenge. That's how she wound up in India (among other places), looking for rare diseases.))
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Tairais • 8 months ago
(( Jekyll1886 *Drunk cawing* YULETIDE MY DUDE
Jekyll1886
Lewis was silent for a moment; Charricthran's revelations were no small thing to take in.
"Are you saying you're several gods, then--via absorption?" he asked quietly. "Or is it more simply that you've taken their power?"
Tairais:
His expression softened into tenderness, wry grin returning like candleflame.
"'S like you always say, Weirmrith: I'm always me."
He then dipped his head and elaborated.
"For the most part, I've taken their power an'... 'spose ya could say I erased 'em from time as punishment. Few o' em were good an' kind sorts, so they're in The Other as themselves, on the edges o' The Shifting Paths, closer ta the Well o' Stars 'n wha's left o' their homes.
"Few o' them were too dangerous ta my sense o' self for one reason or another, so they're in The Other as the Amuulzhaanir. 'S as safe as I can make 'em. They hunt, Wer'Vemud keeps 'em in line when I'm out."
"Insofar 's possible, I'm myself. The other alternative ain't wrong, though- The Other's... complicated. My realm 'cos it was originally the reservoir for my magic, so it's part o' me, but the collapse o' home an' my an' the little danthe each taking half by mistake means it's more space than I can ever really fill, an' it grows with every universe I visit, see? Plenty o' room within me for others, so long's they ain't too loud."
He shrugged. "I dunno how better ta explain it than tha', short o' sharin' the experience with your mind, which I'd advise 'gainst 'less ya really fancy a trip." ))
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
True, but mine came from within--not outside--me, Weir thought but was kinder than to say.
"If you were to," he ventured, "would you be in my mind as well? Or is it more of a one-way street?"
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran winced, full-body and visceral as it shivered his way up his spine.
"One way. I've my mind pierced enough not ta wish it on anyone else, ta. 'S rude to barge elsewhere without permission- dream nonsense o' tha' one time notwithstandin', 'cos near as I can tell somethin's gotta be asking for help or a presence or sommat ta open the door there."
He pinched the bridge of his nose with a huff of laughter.
"Yeah, no. One way."
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Do you...feel like sharing what you described?" asked Lewis with a concerned tilt of his head. "If not, it could be done later, or not at all--I'd not wish to impose."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran shrugged.
"I don' mind sharin' it with you. Have your Title for a reason, see? 'S more o' my not wantin' ta startle or harm ya in some way I'd not be able ta anticipate. My understandin' o' myself is biased- I've never lived a life like yours, or like a human's."
He tapped his fingers against the ground and mimicked Lewis' tilted head.
"So the real question is, do you wanna know what 's like, Weirmrith?"
In that half-Title rang a trust almost oceanic in its depth.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
Weir took a long draught from the bottle, set it down, and wiped his mouth.
He looked Charricthran in the eye.
"Do it."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Charricthran glanced at the bottle once, paused, and then did likewise. He muttered something under his breath that, while the language was foreign, was universal in its bemused hope of nothing going wrong.
With that, he moved closer to Lewis and rested his hands on the sides of his face, a thumb on each cheekbone as red eyes bore into green-chasing-brown-to-black.
His hands were cold, to the point of resembling death, nothingness. As temperature was a result of the movement of particles that made up the existence of all things, so too was the lack of movement the lack of warmth.
His hands burned with cold, blinding and bright and white, cracking against the inside of hollow cheeks. This cold was a barrier, the light which cast the shadows he freely walked through.
All the colors that made up light and cold and the visage known as Charricthran vanished, leaving nothing but moulded shadow behind.
Red eyes turned to darkness, a portal by which to enter what they were already in.
Darkness turned to nothingness.
There was no cold, for the cold blinded in all its brightness. There was no warmth, for the warmth was dark suns over dark sands, clouds billowing like smoke and smoke choking like brambles.
Something swam in the nothingness, sending out ripples.
Everything broke. The narrowness of self shot backwards, as if snapped on a rubber band, past the confines of one body, back into darkness.
There was so much noise- how could anyone ever say the night was silent? It all Whispered- theywanttobeunderstoodtheywantahome sheslefthimforhissisterandheknows lavenderandrosesheknowsheknows Therewasnothinghecoulddo themoneyisforhimselfneverthepoor - all of these voices had Names, all of them had faces, all of them were known and all of them were doorways and-
-And all of them fell silent.
The world sailed backwards, above these formless voices. The mind's eye traveled past London as he saw it, ghostly impressions against a blue-gray background as if under the Thames and swimming. Infinity stretched on, close enough for him to draw about him like a blanket.
Further, further, past the echos of Self and the screams of the Amuulzhaanir, faceless, raging, starving. He felt all of them as no more than a gentle current tugging at his feet.
It was the same with the Whispers. Millions, billions of voices begging for attention with the force of a trillion localized hurricanes, buffeting his senses. They appeared as swarms of fish when he silenced them, glowing quietly in a rainbow of muted gray shades, only the colors of night, gold, and red standing out to him.
Further, further away still- into the stars that filled the sky, where Time wove gold-and-red threads against a black-and-purple sky. These, too, were his to ensnare and tangle if he wished, though staring at them too long made them join the Whispering fish.
Here, their wings outstreched- His and Wer'Vemud's, all four pairs. The edges of his original wings- featherandboneandwhisperingdesert- just barely reached the confines of this universe.
Further, further away still. They were constantly reaching, growing with the push of outstretching wings.
There were Whispers at the edges of this universe, older than he, but quieter. Three, to be precise: one laughed as windchimes in summer, the only gentle light he could tolerate. Another was cool, the gentle lapse of an infinite ocean that he'd once called home with a snapping sail. The final was content to simply dream, locked in an endless slumber.
He knew without thinking that the other two sang lullabies to her.
Bright spots of white marked scars in the fabric of everything he was. Some were the Song of things he'd slain- and these too threatened to bubble over before joining the Whispers in their fish-and-feathered forms.
They stood together, he and Wer'Vemud, and reached out with a hand that would have destroyed solar systems with a less gentle touch. Countless memories blossomed like plants that had no name in the English language, most unfamiliar, with a few glimpses of the Society at the briefest end of the kaleidoscope.
Everything was too much, screaming with the force of wanting to be known, wanting to be remembered. EVERYTHING raced to find the boundaries of their wings, to escape into his Song properly.
It glowed at the apex of his wingspan, bright and distant and unknowable, for there was no single word for what he was anymore. He called out to the depths of himself, an echoing cry that reverberated down to the bone, grated against tooth and marrow and claw as it tore and soothed in turn.
All that went still, and he was himself.
Soundless, floating in a sea of stars. All around him, there were walls of infinite darkness, and he Knew.
Here was the Beginning and the End of himself, contained in an infinity not quite his own making.
Soundless. Sightless, save for the stars and ropes of Time. Weightless, floating, free, fleeting.
It was unbearable, to be here alone. All the moreso because he knew The Opposite intimately.
Everything broke.
Eyes opened into viewing obsidian sand and a sea of stars above him, where they belonged.
Black eyes turned to red boring into green-chasing-brown-into-black.
Charricthran did not move. His hands were no longer burning cold, but slightly warm to the touch. He breathed, even though stars and shadows and all the things that lived within him did not need to breathe.
Everything was still.
Silent.
But not alone.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago • edited
Weir's eyelids fluttered rapidly as the impressions returned them to here, to now, if those words applied.
He blinked, hard, forcing his gaze to focus.
He was thoughtful for a long spate of moments.
"Thank you," he got out at last, his voice rough as if from disuse, like a rusty key.
He again fell silent for a bit, his words taking their time in coming back to him.
"I think..." he concluded aloud, "we are similar and different."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Charricthran gave a wobbly grin, but still refrained from talking.
He refrained from moving, save for breathing.
As he breathed, the faint crackle of something akin to a wheeze tiptoed past the back of his throat, under which he could feel the scraped remains of his keening cry, perched with hungry, razor-sharp feathers.
One eye turned red-purple-blue-black, and he lifted a hand to cover it as darkness spilled forth. He gingerly removed his other hand from Weir's cheek, for fear of causing further distress to them all.
He pushed himself back and out of Lewis' personal space, then tilted his head as he had done just before it all, beckoning elaboration if Lewis were of a mind for it.
His hand fell from his face, and though it had stopped leaking, Wer'Vemud was still present.
Charricthran didn't much think he minded. The two of them were still floating, somewhat. It was easier to stay tethered to where they were if they put both of their minds to it.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
Lewis, for his part, didn't mind in the slightest; he had in truth looked a little puzzled when Char'd covered his eye and turned away.
Wordlessly, Weir scooted closer. He looked them in the eyes, took their hand in his, and gave a reassuring squeeze. He did hope the touch might help tether them better.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
As with all the other times, it did.
It took several moments more of breathing and simply being, but they were eventually able to speak, albeit with a voice that, even whispering, still rang with force at the edges and caused them to wince.
"Forgive us. Long time since we have shared. This. We are well. Are you?"
Somewhere under the voice that called out like stars and desert lightning was Charricthran's familiarly harsh accent. They placed their other hand on top of Lewis' then, no small amount of concern glittering in their eyes.
They did not look away, even when some small voice within them from long, long ago told them to do so, to be ashamed.
They would not. Not here.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago 
The exhalation of a breath too long held.
"I am," he replied, relieved.
"A wee bit out of it yet, but..."
He shrugged.
"...I suppose that's to be expected."
He cleared his throat with a wince.
"'Always happens like tha'."
He was grateful for the touch; it was proving helpful to him as well.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Always?"
Though they were curious, their shoulders slumped, bone-deep weariness entrenching itself for a time with claws made of sand and creaking joints.
Wer'Vemud stretched out their original wings and Charricthran gave them form as they reached for the sky to relieve tension, then fell to the ground with gentle thuds.
They made a sea of inky black patterned like the juts of obsidian before them, feathers overlapping like falling stones or the scales of some great snake curling its fingers around Lewis.
They were careful not to brush him with them for a number of subtly obvious reasons.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago • edited
"I've no wings, no beings nor universes I've absorbed," he said with the hint of a chortle.
"But that mere...lack inside feels all too familiar--that sense of absolute nothing. It's the way I get if I'm thrown for a real loop by the likes of fate. That dearth of sense and meaning--the sheer pointlessness of it all. Folly, emptiness..." He looked down to the side, gaze unfocused as his mind went elsewhere. Naught but a plaything to the vagaries of fate or chance. No point...
No point.
He shivered as the light and life within him seemed to dim, his expression the numb equivalent of grief.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
They jolted into motion, hands gripping hands and wings twitching to life, brushing against Lewis' back.
"We make our points. We make our own meaning with others. When failing, we have that. We choose, chose, will have chosen those things. Sexenuma mrith udoka, Weirmrith Viofdioenel. Petranas."
Word and gesture held out hands and comfort into nothingness, recognizing the distance of sparks spluttering before their death.
They couldn't allow it. They held still, two minds working in tandem for two sorts of desperation.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago • edited
Lewis looked...older, somehow. Yes, his features had hewn a bit more toward his original identity, but it was more than that. The weight of years hung heavy on him, like a war widow who'd lost son and husband both.
At the touch of the wings and the sound of the words, he started and blinked.
"Sorry," he said with a shake of his head. He looked his friend in the eye. "'Didn't mean to worry you.
"I...know I have people, now--yourself included. And that's something," he said.
I'm just so weary of watching them all die, he continued silently.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Even though the continuation was silent, there was a haunted look to their eyes that suggested they had followed Lewis' train of thought.
They drew their wings closer to him, as if hoping to protect him from his sorrows by blotting out the world with inky blackness.
Tobor widegoaic. Yth mavli ihk svabol yth itov. When death holds no sway, we live and flourish. Spite that which would see us, you, suffering. It is enough, this everything we can do."
They gently smiled and squeezed his hands, not daring to tear their eyes from him, lest he slip again.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Don't mind me," joked Lewis with a quivery smile. "I can get a wee bit morose when I drink, on occasion."
More seriously, he continued, "I'm sorry to worry you. You don't need my piffling troubles on top o' your own."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"Happens to us all. Do not be sorry- if we were not worried, we would be something worse. Drink does not create from nothing."
They returned his smile and drew his hands closer to where their heart (hearts, they had three of them once) would have rested.
"We would prefer your troubles be ours, too. Friends do so, yes? If you are willing, we will help as best."
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"I'd be lying if I said you were wrong," admitted Lewis regarding the assertion about friends. He looked a little more his usual self.
"Thank you."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"As we are here: Always."
Their wings folded away, revealing the sky they had hidden for those longest moments. The stars resumed their courses, and feather and bony fingers alike melted back into that indefinite place they had emerged from.
"You need not fear weakness, here. You have seen plenty of ours, and more.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"I know, I--" Weir cut himself off.
"Force of habit, I suppose. 'Tis my own failing, no reflection on you," he confessed.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
They laughed the rush of falling stars and autumn winds.
"All of us fail together, then; it is as easy for us to do likewise as it would be to pull out all our many teeth. All is well, and we understand."
They ran their thumbs over his knuckles, unable to find better words than those.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"I'm glad," Weir said sincerely. "To understand and to be understood in turn is a rare thing indeed--'seems we've that, too, in common."
He'd gradually perked up from his previous lassitude, listlessness fading like the fog of breath upon a mirror.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
They nodded, thoughtful silence overtaking them for a moment, smile distant but no less honest than it had been.
Eventually, red took over both eyes as Wer'Vemud wandered elsewhere. The only sign of its departure was the sound of feathers against leaves, and the flicker of Charricthran's shadow like light off of gleaming scales, quicksilver fish departing against the earth.
"Wouldn't wanna have it in common with anyone else, Weirmrith. 'S nice ta know ya."
He kept their hands where they were, admittedly reluctant to move.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Likewise."
They remained as they were for a time.
Eventually, Weir broke the silence with, "Want to get your gift?"
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Sure. Pretty sure my legs remember how ta be themselves, so's now's a good time as any!"
He hopped to his feet, swaying only for half a moment before he offered a hand to help Lewis up.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
Weir took the hand up and stood with Charricthran without breaking the grip.
"Ready when you are."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran gave him a sidelong smile in answer, then took them out of The Other and into the main hall of the Society with little more than the sound of flapping wings and a brief moment where light and color dimmed into twilight.
When they each stood solid on ground, he gave a rolling half-shrug.
"Didnae know if ya had it in your office or your flat, so I went close ta the middle."
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Ah, right. Neglected to mention--it's in my office," replied Lewis.
Once there, he opened a desk drawer and pulled out a rectangular package wrapped in indigo paper and tied with a silver bow.
"Here we are," he said as he placed it on the desk.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran picked the box up gingerly, running a hand across the paper and trying to imagine what it felt like.
"Don'tcha know, I think this may be the first present I've gotten in 'bout thirty millennia or sommat- don' usually ask for 'em, see? Anyway, d'ya have a preference as ta whether I open it now, later, or...?"
Though his tone was nonchalant, he felt anything but--it was both a thoughtful and deeply unexpected thing, this gift.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"I leave it to you," said Lewis with a sage nod. "Your gift...your decision."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran thought on it for all of three seconds before unwrapping the box with the precision of a surgeon. Both the paper and the bow he folded as neatly as he could and set aside, opening the box without much further thought.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
Inside the hinged, wooden box lay an armament of strange make, its length between that of a large revolver and a shotgun. Its barrel was of an unknown blue metal with a slight sheen, its stock of iron. Glyphs and sigils lined the barrel inside and out. Two boxes of bullets fit into the case as well. They loaded into an odd, matte-grey, circular affair that fit into the firing chamber from beneath. It wasn't unlike a shortened Tommy gun--if said firearm had been cobbled together with components from multiple dimensions.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran grinned when he saw it, tracing each part of it with a sort of half-familiarity. He recognized one or two of the glyphs and elements of certain sigils, and despite it's cobbled-together appearance, he found the whole thing very charming.
He shut the case with hands that trembled only slightly, tapping the lid a final time for some sort of good measure that made no sense but felt right.
"Vinxa, Weirmrith. Here's hopin' I'll not need ta use it, but thank ya all the same."
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"If you should," Lewis knocked on the surface of his desk, "know the rounds are hollow-tipped bullets modified to hold holy water," he informed Char with a smile. "Each also has its own sigils, which the barrel and firing pin should add to on its way out the chamber."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Tha's... honestly more thought than I'd've put in it." Once again, he found his traitorous voice warbling as his ears twitched again.
"Bit much effort ta put towards me, but I much appreciate it, again."
Furtive eyes darted to the door with the desperation of someone trying very carefully not to feel too much. It was quickly replaced by something approaching determination on a tripwire, the tilt between courage and fear only half-hidden by another broad grin.
"Fancy a hug? I ah, wouldn't mind one."
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Naturally," answered Lewis with a smile.
Char soon found the man's arms around him, the feeling of pure warmth more than merely physical.
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran all but buried himself into Lewis' arms, trying to push into gesture what he couldn't put into words--every ounce of gratitude, appreciation, loyalty, and simple joy that had the root cause of the man who he had his arms around and embraced him in turn.
He stood like that for as long as he was allowed, driven to profound stillness.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
They stood that way for some time.
Eventually, as all moments must, it ended. Lewis exhaled in a satisfied way, then gave a solid pair of pats to Char's back as he straightened.
"Happy Yule."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran grinned and clasped Lewis' shoulder.
"Same ta you, Weirmrith--Lotoc Onkmet'Lilbhiahin!"
He dropped his hands and took a reluctant step back before he turned with a wave. As he left, he added, "You know how ta find me if ya need-slash-have-want o' me!" over his shoulder.
Rather than walking out the door, he walked through the same shadow he'd originally entered from, ripples like fish and feathers traveling across the wall as shadows swallowed him whole.
They too, then dissipated, leaving nothing but what was cast naturally in light's wake.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
"Charricthran..." said Lewis with a tilt of his head and the wisp of a grin. "You forgot your present."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
There was a pause, then the familiar sound of feathers on leaves as the box, bow, and paper were each dragged by approximately hand-shaped tendrils into the nearest shadow to them.
"Nope. No I didn't," came a faint whisper from somewhere behind Lewis.
Charricthran's sheepish and shark-toothed grin was all but felt in the air for a handful of moments, and all was well and truly still after.
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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 8 months ago
Weir chuckled.
"Enjoy."
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Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
((Mz.Hyde Here we go!))
Jekyll1886 Mz.Hyde • 10 hours ago
"Extermination?" echoed Lewis with concern as he finished the last of his food.
Mz.Hyde Mod Jekyll1886 • an hour ago
Yes. Every year the Angels conduct an extermination on the citizens of the Underworld. This is to keep the monster population down as a means to protect humanity from physical and spiritual harm.
Jekyll1886
He recoiled instinctively at that. On the one hand, yes, protecting humanity was all well and good...but, on the other, Divine Judgment Personified killing monsters just for existing sat ill with him.
"Wouldn't it be better to seal them away instead, or find some way of co-existing?" he wondered aloud.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*Mz. Hyde smiled when she heard Lewis say that.* 
Yes! That's how I've always felt! Lock up or deal with the monsters who are bad, and find a way for monsters, divine beings, and humans to co-exist! It's one of the reasons why I make fashion: all of my customers are monsters who live and/or work in the human world live better lives without purchasing Myst!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Lewis blinked, surprised.
"Then--I'd wondered how you'd--And they--"
He cut himself off with a laugh.
"Sorry, my mind rushed ahead of my tongue," he apologized with a self-effacing smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
It's fine! How I what?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Well, to be honest, though I think your fashions superb, I'd not seen very many...everyday people wearing them. I'd therefore wondered how you'd kept in business, if you'll forgive my frankness. I do recall you offered Callum some sort of enchantment on the clothes you made for him. Is that how your monster customers are able to pass as human?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Many times yes. But some of them look human from the top, like centaurs, arachne, and lamias. Thankfully, big and puffy skirts are all the rage nowadays, so we can hide the lower part of the ladies' bodies without magic!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"That's splendid! I'll admit I was unaware they'd made a comeback--though perhaps your customers are at least partially driving that fashion trend," he conjectured with a smile. "They were all the rage when I was younger."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Well, kind of. It really flares out from the waist, but some still like a bit of poof. 
*She pauses a moment, a question coming to her mind.* 
How...old are you?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He paused.
"I was born in November of eighteen-thirty-four," he said as if apologizing. He did hope the admission wouldn't sour things between them.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*Before he answered, Mz. Hyde decided to have a sip of wine. When he answered she almost choked on it.*
I-I'm sorry, but you just say you were born in 1834? T-that can't be right, I'm going crazy. Because...that would mean that you're 61 years old! HAHAHA! That's funny, brain!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"I was born in 1834 in my dimension," he clarified. "They don't all run at the same rate. It could be the seventeenth century in one and the twenty-third in another."
He quieted a moment, looking down and to the side as he debated with himself.
"That said..."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh! I see! 
*He looks down.* 
What?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Decision made, he continued, "I'm...quite a bit older than that. Truth be told, I lost count somewhere in my two-hundred-and-thirties. Sorry to spring it on you like this, but you did ask."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
T-TWO-HUNDRED-AND-THIRTIES?! Aye aye aye!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Or maybe it was -twenties? I'm not entirely certain, to be honest," he confided, putting a hand to his neck in a sheepish manner.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Holy....
*She puts her hand to her forehead, smoothing her hair back.* 
I cant imagine living for that long!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Neither could I, before it happened," said Lewis with a shrug.
"I do hope I've not put you off..."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh no! It was just surprising!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Ah. That's a relief."
He considered a moment.
"This may be a bit of a loaded question, but I'd appreciate your honesty: How old did you think I was before you asked?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I dunno, at least 30.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Fair enough," said Lewis with an approving nod. "Physiologically, I'm at approximately thirty-two."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Yeah, that sounds right. I'm sorry, I probably should be the last one to freak out about age. I'm about 7 years old and I look like I'm 20-something.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Far be it from me to judge," said Lewis. "I'd have placed you in your early twenties."
"Speaking of judgment...that's one reason I've not made my age general knowledge at the Society. I don't want people to look at me any differently than they do now."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Out of all the crazy shit the Society's been through, I dont think your age would be a total bombshell. But, if you dont want people to know, then that's ok with me. 
*She smiles at him.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Thanks," he said, mirroring her smile. "I appreciate it."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*The waiter returns to their table.* 
Would anyone like to see the dessert menu?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Yes, please," answered Lewis.
The waiter handed them the menus and left the two to look them over.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Ahhh! Everything here sounds so delicious! Gah, how can I pick just one?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Pick three?" suggested Lewis. "I'm going to get the apple tart, the clafoutis, and the opera cake. What would you like to order?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Ooooo! The opera cake looks delicious! And are those berries?! I want to try that out too! And one more, one more....I'll take a yule log!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"'Sounds excellent," said Lewis with a smile. "The yule log is new--they must be giving it a trial run before the holiday proper."
The waiter returned and took their dessert order.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"With sugar and cream," replied Lewis.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I'll just have tea, thank you.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Cream? Sugar? Lemon?" asked the waiter.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Um, just cream. Thanks.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
The waiter put in their order, and their drinks and desserts soon arrived.
Weir dug into his with gusto.
Exquisite.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
The French always seem to surprise me with how they're able to turn food into pieces of art that taste as beautiful as they look!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Aren't they just remarkable?" Lewis agreed.
"Here, would you like to try the apple tart?" he asked as he offered her a bite with his fork.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*Mz. Hyde's face turns a bright red.* 
A-are you trying to FEED me?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"...Possibly..." he admitted, blushing pink even as he looked at her with an impish spark of hope in his eyes, his smile somewhere between rakish and bashful.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*Her blush turns into a smirk.* 
Oh, you kinky bastard! 
*She leans forward and eats the tart.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"You've no idea..." he purred with a mix of playfulness and satisfaction as he slowly withdrew the empty tines of the fork from her mouth.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
(DAYUM BOI!) 
Like what? 
*She smirks again.* 
Also, that is a VERY good apple tart!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
He leaned over and whispered a choice suggestion: "Like...setting you all aquiver using only my lips and tongue." His lips brushed lightly against her ear.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*When his lips left her ear, her face was as red as a tomato.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Had her blushing been borne of titillation alone, he'd have been most satisfied with himself.
As it was, he was more concerned for her.
"I'm...sorry if I went too far there," he apologized as he straightened in his seat. "Or too quickly."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh no, you're fine! I guess I'm just not really ready to go...THERE...yet. 
I've...um...
*She looks down.* 
I've...had some bad experiences.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I'm sorry they happened to you," said Lewis in all sincerity as he extended his hand, palm upturned. She was welcome to take it if she liked--or not, if she didn't.
"We'll go at whatever speed you feel comfortable. Please do let me know when I've overstepped; I'll respect your wishes. Alright?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She looks up.* 
R-really? 
*She smiles.* 
Thank you!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Of course," returned Lewis as he withdrew his hand. "When we do have each other, it should be when we're both ready."
He ate a bite of clafoutis.
"How's the Yule log, by the by?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh its delicious! It has a raspberry filling! Would you like to try a piece?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Certainly," he readily agreed.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She holds up her fork for him, but when he got close to it, she moves the fork.* 
Uh-uh! You'll have to catch it first!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"With my hand...or my mouth?" he asked, unable to keep a hint of suggestiveness out of his voice.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
No hands! 
*She smiles and laughs as she moves the fork around.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Heh."
He studied her movements as she shifted the fork here and there, to and fro.
Once he'd gotten a sense of them, he lunged forward of a sudden and clamped down on the tines with his teeth--not hard enough to hurt himself, but with enough pressure to keep the fork from moving.
In the blink of an eye, he sat back in his seat, enjoying the taste of the treat. The fork in Val's hand was devoid of every last speck of the dessert.
"Delightful," he pronounced with a playful smirk.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She laughs.* 
Yeah it's really good!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I think we shall have to make a habit of sharing dessert," he suggested with a smile. "What do you say?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
That sounds like a great habit to pick up!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Excellent." He broke into a merry grin and picked up his coffee cup.
"I'll drink to that," he said, lifting it in an impromptu toast.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
A toast to new beginnings! 
*She clicks her cup with his.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"To new beginnings," he said with a genuine smile as they clinked their cups together.
After taking a swig, he voiced a thought that crossed his mind.
"What would you do, if there were no constraints? Your dreams and goals, I suppose I'm asking."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Become a wealthy fashion tycoon. Use said wealth to see the world. Then move to a nice house either in the country or by the ocean where Bernadette will never find me. Have a family and then die in peace. You?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Exactly what I'm doing," he said with a smile as he gazed into her eyes. "Though I'd not mind being a bit wealthier," he added with a laugh.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Really?! I always thought my dreams would be a little too simple for most people...
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"There's nothing wrong with wanting a little normalcy--a bit of peace and a life of comfort. You included travel as well--that's variety enough. A dream doesn't have to be world-changing to change your world."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I just hope I can...no, I hope WE can have that one day. 
*She smiles hopefully.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He smiled in turn.
"That would be nice."
He noticed the dessert still on her plate.
"You going to eat the rest of that yule log?" he asked as his smile turned playful.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh! Yes, I am! 
*She takes a few bites of the Yule log.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He chuckled, took a sip of coffee, and returned to his tart.
They'd soon made short work of the desserts, though they were welcome to linger over coffee and tea as long as they liked.
"I must say, I feel quite a bit better," stated Lewis. "I was positively famished."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Yeah, I was starving after searching for my arm. I was looking for that thing for FOUR HOURS!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Four hours?" he echoed. "Bloody Hell, that's a right proper chunk out of your day, isn't it?" he sympathized. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Nope. This is the first time that a dog has ever run off with my arm!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Did it just come up and nab it while it was still attached, then? That's a bloody rude pooch."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Wellll not exactly... I was some of my favorite street bacon and I tried to give it half a slice and then it started eating more of the bacon and then I wanted to make it stop and then it got mad at me and...well, you get the picture.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Canine bacon-mugger turned arm-thief, then?" he asked rhetorically, a bit incensed on her behalf even as a more detached part of his mind found the situation a tad amusing. "How do you like that," he muttered with a shake of his head.
A thought occurred.
"Wait, I hope this wasn't in front of many people..." he said with a bit of worry.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
.....Yeah...yeah it was...
*Mz.Hyde slams her head on the table.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Oh, goodness!" he exclaimed at the impact. "Please don't hurt yourself, Val. It's alright. Look, if--God forbid--it should ever happen again, or you should run into those same people who witnessed the incident, just play it off and pretend it's a magic trick. People will turn a blind eye to a busker faster than anything."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She looks up from her position on the table.* 
Really? Even with all the blood and screaming?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"That would certainly make it more difficult, but not impossible. Just take a bow, thank your audience, and hold out your remaining hand--or a hat, if you have one--as if you expect a tip."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She thinks about this for a moment.* 
What if people actually GIVE me money?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Then you've more funds for the Society, your business, or both," he replied with a smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Sweeetttt!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"As honey," he agreed with sly smile.
"We all have talents. 'May as well use them to turn a profit when we can."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Says the doctor here!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He shrugged.
"My father insisted I get an education. It'd be a shame to waste it."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Welllll some of us just have what nature endowed to us!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Like open-mindedness, impeccable taste in fashion, and a charming sense of humor?" he asked rhetorically. As well as other...endowments. "Not a bad hand for nature to deal you, I must say," he finished with a fond smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She smiles and blushes.* 
Thank you!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I simply call things as I see them," he returned with a gracious dip of his head.
The waiter stopped by to see if they needed anything more, but was careful not to interrupt them.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She chuckles.* 
Yeah...
*She glances out the window.* 
Hey! The rain's finally stopped!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Lewis mouthed, "Put it on my tab," to the waiter as Mz. Hyde looked out the window. The server nodded and took his leave.
"Ah. So it has," Weir replied to her with a glance outside.
"Would you care to go for a stroll?" he asked with a winsome smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I would love to!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Do let's," he agreed, rising to offer his arm to her.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Let's do!
*She takes his arm and they walk out of the restaurant together. *
Do you think that one waiter is still crying?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"No, no," he assured her. "I'm certain he's fair over it by now. He just takes pride in his work, is all."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I mean, I DID blow up at him...
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"True," he acknowledged, "but you weren't the first, and I doubt you'll be the last. For all the posh clientele, the crowd in there can get fairly rowdy as the night wears on."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh really?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Indeed. That's one reason the staff includes a bit of well-trained muscle. They know how to deal with unruly, entitled men without causing too much of a fuss or losing too many customers."
He chuckled.
"Hell, when I initially came here, that was one of my first jobs: Polite yet efficient bouncer at La Rose Vivante restaurant. They've changed the name since then, of course."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
You WORKED there?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Yes," stated Lewis, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "When I came here from my own dimension, I was penniless--my money was no good; my degrees weren't worth the sheepskin they were written on. I had to take employment where I could, if I wanted to eat--to save up for a roof over my head. The proprietor was kind enough to hire me after she chanced to witness me first attempt to talk down and then proceed to take down a would-be mugger."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She whistles.*
You were really lucky, huh?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"After about four months, yes. Very lucky indeed.
"Once I had a toehold of income, I rented a tatty little room so I'd have a place to experiment and sank all my earnings into perfecting my product. I stole food to get by. Clothes, too. Whatever else I needed.
"Three months later, I hit the streets to drum up business. In the course of that, I let slip to a less-than-law-abiding individual that I had medical knowledge but no license. He gave me odd jobs every now and again--with the caveat I keep my mouth shut, of course. Eventually, he put me on retainer.
"It was only once that had happened and my product was selling well that I was able to afford my current flat and have a bit of free time to devote to the Society's welfare. After moving into the flat, I made my appearance at the Society's doors. The rest, as they say, is history."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
So THAT was how you got into your "freelance pharmaceuticals"?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Pharmaceuti--?" he began to echo in a befuddled manner, but stopped himself, expression changing to one of relief.
"Right, I've told you my age," he reminded himself with a bit of a laugh. "I can drop the whole 'What are these modern words?' act.
"Pharmaceuticals, drugs, unlicensed chemicals...call them what you will. The substance itself is non-addictive, but the sensations it produces...well, you know. You tried the one I gave you. Hell of a party drug, if I do say so myself."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Yeah, you make some great shit....by the way, if I say a word you don't understand, would you like for me to tell you what it means?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I would," he said with a grateful smile.
"Would you like me to do the same, if I say any?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I would appreciate that! 
*She pauses a moment before continuing.*
A pharmaceutical is another word for medicine. Whereas here they are known as "chemists," they are called "pharmacists" in America because they, of course, study Pharmacology, pharmaceutical reactions, and the messy writing of healthcare professionals.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He laughed at the last bit.
"We do get a reputation for terrible penmanship," he acknowledged.
"By the by, I know what a pharmaceutical is--I lived Stateside for a bit in my home dimension."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
REALLY?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Well...yes. New York City, most recently. The Bronx, to be specific."
He shrugged.
"When you live too long in one place, people get suspicious and you have to move on to a new one," he explained. "I've lived in Germany, India, and various Pacific islands, to name but a few."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Wow...that's amazing! I've never been out of the country before...Hell, London is the only other place I've really been to.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Where would you most like to go?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh, anywhere really, but I would love to visit where my family comes from in America.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Lewis nodded.
"Where in America is that, by the by?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
South Carolina, I think.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Ah. It can be lovely, given the right weather."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She gasps, her hands over her mouth.* 
Y-you've been there too?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Not to every bit of the state, no. But certain cities, yes."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Which ones?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Let's see... Charleston, Columbia, Greenville...certain of the beaches, too. 'Love a day by the sea."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*For a moment, there was silence. And then Mz. Hyde began rolling on the ground making a high-pitched screeching noise.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
She seemed...excited. Enthusiastic. He didn't know what about, but at least it was a happy cry rather than one of distress.
He chuckled.
"Want some help up?" he asked, offering a hand.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Oh! Thank you! 
*She takes his hand.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He pulled her up to her feet, using his other hand to support the small of her back and steady her.
"There we are."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Thanks! 
*It was at this moment that Mz. Hyde realized just how close they were. And how beautiful Lewis' eyes were.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
For a long handful of moments, they simply gazed into each other's eyes.
Under other circumstances, he'd have gone straight in for a kiss, but, remembering her previous bad experiences, he instead asked softly, "May I kiss you, Val?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
DO IT YOU FOOL!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
With a merry laugh of relief, he immediately twined his arms around her and held her close. The angles and curves of their bodies pressed against one another as their hearts beat in proximity. Their warmth commingled to fight off the night's chill as their lips locked together and pulses raced.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*Mz. Hyde smiled into the kiss. Her heart fluttered, which was a strange, new, but nice sensation. Even nicer than that feeling were the ones she felt in Lewis' arms.
She was safe and she was loved for who she was.
The moon came out and illuminated the couple. When they stopped for air, she could only say one thing.*
I love you.
THE END
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
((Brief addendum, since we didn't get Lewis's response:))
"You're a remarkable woman, Val," he returned with a heady smile as he affectionately stroked her cheek.
((Right, now it's the end. ^_^))
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Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(( Tairais Christmas shopping, cont. ))
(( Having trouble pasting the last few comments, sorry ))
Oscar nodded, interested. “There’s a little bit of science in cooking, too, I suppose,” he said.
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(( No worries! ))
"It is as much a culinary science as it is culinary art, yes- you are correct in your supposition."
Charricthran began to look as if he were trying to find a way elsewhere. Not that he didn't support Richard's interests, it was just...
Well. He could make a grand total of one type of pasta and one type of cookies without setting a kitchen on fire.
Richard's smile brightened like all the candlelights twinkling around them.
"Might I as what you intend to make as well?"
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Pyrogue  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Well, I’m just helping out, but I’m here to get a ham, and the spices for some Christmas pudding,” he explained. “And I might get something else for myself.”
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Richard nodded sagely.
"Delightful Christmas traditions, both of those! I do not believe I have ever made a Christmas pudding before, truth be told- Could you tell me what is in such a dish?"
"Really? Ya dunno about Christmas puddin'? I ain't even from Europe at all an' I know what it is."
Richard rolled his eyes when Charricthran grew too busy looking around to notice him, gesturing for Oscar to speak, if he so desired.
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Pyrogue  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Well,” he began. “Some dried fruit, spices, almonds, breadcrumbs, sugar... and rum. They’re the main ingredients, at least.”
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Richard patted his pockets, then turned to Charricthran.
"Have you something with which I could write this down?"
Charricthran, who was currently inspecting several bottles of wine in a shop window, placed his hands on his hips and turned to look at Richard with an arced brow.
"Ain't tha' usually your specialty, Ricky-boy?"
"Do you, or do you not have something with which I could write?"
"Kid, I don' have pockets." Said Charricthran, which was a particularly unusual thing to say, considering he did, in fact, have several pockets on his person.
Richard shook his head with a bemused smile.
"Naturally. I shall simply have to rely on memory, then."
He looked back at Oscar with a sheepish grin.
"I do apologize. I would appreciate any detail you could spare, barring further interruption."
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Pyrogue  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Well, you mix the ingredients together in a bowl, wrap it up and boil it for six hours. I’m sure someone could write the whole recipe down for you some time.” Oscar shrugged.
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Richard nodded thoughtfully, stepping aside slightly as he did so.
"I very much appreciate the help, Signore Oscar. Please, do not allow us to keep you from your shopping any further, though it was a pleasure to meet you again!"
Charricthran was not available to comment, as he was currently speaking with a couple Richard knew for a fact he'd not met before. He gave the scene a glance before looking at Oscar once more with an apologetic smile.
"I had better go make certain Charricthran is refraining from mischief. Excuse me."
With that he strolled away casually, as if he'd not a care in the world when the exact opposite, was, in fact, quite true.
(( I couldn't think of something else to continue with ^^" Sorry ))
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A Passerby • 8 months ago
[After you, .]
“Will that be all?” He asked, smiling gently as he took the books and set them in a pile besides his ledgerbook.
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
"I think so. What do I owe you?"
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
“A pound and a half should cover it just fine,” He answered with that same smile, “Would you like me to wrap your purchases?”
As he offered, he grabbed a sheet of brown paper from below the counter, holding it for Isabella to see.
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
Internally, Isabella winced. It was fatal for her to go into a bookshop, she simply couldn't resist. She didn't say that aloud, though, not wanting to offend the friendly Mr Handson. Besides - she perked up - she had the money at the moment and, hopefully, the books would be worth it.
"Worth it," she said aloud, counting out the money and placing it on the counter. "Oh! yes, please, thank you."
((The truth is, I've become a bit superstitious about this particular story because I've been fumbling with it for so long, and I just want to get it over! Even though I think I'm beginning to get the knack again now, and I could think of a few ideas for what to do. I'll perhaps make a return visit later, instead, I'd rather do that. That would also avoid having backdated RPs - it's often awkward starting one RP that takes place after another one that's still running, when you still don't know how it will turn out and what its consequences will be!))
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
In a single smooth motion, he swept the money into his hand and stored it somewhere beneath the counter.
With equal deftness, he took each of the books and wrapped them individually before bundling all of them together in a single, larger parcel.
“Here you are, ma’am,” He said, handing her the package, “I hope you enjoy your reading.”
[You have said many words just now, but I fear I understood none of them. Do you mind rephrasing yourself?]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((I think what Wiz is trying to say is that they would like to conclude this roleplay. They have ideas for a later roleplay where Isabella goes to the bookshop again and they don't wish to start that later roleplay until this current one concludes.
Btw, I'm ready to roleplay with you whenever you like.))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
[Ah, I see. Thank you kindly for your translation, it is most helpful. I pray you won't mind if I simply run it by  to confirm its accuracy? I mean you no offense, of course, I only fear misunderstanding my partner further.
It seems that in a tale between my dancer and , there has been mention of your own champion; Perhaps a meeting could be arranged there?]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
((None taken; I'd do the same.
That sounds good to me. Just tag me when you want him to pop in.))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
[As you wish! If fate is on our side, it shouldn't be much longer.]
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((Thanks 86. It wasn't so much that, as that I'm trying to begin some roleplays, with others, which take place after Christmas; so I'd like to conclude this one which takes place in November so that I know where I'm up to - otherwise, I tend to trip over my own feet! So, yes, I'd like to bring this one to a close, but maybe have another with you in the future.))
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
[Because this tale begins its journey further back than the holidays, you wish to tie off the stitching now, so as not to get tangled in the threads? It seems the story is naturally drawing to a close, provided your dancer simply takes their new belongings and leaves, so this should suit your purpose.
I look forward to potentially beginning a new narrative with you, and I hope, should we collaborate again, you'll find it more enjoyable than this one was.]
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
"I'm sure I will, thank you." She takes the parcel and gives an unexpected smile. "What a delightful place - I hope I'll be able to come again soon".
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
"It would be a pleasure to have you here again," George returned, picking up a pen as he went to fill out her order in the ledger book.
"Safe travels back to London, Miss. Walker."
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
"Thank you!" The rain had mostly stopped by now. She collected her umbrella and took her leave.
((*bows to her partner*))
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
[Until our next dance, farewell.]
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A Passerby • 8 months ago
[, for when you’re able to continue.]
“Oh, I don’t know about noble,” He said, raising a hand to wave the compliment away, “I simply enjoy what I do. It would take— and I do pray it’ll never come to this—bankruptcy to stop me from dealing in the book business.”
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A Passerby • 8 months ago
[My response, .]
George stared at the woman before him for a long moment.
“I pray you’re more respectful of other Lodgers’ reputations than what you’ve shown Dr. Prince.”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
I am respectful to everybody! And I'm friends with Richard!
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“And yet you say such terrible things of him.” He shook his head, his distaste plain. “I would loathe to hear of how you speak of your enemies, if Richard is a friend.”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
I am not saying anything bad about him! I am just theorizing here!
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
His voice took on a harsh edge that hardened his gaze.
“You, Mz. Hyde, claimed that he was constantly involving himself with the dark arts and lost a majority of his limbs to equally supernatural elements, and yet you say you’ve done nothing to potentially tarnish his reputation?”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
I never said he was meddling in the dark arts, just that he, along with many of us here, often gets mixed up in them.
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“And you don’t think that saying he has a tendency to fall into such dangerous and disapproved things will have an impact on how those in society view him?”
He turned his gaze away.
“You’re sorely mistaken if that’s the case, ma’am.”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
We here at the society get into that kind of stuff ALL the time! We literally have people studying metaphysics and the occult! Why would Richard be treated differently? And there's a difference between actively using the dark arts for nefarious schemes and the darkness seeking someone. It is not I who is mistaken here, I actually KNOW these people, remember?
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
There was a long pause.
“You misunderstand me. I meant society as a whole, not your single establishment.
Then, George turned to face her.
“If you believe that it is perfectly reasonable to share with an outsider that those within the Society are being sought out by demonic forces beyond their control, then I fear for what will happen to this place when the rumors begin to spread, if they have not already started their journey around the city.”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
I'm just answering your questions as best I can, Mr. Handson.
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Quite frankly, your answers have left me offended on behalf of the gentleman Richard and severely unsatisfied.”
Pause.
“You are the manager here, yes?”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
Yep!
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Where does your employer reside?” He asked, frowning faintly.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
Well, there are our co-founders, Doctors Henry Jekyll and Robert Lanyon, both of which would rather not be disturbed if it is not extremely important. 
There is also our Day Managers Dr. Helen Jekyll and Rachel Pidgledy. Not to mention Dr. Lewis Weir, who keeps this place from burning down again on a weekly basis.
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A Passerby  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
A pause as he tilted his head in consideration.
“Who would I be able to locate and speak to at this moment?”
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
Well, that would probably be Doctors Helen Jekyll and Lewis Weir. I shall call them on the intercom.
*She walks around a corner and picks up a phone on the wall and speaks into it. Her voice rings throughout the society."
Could Dr. Helen Jekyll and Dr. Weir please come to 2nd floor? Thank you!
*She puts it back with a click.*
Helen Jekyll Jekyll1886
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Puzzled briefly by the sound of the summons—Had the Society always possessed an intercom?—Helen set aside the documents she had been filling out and instead reached for her suit jacket, stepping out of her office as she fastened the buttons.
It took only a minute or so for her to reach Mz. Hyde, a friendly smile already brightening her expression.
“Good morning, Mz. Hyde,” She greeted with a slight dip of her head, turning then to face the newcomer, “Who might this be?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis finished jotting down some notes and left his office for the central area of the second floor.
As he approached, he saw Mz. Hyde, Helen, and someone he didn't recognize.
"Good morning," he greeted the group with a friendly nod.
He turned to the unknown person.
"Apologies--I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. Lewis Weir," he introduced himself.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[How delightful, I'm to dance with two new partners. This shall be quite the tale.]
The man bowed deeply before the two arrivals.
"George Handson," He offered in return with a polite, but small smile, "Mz. Hyde has told me that you both possess some form of authority within this Society."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
Mr. Handson here has some questions about what we do here at the Society!
Helen Jekyll
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Dr. Helen Jekyll, at your service,” Helen added as introductions were exchanged.
“Oh, well I’d certainly be more than happy to answer them,” She said after Mz. Hyde explained the situation, smiling at George.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"I don't know about authority, on my part," Lewis demurred, "but I'd certainly be happy to answer any questions or to show you around," he seconded.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
George ducked his head with a soft chuckle.
"Perhaps our first destination could be some form of an office space?"
He raised a hand to wave at the area around them as he spoke.
"Although your hallways are quite lovely, they are no place to hold a private conversation."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
Well, there is my room, and Helen's and Lewis' offices.
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“How about we head to my office, then?” Helen suggested, looking to each of them in turn, “It’s not too terribly far from here and there’s ample seating inside it.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"That's a good idea," agreed Lewis. "Mine would be far too cramped."
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Wonderful," commented George in courteous tones as they came to a decision.
"In that case, Dr. Jekyll, could you please lead myself and Dr. Weir there?"
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
Hey, what about me?!
Helen Jekyll
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Lewis, you know where my office is,” Helen cut in with a smile, pulling a key from her pocket and offering it to him, “Perhaps instead you could lead our guest there to sit while Mz. Hyde and I go retrieve refreshments?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Very well," agreed Lewis as he took the key.
"This way, Mr. Handson," he encouraged, and headed for Helen's office.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Mz. Hyde's sudden exclamation earned a fairly cold look from George and the man's expression didn't return to its previous, more friendly state until his attention had shifted to Weir.
He gave an efficient nod in response to the summons and followed in a similarly businesslike manner.
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
"Refreshments"?! What are we, MAIDS? Just ring the service bell for Rachel to bring something.
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“By demonstrating that we are willing to go out of our way to provide the people visiting here with various amenities, we’ll leave a good, lasting impression on them that will benefit the Society in the long run,” Helen explained as she began walking to the kitchen.
“Most anyone in a high establishment can ring a bell to have a platter of food appear, but not everyone can say that their managers are prepared to fetch such a thing themselves in order to satisfy the needs of the visitor.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
It wasn't long till George and Lewis had entered Helen's office
Weir shut the door behind them and gestured for the visitor to take a seat before doing likewise himself.
"How can I help you, Mr. Handson?" he asked politely.
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
George laid one leg across his lap, resting his hands atop it as he sought to answer that question.
"Only today, I met your... Night Manager, Mz. Hyde, for the first time," He began, searching for the proper starting place, "While speaking with her, I mentioned my desire to see more of the rooms within the Society and she offered to give a tour of the place, so long as we avoided the quarters and laboratories already in use by the, ah, 'Lodgers' who live and work here."
"At some point, I spoke of one of the Lodgers I had met here on a previous visit, and she..."
He paused, seeking, after a moment, to hold Weir's gaze.
"She responded with the most horrendous and insensitive gossip I have heard to date regarding their personal affairs, uncaring of how it may damage the man's reputation or even that of the Society, nor of the fact she lacked even the smallest shred of evidence... And yet, she still claimed to be his friend."
He shook his head, covering half his face with one hand in a suddenly weary gesture.
"I am a man who cares very much for the well-treatment of others, and, after what I've heard from that woman, I fear for those residing here."
"If she will slander the name of a friend of hers with no remorse, what is to stop her from destroying the reputation of anyone else? And if a mere out of town visitor such as myself can be given such a dangerous tale, truthful or no, what will prevent the proper authorities or the citizens of London hearing the same?"
((Mz.Hyde))
see more
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
*Mz. Hyde went down to the kitchen with Helen, rushing to get the refreshments and get back to where the action was.*
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Oh my—hold on a moment, what’s the hurry?” asked Helen with a note of surprise when the woman began rushing about, “Do you have some urgent appointment to attend?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Ah," said Lewis. "I see. That is rather a problem. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."
He pondered aloud, "I wonder if she's under the impression you wish to become a lodger? It would explain much of her candor--talk like that might interest a certain type of person she may have mistaken you for. Not to say that would justify it, mind you. But it might account for it."
He looked to George as if to ask if Handson thought that might be the case.
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
George's expression became very grave.
"If that talk was meant to attract the sort of person she wishes to have as a Lodger... I am afraid this building may not be at all what I had thought it to be," He said with a shiver. "I understand you have said you have no real authority here, but as you are likely present far more often than I, I was hoping you could put in a word to the... co-founders, who are currently unavailable.
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
No, I just want to get back to the meeting!
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Mz. Hyde, remember what I said before about visitor care?” Helen said with a goodnatured laugh and shake of her head, “We want to provide the best we possibly can to leave a good impression, so we can’t just throw anything together and call it a snack.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis listened attentively to George.
"What had you thought this building to be, if you don't mind my asking?" Weir queried politely.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"The... gentleman who greeted me upon entering explained that this Society of yours is a home for curious individuals interested in the scientific eccentricities of the world," George answered as he drummed the fingers of his left hand against his leg. "I was under the assumption that, while your work here may not be approved of by those in the surrounding city, it is still good work and the Lodgers here are bettering lives with it."
((Mz.Hyde))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
[I cannot post. Every word vanishes without fail.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((Hm. That has happened before. There could be any of several reasons:
1) Disqus may, for whatever reason, think you're a bot or spamming the forum. The only option then is to put the entirety of the "lorem ipsum" gibberish in front of your post, in brackets. For whatever reason, that fools Disqus.
2) There may be a word in your post Disqus finds objectionable. These may include curse words or even words that, in context, are not offensive--"chi*nk" in one's armor will set it off, for example. If it's words that are problematic, just put the asterisk, as above.
3) Sometimes Disqus gets its algorithms in a twist and finds everyday words like "are" offensive.
4) If it says the post is pending approval, ask our Mod, Mz. Hyde, to clear you.))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[Thank you for your aid.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((My pleasure. 'Glad it worked.))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
[Please disregard: Morbi eget tellus volutpat, accumsan mauris sit amet, interdum risus. Vivamus eu pharetra lectus. Curabitur a nibh quis tortor vehicula rhoncus in nec quam. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Ut nulla massa, mattis non eros vel, auctor sollicitudin turpis. Maecenas non tortor est. Nullam quis enim sed ante dapibus iaculis et id quam. Mauris vulputate est auctor purus aliquet, molestie finibus augue laoreet. Fusce faucibus lectus et vulputate auctor. Nulla vitae lacinia diam, id maximus turpis. Pellentesque commodo dolor quis gravida finibus. Fusce augue sapien, tincidunt in tortor sit amet, consectetur luctus ex. Donec ornare lacinia neque a placerat. Nullam sit amet tortor et mauris interdum molestie at vitae leo. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.]
"The... gentleman who greeted me upon entering explained that this Society of yours is a home for curious individuals interested in the scientific eccentricities of the world," George answered as he drummed the fingers of his left hand against his leg. "I was under the assumption that, while your work here may not be approved of by those in the surrounding city, it is still good work and the Lodgers here are bettering lives with it."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
But who wants to spend time making cucumber sandwiches when there are more IMPORTANT things?! Let's just make some ham sandwiches and grab a bottle of wine and be done with it!
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
“The most important thing,” Helen said, her tone placatingly calm, “Is to ensure that we provide the highest quality of services that we can muster.”
“We want this man to have good things to say about us when he mentions the Society, and the co-founder Dr. Jekyll works too hard on maintaining the reputation of this building for us to ruin it with half thrown together sandwiches.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"That's perfectly accurate," replied Lewis. "That is what we do here. I will say, there are some few individuals whose areas of study overlap with what the uninformed might call the occult, but it's only with an eye to explain the unexplained, to render the mysterious into quantifiable, predictable, scientific fact.
"Now, I'll own Mz. Hyde has a tendency to...take a notion, as it were. And her talk might pique the interest of certain scholars of the quote-unquote 'occult'. But, rest assured, such individuals are engaged in perfectly scientific endeavors, not superstitious hoodoo.
"Frankly, she's more suited to dealing with those who might show up at our doors at night--those who wish to unravel the mysteries of the unknown tend to keep odd hours, I've noticed. Apologies for the distress she may have caused. Helen Jekyll, our day manager, should have been the one to greet you."
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
George appeared quite relieved when Lewis confirmed his answer, though there still seemed to be some stray doubt needling him.
With nervous slowness, he shifted his leg so both feet were planted firmly on the ground and leaned forward.
"May... May I confide in you, Dr. Weir?"
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
Ughhhhh, whatever. Let's just make these...wait a minute! Helen, I know I'm crazy, but think about it: 
Us. Two women. Are making sandwiches in the kitchen.
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Helen fixed her with a patently puzzled look.
“What is there to think about?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis nodded.
"If it is your wish, I can certainly keep what you may tell me under the seal of my profession," he assented.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
"I would greatly appreciate that, yes," George said in a breathy voice.
"The... man whom I'd met on my first visit was a gentleman by the name of Dr. Richard Prince, and it is for him that I fear Mz. Hyde's words."
He cast a quick glance about the office then scooted to the edge of his chair.
"She... claimed that the man had lost all of his limbs to... to some sort of wicked or supernatural being... such as a sea monster... or a cannibal... or a carnivorous deer..."
His hushed tones betrayed a genuine terror.
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
Let me demonstrate! 
*She pulls out the little magical circlet that Catt gave her and puts it on her head. She is instantly transformed into a 1950's housewife.*
Oh hello dear! I was just bringing in the sandwiches for you and your male co-workers!
Helen Jekyll
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Helen’s look only grew more puzzled at the display.
“Is that truly what you think is happening?” She asked, sounding far from convinced.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis leaned in to listen.
His eyebrows shot up when he heard what George related.
"Those," he said after a moment in an equally quiet voice, "are most scurrilous things to say about poor Richard. I know the man, and, while I've not asked him specifically--it would be rude to pry--I've always suspected he lost his limbs to a mining accident. As his interests include geology and metalworking, it's the most logical explanation.
"I'm most distressed to learn Mz. Hyde spoke of him in such a fashion. Some of the lodgers may be incorrigible gossips, but spreading scandalous rumors about a man who's suffered such terrible injury is taking things too far."
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Yes, yes, that is what I believed!" exclaimed George as he sat up, thrilled to find he wasn't alone in his thoughts.
However, when the moment passed, he looked quite mortified by his outburst.
"F...orgive me, I forgot myself," He said, bowing his head as his spine curved forward. "The woman simply made me doubt myself so much, I... I wasn't sure if I was thinking rationally anymore.
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 8 months ago
*Her outfit reverts back to its original form.* 
No, I'm not saying its on purpose! But from the outside looking in...kind of sketchy.
Helen Jekyll
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
“Mz. Hyde, I don’t understand why this is a problem,” Helen admitted, the bemused look on her face evidence enough that she was being genuine, “Lewis would’ve gladly done the same as we are, if I’d not volunteered first.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"No apology is needed, Mr. Handson," said Weir. "You were quite right to bring this to my attention. While I can't guarantee it will alter her behavior, I do think I should have a little talk with her in private--we're on good terms. If nothing changes, then I'll bring the matter to the day manager and, if necessary, she'll bring it to the co-founders. I'll not say where the information came from, nor give specifics, in order to protect your anonymity, as requested. How does that sound?"
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"That... that sounds, marvelous, Dr. Weir," George replied, evidently making an effort to retain his composure this time, though his eyes twinkled with delighted relief.
"I... I do have one additional request, if you don't mind, ah... It's not so much that I am concerned for my own identity to be revealed, but that of Dr. Prince."
"You see, he was very kind to me, and I do not wish for his name to be tarnished, so... If you could guard his name instead of my own, I would be most appreciative."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 7 months ago
*She thinks for a moment.* 
Yeah, you're right Helen. 
(Helen Jekyll )
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago
“Which means it’s not an issue of gender roles,” She said with a reassuring smile, “And we can prepare our snacks with peace of mind.”
“Now, what do you think we should make?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"As you wish, Mr. Handson," agreed Lewis with a mannerly dip of his head. "'Tis no trouble at all."
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
"Fantastic," He said with a beaming smile.
"Well, you have been a stupendous host, and I cannot thank you enough for how you've assisted me just now, Dr. Weir."
George rose from his chair to offer Lewis an eager hand to shake.
"You're a good man."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  A Passerby • 7 months ago
I dunno. What do fancy people eat?
(Helen Jekyll)
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Helen Jekyll  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago • edited
“We can’t just pick some fancy appetizer for the fellow, there’s no telling whether or not he enjoys that sort of thing,” Helen said with a touch of surprise, “Not to mention we may appear as though we’re trying to show off if we take that approach.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago • edited
"Think nothing of it," returned Lewis as he rose with a smile and shook George's hand.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Weir asked with a glance at the door. "I don't know what's taking Dr. Jekyll and Mz. Hyde so long," he apologized with a chortle.
((A Passerby ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
He waved aside the apology.
"It is no matter," He said, his tone friendly enough, "If... I am perfectly honest with you, it is likely for the best that they had not yet arrived."
"I've yet to meet a soul who has reacted kindly to... criticism from another, well intended or not."
((Mz.Hyde))
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((Nope.))
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago • edited
[Pardon?]
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Wizardblizzard  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((She's not. :-D ))
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
[That is very unfortunate, considering her status.]
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Setae • 8 months ago
Happy New Year guys!
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Jekyll1886  Setae • 8 months ago
Happy New Year!
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MillieGriffin  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Happy New year!
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Wizardblizzard  Setae • 7 months ago
Happy because I just noticed this New Year!
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Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
A Passerby
((Ah, I think we mistook each other. I was referring to the person who you speak in the place of. you referred to them as an old friend once, didn't you?))
@5374617264757374
Σε'σ υερι τιρεδ ατ θε μωμεντ. Βυτ σε ασ βην δραυυιπγ. - Ι. ΥΥ.
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A Passerby  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
[In that case, I am utterly unaware of their current condition, simply that they are not here.]
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Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
((Hi, Pyrogue, bit of a late response to your posting and our characters don't know each other but I'd like to play if you want? Could be before Christmas like what you're already doing with Tai or it could be now. If before or at Christmas she wouldn't be at the Society but you could meet her elsewhere, after Christmas she might well be.))
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
(( Sure, I’d love to RP! I’m happy for it to be set wherever. You can start if you want? ))
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
((I've got an idea that I was going to post for anyone-and-everyone-who-was-interested, and haven't a second idea, so here, please join me!))
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The Fox • 8 months ago • edited
( Tairais Here's a joke! How long does it take to repost a thread?
All day apparently! :'Y )
Charricthran gave his feathered friend a cheery wink and a smile full of more teeth than should rightfully be in any beak or mouth.
"I could prob'ly manage tha' too, with enough time an' planning. As is, hang tight, an' don' miss anythin'!"
With that, he ducked into the same shadow he'd emerged on the rooftop through, feeling around for Orin's presence. Having felt it once in a dream, a place arguably more intimate than any distance, it wasn't particularly difficult.
With a flash of motion as quick as the light that cast a shadow, Charricthran had fitted himself within Orin's shadow and unleashed a fraction of the weight of his magic upon Orin's, allowing the weight to grow as he imposed his form over the other's shadow.
Fraction though it may have been, he held the weight of four universe's magicks within him, and the energies of countless other powerful beings that he'd done battle with, emerged 
victorious over, and subsequently taken within his power.
Wer'Vemud stirred its wings within their form. While it did little to change the outward appearance of something approximately the shape of his humanoid form, it brought to mind ancient feathers and a deep, aching hunger that would stop at nothing to see it quenched.
From where he stood in The Other, he couldn't see Orin clearly. For Errack's sake, he hoped the expression on his face was something priceless to behold.
His part done, he settled down into The Other comfortably. Orin couldn't touch him here- at least, not without attracting the attention of its many, many denizens, each of whom were hungrier and more desperate than Wer'Vemud had ever been.
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( I'm so sorry for not getting to this earlier! Imma be honest, I got super distracted today and I'm not gonna get this done tonight so HOLD TIGHT IMMA DO THIS IN THE MORNING K?K THNX NIIIIIGHT CHECK BACK FOR AN EDIT HOLLA! )
see more
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Tairais  The Fox • 8 months ago
(( Dude no worries!! Take care of yourself, and if you want me to post it next time, all's ya gotta do is say so! Happy new year! ))
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The Fox  Tairais • 8 months ago
( Ah, thank you! ;w; Happy New Year's to you too! )
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Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago • edited
*The Society glitters brightly in the January sun. The scorch marks really hardly show at all now.
Suddenly a young woman comes whizzing down the street on a bike, in a wobbly manner, causing a few people to back out of the way.*
((Fluff thread because I've missed you all!))
((Edit: Oh, and if more than one wants to reply, start separate threads or all muck in together, I'm happy with either, though I quite like all-mucking-in-together threads, myself. Or some combination of those things.))
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago • edited
So it was that Oscar found himself in the path of that bike. Thankfully, he narrowly avoided being in its path by jumping to the side.
“Excuse me, miss, d’you mind?” he called out after the woman.
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Akkkk - I am sorry, I - haven't entirely got the -
*distracted, she fails to notice a pothole. The wheel skids, she teeters, almost regains her balance, only to meet someone coming the other way, swerves again, and she and her machine end up in a heap on the ground.*
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
His eyes widened and he ran over to help.
“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned.
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
*She wiggles*
Ouch. I think so.
*with Oscar's help she disentangles herself from the bike and tries to get to her feet.*
I'm terribly sorry, I shouldn't have, I haven't entirely got the hang of this... *laughs nervously*
*Looking around nervously she appears to be more anxious about having made a spectacle of herself than about being hurt. Luckily both she and the bike appear to have escaped with only a few bruises. The left pedal has entangled itself with her skirt and won't let it go.*
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
“It’s alright.” He looked at the slightly dented bike and noticed that the woman’s skirt had become caught, and went to untangle it. After a second, it became clear that the only way to free the skirt was to tear it.
“Uh...”
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
Can't you get it off? *She tugs unsuccessfully.* Oh, dear. Tear it if you have to.
Oh, dear, people are looking.
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago • edited
He grabbed the skirt and tore it away from the pedal, ripping a small chunk from the hem of the dress. “Sorry,” he apologised.
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
"That's OK. Thank you." 
*A couple of shopgirls stare, round-eyed. "You'll never get me up on one of those things", one says to the other. An old lady in a large pink hat tuts.*
*The would-be cyclist gets to her feet, brushes herself off as best she can, and pulls the bicycle to its feet, or wheels.* "I'm pushing this thing the rest of the way. It's just down the street now," she adds.
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
“Oh, you mean the Society?” he asked.
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Oh, you know it?
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
“I work there!” he laughed, before pausing. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Oscar Keaton.”
He held out a hand.
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Isabella Walker. Very pleased to meet you, even if under unfortunate circumstances! It's been a while since I've been back there. I suddenly started missing the old place... season of goodwill and what have you. You been working there long?
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 8 months ago
“Not really — just a couple months. I love it there, though!”
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 7 months ago
"So do I!"
*They set off towards the Society.*
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 7 months ago
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Oscar spoke up again. “So what do you study at the Society?”
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Wizardblizzard  Pyrogue • 7 months ago
*Isabella is about to give her habitual response along the lines of "Precious little". No, she suddenly decides, there's no need to sell yourself short.*
Chemistry, mostly. Both the alchemical and the, haha, 'legitimate' kind. As a matter of fact, I've got an idea just now that I'm rather eager to look into further.
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Pyrogue  Wizardblizzard • 7 months ago
He tried to act like he knew anything about chemistry. “Yeah? What’s the idea?”
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Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
((Continuation of the Other Rp!
Jekyll1886:
"Well, let's at least take a side street rather than the main road," Weir suggested. "Where's the dodgy part of town?"))
“What does ‘dodgy’ mean?” asked Maximus with a puzzled look up at Lewis, sounding a little worn down.
Desdemona was already leading them towards a smaller street than the one they were currently on, having understood his previous request.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Dangerous, dirty, and a bit run-down," answered Lewis as he took the lad's hand and followed after Des, "where people won't care as much if someone goes missing."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“Oh...” Maximus thought hard about that for a moment, though his expression brightened considerably when Lewis held his hand. “Hyde lady’s place is a lot of those things?”
Desdemona glanced back briefly at the pair of them and seemed to scowl, turning to face forward again with a sharp jerk of her head.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir had to chuckle at Maxi's statement.
"I suppose it is, at that."
The two continued to follow Des's lead, Lewis mentally noting where they'd come from and where they were going so he could find his way back later.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“Do we... need to go somewhere like that?” The boy sounded rather frightened at the idea of it.
Desdemona stopped just outside of what appeared to be an entrance to a maze of alleyways and crossed her arms, waiting there with her back to Lewis.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"We need only find someone from there," Lewis answered him.
They'd soon caught up to Desdemona.
"Would you prefer to find one such yourself," Weir asked her, "or shall I fetch it?"
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“I can find them,” Desdemona said with a lift of her chin, scowling at him definantly.
Her brother merely waited quietly at his side.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Go on, then," bade Lewis. 'Tis no skin off my nose, he thought with amusement.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Desdemona glared a moment longer before turning and disappearing into the alleyways, taking the quickest route to one of the people lurking within.
Maximus watched his sister vanish from sight with a nervous whimper.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Is there a reason she's angry with me?" Lewis asked Maximus quietly.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“I... don’t know...”
He frowned.
“Sometimes she’s just angry to be angry...?”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Fair enough," acknowledged Lewis with a shrug.
"Do you think she'll share, or shall we get you your own?"
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“I think she’ll share with me, but...” He paused, biting his bottom lip with a worried look, as if he feared offending Lewis.
“...You might have to get your own.”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Oh, laddie," he said, stroking the boy's hair, "you've no need to worry about that. I don't need one--food's enough for me."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus nuzzled quietly into the touch, leaning against him with his brow furrowed slightly.
“...Lewis...?”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Yes?" Weir responded.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“Are you gonna be scared of me?” asked Maximus, still concerned.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"No," Lewis reassured him. "Have no fear of that."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“You promise?” He said hopefully.
Meanwhile, Desdemona had finally grown weary of stalking her prey and there came the distant sound of angry yelling as she began chucking rocks at the man’s head.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"I may startle," Weir admitted, "but that's simply a natural reflex, and different from true fear," he clarified. "I will never truly fear you, Maxi. That, I promise."
The angry yell and the sound of stones arrested his attention.
"Come. We had better find your sister," he said as he began jogging toward the ruckus, confident in the speed and stealth Maximus had displayed earlier.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Maximus gave a toothy smile in response to his assurances.
His head tilted in a curious manner at the noises coming from the alleyway, straightening when Lewis spoke again.
“Oh, okay,” He agreed quietly, breaking into a run to remain alongside him.
Desdemona had chosen to attack in a intersection of sorts between allies for there was more space for her to maneuver as she darted about throwing her stones at the guy with inhuman speed. Every time he’d lunge close enough to try and stop her, she’d vanish from sight only to lob another projectile at the back of his head.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis stopped short in surprise. He simply stood and watched.
Remind me never to tick her off, he thought with a touch of awe.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus quickly took cover behind Weir’s leg when they’d arrived, clutching the fabric of his trousers.
The man whirled about for probably the dozenth time in attempt to ward off his attacker and caught sight of Lewis, his expression briefly lighting up with desperation.
“Hey, sir, you’ve gotta help me, this little brat is insan—”
There was a solid THUNK as a particularly hefty rock slammed into the back of his skull when he was distracted, causing the man to slump, unconscious, to the ground.
Desdemona dropped the spare rock she’d been holding and, without so much as looking at Lewis, went to inspect her catch.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Desdemona, Maximus, thought Lewis as he drew near, please play along with this little act--there are two people staring out a window--they've seen us.
"Oh, dear, let me have a look at him," he said with seeming concern. "You play too roughly sometimes, daughter, you know that." He bent over the man and briefly checked his vitals.
"Ah, good, he's alright--merely needs a bit of rest," he declared aloud. "I'll take him to my practice, where he can recover."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus at once looked very frightened, retreating back a step as Lewis approached the fallen man.
Desdemona, meanwhile, fixed Lewis with a look of pure predatorial rage, literally hissing at him with fangs bared when he dared touch her catch.
She was absolutely seething and it seemed that, if Weir didn’t back off soon enough, she just might start throwing rocks at his head next.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Desdemona," he said very quietly. "You've been spotted. I'm taking him where you won't be seen feeding. It's not far--I saw a blind alley not half a block back. We don't want the neighbors to fetch the police. Play along."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Desdemona wasn’t budging, placing both hands on the unconscious man in a possessive gesture and positively glaring daggers.
Maximus could easily sense the violence rising within his sister and, fearing for Lewis’s safety more than his own, he reached inside himself for the store of energy that allowed for inhuman speeds, attempting to dash to Weir’s aid...
...only, something was wrong.
He’d gone not two steps before exhaustion crashed down on him like a tsunami and he sank to the ground, making a sudden, pitiful sound of pain. The food in his stomach burned like fire.
Desdemona broke her gaze away from Lewis upon hearing her brother, and though she didn’t try to use her vampiric speed as he had, she was there at his side in an instant, cradling him close.
She looked up at Weir in desperation and fear for Maximus, silently pleading, the expression so immensely different to the snarls she’d given before.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"Oh, God--Maxi!" cried Lewis as he rushed to his side.
He gave Des a nod, lifted the lad up, hoisted the man over his shoulder, and took off at speed down the street to the blind, windowless alley he'd seen before.
He quickly lay the man down at the rear, stripped him of his shirt, and took out an empty syringe. This he filled it from the vein at the crook of the fellow's elbow.
Next, he opened Maxi's mouth and depressed the plunger, squirting the contents in. He then held the boy's mouth shut so he'd swallow.
He repeated the process over and over, as many times as proved necessary.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Desdemona followed as fast as she could manage, sitting on her knees just out of the way in the alley and watching Lewis work.
Maximus gradually became responsive as he took in blood, his eyes fluttering open after a few swallows and revealing the greedy, animalistic hunger within their depths. Feebly, he started straining to latch onto Weir’s wrist, but lacked the strength to actually reach up and grab the man, so he could only eagerly swallow what sustenance he was fed.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Once Maximus seemed strong enough, Lewis made a few quick pricks in the the man's wrist and placed it in the boy's mouth.
"Get yours, too, Des," he encouraged her with a gesture to the other wrist. He didn't need two ailing vampires to contend with.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus sank his fangs into the fellow’s wrist and greedily gulped down the warm blood that came from it, the desperate desire to feed overtaking his entire being.
Surprisingly, though she looked sorely tempted, Desdemona shook her head at his prompting, instead watching her brother intently.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir put it down to concern for her brother and left it at that.
He, too, returned to watching Maxi.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
A minute or so had passed when Desdemona tensed just as there was a subtle shift in her brother’s energies indicating he’d managed to balance out his previous meals with his current blood intake, restoring him to a sort of equilibrium.
Very slowly, so as not to attract attention to herself, she rose to a crouch, sneaking closer to her feeding sibling.
So engrossed in what he was doing, Maximus didn’t look up until his sister was right upon him, and before he could even bare his bloodied fangs in warning, she’d tackled him away from the unconscious man.
Desdemona wrestled her brother to the ground as he snapped and snarled at her, managing to keep him well under control despite the strength his feeding frenzy, and she simply held him there beneath her until his furious growls gradually melted into whimpers over the course of another few minutes.
Only then did she stand up, a little wobbly but still reaching down to help her brother back up.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Lewis instinctively leapt back as Desdemona struck.
He stood with his back against one side of the alley and blinked in amazement as he beheld the struggle before him.
Oh. My, he belatedly managed the thought when it was all over.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus gratefully accepted the hand up and, after getting a brief hug from his sister, walked somewhat drowsily over to Lewis.
Desdemona returned to her catch, finally able to drink her fill from the previously unpunctured wrist, not quite as absorbed as her brother had been but undeniably eager all the same.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir breathed a sigh of relief.
"Feeling better?" he asked the lad.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus nodded and rubbed his eyes, giving a little smile that showed his fangs had returned to their usual size.
Desdemona seemed quite intent on draining the man of every drop of blood he had left with the pace she was drinking.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Weir wasn't one to stop her, despite the fact two people had seen the initial incident. He'd deal with them later. Besides, he reasoned, interruptin' a vampire in the middle of a feed's about as brilliant as snatchin' my food away when I'm starvin'.
"I'm glad," he replied with a smile to Maximus.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus hugged Lewis’s leg, leaning his head against him as he watched his sister.
Just when it seemed the man would reach the point of no return in terms of bloodloss, Desdemona very reluctantly pulled away from his wrist, her energies at the same equilibrium that her brother had reached before she’d forced him to stop feeding.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis was impressed. Desdemona apparently had more skill at managing her vampiric nature than Maximus did.
"I should probably at least patch him up and put his shirt back on him," Weir suggested regarding the partially-drained man.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“Okay,” Desdemona replied as she wiped her mouth, obviously not caring too much about the man now that her brother and herself had been fed.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir was as good as his word.
Once he'd finished, he stood and left the man where he was.
"I should probably tend to those nosy neighbors now," Lewis thought aloud. "We can't have them fetching the police out of concern."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
“Do we come?” Maximus asked, lingering close to Weir. He hadn’t moved from his side since he’d finished feeding.
Desdemona’s expression darkened briefly as she recalled the times Hela had abandoned them in the middle of the city before. She fixed her gaze on Lewis, digging through his thoughts to see if he intended to do the same.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"If you can pretend to be my apologetic children who were simply roughhousing and got carried away, yes. We need to make the neighbors believe that's all it was."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus looked thoughtful for a moment, then gave his best impression of a remorseful puppy, bottom lip quivering.
“I’m sorry,” He said softly, sounding close to tears.
Desdemona managed to tone down her sulky expression to more a look of discomfort, as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"That'll do it," said Lewis approvingly.
"Let's get this done."
He went with the children to the building with the nosy neighbors. The main door was open, revealing a stairwell.
Upstairs, he knocked on the door he estimated belonged to the people in question, given the placement of the window through which he'd seen them.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus beamed at Lewis’s approval, looking to see if his sister had the same delight from the praise.
Desdemona most decidedly did not, but her brother’s expression managed to bring a slight smile to her own regardless.
A man opened the door with the beginnings of a greeting when he stppped rather abruptly as he recognized Weir and the kids, who were now acting their part.
“What do you want?” He asked, his tone more worried than wary.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"I want to apologize for the ruckus outside. Sometimes the children do get a bit carried away with their roughhousing, but that's no excuse."
He turned to the two young vampires.
"Tell these good people you're sorry to have upset them, children."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus looked as if he was about to burst into tears from guilt.
“W-We’re sorry for being r-rough...” He said between whimpers, hugging his sister who looked about as uncomfortable as a child in trouble could be.
“Sorry,” She added quietly, bowing her head.
“Well...” The man looked between the pair of them, frowning faintly. He didn’t seem to want to let it go, but there was just something about the little boy’s expression. “So long as it doesn’t happen again, I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"Rest assured, it shan't recur," said Weir with a positively parental glance to the children.
"By the by," he said, returning his gaze to the man, "I took their poor, impromptu 'playmate' back to my practice, patched him up, and compensated him for the trouble these youngsters caused. 'Sorry to make such a scene."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus and his sister had the common sense to look ashamed when Lewis turned his gaze on them.
The man gave a nod and a shrug. “S’alrigjt, children can be wild sometimes. It seems you’ve taken care of things rather well—that’s quite good of you, sir.”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"I shouldn't call myself a doctor if I did any less," stated Lewis.
"And now, I'm afraid we had better be going. A good day to you, sir, and to your female compatriot as well."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
The man blinked once, then twice in surprise.
“Err, the same to you as well,” He said, casting a quick glance behind him with a faintly confused look.
After he’d closed the door, it wasn’t difficult to hear him going to explain the whole conversation to his companion.
Maximus gave a rather pleased smile now that they were done and reached to take Lewis’s hand while Desdemona just looked sulky again.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir returned Maxi's smile.
"'Glad that's done," Lewis said when they'd exited the building.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“What do we do now?” asked Maximus with a little skip to his step, more full of energy now than anytime before.
Desdemona didn’t look as cheery, frowning at the ground.
“Do we have to go back to the house?”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Weir thought about it as he checked his pocket watch, then chuckled.
"No," he said with a smile. "We don't. Not yet, anyway."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Maximus broke into a grin and tighted his grip on Lewis’s hand, tugging him forward insistently in a way that said ‘Follow me!’.
Desdemona sort of rolled her eyes at her brother’s excitement, but the look wasn’t entirely devoid of fondness. It seemed she cared for him, despite her usual attitude.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis let himself be pulled along. "All right, where are we going?" he got out with a chortle.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“The park!” exclaimed Maximus, giving an extra eager tug, “We can feed the duckies!”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir laughed, glad for the lad's enthusiasm but needing to point out a necessity.
"If we do, we'll first need to get some ice, to keep these steaks from going bad. We wouldn't want them to go to waste, would we?"
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
“Oh...”
Maximus slowly came to halt, frowning.
“Where is ice?”
“Maybe the ice cream store?” Desdemona suggested. It was in the name, afterall.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"Given it's the end of the day, we could ask them if they've any small blocks or, better still, cobbles left," agreed Lewis as he changed course for the store. "It shouldn't take ten minutes, if they do."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago • edited
“Do the ice cream people like to share?” asked Maximus curiously as he and his sister followed at Lewis’s side.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"If they don't, we can always offer to buy the ice. But it is the end of the day, and thus they may be about to get rid of what little is left. If they've some left," Weir explained.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Maximus seemed to be playing some sort of game with his feet as he absorbed that information, hopping more than he was walking.
“If the ice is all gone, can we eat the steak now?”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago • edited
"Yes," said Lewis, "though it would necessitate our going back to the house in order to cook it."
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
“I like it not cooked too!” Maximus said, then smiled as an idea struck him. “We could eat and feed the duckies together!”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"Hmm..." Lewis gave it some thought. It sounded like a good plan.
He looked to Desdemona as if seeking her opinion.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Desdemona glanced back at him with a funny sort of look, equal parts confused and annoyed.
“What is it?”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"Is Maxi's proposal amenable to you as well?" asked Lewis.
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
“I don’t care,” Desdemona said with a sullen shrug, “Just don’t want to go back home.”
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
"Ducks and steak it is, then," declared Weir.
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Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
((Time for some good ol’ fashioned shenanigans XD))
Grinning with the thrill of their little game, Hela led Charricthran down the shortest route to Lewis’s office, occasionally quickening her pace to a near jog.
When they arrived at the office door, she put a finger to her lips with a smirk, then knocked thrice.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
There was the sound of crinkling paper as Lewis stowed something in a desk drawer.
"Come in," he said as he rose from his chair.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran followed her with a silent run born of years of practice rather than his insubstantial form.
At Hela's gesture, he smirked and ducked into her shadow-- the mundane way, for once. It made little difference, as she was taller than he, and he wore dark clothes on even the best of days.
His sharp teeth were a livid slash of a smile against the darkness as he gave her a thumbs-up.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela swung open the door with far more dramatic flare than was warranted, striding forward with an infectious grin.
“Merry Christmas, Dr. Weir! Mind if I take a little something from you?” She greeted cheerily, eyes alight and dancing.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"Merry Christmas, Hela," he returned with a smile and a waggish look. "That depends on what it is you seek to take.
"Hello there, Charricthran," he added.
"Have you two had a good day so far?"
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran slipped through the door after Hela with a roguish grin, quiet save for his presence as he followed after Hela's lead.
The mischief in the air was palatable at this point, he was certain.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“A marvelous one! In fact—” She raised her arms to show off the new green and gold bracers. “—that’s why we’re here.”
“Charricthran and Richard were ever-so-kind enough to give me these, so I came to ask for your blessing in trying to learn how to use them properly.”
A beat, her air of grandeur fading somewhat.
“Char says the hook parts can disarm blades, and he figured it’d be best to ask, since it could be dangerous.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"What...are they, exactly?" asked Lewis as he tilted his head to get a better look. "Bracers, of a kind? What are they made of? May I touch them?" The questions came rapid-fire; he was evidently unable to conceal a bit of excitement himself.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Term in my tongue is jiilral'ternocki, or 'second scales', so yup, dragon hide-not mine, mind ya- and yup! Think I got all o' those in the right order."
He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, watching the scene before him cheerfully.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Without a word, Hela slipped off both of the bracers and offered them to Weir, grinning faintly in a way that could be considered encouragement.
Although she usually wasn't one to share her new toys, Lewis seemed pretty intrigued by the armor and cooperation meant she was more likely to get permission for a practice session with Charricthran.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Lewis took in the sight of them, their color and variation, ran his fingers over them, feeling the texture, even inhaled the smell of the dragonhide leather. He imagined how the bracers might best be utilized in combat scenarios, and what Hela might do with them.
If nothing else, they might give her a fighting chance against Jamie, should Pendry force another altercation.
"You've my blessing so long as you use them only for self-defense, as per usual." He broke into a grin. "And so long as I get to watch Char's training sessions with you--during which," he turned his gaze to his friend, "I trust she will not be injured."
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Despite his grin, the nod Charricthran gave to Lewis was one of the utmost sincerity.
"I don' fancy hurtin' one o' a handful o' friends I have in this world, ta. Tha' said, I've a number o' tricks up my sleeve ta ensure both o' our safeties durin' it all, not the least o' which is pretendin' at a human body for a spell or three."
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela breathed a sigh of relief at Weir’s acceptance, releasing tension she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying.
“I can keep to those terms,” She said to Lewis with a smile, then turned to Charricthran as it morphed to a smirk, “And don’t worry, I promise to go easy on you, Char.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"Very good," said Weir with an approving smile and nod to Char and Hela both.
He chuckled softly at her bravado.
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Bravado though it was, Charricthran looked genuinely relieved.
"Well then! I might not make a complete bloody fool o' myself after all 'n--I don' kid about not bein' terribly proficient with these. Never much did have the strength for it til I was much older, an' by then my people were fair gone, so.."
He shrugged with a laugh, seemingly unperturbed.
"We'll see how this goes, eh? Wanna head ta the roof now, or d'ya fancy takin' the rest o' the holiday off?"
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Tairais  Tairais • 8 months ago
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago • edited
Hela had the sudden urge to reach out and comfort Char, though it was quickly quelled when she remembered that he wasn’t exactly the safest to touch.
Instead, she looked pointedly from Lewis to Charricthran, hoping Weir would get the message.
“If Lewis here is willing to spot us, I’d love to give my new presents a go,” She said with a grin. “What better is there to do on a holiday?”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Wordlessly, Lewis looped his arm round Charricthran's shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
At Hela's words, he chuckled.
Ah, yes...let us celebrate the Prince of Peace--fight!
"The roof it is," he agreed with a grin.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran startled only slightly, thank you very much. That said, the affection was.. nice, and gave him a bit of fortification against that particular weight on his heart.
He shot Lewis a grateful look that quickly transitioned into a playful smirk as he half-bowed and gestured to the door with a single sweeping arm, his top hat and coat making him seem almost the ringleader of a grand circus.
"After you, o' fierce warrior friend!"
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela snickered at that.
“I hope for your sake you mean me and not Lewis, Char, or this is gonna be one interesting pratice session,” She said jokingly as she stepped out the door.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Weir gave a little laugh at that.
He followed her out and locked the door to his office once Charricthran, too, had exited.
The three had soon crested the stairs to the roof.
Lewis took a seat on the half-wall that ringed the perimeter, which provided him a good vantage point from which to watch the proceedings.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"If Weirmrith wants a go after, an' ya havenae completely killed my sense o' pride, he's more than welcome ta a session o' his own," said Charricthran, almost as an afterthought on his way out the door.
When the three of them had gotten onto the roof, he turned to face Hela with a grin.
"Right! First things first, makin' sure the things fit right- they'll do fine as defense any which way on your arms, but if ya wanna be able ta properly break a swing, you're gonna want ta make sure the first spike's fair near your wrist on the outside, an' the last jus' under your elbow. If ya want, I can adjust em myself an' teach ya how ta do likewise later, or you can do it an' I'll spot ya from here."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
For a moment, Hela seemed to be focused on simply understanding and absorbing what he’d said, a task that took up more brainpower then she’d like to admit.
Another moment passed, and she still didn’t appear entirely sure as to how to answer.
“I... could try and put them on now and you can adjust them as needed?” She suggested after a beat more, uncertainty far from gone.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Sure thing!"
Charricthran coached Hela through adjusting the bracers to fit properly, a task which took less time than he'd thought it would.
Once that was done, he placed his hands on his hips with a satisfied nod.
"Perfect! Right, now there's a couple'a ways ta do this defensively based off o' how your opponent's comin' atcha, an' with what sorta weapon. Most common I encountered were swords, knives o' varyin' sorts, an' fists. Daresay ya prob'ly won't have ta deal with a sword anytime soon, so we'll save that one for last."
He then assumed a stance that was decidedly casual, given the nature of their rooftop visit, the only sign he was ready for a fight the fact his weight lay solely on the balls of his feet. He held up his fists in a loose parody of a boxer's stance that only reached his chest, once more looking Hela in the eye.
"Typically, my lot tended towards havin' this middle stance so's ta intercept a wider variety o' attacks- usin' these are a matter o' precision an' strength, see? Ya wanna be able ta catch a fist or a knife right 'tween those spokes o' yours- you'll break a wrist fair easy with a decent amount o' strength, an' I've known a few ta break garbage knives, too."
The air seemed to darken for a few moments as Charricthran closed his eyes and concentrated, breathing slowly through his nose. He opened his eyes again a moment later, looking mildly disoriented until he gave a quick shake of his head.
Shadows coalesced on his arm in a parody of Hela's bracers, faintly wobbling like water.
"Come at me with a punch o' your own in slow motion, an' I'll walk ya through how ta place your bracer an' twist."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Alright,” Hela said with a slight tremor to her voice, looking a touch paler than usual.
She inhaled through her nose, shifting into the stance she’d been taught by Lewis as she did so (Legs diagonal, one further out then the other, knees slightly bent), then exhaled heavily once she’d positioned herself.
The Hyde took some handful of moments to ensure she was comfortable before, painstakingly slowly, beginning a jabbing punch she’d learned prior, trying to focus on both her own form and how Char would move to intercept it.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
There were four spikes that protruded from the two sections of the bracers. Charricthran caught Hela's wrist between the two lowest ones by moving his arm to be perpendicular to her outstretched one.
Going as slow as they were, her wrist didn't get caught in the groove created by the now-downward curve of the spikes, but it was quickly apparent how the forward momentum of a punch in combination with the shape of the grove could very easily result in the opponent's arm becoming trapped.
"You wanna conserve as much energy as ya can from the initial block so's ta allow yourself plenty'a strength ta either break the fella's wrist, parry the strike, or follow up with an attack o' your own while they're wonderin' why the devil ya didnae get hit. The bracers'll do most o' the work for ya in that regard."
To emphasize his point, Charricthran applied the barest amount of pressure as he made to push Hela's arm aside, the curve and rigidity of the bracers effectively serving to twist her wrist just shy of becoming painful before he let off.
As he did so, he mimed a jab with his free arm, stopping quite shy of actually hitting her.
"'S a lot like fencin', I'm told- you'll wanna move the arm away from your middle, so's ya slip your arms ta the inside o' theirs, see? It ain't terribly different no matter where you're getting punched, so long's ya get the angle an' pressure o' the block right."
With that, he did an odd little wiggling motion with his wrist, freeing Hela from his bracer with an encouraging smile.
"Make sense?"
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela gave a quick nod in return, pulling her previously captured arm close to her chest and retreating back a step, her stance dropped.
“Yeah, I... think I understand,” She said, sort of staring a little past Charricthran as she rubbed it.
A blink as she remembered herself and flashed him a meek smile.
“So, uh, how am I supposed to parry something?”
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"Tha's a lot simpler, 'specially if ya ain't aimin' ta maim- an' the mos' like fencing, as Ricky-boy told me a half-dozen times while we were makin' these."
Charricthran took a moment to roll his eyes in fond exasperation before continuing.
"If you're aimin' ta parry a punch, 's much like doin' so when fist-fightin' normally, only you've quite a bit o' reinforcin' so ya can do the same move as I did a'fore, only catchin' the blow a'top the first spike, so's ta help with the deflectin', see?" He made a little wiggling motion with his hand as if mimicking the air flow over the spike in question.
"Parryin' a blade's a lot harder, an' I don' much fancy tryin' tha' out 'till there a wee bit more trust an' practice 'tween us, so I'll jus' tell ya: Essentially, ya can either do it by catchin' the blade 'tween both sets o' spikes on both wrists an' pullin' in opposite directions, or ya can do a tricky bit I never quite got the hang o' an' do pretty much tha' same thing, only usin' all four the spikes on one arm."
"Now," he said as he assumed his 'ready' stance once more, "You all right ta take turns movin' through the forms together? Once ya build up a muscle memory for the parries o' kinda each general area, it becomes a fair sight easier ta do it ta speed."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
An exhale of relief escaped her at Charricthran’s assurance that they wouldn’t be using blades that very day, the sound a little louder than she would’ve liked.
“I think so,” Hela replied quietly, shifting into her own defensive position, “Nice and slow at first, right?”
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Yup. Like I said, wanna get the form right a'fore everythin' starts flyin'."
That said, the two of them began to trade very exaggerated blows that stopped a fair distance from the other, gradually growing in speed as Hela grew marginally more confident. Charricthran was quick to offer compliments when they were due (and, being that this sort of fighting much more suited someone like Hela than someone like himself, was fairly often) and helpful suggestions whenever they applied.
They continued in this fashion for quite some time until Charricthran backed down, grinning proudly.
"Wux dronilnr ilieh'regipreic. You're a natural--pickin' this up much faster 'n I ever did. Wanna keep at this, or d'ya fancy tradin' actual blows? I'll.. how d'ya say it.. solidify? Myself ta keep things safe an' fair, see? Only if ya want, though."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Come on, Char, we’re all friends here,” Hela said with a chuckle and a bit of an embarrassed smile, “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better about all this.”
Though she had relaxed significantly after drilling the technique, she was never completely at ease, and she felt it all the more plainly when Charricthran complimented her supposed skill.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
"He's not lying," put in Lewis. "I've been watching. Don't let the seeming slowness of this first day fool you. You built the basics with your earlier training from me, and now--based on what I've seen today--it appears you've a real talent for this particular style of fighting."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Charricthran gave a nod towards Lewis, adding, "'S also worth mentionin' I physically cannae lie in my native tongue, which is why I tend ta talk ta my friends in it- extra assurance there's no lies ta be found, see? I meant it when I said tha' 'you bring perfect gifts'."
He tilted his head and gave a wry smile, crow's feet at the corners of his eyes crinkling merrily.
"As I said, you're welcome ta start tradin' proper blows if you're comfortable-like, jus' give me the word an' a couple'a minutes ta solidify myself for ya."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela stared at them both for a moment in disbelief.
They’ve got to be pulling my leg.
Natural talent my arse... Isn’t that what every children’s art teacher tells their students?
A mental scowl.
This pair could wipe the floor with me while enjoying a lovely chat over tea and biscuits.
...but then again, Lewis doesn’t lie very often, and when he does, it’s with good reason.
Though the good reason here could just be trying to encourage me so I don’t feel so terrible.
She grit her teeth in unvoiced frustration.
“Yeah, I can wait a few minutes,” She finally answered, her voice a little flat as she tried to keep her emotion in check.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Lewis looked befuddled at her frustration.
He drew closer and asked her quietly, "Hela...what's wrong?"
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Though they were hidden under his hair, his ears twitched with the barely-suppressed desire to flatten downward as he picked up on Hela's displeased form.
His gaze darted between her and Lewis, his own expression inscrutable as he wordlessly excused himself some several steps away to perform a ritual he rarely used.
Rolling up his sleeves, he took a moment to summon the binding glyphs that he'd only worn when he'd been regifted his body well over a year ago.
With a halfway amused, halfway wistful smile, he jabbed his talon-like nails into five circular marks on the underside of his wrist, turning away to shield the sight from view with his body.
There was no pain as he felt his entire being growing heavy, reknitting itself under skin that stretched and itched like burlap with its unfamiliarity.
The perceptive would note a slight shifting to his outward appearance, ripples not unlike the play of light through water passing over him every ten seconds or so.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela wasn’t able to hide the flare of vexation that welled up in response to Weir’s concern, nor could she control it as she clenched her hands into fists, tense and almost trembling.
After a beat, however, the spark of anger seemed to die all at once and she relaxed her fists, head hanging.
“I don’t... like doing this...” She admitted softly, “But I want to... and I need to... It’s the only way I’ll have a chance.”
Her gaze flickered to his for only a moment.
I don’t want to die.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Lewis knew that look--he'd seen it not only on her, but on himself in times past.
He nodded. Much as he wanted to protect her, he couldn't be with her every waking moment.
"Then let's provide you the best training possible, so you'll have the most favorable chance."
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Instinct had him wanting to flick out his wings for balance as the weight of gravity began to pull on him and this body he was moulding like clay. He made himself as human as he could remember being, though without the vampiric cause for that body.
He couldn't hear past the rush of blood in his ears, couldn't breathe past lungs that burst into life as burning fireworks searing the inside of his skin. Again, not painful per se- he'd experienced far worse, of late- but decidedly an interesting experience.
Honestly, if it didn't give him such a bloody headache after he dropped the spell, he'd do this sort of thing more often.
He could tell the spell had finished when he felt the pins-and-needles sensation of the wounds in his wrist healing. When all was said and done, he folded his sleeves properly so as to re-form the bracers around his skin. These too, solidified in a much more 'real' manner, with none of the faint shifting and writhing that they'd had before as mere fabrications of his will.
He turned towards Hela and Lewis, waiting until he was certain they were finished talking before padding up to where he'd been standing and running through the motions earlier.
"Ready when you are, Hela."
Despite his enthusiastic and once-more reassuring grin, there was a small amount of giddy dread that infused him with nervous energy, and it all boiled down to one simple fact:
He was going to get absolutely decked within about five minutes of combat, if he even made it that long. These bracers were not meant for fighters like he, even when you considered the fact they were a weapon native to his people.
Oh, this was going to be fun. More for Hela than for him, but fun nonetheless.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela nodded once and dropped into her own stance, eyeing Charricthran with a hint of wariness as she prepared herself.
“Lewis, any rules or tips the two of us should keep in mind?” She asked without looking away from her opponent. “You know I’m not too familiar with sparring.”
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"I'd say, since it's your first time sparring together, not to go for the face. Save that for when you're both more familiar with each other's fighting rhythms and flow," he offered as he stepped away.
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Noted. Ta, Weirmrith"
As suited his fighting style when he wasn't engaging with magic, Charricthran typically reacted to his opponent's strikes and did his best to outlast them long enough to get precise and brutal strikes in. His people were ambush predators, decidedly not built for strength as opposed to agility and endurance.
Considering he'd not any of his natural armor to give Hela experience fighting those like her, that cut down much of the 'endurance' aspect as well.
As such, he lay in wait, studying Hela intently for even the slightest hint of movement.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“I will try my best to avoid the face, but I don’t think I can make any promises,” She admitted, “Sorry Char.”
One thing she’d learned from her sessions with Lewis was that hesitation had no place in a fight, so before the apology had even fully left her mouth, she lunged at Charricthran, going for a quick jab to the throat.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"No worries," Charricthran said as he leaned to the side with a deceptively casual air. "I'm fair certain it could only improve matters!"
As if falling, he used the momentum from his dodge and his smaller size to slip under Hela's arm and aimed a jab of his own at her ribs as he sailed past.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela gave a sharp inhale as she only just noticed the movement and jolted back, her right hand coming to shove his arm to the side at the wrist.
“How on Earth could a punch to the face improve anything?” She managed with a shaky laugh, forcing herself to breathe.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Rearrangin' the features without payin' a fortune for it, an' a kick o' adrenaline ta boot! Might be in the wrong... everythin' for that though. Nice parry, by the by," he added as darted to the side and made a swing for her kidney.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“Don’t—” The word came out rather strangled as panic flickered in her eyes.
There was no room for thought as Hela shifted her weight to her front leg, swiftly pivoting on it and placing her back leg down to stand half a revolution from where she was before. Her arm then came out and down to deflect the blow that had been meant for her lower back.
“—complement me—”
Her other arm extended in a quick jab aimed for the sweet spot just under Char’s jar, fear pushing her on the offensive before he could react with the same.
“—when we’re fighting!”
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
Charricthran bobbed out of the way, but only just- the breeze over his chin was no memory as he parried Hela's strike, continued moving, and returned the favor with a jab just under her rib cage on the other side of where he'd just struck. His eyes glittered with the same sort of sickening thrill that came with a close encounter of the painful kind.
"Why not? You're pickin' up on things a fair sight quicker'n the last person I sparred with. 'S deservin'."
There was no mockery in his voice as he continued moving close around her, weight only just on his feet as he looked for the next opening without even considering if he'd hit her the last time.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
“I hate it!” Her voice rattled in her throat, fear and desperation apparent as adrenaline made it quite impossible to tame her emotion.
Hela did much the same move as before, swiftly turning 180 degrees and reaching an arm down to divert the punch away from her body, but instead of lashing out with a jab of her own, she dropped low, attempting to sweep Char’s legs from beneath him.
Run run run run run run—
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Charricthran's brow twitched to a half-frown as he hopped backward to avoid Hela's leg.
Always forget those bloody things.
"Noted!" He said with a rush of air that betrayed his burgeoning weariness. His arms already ached from the strain of blocking what few punches he'd already managed--adding in his own few attacks, and he was very much becoming aware of why he tended not to do this sort of crap.
Granted, the whole purpose of this exercise was to punch, so it'd be pretty counter-productive not to. That didn't mean he wasn't a little bit self-conscious about it all, however.
He ducked to the other side as Hela turned to face him, doubling back on the path he'd taken before, never turning his back to her.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
God-f*cking-d*mnit!, She thought as Char changed direction, a slight prickling sensation behind her eyes.
His way of darting about was completely overwhelming and it took all she had to continue following him through the movements.
Instead of attempting another attack, she pivoted to continue facing him and watched for his hands for his next one, trying to calm her breathing and stop the trembling that had spread throughout her limbs.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Charricthran took a moment to consider his options as Hela faced him, motionless in a matter of seconds. He stood stock-still, tilting his head to weigh his options.
So much for that. Pah, I hate goin' on the offensive...
Nevertheless, he did as such, darting at her like a minnow and ducking low at the last second to strike at the side of her stomach, just above her hip.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela felt the smallest sliver of relief when Charricthran finally went still; after his rapid flitting about, the lack of movement felt like Heaven.
But the peace didn’t last long.
She met his darting attack with a low block and, honestly quite startled by his sudden proximity, attempted to slam her knee into his face in order to get some sort of distance back.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Charricthran registered the knee flying towards his face at terminal velocity a fraction too late. His attempt to dodge said knee was much like a hand trying to catch a butter knife falling off a table by trying to pin it to said table with a forceful slap.
Much like the proverbial hand to the proverbial knife, the knee that then clipped his chin knocked him stumbling back a few steps as stars of pain bloomed in his vision.
Even after I reminded myself about the d*mn things, I still managed ta get a leg ta the face.
What momentary momentum he had sputtered out like a candleflame hit by a vengeful cat as he shook his head, trying to realign the many versions of Hela in his sight and to rid his mouth of the taste of tar.
"Cor, that'll do it. Anku ve ini iejir."
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Without a moment of hesitation, Hela pressed her advantage, moving forward with a quick jab aimed for Char’s face.
That blow never landed, however, because at the last second she dropped to attempt another sweep of his legs, adrenaline fueling her speed.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Even while dizzy, he managed to summon up the ability to avoid the sweep to his legs with all the grace of a rolling penny. That said, his vision was only made worse by his half-stumble backwards, ears straining for the sound of movement in its stead.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela took several steps forward to compensate for the distance Char’s stumbling put between them, swinging a punch at the center of his stomach.
Without regarding whether or not she’d managed to land the blow, she pressed closer and hooked an uppercut under his jaw only a heartbeat later.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Xsiol, came the resignedly amused thought.
Time slowed in the way it only did when there was no good outcome to a situation. In the split second he took to chide himself for his choices leading up to that moment, he considered how best to minimize the incoming damage.
He took the blow to his stomach and the subsequent loss of oxygen so that, when Hela began to crowd him, he could use the momentum to launch into a back handspring.
Once he'd landed, he carried that energy into a leg sweep not unlike the ones Hela herself had attempted on him.
He also closed his eyes for half a second and listened even further, because at this point the world was a kaleidoscope of color and he'd always hated those dang things.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Hela noticed the leg sweep but her attempt to lift her leg out of the way was a little too slow and Char made contact.
In order to retrain her balance regardless, she swung her leg with the sweeping motion of Char’s own, which allowed her to place it shoulder length apart at her side without a wobble.
Immediately shifting her weight to the only recently grounded foot, she then sought to plant a kick square in the middle of Charricthran’s back.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Naturally, with only a split second between the 'thud' of Hela's foot hitting the ground and the rush of moving air, and being unable to tell where, exactly, he was about to get hit, Charricthran did the only logical thing he could think of.
He jumped. Vertically. Four feet into the air, in fact.
Said fact was made less impressive by the fact he could now only hear blood and wind rushing in his ears, which meant he had to open his eyes.
Kaleidoscopes were still evil. He still couldn't see that well, grays and blues and purples all making smudges against an equally gray, blue, purple, and smudgy background.
He aimed for the approximately-Hela's-shoulders-blob as he fell, unable to do much more than that.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago
Although Hela had never quite trained for something so spectacular as an entire four foot vertical leap, she did know enough about attacks from above to know her best option was to simply step out from underneath them, which she did rather swiftly in a direction that would ensure she’d be at Char’s back again when he returned to the ground.
For the brief time that he was falling, Hela remained in a ready stance, but the moment he’d landed in a slight crouch, she sprang forward, driving her elbow down into the spot just beside the throat where, on a human, there was a gap in the collarbone that allowed access to one’s windpipe.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Unfortunately for Hela, Charricthran was not human, nor had he ever really had the chance to study human anatomy enough to realize that humans not only had collarbones, but did not, in fact, have a specialized lung system evolved for the explicit purpose of avoiding the inhalation of toxic gas while in flight.
This meant that, while Hela very much succeeded in knocking what little air he had left out of him (and also in causing no small amount of pain that radiated through the area like so much ice), it did not succeed in disabling him just yet.
In response, he quickly jabbed an elbow of his own backwards (decidedly not almost lashing out with wings and a tail that didn't exist), then pivoted as he darted low and to the side once more.
Another punch or two, and he'd be down; his vision was only just beginning to right itself, and he could still taste tar in his mouth.
Naturally that meant he launched another jab at her the side of her stomach on the way over. No sense in going down without a proper fight now, was there?
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 8 months ago • edited
Hela dodged the blind jab of his elbow as she retreated a half step back, never allowing her gaze to wander from Charricthran.
There was the slightest flicker across her expression as he went for her side again, the emotion unreadable and gone in an instant.
Pivoting quickly in order to reach properly, she dropped her arm to catch and deflect the blow with her forearm, following up with a jab in return to try and strike him under the chin once more.
Hela, thoughtless and fueled by the stress induced liquid fire in her veins, didn’t seem to have grown at all worn down.
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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
His eyes widened as he realized his folly a half-second too late.
Come ta think o' it, this is prob'ly why I get my myself in the dust when it comes ta proper fightin'.
As the blow collided with his chin for a second time, Charricthran fell much like a bird crashing into a window, accepting what he'd only been fighting to prolong.
Bensvelk kobtish, malai.
Charricthran had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, chiefly because he couldn't feel them to do so.
Didn't see you helpin'.
Si tira ti nymuer wux tor ihk coi.
Fair certain human an' human-likes don' get a read on people by their shadows. Tryin' ta stay realistic.
Vur zyak dout haurach jahus xurwka.
Yeah, well. See me complainin'?
...Thric?
Nope. Tha' was fun!
His comment went unremarked by his counterpart, most likely due to its confusion.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 7 months ago • edited
Unlike Charricthran, Hela didn’t seem to think their fight was over, hardly waiting until his back had hit the ground before advancing on her fallen opponent.
Stepping close to him, she raised one foot and brought it slamming down towards the lower portion of Charricthran’s throat.
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago • edited
Lewis had taught her the throat stomp as a way to induce a coughing fit in her opponent and thus ensure her the chance to run away...but Charricthran was obviously already down.
As far as emotions or energies went, Weir was getting nothing from Hela but fight-or-flight.
As her foot sped toward Char, the latter emoted frenzied panic--another second or two, and this would be a real fight, not just sparring practice.
Aw, shite!
The thought hadn't even concluded before he rushed headlong toward the two combatants.
The next instant, Hela and Charricthran found their world tilted on its head. Their disorientation was coupled with pressure around Hela's left ankle and Charricthran's right.
In between them, panting as he hoisted them up and away from each other by said ankles, was Lewis--though he looked like Edward.
"Bloody. Fuckin'. Buggerin'. Hell," he got out with each breath. "You two. Just don't. Know when to quit. Do ye."
He gradually lowered them to the ground as his arms began to shake, heart racing five miles a minute.
"Christ."
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago • edited
Lewis had taught her the throat stomp as a way to induce a coughing fit in her opponent and thus ensure her the chance to run away...but Charricthran was obviously already down.
As far as emotions or energies went, Weir was getting nothing from Hela but fight-or-flight.
As her foot sped toward Char, the latter emoted frenzied panic--another second or two, and this would be a real fight, not just sparring practice.
Aw, shite!
The thought hadn't even concluded before he rushed headlong toward the two combatants.
The next instant, Hela and Charricthran found their world tilted on its head. Their disorientation was coupled with pressure around Hela's left ankle and Charricthran's right.
In between them, panting as he hoisted them up and away from each other by said ankles, was Lewis--though he looked entirely like "Edward".
"Bloody. F*ckin'. Buggerin'. Hell," he got out with each breath. "You two. Just don't. Know when to quit. Do ye."
He gradually lowered them to the ground as his arms began to shake, heart racing five miles a minute.
"Christ."
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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Charricthran very carefully did not move.
If he moved, he rather though Wer'Vemud would do something foolish, straining against his skin as it was.
Charricthran very carefully did not breathe.
If he breathed, he would remember the all-too-solid throat and neck he had, and all the memories that he associated with having that threatened.
Charricthran very carefully did not speak.
If he spoke, it would not be words, but the furious scream of a trapped animal.
Charricthran very carefully did not think.
If he thought, he would remember all the panic that came with those other three things, in addition to suddenly being yanked to relative safety.
He lay very, very still, distantly listening to Wer'Vemud snap and snarl and howl with the want to protect themselves.
He had a faint sort of smile on his face and eyes that were only half-present.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 7 months ago • edited
Hela’s reaction to being hung upside down couldn’t have been more opposite to Charricthran’s.
The near wailing sound that escaped her when her ankle was captured was more animal than human, desperate and frightened and completely involuntary.
She struggled incessantly from her moment of capture, trying to lash out at anything close with fingers curled like claws and kick off the hand that held her up with wild, thrashing movements as she hissed and growled and cried out.
Though actual thought had far from caught up with her, her subconscious knew that voice, and it only added to her all consuming panic.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago • edited
As Charricthran was holding himself willfully, outwardly still, Lewis lowered him gently to the floor.
This conveniently freed his left hand to deal with Hela's unthinking struggles. He caught her right ankle to prevent her kicking free, though her curled fingers did tear a seam in his green waistcoat, just under the arm.
He winced at the sound.
"Right."
He carried her to the opposite side of the roof from Charricthran, and made an effort to calm himself.
"I am going to set you down, Hela," he told her, the shift in voice accompanying a concomitant physical change. "Please go for me if you must try to hurt someone," he said as he gingerly placed her on the ground. He used his body to block her view of Charricthran.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago • edited
As soon as he hit the ground, Charricthran allowed a very minute amount of Wer'Vemud's influence to the forefront, simply because its rage was a buffer against the panic.
He folded his legs and arms close to his chest as if a doll, the muffled whoosh-snap of feathers-and-scales growing and three pairs of wings unfurling something distant and unfelt, but appreciated as they blocked all things from view.
Thankfully, they were proportionally sized to him, else he'd have knocked all three of them off the roof.
One crisis at a time, though. He reached for that distant part of himself that still recalled how to make words and offered what he could find to Wer'Vemud
We're all right, kid. Calm yourself a'fore ya hurt either o' em more'n I already have, kampiun?
He received only a screech in response, and sighed at the fact.
Feathers, bony fingers, leather, and glass all overlapped each other as he drew shadow around them, effectively obscuring them from view from mortal eyes, though he was almost certain Lewis would have some way of sensing they were there. He himself was still visible if he'd done it right, which he was fairly certain he had--point being, causing more chaos by suddenly disappearing seemed...
Well. Ill-advised, to say the least.
Back into stillness, back into control.
(( Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 7 months ago • edited
Another wail of despair came from the Hyde as her other ankle was captured and it was no wonder Weir’s clothes ended up suffering as she redoubled her efforts to somehow claw herself free.
The instant his grip loosened, Hela was scrabbling to her feet and away from him, dropping into a more crouched parody of the stance he’d taught her.
Her entire body was trembling with uncontrolled waves of fear as she stood staring at him with all the terror of a cornered animal.
((Jekyll1886))
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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 7 months ago
Lewis was all too aware her fear wasn't going anywhere.
Fine... he thought with a sigh as he shifted his features.
"Is this...better?" he asked, looking entirely like "Henry". Even his demeanor seemed more hesitant, as if he were not only concerned for Hela, but also afraid to offend her.
((Tairais ))
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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Before he could think to react to the sound of voices, Wer'Vemud's snarling voice (glass against stone, scraping, biting, sparking) ricocheted in their mind.
Their voices overlapped with each other, speaking both to calm themselves and to goad themselves, in perfect equilibrium for the time being and stationary only because of it.
Jaciv geou svent us, trap us, levnim udoka! Consume jacioniv first!
No one's killin' anyone! She's Ilthyeoradiraunarikorinth, beloved of Weirmrith Viofdioenel! Wux geou ti consume jacioniv! jaciv tiric ti tepoha wer broken-glass eyes! Jaciv ui afraid! Hear to her, jaciv relgric ekik lae wux tir!
Jaciv geou svent us! She will sulta udoka!
Be calm--THRIC!
And around in circles it went.
They were calm outwardly, at least.
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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 7 months ago
“Please—”
The single world rattled so much in her throat that she couldn’t continue, though her eyes conveyed the message well enough.
Please don’t hurt me, please stay away, please leave me alone, please, please, please let me go.
A sob came, unbidden, and fists turned to hands raised to shield herself as she sank lower, going down to her knees with her entire form tensed for a blow.
“Please,” She repeated, eyes squeezed shut against the tears threatening to well within them.
((@jekyll1886;disqus))
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Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago • edited
((Continuation of the Beach Rp!
RB:
Rose quietly ripped one of the slices in half, handing one half to Jamie who kissed her on the cheek. The blonde blushed a pretty pink, before the two of them began to eat. Neither of them had tried such a sandwich before, but it was nice.
Jekyll1886:
Lewis ate his sandwich in the blink of an eye.  He opened one of the four large bottles of ale and poured a cup for Helen, then one for himself. "I'm afraid I've only the two cups, but you're welcome to a bottle, if you'd like," he offered Rose and Jamie. ))
Helen briefly glanced to Lewis as he ate, looking away again with a flicker of muted emotion in her gaze.
When she accepted the cup of ale from him, her smile was small and gentle, almost apologetic.
“Thank you.”
She drank slowly from the cup, evidently restraining her pace.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Rose didn't want to drink the ale, for she had had a taste of it before and hadn't enjoyed it all too well. However, Jamie seemed to be all too happy to have some, taking a bottle and drinking a little right out of the gate with a smirk on her face.
"Don't drink too much, Jamie." The blonde warned, fearing that her love might try to drink the entire bottle.
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
"My pleasure," Lewis replied to Helen with a look he hoped she'd find reassuring.
His first cupful of ale soon vanished down his gullet, but he took his time with the second one he poured himself.
He gave a brief glance to Rose and Jamie at the former's warning, but didn't wish to pry.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Helen gave the slightest clench of her jaw at Rose’s comment, the minute movement imperceptible to anyone not experienced in the art of reading expressions.
She paused, lowered her cup, and, despite it not yet being entirely empty, partially refilled it with the utmost care.
Then, setting down the bottle of ale, she took another sip, scanning the distant ocean horizon as she did so.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"Relax Rose, i'm not a light weight." Jamie retorted, a reassuring smile on her face as she looked at her blonde lover.
Rose sighed and smiled back. She wasn't wrong.
"Fine." She said, before shuffling closer and resting her head upon Jamie's shoulder, closing her eyes as she did so.
(Jekyll1886 Your move. X3)
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
Lewis positioned himself to face the sea with Helen and slipped his hand under hers, intertwining their fingers. He gave a little squeeze, hoping to comfort her.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Helen glanced briefly to him in surprise, her questioning look softening at the additional pressure as she lowered her cup of ale.
She returned the gesture with a nervous smile, warmed by the fact he’d reached out, but rather worried about holding his hand in front of their present company.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Rose couldn't see what was happening and Jamie simply said nothing and continued to drink her ale. It wasn't any of her business.
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
Lewis sipped at his, too, enjoying the sight and sound of the waves.
"There'll be other days at the seaside," he whispered to Helen in an attempt to make her feel better.
"Nothin' like a day at the seaside, is there?" he said aloud, ostensibly to everyone. He didn't look at Rose, but this was nothing personal--he simply didn't want to have to make another mad dash for the cold water. He knew himself all too well in that regard.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Helen rolled her shoulders in a slight shrug, her look dolefully apologetic.
Then, she tipped back her head, draining the rest of the ale with an air of someone who really needed a drink.
When she lowered the cup, however, she froze, staring at it as if only just realizing what she’d done.
Shock, fervor, and a touch of fear flickered rapid fire across her expression, though her struggle with emotion was hidden from the eyes of the casual observer just as quickly.
It really was quite fortunate her back was to the others, came a rather distant, objective thought.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
"True. Some time away from our work is always a good thing." Jamie agreed, while Rose hummed and nodded, smiling.
(Jekyll1886 Your turn. X3)
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
"Mm," Lewis replied to Jamie as he nodded.
He used the excuse of refilling Helen's cup to turn to her.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked her quietly, the sound of the flowing liquid masking their conversation.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Utter relief washed over Helen as Lewis refilled her cup, banishing the confliction in her gaze as she held the drink in trembling hands.
“I drank it all,” She whispered with a watery smile, as if it explained everything, the sudden laugh that escaped her afterwards soft and not entirely sane.
“God, I wasn’t suppose to drink it all...”
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Jamie finished her drink and placed the empty bottle aside.
"Hey Lewis? Where did you get the ale from?" She asked, while Rose opened her eyes and looked at Lewis and Helen...but mainly Helen.
The blonde sexologist was curious. She and Helen had not talked in a long time.
(Jekyll1886 Your turn! X3)
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
Lewis gave Helen a sympathetic look as he told her softly, "Drink as much as you need."
He answered Jamie, "Sutton's restaurant, back in London," but his manner was distracted.
"Apologies," he said to Rose and her, "but I'm afraid Helen's not feeling altogether well.
"Come with me," he said, offering his hand to Helen. "I'll see if we can't find you the proper treatment."
He again turned to Jamie.
"Sorry to impose, but would you watch our things here to make certain no one bothers them?" he asked apologetically.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Nodding, Helen began to drink very slowly, as if savouring the taste of every last drop.
Her brief flicker of surprise almost instantly turned to gratitude as he offered his hand and she took it with the hint of an unsteady smile.
Somewhat pale and shaking, it wasn’t hard to see that she looked rather ill.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Helen Jekyll • 8 months ago
Jamie nodded and gave Lewis a reassuring thumbs up, even as she could feel the ale beginning to disagree with her.
On the other hand, however, Rose stared worriedly up at Helen. What was wrong with her? It was a shame that her profession wasn't great for treating illnesses.
(Jekyll1886 Your move. X3)
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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 8 months ago
"Thank you," Lewis said to Jamie.
He led Helen off, using one arm to support her--with his other hand, he took along bottle of ale for himself.
When they'd reached a distant water fountain, he held her hair back so she could get a proper drink--just the thing, given the sun had by now burned off the morning mist.
((Helen Jekyll ))
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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
Helen greatly enjoyed the cool, refreshing water that came from the fountain, closing her eyes for a moment to simply relax as she drank.
She pulled back when she was done and gave Weir a smile.
“Ah, thank you, Lewis.”
Leaning her weight against the fountain, she slowly sank down to the ground to sit, both legs folded close to her chest.
She looked exhausted.
((RBDECEPTICON17))
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Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(( Belated Christmas gift to the Society!
 Thumbnail
 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/31d2e2455833f0e6fd3679cf4f854a7e018e5dc7338cd1bb4627dfdc3c42594c.jpg?w=600&h=814
Those were all the characters I had time to draw. I might do some more later today. ))
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Jekyll1886  Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
((Oh my gosh those are awesome!!! I love your style! :D))
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Helen Jekyll  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
((:DDD I never expected someone to actually draw my character! Thank you, so much! She looks amazing! And the others are fantastic as well! You did a great job!))
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(( *Very loud screaming in the distance* Oh my gosh!! These are fantastic! And you drew Char- holy cow! Look at em all, they're so cute :D
Thank you so much! ))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(OH these are AMAZING!)
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MillieGriffin  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Eeeek! 😍
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Pyrogue  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
Part 2!
 Thumbnail
 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/62e7e25acc01ffe7c0d69f6a3338158d6d26475781d707b10e066c12cb98552b.jpg?w=600&h=750
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Jekyll1886  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
((Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I love it!!!!!! :DDDDDDDDDDD
You did such a cool job oh my gosh!!!! They look amazing!!!! :DDDDD))
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Pyrogue  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
(( I couldn’t quite get Lewis’s face right. :/
But I’m glad you like it! ))
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Jekyll1886  Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
((He's a hard guy to pin down, facially and otherwise. XDX That said, he looks great to me! I take my hat off and salute you, who are able to art--I can word, but not art. XD Frankly, I'm flattered you chose to draw Lewis--thank you! ^_^))
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Tairais  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(( More friends :D :D ))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Pyrogue • 8 months ago
(AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! LOOK AT THEM! AHHHHHH! *Mz. Hyde.OS has stopped working. Please contact support for help.)
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A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
[Forgive me, , but may we speak in private? It is regarding our story.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((Certainly. Are you on Google Hangouts, by any chance?))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[I am currently unaware of how to use such a system, but I will learn if that is what is required to speak.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((If you have a Google account--gmail or Google+--it should be easy to use, but if not, we could always simply do emails instead. Which would you prefer?))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[The latter option would likely be more suitable, as I do not possess the required account for the former.
How do you propose we exchange the necessary information?]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((If you like, I could put my email address here and then take it down once you tell me you have it--we're not allowed to keep them up permanently, nor would I really want to. ^^' ))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[I understand and am prepared to indicate when I have received it. I promise not to keep you waiting long.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago • edited
((Thanks! Here you are, then:))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[You may remove it. Thank you.]
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Jekyll1886  A Passerby • 8 months ago
((Thanks!))
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A Passerby  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
[I have reached out with my own account now.]
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MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
17 days ago
Mz.Hyde:
*From above, Mz. Hyde shouts down to Griffin and Millie.*
I can see some little lantern lights up ahead, on your left!
_______________________________
MillieGriffin:
The Invisible Man dressed as the headless horseman rode where the mothlady directed. When he came upon the group he put on a quite the show, with a maniacal laugh he circled the group swinging his sword centimeters over their heads, when he herded them in where he wanted, (His grand finally), the horse reared on his hind legs and the pumpkin whizzed through the air and splattered at their feet.
(Mz.Hyde)
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
*The group of children screamed in terror as Griffin did his Horseman stunt. When he finished, the children all ran in different directions.*
Damm, there weren't any monsters in there!
*She flies a few feet higher and spots three kids passing through a nearby small park.*
Bingo!
*She flies down, screeching at the children. Swooping in just low enough to where she can reach out and pretend to try to grab the children. The children, of course, screamed in terror and ran off.*
None there too! Quick, take a right and a left and try that group!
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Griffin followed the moth lady after grabbing another pumpkin. It almost didn't matter how many kids they scared, he was enjoying the terrified looks and screams of random little brats. At the third group Griffin put on the show the same as before (maybe slightly more refined), meanwhile Millie was content to just keep up with everyone and watch.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
*Working together, with Griffin on the ground and Mz. Hyde in the air, the children were utterly horrified. After Griffin completed his pumpkin finale and Mz. Hyde hissed in the children's faces, the group of kids ran off...except for one boy who was not in a costume like the others. He looked unimpressed.*
"Was THAT it?! You guys really need to work on your form more!"
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"F*ck you, you little sh*t!" Retorted Griffin utterly insulted by the little ankle biter.
The little plague doctor hopped down from a tree behind the child.
"So you must be a monster child then, right?" She asked.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
YEAH! I MEAN NO I'M NOT!
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"It's okay, your secret's safe with me," Millie assured him, "we just want some help getting to the underworld is all."
As she was talking Griffin slid down off the horse, his butt felt sore from the riding.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"Sorry! Humans aren't allowed down there!"
Please, you have to help us! We're trying to figure out why this green fog affects us! If you could just lend us some of your magic powder, we would be forever grateful!
"And what's in it for me?"
I'll give you candy!~ 
*She holds out a handful of candy. The monster-boy shakes his head.* 
I'll give you money!~ 
*She holds out a wad of cash. He shakes his head again.* 
Then WHAT do you want?!
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I could not sever your little head from your little body..." Griffin added holding up his saber menacingly.
"That's not funny, Griffin." Millie commented unapprovingly.
"I'm not joking." He replied seriously.
Millie then stepped between him and he boy, "Okay, No!" she said sternly then turned to the boy, "What do you want?" She asked a little impatiently.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"I want one of those flying feathery green things!"
Flying feathery...you mean one of the parakeets of Kensington gardens?
"Yeah!"
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
Griffin turned to Millie, "Didn't you get a couple of those to experiment on?"
Millie nodded as she looked back at him, "Yeah, I wanted to expand their intelligence so they'd know more words. I suppose I could—wait..." she said with a sudden realisation then turned to the child again, "Is this as a pet or to eat? Because if you're just going to eat it I'll just get a regular one."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"I DON'T WANT TO EAT A NORMAL ONE! I WANT A GREEN ONE!!!"
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Fine. Green." Millie said dead pan, "I'll get a green one that doesn't have any mind-altering viruses in it."
because we wouldn't want you getting any smarter, now would we? she thought to herself.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"YAYYYYYY!"
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Every loud scream that came from the monster-child made Millie cringe with her super hearing.
"Okay, let's go then!" Griffin said putting the sword back in it's scabbard.
"Yeah let's–..."before Millie finished the sentence she stopped herself and redirected it, "get a bird first..."
She then turned back to the monster-kid wearily. "Because your not going to take us to the underworld unless we get that bird, are you...?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"NOOOOOOOO!" 
I'll stay here to make sure he doesn't run off...hurry back, please!
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Before Mz. Hyde got to say "hurry back, please", Millie was already gone. Noticing this Griffin got back on the horse and rode to Kensington gardens.
By the time he reached the place Millie had already gotten a green parakeet and was about to head back.
"I got it. Now let's just get this back to the little shitling and get this over with" she said bitterly.
"Millie..." Griffin sighed, "do you want to ride the horse back to them?"
She looked at him and the horse, then sighed, "Yes..."
Griffin grabbed her arm and picked her up and put her behind him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, one hand still gently grabbed hold of the bird, and they both rode back to the other two.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"YAAYYYYYY! GIMME BIRDIE!!" 
*The boy was reaching for the bird.*
I can't watch this...
*Mz. Hyde covers her eyes.*
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Griffin grabbed the bird from Millie and held it up high.
"If you want your little snack you'll take us to the underworld first!" He demanded.
Millie got down from the horse. "We'll give it to you as soon as we get there." She assured the boy.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"UGH! FINE!" 
*The brat reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small packet similar to something condiments come in. He breaks off the top and a fine, blue powdery mist covers the group. When it cleared, they were in a different city in a huge cavern.* 
"Can I have my snack now???!" 
*The boy had turned into his true form as some sort of ambiguous blobfish monster.*
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Griffin held the parakeet by its wings with his thumb and index finger.
"Here." He said holding it down to the monster.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"YUMMY!! CAN I GO NOW?"
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Yes!" Millie and Griffin both said in unison.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
"YAYYYY!" 
*The monster boy ran off with his snack.* 
Well, welcome to the Underworld you two!
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Great....!" Griffin said unenthusiastically as he looked around with distain. "Where can we go to find some answers?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that...
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MillieGriffin  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"You've been here before, haven't you!? You know this place better than us!" Griffin began to protest.
"Griffin, it's fine." Millie muttered, "she... she got us this far..."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  MillieGriffin • 8 months ago
YES, I have been here before! But I'm not a walking directory! 
*She takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment.*
Maybe we can start at the Infernal Library?
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Mz.Hyde Mod • 8 months ago • edited
*It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and Lewis was just finishing his lunch when a small CLINK came from his kitchen window. Recognized this sound as a pebble hitting the window, and believing it to be that Goddamm kid that throws pebbles at his window for no reason, Lewis got up and went over to the window.
Instead, he got hit in the face by the body of his girlfriend, the impact of which knocking him onto his back. Sitting on his face for a moment, Mz.Hyde looked around the room for him, until a small moan came from underneath her. She stood up.*
WAKE UP LEWIS! Jesus, it's a beautiful day outside and you're in here taking a nap!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
It was less a moan than a put-upon growl--he'd purposefully taken the impact to spare his furnishings destruction and cushion Mz. Hyde's fall.
"Val. Darling. Sweetheart." He enunciated each sound. "I do have a door."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Yeah, but where would the fun be in that? And I wanted to surprise you! Guess where I'm taking you today?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
He was very glad he'd opened the window before she came in--repairing it would have been a needless expense.
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," he conceded. "Please show it next time by using the door. And, while I'm practically dying of curiosity and am well aware it's only ten past noon, I'm afraid I must also take this opportunity to request you not come by after midnight as well. I'm afraid I must have that from you, at least--I do have my schedule. Do you agree?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I'll keep it in mind! But c'monnnnn! GUESS! 
*She grins and hops up and down in place.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I'm dying to," he admitted with a chortle and a smile as he rose, "but the bloody lawyer in me is insisting you promise, not just 'keep it in mind'," he said apologetically. "Please do, and then I can guess?" he asked hopefully.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Crossmyheartandhopetodiestickashankinmyeye! Is that good enough?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Eh...just say you promise, love. That's all. Sorry to be such a stick-in-the-mud--my mind's my own worst enemy sometimes, with its insistence."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I just DID! 
*She repeats it slower, with the proper movements.* 
Cross. My. Heart. And. Hope. To. Die. Stick A. Shank. In. My. Eye! It means that if I don't keep my promise, you can stab me in my eye!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I wouldn't want to do that," said Lewis with a look of concern. "But thank you for promising all the same."
He smiled.
"Now, let's see... How many guesses do I get?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
JUUUSSSTTT GUESSSSSSSS!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Blackfog?" he asked hopefully, though he'd had no indication the Bazaar was back in town. If it was, though, he very much looked forward to enjoying it with Val and without Elder.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
DARKER!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"The secret lair of a coven of voodoo witches!"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Ok that sounds really cool...but NO GUESS AGAIN!!! DEEEPPPEERRRR!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"The deepest abyss of the ocean floor, courtesy of Helsby's diving sphere."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Also sounds really cool but STILL WRONG! 
*She hops up and grabs the sides of Lewis' face and brings him down until their noses touch.*
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEERRRRR!!!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Journey to the Center of the-- his mind began to supply just before the realization struck.
"The Underworld!" he exclaimed, breaking into an eager grin.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
YES! Finally!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"That's fantastic!" he cried, tossing her into the air in his enthusiasm. He realized he'd done so just in time to catch her on her way down.
"Whoops, got a bit carried away," he owned, setting her down safely.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*She was giggling as he threw her in the air. She loves when Lewis does that. Even that one time when she stuck in the ceiling.*
No, no! It's fun!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
He'd been rather apologetic about that incident, too. Luckily, it had been in a rather rowdy music hall and no one had seemed to notice.
"If you're certain," he said with a sheepish chuckle. "Again, I'm sorry about that earlier time. We were lucky the plaster wasn't terribly thick, weren't we?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Honey, I told you already, I have a thick skull! I've cracked walnuts with my head before!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Fair," said Lewis, who knew she wasn't exaggerating. She really was remarkable.
"So--the Underworld!" he broke into a grin with the return to their previous topic of conversation. "How do we get there? When do we go? Do I need to take anything with me?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
We can use my mirror in my room and we can head out anytime you want. You don't have to take anything fancy, just what you might usually take for an outing. We might be gone for a few hours.
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
"Excellent! Give me about ten minutes, and I should be ready to go."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Okay! I'll be here!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Lewis nodded, finished his lunch, made sandwiches and tucked them in his pockets for later, went upstairs, prepared more supplies, and, finally, returned to the kitchen.
"Ready when you are," he beamed.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Alright! To the Society!~
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Before long, they stood in front of Mz. Hyde's mirror in her room at the Society for Arcane Sciences.
"How do we do this?" asked Lewis.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
You know how some people believe that mirrors are portals to another world?
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Like Alice through her looking-glass or the principle of scrying using a pool of water?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
Yeah, like Alice! Except with demons and other monsters! Let me jusstt check...
*She puts her face through the mirror and then pulls back out a moment later.* 
Great! Nobody's using the bathroom! Let's go!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Lewis laughed.
"Bathroom?" he echoed, picturing a medusa in a tub.
He followed her through.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*They came out on the other side in what looked like any other regular bathroom. They walked out the bathroom door and down the stairs, the sounds of a TV in the living room. Mz. Hyde looks into the living room, smiles, and then knocks on the wall.* 
Hey!~
*A deep female voice that sounded like it was of Bronx origin happily replied.* 
"Well, hello there darling! What brings you here?!" 
Oh, I'm showing my boyfriend the Underworld. 
"Ya BOYFRIEND?! Well, it's about TIME! Letme see the fella!" 
*Mz. Hyde motions Lewis over.*
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
Weir came over to stand beside Mz. Hyde and waved.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
*The said inhabitant of the living room was a giant blob lady and her small baby blob son. The TV was set to a show on the cooking channel featuring various monsters in some sort of food competition with Hannibal Lecter as a sort of mentor.* 
"Well, well, well! So YOU are Mr. Edward Hyde?" 
Oh no, we broke up a while ago. This is Lewis! Lewis, this is Doris! One of my customers and friends! 
*The little blob coos.*
Oh! And Sampson of course!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said with a dip of his head that bordered on a polite bow.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Ohhhh!~ He's a gentleman!~ And wait, you mean you DUMPED that guy?!" 
I guess you can say that, yeah.
"GOOD! I never liked him to tell you the truth!" 
Doris! 
"I'm serious! From all the stuff you told me and the girls at mahjong, he sucked! You deserve better honey!" 
*On the TV, Hannibal Lecter puts two slices of bread on the sides of a crying werewolf lady's head.* 
<tell me="" what="" are="" you?!="">
>I'M AN IDIOT SANDWICH!!!<
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
Lewis stared in shock at the television show.
I THOUGHT WE KILLED THAT BASTARD!
Belatedly, it occurred to him the episode might be a rerun.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago • edited
What's wrong Lewis? 
"Oh! I'm sorry! I like watching this show, even though I can't eat people anymore because they're SO unhealthy! But still, I LOVE THE DRAMA!"
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"I don't believe I've ever seen this program," Lewis stated. "Is it a soap opera, a cooking show, or...?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Oh, it's a rerun of a cooking competition show called 'Limbo's Kitchen'. In which famous monster chef Hannibal Lecter holds a competition with 18 chefs for a grand prize of $666,666! It ended after the tenth season because Lecter mysteriously disappeared, and then found DEAD! Crazy huh?"
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago • edited
They must have found some stray bits of his ashes and the scorch marks, thought Weir, immensely relieved.
"Ah, I see. That is...rather remarkable. Does this sort of thing happen often, in the Underworld? I have to admit, it's my first trip here."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
"Oh yes, all the time!" 
DORIS!
"What? I'm being honest here!"
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"And I appreciate that honesty," returned Lewis with a graceful dip of his head.
He turned to Mz. Hyde.
"Val...would it be better for us to try to pass as beings, well...a little less human than we are?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 8 months ago
I thought I told you before Lewis: I'm not a human! Relax, we'll be fine! We just have to keep out of sight of the Guards! And nobody, NOBODY, likes them!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
"Human-seeming, then," he amended with a shrug.
"Very well.
"It's been a pleasure, Doris, Sampson," he bade each goodbye with a warm smile.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
"Goodbye, you two!~ I swear Hydey if you keep bringing delicious men into my home I'm going to need you to get me one!~" 
DORIS! YOU'RE MARRIED!!
"SO?! I can look, but not touch!" 
*Mz. Hyde laughs and Doris laugh.* 
"You have fun darling. And YOU!" 
*Doris points at Lewis and goes over to him and looks him in the face, dead serious.* 
"You betta treat my friend RIGHT! If I hear one word of you being an asshole, then so help me I'll-"
Alright, alright! I think he's got the message, Doris! 
*She pushes Lewis away from Doris and out the front door. She pops her head back in and waves.* 
I'll see you on Mahjong night! Bye!~
"Have fun darling!~"
*Mz. Hyde closes the door and turns around.* 
Hey, you handled that VERY well!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago • edited
Lewis laughed along with them at Doris's remark about men and looking but not touching--he well understood the feeling.
To her warning, he replied, "I assure you, I'm a perfect gentleman," and an arsehole, thank you much, he finished silently.
Val cut her off and corralled Lewis toward the door; he quite willingly stepped into the hall.
Mz. Hyde spoke when they were alone.
"Thank you," he replied. "She's not entirely dissimilar to a being with a slime-trail whom Hela and I encountered on that planet Charricthran took us all to for your birthday.
"Hm, come to think of it, I never did get to experience the spa there..."
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
No, we didn't. Maybe we can ask Char if we can go back one day!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago
"Perhaps," he agreed.
"Where do we go now?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Anywhere! Oh, and by the way...
*She steps out into the narrow street.* 
Welcome to the Underworld!
*He steps out onto a narrow street that looks almost exactly like one in London, but with the addition of the various monsters, glowing mushrooms instead of lampposts, and the occasional stalagmite in the road. The whole city is surrounded by a huge rocky cavern, complete with stalactites on the roof. To the west was a gothic castle looming over the city. In the east was a road that was busy with travelers. To the north, the floor gave out to the darkness; leaving only a small winding path that lead up to a massive gate. *
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago
"Oh, my!" Weir exclaimed at the sights.
"Whatever--however--whoever--goodness."
He broke into a boyish grin.
"I've never seen the like!" he turned with an exuberant whisper to Mz. Hyde.
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
I know! And this is only London's Underworld, there are cities like this under all the major cities in the world! Hey, want to do something creepy?!
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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 7 months ago
"What? Really?
"Ooo! Like what?"
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 7 months ago
Spin around!
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Catt Hatter  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
(( "Girlfriend?" When did that happen? ))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Catt Hatter • 8 months ago
(Quite recently. We actually finished that RP last night!)
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Catt Hatter  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
(( Good grief, that is recent! XD They're actually pretty adorable together. ))
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Mz.Hyde Mod  Catt Hatter • 8 months ago
(I knoowwwwwwwwwww~)
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Catt Hatter  Mz.Hyde • 8 months ago
(( Ship it to the Underworld! XD ))
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Pyrogue • 8 months ago • edited
(( RBDECEPTICON17 
I don’t believe our characters have met yet. Care to say hello? ))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Pyrogue • 7 months ago
(Hmm, I don't see why not. What's your character's name and what is their occupation? :3)
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Pyrogue  RBDECEPTICON17 • 7 months ago
((Oscar Keaton works in the kitchens of the Society.))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Pyrogue • 7 months ago
(So he's a cook? Noice. So got any ideas on how Oscar and my girls [sexologist girlfriends] could meet? :3)
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Pyrogue  RBDECEPTICON17 • 7 months ago • edited
(( I don’t have many ideas on how to begin. You can start if you want :3 ))
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RBDECEPTICON17  Pyrogue • 7 months ago
(Sure, but it will have to be tomorrow. I'll tag you in it. X3)
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