A Particular Visitor (Part 8)

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A Particular Visitor (Part 8)

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Dr. H. Griffin

Dr. H. Griffin

@DrHGriffin 2 years ago

I shall continue this RP dagnabbit!

Mz. Hyde, ignoring Cheshire's claims of bombs attached to the doors, goes in and attempts to rescue the Lodgers, Kito and Malemi joining her. However, the stern-faced man who attacked Rose notices them and threatens to detonate a bomb, killing everyone in the warehouse, unless they come out. Jamie, Rose and Anna all wake up, with the former investigating what's happening.

Meanwhile, Catt is talking to the strange companion of the strange gangling man, whilst tea is served.

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Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

Catt Hatter

"Thank you, I should be good then."

She stepped further in towards the desk, thinking she might read a little to calm her nerves before trying to sleep, then realized it wouldn't be the same without a hot drink.

"Um, actually," She turned back to her guide. "Do you think I'd be able to just, grab a cup and bring it back here with me?"

((The Traveller ))

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The Traveller  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

But of course!

( She pauses a moment and frowns. )

but you haven't had anything to eat since this mess began. You sure you don't want the soup also? it's miso with spaghetti squash!

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Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

Dr. H. Griffin

The stern-faced man paced backwards, leaning on the brick wall next to the door. "Now, whoever is there to rescue these people, come out now, or I will trigger this. And if anyone tries to attack me, or in fact do anything to me, I will kill everyone in this warehouse. Including me."

RBDECEPTICON17

Jamie glared at the man, yet her eyes quickly widened when she noticed the bomb he was holding, along with the detonater that he also had. He could blow them all up! He could kill them all!

"You b\*\*sterd. You don't have the right to die that easily, not after what you've done." The brunette growled, while Rose whimpered and try to stay as small as possible in Jamie's arms, not wanting to be seen.

The poor blonde's state made it all too clear as to why Jamie was so vicious and furious towards the stern faced b\*sterd.

((Mz.Hyde Miss-Dreamerkat The Fox))

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

((Mz.Hyde ))

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Mz.Hyde Mod  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

\*As Jamie screamed at the Stern-Faced man, a small and delicate blue object rolled out from the darkness. A bobbin for a sewing machine, loaded with a blue thread. As soon as the thread hit the Stern-faced man's shoe, a silent explosion encased his entire body and the door that he was right next to in 3-feet of hard ice. It happened so fast that the man had no time to react.

And now he was frozen in time.

As soon as the man was frozen Mz. Hyde, Kito, and Malemi came out of their hiding places. Mz. Hyde had a sly smirk on her face.\*

I always keep an extra bobbin or five with me when I go out. You never know when you'll tear a skirt or have to freeze a bad guy!

\*She notices the looks of horror on the other lodgers.\*

Oh don't worry! He'll be fine! Just give him a few days to thaw out and he'll be back in action! Anyways, we've got to get out of here!

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Kito nodded, agreeing with Mz Hyde. "Let's all return back." He said calmly. He was thankful for the weapons Mz. Hyde possessed and praised the gods for it.

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Jekyll1886  Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

((The Fox ))

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The Fox  Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

Malemi slid out with a surly snort.

He was going to pounce on the man when the time was right. The man would've been taken out for good, not whatever....this was. With a growl, he glared at the lodgers unhappily.

Scanning through the faces, he settled on the familiar faces of Anna and Matthew.

" ..... "

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The Fox  The Fox • 2 years ago

( Dr. H. Griffin )

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Dr. H. Griffin  The Fox • 2 years ago

Anna was having a tough few days: being kidnapped, witnessing a brutal assault on a young girl and not to mention being threatened repeatedly. It was through all this that she realised her husband wasn't where he was sleeping. She looked around frantically, ignoring the fact that Cheshire was invisible, and settled her eyes on the creature she had met once before, and hoped with her heart that it would just be that once.

She promptly screamed, and clutched Matthew close to her.

Outside, Cheshire noticed the pile of ice engulfing the stern-faced man, and edged closer. Whatever they did to free them it worked well, maybe a little too well. Cheshire also noticed a man, Jack, next to the door, rifle in hand.

Cheshire tapped him on the shoulder, sending Jack spinning to see who it was. Cheshire yanked the rifle from him hard, and knocked Jack in the face with the butt of the rifle. Jack fell downward, landing in the dirt and clutching his nose. Cheshire cocked the rifle and aimed it at him.

"When's Moriarty getting here?" he asked the criminal.

"In the morning..." the criminal luckily replied. His nose was bleeding profusely. "How did you get out?"

"Same way they got in, probably." Cheshire replied, before knocking the lad unconscious.

((RBDECEPTICON17))

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RBDECEPTICON17  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

Jamie's eyes locked upon the small woman, her rubies blazing with anger as she stomped over to Mz. Hyde. That woman had the gaul to ruin her chances of murdering the man who had hurt her precious Rose, who had made her suffer!

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?! I was going to kill him!" The brunette shouted, glaring down at Mz Hyde, while Rose visibly shook in the taller woman's strong arms.

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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago

((Mz.Hyde ))

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Mz.Hyde Mod  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago

Oh no....did I kill block you?! I'm so sorry! Tell ya what, next time he pops up, you get first dibs! He'll probably have some really bad frostbite too, so he'll be slower and easier to kill! Anyways, let's get out of here! Chesire is waiting for us. Hey Slyly you wouldn't happen to have a magical way to transport us all out of here would you?

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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

((Miss-Dreamerkat ))

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Kito looked around for Lewis. He sniffed the air as well for his scent. He moved around the room sniffing around.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

((The Fox))

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The Fox  Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

" ........ "

The faint scratch of claws could be heard as Malemi turned away from the frightened woman. He walked away from the lodgers and sank into darkness. There, he stewed, licking his teeth angrily.

Mz. Hyde spoke and he flicked his ear at her.

" Where do you intend to go? "

( Dr. H. Griffin )

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Dr. H. Griffin  The Fox • 2 years ago

Anna stood up, yanking Matthew into her arms, and carried him over to the open window, keeping as far as she could away from Malemi. She'd had enough. Hauling him outside, she climbed over the frame and carried him away. Anywhere other than inside was better than nothing.

Cheshire tossed the rifle aside; and, hearing footsteps, saw Anna running away, Matthew in her arms. Although Matthew was looking straight at him, Cheshire knew he couldn't see him. Taking the jacket from the unconscious henchman and slipping it on, Cheshire ran after them.

"Anna!" Cheshire shouted after her. Anna stopped and spun round, and seeing the jacket hop over to her, she knew who it was anyway.

"Jonathan!" Anna cried, running toward him and hugging him between Matthew. "Oh, god where were you?"

"Outside. I ran into... into..." Cheshire flustered for a moment. "Into him..."

"I know. He was inside the warehouse." Anna replied. "Where do we go?"

"It might not be safe, but it's the only place we can go." Cheshire replied. "Home."

Hand in hand, they disappeared into the night, hailing a cab to their apartment.

((Well, that's it for me on this side! Good luck with the rest of this thread! RBDECEPTICON17 Mz.Hyde Miss-Dreamerkat ))

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RBDECEPTICON17  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

Jamie heard the mysterious beast's question, and as Rose whimpered into her shoulder, the brunette quickly knew what needed to be done.

"We need to get to a hospital." The older sexologist sternly answered.

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Jekyll1886  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago

"What happened?" asked Bryson groggily, hand to his head, as he emerged from the room where he'd been stashed. One of Moriarty's minions had knocked him out earlier, and he'd only just regained consciousness.

((Mz.Hyde ))

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Mz.Hyde Mod  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Jamie's right, we need to get everyone who's been injured to a hospital! Do you think you can send us there Slyly?

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Jekyll1886  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

((Miss-Dreamerkat ))

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Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

True to the note he'd left Hela, Lewis had, indeed, gone to attend to some details.

As it happened, these necessitated his presence in London.

So it was that he arrived at the door to the temporary lodgings of Ariadne and not a few other members of the Society for Arcane Sciences.

He rapped upon the door with the head of his walking stick, his other hand occupied by bouquets of flowers.

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Jekyll1886  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

((Dr. H. Griffin ))

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Ariadne had gotten up early in the morning, tiptoeing over the sleeping Lodgers on the floor, and made some coffee. She checked on Hobbimer, asleep at his desk like most nights; then on Griffin. She could see movement in the bed, and knew that Griffin was still there. And then she heard the knock.

Opening the front door, she saw it was Lewis Weir. There was a slight pause, as she looked down at the bouquet.

"Dr. Weir." she finally greeted.

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

"Dr. Radcliffe," he returned with a smile.

Tucking his cane under his arm, he handed her the smallest of the four bouquets: mudwort and pomegranate, their colors playing nicely off one another.

"Dr. Jekyll wanted me to check in on the lodgers. How are you faring? I do hope things are going well...all things considered."

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

She edged the door slightly open. Pomegranate and limosella. Nice choice. She took the bouquet and smelt the pomegranate flower.

"We're faring fine. No major casualties, thankfully." Ariadne replied, smiling back. Her eyes tinged lilac slightly. Could've asked this in his telegrams, why is he really here? "Tell Henry that all's well here. Hobbimer was understanding of our stay."

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

"That's excellent," said Lewis, relieved.

"I did tell him there was likely no reason to worry, but you know how he is...always wants to make assurance doubly sure."

He noticed the slight change in her eye color.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Radcliffe. Have I given offense or made you anxious in any way? If so, you have my apologies."

He thought a moment.

Then a look of realization crossed his face, and a light blush came to his cheeks.

"Oh. By the by," he explained, sounding a little embarrassed, "I do hope you'll not think me overly forward--the flowers come from Dr. Jekyll. He wants me to deliver them personally, and to get visual confirmation of every lodger. I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it. Just a...precaution."

He shook his head.

It seems I am forever running errands...

"May I come in?"

He still clutched the other bouquets in hand.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

She cursed inward at his notice. Her eyes flared again. Ariadne looked away. When she heard of Lewis' mission, she finally relaxed. Looking back, she smiled.

"Of course. Most of the Lodgers are still asleep." Ariadne replied, opening the door fully.

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

"Thank you," said Lewis.

He stepped inside, taking in the place.

All these members of the Society, crammed in like kippers...

And they're the lucky ones, he reflected, the ones Moriarty didn't want.

He was careful to tread softly, lest he wake those who yet slumbered.

"I was to give the lodgers this," he whispered, separating a bouquet from its fellows, "but I suppose we oughtn't wake them."

He proffered it to Ariadne instead, as she was, after all, a member of the Society, and might know where to put it.

It was a tasteful arrangement of white pink, spruce pine, and phlox.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Ariadne took the bouquet, found a convenient empty vase on a stand, and carefully placed them inside. She'd tell them later.

"Well, they're here. Safe and sound." Ariadne reassured him. "It was the only place I could think of."

She shifted her weight slightly.

"I have a feeling you want to know how I knew where you were?" Ariadne asked hesitantly.

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

"Molony and Helen?" he more stated than asked in a quiet voice.

He shifted the two remaining bouquets in his hand.

He could feel the energies of the lodgers and other people, presumably including their erstwhile host.

He did not, however, detect Hawley's presence.

How utterly predictable, he thought with the internal equivalent of an eyeroll.

Radcliffe's lucky he contented himself with mere escape rather than murdering her in her sleep.

He handed her one of the bouquets--small white bellflowers, oak, and volkamenia.

"By the by, please do give this to whoever's been kind enough to put everyone up, if you would. It's very good of them."

A pause, as he regarded the remaining bouquet.

"Too bad Hawley's not here," he remarked wistfully. "My errand's not done till I give this to him. Any idea where he might have gone, Dr. Radcliffe?"

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Ariadne nodded politely at first, then frowned hard, taking the bouquet.

"How did you know-"

A knock at the door interrupted her. Sighing, she went down the stairs and opened the door. The visitor was someone Ariadne had a faint memory of; one of Hobbimer's neighbours, behind the apartment. Short, wearing an apron with frilly hair. And completely angry.

"I want a word with that professor!" the neighbour shrieked. "Vivisection is frowned upon, and if he has my cat, I'll wrench his neck!"

"Your cat... Your cat!" Ariadne shouted as she spun on her heels and went up the stairs. Fishing the key for Griffin's room in her pocket, she feverishly placed the key in the hole. Stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID!

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

Lewis took the opportunity to brush past the neighbor and exit the building, the last bouquet still in hand.

Ah, well, he thought as he honed in on the energy trail, long strides carrying him swiftly toward the invisible man. I suppose there's nothing for it but to run the bugger down and hand him these myself.

He smiled at the prospect.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Ariadne noticed Weir descend down the stairs, but paid him no mind. At last the key turned, and she flung herself through the door. Grabbing the sheets, Ariadne tossed them aside, revealing a Manx cat. He was a crafty fellow, she had to admit. On it's leash, Ariadne found a small note pinned.

Unfolding it, Ariadne read it twice before she ran out into the street.

DON'T FOLLOW ME, OR YOU WILL NEVER FOLLOW ANYONE AGAIN. ~G

"He's gone. He's f\*cking gone!" Ariadne cursed. She didn't usually swear, but she just couldn't believe how stupid she was.

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

During the brief time Radcliffe was busy inside, Weir slipped away, vanishing into the urban wilds of London.

It was only a matter of time before he found Hawley. A particular reek of spiritual corruption trailed in Griffin's wake like an oily sludge, even against the backdrop of a city so large and perverse.

It is so very lovely to have someone to truly hate again, reflected Lewis. I really ought to thank him.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"What are we... what are we going to do, Lewis?" Ariadne asked him frantically, not knowing that he wasn't there anymore. "How do you catch an invisible man in this city? It's impossible!"

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

Lewis, however, was long gone; he could be preternaturally fast when he so chose.

Ariadne's question echoed in the empty air, with none but the wind to answer.

\* \* \*

Some time later, a hansom cab came to a stop in another part of town.

Out stepped Lewis, bouquet yet in hand.

The driver turned left, and the cab disappeared down a side street.

"Hawley~" called Lewis sweetly, well aware the invisible man was just up ahead.

"Did you miss me?"

An anticipatory grin.

"I brought you flowers."

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Griffin had hoped to reach the Society, take everything he could, and leave London. The city, the country, maybe even the continent. Find somewhere warmer and less crowded. He could move freely without suspicion.

But that voice, the voice he hoped never to hear again. Maybe if he just continued on, Weir wouldn't notice him. How could he? Griffin was invisible! So then how on earth did he find him? Unless... Bloody hell, does everyone at that place have some sort of special ability?!

Griffin continued on, at first walking as if nothing ever happened, dodging the passersby. Then it was a slight jog. Then it was a full sprint.

Ariadne on the other hand, was walking up the stairs to Hobbimer's apartment. Annoyed at Lewis' absence. She still had questions. What they were to do next; what could be done; what should be done and what must be done.

She'd wait. He'd come back.

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

As Hawley walked, so did Lewis.

As Griffin jogged, Weir picked up the pace.

When the invisible man bolted, Lewis bounded after him.

I do so love it when they run.

An eager and unpleasant smile spread across Weir's features.

"Why so shy, Hawley?" he called, closing in on Griffin.

"I brought you a lovely bouquet."

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Griffin attempted to cross the street, ducking under carriage wheels and dodging out of the way of horses as carriages rolled by. He could hear the protestations of the drivers as the horses neighed in fear.

Maybe the drivers will have a go at him, slow him down. Anyway, why is he so committed to handing me those infernal flowers?!

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

It seemed the invisible man might indeed have lost him...

...until he ran smack into Weir as the latter turned a corner to appear right in front of him.

Lewis's left hand snaked out and grabbed Griffin's wrist with a grip as firm and unyielding as a crocodile's jaw.

He pressed the bouquet into Hawley's other invisible arm.

"There now," spoke Weir as he might to a child. "That wasn't so bad. Was it."

An amused smile played at his lips.

"They're from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by the by--something they could actually agree on."

It was an odd but appropriate assortment he handed Hawley:

Clotbur.

Rue.

Bilberry.

Whortleberry.

Mistletoe.

Wild tansy.

Coltsfoot.

Scotch thistle.

Cypress.

As soon as Weir'd given Griffin the floral message, he'd placed the head of his heavy, solid, wrought-iron walking stick--which he wielded in his right hand--against the most delicate portion of Hawley's anatomy. The pressure was just shy of causing damage.

"Struggle, and you'll find yourself even less of a man than you already are," he warned in a low voice.

He pressed against the invisible man, taking in his scent.

"My, but you do like to go au naturel, don't you," Weir remarked.

"Especially around me, I've noticed.

"I'll admit it took me some time to put two and two together. Your manner of courtship is as tactless and violent as you are. But I finally got the hint."

"Now, you, Hawley, I present with a choice: I shall either return your peculiar affections tenfold, after which, I assure you, you will beg me for death..." he purred in Griffin's ear.

"Or...you can simply come with me. To a little room. Where I'll leave you by your lonesome. Turn the key in the lock and forget you ever existed, no questions asked."

"Your call."

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Griffin desperately wanted to clasp his hands around Weir's neck and wring him like a wet mop. He desperately wanted to take that cane of his and shove it down his throat until he excreted the other end. He desperately wanted to gouge out Weir's eyes and place his head under a horse's stampeding hoof.

But now, he just desperately wanted to leave.

Though, Griffin had to give it to him, it was an effective means of keeping someone in place. Oh, how I'll want to see his face when that happens.

Griffin could either have pain the way he inflicted pain on Weir or being locked in a room until he died of starvation. Although the latter had him living longer, he didn't want to die the slow way.

"Y-you won't harm m-me here, Weir." Griffin stuttered, tiptoeing by then. "Not in a crowded street. Besides, Radcliffe wouldn't forgive you. She'd never let you in again... Aheheh... And what would happen if she told dear 'Henry'? What forms of begging will you admit to Jekyll?"

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

"Oh, poor, dear, pitiful, desperate Hawley..." said Lewis.

"Don't you know?

"Jekyll's the one who sent me."

With that, he swiftly wrangled the invisible man elsewhere, cold iron ever pressed against Griffin's exposed area of vulnerability.

\* \* \*

They did, indeed, eventually enter a little room.

It was plain, and sturdy, and windowless, the only exit the extraordinarily solid door through which they'd come.

A door which opened outward--no hope of hoisting it off its hinges.

A door which Lewis locked and barred from the outside, after sticking Griffin in the neck with a syringe and shoving him in.

\* \* \*

The blackness of unconsciousness faded away slowly.

Yet Hawley was still in the dark.

He was, as he had been, naked. The wall against his back was cold; there was neither fire nor light here.

He was also vertical, though not by his own power.

While the room held no furniture, there were chains which, judging by the pressure on his wrists and ankles, Hawley could probably surmise ended in secure, iron restraints. The taut chains attached to the corners of the wall which was against his back--the wall farthest from the door. They allowed him no movement.

No harm, however, had been done to him. No bruises. No broken bones. Not even a single cut.

In this, Lewis had been far more merciful to Hawley than Hawley had ever been to him.

No cloth bound Griffin's mouth; he could breathe and speak unhindered.

Not that the latter would do him any good--the room was soundproof.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Time had no meaning in places like these, where the grains of sand in an hourglass couldn't see to fall into the past.

Each second was an eternity in an instant, building tension on burning wires. Each half-hour, each hour the blink of an eye, a quiet breath.

The increasing beats of a heart with nothing to hear but its own echos carried hours past as the beats of a hammer, drawing out suspense like fine silk, glimmering where none could see-- Forever had passed in a heartbeat, in muffled shrieking as it was dragged into silence in the quiet darkness.

All at once, it came roaring back to life in the form of the door opening slowly, as if holding its breath. A single clicking footstep to cross the threshold, then a low 'thud' as the door swung shut and locked behind him.

There was a pause as darkness shifted around smirking unease, dragging behind the weight of an unseen presence like a smothering cloak.

Then, a chuckle, low and sinister. A voice, equally so, and melodically lilting in a whisper besides.

"Mon cher monsieur! At last we meet..."

There was the snap-hiss of a match striking and fizzling into light, casting shadows that danced as if they had mirth of their own, thought they had no such thing.

"Face to face."

For it was face to face: A not-so-gentle needle had bled gentle dye into Hawley's bloodstream, painting a perfect picture of the depth of his predicament.

The man's expression was the smile of a knife glinting in the dark, even as he turned to light a brazier near the door, just to the left of being directly opposite from Hawley, and far out of reach.

Flames cast soft glows over everything: The man's well-groomed black hair, the depths of his honey-brown eyes, the fine features of his somewhat tall form, clad in equally fine dress.

A man of worldly pleasures, worldly charms, and oh-so-worldly deaths caused by his quietly assured hands.

A man who had most assuredly been grievously wronged.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 2 years ago

((@DrDr. H. Griffin This is the post to reply to.))

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Dr. H. Griffin  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

((Oh, didn't see that. Thanks. I have a question on Hangouts.))

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Dr. H. Griffin  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

Griffin screamed at first. Shouting unintelligible things, maybe it was only understood by him. Shouting Weir's name, pleading a God to smite him and free him. Shouting for someone, anyone to free him here hastily from... wherever this dark place was.

Concurrently he knocked the wall with his head. Luckily Griffin's neck happened to be free and so knocked violently on the side wall behind; even though it was unlikely anyone could hear, he could try. Nothing emerged from the door, no sound from the walls. Griffin had no way round this, no clever solution. He was trapped, and he'd never see sunlight nor another human being.

Few things did Griffin think about in the room. Partly his predicament, obviously mostly about killing Weir. He'd get free. He would break restraints physically and mentally and smother the cad in his bed.

Damn it, why did this have to happen to me? I betrayed them yes, but only out of fear. I only wanted to survive, to live, the prime human instinct. But that... that... that had to take me to this blackened hell. Nothing to do besides thinking about murder fantasies and death. Lord God, please let me kill him.

The door creaked open to Hobbimer's study, meanwhile, with Ariadne's head poking through it. Charles was asleep, and she closed the door.

It had been an hour. She knew that Lewis had done something, something horrible to Griffin.

"Aheheh... Is that you, Satan?" Griffin laughed at the man. He wasn't sure if he was joking or being resigned. As if it mattered. Griffin stared at the man. He wasn't afraid, not anymore.

Griffin raised an eyebrow. It didn't surprise him that the Devil dressed so shabbily. He chortled and rested his head against the wall. He continued laughing and continued. And continued. And continued.

"Aheheh... oh..." Griffin stopped, his tone becoming more serious. "Do me a favour: get on with it. Cut the theatrics."

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Dr. H. Griffin  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

((Jekyll1886))

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago • edited

Hobbimer's clock and/or Radcliffe's pocket watch, if she had one, were evidently wound altogether too tightly, because the entire affair of Lewis finding Hawley, handing him the bouquet, dumping him in the nearby room, and making his way back to Ariadne had taken not quite thirty minutes. Lewis was, after all, nothing if not efficient, and remarkably swift, to boot. The fact that he'd taken cabs and shortcuts also helped.

Having just dashed through a nearby alley, he arrived back at Hobbimer's panting, face pink with exertion.

A colleague of his had helpfully handed him another floral arrangement exactly like the one he'd delivered to Hawley, as per Jekyll's plan. It looked a little the worse for wear, as one would expect of a bouquet gripped firmly by someone as he'd sprinted--as, indeed, Weir just had.

He knocked rapidly on the door with his cane.

"Radcliffe?" he called, heaving for breath, though the strain in his voice came from more than that. "We have to move."

((Tairais ))

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

(( Minor descriptions of somewhat minor torture ahead. ))

Perhaps it was the devil. Perhaps not. Either way, fine clothes, smile and all, the man chuckled in return, sharp and dry as cardice. It did not matter if Griffin was afraid-- this had nothing to do with being afraid, and everything to do with retribution.

"If you insist. I could hardly refuse such an... honored guest."

Without another word, the finely dressed man began his work.

Each and every bone in Griffin's feet and hands were broken in an almost excruciatingly slow fashion, boot and hammer working in tandem. The pain in and of itself was excruciating on its own, but the man made sure to take his time, ensuring that Griffin had almost adjusted to the pulsing agony of shifted bones before making fresh breaks.

Shortly thereafter, the man pried the nails from his hands and toes. They would, after all, regrow with (quite a bit of) time.

Between Griffin's flinching and writhing from these activities and all the running around he'd done just prior, it was little wonder that the stitches in his bullet wound tore open, slowly dripping blood on the floor. The quiet sound was a special sort of metronome, ticking away the hours until Griffin would, at the very least, lose consciousness.

Bruises and tiny cuts followed in the wake of a heavy whip, though the man wielding the weapon clearly knew how best to do so without leaving a physical scar. There was no telling of the psychological ones.

This part of his calmly controlled rampage drew out for hours, the passage of time only marked by the inconsistent sound of the whip whizzing and cracking through the air.

Griffin's outline grew progressively darker as the dye injected in his system grew heavier with the fresh flow of blood to inflammation, of which no inch of his body escaped.

A small eternity passed before the man moved on from causing bruises to laying small gashes in the skin with what was essentially a very long switch. Again, he took care not to cause a single lasting mark, but painted his unwilling canvas in the marks of his own deep-flowing fury, cold and wrathful as a January blizzard.

There was no telling how far time had slipped through their fingers. Every heartbeat was a lifespan lived in agony, every breath a century painted in almost absolute stillness, save for the bright colors of fresh pain behind closed eyelids, breaking like fireworks.

Sensation halted with the crack of a paddle backhanding Griffin across the face.

Everything went... still, save for the sound of Griffin's own ragged breathing.

The door opened, then closed without so much as a farewell, the man taking his leave of a creature he viewed as lower than the very ground he walked upon.

Still quietness returned with all the oppressiveness of the air before a thunderstorm. The breath of the world mocked a man so thoroughly trapped by his poor choices, crowding him with the sound of silence, the rush of his own heartbeat in his ears, choking, cloying, suffocating-

Drip.

...

...

Drip.

...

...

Drip.

Saltwater dripped down from somewhere unseen onto Griffin's shoulders, just next to his neck. Two drops in perfect synchronization, trailing steadily downwards and into the myriad of wounds on his person.

Everything was still, save for the drips of saltwater and blood, and the burn pulsating from so many wounds like the teeth of a insistent fire.

Griffin had no way round this, no clever solution. He was trapped, and he'd never see sunlight nor another human being.

Oubliette, from the French word for forgetting.

Griffin had been forgotten.

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Dr. H. Griffin  Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

He laughed. Laughed at the pain, between the bouts of incessant breathing. Even when the man left, he still laughed. The twisted silhouette figure of fading cuts and of fading bruises sat in a puddle of his own blood, laughing for his own death. He wasn't himself, clearly. Not really anyone. It was fitting for him, in a melancholy sort of way.

"God save our gracious queen..."

All the pain he inflicted. Every wound, every bruise, every single bout of pain that he caused; it wasn't comparable to this. Starvation was one thing, dying cold and burning alone in a dark room was another. Bleeding profusely by the gut from a gunshot wound in a dark room after being beaten severely by the devil was another.

"Long live our noble queen..."

In truth, he had achieved nothing. Betrayal. Yeah, so what? It was going to happen anyway... It's my nature. Or it was my... my nature. Murder. The tramp deserved it, he blackmailed me. Or... or did he? Torture. What was his name?

"God save the queen..."

His fingers were numb. Or maybe it was his toes. Hard to tell when he couldn't see. He didn't bother moving to check. Shackles and everything. The puddle was getting bigger, his sight growing more dark.

"Send her victorious... Aheheh... Happy and glorious..."

He strangely thinks of lilac, but doesn't understand why. Odd word; lilac. Li-lac. Li... lac. Lilac. Hm. The stings are getting more pleasurable now. He licked them affectionately, like they were children. His vision was starting to get blurry. He couldn't tell, the room was completely black.

"Long to reign... over us... God save... me..."

He couldn't tell if he was awake anymore.

She opened the door, and heard his piece. At first she was worried, then she remembered her absent guest.

"Wait, wait." Ariadne pried, not letting him in. "Did you find Griffin?"

((Jekyll1886 ))

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Jekyll1886  Dr. H. Griffin • 2 years ago

"Ay, but he ran," answered Lewis, beginning to catch his breath a little better. "I pursued, but he wove in and out o' traffic, spookin' horses. I nearly got run over by a carriage tryin' to follow him."

He let out a breath, concerned.

"We may be compromised, Dr. Radcliffe," he said soberly. "Get everyone up. We should move. Quick as we can."

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Tairais • 2 years ago • edited

(( Dr. H. Griffin, you forgot this bit! c:

Tairais:

'Moriarty clambered into the carriage, knocked the roof with his cane, and waited for the warehouse to roll in. After his business there would be concluded, he would commission his spies to find Griffin and kill him. Perhaps Cheshire's invisibility would help.'

Charricthran watched for the warehouse with equal parts curiosity and something like anticipation. The sky felt as if it was holding its breath, even the wind's laughter fading into quiet undertones.

Something was bound to happen, of that, he was certain. 'Twas the calm before the storm-- what would he do during its course?

Only one way to find out.

Time passed in silence as the carriage rumbled on, and then it didn’t. A secret, internal curse was carried by the prying fingers of the wind from the carriage driver, causing Charricthran to pull his focus back to his immediate surroundings. The sight before him caused him to devilishly smirk, though the gesture was lost in the darkness of his form.

How convenient, to be ensnared by a crowd enjoying the fair morning.

People milled around and went to and fro, a morning market in full swing, wares for sale under bright flags and faces, beaming in the early sunlight. Servants and shopkeepers and flower-sellers and food vendors all did business at a brisk pace, taking in wonder after wonder.

Behind the carriage, more shops lining the street opened their doors, attracting even more people. The entire street was packed solid for five blocks, and the side streets quickly filled up, too. The carriage found itself engulfed in a sea of humanity, with no exit.

A banner suspended above read, “Autumn Harvest Festival Market”.

The mobbing throngs of people slowed the flow of all but foot traffic to a pace that would have made a snail impatient.

Charricthran took in all the sights and sounds with the cheer of someone savoring a fine wine.

"Take that, ya great bleedin’ roach. Even the universe bloody well despises your ilk."

A thought carried silently on the breeze, nothing more.

~\*~\*~\*~\*~

MillieGriffin: A series of loud bangs like gunshots rang out and spooked the horses pulling Moriarty’s carriage. The carriage fell over onto its side, just barely missing the people in the crowd. The whole ordeal jostled Moriarty about inside the carriage.

The horses were rapidly unhooked from the carriage, and bolted as soon as they got up. Two little urchin girls scampered away, laughing, and disappeared into the crowd.

[Your go!] ))

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Dr. H. Griffin  Tairais • 2 years ago

((Haven't forgotten this, it's not that. The warehouse bit still hasn't finished, and I don't want to make presumptions about what happened there when Moriarty arrived. And MillieGriffin, I'm fine with the horses being spooked, but I'd prefer it if he wasn't humiliated further, he'll need the carriage later.))

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