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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:19 GMT
Moments later, Linnie heard those unmistakable footsteps. It was Hassen, she was sure of it. She slowly turned her head, willing herself not to run as she saw the man carrying... Dominic, she thought. He had been one of the ones Linnie hadn't really seen since they woke up. Now he was unconcious, slung over Hassen's shoulder, and Hassen was carrying him somewhere. She noticed Hassen's eyes were on her and she gave a small shudder. She quickly looked away, instinctively moving closer to James, wishing she was invisible. Around James, Linnie felt, if not safe, then safer than she felt around Hassen. Hassen, however, was someone whose attention she never wanted. The less he saw her, the better.
Linnie began wondering what they were waiting for and she thought, and hoped, that Lira would stay in his room. Hassen passed and Linnet inched even closer to James, now just hoping that Hassen wouldn't look at her as long as she didn't look at him. Soon, he was past her, and Drake, the 'vampire,' spoke with him for a few seconds that seemed like hours. When Drake talked about Hassen breaking Dominic like he was some toy, Linnie flinched. A moment after Hassen disappeared into one of the bedrooms, Lira came out. He, thankfully, seemed to ignore Linnet and immediately ordered James to 'lead the way.'
Linnie was completely wary, and for good reason. She made sure to walk out of arm's reach and a step behind him, arms folded behind her back. She kept her head down, watching him without turning her head or looking up at his face. She tried to always be certain she could see his hands, fingering her knife when she couldn't. She still had no idea where he kept his knife and the memory of his stabbing Allease continued playing in her mind. They made it to the kitchen without Linnie saying anything, hoping to be totally ignored.
Linnie was the last in and she stood at the same spot near the door, still carefully watching Lira. James handed her a bowl and she smiled at him briefly. As she ate, she took little notice of how it tasted. She just wanted to eat it and leave. James also got some soup, looking guilty, and Linnie wondered why. Was he not supposed to eat with them? She soon finished, standing awkwardly by the door.
Suddenly, she heard loud yelling not far away. It sounded different than Hassen. It had to be Dominic. What had Hassen done to him? Linnet stayed where she was, not foolish enough to run toward the noise this time, not after what happened last time. She wasn't sure how much more of this terror she could take.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:26 GMT
Lira followed James to the dining hall and despite all the emotions that he was feeling, annoyance won out. He could feel Linnet's eyes on him and it was making him worried. He was just being paranoid of course, since this girl had watched him and his little attempt.... If anyone should be worried it would be this one. Yet, Lira was hating the fact that he could feel her scared gaze watch him with such precision. He was feeling twitchy enough as it was. Why now? Maybe he should have just stayed in his room but if he were to survive, if only for another day at least, food would be important. He had heard Drake speaking to the other servant Hassen and felt a wave of pity for the one they called Dominic.
What a sick game. But anyhow... Linnet was bothering him and now she was following from behind! Irritating... Lira tried to stay away from her as much as possible without getting close to James. Both were dangerous. both wanted him dead after all. It was stupid to let her walk behind him but it would show weakness by letting her pass first. Though he doubted she would go in front anyway. If she did she was stupider than he thought. Lira was an unstable man. Things could happen and it wouldn't be good. Nothing was ever good, though, with him, was it...?
Well they were getting their bowls handed to them now. It couldn't be poisoned could it? That would be too... dull of a death for Drake Stewart, yes? Buit Lira continued to stare at the contents of the bowl. Even though he had money enough to hire the most famous cooks, he preferred to create his own meals. People were greedy. His eyes narrowed at the contents. People loved money. They could be bribed. He always bought his own ingredients and did his own shopping. A few hours lost was no big deal to spare, it was better than dying pitifully by someone else's hand. Lira's eyes shifted back and forth. The others seemed to be okay. Though it could just be a slow acting poison that would strike them in their sleep. It was entirely too possible. Or it could just be a hallucinogen and cause them all to go on a rampage, a frenzy of some sort. It wasn't impossible....
So he dipped his finger in, just the tip of his pinky and paused before inserting it in his mouth. The blood was rushing in his ears and the sound of his paranoid heart chased away any of the flavor the broth could have contained. He stood that way, pinky in mouth, eyes squeezed shut for a few moment before gathering the courage to swallow. Lira's pale face was starting to glisten with sweat. Even the thought of killing was better than doing this! His habit and routine had been ruined. Lira was a bit obsessive about how things were done. Especially his food. Food was important. Could he even do this? The most likely outcome was that he would be starving to death!
Then he saw James sneak some soup from the same pot that his was from. It must be safe, right? Still, Lira hesitated. James must be immune to the poison or something. That must be it. He isn't a normal teenage boy after all. The paranoia was killing him. Has anyone keeled over and died yet?
The girl Linnet seemed to be done already. She stood awkwardly at the door, alive. Then someone started shouting. A pained noise and Lira's eyes widened. Must be that awful servant's doing. Poor guy. Lira couldn't muster up much sympathy though as he stared into his bowl, getting a wavy reflection back. Guess it was better than being stabbed to death right? Feeling miserable and accepting of death, Liar raised the bowl ot his lips and gulped it all down.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:34 GMT
It was easy to locate Dominic. Just follow the pained screams of agony and terror down the halls. Hassen simply followed along at a slower pace, iron rod waving gently through the air. It wasn't like he really needed it for branding, anymore. The tip was beginning to go cold, anyway, so it wouldn't be good for branding for much longer, anyway. Besides, he'd done his branding. Now was the fun part. The part that Alexander always did with him. Beating and punishment for doing something stupid, and then love to show that there would always be forgiveness and love so long as he did what he was told. So he would need to find Dom and beat the man into submission, then give Dom unconditional love. That worked!
Ah, what fun the two would have to look forward to!
Dom, on the other hand, had no idea what was coming. He just knew that his chest burned and some crazy man - wait, it was that servant Hassen - was chasing after him. He had to find some place to hide or he was going to end up along spread across three rooms. He just knew it! Tearing down the hall, he turned sharply and barely managed to grab hold of the banister before he went tumbling down a flight of stairs. What good was running away if he was just going to break a leg in the process? Hurrying down the stairs, he soon stopped screaming as it was preventing him from breathing properly and making it much more difficult to catch his breath. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, a thought flitted through his mind. What if he were to just stop screaming altogether? Then Hassen would have a harder time following him because he would be making less noise! Perfect!
Voice silenced, Dom resumed running down the halls in search of somewhere to hide. Turning corners randomly, he finally found a room and threw himself into it. Grabbing the door, he slammed it shut and then slammed his back against it. Bracing himself, he took a moment to catch his breath and close his eyes. When he opened his eyes once more, he surveyed the room. The room was... Not small, but not large, either. It was like a small dining room of sorts. There was a table at the other end with soup and bowls and the servant James standing behind it.Two people stood off in the room, each one eating and looking ready to bolt at any moment. Even so, he didn't leave the door. It was far too dangerous outside...
Nothing happened for some time. Dom stood silently, unwilling to answer any questions that were thrown at him or allow anyone out. His whole back was pressed to the door to prevent any unwanted entrance or exit of anyone. But nothing happened and he began to wonder of the servant had finally given up or-
There was a loud thump on the other side of the door, followed by the sounds of a body striking the door repeatedly. There was a moment of silence and then a rapid clawing. Dom pressed harder against the door and let out a frightened wail, cut off sharply by a hiss and screach of words from the other side.
----
Hassen had followed diligently, not once slowing donw. But when he reached the stairs, he knew it was time to take things up a notch. The slower he was, the easier it would be for his target to escape. The iron rod was thrown to the foot of the stairs before he gave a terrific leap. His feet hit roughly the middle of the stairs but he ever gave himself time to regain balance before he jumped again, this time barely missing the bottom steps and landing on all fours at the foot of the stairs. He gave himself a few minutes to recover before he stood up, grabbed the rod, and followed slowly after Dom. Despite the lack of screaming, the man still made enough noise to be easy to track. The slamming of a door told him to look for a door that was shut.
Walking dow the hall, every closed door was flung open in search of Dominic. Each door revealed an empty room beyond, however, and Hassen simply continued on his way. At last he came to the smaller dining room. That door was never closed, and yet it was shut now. How strange. No knock or warning was given. Instead he flung his whole body against the door once, twice, and then a few more times. The door wouldn't budge, but a frightened cry from within alerted him that his choice had been correct.
Clawing at the door, Hassen shrieked, "Open th' dooooor! Open it! I know you're in there!" The wailing stopped abruptly, but the door didn't open. Whoever had it shut was bracing against the door pretty securely. Fine He could play by their rules. Stepping back, Hassen lifted the rod and lashed at the door. Again and again he struck with the rod, each time digging deeper and deeper into the wood. "Come out and play!" he shouted. "Come out and play! Or are you scared?"
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:41 GMT
James watched the others over the rim of his bowl. Linnie was uncomplaining, she downed her soup quickly, but Lira seemed to be more of the skeptic. It was actually kind of amusing to watch the human's face as he stuck his little finger into the broth and moved it to his mouth. His face was squinched as if he expected to burst into flames. James rolled his eyes and tipped his bowl back. Drake still hadn't arrived with the last human, and it was probably best if he didn't catch James, just in case. Sometimes it was hard to tell how he'd react, even after all this time.
The scream that rose in the air made him jump slightly. He couldn't say that he was surprised though. Hassen didn't mess around when it came to such things. James had been the object of Hassen's...well, it was hard to describe whatever it was, but James could say that he'd been stalked and tackled and punched and scratched, and a number of things. Of course, he usually tried to give as good as he got, but it seemed that Drake was much more forgiving of Hassen's...faults than James's. Because Hassen was breakable, of course. Hassan was a mortal. Like that was an excuse. 'Oh James, he's a mortal, he doesn't know better. But you can't kill him cause he'll die for good. Not like you.'
Not too far away, Drake and Elizabeth could hear those very same screams. The woman had seemed pleasant enough before, a smile on her face and demure, polite words spouting from her lips. Strong girl. Drake was silent as he led her back towards the kitchen. The blonde woman looked slightly frightened at the sound of the wails, but kept up a brave face. Drake ignored her. He was busy thinking about Hassen and Dominic. What could the lad possibly doing to the human to make him scream like that? And speaking of that, the screams were now seeming to grow nearer. And then suddenly, they stopped. The daemon paused for a moment, seemingly startled by the stop in agonized sound.
Still quiet, Drake continued on. He was listening hard to see if he could discern what had happen to Dominic. Then he heard frantic footsteps. He grabbed Elizabeth's wrist and pulled her backwards, into a side hall, as the sound grew nearer. Dominic ran past, pulling doors in the hall open, looking frantic and fearful. Well, he wasn't dead. Yet.
Drake made a small tching noise. "Someone needs more writing lessons." He murmured to himself with a grin. "the s's were backwards. I need to talk to James about that." Then he heard more footsteps, in hot pursuance of the first pair, and he pulled Elizabeth further down the hall. He didn't want a run in with Hassen right now. It might distract the lad from his activity. He shot the blonde woman a look, telling her to stay quiet, even thought she probably wouldn't dream of making a sound.
After the man was past, off to yowl at a door farther down the hall, Drake pulled Lizzie to the mouth of the hall again so he could look around the corner at his servant. He was in front of the door to the little dining room, trying to get inside. Dominic had hidden himself on the other side, Drake supposed. Curiosity got the better of Elizabeth, and she peeked around the corner as well.
Within the room, James stared at Dominic. The only thing he could think were that the s's were backwards. And then Hassen's voice sounded outside the door. Loudly. He sounded quite annoyed. The chocolate haired servant sighed and set his empty bowl on the table. Then he moved to Lira and Linnet, taking their bowls from them nonchalantly, as if nothign out of the ordinary was happening. He didn't particularly want to have to clean up more than he already would have to from Hassen's lovely little escapade with torturing the human, broken dishware wouldn't not be pleasant to clean up either. He didn't spare another glance for Dominic, the burned flesh on his chest, which spelled out Hassen's name in rudimentary, jagged figures, was quite revolting to look at. And James didn't want to think about what Dominic would look like after Hassen was finished with his...game.
Once he'd stacked the bowls in a safe location, he retreated to the far corner of the room to watch. He was quite sure that Drake would appear soon, somehow, as he always did in these sort of occasions. The prospect of food was quite nice. The boy's face brightened incrementally at that thought. At least Hassen would be serving some beneficial purpose. He was catching supper.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:49 GMT
Linnet was intrigued watching Lira's bizarre eating habits. He acted like it was poisoned. Her gaze went down to the empty white bowl she held, wondering if she was allowed to get more. Who knew when they would be able to eat next? One thing she had learned as a London street rat was never to turn down a meal, and eat as much as you can. You never knew where your next meal would come from, or when it would come.
But here, it wasn't just eating that was important, but also surviving. Though she had been in some challenging, and even life threatening situations, there had never been anything remotely like this before. At least on the streets, everyone she saw wasn't trying to kill her. It was easy for her to just go unnoticed in life, but here, it felt like all she could do to keep a target off her head. She wondered if she should just get out of there, glancing sharply at Lira before her gaze went down again just as quickly. Understandably, Lira made her nervous. Linnie glanced at the open door across the room when Dominic's screaming abruptly stopped. She wondered if that meant Hassen had succeeded in killing the man. With that, Linnie decided to leave instead of getting seconds.
Just as she took a step toward the kitchen door, Dominic abruptly appeared through the open door across from her and slammed it shut. Linnie's eyes widened in horror, noting the scrawling figures burned across the man's bare chest. "Wot 'appened?" she asked the man, getting no response. Suddenly, there was a loud banging at the door. After a few heavy bumps, Linnie could hear Hassen screeching for Dominic to open the door. James calmly took the bowl from her heavily shaking hand, just before she would have dropped it.
With dismay, she noted the near happiness on the boy's calm face. This time when she reached back, she grabbed the handle of her knife instead of just feeling it through the fabric. Slowly sidestepping so as not to attract attention, she turned and slipped out the door into the kitchen, as quiet and pale as a ghost. She had no desire to be in that room when Hassen did finally break in the door. In the kitchen, she took her knife out from her sash and held its reassuring weight in her hand.
She cracked the kitchen door and peeked out, seeing Drake and Elizabeth down the hall peeking out from one of the corridors at Hassen. She immediately drew her head back in, not wanting them to see her either. She stood hesitantly for a moment, unnerved by the noise coming from the next room. Her eyes went to the large cabinet Drake had pointed out earlier. She wasn't sure if she would rather stuff herself in the cabinet and hide, or attempt to flee through the hall where Drake, Elizabeth, and especially Hassen were.
She decided against the cabinet, where she would be confined and unable to flee. Immediately, as silently as she was able, she burst out of the kitchen and gingerly hastened down the hall. She didn't want to attract any attention to herself whatsoever. As she walked, it became more and more silent until she could no longer hear Hassen or anyone. She opened a random door, revealing a sitting room of sorts, and flopped down in a chair, trembling violently with the knife still gripped tightly in her fingers. Linnet was likely to lunge at anyone who dared to come through that door, so great was her dread and paranoia.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:19:58 GMT
The substance of his meal seemed to sit heavily on his tongue and he worked his throat muscles to get the chunky liquid down to his stomach. His paranoia gave the food absolutely no taste but at the same time, it was positively the worst flavor that he had ever consumed in his life. Some little pieces got stuck in his throat and the lanky young man started hacking up a lung. His skinny body bent foward and his pale hands scrabbled at his chest and neck. Maybe he shouldn't have gulped it down so quickly? But what other choice did he have? The choking sensation was actually starting be a bit painful. Could it be the panic that was swiftly taking over his mind? Lira was prepared to have this all end. Everyone was out for his blood anyway... Who could blame them? He was the weakest of the bunch, he was sure. He could not even take a human life. Lira was too faint of hear and it was starting to get painfully embarressing. Lira was pathetic and cowardly and so unbearably weak, a disgrace to this earth. His thin lips were starting to get darker as he forgot to take in air as he forced more out. Why wouldn't the food come out? Lira was going to die, wasn't he? If only his body would give up as well... Lira Devine was a king in the real world, a predator. However, here, his mind couldn't handle to pressure of life and death. Was it just because he hasn't take his meds? No it couldn't be. Lira didn't want to rely on drugs. It made his head feel woozy and too calm. Lira hated being relaxed, it meant his guard was down. Here, though, his mind was too jittery, swirling with too many emotions. He didn't have enoug hresolve within him. His will to live wasn't as strong as his wish to escape this hell.
Did it matter? Only the strongest, bravest would survive and Lira was neither. Even in the real world, he was brave because he had power. Here, Lira was a pawn. Drake was the one holding the strings. Then he couldn't stand it anymore and inhaled sharply, his throat burning with a scratching feeling. What was this? Oh yeah, he was choking wasn't he? Lira continued to cough. The food was probably supposed to choke and kill him. Lira was sure that was the case. They must be laughing off their asses watching him struggle for breath. His lungs ached and then with one last cough, warm, rusty liquid filled his mouth and his eyes widened as the red droplets littered his white shirt. Shit. He paid so much for these. How much would it take to get it dry cleaned? Then his mind started spinning. Wasn't he just dying earlier? Fingertips touched his Adam's apple tentatively. It seemed fine. Lira took a shallow breath. it flew down comfortably. Well, that was fine then. Had he actually imagine the whole thing? The stew must have made him hallucinate! Lira was starting to get angry but pushed it down. Coughing when there was nothing to cough out must have made the blood come up. Or he could just be going crazy, finally. His body was always against him! First it wouldn't just let him die, then it made him feel as if something was caught in his throat.
Wiping his mouth self conciously, Lira's eyes darted around. They must all be secretly laughing at him Jerks. The bowl was gone! Lira was sure he was still holding on to it... His heart raced. Did he imagine that too? Bowls don't just disappear! It isn't as if they have legs. Then a foggy part of his mind replayed the memory. Drake had come and taken it from him. His pulse slowed. Of course, there was a reasonable explanation for everything. Then he noticed the girl leave. The screaming was starting to get to him too, though he had just noticed it. Maybe he could go and hide up in his room until they decided to come kill him.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:02 GMT
There were a few more strikes at the door before Hassen stepped back and growled. No amount of howling was going to let him inside, and attacking the door with the iron rod was taking too long. He ran a gloved hand across the damaged wood. The damage was extensive, but not enough. He wasn't even halfway through! Curse the thickness of these doors. He stepped back to observe the destruction he had created and then glanced at the floor. Splinters littered the ground and some chunks of wood had been thrown a good distance from the door. He payed them no attention, instead shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest.
There had to be a faster way to this. There had to be- Wait! Wasn't there another door leading from that room to some kind of kitchen? And, obviously, the kitchen had to lead out... Well, not necessarily, but he was pretty sure it did. He'd learned most of the layout of the house from his prowling over the few months he had been there. That didn't mean he knew everything, but he knew enough to get the job done.
Out of frsutration, Hassen struck the door once more and then left in search of another door. It found it a short distance away and crept through as quietly as possible. He peered around the second doorway to see where Dominic was. He was still pressed against the door, his face white as a sheet and looking as though he had just had a staring contest with Death. Or perhaps he still was? He couldn't help the sadistic smile that danced across his lips. Well, it was time the game moved forward, otherwise they would get nowhere, and then he'd be forced to wait even longer to find his master's soul.
Well, there was no point in waiting any longer. Hassen stepped into the doorway and inhaled deeply. With a loud roar, he threw himself through and charged toward Dominic. Dom looked up at the roar and paled even more - Hassen hadn't though it was possible - and forze up like a deer. He let out a wheeze and flattened himself even further against the door as though hoping he would be able to fall right through to the other side and escape. It didn't work, however, and the iron bar soon had him sprawled across the floor. There was blood everywhere and it was obvious to everywhere that the man was dead. Hassen, however, didn't seem to register those facts.
A glance at James' hungry face had Hassen retreating quietly with a sneer. "You can have him," he growled, hunching his shoulders. "He no longer interests me."
The body was left behind for James to do with it as he pleased. Hassen, on the other hand, now had to go find someone else to interest him. Moving to the kitchen, he paused when he became aware of just how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten in some time and Drake had said to get something to eat when he was finished. His stomach grwled and Hassen let out a pitiful whine. Perhaps there were some scraps that he could find before Drake found him.
Old habits died hard.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:11 GMT
James retreated when Hassen hovered in the other doorway to the room, but the man had eyes only for his victim. And made short work of the poor bloke. James couldn't help himself, he took a few choppy paces forward, towards the dead man, green eyes fixed on the prone form, almost entirely forgetting about Hassen's presence. Usually that was a bad idea, but it seemed that the other, finished with his game, was intent on retreating. James mostly ignored the other's works save a flare of irritation. James didn't need his permission to do things. Dominic wasn't his human, he didn't have any right to him. If anything, Since the moment of his death the body belonged to James, considering the fact that he'd probably keel over and die in a few days if he didn't get something to eat.
The half-crazed child almost literally pounced on the dead body, the more he thought about eating the hungrier he grew until he was clawing at the chest of the dead man as he sat on his lower torso. He could feel the soul stirring inside, just out of his reach. Permanently out of his reach. He could see souls, but he couldn't touch them. It was pure torture. The boy wasn't strong enough to punch open the dead man's chest, even if he wanted to, however, all he really managed to do was get some flesh and blood trapped beneath his fingernails. he didn't notice though, he was preoccupied. And then he was in the air, lifted by his collar.
"Calm down there, boy, No need to tear him up." A voice sounded behind him, and then he hit the ground next to the body, steadying himself from the unexpected fall with his hands. The boy looked up at Drake with a slight frown. behind him, he saw another form dart away. Elizabeth. Drake had just released her as he entered the room through the door Hassen had recently attacked, which was now free since the obstruction was dead as a corpse could be. The girl had stood for a few moment in shock of the dead body before her before fleeing in disgust and fear.
"Hm." Drake said simply as he crouched to examine the dead body. James sat impatiently, his eyes still fixed on the body. Every moment dragged out, it felt almost as if Drake was torturing him on purpose. Holding sustenance right in front of his nose, just out of reach. The daemon mused for a few more moments, staring at the body like it was a reflection pool and he was entrapped by his own reflection. Which, for the record hadn't happened in a while. Just to get that matter straight. Not in a while. Of course.
"I think a celebration is in order." The red eyed creature said decisively. "The first proper death in a new home. Come, James. Carry Mister Dominic." He could hear Hassen moving around in the other room, and figured that he deserved some kind of reward as well, so as James went through the painstaking process of picking up the deadweight while resiting the urge to destroy it, the man poked his head around the door frame into the kitchen. "Good boy, Hassen. You may take your little monster out for a walk after first light if you wish." He said before turning and exiting through the partly destroyed door, James trailing behind him.
--
The sun and the moon had completely switched positions by the time James next awoke, curled around his belly with muted pain, dried blood crusting pretty much every exposed bit of his body and stiffening his clothes. Okay, perhaps he'd had just a bit too much to eat. But, as he and Drake were 'civilized beings' now, they didn't often partake in flesh. It reminded James of older days, when he was but a new little monster. He, of course, regretted his actions now, sane minds do not usually condone cannibalism, and of course, receiving sustenance after such a long time had sent his instincts through the roof, into the base little animal that amused Drake so much. He supposed that he'd need to drag himself back upstairs and bury what remained of 'Mister Dominic' at some point, as was becoming almost ritualistic to him. It sort of felt right to give back to the earth what he had taken. Forgiveness in a sense. Or perhaps merely a way to assuage his guilts.
Elsewhere in the manor, the 'guest' quarters to be exact, Drake stood for a moment in the middle of the room with a light sigh. It had been hard work to seek out two more humans on such a short notice, but refreshing work. One to replace Dominic, and one to replace Allease, even though she wasn't quite....dead yet. They would wake any moment, he figured. But he had a decision to make. Should he leave them to their own devising, or explain to them their game.
Perhaps he should just let them figure out on their own what was going on. The others...well, they'd enlighten them soon enough, wouldn't they.
With that, Drake disappeared around the corner, in rather high spirits, off to do whatever it was that occupied his mind when he wasn't busy scheming.
Hopefully they'd have loads of fun. Loads.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:20 GMT
Saber’s head was pounding. With a groan, the young man sat up and rubbed the heel of his head against his forehead, trying to think. Where was he? What was the last thing he remembered?
Alcohol. As always, the answer was alcohol and copious amounts of it. Saber was actually fairly used to waking up in strange places, but so rarely were they strange beds without anyone else in them. Normally he at least had a playmate with him if he was in bed. But this was different. After all, he was still fully dressed which was just odd on so many levels.
The last thing Saber remembered was going to a bar and sweet-talking his way inside. Though he rarely had trouble getting inside a building when he wanted to, sometimes the authorities thought he was too young to be drinking. To be fair, he had a young and misleadingly innocent face. Saber was still in his vest and shirt, his pants still fastened securely. In fact, he still had his shoes on as well. The only thing missing was his hat, but he could hardly complain. One time he woke up stark naked in the middle of a park. Thankfully, he had woken before sunrise and had plenty of time to sneak back home.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Saber ran a hand through his dark hair. It took a few more minutes before he felt stable enough to get to his feet. Saber spent a few minutes investigating the room he was in. Some clothes, simple but fine furniture. He normally had a bag with him, but it was likely that he lost it throughout the night. There was a nice knife in there too. What a shame. Still shake some of the fog from his head and dealing with what he assumed was a massive hangover, Saber opened the door and peeked out into the hallway.
Again, Saber was nagged by the question of where he had managed to land himself this time. Definitely better than landing up in jail, right? A house was hardly scary and it would not cost him money to meet bail. He would simply thank whoever had given him shelter for the night and then be on his way. There was bound to be a train nearby that could get him home. Perhaps he could not pay for a ticket right now, but he could talk his way into one. That was one thing that Saber always counted on; his ability to talk his way out of a difficult situation.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:30 GMT
Headache. The worst the young woman had ever felt. She had yet to open her eyes, the pounding in her head leaving her more or less incapacitated. She moaned and curled up in the… bed, she was in, her hands moving up to grasp her head, as if that would help rid her of this awful pounding. It felt like three hulking males were beating on the inner walls of her head with major sledge hammers, relentlessly trying to drive her insane with the pain. Dante had awoken only minutes ago, but she had yet to open her eyes, afraid that doing so would worsen her headache. She had always been very susceptible to pain, and especially headaches were not rare. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake up with her head pounding, but this felt worse… and different somehow. Didn’t matter. A servant girl would come to check on her soon, and then bring something to lessen the pain. Some kind of herb concoction the cook knew how to make.
The redhead squeezed her eyes tighter, pain making her forehead crease in concentration as she focused on handling the pain. She lay like this for a long while, feeling like she had spent days this way, when really, it only took ten minutes for the pain to begin to subside. A soft sigh escaped her lips when she finally felt able to force her eyes open. The pain wasn’t gone by far, but it was manageable, and that was as good as it got. She had things to do before-. Her thoughts trailed off at that because her eyes had finally fluttered open, taking in a room she did not recognize. She blinked a couple of times, trying to focus her sight and maybe also to make sure she was seeing the truth, and not some dream-lazed vision of sorts. Slowly, Dante moved into a sitting position, looking around herself, feeling extremely disoriented. Where was she? And, on that note… how had she gotten here?
She frowned slightly, trying to think past the still present pounding in her head. She was in a strange place she didn’t recognize, she couldn’t remember anything past going shopping with the young servant girl, Gertrude this morning, and she was still wearing the same dress she’d been wearing last she remembered. The redhead daintily moved a foot down onto the wooden floor of the room she was in, looking around herself as if she expected to be assaulted for moving out of the bed. When nothing happened, Dante carefully slid her other foot down and moved into a standing position. She ran her hands down her dress, attempting to smooth out the majority of the folds and creases it had gotten from her sleeping in it. What on earth had happened? She tilted her head a little to the side, watching the room, absorbing all the information she could from it. It was simple, but moneyed all the same. It looked like the guest room in the house of a rich lord, maybe, or maybe even just a merchant like her own father and husband. Knowing her hairdo was most likely messed up anyway, Dante let it down, putting the pins in the small table next to the bed before running a hand through the red mane.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, eyes wide and careful, like an attentive, fearful doe, Dante padded across the floor to reach the only door in the room. She wasn’t going to find out anything by staying put… right? She was only wearing stockings – no shoes – which intrigued her as well. Had she been carried, her shoes falling off in the process? Or had they been removed after she had gotten to this place? Had she blacked out and gotten here herself, leaving her shoes in a place she didn’t recall? So many possibilities, and she was going to try and get some answers to go with them. On that note, Dante twisted the doorknob, slightly surprised to find it unlocked. If she’d been abducted, she wouldn’t have been allowed to move around freely, would she? Oh, she had no idea. It wasn’t like she had really ever been in a situation like this one before. Trembling just a touch, Dante pushed the door open and peeked outside, taking in the hallway as she finally ceased chewing on her own lip.
It was almost empty, aside from the other person sticking his head out one of the other doors. Well that was… surprising. She watched him silently, trying to evaluate whether he was in the same position as her. He didn’t seem all that perplexed or worried. She couldn’t quite describe the look on his face, but she felt certain it was a whole lot different from the one she was sporting. And he was young. Younger than her. At least, he wasn’t over 20 years old, she could tell that much, and he didn’t look established to her, so he probably didn’t have wife or children. Most likely just a young man enjoying life. She envied the male sex sometimes, for being allowed to do more or less what they wanted to. They didn’t have a time limit for when to marry, like women had. Women over 21 rarely ever got married if they hadn’t gotten a ring before then. It didn’t matter how old the man was; the woman was always young in comparison.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:37 GMT
"Good boy, Hassen. You may take your little monster out for a walk after first light if you wish."
Hassen almost exploded from sheer joy. It shouldn't have been possible, what with the way his face had been mauled until expressions were a near impossibility, but his face managed to explode into smiles, giggles, and giddy excitement. There was no greater joy to be had than to be allowed a breath of fresh air after being trapped inside for so long. In a heartbeat, the servant had become the embodiment of joy. With a strangled squeak, he bowed deeply without turning around to look at his temporary master before leaving, forgetting his desire for food. His pet had to be told the good news, first!
An hour later, Hassen was back in the empty kitchen with his puppy by his side. Being human, food was a necessity for survival. Occasionally he forgot, however, as Alexander had more than once "forgotten" to feed the boy. Once satiated, the servant led the puppy to the stairwell leading to his room. Despite months of living in his own private room, it was still strange not sleeping with his master. He was so used to sharing a room with his master, even if his bed was the cold wooden floor. A glance was given to the door leading to James' room before the puppy was ushered into his own room and the door was shut behind them.
It took time, but he finally fell into a restless sleep, too excited for the first light to allow him temporary freedom outside. Sunrise couldn't come soon enough for him, but exhaustion kept him in bed until the light shone through the window and across his face. Groggily, he shifted until he rolled out of bed. The sharp pain jarred him to full wakefulness and he was suddenly up and moving. The dog followed after him happily as Hassen sought something that could act as a leash to make sure the puppy wouldn't run away. A length of rope was found and quickly tied around the dog's collar. It work for the moment and he could spend the rest of the day searching for the original leash, if there had been one. He couldn't quite remember.
Hassen made his way to the front door and pried it open, making sure to keep a strong hold on the rope so the dog wouldn't get loose. The dog bounded out, dragging Hassen along and the two spent a good hour or more outside. Frolicking, laughing, and sometimes standing in silence, Hassen soaked up the air and sunlight. He didn't stay out for too long, however, afraid that Drake might become angry if he was gone for too long. When he finally came back in, however, he was in a much better mood than he'd been in for a long time. It wouldn't have been too surprising if he were to treat James' like his own child that day.
The dog was set loose in the house and the servant waiting until he could no longer see the little being before setting off to find Drake or James. Instead of either, he found two heads peeking out of their respective rooms as though trying to judge the safety of the situation they were caught in. Standing where he was sure they could both see him, he bowed deeply and then motioned for them to come out and approach him. It was up to them to actually make the final decision, but he hoped they would come closer. It would be nice to have some company that wasn't trying to kill him. And maybe this time he could prepare them properly to have them ready for the coming fight.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:45 GMT
Linnie's unwavering vigilance, powered only by her sheer terror, began to fade, leaving the tired, frightened woman to gradually slump into her seat. Every few moments, Linnet would violently straighten, aroused by some noise and alert for several minutes before her exhausted body began to relax once more. After several long moments, even her rushing, tumbling thoughts began to slow, as her eyes began to droop. The adrenaline filled day was beginning to take its toll. A mere half an hour after her flight from the dining room, Linnet lay fast asleep in the cushioned chair, knife held limply on her lap.
Meanwhile, Lira had slipped out of the dining room, apparently hoping the gruesome scene would cause his flight to go unnoticed. The man silently slunk to his room, nervous cowardice apparent in his movements. His door closed with a soft click which seemed to resonate in the silent hallway.
The mansion slowly to settled to sleep, two new victims brought in unseen and almost without noise. The whole building seemed to emanate an eerie silence, a silence that seemed filled with evil intent. Just hours after the first death, Lira crept out of his room, silently closing the door behind him and darting into an adjacent hall. Not long after, two new faces peeked out of their respective doors.
The dark bags under Lira's eyes made it apparent that he had gotten little sleep, yet he now lurked through the hall eyes darting to every shadowy corner. He seemed to have no destination in mind, merely wandering the first floor of the manor. As he walked an arrogant confidence grew until he fearlessly strode through the halls, intending to ignore anyone who he passed. Nevertheless, this fearlessness was only a front covering the turmoil within his mind, betrayed by an subconscious twitching and wringing of thin hands. However, this facade of confidence would be his downfall. A halfway open door to his left caught his attention, a faint gasp emerging from within. Desiring to prove to himself his courage and control over the situation, he strode to the door and violently slammed it open.
Linnet found herself back in the hallway by her room, looking into Lira's open door as Drake, their captor, spoke with him. The hallway couldn't have looked more different from reality, but Linnet recognized it for what it was immediately. In Lira's shadowed, distorted face, she could again see the scene of his arm raised over Allease, cruel, barbed dagger seeming to grow explosively and piercing the woman's skin. The dagger seemed to have a life of its own, becoming a long, dangerously sharp rose stem attached to the handle of the dagger. It sprung after Linnet, and she ran through dark halls, the walls moving to block her, furniture grasping her skirts as she struggled to pull free. This abruptly faded to black, Drake's words to Lira echoing endlessly in her mind, " ...and next time you go to stab someone, hold the knife with your thumb on top and stab upwards, rather than holding in your fist like an uncivilized creature and flailing it around...." Flailing... flailing.... The words echoed into silence, broken by a cruel laugh.
Without warning, a loud bang cut off the chilling laugh, jerking Linnet awake, though the dream still held tightly to her troubled mind. Her eyes sprung open, immediately taking in Lira's expressionless face as he stood in the doorway, blocking escape. Linnet jumped to her feet without hesitation, knife clenched tightly in her hand. A loud shriek sprung from her throat, easily heard throughout the house, "Nooo!" It sounded unearthly even to her own ears, increasing the illusion that she was still caught in her nightmare. Lira made a desperate move to grab his own weapon, which only augmented Linnie's terror.
As his fingers gripped the knife, Linnie was upon him, Drake's words ringing in her mind. "And next time you go to stab someone, hold the knife with your thumb on top and stab upwards." Her fingers followed the instructions instinctively, knife plunging into his midsection and jerking up beneath his ribs. Lira's arm flew toward Linnie, the edge of the blade slashing her arm above the elbow and leaving a shallow gash. Linnet's forward motion continued and she barreled into Lira, knocking his already collapsing body to the ground. She sprawled over him, keeping herself from falling on top of the profusely bleeding Lira by landing on the balls of her feet and her hands. The extra pressure on the knife in her right hand caused Lira to gasp like a fish out of water, mouth opening and closing without any inhalation.
Hesitating only a second, her eyes wide with a combination of surprise and terror, Linnie sprung to her feet and into a run, violently jerking her blade out of Lira's chest. She was soon down another hallway, her dagger and arm splattering small drops of blood as she ran, leaving Lira to gasp ineffectively for breath. Linnie found herself in the hall that lead to the kitchen, stairs in front of her. She fairly flew up them to the second floor, recklessly running with no regard to noise. She began to calm, chest heaving as she ran out of energy. Slowly she stopped by a familiar door before the stairs leading to the third floor. Entering the room once more, she calmly closed the door after her and squeezed back into her old hiding place between the sofa and the wall, knife resting in a relaxed hand over her knees. A blank look rested on her features, too calm for what she had just done.
Suddenly, her face crumpled and she began sobbing. She slammed the knife down to her side, hand palm down over the handle. "Wot...Wot 'ave... I done?" she whispered between sobs. She realized that she had not been dreaming at all. This had really happened. There was no way to undo it. She had killed a man.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:21:53 GMT
Well that was odd. It seemed there was another person looking confused and lost. Perhaps the owner of the house had a habit of picking up a wide variety of drunken saps? Regardless, it was another sap but this time it was one of the female persuasion. A slightly sly smile appeared on Saber’s face. Oh, he knew how to work women. Men as well, but women tended to be more easily persuaded and directed. It was good to know that he could have some fun here as well. Who knew? Maybe he had just lucked into a whorehouse of some sort.
While the woman did not look like a whore, he had seen many a lady of the night disguise herself as something more wholesome. Saber opened the door wider and was about to walk out to greet the woman when a man appeared. He bowed and beckoned them out. “So are you the butler, then?” Saber asked as he stepped out of the bedroom. “As much as I would like to stay here and…enjoy the scenery,” Saber said with an almost too sweet smile as he looked over at the woman, “I really should be going. Thank your master for providing me with a bed for the night and let him know that I will find a way to repay his kindness.”
Saber crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response. Though his father could no longer complain if he did not come home every day, the man tended to get upset if Saber went missing for more than three or four days at a time. Once Saber had stayed out a whole week. He never heard the end of that one. You must respect the family, you are setting a bad reputation for us, what about becoming a doctor, blah blah blah. Saber was young and male. He could get away with anything and he would milk this as long as possible.
For a moment, Saber fidgeted. He tugged on his vest and tried to smooth out one of the wrinkles in his shirt. After a moment of trying, he sighed and crossed his arms once more. It seemed he would have to have one of the servants iron this one. At least it was all in one piece and without any obvious stains. How did the night end again? Drinking, a few less than legal remedies for a boring night, a few brawls. Hm. And then what? Then someone offered him a drink and Saber would never say no a free drink.
Maybe that drink was just his limit. Or maybe he went back to fighting and someone got a decent headshot. It was all sort of fuzzy and just trying to think about it increased the mild headache he had. Thankfully, though, this was a headache he knew well. Once he was home Saber would be able to use his servant’s brilliant hangover cure and all would be well. Saber just hoped that there was not a long train ride between him and that cure.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:22:00 GMT
The young redhead blinked a couple of times when the strange darkhaired male smiled. It was no happy or remotely innocent smile. No, this was a smile she’d seen men take on often when they figured something good was in wait, even if they had to take less than friendly measures – the kind of smile many of her father’s and husband’s associates like to sport, in fact. So odd to see on such a young face. But at least he was not shouting at her, or even being uncomfortable as such. She wasn’t entirely sure how she would react, or if she even could take as much right now. She just wanted to know where she was, why she was there, and how she’d gotten there in the first place. Nothing more, nothing less. From there, she’d be able to decide on a course of action, not that she could do much; she was a young, married woman, but men did not necessarily care about her marital status, and even if they did, Dante had hardly any rights without her husband or father at her side.
Just as the young man by the other door began pushing it further apart from the doorframe, making Dante worry about his intentions, another man appeared. Suddenly, Dante felt strange; a woman among men. She was usually ordered to leave, and as the dutiful woman she was, she did as was commanded. It had been ingrained in her, her entire life. When the man bowed, her tension eased. He must be a servant then, she concluded easily, although something was oddly dark about this man. It made her careful. Would have, even if she hadn’t been in a strange house, her shoes gone. Soon after the bow, he gestured for her and the other male to approach him, but Dante remained wary as ever, eyeing the strange man quietly. Something was making his face look… odd. The redhead was still considering her options when a male voice rang out, and she pensively bit her lower lip, watching the scene as he emerged, nearing the servant.
He carried himself like a man of money, someone who had never once in his life felt the need to be humble. He looked no different than her brother, his attitude precisely the same. Dante had long ago found that by watching people, one could conclude much of them, both personality and past. For instance she had just now figured that this man was quite fond of the female sex, considering the way he was giving her looks. Her eyes widened just slightly at his improper comment at her, however. Scenery, was she? She bit slightly harder on her lip to keep herself quiet; a trick she had learned the second she had matured enough to have need of a husband. Apparently, men wanted their women silent and willing to obey. Truly, she was no better than a servant to her husband. He had not even gotten her with child yet, and they had been married long enough.
The man’s words made her wonder, because they made no sense to her. On one hand, he seemed as though he was as lost here as she, and then, on the other, he talked as if he knew exactly what he was doing, as though he had experienced this a thousand times. It bewildered the young redhead quite a bit, which, she had to admit, took a lot to accomplish these days. She had seen quite a bit she sometimes wished she had not; things a good woman should never see… or hear. Dante did not move, deciding to stay put and watch this interaction between the two men. It could not hurt, and she needed not to get in the middle of the affairs of men. It was not her place. Besides, she had always preferred to watch and think, rather than act and react.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:22:08 GMT
James crawled out from underneath the sofa after a few moments of laying peacefully, shaking himself off. He needed to clean up now. First the room where Mister Dominic's body still lay, then he needed to change clothes and wash himself off. It was quite unsightly to run abound, so much blood on him it almost looked like a scaly second skin. The boy stretched, wincing as his distended belly twinged. He'd need to take it easy for a while, it seemed. The chocolate haired body crawled a few more feet before using the door handle to pull himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly, rubbed his eyes, and then stumbled blearily down the hall. He didn't have the slightest inkling of how he'd ended up on the first floor, but he had. Perhaps he'd tried to find his way to this room and gotten lost. Or Drake had deposited him somewhere after losing interest.
Both options were equally plausible. James's memories were quite fuzzy and he had no clue what had transpired exactly, but that didn't particularly bother him. With a memory as long as his, a few gaps were tolerated well enough. No bodily harm had come to him, so it didn't matter very much. Unless Drake was angry with him for a forgotten reason. That wasn't good at all.
Down the hall and through a few more halls James managed to orient himself. He needed to meander his way upstairs, avoid Hassen as per usual, avoid Drake, he might be in a bad mood, avoid the guests for the moment. he didn't want to be attacked just after he'd gotten himself right and fit again. It might be a long wait until the next death, and he didn't want to risk being put out for all that time. he was in no state to flee at the moment, save himself from harm.
James entered the hall with the humans' quarters thoughtlessly. He supposed that no one would be in their rooms, because that would be the most predictable place to hide. The most predictable place to die. He'd taken a few paces forward before he fully noticed the occupants of the room. Two strangers and Hassen. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. The bloody child turned on heel and fled. He'd find another stairwell to go up. He didn't want to deal with Hassen right now.
More alert, the slightly groggy lad hurried up the main set of stairs to the second floor, an arm wrapped around his midsection as if that would keep his body from unraveling. Down the hall again, but a sound stopped him short. A voice? He wouldn't have stopped but for the muffled sounds of despair. Was someone dying? It sounded like a female. Linnie? Allease? Elizabeth? James pulled of his jacket to put up less of a shocking appearance. His shirt and vest were still relatively clean, or at least blood free. His face still looked a gory sight though but there wasn't much more he could do about his current appearance.
The young man opened the door and edged into the room, looking around. He didn't see anyone laying out on the floor. Hiding? James took a few more steps into the room, grunting softly in question. He'd located the girl, she was behind the sofa, but he wasn't going to go over there and pull her out to see if she was dying or not. If she had a weapon she might stab him, and if she didn't she much attack him anyway. Humans did crazy things when attempting to flee the grasp of death. They did crazy thing all the time.
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