Roleplaying for P. 180

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Roleplaying for P. 180

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Jekyll1886

Jekyll1886

@jekyll1886 6 months ago

Let's have some fun! :D

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Miss-Dreamerkat • 5 months ago • edited

I haven't been on in forever. I haven't even kept up with the comic. Life got in the way. I missed about nine months worth of updates. Sorry I haven't been on. Just life has been a mess. I missed ya guys.

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Catt Hatter  Miss-Dreamerkat • 5 months ago

((Welcome back friend!

Sorry to hear life's been mean to you. *hugs*))

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Catt Hatter • 5 months ago

(Thank you and luckily things are slowly getting better! *hugs*)

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Catt Hatter  Miss-Dreamerkat • 5 months ago

((I'm glad things are getting better. ^u^ ))

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Catt Hatter • 5 months ago

(I am glad too!)

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Jekyll1886  Miss-Dreamerkat • 5 months ago

((Oh my gosh, welcome back! :D Missed you, too. Happy to hear from you! ^_^))

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

(Thank you! I am glad you are happy to hear from me!)

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Tairais  Miss-Dreamerkat • 5 months ago

(( Life has a tendency of doing that--I think we all know how that goes! Great to hear from you again, I'd wondered where you'd gone!

Welcome back ^-^ ))

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Tairais • 5 months ago • edited

Yes life does have a habit of doing that. Great to be back although I can't remember where I last was! Thank you for the welcome!

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Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago

((Continuing the Other Rp!

Jekyll1886 :

"Twenty people?" echoed Weir, flabbergasted at the number, as he turned his head to look at her.

"'Sounds like a bloody tenement." It was obvious by his tone he found the very thought of such an untenable situation repulsive.))

Leaning her head back against the wall with a grimaced smile, Hela couldn't help but laugh heartily at his reaction despite the sharp pains that came from doing so.

"'Twas worse than Hell, and I've been there in person."

She coughed slightly, giving him a look both amused and pleased by his reaction--she'd felt much the same about the situation at the time.

"Between the visitors from other dimensions and the doctor's fondness for strays, the house stayed full for years, and there was... never a quiet moment in all that time."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

"That does sound hellish."

He cocked his head at Hela.

"What do you mean, you've 'been there in person'--to Hell?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago

"Oh yeah, have you not?" returned Hela with a chuckle, assuming a jokingly nonchalant air, "'Tis a lovely vacation spot, plenty of warmth and booze."

She wrinkled her nose slightly.

"The host is a bit of an arse though."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

"Tch," he scoffed.

"You're having me on."

He turned back to the fire and flipped the shirt to dry its other side.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago • edited

"Trust me."

Her expression was as serious as the grave, eyes blazing with subdued fury.

"I would not quip about being dragged to Hell by some demoness swine who invaded my mind."

"The ruler there sought to court me and keep me as his pet queen on a string, or force me to spend eternity trapped within the doctor's mind if I did not give him what he desired."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago

He blinked, lowered the shirt in shock, and turned to face her.

"You're actually serious."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago

"I was a hair's breath away from slavery. From losing freewill."

She nearly shook with rage even recalling it, her breathing a harsh, ragged thing.

"And I still might end up there if the king bastard wasn't lying, because apparently once you visit, you're forever doomed to end up his prison of a kingdom when you die."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

Lewis had to take a moment as it all sank in.

The idea of a demoness invading one's mind was bad enough, though perhaps not outside the realm of possibility. The existence of an actual Devil and a literal kingdom of Hell were worse. Worst of all was to be made a slave, destined for them based on a one-time visit alone.

"That has to be a lie." And the Devil would lie, wouldn't he? It was what he was known for.

A thought occurred.

"Did you see Jesus Christ while you were there?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago

Hela snorted at the question.

"Only saw my captors, didn't dare wander off or I'd be stuck there."

"And," she continued in a grumble, some of the edge leaving her voice, "I can only hope you're right... Otherwise I'm in for one hell of an afterlife."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

"The logic is thus," posited Lewis. "The Devil exists, as does Hell. Therefore it's likely Heaven and God and Christ do, also.

"According to doctrine, Jesus descended into Hell.

"And yet also according to doctrine, he didn't stay there.

"Thus, the Devil is a liar, which surprises no one. And you are predestined for nothing."

Free will is restored.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago

She stared at him for a long moment, seeming to be assessing the reasoning behind his statement.

Then, she gave a grunt of acknowledgement, relief and rather begrudging gratitude in the sound.

"I hope you're right," repeated Hela, though she did seem less uneasy than before, tension draining from her shoulders.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago

"If I'm not, this dimension's not worth living in, much less dying in," he asserted.

A chuckle.

"I've found no trace of God nor Devil in several others."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago • edited

"Heh, 'might have to start looking for a nice spot in one of those, then."

Recalling that it'd likely be best to remove the fire poker from her chest sooner rather than later, she readied herself again with no little reluctance.

"'Really rather not risk becoming an involuntary mistress of the devil...he's not my type."

With that, she slid the weapon out with a grit of her teeth, letting out a hiss as its point finally cleared her lung and heart both.

A heavy exhale.

"You just had to go for the vital stuff," she muttered, half laughing with a shake of her head.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago

"Should you find a means to leave this dimension, do let me know--I'm eager to return home," he put in.

He watched her pull the poker out.

She spoke further, and he gave a small chuckle.

"Force of habit," he admitted with a shrug and a smile.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Apathetic as she was, Hela still gave a nod and an accompanying grunt to his request.

"Well, your little 'force of habit' isn't something I get often around here--most care too much to do anything more then knock you out and restrain you at worse."

She shifted and winced, breaking into a grin that wasn't entirely pleased.

"'Must be out of practice picking fights with fellow killers such as yourself."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"To be fair," he conjectured, "I don't fancy there are many others in this neighborhood, are there?"

A shrug.

"It may be mere lack of opportunity."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"With luck," said Hela in a rather pointed manner, her smile never fading, "There won't be anymore opportunity soon, and it won't show up again for a rather long while."

"I'm afraid that we Hydes are rather dangerous creatures, and I'd prefer not having to tango with too many more of them--the vampire and you were just fine, thank you very much."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"Fine, fine," he waved off the pointed words with a chortle.

"I do believe the trousers and this shirt are dry," he said, turning and fluffing the latter out, away from the fireplace. "You'll not suffer my presence much longer."

He pulled on the shirt, which was wrinkled, stained, and a bit dusty, but perfectly dry.

The trousers followed.

All that remained was the waistcoat, which he picked up and held just short of the flames.

"Better?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"Much."

Reluctant approval reflected in her gaze, and she was evidently relieved he finally wore something more concealing than his underclothes.

"I still think it all would have dried faster if you'd put it in the fire," she added after a beat, good humor rumbling in her chest.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

"Doubtless," he admitted with a faint laugh. "But then we'd both suffer me in only my underclothes for even longer." A chuckle. "Wouldn't want that.

"As it is, all we need is for this," he flicked his gaze to the waistcoat in hand, "to dry sufficiently it won't get the rest of me damp."

His brow furrowed as another thought occurred.

"I suppose I ought to say goodbye to the children," he conjectured, "given they'll likely never see me again."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Hela snorted and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"'Feel free, though I don't know why you'd want to--'can't say I understand why you care for the brats."

Impatience burned within her, but she refused to show it, aware she was in no condition to try and drive him out again.

I'll let him do what he wants and then he'll finally leave.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"They've...grown on me, I think," he admitted with a shrug, as if he'd not expected it and were as surprised by the way he felt as anyone.

"Or perhaps it's simply a sense of closure."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

"Closure?"

A beat, a smile accompanying her realization.

"You really still hung up on the red-haired lass?" she asked in disbelief, unable to help a laugh, "The doctor was right, Alicia could charm half the world--the other half only wants to take advantage."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"More for the man who would've made them a good father-figure, if he'd only lived," confessed Lewis.

He exhaled somberly through his nose as he thought of Artemis.

"His death was a mere accident. Nothing more. No sense to it--no meaning."

He shook his head.

"He was genuinely kind. Had inner strength, too.

"Now he's just...gone."

A shrug.

"I suppose I may be mourning what might have been...and isn't."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"If he was any partner of Alicia's, he was bound for death the moment she became infatuated with him--I've yet to hear of someone who has survived her attentions," Hela related in a rather matter-of-fact manner, disinterested in hearing much more about the potential boyfriend.

"Her care was a death sentence, it seems. So many gone before their time..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

"Really?" queried Lewis as he turned the waistcoat to its other side--it wouldn't be long now before it was completely dry.

"Was she cursed, or was it simply circumstance?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"With her? No way to know," she answered with a shrug, "She sure acted like she was possessed by something, with her fits and hearing voices and all... and if circumstance just happened to kill, say, the dozen or so men she'd been interested in, most would call it a curse regardless."

A sly grin.

"I don't care much for men, though, so it'd be more of a blessing for me."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

"In my experience, she could hear thoughts, as well. Rather unpleasant, that," he admitted with a touch of a growl to the last two words.

"Do you care much for women, then, or for no one at all?" he wondered offhandedly.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"I care for myself, and that is enough--never had any desire to get close to anyone else.

"What, ah...do you mean by 'she could hear thoughts'?"

Her smile was rather strained now, as if it took an immense effort to keep it from shifting into a snarl.

"I never experienced such a thing with her."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"I certainly did," remarked Weir with chagrin.

A sigh.

"I was once baking in the Society's kitchen with her, and happened to think a particular thought."

Here he paused and held Hela's gaze.

"She responded to it.

"I'd never voiced it--of that much, I'm certain. Yet she replied as if I'd said it in conversation.

"My thoughts were a panic after that--interspersed with cursing, understandably--though I tried to keep my expression neutral.

"She made her dislike of my foul language known."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Hela was silent for a moment, smile long since faded.

"...I'm glad that the red-head stumbled her way into death," she said, lips briefly curling back to reveal her teeth.

"There are very few things in this world that I would consider wrong. The invasion of someone's thoughts and mind... that is most definitely one of them."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

"She didn't seem to be doing it on purpose--but, as for invading one's thoughts, I must agree.

"I once had the misfortune of encountering a vampire who could do that--and kept choosing to do so, even when I expressed my distress. Not even counting down cards in my head worked against it, whereas that tactic did work with Alicia.

"'Ran into a godling in a certain dimension who could do it, too. 'Hated that--likely as much as you hate the demons and devils in this one."

He shook his head.

"I suppose every realm has its bastards, no matter their form."

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MillieGriffin • 6 months ago • edited

((MillieGriffin

Millie nodded, "Well, how much about lab safety and microbiology do you already know? I want to have a good idea where to start teaching or else I'll be treating you like a primary school boy and have to break out the very cringy, very basic lab safety videos I have downloaded on my mobile. Unless you want to watch the videos."

Pyrogue

Ez paused. "I know the basics, like how to handle regular specimens of diseases. But I suppose you need to take other precautions? Or you could get me up to speed with your research, if there's not that much to do safety-wise?"

He was impatient to get to the practical side of things, as opposed to sitting around learning about how to disinfect things.))

Millie gave him a scrupulous side glance with nerrowed eyes, "Mm..." She assented.

"Your... eagerness... Is very apparent, but impatience in your work leads to being sloppy, and being sloppy leads to accidents— nasty accidents, so watch yourself on that." She sternly warned.

"There are a few extra things you have to know about before you start working here. One of those things is to get familiarized with the lab. Now I know I gave you a breif tour before, but since we were only here to store your equipment and specimens last time, I wasn't able to go as in depth as I'd like. There's a lot of equipment here you won't find in any other lab, mostly because it's not supposed to exist yet or I had to build it from scratch."

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Pyrogue  MillieGriffin • 6 months ago

(( Agh, sorry for the delay! School has been hectic lately and I haven't had much time to myself. ))

He nodded. "Sorry."

Millie mentioned getting familiarised with the lab.

"Okay..."

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MillieGriffin  Pyrogue • 5 months ago

((I tried to make it as not bouring as I could about safety equipment as possible.))

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Pyrogue  MillieGriffin • 5 months ago

((Again, I'm really sorry for not replying sooner. I have a heap of papers due over the next week or so that I need to work on, so it's not your fault at all. Sorry))

He took in the information, staying silent during the explanations. "Alright," he said after they had finished.

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MillieGriffin  Pyrogue • 5 months ago

((it's okay, I'll reply right now and you can get to it when you're not busy. If it takes a while I totally understand.))

"Feel free to ask any questions to clearify anything..." She said side-eyeing him.

"Now this is what I make all the alcohol I need for sanitation use." She gestured to a distillery near the corner.

"If you need to you can—" she cut herself off and thought about what she was going to say, "You know what, just don't touch it. If you need any alcohol come to me. alright?"

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MillieGriffin  Pyrogue • 5 months ago • edited

"Okay..."

Millie looked around the lad wondering where to start.

"Well... I suppose I should show you the safety equipment..."

She showed him the fire extinguishers and how to use them, the other decontamination shower that was there for emergencies. She showed him where the sanitation supplies we're, she showed him the eye washing station and how to use it if something got in his eyes. she showed him the biohazard waste stations and what went to which sealable bin, and she showed him where the first aid kits could be found, what was in them, and she explained how to use every item in them, because some of the first aid equipment was far beond the level of the ninth century and more towards the twinty-first century level.

"—and it should apparent that any cuts or other surface level wounds must be covered by a water tight bandage when you're in here." She finished as she placed a box of extra large water-resistant Band-Aids back into the kit.

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MillieGriffin  MillieGriffin • 6 months ago

(Pyrogue)

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The Fox • 6 months ago • edited

( Jekyll1886 Bada! We're here! With Dog RP! )

Lewis was surprised at the offer, but gladdened by it.

"I know I can run on at the mouth at times," he acknowledged, "and I cannae hold my liquor quite so well as Ned, but...do you count me as a friend, Callum?" he asked the Host with all sincerity.

" You're not my friend, you're my equal. Ned's great and all but I've yet to see him stand up to Orin like you did all that time ago. "

Callum took his shoulder and smiled.

" If that sh*t isn't guts, I don't know what is. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 6 months ago

"Oh," said Lewis, eyebrows raised in surprise as he blinked.

A chuckle followed after.

"I suppose you're right," he came to accept with a smile.

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago • edited

" Well why wouldn't I be! It's not everyday you see someone that f*cking stupid to try. "

He slapped his shoulder, then took an impressed tone.

" And all of it for a Beast that isn't even your Master.

You held your ground and risked your life for practically nothing, and all with great loyalty. You're as Host as it gets. All you need is a mark and you'd pass off real nice. "

He chuckled then caught his gaze.

" It's something to admire honestly. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 6 months ago

"He's my friend," said Lewis with a smile and a shrug. "There's nothing I'd not do for any of them."

He spoke from the heart.

"They lend meaning to life--that's no small thing."

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 6 months ago

" Right... "

Callum looked down for a moment. A sudden feeling passed through his eyes, though he was unaware of it. It was like a ghost of the past came and walked between the two.

He suddenly looked like someone lost seeing a path through the confusion, and just as quickly it was banished away, also something he seemed not to notice.

The Host looked up and grinned, though a dull ache itched at his head.

" Let's get a move on. I bet our friend here has just about had it with us loiterers. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 6 months ago • edited

For that one moment, the Host felt less...Orin and more...himself, at least to Lewis. Callum's energy flowed, for the most part, naturally--something Weir had never before witnessed.

Then the Hound's energy reasserted itself, quashing Callum's essence to remold it into something less...perceptive. Less true. Less an aware wolf than a mere steer to the slaughter.

That mongrel bastard's mucked with his mind! realized Lewis.

He couldn't help but look on Callum with pity, even as a fire rose within Weir at the outrage of it all.

A Scotsman's own free will...forcibly bent...to serve some mangy. London. Cur.

I'll no' have it.

"Aye," replied Lewis to the man he silently vowed to free if he could. "I suppose we should be goin'."

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Callum took the lead once again. He trotted back through the zoo, making his way to the Australian visitors.

As he was taking in the sights he'd dismissed just moments before, they came upon the thylacine first.

The lanky creature took the Host's attention fully and even spooked him at first. It spooked too, a reaction he expected, but when they had paused to look at each other, the tiger sat down and watched them, completely unbothered by him.

This was a turn Callum didn't expect, even less the calm that it held, and he stood frozen in place while his nerves sparked for a few beats before working himself to come close to it and take it in.

He fell in love with it and later the platypus. There couldn't be enough time in the day for him to watch them, to take them in.

" Those are Beasts! They might as well walked out fresh from Through! "

That's what he said as they drifted away and out of the zoo.

" You can't tell me they just came like that into the world! "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 5 months ago

"The naturalists say they did," returned Lewis.

He shrugged.

"Then again, I'm no naturalist," he admitted with a chortle.

"Those animals are wondrous strange, in any case." It was clear from his tone he appreciated their unique nature, a testament to the sheer variety of which the natural world was capable.

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

" Bullsh*t! That wee little critter cannot have come swimming round the river so! "

He pointed a vehement but teasing finger at Lewis.

" That platypus or whatever the hell you call it, It's won some fights. I can tell. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 5 months ago

Lewis chuckled.

"Perhaps it has, at that," he said with a smile.

"'Twas quite the spirited little bugger."

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

" Yeah, and those spurs! "

He shook his head.

" Those are true fighting spurs.

I could with some myself but I know I'm set with all I need. Anything and I'd be a true menace. "

He laughed.

" That tiger though...

He had some jaws on him alright. I'd take those too if I could. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 5 months ago

"What, you're not deadly enough already?" Lewis half joked with a smile.

"You're not some wee baby lamb, y' know."

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

" Of course I'm no lamb! It's my job to be deadly!

The better I am, the better I serve Orin, the better I'm rewarded. "

He grinned.

" I'm sure you can understand wanting all your sharp bits sharper. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 5 months ago

"Aye," he had to admit with a tilt of his head to the side. "If a fight's comin', certainly."

A chuckle.

"They can be a bit unwieldy for everyday use, though. Wouldn't want to accidentally stick someone I cared about."

He regarded Callum and made sure to choose his next words carefully.

"But, as you've said. Different worlds," Weir acknowledged with a matter-of-fact shrug.

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The Fox  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

" Aye, and there isn't anything I can do but act right. "

Callum paused before bumping up against Weir.

" But don't think you and I won't get on cause of it.

I promise you, if you ever want to hang round Through, I'll be there to keep the sh*theads off you. "

He laughed.

" Hell! You, me, Ned, maybe even your cat!

We'll go kick up dust and fur and cruise round with blood rain. "

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Jekyll1886  The Fox • 5 months ago • edited

"I appreciate that, Callum," returned Lewis, not having expected it, the look on his face more open as he broke into a smile that seemed grateful and fond.

His gaze unfocused and brow furrowed as he ran the logistics through his mind. From his expression, it could easily be conjectured he was considering what gathering such a motley group together would entail, how its members might interact and get along--or fail to--as well as how they might be received in Through, and what might happen there.

"I think...I may have to decline on Malemi's behalf, given his...status, as it were," he concluded reluctantly.

"As for myself..." he continued with a hint of embarrassment, "I've people who'll worry themselves sick if I go." A sigh.

"Still," he said, meeting the Host's gaze, "I really do appreciate the offer. I'm sorry the lot of us can't go, but I do believe Ned would get a kick out of it, if you'd be alright with that."

Weir glanced down as he thought a moment.

"Hm. Might lend him my walking stick," he seemed to reflect aloud.

He looked to Callum.

"If you think that would be fine to carry through Through."

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Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

((The Big Rp continues!))

Tairais:

Wicked grins split its skull and neck like livid knife wounds, hunger making their teeth ache in so terribly a familiar manner.

Up the stairs, then, on claws-and-feet that made no sound as it stalked towards the sound-maker. Wer'Vemud could see the faint shimmer of the wrong-darkness, cloying and distinct in its scent.

It sought to know the face its prey wore before they tore it off, feeling some measure of respect (if in a roundabout way of hunter-to-hunter) was needed before the feast.

Response:

The upper story appeared to be an observatory of sorts, with a tall domed ceiling paneled with a silver metal similar to the one that made up the floor and stairs. However, where a telescope would usually, there was a strange, bulky machine that hummed with vast amounts of magical energy, an antenna looking fixture at its top sticking out of an opening in the roof to point towards the sky.

What seemed to be a control panel rested at the base of the machine, accompanied by a desk covered in no small amount of maps and papers, along with a wooden rocking chair.

The latter was occupied by a rather tall, slender man reading a newspaper, the date and title indicating it was from the day before, in London. A golden-handled cane leaned against the side of his leg.

The fellow looked as if he'd be easily six foot when standing and no older than thirty years of age, his features a rather attractive mixture of silky-brown hair, striking dark eyes, and a smile as charming as it was infectious.

He wore a well-tailored suit, the various pieces a mixture of purples and whites and grays with gold for accent--there was even a Columbine pinned to the left lapel of his jacket, the little flower adding a splash of yellow along with its white and purple petals.

Within him was a swirling mass of souls, a volume so vast as to be nearly beyond counting.

see more

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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 6 months ago • edited

Now knowing the face to its prey, Wer'Vemud wasted no time as it sank into the shadows of that man's chair and pulled him into the vast grasslands of The Other.

On the wind came echoes of the words Weirmrith had spoken.

Consume-consumption-consume.

Taloned hands carved through flesh and vertebrae as easily as fingers trailed through water, drip, rip, drip and ripping blood.

Rare-found caution, this was, to watch and wait a meal was a meal before consumption-consuming. There was no chance to take: the sickly darkness would fall. It would be fact.

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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 6 months ago • edited

Fright only found its way out of the man in a split-second cry before a severing of his head rendered sound impossible.

His body lay still and bleeding...yet the spirit of the Oil manitou did not fade.

The soul of the slain man was gently, delicately tucked back into the ocean of essences by the being of Oil even as they dissolved another into energy to be consumed.

In the time between heartbeats, the head and body both melted into a dark liquid that swallowed all light, joined together in the same pool, then reformed into a human shape.

Now he wore the form of an older man, all grey hair and wrinkles and eyes of pale blue, his clothing a pastor's uniform with the symbol of the Keeper's Court engraved on the left breast pocket.

Behind the facade of terror that filled his gaze was a sliver of hungry curiosity.

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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago • edited

Predictably, Wer'Vemud didn't much enjoy its meal reforming itself. Not only was it a novelty, as this creature very much looked like its own Nald'su Welun whenever he reformed or reshaped himself.

Perhaps it was this thought that drove it to ask for help, proud creature though it was. It was distantly pleased, in some small manner, that such a conversation with its other half

Nald'su, si shilta ti svent coi.

Whaddaya mean, ya 'cannae kill it?'"

Si shilta ti svent coi. Coi geou ti loreat.

Why not?

Si tepoha thric irthir. Coi geou ti loreat.

Did ya decapitate it?

Axun, si tira zyak!

... 'S like oil, yeah? Did ya try settin' it on fire.

Thric.

Then set it on fire, kid.

It didn't bother deigning that with a response, merely waited with the heavy silence of a glare for a small half-eternity as it snarled at the fearful-and-curiously hungry thing in its claws.

Xsiol, right. I'll be over in a tic.

Vinxa.

Charricthran, for his part, sent a quiet thought to Lewis apprising him of the situation and the plan to resolve it before he slipped into The Other, mere seconds after the other man had been placed on his train seat.

He rose out of Wer'Vemud's shadow and circled around to face the creature contained within its grasp, propping a fist on his hip as he raised a brow in amused curiosity of his own.

"Well now, you're bein' a right pain, ain'tcha?"

Two-and-three pairs of eyes watched as Charricthran clacked his talons together and produced white fire in dark hands, the silence after the gesture inviting some small comment, and no more.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago • edited

Lewis took in the new information with alarm. Exhaustion stayed with him, but any chance at sleep vanished. Even hunger became a secondary concern.

For God's sake, he conveyed with urgency, if that thing has that many souls within and can absorb them, don't eat it unless it's well and truly dead! And you'll need to be absolutely certain it really did expire and isn't merely putting on a show. Heaven help us if it should absorb you--from the inside or the out!

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

The mask slipped a notch further when Charricthran summoned fire, the illusion of fear broken through by ravenous delight.

"You will feed me in seeking my destruction?" returned the manitou of oil, his voice full of an almost juvenile giddiness that ill-suited his age-worn form.

((Tairais))

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Tairais  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

"Well now tha' ya've gone an' ruined my idea o' fun, I think the f*ck no'."

Charricthran sighed as he let the flames he'd summoned extinguish, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stalked off, waving his free hand dismissively.

Keep... jus' keep splicin' him til we sort this out--we're on a time crunch.

Axun. Wux re nymuera.

With that, talon pierced flesh and bone alike, reducing that which was contained within to another corpse, pumped full of poison.

Charricthran, for his part, sent Lewis images of the building he'd seen through his other half's many eyes, the image flickering between one of Charricthran's normal sight, and one that more resembled what the average human saw.

In addition, he spoke of the new information he'd acquired.

First bit, noted by both o' us. Wer'Vemud ain't so starvin' 's gonna ignore tha', but I'll wager 's as annoyed as the rest o' us, puttin' it lightly. Second bit, settin' the fella on fire would complete him, which-"

At this, there was a feeling of a forked tongue sticking out to punctuate a scowl.

"-No, ta. Third bit, advice? Figurin' there might be sommat in the tower ta help, but my mind's fair foggy as it is.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago • edited

Understood, Lewis let Char and WV know, as to the first and second points.

As for the third...

Wer'Vemud is doing the right thing for now, I think.

As for you, Charricthran, pocket the maps and other information if you can, but make certain to destroy the machines. If we can't kill this bastard completely, we can at least keep it from contacting anyone else or--for all we know--hopping dimensions. That may be how it affected Hela in the first place.

I'll try to think of something more in the meantime.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

On it, yup. I'll chirp when I've more information.

Shadow and wind became the bricks he built his rapid flight upon, towering and tumbling by turn as he closed the distance in The Shifting Paths within seconds. He paid no mind to mist or lamp post as they bid him their eternal welcomes, nor to the bubble he pressed against like glass before falling in.

Charricthran had a mission, and ideally it would be a completed one before the consequences of his magic caught up to him.

The maps and documents were swept into his pockets, insofar as they existed in this form--more likely, they had slipped into the library within The Other, as that was where those sorts of things tended to end up.

Point being, if it looked like he had information, he took it.

Then came the machine.

He'd been alive long enough and done this sort of infiltration work often enough to know that the truly important things were hidden in some form or another. The base of that strange, crackling machine seemed as likely a candidate as any to play host to secrets, so away he went, a-tap-tap-tapping on the wooden panels.

Sure enough, one of them slid back.

A mask, approximately the shape of a frog and intricately made. A suit, patterned with lily-pads, to better fit the theme.

These, he placed into little bubbles of their own making, a nullified shield containing all enchantment within. They sat near the maps and documents, a veritable wealth of knowledge.

A note, with a reminder from author to self not to devour his latest target.

That one, he shared with Lewis as he put it away, before unleashing the bulk of his strength upon the contraption before him.

He cared not for feedback or the bite of metal and wire and wood into his hands-which-weren't-quite-hands, only that the whole of the machine were destroyed, and every splinter and scrap left behind turned to ash.

Talon and claw were raised from shadow, and white-hot fire leaped from his snarling mouth to transform what remained into little more than a smear of grime and piles of ash when all was said and done.

He stumbled into The Other after that, time stretching his skin paper-thin, lightning and darkness beating within.

Machine's dealt with. I've maps, mask and clothes.

Careful footsteps, cheerful footsteps--it wasn't so much, what he'd just done, but it was poorly timed to the rest of it all.

Back to Wer'Vemud, and, hopefully, the start of finding some answers.

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Helen Jekyll  Tairais • 5 months ago

The second death, thankfully, left as little time for suffering as the first, and the old pastor's energy was devoured in an instant as inky pools of hunger formed once more from the corpse and shifted into a shape anew.

This new form looked more demon than human--though he still wore a neatly pressed suit--with its ash grey complexion and sunken, dimly glowing eyes of fire. He grinned, baring a smile that was all blackened and yellowed jackal teeth.

"You are funny, killer of Charricthran's--is this the only trick you have learned?" asked the Frog, genuinely curious if Wer'Vemud was only capable of removing his head.

Only the machine's destruction seemed to dampen his mood, eliciting a frown of mild displeasure.

"You both are going to make me late."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

Excellent, Lewis conveyed to Charricthran.

If there's any of his energy in the mask, the clothes, the maps, then destroy it or them--Hell, throw the mask at the wall if you have to. We don't want the bastard surviving in any fashion if we can help it.

On that note...I've an idea, but you'll need to bring me in proximity to him, then you and Wer'Vemud leave immediately.

By the by, has this..."Frog-face", let's call it...said anything at all useful to us?

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

Wer'Vemud answered its prey by decapitating him again, enjoying the crunch and rip of bone and flesh as much as it could, given the circumstance.

Simple, straightforward.

Irritating.

It didn't speak the frog-oil's tongue, after all, and could only just understand the-ones-with-feathers because of their status and Titles. This creature was a gnat--albeit, a very powerful, particularly bothersome one.

Still... it wanted to eat the oil-slick-sort, buzzing nuisance it was. It could wait until Nald'su and Weirmrith Viofdioenel did their work.

Charricthran set about the destruction of the mask and suit in a similar fashion to the way Wer'Vemud had destroyed the ring. Though only the mask had any sort of enchantment on it, the suit was...

Tacky. And tainted by the creature who'd worn it, if in not so much as threatening manner as any other.

Mask had enchantments from some other sort, an' 's not the other magic with the oil-stuff, so. Maps an' all were free, suit was free also but ugly, so's I burned it anyhow.

He paused as he considered how best to articulate the concern burrowing in his teeth.

If you're gonna do your nullifyin'... may I suggest no'? You've no' recovered from the last time, an' ya did it fair recent-like a'fore tha', too.

There was precious little hiding the worry at the fact in his voice, but he tried anyway.

After a beat, he added, Wer'Vemud has an alternative it can do tha' will probably have the same effect an' no' have the risk o' us vanishin'. An' other'n him sayin' we're gonna make him late after I exploded tha' contraption o' his, nothin' useful, no.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago

Enchantments that were neither Frog nor Spider... reflected Lewis. Hm. Wonder if it was that Keeper that "went dark".

Such was a matter to be dealt with some other time, however.

Charricthran called Weir on his intended plan of action, then offered a different solution.

What's the proposed alternative? asked Lewis.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Wer'Vemud an' I pool all our power inta it, surround Frog-Face's Song--we've picked up on it after the first couple'a decapitations, common denominator an' all tha'-- an' then we... Kinda the opposite o' you. Shove enough o' our Song in there 's like spillin' a bottle o' ink on a blank piece of paper.

A pause.

May wanna make sure you'n the girls are taken care o' for the next bit, though. Wouldnae kill me at this point, but 'tween everythin' else, Wer'Vemud would need ta hibernate for a bit, an' tha' always did a strangeness ta me.

Unspoken went the rebounding effects of their travel between universes far beyond his usual reach, certain to be... unpleasant for all of them.

He'd explain if asked, but he very much hoped he wouldn't be asked.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago • edited

Charricthran..., thought Lewis, much as you don't want me to run certain risks, know that I don't want you to, either.

He paused, realizing neither of them was likely to give in and they both wanted to spare the other.

'Tell you what. I've a coin here. I'll flip it. You pick whether you want heads or tails. If it comes up the side you pick, you and Wer'Vemud will do what you must. If it comes up the other, I will. It's the fairest way I know to resolve this.

What do you say?

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

He was quiet for a long moment, hesitance wrapped like barbed wire around an uncomfortable certainty.

Were we no' gonna go under anyways, I'd agree. As it is... someone's gotta be awake ta help Hela an' Helen, an' you're better equipped for tha' than I am in a number o' ways.

For one, while he needed food and rest, Lewis likely wasn't going to be out of commission for an entire month or so, give or take, and there was no denying that his relationship with Hela and Helen was... a fair sight stronger and closer than his, even if he considered both of them his friends in their own rights.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago

Charricthran's point did not set well with Weir, but Lewis had to admit the truth and logic of it.

With extraordinary reluctance, Weir acquiesced.

How long do you think you'll be...indisposed?

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Charricthran spoke with as much reluctance as one typically opens their mouth during a dentist's visit.

At this point? Better part o' a month in the Society's time. Could be less if sleep's restful for once, which it's... been, of late.

He paused again, and sighed.

'S no' everythin' either. Was hopin' it wouldn't happen, would like ta pretend 's no' gonna happen, but.

Went an' Rebounded somethin' nasty-like openin' the Paths. Near as I can tell, 's gone an' set itself up ta make me relive a buncha old stuff as if I were still there. Gonna be in an' outta lucidity, in an' outta consciousness. Prob'ly gonna hurt a fair bit asides, considerin' keystone sorts o' memories tend ta be the ones where I came closest ta bein' all small-like, like after Irsluna.

The silence that followed was bittersweet in its simultaneous regret for the grief he'd cause others, and the lack of regret for his actions.

Fair chance I'll have days where I wake up an' don' remember ya. Fair chance I might ask ya ta put me outta my misery--wouldnae kill me, jus' kinda reset me ta a kinder time. You'd see me lucid for a few hours after tha'.

A pause, quieter still.

Haven't had this happen since Mordecai. Much prefer it happenin' on my own terms, if it's ta happen at all.

Aching feet carried him closer to Wer'Vemud and its prey, thoughts flickering between the two of them like candlelight.

Sorry in advance for the inconvenience, but better me than them. They can die. I can't.

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago

"No." The word came out a hushed and haunted whisper, leaving Lewis with his mouth a bit agape--an open-voiced whimper followed in its wake even as he slumped further in the chair, only just shy of falling to the floor.

Yet, from Charricthran's tone, there would be no dissuading him. None.

This is going to happen, realized Weir. Disbelief turned to inescapable certainty as the truth of the matter sank in. This is actually going to happen.

It felt as if his stomach fell to his feet, his heart to his knees, as moisture gathered in his eyes.

Charricthran didn't deserve to suffer. Neither did Hela nor Helen. Nor did the myriad beings at the Spider's temple complex and the surrounding lands.

Yet they all had, or would.

It is what it is, concluded Lewis with a blink as he turned his unfocused gaze to his lap. He felt the warmth of tears as they trickled down his face.

Despite what anyone wanted, what Char'd proposed was, in the end...necessary.

Godspeed.

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Tairais  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

I'll be as quick gettin' back as I can. Don' lose yourself tryin' ta fix things, though. Cannae help anyone if you're gone, see?

One step, then two-and-three, the clearing where Wer'Vemud was a beacon in the mist.

For tha' matter, take care o' yourself, please? 'S gonna be all right. We'll make it so--you, more'n anyone I know, can make it so.

Three-and-four-and-five, and they stood side by side, he who Sang and his not-quite-Hyde.

He gave Lewis the warmth of a shark-toothed smile filled with too many teeth and the memory of wings brushing against knees.

Your turn ta have some trust in me--I'll be fine in the end. Si itov wux, Weirmrith Viofdioenel.

He closed his thoughts and opened that Well deep within him and Wer'Vemud starlight howling its song as it flooded their bones, lightning licking at their fingertips and shadows draping like cloth over smoke.

All things felt, rather than seen as he spoke with glittering frost in his tone to the prey Wer'Vemud had been systematically decapitating for the whole of their endeavors.

"Right. I've had about enough o' this nonsense. Your friends an' allies are dead ta the nth degree, I'm gonna fair take these souls o' yours an' deal with them proper-like, an' your fashion sense was so abysmal I burned your frog mask and lily-pad suit alike. Ta!"

Rapid-fire word was punctuated with a series of whistles and a click, some old gesture half-remembered as the gravest possible insult he could hurl at this creature that had hurt ones so close to his heart.

Charricthran threw his arms back and allowed shadow-and-lightning to rip through his skin like so many hungry needles, Wer'Vemud shrouding the corpse clutched in its taloned hands with every one of its three-and-four pairs of wings.

Sound built upon sound, chime and roar, whisper and Song and the scrape of metal on metal and the rattle of bone and breath in tired lungs moving dustclouds on the horizon.

Wer'Vemud pulled its-and-his prey apart with two-and-more taloned hands, the two of them snarling softly.

Sound built upon sound, scraping, clawing, biting its way as so many knives and walls, brick building upon brick and separating the animating Song from the souls it commanded like puppets, had devoured like so many capers.

Wer'Vemud set about pouring Song over Song, drowning out dissonance with the harmony of so many universes, so much ordered chaos and contained entropy, the nothing of everything, the Song of all things.

Charricthran, for his part, stepped back from that maelstrom he called his Song, his Opposite, and turned to face the souls that had been devoured by a creature far more greedy than he'd ever had the energy to be.

Those who wished to be released to the afterlife were scattered like so many songbirds, fleeing from The Other from his ribcage.

Those who wished to lend their aid as a form of repaying debt were given their own portion of their infinitely expanding world, free to make of it as they liked so long as they aided him, and free to leave whenever they grew tired of that half-existence.

Those who were too dangerous to keep, and too dangerous to free, he made into nothing, then assimilated the rest.

Sound and light building upon sound and light when he was done, so much noise, so much noise, so much scraping down his skin that he clawed and bled for, enough--enough, enough, enough!

He'd had enough.

Sound and light building on sound and light, Singing, screaming, roaring, Singing of all they were, louder than the consumption that simmered like sickness, they were more than that.

And then the manitou was no more. Gone, made into less than dust. Absorbed, consumption consumed once still for good.

And then they were no more, falling, sleeping, gone.

Gone.

Quiet.

Enough.

At last.

(Those who had feathers felt them turn to ice, then flame, then a lingering ember.

Quiet.

Still.

Sleeping.

Gone.)

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Jekyll1886  Tairais • 5 months ago

Si itov wux, kiri, Nald'su Welun. The thought conveyed all the hope and worry and love and tenderness Lewis felt.

Charricthran could do this, Weir told himself. Charricthran was right--he had to trust him.

Lewis had forgotten to breathe, and forced himself to now.

I'm a right mess, aren't I?

Marshaling what bare remnant of inner reserves remained, he reached a weary, shaking hand up to his waistcoat pocket for the square of cloth within, the better to dry his tears.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

In that moment, "Helen" happened to be leading Elaina to the back of the train where the dining car was, her arm laying atop that of her companion's as the pair of them chatted.

She'd almost completely passed the seat in which Lewis resided when the sight of him registered and her stride faltered, shock followed by immense concern flitting across her expression for a heartbeat.

In the next, however, she'd broken into a smile and turned to face Elaina in such a way as to block her view of him, clasping each of her hands in her own.

"Ah, right, sorry, I need you to go ahead and save a table for me--there's something I forgot to do," said Hela in a tone both sheepish and excited, shy fondness bleeding in through it all, "I won't be too terribly long, I promise."

It took some time longer to finally convince Elaina to go ahead along with the promise that she'd be rewarded with a surprise for doing so later.

Hela waited until Elaina had vanished into the next train car down before swiftly coming to kneel before Lewis.

"You look like Hell, what happened, is it safe, do you need anything?" she asked rapidly in a low voice, her gaze flickering over his face in search of some sort of clue.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

He'd just managed to wipe his own face clean, but didn't have the energy to put the cloth back in his pocket.

"'Tis safe at last," he let her know in an unsteady whisper. "'Took care of one of them--Char got the other.

His eyes held her gaze as he struggled to focus.

"'Could use some food an' water an' help with them," he admitted.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

Nodding slowly, she looked briefly to the side, visibly working through possible solutions in her mind.

"If you can manage to look like 'Henry' again, I can tend to you without Elaina questioning anything--she'll likely be disappointed at not being the center of attention, but Helen stopping to help some sickly old man eat isn't going to raise any suspicions," Hela suggested, meeting his gaze again as her voice dropped to a nearly inaudible whisper, "I can shield you from the other passenger's sight here."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

Once she'd done so, he did as she'd requested. It was a good plan, really.

"Thank you," he said quietly, exceedingly grateful for the help.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago

"You saved my life," she said in return with no small amount of tenderness, pressing her forehead gently to his before pulling back to take his hands.

"Now, what's the best way to get you to the back of the train? Do you think you could walk, if I support you?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

A smile both warm and fond, though weak, graced his face as their foreheads touched.

When she pulled back and suggested he accompany her to the dining car, however, he could only give a faint shake of his head.

"In truth," he confessed with a look of apology, "'m barely able to sit up, much less walk--even with assistance." The words themselves drifted into mumbles at times.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 5 months ago • edited

"In that case, I think you should have a lie down while I use the doctor's irresistible charms to get the staff to allow me to bring something here--worst case, I threaten to go to the media with the story of how they nearly allowed a kind gentleman to die on their train because of a silly policy."

She gave a grin both conspiratorial and amused, though it didn't take away from the almost instinctive drive to ensure he was cared for that shone in her gaze.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 5 months ago

"Mm," he agreed with an infinitesimal nod, blinking as he did so.

He returned the smile, proud of her--it really was a good plan, not only clever but believable.

And he was so very tired...

He shifted slightly to one side. That was all it took for gravity to do the rest of the work as he slid into a semi-horizontal position on the adjacent seats, the toes of his shoes still touching the floor.

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