Role-playing page for pg. 107!

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Role-playing page for pg. 107!

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Mz.Hyde

Mz.Hyde

@disqus_NnFUI30kih 2 years ago

Well, I'm back at school now. And what better way to kick off my sophomore year at Furman University then to watch a total solar eclipse?! And apparently, Greenville SC may just be the best place to see it happen!

I'll try to get some pictures of it for everyone to see, and if you're in the USA, you may be able to catch the next one in 2024!

I hope everyone has a great week, and I wish my fellow students who are returning to school a prosperous year!

https://g.co/kgs/3J5k1R

bonnie tyler total eclipse of the heart - Google Search

4 days ago ... Bonnie Tyler Will Sing ' Total Eclipse of the Heart' During Solar Eclipse. ... " Total Eclipse of the Heart" singer Bonnie Tyler will perform her 1983 hit during the solar eclipse onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise. ... In a perfect marriage of pop and science, Bonnie Tyler will perform her ...

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I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Bleh school

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Wolf! What are doing here friend?

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

honestly im not sure i just got an invite so i came t check it out

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Oh, ok! Welcome to our channel!

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Yep I'll do my best to infect everyone whit insanity

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Wizardblizzard  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

You'll have a job :-) Plenty of wolves around here though :-)

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

There are ( his ears perk up) I'll definitely look into it

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Oh, we're all insane here my friend.

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Lol das otay

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Of course it is! All the best people are crazy!

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Ow don't mashup insanity and crazy there completely different because a crazy person can still have their sanity and think they are insane and do stupid things while the insane have no clue that they're insane and actually do surprisingly intelligent things on top of their randomness

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Oh like this?

* Invests in Apple stock.*

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

lol I'm not sure if that's good or not I'm still young and have a lot to learn about the world especially thinks like the market

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Me too!

* Smashes melon.*

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

Lmao you remind me of captain and pilot from romantically apocalyptic

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

I don't know what that is! But ok! I love you too!

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

lol it's a web comic I'm reading and they have something called the pineapple terrorist and pilot hates fruits meh never mind so how have you been

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Mz.Hyde Mod  I’m a fluffing wolf • 2 years ago

Pretty good. Sorry, I just got my laptop back from IT.

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I’m a fluffing wolf  Mz.Hyde • 2 years ago

lol that's okay you don't have to apologize

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Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

((Helen Jekyll A continuation of the Glasgow Field Trip RP:))

Helen Jekyll Jekyll1886 • 6 minutes ago

Hela brushed aside the offer, turning her gaze away from his hand as she stood on her own.

"Very well, but you have to tell me how you can drink so much so bloody fast, along with the rest of the story," She told him firmly and slipped one hand into her pocket, "You have to keep up your end of the agreement."

Jekyll1886

"Practice," he said simply, as they made their way out of the pub. "I've been drinkin' for years. Built up a bit of a tolerance."

He turned left onto Lanark Street.

"As for the rest of the story...he came at me with the knife," recounted Henry. "An' it was clear there was no dissuadin' him. So Edward had his go."

They passed by the side yard to which Edward had guided Hela earlier. The street was clear from there on.

"As I said, this waistcoat's prone to...pickin' up spots," said Henry. "So Edward...made certain not to use the blade. Just...got around behind the man. And...used leverage."

He dropped his voice to a whisper.

"To, ah...separate...the vertebrae," he explained as he looked her in the eye, hoping he'd not have to be more explicit.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Hela blinked at him in puzzlement, a slight tilt to her head.

"Leverage to separate the vertebrae...?" She repeated softly and her brow furrowed, "And how... why would he not use the knife, if there was one there? Doesn't he know ways to stay clean?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"That was the surest way to stay clean," Henry quietly illuminated as they continued on their way. "There was no blood spilled." He seemed a bit put upon at having to explain it in further detail, as if this were an unpleasant topic of discussion for him.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Then... how did he hurt the man, if there was no blood and he was at his back...?" queried Hela, looking more than a little bemused as she tried and failed to grasp what Henry was saying.

Apparently she wasn't very adept at reading between the lines.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

Christ on a crutch, Hela...

"Hela...in the future, do people just outright state exactly what they mean, exactly as it happened, with no subtlety at all?" he asked, perfectly serious.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Uncertain, she gave a hesitant nod.

"I think that's pretty much what everyone does, unless they're making a special effort to be subtle... or lying..." She answered, something rather vulnerable flashing across her expression as she lowered her gaze, "I...Is that why I can't understand you...?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"I...do believe so," answered Henry, taking the new information into account.

"Very well, then. I'll alter my speech accordingly."

He thought a moment as they continued, formulating how exactly to phrase things.

"Edward...broke the mugger's neck. From behind," he whispered.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Oh," Hela stated simply, her blue eyes widening slightly with comprehension as she touched a hand to her own neck, "I see..."

"That makes much more sense than, ah..." She tilted her head and met his gaze again. "...separating vertebrates."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"'Vertebrae'," offered Henry as they turned right onto Charlotte Lane. "'Vertebrates' are creatures with a backbone," he clarified in a neutral tone.

"I think that may explain much of the trouble you've encountered heretofore--er, before now. 'Victorians', as you'd call people of this time period, hardly ever say precisely what they mean with words. Yet by tone of voice, facial expression, the subtle lift of an eyebrow the merest fraction of an inch...they make their meaning clear. Just not as readily noticeable to passersby. Nothing incriminating that way. Fewer people with their feelings hurt, too."

They went left, onto London Street.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"And smart alecks are people who get beaten up for correcting others," grumbled Hela, shooting him a brief glare.

He spoke.

"It sounds..." She frowned and searched for the right words before admitting, "Absolutely exhausting... and inefficient."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"It can be rather exhausting, to be honest..." admitted Henry.

"Yet it is remarkably efficient, if you know how to interpret it. A paragraph can be conveyed with but a glance."

They continued along London Street, the evening shadows lengthening.

A tram passed them.

"Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" he asked good-naturedly.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Hm," She slid one hand into her pocket, to assure herself the stolen cutlery was still there, "If the doctor wasn't your granddaughter... I'd be dead, wouldn't I?"

The question was casual, though her hand gripped the handle of a knife tight enough for her knuckles to go white.

"After all, I'm nothing but a waste of space and food and time and I endanger everyone around me," Hela continued quietly, looking straight ahead, "I don't deserve to live, because nobody likes me."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"That's not what I've said at all," said Henry, hurt. He slowed his pace. "Nor what I meant."

A moment in silence, as he tried to divine where all this was coming from.

"Who..."

He swallowed audibly.

"Who's told you anything like that?" he asked, genuine concern and a distant hint of steel in his gaze.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

She merely gave a halfhearted shrug, turning her gaze further away from him.

"Who does it matter? The sentiment shows in everyone, with how they act around the doctor and I... It's just how people think of a Hyde," replied Hela, "I thought as someone so well versed in subtle communication and people, you would understand that."

Her voice dropped in volume.

"I'm sure even you've considered how much easier it'd be to just... end me..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

Henry stopped.

Winced.

Cracked his neck.

Let a breath in...and out.

"And yet...I haven't, Hela," he asserted, looking her earnestly in the eye.

Then he looked to the side and, more to himself, mumbled:

"And I'm not 'everyone'."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Haven't considered it or haven't done it yet, doctor?" asked Hela flatly, her eyes cold and hard like ice.

"Because even if you're 'not everyone', I've still suffered plenty by your hand."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

A sigh.

"Have considered it," he admitted. "Briefly," he clarified. "Ever so briefly."

"Decided against it, Hela," he asserted, adamant, holding her gaze. "So there'll be no 'yet'."

He gathered his thoughts, then addressed her other concern:

"The suffering was for a purpose. Because even if you or Helen don't think you deserve to live, I want you to."

He closed his eyes. Swallowed. Bit back emotion.

Opened them again. They were moist, but that was all.

"I'm weary, Hela," he confessed. "So weary. I've lost...so many."

He looked away, blinking rapidly, until he had hold of himself again.

Then his eyes met hers, and conveyed lifetimes of love and grief and longing.

"I don't want to bury you, too."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

She stared into his eyes, a number of thoughts tumbling around in her head, more feelings than words.

"Deserve has... nothing to do with it," began Hela, drawing back a step, "And I've never had anyone to lose..."

"I... don't plan on being buried by you, either... ever..."

Without warning, the urge to sink her knife hilt deep into Henry's heart surged within her and she shut her eyes for a moment, taking a breath.

"Why do you care about me?" She asked, looking to him again and pressing one arm against her chest, "Being related doesn't count..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"I don't think I can verbalize the reason adequately," said Henry. "It's more a primal thing, really. Known because it's felt. Felt because it is."

He sighed.

"I'm afraid that's rather less than a full answer," he said, at a loss to explain it better. "Yet it is a true one, for all that."

He looked her over a moment, thinking.

"I can properly tell you what the reason isn't, though.

"It isn't a desire for you to think me a good person. Nor for me to think of myself that way." I've no illusions left on that score.

"It isn't with the expectation that you'll show gratitude," though I'd not turn it down if you did.

"It isn't out of pity.

"Nor fear.

"Nor hate.

"Nor shame.

"Nor altruism.

"I've asked myself...is it love? Pride? Narcissism? Empathy? And yet nothin' really fits.

"It just...is. And there's no gainsayin' it."

He glanced at Hela's hand in her pocket, the outline of the knife just discernible.

Do you want to use that because you fear you'll get attached? he pondered silently. To love is to find strength in vulnerability, and vulnerability in strength.

He smiled at her, the expression fond and wistful.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Like instinct, then," Hela observed, the thought easing the tension in her shoulders, "A compulsion and drive to care for another, younger member of your species..."

Her head cocked to the side. "You're almost like a wolf."

"Though much more tame than Edward..." A hand drifted to her throat as she spoke and she lowered her gaze.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"That's the way of things, I suppose," he said, nodding his head as he reflected on her words. "A wolf's an apt analogy, at that."

"Speakin' of Edward..." he said, looking a bit sheepish, "I'm...

"You have my apologies. That it went that way. For what it's worth.

A pause.

"I'll understand if you don't...care to...well."

He dropped his gaze to the pavement, his expression an odd mix of compassion and chagrin.

"What I'm attemptin' to say is," he said, finally looking up, "I'd...understand...if you never wanted to lay eyes on Edward again. After that business."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Her eyes widened briefly, then she laughed, a grin spilling across her lips.

"What the Hell are you talking about? Of course I'm going to see him again!" said Hela, her expression eager.

"One little..."

She faltered, but firmly pressed on,

"...slip-up on my part isn't going to stop me from doing that."

She gave a shrug, seeming a bit sheepish herself. "I shouldn't have been so stupid... and I'm going to do better next time."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Oh," said Henry. He brightened even through his concern.

"I...very well then."

He looked down the street, toward Glasgow's Cross, the setting sun elongating the shadows of buildings, horses, people...

"Let's get that change of clothes, and we can go about the rest of our evening."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Lead the way, doctor, and do hurry," Hela nodded, her grin widening as she followed his gaze, rocking from the balls of her feet to her heels and then back again, "It's almost dark, after all."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

He was very tempted to say, "Race you there," but refrained.

He did, however, quicken his pace, trusting Hela to keep up.

Once back in their room, he turned up the gaslights, then retrieved an outfit from his suitcase. Every article of clothing had been dyed black, as if for mourning.

He changed clothes in the loo, but returned to the main part of their room as the sun was just disappearing.

He set his other outfit aside, and drew closed the drapes.

"You...do wish to witness the shift, you mentioned.

"Fast or slow?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"You can control how fast it is?" asked Hela with a trace of surprise, watching him from her spot on the bed.

A beat.

"Slow." She decided with a nod to herself.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

He nodded.

"Very well."

In a smooth and gradual manner, the features of his face began to subtly shift and alter. The cheekbones started to rise, the nose developed a small bump to its bridge, the brow became slightly heavier, and the eyebrows a bit thicker. His hair lost its gray at the temples, and went from a medium-dark brown to a shade more akin to extremely dark chocolate or a deeply roasted coffee bean. It lost some of its fluffed-silk nature as it picked up more wave. The sideburns lengthened a little, and the hairline itself developed a very small widow's peak. What wrinkles Henry had filled themselves in to the extent that he now looked like a man in his early thirties rather than forties.

At the same time, his overall physique tightened, becoming more toned, though it was still relatively slender, with long muscles rather than bulky. The set of his jaw in relation to his neck looked a bit more masculine as well.

His skin's ruddy undertone lessened, gaining a hint of sallowness.

The crystalline kelly green of his eyes clouded to a hue less emerald, more lichen or moss, even as a dark brown emerged around the pupil, radiating outward and mingling with the green in a striated manner.

For the span of a few seconds, he looked exactly like "Lewis Weir".

"This is the halfway point," he stated in a voice Hela knew all too well.

Then the shift continued, widow's peak becoming better defined, hair darkening to an inky black even as it lengthened to his shoulders and took on more of a curl. His eyebrows darkened and thickened, as did the hair on his hands and chest. His sideburns extended, lending an added sharpness to the outline of his cheek and jaw.

The cheekbones themselves had risen further even as the jaw and brow grew heavier. The bump to the bridge of his nose became more pronounced.

All trace of ruddiness had deserted his skin, now pale and sallow. He looked as if he'd be the type to tan easily but had never seen the sun.

The years fell away until he was a man just in his twenties, wirily muscled and with an unsettling neck-to-jaw ratio.

The brown at the center of his eyes had morphed to black, and extended to banish every last hint of green.

Those eyes now focused on Hela, practically skewering her with their intensity, as a pin would an insect on display.

see more

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"A-Ah... Hello again, Edward..." said Hela rather meekly, drawing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, "You're, uh... even better than in the stories..."

Her eyes wandered his form with a wary sort curiosity, taking in the changes as she fell silent.

Blinking twice, she realized she was staring and quickly lowered her gaze, resting her chin on her knees.

"I... was hoping I could make a better impression this time... though I don't really know how..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

He regarded Hela casually, evaluating her.

"You're not puttin' on airs," he said bluntly. "That's a start."

He stretched, rising to the balls of his feet as he raised his arms up and out to the side.

He was rewarded with several small snaps and pops, along with a resounding crack from his lumbar region.

He lowered his arms as he settled back onto his heels with a sigh of pleasure and relief.

Not a second and a half afterward, he was at the bed, looming over Hela...only to reach past her to retrieve a pair of black gloves.

He pulled them on, seemingly unconcerned with her presence.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela stole a glance back up at him, wincing at the sounds, though she seemed to relax for just a moment, fascinated...

Then suddenly he moved to the bed and she recoiled backwards with an audible squeak.

She barely managed to stop herself from falling back with a trembling arm, her heart lurching in her chest.

A hard swallow. "Do you always do that?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"When it suits my fancy," he replied in a low-pitched voice between a rasp and a purr.

"Now come," he commanded, with swift strides toward the door. "The night's young yet."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Hela obeyed quickly, unfolding her legs and hurrying after him.

She came to an abrupt stop at the doorway, suddenly recalling what Henry had said before.

"Wait, I... I thought..."

Another swallow.

"Henry said I could... have the knife..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

He stopped, hand on the doorknob.

"Ah. That."

He straightened, reached inside his black, unbuttoned waistcoat, and pulled out the weapon he'd taken from the mugger.

A carving knife, it was easily sixteen inches long.

"Here," he said, handing it to Hela.

Thumbnail

https://a.disquscdn.com/get?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theantiquekitchen.co.uk%2Fimages%2Fshop%2F%257B8A3F5C6A-D26C-4C1B-B54D-4DA4FFC216AD%257D_1_main.jpg&key=rjQf-tYCcBpI8txTVRY7AA&w=600&h=262

((The knife:

http://www.theantiquekitche...

http://disq.us/url?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theantiquekitchen.co.uk%2Flate-victorian-butchers-knife---pettys-celebrated-sheffied%23%3ArpbNuLNJarbl5VqvGFdK704nLuY&cuid=4046483

))

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Wow..." Hela gingerly took the knife, rubbing her thumb against the flat side of the blade, "It's wonderful..."

She hesitated and looked back up to him. "Thank you."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"'Tis Glasgow," he said with a smile of anticipatory relish. "You'll need it."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I'm... not sure where I can keep it," She realized after a beat, glancing down at her pockets, "It's a bit big..."

"Do you... want the other knives I found?" offered Hela, starting to take two out by the handle.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"No," he said pointedly, gaze unrelenting.

"Now go fetch your damn waistcoat."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"But I... don't really..." Hela began to protest but trailed off and bit her lip, replacing the smaller knives.

"Alright," She said quietly, gaze on the ground as she went to pick it up from the bathroom floor.

Putting the waistcoat on, she returned to stand before Edward, fiddling with the carving knife.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Cut a slit in the lining," he said, taking hold of her waistcoat and jabbing his finger at a spot on the inside, "...here. Use that for your sheath."

He let her go.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Hela went rigid, her breath catching in her throat.

She couldn't breathe easy until he released his grip, and even then, each exhale trembled.

"The waistcoat isn't mine and I'm not permitted to... to damage the doctor's clothing," She told him in nearly a whisper and shut her eyes.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

She had a point.

"Fine. Carry it or hand it over, then. Let's just go, unless you plan for us to stand here and haver all the night."

A pause, as he recalled the "deal" made earlier.

"By the by, Hela...what is it you want to do?" he asked, raising a brow. A half-smile of amused curiosity played at the left corner of his lips.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"I'll keep it," decided Hela, trying to force some confidence into her voice, "And I... thought I'd visit the woman who saw fit to dress me like a hooker and then send me to a place where I'd be forced to become one."

A flicker of a grin passed over her expression and she looked to him eagerly, "Then I could always burn that very building, since we'll be nearby."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Heh. Now that, Hela...sounds like a right enjoyable start to the evenin'," he said with a grin.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela perked at what seemed to be his approval and her grin widened in return, seeming quite relieved.

"In that case," She said, shrugging off the waistcoat and tossing it onto one of the beds, "I'm ready to go."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

They exited at the rear of the hotel, and took the back streets to avoid notice.

As they made their way through Gallowgate, the streets became less brightly lighted, if at all.

Fortuitously, they encountered neither criminals nor police on their way to the model lodging house.

"You do know," put in Edward, looking at the building, "the likes of Mrs. Craig won't be in that place. Though we might catch the handyman at work."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"We can go to the church next, then," Hela suggested with a shrug, though her grip on the carving knife tightened considerably, "And if she's not there, I'll travel halfway across the city to track her down, if I have to."

Going through her pocket and frowning faintly, she asked, "I don't suppose you have a match...? Or lockpick?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Better," he pronounced. Reaching into a waistcoat pocket, he produced a Zippo lighter which, by the looks of it, had seen a great deal of use.

The heavy cloud cover chose that moment to produce a light drizzle of rain.

He gave a brief glance skyward, then quickly stowed the lighter.

"That may dampen part of our fun tonight," he whispered, as the rain became steadily heavier. "But it opens up other possibilities as well."

The handyman appeared round the corner, and quickened his pace toward the building as the rain picked up.

Edward chuckled softly, the sound almost inaudible against the droning patter of myriad raindrops as they spattered all around.

"Who needs lock-picks when the key's at hand?" he said, voice quiet yet eager.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela flinched as the first drops hit the top of her head, tilting her head up to scowl at the clouds. She was rewarded with a fat raindrop splashing onto her cheek.

"F*ck," She grumbled, scrubbing at her face with her free hand and shivering, "I do hope that wasn't an intentional play on words..."

She looked from the handyman to Edward, brightening for a moment.

"Perhaps we could take him elsewhere, so you'd have more time to have a bit of fun?" She offered, grinning at the thought of seeing Edward in action.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"What can I say, Hela?" he snickered, the left side of his mouth pulling upward in a toothy smirk. "Utterson rubbed off on me. So you'd best get used to wordplay."

He looked at the handyman, who was sticking close to the buildings in an attempt to avoid as much rain as he could.

"Far ahead of you, wolf-let," he said, the term half derogatory and half...affectionate, in an odd way? "Watch an' learn. An' do stay out of the way."

He strode toward the handyman, but altered his gait to look like a drunk.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela cringed at the promise of more puns, but remained silent.

I'll cross that bridge when we get to it, She decided and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth.

She gave only a nod in response to Edward's instructions, watching intently as he approached the man.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

Edward tottered along in the rain, occasionally leaning against the wall of the lodging house, seemingly to keep his balance.

"Ah, pardonnez moi, monsieur," he said in a much lighter, clearer voice, sounding for all the world like a tipsy Frenchman as he addressed the handyman.

"I am...'ow you say? Lohst."

Edward was nearly upon him now.

"Can you 'elp me find my way? I can pay you for--"

He teetered, then appeared to lose his balance, falling backward against the door to the lodging house with an exclamation of:

"Zut alors!"

He looked at himself from his soggy position on the ground.

"Merde."

At this, the handyman broke down and laughed, genuinely amused.

"'Have too much whisky?" he asked Edward.

"Peut-être... Eh. Per'aps," Hyde replied, putting a hand to his temple as if he were woozy.

The handyman regarded him a moment...then extended a hand to help him up.

"Merci beaucoup, monsieur," said Edward, wobbling to a stand before nearly falling again.

The handyman allowed him to lean against him for stability.

"Said you were lost, did you?"

"Oui. Yes. I am come from some street, it is--'ow you say? It 'as a word in it..." He seemed to wrack his brain. "'Gate'. Some gate street. I do not know."

Hyde gestured vaguely back the way he'd come, where Hela waited unseen in the shadows.

"Over 'ere way."

"How much?" asked the handyman.

"Eh...whatever is fair," he said with a seemingly drunken smile. "I 'ave money, but no map."

"Right, then."

The two of them trundled into the darkness.

When they'd passed around the corner of the lodging house and slipped into its shadow, Edward made his move.

Making as if he'd slipped, he suddenly thrust himself backward against the handyman, landing on him hard as they toppled back and hit the ground.

The jarring impact temporarily stunned the man.

Hyde was quick to take advantage. He used his left elbow to strike the hollow under the handyman's jaw, causing the latter's head to hit the pavement a second time. He was knocked out cold.

Smirking to himself, Edward rifled through the fellow's pockets. He took what cash he found, but handed the keys, along with a small knife, to Hela.

The rain continued unabated.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Since when could you speak French?" asked Hela with a mix of surprise and awe, examining the weapon briefly before adding it to the ever growing collection in her pocket.

The keys she kept out, her hands just barely beginning to show signs of trembling.

"And... how did you manage..." She paused, gesturting to where he and the handyman had stood before, "...all of that?"

A grin threatened to spill across her lips. "Because it was perfect."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Heh." A wide smile split his face. "I do love what I do..."

He went over to the handyman and lifted him up, putting an arm around him as if merely steadying a drunken friend.

"Now, Hela...what would you do, from this juncture?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Getting out of the rain would be nice," admitted Hela rather timidly with a shiver, tucking her hands under her armpits, "Besides, you must be freezing after your tumble onto the wet ground."

Wary yet hopeful, she continued, asking, "I don't suppose you know someplace private for our new friend here that's indoors?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

Edward chuckled, a deep, unnerving sound.

"'Matter of fact, I do," he said with a feline smile. "They rent rooms by the night or the hour."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela froze, the color managing to drain further from her cheeks, despite already being pale from the cold.

"Why the Hell would you want to go there to commit murder?" She stammered, taking a step back, "I'd rather stay in the rain, thank you very much."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Who said I'd go there for that?" shrugged Edward. "You're the one who can't stand the rain."

He raised his face to the yawning skies, glad for the intensity of the storm.

"Don't you know?" he said, returning his gaze to Hela. "A night like this is a perfect one for killin' out-of-doors. Rain washes the blood clean away."

He glanced at the unconscious handyman.

"'Thought I'd take this blighter to our spot from earlier."

He looked pointedly at Hela.

"You know. The one with the rusty door."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela looked positively revolted at his first statement, retreating another step.

"I... I remember," She said, shifting and fidgeting beneath his gaze, "Going there is fine and the rain is... certainly helpful.

She bit her lip. "It's... just a bit chilly, is all. And I don't have a jacket."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Then you should get one, or get used to bein' soggy," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Besides, 'tis not that cold. For Glasgow."

He began walking the back way to Lanark Street, supporting the dead weight of their "drunken friend" as he did.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Hela followed at his heels as close as she could manage without stepping on them, casting a quick glance behind them.

It wasn't until they had nearly reached the storage yard that she spoke up:

"I know, uh... you said earlier that I'd 'best get used to the wordplay'... but... I don't think... it's actually possible for me to," She told him hesitantly, nearly too quiet to hear over the storm.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"How come?" he asked as they entered the disused yard.

He took an immediate left, going all the way down to the far wall so no passerby would see them.

He dropped the handyman to the ground like so much trash.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"It's really the doctor's problem, not mine," She explained, leaning against the wall as she watched him, "For some reason, it just... bleeds through. And I can't do anything about it."

A glance to the carving knife she still gripped numbly.

"Unless you count slitting the throats of those who try to make puns around me."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

He pulled something from his pocket.

"What I meant was: Why's it a problem at all? For either of you? They're just puns."

He placed his left foot on the man's chest and leaned over him.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Oh."

She tilted her head to better see, wrinkling her nose, "The doctor had bad experiences with them when she was younger, I guess."

Hela gave a half shrug, though her voice held a touch of anxiety, "I don't like to think too hard on it, as I'm not a big fan of fainting."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Thought she wasn't active when you're out." His tone was neutral, as if he were calmly assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

He glanced back at Hela.

"Give a blade here," he instructed, reaching a hand toward her.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"She's not, not usually."

Hela obeyed, passing over the largest of the knives with some difficulty, grimacing as she flexed and massaged her cold fingers.

"I used to wake her sometimes, but it was often more trouble than it was worth. Now I can't seem to do it at all."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

Edward smiled as he took the carving knife.

This'll do nicely...

"Then why do you faint?" he asked simply, readying something in his other hand.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"I don't know... I just do," Hela sighed softly and rubbed her hands together, "The feelings don't come from me but it still makes me sick, though I'm not as quick to fall."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

Edward chortled, then looked over his shoulder at her.

"Hela...I have news for you: If you think they're not your feelings, but they still affect you...they're your feelings after all."

His words had the ring of (perhaps bitter) experience.

He tossed her a smile, at once amused and full of fellow-feeling, then turned back to his quarry.

Leaning over, Edward brought smelling salts to the handyman's nose.

Within seconds, the man snapped awake with a startled gasp, flailing and disoriented.

Luckily, Edward still leaned his weight on the foot atop his prey's chest.

All in rapid succession, Hyde pocketed the smelling salts, increased the pressure, and touched the blade to the man's throat.

"Hush, now," he said, his voice like the sound of gravel, any pretense of his previous, French accent utterly gone.

He fixed the man with his gaze.

The fellow stilled, eyes wide.

Edward smiled.

"I'll ask you one question. Answer it truthfully, and you get to live. Answer falsely..." He pushed the knife ever so slightly, just enough to break the skin. A thin trickle of blood ran down the side of the handyman's neck and into the puddle of water below.

"Don't answer falsely."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

A touch puzzled, Hela considered his words in quiet reflection, a smile touching her lips in response to his.

At the sound of the handyman waking, she stepped away from the wall and stood a little ways to Edward's right, silently observing with hands clasped behind her back.

She couldn't help but grin at the sight of blood, more than a little impressed by how Edward was handling it all.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Now...in this wee little slave ring of yours... Whom. Does Mrs. Craig. Work for?"

The handyman's eyes went even wider. He wanted to swallow, but the knife at his throat precluded it.

Edward sensed his hesitance.

"Think. Carefully." He let the words drop like boulders from a height.

The handyman experienced a sudden thought, a vision of what would happen if he lied: His throat slit, his manhood lopped off, his corpse left for the dogs.

His breathing shaky, he managed:

"R-r...Reverend Craig."

Edward sighed, relaxing.

"Good man."

He lessened the pressure of the blade just a bit.

The other man relaxed a little, too.

Fast as lightning, the knife-edge whipped across his throat in a wide arc, hitting both the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

Edward stepped back, allowing the man to flail and struggle and clutch at his neck...all to no avail.

After not quite rising to his feet, handyman Joe fell to the ground in a heap.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Wow," breathed Hela, grinning from ear to ear, "You really had him going for a second there..."

Her eyes glowed with excitement, edged with a darker hunger as she bent down to examine the man, careful not to touch the blood pooling and washing away with the rain, "One down, two to go..."

"Right, Edward?" She looked to him and her grin softened, eagerly searching for approval.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"I said I'd let him live."

Edward smirked.

"Never said how long."

He pulled out a black piece of cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around Joe's neck like a cravat, hiding the gash.

"Need to get rid of this one, first," he stated, hoisting the body up.

"Come. We'll take him for a swim."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

Hela noted the covering with quiet fascination, standing up again.

"Do you always do it like this?" She asked as they walked, then clarified, "Killing, I mean, with the rain and the acting and all..."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Not always," he stated as they made their way in the downpour toward the river.

"I adapt the method to the opportunity. I change it as I need to."

A pause.

"You?"

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

She considered it for a moment, staying at his side.

"I usually just wait for an opening... Wait for someone to be alone or back themselves into a corner or trust me..." answered Hela, sounding thoughtful, "I don't really think about it, just do it."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

Edward grunted in acknowledgement.

In the distance was a bridge.

He continued to pretend he was just helping along a drunk friend as he and Hela approached with the body.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

Hela rubbed her arms and fell silent at the brief response, chewing on her lip.

Rain, rain, go away... or I'll make you f*cking pay... She thought with a shiver, humming under her breath, If you don't stop soaking my hair... then I'll give you quite the scare...

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

They neared the bridge and went to the side of it, down stone steps already half-covered by the rising waters.

"I'll need this blighter's little knife," he told Hela, handing her the large one in exchange.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Oh, what for?" asked Hela curiously as she dug it out, passing it over whilst tucking the carving knife in her belt loop.

She kept an eye on the rising water, remaining a step higher than Edward.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago • edited

"Red herring."

Edward carved a particular sigil into handyman Joe's forehead.

"If anyone finds this bugger, they'll think the Gorbals Boys offed him."

He wiped the weapon of Hela's prints, then tucked it into the man's waistband.

He removed and pocketed the black cloth, then took a firm hold of Joe's corpse and heaved it into the river with all his strength.

It landed about midway across, the current carrying it swiftly downstream.

"Come," he said, heading back up the steps.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

After lingering a moment to watch how swiftly the river carried the body away, she turned and followed at Edward's heels like an eager puppy.

"Who are the Gorbals boys? Do they always cut people's foreheads like that?" The questions held no judgement, only muted intrigue.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"They're a gang based just across the river. Gorbals neighborhood--the arse end o' Glasgow," he explained as they walked further away.

"Whether they carve 'em or no is up to how they feel, an' what the dead sod did to wrong 'em. Some lawman finds a corpse like that, he won't think twice about who did it."

He smiled.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"You've really got this whole thing figured out," Hela observed with a grin, sounding quite impressed, "Have you ever been caught before?"

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Ay," he said with a rueful chuckle. "Once."

He looked at Hela, about to say something more...when his stomach growled.

"Sh*t. We never got dinner."

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago • edited

"Oh," said Hela, blinking once before giving a soft laugh, "You're right, we didn't."

She glanced to her right, as if expecting a restraunt to simply appear out of the gloom.

"I guess we should remedy that, huh?" She looked back to him, her grin fading.

Looks like the story'll have to wait. Again.

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Kill and eat or eat an' kill?" he asked, needing to do...something. And soon.

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Helen Jekyll  Jekyll1886 • 2 years ago

"Eat and kill, so you're not withering away and I can take my time later," She decided, shoving her hands in her pockets and peering up at the sky, "And a break from the rain would be heavenly at this point."

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Jekyll1886  Helen Jekyll • 2 years ago

"Trust me, lass...I'll not wither away. Just get a wee bit less choosy about the target," he remarked. "An empty stomach makes for a short temper."

They were back on Saltmarket now. He turned off suddenly onto Bridgegate, and led them into a run-down pub with seedy clientele.

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Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(Have fun at university! And please take pictures for us unfortunate souls who don't live in America!)

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RBDECEPTICON17  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(Wait you don't live in America, Hastie?! 0_0)

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Hastie Lanyon  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago

(Heh, fullblood European! Why else do you think I'm online at such odd hours of the day?)

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(Everything makes sense now.)

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Hastie Lanyon  Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5297565320e3c86677d378b620500c688ea0e6fe78e0e59f2b13a089ef6a0558.jpg?w=600&h=149

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Miss-Dreamerkat  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

Basically

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RBDECEPTICON17  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(Because you have a job??? XD)

(I'm from England myself, so yeah. X3)

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Hastie Lanyon  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago

(Unfortunately I don't, so I'll have one hell of a time trying to pay student loan debt later (':

I live in Norway, might move to Scotland next year though!)

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RBDECEPTICON17  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(That's pretty cool, Hastie. X3)

(The moving to Scotland bit...not the student loan bit. XD)

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Hastie Lanyon  RBDECEPTICON17 • 2 years ago • edited

(We could meet up a for tea and biscuits :p )

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RBDECEPTICON17  Hastie Lanyon • 2 years ago

(I would be down for that. XP)

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Miss-Dreamerkat • 2 years ago

I am returning as well and going to see the Eclipse.

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Mz.Hyde Mod • 2 years ago

Ok, so I tried taking pictures of the eclipse and all my phone could pick up was the rays of the sun. However! A friend of mine did get a great pic of it and I will share it as soon as I get it!

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Nyx Silverfang • 2 years ago • edited

(Continuation of the rp with Alicia Ghast and Decipherer)

"I don't know," said Nyx, "But this might be some sort of demon or angry spirit who's just seen you around before... or they could be lying."

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Wizardblizzard  Nyx Silverfang • 2 years ago • edited

((what where was this? I didn't see it. And it looks like something I'd enjoy reading.))

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Elaina Hyde  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

((The previous rp page ^^))

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Wizardblizzard  Elaina Hyde • 2 years ago

(righto, must have overloked it somehow! thanks. have fun!)

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chatterghosts  Nyx Silverfang • 2 years ago

Frantic whooshing in succession.

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Alicia Ghast  chatterghosts • 2 years ago

Alicia thought, scrunching her nose. "Or... a ghost!" She smiled. "A ghost of someone I knew!"

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Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

((I wish there were books about roleplaying same as there are about other kinds of games. There are books about chess, heck there are even books about Minecraft! There aren't, are there?

Yes, of course it should be obvious, but whenever I try I seem to hit roadblocks of one kind or another. If I start out with an idea in mind I find I can't make it happen, and if I don't nothing happens at all. I know I'm making too much fuss over it... but I don't know how to fix that, either :-D ))

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Jasper Jekyll  Wizardblizzard • 2 years ago

( sounds like you have art block! I feel your pain )

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