Returns

Hyde without  a Jekyll: • *After a long day all Alice wanted to do is sleep. The silence. The numbing blackness. The peace. She trudged into her room, lit the lamp on the nightstand, and closed the door. After debating a few moments she decided to forgo the proper nighttime ritual of changing and instead threw herself, fully dressed, onto the bed in the corner. The bed responded with a groan. Contented that it wasn't going to collapse she reached over to douse the light, when the orange glow illuminated a peculiar piece of fabric on the stand. She stopped and looked at the soft white square trying to remember it's story.* Oh...*She muttered under her breath as she remember that it was a token from that odd man. Dangerous man? Dr. Weir hadn't attacked her but she didn't like the fact that he knew, he knew too much. She sighed and picked up the handkerchief. Alice had been putting this of for far too long. Every night she would see the handkerchief dance in the light of the flame, as if possessed by a ghostly specter from the past who whispered of the future. Every night she would stare at it daring it to back down and disappear to whatever tormented corner of the world it came from. Every night the cloth would stand at attention waiting for Alice to take action. She never did. Alice could never bring herself to return the item to it's rightful owner, but, stranger still, she could not bring herself to get rid of it either. She pressed fabric to her face. It still smelled of amber. It still smelled of Lewis. What if she let another day, week, month pass by? Would Lewis come looking for it? Would he tell them, her friends, her family of her sins? Or would this eerie silence continue? This waiting game? Someone was going to take action soon, needed to take action soon. Why wouldn't Alice make the first move? Procrastination stood near with open arms but she had accepted it's embrace for far too long, it was time. She stood, doused the light, and walked out of her room.* Jekyll1886: From the look of the buildings that graced it, this was a middle-class neighborhood; they were well kept but not opulent. Thankfully, their numbers were clearly marked. Locating Weir's brought her to a door that had seen better days but which nonetheless bore a new knocker and a fresh coat of red paint. Inside, Lewis was preparing to take off his shoes. In truth, he'd arrived home only a few minutes before. Then he heard a knock. He looked at the door, then down at his shirt, stained with blood as it was. He'd washed his hands, but there'd been no time to change. He went to the door and looked through the special glass lens. To his surprise, he beheld Alice. He opened the door wide enough to poke his head around the side of it. "Evening, Alice," he greeted, glad she'd come 'round at last. He was tired, but he'd make up the lost sleep later; this was important.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice was...happy?...the business card Weir left her led to the doctor's apartment. Or maybe she would have been more relieved if it hadn't? It didn't matter now and she needed to get this over with. Thrusting out handkerchief, she looked at the ground and muttered.* Here. Jekyll1886:  "I'm sorry to request this of you, Alice, but please do come in and lay it down. Your presence is welcome; your timing, unfortunate--I'm afraid I'm not fit to be seen by any passersby." As if on cue, the sound of footsteps echoed down the lonely lane as a man in a top hat turned the corner from Regent Street. He was headed their direction. "Please make haste," Weir said, his pitch rising with worried urgency. '''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'  *Well this isn't suspicious at all.'' Alice thought sarcastically. She rather not be alone with Weir again...after what happened last time and the foot steps were some what reassuring.* If you just take what's yours I'll be on my way and you can return to...what ever you're doing. *She gestures towards the door, or more specifically whatever is behind it.*

Jekyll1886:  "Lass," he said through gritted teeth, in as civil a tone as he could muster under the circumstances, "I've been followed. By Them. Now get in here unless you want them to find the both of us."

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *She looked at Weir, then back down the dark alley, and then back at Weir trying to tell if his emotion, his fear, was genuine. It seemed to be.* Fine. But you owe me an explanation.

Jekyll1886:  "Fair enough," he conceded, and opened the door wider, making sure to keep behind it as he did.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice sighed and stepped into the Lewis's abode.*

Jekyll1886:  Upon entering, Alice could see that Weir's place was long and narrow, with stairs that ascended at least a floor or two up. It appeared to have been built originally as a glorified but utilitarian passageway, perhaps servants' stairs for a posh home, not as living quarters. Yet lived in it was. Lewis shut the door behind her, locked it with a key, and threw a bolt across. He wore no waistcoat, and his shirt bore bloodstains at the sleeves and chest. He drew the shades and dimmed the gaslights. "Come here," he beckoned, heading up the stairs into the darkness, "or, if you must stay down there, at least remain quiet."

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice quietly got down on the floor and shifted her position in an attempt to see through the slight slit of the curtains. This was all very odd, the hiding, the blood, the secrecy, defiantly not how she thought this night would go; but after living at the Society this was not the strangest thing in the world. The blood covering Lewis's shirt unnerved her a bit. Who's was it? Why was it there? But it also calmed her a bit to know that the good Dr. Weir had a few secrets of his own.*

Jekyll1886:  Through the small gap, Alice had a limited but decent view of the street. Sure enough, after a few moments' time, the passerby came into view. He could have been simply a gent out for a stroll. He walked with an air of nonchalance, but a close observer might've noticed that his gaze flitted about his surroundings, as if searching for something. He was of medium height, medium build, middle-aged...perfectly ordinary, but also very respectable, judging by his dress. His top hat even bore an oblong decoration at the band. It glinted silver in the moonlight.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Her breath caught. Her mind slowly degraded from fear and panic into one thought. "It can't be." The small room seemed to be growing smaller every second and she tried to wrap the shadows around herself to hide from that shining oblong object. "It can't be." Even out of sight the silver light still penetrated the walls in her mind. It's blinding illumination seem to sweep away her precious darkness, leaving her prone. "It can't be." The silver color seem to whisper to her as some demonic force may murmer to it's next victim. Alice pressed her palms to her ears and closed her eyes trying to shut it out. It did not phase the assaulting thoughts. "It can't be." Tears began to drip down her face and onto her pants. Her legs pushed into her chest, her elbows pressed into her knees, her hands crushed her ears, her body was tense with fear. Alice wanted to disappear. She wanted some breeze to pick her up and carry her far, far away from this place. It was toxic. The thoughts were getting louder. The setting sun. The memories became vivid. Fire. The emotion were consuming. Pain. They pressed against their confinement. Destruction. She couldn't keep it in. Creation. She couldn't keep it together. They broke through, dribbling out of her in a quiet whisper. Silver feathers.* It can't be them.

Jekyll1886:  Long moments passed by, indifferent to the thoughts and emotions churning within Alice. By the time she broke the silence, Lewis had come back down the stairs to stand beside her. He took a peek through the slit of the curtains and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Coast is clear," he declared. "He's gone."

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Lewis's voice startled her and she jumped forgetting that this was his house. She looked up at Lewis eyes red, knuckles white, and body shaking, her voice was a harsh whisper through clenched teeth.* I-It can't be... *So many thoughts, feelings, and questions behind those three little words, it was surprising that they could contain it all.*

Jekyll1886:  "It can, and it is, regrettably," he said, his tone weary. He sat down in a chair nearby and leaned back, his head against the wall. "Though, thankfully, we've managed a reprieve." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled. An auditory swallow marked his nervous tension gradually giving way to relief.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'  *Alice didn't move.* They...They weren't looking for me''. No. They were looking for you. *A new set of panic awoke within her frame and her voice began to rise with her mounting stress and fear.* Why were they looking for YOU?!

Jekyll1886:  "Because one of them showed up at my workplace and I made the mistake of attracting his attention," he said, his voice ragged around the edges from tiredness and stress. It was obvious from his tone he was less than pleased with himself.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice stared off into a darken corner of the room, processing this new information. The anger drained out of her leaving her feeling small, terrified, and helpless.* You're a fool.

Jekyll1886:  "Maybe I am," he said, chagrined. He sighed and sat forward. "On reflection, I suppose it couldn't be helped. But fate certainly does have a sordid sense of humor."

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice chuckled for she couldn't bring herself to scream.* Y-You're a fool to think that this will end. You don't know what you've brought upon yourself...upon those around you...upon the Society. You should have just stayed away. * She sighed and muttered into the dark corner which she hadn't broken eye contact with.* It's been years... W-Why are they back? Jekyll1886:  "You speak as if you know them," Lewis observed, tilting his head to look at her. "More than that, as if you've run afoul of them. What happened, Alice? Who are they? What did they--will they--do?"

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Her eyes snapped to Lewis, the blue one burning of hatred while the other remains forever dead.* They will never stop coming after you until they've destroyed everything you know and care about. It is only when everything is turned to ashes and dust and you are left dying in the destruction of what once was your life will they leave you be. You could say I know of them...but that is enough to know that they are the kind of people that you never want to meet. It would have been better for you not to have known of them and for them never to have known of you. *She glances down at her hands as they curled into fists.*...But they do know of you, and they do want you. The best thing, the most noble thing, for you to do now is leave and never return to the Society again! You do not know of the danger you have brought to that sacred place by your mere presence alone!

Jekyll1886:  Weir was speechless. He'd heard from Utterpun that these men were bad news, but had never dreamed they'd be anything this awful! It occurred to him that it was rather fortunate he didn't have many attachments in this realm. Those that did exist were at the Society. Wait, did she think they'd seen him there? He felt he ought to clear that up. "Alice, that man caught me at my place of employment, not the Society; my work for Lanyon is pro bono," he explained. "Besides, I don't even know if it's anything. I was just being cautious, as I've heard these 'Silver Cap Chaps' are to be avoided."

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'  It doesn't matter where'' they found you, *She spat, disgusted by his naivety.* all that matters is that they found you. By the time they've finished they will know everything about you and thus they will own you. "Silver Cap Chaps"--Silver Feather Men--what ever the hell you want to call them, I don't know why they want you and I don't really care, at this point you're a dead man and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't drag the rest of us tormented souls down too! * It was hard to tell with the shadows of the night blurring the colors with emotions in the room but Alice looked different, as though her hair was darker, wilder.*

Jekyll1886:  Weir heard her, but didn't say anything. Instead, he reached over and adjusted the knob to brighten the gaslights a little, keenly observing her.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *The girl still looked like Alice...kind of. She was curled up with her knees against her chest and her baggy suit pooling around her as normal. But her hair, it was darker almost a brown rather than the dirty blond Lewis was used to seeing her with. The shorter strands around her face seemed to have multiplied and fanned out from her scalp, twisting and curling into a wild mess. The edges of her face seemed to be more angular but the difference was slight and could be easily overlooked. As always her orange eye remained dead but the blue one was sharp and alive with fear. Alice continued ranting unaware of Lewis's true intentions.* Just leave us alone! Never return to the Society! If you would just--just disappear, then maybe we will be alright! Maybe they won't come... maybe no one else will die... *Her voice trailed off with faint wisps of sorrow lingering in the air.*

Jekyll1886:  Now that's intriguing... he thought. Having at some point removed his shoes, he made his way quietly to a small dresser and retrieved a hand mirror. "You're an interesting case, you know that?" he said. His voice came from very close by. He had positioned the mirror so that, should she turn to face him, the only visage she'd behold would be her own.

'''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  *Alice watched with some confusion as Lewis brought out a mirror.* Don't you understand the danger you've put us all in!? You're playing with mirrors while people are playing with our lives! *As he turned the mirror towards her, Alice quickly looked away refusing to see the person in the reflection.* Now get that thing out of my face before I smash it into yours! Jekyll1886:  "Smash it and you owe me a new one," Weir told her bluntly. "Now stop acting petulant and just bloody look at it for two seconds." '''Hyde without  a Jekyll:'''  No! If you are going to continue to not take this conversation seriously then you are even more of an idiot than I previously thought! *She stood up and looked at the door, refusing to make eye contact with the wretched face in the mirror, Allison's face, the face she had stolen.* Jekyll1886:  He crossed his arms (an action which conveniently pointed the mirror floorward) and stood there in his bloodstained clothes, his jaw set, neck arched down at her as if she were a mere speck, a mote of offending dust. "Lassie," he said, his lips drawing to his teeth, "do I look like a man who takes matters lightly?"

Obtained From
[https://disqus.com/home/discussion/channel-theroleplayingscientists/role_playing_page_for_pg_71/ Role-playing page for pg. 71!]