Gothic Horror RP - (Currently not accepting)

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Jekyll coughed quietly, embarrassed despite himself. "It... comes down to the fact that the scientific community are... less than keen to hear certain theories. Their minds are closed to many things; theories on human nature, on more... experimental methods. In my own experience, I have found many perfectly reasonable theories of my own have been shunned for no reason other than their unconventional nature."

He found himself raising his voice now, recalling the anger from being made the farce of his field. "I know that I am perfectly right, and have heard stories of others, their ideas rejected like my own projects. As Mister Todd says, this is a place where we may not be mocked, to share ideas that may some day change the way we view the world and actually make progress in our research."

He took a deep breath, looking down at his food. "And one or two of you are here for... for service reasons. You, Mister Todd - I hear you are quite an acomplished barber, and figured that it might be good to have you around. You may charge whatever you wish, of course, or refuse if you want. I... I have just been feeling out of sorts, lately, and could not find the strength to compose a dozen different letters..." There was no hint of suspicion in Jekyll's voice. He had truly felt so ill, and something had told him that this Todd fellow was worth any penny or pound that he needed to give up, albeit a dark feeling from the back of his soul. Gut instinct had not failed him before, in so many words. It was usually -- usually -- best to follow it.

[Iron Vadim]

"Oh..." Victor glanced down "Yes, I can understand that." He could understand that all too well. He hadn't made his findings or research public at all, after all, he doubted the other scientists, or anyone else, would appreciate his desecrating acts of graverobbery. He hadn't really seen much evil in it at the time, as he wasn't a religious man either. If anything, he had tried to play god.

But while he wasn't very eager to talk about his own work, as he feared that even here he would get scorned or rejected, he did feel his curiosity peaked at Jekyll's comments about his own work. "Even though it's a bit early, I suppose, into the convention, may I ask what your research is about?" The young man brought up the courage to ask. He was a bit surprised to hear though that Mr. Todd was not a fellow scientist, but a barber. At least that would help for the lack of mirrors in the place though. He wouldn't dare to shave himself without one.

~

Though he was surprised by the strange letter, he had reacted to it because of his urgent need to leave London, and preferably even the country. This had seemed a perfect opportunity, and thus so far, Sweeney hadn't questioned his luck, for fear that if he'd stop to think about it, that little bit of luck would run out. After all the bad luck he's had in his life, he couldn't afford that.

He raised an eyebrow a little puzzled at Jekyll's comment addressed at him. Service? Of course, he was a barber after all, even if he had turned his job into a rather blood one lately. But it didn't look like the man suspected anything beyond that. He really was just hired to be a barber, it seemed, and no one knew about his murdering tendencies. Well, all the better.

A strange, creepy smile came about the pale man's face, one that was a little akin to the last grin a sailor would see after he fell into shark-infested waters. "Of course, sir. I can guarantee it will be the closest shave you will ever have."

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Jekyll nodded to Sweeney, and brushed the back of his hand with his other palm thoughtfully. "Just... just as well, Mister Todd."

As for young Victor, Jekyll found himself pleased that the boy was expressing an interest in anything at all. He'd seemed very nervous, even when Jekyll had just gone to greet him, and it was a good sign indeed that a mind was still working after whatever horrors the lad had clearly been through.

"My experiments, Doctor... I really cannot explain without demonstration, I am afraid, and you will see for yourself soon enough. However, I hope it will quell your curiosity - or perhaps arouse it further - to know that it involves a very potent formula that I call HJ7, my companion, a Mister Edward Hyde, and the possible solution to all human conflict. War, anger, murder, crime -- if I succeed in controlling the symptoms, these would be eliminated from all mankind."

Jekyll poked at the meat on his plate uncomfortably, unsure if he dare eat it. Still, no harm in trying, he supposed, and placed a fork-full into his mouth experimentally. It... tasted odd, but that was probably just the raw nature of the meat. Jekyll's mind recoiled in disgust as he felt the blood ooze out into his mouth; but more because that awful little part of him enjoyed it.

"On the subject of Mister Hyde," he said when he'd finished the mouthful, dabbing at his lips with a napkin, "He may seem a little intimidating when, and indeed if, you meet him, but there's really... really nothing to be afraid of. He... he means no trouble, I assure you, he just... indulges himself a little too much, and is prone to certain tempers... nothing to be afraid of, not at all." Jekyll hoped they had not noticed how the colour drained from his face as he tried to get the words out, more to protect the symptoms of his precious experiment from them than the other way round.

[Body Theatre]

Having arrived early at the castle, or late, depending upon what part of the day you lived in, A M I E was had already familiarized herself with the castle. Vaguely, anyhow. Her clothing had also been unpacked and put away, and her notes on human behavior were placed in a safe place where no one could take them from her.
A rather loud bell rang throughout the castle. She bit her lip and raised her gaze to the ceiling, as if she were looking for the bell that had made the sound, then checked her pocket watch for the time. It appeared to be somewhere within the realm of dinner time.
A M I E sighed as she headed towards the dinner hall. She would go, since it was a respectful thing to do, but eat she would not. Sometimes, it was rather annoying to be a vampire. You were completely lacking any and all bodily fluids, save for blood. She could not consume anything other than blood without serious and sever injury, and she also had no appetite for it, luckily. Hopefully the other guests and hosts wouldn't mind too too much.
As she entered the dinner hall, A M I E surveyed the room, letting her gaze wander from the three men to the curtains that kept out the sunlight on the windows, to the nicely laid table, then back to the men at the table. She walked gracefully as she could towards them, and sat down, next to Sweeny Todd.
"Good evening gentlemen," she smiled at them with brilliant white fanged teeth, through lips painted with bright cherry red lipstick, and placed her hands in her lap, then adjusted her posture so her chest appeared to flaunt itself a bit more," I hope I'm not too too late, or interrupting any conversation. I was taking a self-guided tour of the castle, you see."
No, she didn't need to explain herself with a body like hers in the company of men, but she did anyways. She didn't overdo it and giggle like one of those irritating little school-children afterwards. That would be just idiotic. And the men would think her an unintelligent dtiz, which she was not, and would not be thought to be.
"So, gentlemen, have I missed anything interesting?"her voice was clear in the large hall, and had a hint of a French accent to it, but it was more British than anything. How a Frenchwoman got a English accent, she did not know.
But never worry, she had to keep a smile on her face. It was trusting, and no one would suspect anything of her, not that there was much to suspect, other than vampirism.

[Iron Vadim]

Victor seemed to be looking in awe at the other doctor, thinking the man's goal was far more noble than what he had tried to achieve. Well, he had been... obsessed with finding the key to life, while Dr. Jekyll had been trying to find a way to better humanity itself. He admired this, even if he felt a little more anxious at the odd explanation about this Mr. Hyde. He wondered what he had to do in all this.

Sweeney on the other hand was far less impressed, instead he gave a short laugh at the strange notion. As he looked to the elder doctor, a hint of amusement shone in his eyes, but there was something far darker lying underneath. "Excuse me if I sound insolent, doctor, I'm no man of science, of course, but verily, you don't think you can 'cure' humanity from evil? I'm sorry, but that sounds so... naive. Good and evil aren't so simple to be cured like a common cold... sometimes it's pretty hard to discern the difference."

He glanced down to the steak upon his plate, where the blood had pooled around the meat. The only time a man was truly good, was when he was good and dead, he thought. "Really, isn't what happens to a man in his life, what deeds he does and doesn't, what determine if a man is good or evil? But if you think you could cure all evil emotions," His eyes looked back to the other man "What about... lust?" There was no amusement in his eyes anymore, it was everything but a joke. After all, another man's lust after his beloved wife had ruined his life. If anything, instead of amusement, the idea only brought out rage in him.

But he was brought out of these darker thoughts when a female voice rang through the large dining hall. He turned a bit in his seat to look to the youthful-looking woman that just entered the room. He didn't feel or look embarrassed, though he did wonder how much of the conversation she had caught, as he hadn't heard her enter until she spoke up. "Good evening, milady." He greeted in return. "We were just discussing Dr. Jekyll's research." The barber replied to her question. He glanced back to the elder doctor "I do wonder though, if you would somehow remove all evil emotion from a man, where does it all go?" He asked with a small smile.

While Sweeney Todd seemed to remain more or less impassive, even though she seated right next to him, but he was perhaps a little friendlier to a female than a man. Victor however, nearly jumped when he heard the female voice, but could just contain himself. He couldn't help but gain a soft blush however when he looked to her. The young man was almost completely inexperienced in the realm of love, devoting himself to science throughout most of late puberty, when most men would find knowledge of pleasant women instead. He had only known chaste love towards his fiancée, the beautiful Elizabeth, whom he had known most of his life, and suddenly noticed friendship had turned into love.

The younger doctor gave a small cough to refind his voice "G-good evening, milady." He greeted. He hadn't expected any women present in this place, to be honest. At the time, science was pretty much a man's world. So this was a bit of a surprise to him, although now that he thought about it, it was probable that some of the scientists brought their wives along, however, if she was married, she probably would have been accompanied by her husband, he thought. "I am Dr. Frankenstein, er, Victor." He had more of a French accent in his speech, since he grew up in Geneva. He wondered if she was from France as well.

[Body Theatre]

Removal of lust now?, her lips curled up at the thought of it, turning her head towards Sweeny Todd, "Sir, if you were to remove lust from a man's life, his genitalia would surely fall off." she spoke to the entire party now, " No, but seriously. Through medicine, it may be possible to control a man's lust, but there would be severe
side effects if one were to do so. Mental instability, so to say. However, if you were to mold a man's mind from birth, he could almost lack a Sex Drive, and most definitely be able to control many of his urges, seeing as we as humans are, as we call it, 'evolved'", she used finger quotations as she spoke the word 'evolved', as she did not believe it in the least. The human race probably had the least amount of self-control of any humanoid species she had encountered. Less than some animal species as well.
"And it's very nice to meet you, Victor, and other sirs. I am Amie. It's a great pleasure to meet you."she turned to Dr. Jekyll, "I hate to be a bother, but I can't actually have any of these wonderful looking foods you have. Do you happen to have any blood on stock? If it's not too much to ask."

[Iron Vadim]

"Milady..." Sweeney's voice was almost a growl "There is a difference between having love for one's wife and lusting after something that isn't yours." The anger shone in his eyes at the mere thought of the judge that took his wife, but he composed himself again quickly. He only looked a little annoyed that he almost said too much. Then again, it could be interpreted as something vague, a general example.

He gave a soft sigh and returned his attention to his food, eating a bit more but not out of appetite. Then he halted at the odd request, his eyes glancing to the woman sitting next to him.
It was Victor that spoke up though "... Blood? You, erm... want to have blood instead of food?..." He almost squeaked and seemed to blanch a little more.

Sweeney chuckled, seeming amused "Milady, if you take the meat and press on it..." He proceeded to demonstrate by pressing the flat side of his knife upon the steak, causing quite a bit of blood to run out of the rare-cooked meat. "You can have all the blood you like." He said, looking to her. "And the name is Sweeney Todd, by the way."

[Body Theatre]

Rather taken aback by Todd's tone, A M I E quickly apologized,I really meant no personal offense Mr. Todd, I assure you." her white gaze rose into his dark one, a far stronger gaze than his, trained over centuries to never fail. She nodded at him, smiled a bit, then turned her attention back to Victor.
"Yes Victor, blood. I am a vampire, if the clue did not give itself away," she picked a piece up a piece of rare steak with a fork and placed it on her plate,"Vampires cannot have regular food, you know."
Picking up a knife that lay next to her, she cut the steak in half, and squeezed the blood out of it, on the plate. The strong smell of half-cooked blood filled her nostrils, and she felt herself begin to crave the blood very strongly. But she was till in control.

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Jekyll looked down at his plate, silent all of a sudden.

"Greetings, Miss Amie," he said finally, and then looked up at Sweeney, giving him a serious look. "Mister Todd... there are doomed, broken souls in a thousand asylums. I defy you to say you don't care, if you can. As for what happens to the evil, well, consider it this way: if all the evil parts of our souls existed in one place, and the good in another, never troubling each other... perhaps it would be an improvement to both sides, rather than the constant struggle of these two polar twins."

He drew a soft breath, knowing his frustration over the concept was clear to them all. He wanted to get out of Sweeney's gaze, suddenly, and also Amie's company - he didn't particularly like being around beautiful women, as it stirred the darkness within him. But the hopeful look that had flashed across Victor's face kept him there, to hold his ground.

[Iron Vadim]

Sweeney was a little surprised to get an apology from the woman "I know you meant no offence, milady... It's just a discussion. I understand your point, but ... this lust must somehow be tempered by a sense of ... justice?" His eyes turned even harsher at that word, as if he despised it " ... Common sense rather, perhaps. If it could be controlled somehow..." He looked back to Dr. Jekyll, "I guess I understand what you want to do, doctor, I just wonder if there's even the possibility of how. How could something so... powerful and immaterial like an emotion be controlled like that? But, of course, I'm not a scientist, I'm but a humble barber..."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, tilting his head a bit "It seems so complicated though, there's so many .. evil emotions. The seven 'deadly sins' to start with, I suppose. Lust, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth, vanity, and... wrath." He was very much familiar with the last one. It had been there with him every step of the way ever since he escaped from Australia. "Although, if anything, I agree on the fact that asylums do anything but work to help the mentally ill... I'd rather say one goes in sane and comes out insane." Sweeney glanced back to Amie, raising an eyebrow "Is that some kind of eccentric trend, or do you really mean you're a vampire?"

Victor felt even more queazy at Ami's answer. "Vampire? But, I ... I thought that wasn't real. Isn't that just a horror story? Things like werewolves, goblins and dragons..." But as Mr. Todd also responded to Dr. Jekyll's explanation, he found the science a lifeline to focus upon instead. Asylums, hah... 'If anyone would find out what I did, they'd stick me in one too...' He thought a bit fearfully.

He brightened up a little while hearing Dr. Jekyll talk about his theory. "It would be an amazing breakthrough if that could really work, Doctor. If all evil disappeared from this world, it would be... well, Eden. Even if it only works a little, to temper the evil emotions, then that would already make a large difference... so how do you think it could work? You said something about a potent formula, does it affect the chemicals in the brain? Or somehow alter the electrical impulses between the neurons? If one could figure out which part of the brain controls all emotions, or if every emotion has it's own place, then one could be knocked out and the other enhanced..." The young scientist went on, happy to talk about things in which his interest lie.

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Dr. Jekyll looked up sharply at Victor's last sentance, expression growing cold. "...that's what I'm afraid of," he said darkly, hunching over in his seat. "May you always be able to work with all the subjects you need, Doctor."

He stood up slowly, taking his cane to steady his shaking hands, quivering from the pains running through his bones. A spasm shocked its way through him, and made him go white-

"Gentlemen, my lady, I really... I do not feel well. I must leave you here-" his farewell was broken by a little yelp of pain, and he pratically bolted from the room, cane in hand. Please, give him the time to get to his room before it finished. Oh God, please!

[Iron Vadim]

Victor looked confused at Dr. Jekyll's dark, puzzling comment. "Sir?" What was he afraid of? The consequences?... The young man looked a bit more distressed again, being reminded of his own work. 'The outcomes of my work wasn't what I expected either, only horror... Perhaps there is a darker side to Dr. Jekyll's research as well.' He wondered mentally.

He gave a soft gasp when the older doctor stood up and seemed to be trembling with pain. "Dr. Jekyll? Are you feeling alright?" He asked worried. He stood up himself, but the man already hurried out of the room, leaving him to watch his retreating back. Victor frowned, looking both worried and confused. "What could be happening to him..."

Sweeney wasn't sure what was going on either, but he simply shrugged "Don't worry so much. He isn't so young anymore, so he probably has some kind of illness that he doesn't want to talk about. That, or the undercooked meat gave him indigestion, a little embarrassing but plausible."

Victor blinked and looked to the dark-haired barber. What he said did make sense, Dr. Jekyll seemed a proud man, and he probably didn't want anyone to see him in a moment of weakness. He hoped whatever it was, it wasn't too serious. Nothing horrible like cancer, for instance. "I suppose you're right, Mr. Todd." He replied and sat back down in his seat. He picked up the glass, giving it a swirl as he examined the contents. At least it looked too clear to be blood, even if it had the same colour, but it gave the aroma of a fine wine, making him less suspicious about it; so he had a taste. He found it to be an exquisite wine, which warmed him on the inside as he felt it slide down his throat.

((By the way, I did mean cancer in the proper time, as cancer is not something that only popped up recently, like AIDS, in fact, it was an illness already diagnosed by the Greek physician Hypocrates over 2000 years ago))

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Mrs. Lovett finally finished dressing, adding the last delicate touch to her appearance - some intoxicatingly strong perfume dabbed on her neck and wrists. It was enough to make anyone within a meter's radius feel ill, but Lovett didn't seem to notice it. She'd found the bottle in the back of a dresser, ooh-ed at how expensive it appeared to be and applied it generously. Mister Todd was bound to be impressed.

Happy with the finished product, she gathered her skirts and swept down to the dining room, her boots clicking on the flagstones as she rushed along the corridors. She reached the door in quite a fluster, and paused a moment to straighten her hair. There were no mirrors in this castle - such a bother! But at least someone would be cooking for her for a change.

She slipped into the dining room, smiling courteously at the gathered crowd. "Oh, I see I'm late! I'm very sorry, but a lady has to make herself look just right, you know how it is!" she cooed, plonking herself down on Sweeney's other side and shooting the other girl a horrible look. Annoyed at the beautiful woman's presence, Lovett put a hand on Sweeney's arm, and turned her attention to the young man exuding an aura of nervousness nearby. "Bless me bones, I don't think I've met you, sir! You can call me Missus Lovett! Who might you be, then?"

((I'm temping Lovett until we get someone else to do her.))

[Iron Vadim]

Sweeney gave an almost-inaudible groan when he heard the hurried footsteps clicking upon the flagstones, and the high voice that followed, excusing herself for being late. He didn't have to look back to know who it was, and was proven to be right when Mrs. Lovett sank down in the seat right next to him. He blinked, now noticing he was flanked by two women all of a sudden.

'Why couldn't one of them be Lucy...' He thought with a little sense of despair. "Good evening, Mrs. Lovett." He still said politely, after all, she was the only other person that knew about their 'little secret'. While he wasn't sure if he really needed her anymore now, he still kept her around for some reason or another. "I suppose a lady is always excused to be fashionably late..." He commented.

Unfortunately for Mrs. Lovett however, Sweeney Todd, or rather, Benjamin, was very much in love with Lucy, and Lucy alone, even if she was gone. So with Benjamin longing for his wife, and Sweeney only longing for vengeance and blood, there was really much room left for romantic feelings towards any other woman.

But perhaps there was at least one thing that he liked in her, they did have a similar sense of humour. "You should try the meat, luv'. It tastes almost as good as your lovely pies. Perhaps we should give them the recipe." He said with a grin.

Victor looked up from his glass of wine when a new female voice spoke up. She was very different from the, erm, vampire, he noticed, and she seemed to know Mr. Todd well. So if he knew her, and he didn't know about vampires, then it was likely she wasn't one. That was a relief at least, to have someone that looked pretty much normal, and friendly too. He smiled in return to her greeting. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Lovett, I'm Dr. Frankenstein. You can call me Victor though."

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"Ooh, another doctor?" Lovett turned her face up to Sweeney, smiling at him. "Goodness, love, you didn't tell me you had such... distinguished friends! A count and two doctors in one evening! And this one such a handsome lad, too." She winked cheekily at Victor, not meaning a bit of it.

She looked around the table, not keen to ruin her makeup so early in the evening by eating. "That's an idea, dearie," she replied to Sweeney's suggestion, "but is there anything other than roast and wine? I'm not a picky lass, just give me some meat an' potatoes an' a pint of ale and I'll be yer friend for life, ain't that right, Mister Todd?"