Gothic Horror RP - (Currently not accepting)

[Iron Vadim]

"He's immortal..." Ben repeated after Lovett's explanation, still incredulous despite having seen the evidence himself. If he hadn't seen it, he obviously wouldn't believe it, but then, who would? How could someone be immortal, or apparently invincible, like that? It made absolutely no sense. 'Shouldn't there be a catch or something? No, he's rich, he's got good looks, he's got everything... Huh.' Being immortal without any downsides. Wasn't that every man's dream? Then again, perhaps there was a downside that Mr. Gray hadn't revealed yet...

He glanced back towards the door of the ballroom. "It would seem the party is over." The barber remarked "Though I wonder how that chandelier could suddenly fall down like that... you'd think such a thing would be held securely." Ben glanced to the young blonde woman that addressed them and returned a smile, though still a little uncertain about the whole affaire "My pleasure." It was strange, she looked familiar from something else... no, it was probably nothing. After all, how many women were blonde? He was bound to have met quite a lot of them.

"I suppose it should be..." Victor replied, adjusting his glasses on his face. Funny, it seemed a bit off, it must have got bent a little. No wonder, really. He glanced aside at the sound of a squeak, wondering where that came from. It seemed to come from the table at other side of the hallway, but he couldn't see anyone. 'Maybe it was a rat?' He wondered, still looking a bit suspicious at the table.

~

In the crowd of panicking people, Jack Reynard was pretty much the only one that was completely at ease. He watched young Alia leave, as she went to find her brother. 'I wonder if he would change...' He mused, and cast a glance around the room. 'Heh... humans.' Get a human alone and they might turn out to be brave and intelligent, but as a herd, boy, they were so incredibly stupid.

The demi-god gave a low chuckle as he sipped from his drink, while he walked closer to the host, Count Dracula. Jack smiled friendly "Lost something, my lord?" He asked the vampire.

~

Dorian felt he was breathing a bit easier now that his body was fully restored. A pierced lung was always such a pain. He still looked a little distained at his ruined shirt and jacket. Well, either he would have to try to get it mended or wear something else again. For now he decided to get a new shirt and jacket anyway, and his cane.

He dusted off his clothes before he looked at Jeir at his side. He gave a wry smile "I'd rather you killed whoever pulled that stunt, if you do feel like killing someone. But who could have..." The youthful-looking man muttered thoughtfully. Who could climb on a ceiling and sever the connection of the chandelier like that? Was it one of those kitchen poltergeists? But didn't they just remain in the kitchen? Or it was another one of those 'strange incidents', which seemed to happen a lot lately.

He let her take a look at the tear in the shirt, looking down at it in dismay himself. "I suppose I'll go change anyway, but... do you really think you can repair this? It's a wide tear though... and silk is a real pain to repair. Or, erm, so I've .. heard..." So he'd found out when it was really necessary to have it repaired and no one else was around so he had to try it himself. Needless to say, it went pear-shaped. "If you'd like to try, be my guest, love. Hm, it might work as long as I wear a jacket over it anyway."

"I will go change then. Would you like to come along and see if perhaps you can fix it?" Dorian asked Jeir, before heading towards the bedroom area. The immortal returned to his room, and opened his luggage chest to search for a new shirt, but his eyes were inadvertently drawn to the bed. Or rather, what was hidden in it. Every wound he had was transferred to the painting... Dorian swallowed, his imagination creating the monstrosity he was certain to find upon his portrait.

He shuddered and shook his head, hoping that Jeir wouldn't have noticed his look. Gray muttered a few curses and resisted the temptation to look at it. He never looked, he just didn't dare to. Seeing his true self would be ... rather unpleasant to the mind, surely. More like drive him insane. The man quickly exchanged clothes, not really caring about the presence of a lady in his room, or perhaps appreciating the attention instead, and picked up his sword-cane.

[deactivated28752859652]

Natalya gave Scorpio a shocked look, holding on tighter to her friend. "Yes, sir, zat's what she said... how did you know...?" She glanced at her friend, and then back at Scorpio. "Beatrix says zat she had followed ze large doctor out here... he had a funny turn, and zen..." she paused to listen to the other girl, and then frowned at Scorpio, "Zen she was almost molested by the other man. She is very upset..."

There was a rustle from beneath a nearby table, and she could have sworn she heard a soft, low voice snarl: "Jesus... I didn't even touch her..." Natalya gave a shiver, and stood closer to Scorpio. She glanced up when her hand was taken, blushing lightly at Scorpio.

"Please... I don't trust this place, sir..."

~

When he heard them start to leave, Hyde stole another peek from under the tablecloth, catching Victor's eye as the young scientist peered at the table. He gave him a quick grin and a thumbs-up gesture cheekily, before dropping the cloth again with a snigger, imagining what Victor's face would be like.

~

Dracula glared sharply at Jack, his eyes dark with anger as the lights flickered to life around them again. "You'll wish I had by the end of this..." he snarled, and swept away, his wives at his shoulders as they pushed through the frightened crowd.

~

Tilea nodded at Teatime, holding tightly to his arm. "Yes, let's go... please." She looked terrified, and was not going to let go of him any time soon, clinging to him like a limpet to a shore-bound rock as she followed him.

She stopped briefly in her step when he mentioned that the vampires were seeking to kill them, and the continued on, resolving herself quickly. "That's right, sir... it happens every year, sir..." she murmured, looking aside as a light flickered on. "I just want to leave. I don't care with whom," she finished, but showed no sign of letting go of Teatime.

She noticed that the vampires had disappeared completely now, and became aware of a soft sound far in the distance, difficult to make out but a constant, humming noise, like that of a crowd. Oh... perhaps whatever this was was what the vampires had been afraid of...

[Moonie1]

Scorpio bit his lip, he considering the answer to Natalya’s question before he answered. “I’ve had a run in with the man…saw Doctor Jekyll transform, body, soul and mine, into someone who calls himself ‘Mister Hyde’…Which isn’t a very clever name, in my opinion…” He said, his eyes darting towards the table at his comment and he smirked a little at the snarl. ‘And you won’t get the chance to, Mister Hyde…’ The werewolf though.

As Scorpio led the women down the hall, he glanced at Natalya. “I’m going to see to it that you and your friends get of here…what reason would Dracula have for inviting you all here? Surely he has enough guests to deal with at the moment…” He said with a frown. ‘Unless…no…no! He…He didn’t invite them here to eat, did he?…dearest God…’ He thought, paling a little before he shook his head. “I’ll see to it that you all get out of here safe. I promise.” Scorpio whispered.

The young man led them upstairs, and pausing only to unlock his door, he entered before he looked at the group. “Alright, here you should all be safe. I’ll be right back, my ladies.” He said softly as he held the door open for them to enter. "Oh..um...I have some holy water that you might use.." He added softly.

~

“Yes, it very much does look like the party is over. And I was having such a good time too, Pity…well, you and me will have a chance to have another nice dance at our wedding, Benjamin.” Lovett said with a slight smile before she frowned and nodded. “Yes…but, this castle looks old…maybe it’s starting to fall apart is all.”

The pie maker glanced at the barber and she frowned a little at his confused expression, as if he was trying to place a face he couldn’t quite remember. Again he was doing it. Benjamin was trying to remember his Lucy…Sniffing, Lovett just rested her arm on the amnesia stricken man and smiled as she watched Dorian and Jeir leave.

“Ah well, what shall we do now, my love?” Lovett asked before she glanced at Victor. What was the lad looking at? Following his gaze, she blinked at the table, she having just missed Hyde’s quick look. “…What are you gawking at, lad?” She asked as she frowned.

[Jeir]

The Death of Rats nodded and squeaked once at Alia after she said she wanted to find her brother. He jumped out of her hands and climbed up the braids in her hair to sit on her head. Height. That was what he needed. Of course, he was an immortal creature who had a seven-foot version of himself* to help out, but he felt in the need for a bit of independance.

He clapped his hands together, then pulled them apart, the stick of his scythe appearing in the gap. Taking a hold of it, he peered around, his little brittle whiskers twitching, as he sought out Scorpio.

SQUEAK!

He stood up on her head and jumped up and down, pointing one boney claw in the direction of the stairs. Realising she could not see him there, he leaped down, rolled on the floor, collected up the bones that had fallen away and reattached them, and looked up to her and continued his little dance.

After he was sure she got the picture, he turned and scurried over to the stairs, but blinked at the individual steps. This could be a problem, he thought, his whiskers giving a twitch.

~

Teatime nodded to Tilea with a smile. He tensed his arm just slightly, and was a little impressed about how strong her grip on him was. He glanced around, then looked to the table Hyde was...hiding under.

"Very well, miss Trelles. We shall leave," he said softly, wandered with her over to the table, took out a knife he had acquired in the ballroom, and droving it down, point first, almost to the hilt. With a laugh, he then lead the frightened girl away and up the stairs.

Unlocking and opening the door of his room, he entered with her and closed the door behind. Unlike Jeir, Teatime had no worries about where he stored his weapons when they were unused. His palm-dagger arm straps were left, neatly and with some respect, on the night stand. Several daggers of various shapes and sizes were laying on the bed, as was his sword.

He removed her old of his arm, although gently as he was a gentlemen after all, and walked over to the bed, picking up the knives and placing them back in their hidden areas in his clothing.

"Make yourself at home, miss Trelles. You may take the bed," he said calmly, not looking to her as he examined one of the blades. There was a small chip in it. He would have to repair it soon.

He turned to face her, smiling, as he finished his work, and picked up the sword and palm-daggers. He walked over to a chest of drawers and laid them reverently on top, then pulled up a chair and sat on it, facing the girl as he rested his hands on his knees.

"Why do you come if you know what will happen? Vampires are very easy to inhume, after all. The trick is to keep them that way," he commented, tilting his head to the side.

"A stake through the heart and chopping off their heads tends to work on them all, although I have heard that putting lemon or garlic in their mouths, or spraying them with 'holy water' can weaken them. In one area of Uberwald, filling their mouths with salt, hammering a carrot into each ear, and then cutting their heads off works. But, even taking one of their socks and hiding it somewhere is a good distraction; they are so pathologically meticulous that they'll spend the rest of eternity looking for it," he finished with a cheerful laugh.

His gaze suddenly focused on her, a faint smile on his boyish features. "Are you tired, miss Trelles? Perhaps you should get some rest? I will keep watch," he said softly, giving a slight nod to her.

~

"Well, if I can't, I know of some people who might," Jeir murmered softly before she followed Dorian up to his room. Entering it, she stood to the side of the door as it was closed, and blushed and adverted her gaze as he changed his shirt.

She looked shyly back to him once the rustling had stopped, and smiled softly as she walked over. She picked up his shirt and examined the tear. Hm, not good. Easily beyond her skill of needlework.

"I'm afraid it looks like I wont be able to repair this, but...I do have a plan," she looked up to him, smiling as she laid the shirt back down. "I'm planning on going back home soon. To give a report to Lord Downey, get some clean clothes for myself, and I thought perhaps I could do some shopping while I'm there. There's a place in the city, the Street of Cunning Artificers, and if anyone can repair your clothing, it would be those there."

She glanced down to his luggage, then continued, "I could go tomorrow, stay a couple of days, then return. With the fairy dust I should be only gone for a little while, as it can let you travel through space and time." She looked up to him, and tilted her head with a soft grin, "Perhaps you would like some clothes in a Morporkian fashion, my lord?"

She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on his lips, then turned and walked to the door, turning to look back to him with her hand on the handle. "I doubt we shall be going back to the ball, so I think I shall have an early night if I'm going back to Ankh-Morpork. Unless...you would care to go to the library for a while, or perhaps the music room?"






*The Death of Rats always thought he was the original Death; there were rat-like creatures ever before there were humans, after all. It's also why some humans look a bit rattish.

[Iron Vadim]

Jack was a little taken aback when Dracula snarled angrily at him. "Huh... I guess a thirsty vampire makes a cranky one, hm?" He mused, mostly to himself as he watched the host of the 'party' storm away. Yes, it did look like all of the pretty young Transylvanian-village girls had disappeared. And all of the most interesting people around. Even that odd-eyed assassin. The demi-god looked a bit disdainful "Tsk... how utterly boring."

~

Victor's mouth fell open as he saw who was hiding under the table. 'Mr. Hyde!? But I thought Dr. Jekyll was... well, obviously he changed, but ...' He closed his mouth as he heard Missus Lovett questioning him. "Er... Nothing." He answered quickly. He wondered what the heck Mr. Hyde was doing hiding under a table, but whatever it was far, it was obvious he didn't want to be discovered by somebody.

Seeing the amount of young and cute girls that were around, Victor could guess it was probably because of those. Whatever the case was, he definitely didn't want to get involved. But what were those girls doing here anyway? There were definitely not here for the convention, but someone must have invited them. And the only one that could get out of the castle was Dracula himself. "They're... food..." He realised, muttering his thoughts aloud.

~

Ben looked back to his supposed-fiancée when she commented they could still dance plenty at their wedding. He coughed slightly "Erm, yeah. Right." He didn't think he really could dance, amnesia or not. But anyway, he really wanted to get out of this place for any wedding. The barber looked to Victor, raising an eyebrow at his last words. "Food?" Why did that feel... uncomfortable somehow? Besides the obvious meaning. For some reason, meatpies came to mind...

"Er... the young women that were around. I think the Count invited them as .. food for the vampires." Victor explained.

"Vampires." Ben said, for once, in a deadpan voice, which sounded a lot more like Sweeney in a non-lethal mood. "So... we're stuck in a place with werewolves, immortal men, ghosts that drop chandeliers and vampires..." He continued in the same voice. That sounded like they were in a ... what? A horror story kids made up around a campfire? "... Is there really no way out of here?"

Victor sighed, he hoped for a way out as well "I'm afraid not. This is very barren, mountainous terrain, I don't think you'd get far without a carriage and horses, and there's wolves out there. And the front doors are locked shut, and most windows look out at sheer cliffs."

"Wonderful... though I don't know if a bunch of normal wolves are any worse than -were-wolves and vampires." Ben replied with a sigh.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe. But ... at least one of the vampires has already been killed, and the werewolf doesn't appear that much..." The scientist muttered, a bit more to himself.

~

Dorian felt a bit relieved when he noticed she hadn't seen him look at the bed, or rather, at what was hidden under the mattress. 'Ah, of course, she turned away to let me change. Still shy... Quite sweet actually.' He thought with a little smile. He was pulled out of his thoughts as he listened to her explain that she going to go home.

"Home?" He asked puzzled. No one was able to leave, weren't they? Courtesy of a vampire host. But then again, she was from a different world... she did explain something about that, er, fairy dust. She probably had a way then. Then she said she would come back anyway, so he smiled and nodded "Alright then. Ah, yes, well, as long as those clothes you have in mind are fashionable, then I would love to have them... I seem to be running through my own clothes pretty fast." He sighed "Why does everyone suddenly see me as their pincushion?"

He was getting fed up with it anyway. Then he grinned amused as a thought hit him "Your world is magical, right? You wouldn't happen to have magical clothes that sews itself up, no? It seems I'm in desperate need of something like that... that or everyone finally stops stabbing me, but I wouldn't count on that." He finished with a dramatic sigh. Why did they keep doing it? Just because they could? After all, he wasn't that unpleasant to be around, was he?

Gray smiled at the kiss, then closed the lid of his luggage. "Oh, I wouldn't mind spending a little more time with you, darling, especially if you're going to be gone for a while. Either one is fine. Though, I do believe you said you play music, don't you? I play the piano myself actually." He said, his charming smile returned as he walked over to her and offered his arm for her to hold.

[deactivated28752859652]

Hyde almost gave a yelp when the knife poked through the table above him, but managed to keep silent, instead cowering down and swearing under his breath to skin Teatime alive some time and turn him into a fetching suit. He waited until he heard the two of them leave, and then crawled out from under the tabel, butting in on the current conversation.

"Wolves better than werewolves? Hah!" he chortled, standing straight again, "I think you've got it wrong, there. You see, the thing about normal wolves, as opposed to werewolves, is that they're wolves all of the time. Forgive my opinion, but... I think that's a little worse than being an insane, lethal beast only some of the time. Our little puppy only changes during the full moon, too; and since that's over we shouldn't have to worry about it until the next one - and we'll all be dead or gone by then, now, won't we?"

He brushed himself off, and then smiled at the gathered people. "Looks like you scared off all the beautiful women; Nellie and Victor aside. Now just what are we going to do about that? There are more still in the ball room, though, I'm sure, so..." Hyde placed his hand on the door handle lightly and froze immediately as a haunting chill ran down his spine. It wasn't a feeling of fear like he'd ever gotten back in London, or the one he faced in the claustrophobic dark, but rather some terrifying, other-worldly fear that he did not want to learn the source of. He took a few slow steps back, still staring at the door, and then said in a quiet voice, "On second thoughts, I think I'll be all right without them for now."

He felt a pair of eyes on him, somewhere in the dark, and his skin prickled under the gaze, his hair standing on end. "It's one of the vampires..." he whispered, not turning to look into the darkness lest it decend and control him again, "You probably should run... I don't think they're happy..."

~

Natalya bowed her head when Scorpio addressed her, not wanting to meet his gaze. "Zat's right, sir... if... if you can't, don't worry; we... we accepted zis fate. It's... our duty to our villages. Ze vampires won't bother zem if we give our own lives in payment..." She smiled weakly, her eyes gathering tears, "My family will be safe."

She helped guide the other girls into Scorpio's room when they reached it, and sat silently on the edge of the bed. After he'd finished speaking, one of the other girls stood forward, looking heartbroken.

"You're leaving us here? Alone? But sir!" she cried, giving him a pleading look, "What if we're attacked? Zey could come in the window! We can't fight zem off alone!"

"Shhh, Lavinia," Natalya tried to hush her, but Lavinia just shot her a frustrating glance before looking back at Scorpio.

"Or zat dreadful man who attacked Beatrix? Holy water won't keep him away! And, and... and I heard somesink about a werewolf... you can't leave us here alone!" she gasped, and then stood silently, waiting for his reply.

~

"There was someone under that table, wasn't there?" asked Tilea when they got out of the hall, though she did not expect a reply from Teatime, instead finishing her own question with: "That was very cruel, then."

She stopped by the door when Teatime led her inside his room, loosening her grip on him when she saw all the weapons strewn around, and releasing him completely when he pulled her hand gently away. She took a small step back, suddenly fearful. "A-are... are they for the vampires...?" she asked, staring at the blades in terror.

She continued to watch Teatime's purposeful rearrangement of the weapons, and then just blankly stared at him when he addressed her, mouth hanging open as she listened. She gave a jump when those cold eyes fixed on her again, and swallowed lightly. "You... you kill people...? No, no... you must... you wouldn't need all these blades for a vampire, if they die as easy as you say..." she whispered, clasping her hands in front of her, "...why? Are you going to kill me? H-have you killed anyone here? I-I-I don't know if I can trust you... sir."

Tilea realised this was not exactly answering his question, but she suddenly didn't feel like sleeping.

~

A light fog had gathered in the corner of the ceiling of the hall, floating gently against the wall, barely visible. It watched Hyde's back, as much as fog can watch, in silence, as it had been ordered. Dracula had said to watch that no more of the village girls get out of the ball room, and if anyone tried to let them out, to finish them immediately.

Truth be told, Verona earnestly hoped that they would. With luck, that horrid man-creature would be the only one there who would pick up the vampire's presence; and if worst came to worst, she could just look in his beady little eyes and tell him to roll down his collar. The thought was unappealing, though. She preferred her food to be fresh... unfortunately all the girls had gone, along with the two young men. That just left... he'd said his name was Victor Frankenstein, hadn't he? And she could get revenge for her sister's death, too. Two birds with one stone...

The fog descended silently, filling the hall around the group. Hyde stepped back fearfully, moving as if he'd trod in something disgusting and sticky, as the fog gathered up to his knees.

"What... is this...?" he gasped, freezing still again and staring at the others. "What's going on? What do we do? I'm scared!"

[Jeir]

((I know it's not my turn, but as my characters (bar DoR) are only talking to one other person each, I'm posting anyway.))

Teatime stared deadpan at Tilea as she asked him if he killed people. Well, of course he did. Unlike some Assassins, his weapons were not for decoration.

"I am an Assassin, miss Trelles. I am here to kill Dracula," he said as a reply at last, still staring. It is said the prospect of hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully, but it is like valium compared to being stared at by Teatime.

Suddenly he was in front of her, leaning down so there were barely a few inches between their faces. His brows were furrowed, and he looked hurt. When he spoke, his voice was soft, and there was a slight tremor to it that suggested he would cry at some point.

"You fear me, miss Trelles? That is good. It shows that you want to live, something that seems so rare nowadays, I find. But you do not need to fear me, no," he moved one hand to stroke it through her hair, almost comforting.

"No, miss Trelles. I will not kill you. You are my friend, right?" A slightly hopeful sound entered his voice now, but unlike his attitude to a lot of people, there was a slight softness about his face that did not conceal a threat. Well, not much of one. This was Teatime, after all.

He suddenly pulled his hand back and stepped away from her, still looking to her. "The door is unlocked. You may leave, if you wish, miss Trelles." He tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Or, you can stay here with me, and I can protect you from the vampires until I kill Dracula. It is your choice."

~

Jeir smiled sympathetically to Dorian when he complained about being a 'pincushion'. No doubt, if she put her mind to it, it would not be long for her to work out just who was behind it; but it seemed every day was rather busy, so perhaps, after their spar, she should question Teatime. As much as he had annoyed her lately, he no doubt already knew the culprit and had thought about a minimum of twelve different ways to inhume them.

She smiled as he mentioned a magic shirt, grinned a bit in reply, and then looked thoughtful. "I may have to visit the wizards for something like that, although...perhaps I could ask about an imp that can sew? They're rather good at doing things once they know how, and their small size means they wouldn't get in the way." She tilted her head, grinning a bit as she thought. Yes, perhaps that could work.

She took his arm as he offered it, and walked out with him, heading downstairs and to the music room. She blinked surprised as she looked up to him. "You do? Perhaps you could play a bit of music from this land for me, then?" She asked, seeming quite enthusiastic. "And, well...yes, I play the flute. Everyone in the Guild learns to play at least one instrument," she said as they reached the music room and entered.

She had not really spent much time here thus far, and looked around curiously and with some wonder. A lot of the instruments were very familiar to her, and thankfully, as far as she could see, there were none that seemed to have been made by 'Bloody Stupid' Johnson.

Her eyes widened as she saw the instrument she had been looking for, and releasing his arm, she walked over and opened the case, taking out the shiny silver flute and putting it together with both speed and skill. She brought it to her lips and gave it a quick test to make sure it was all in working order, then turned to Dorian and began to play.

Unlike Teatime's playing, what she played was light and airy, perhaps reminding the listener of walking through a peaceful forest on a warm spring day. Calm was certainly a word that could describe it. She played for a little while, then lowered the flute, smiling softly to Dorian.

"Care to play something of your own, Dorian?" She asked, sending her glance to the grand piano in the room.


((For a sample of the music Jeir plays, go to http://www.directsong.com/, click on 'Guild Wars' (on the two rows of game pictures under the big one, it's the top right one) and the click on #5 on the playlist above it, and then #30. You'll only get about 15seconds of music, but it'll give you an idea. Guildwars has some bloody amazing music.))

[Moonie1]

‘Nothing’?...Strange lad, Frankenstein was, but to stare into space like that and claim to have seen nothing? Lovett shook her head and was about to suggest to Benjamin that they go to their room and turn in for the night when she froze, she staring at Victor with slightly wide eyes.

“…Food?...Ah well…poor dears…seem to be innocent enough. Then again, probably what the Count likes in his food. Can’t say that I don’t feel sorry for them...though I can say that ‘better them then me’…” The pie maker said as she frowned a little more. Glancing at Ben when he spoke, she nodded as he listed the things. Werewolves? So she heard from the gossip that was told. Immortal men? Yup, unfortunately the man that couldn’t die did exist. Ghosts? Oh ho oh….the ghosts still managed to make her shudder when she thought of the kitchen. And now it seemed they had vampires…

“Oh and let’s not forget Mister Hyde and Doctor Jekyll…the man who changes from one man to another…” She added. “That’s just as creepy.” Listening to the rest of the conversation, she frowned a little more when she heard that they were trapped in the castle with all the other murderous creatures. What would show up next? The creature from the black lagoon?

…No, apparently it would be one of the current monsters they had to deal with...one who had just crawled out from under a table...that explained what Frankenstein had been staring at anyway. “Hyde…” Lovett grumbled as she frowned at his reasoning that normal wolves were worse than mythical, giant man-eating- “…wait a moment. ‘Our little puppy’? You sound as if you know who the creature is…And puppy? I hardly think a blood-thirsty creature can be considered a puppy…” She muttered.

Deciding to remain silent, except for a slightly smirk, at Hyde’s comment about she and Victor being beautiful, she opened her mouth. “Well, Mister De’Fai just ran off with a whole herd of women not too long ago…perhaps if you hurry Mister Hyde…” She was hinting that he should leave. She didn’t want him to trigger any of Ben’s memories. She was hoping that hadn’t already happened.

At the horrid little man’s suggestion that they should run from the vampire however, Lovett stepped closer to Ben, she gripping her arm tightly. “…That might not be such a bad idea, actually…” She whispered softly as she looked around the hall. She didn’t exactly sense the vampire’s presence. She just had the creepy feeling that she was being watched.

Looking back at Hyde when he spoke, Lovett raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. “…if there really is a vampire…I suggest just letting it have him.” She mumbled.

~

Scorpio was silent for a moment before he shook his head. “It isn’t a fate you should have to accept. Creatures that feed on humans should… die…” He mumbled softly before he added. “…despite that, you are all very brave young women for coming here with the mindset of protecting your homes.” He smiled softly then, a wave a guilt coming over him. He was only still alive because of the hope that there was a cure and for Alia. If his sister hadn’t been at his side all these years...

‘Then I might have already tried to allow myself to meet the bullet of some hunter or angry farmer…someone that could stop one more dangerous creature…but I stay alive to protect and care for Alia…’ The young pastor thought.

Looking up from his thoughts once all the girls were in the room, he stared at Lavinia when she cried out to him. Scorpio swallowed heavily and felt guilt wash over him as he stared at her. “I…miss, please, I have to go out. I have to find my sister and bring her here!” He explained as he entered the room and took her hand. “Please…here.” He said as he quickly crossed to the window and kneeling to rummage in the bag that was under it, he pulled out a few flask of holy water and he shook one.

“Blessed water! It will prevent the vampires from entering the room. Do you not know this…?” he said as he turned and splashing droplets of the liquid onto the window, he bowed his head and said a prayer. “…and heavenly Father, protect the lives of these young women tonight. Allow them to pass safely from here back to their homes and back to their families. Amen.” He whispered before he turned and dumping all but two of the bottles onto the bed between two of the women, he turned back and pressed one of the flasks into Lavinia’s hand and cupped his hand around hers.

“Say a prayer against the vampires. They are sure to leave you alone, at least for the time being…and the horrible man you have nothing to fear from him. If he tries to enter the room, overpower him. He’s not that large and with all of you, you can do it…just sit on him and threaten that you’ll shove him into a box in the dark if he doesn’t behave.” Scorpio added with a small, encouraging smile. “…And you have nothing to fear from the werewolf…it’s not a full moon…I’m sure it only attacks then.” He whispered, he desperately hoping that would be true of tonight, before he took his hands away and stepped towards the door. “I shall return as soon as I am able to.” He added as he repeated what he did with the window on the door before he closed and locked it, he shoving the key under the wood.

“I’ll knock and call out to you when I return.” The werewolf said before he turned and hurried down the hall.

~

Flinching slightly when the Death of Rats had jumped off her hands, she held still for a moment, watching the creature from the corner of her eyes as he climbed up her braid before she took off running again, looking around the hall, but stopped once again when she felt the skeleton rat jumping up and down on her head.

“Wha…Ah! Dor, don’t do…that…” Alia said as she watched the Death of Rats leap off of her head and crash the five feet to the floor below. Blinking as she stared at the creature, Alia followed the direction in which he was pointing before she blinked again. “Ooh…” She whispered softly. The stairs…that must mean that Scorpio went up to the room!

Following after the Death of Rats eagerly, the younger De’Fai sibling reached down to scoop up the Death of Rats and was about to hurry up the steps when she paused. “Scorpio!” She called out, seeing her brother at the top of the stairs and grinning, she placed her hands, which still contained the Death of Rats, behind her back and waited for Scorpio to come down to her.

Smiling at his sister, Scorpio stood in front of her as he bent and gave her a hug before quickly standing again. “Alia, head up stairs…come on…It’s not safe around here with the vampires being hungry enough to require several young women as their dinner. We don’t need them making you dessert…” He said as he started up the stairs with Alia.

“Io, what about the other women though? The ones still in the ballroom?” Alia whispered softly as she kept the hand containing the Death of Rats out of sight of Scorpio. The question made her brother halt in mid-step, a worried and guilty look crossing his youthful face. “…I….I have a few of the young women in my room at the moment…” The werewolf whispered before he glanced over his shoulder, back to the stairs. “…let’s get you back to the room first…” He finally answered as he quickly hurried back to his room and knocked on the door.

“It’s me! Scorpio! I’m back…” He called through the wood as he knocked again, he resting his other hand on Alia’s head.

[Iron Vadim]

"Wizard? Really? An imp?" Dorian asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously, wondering if she might be joking. He was having a hard time imagining one to repair clothes. "Er, whatever it is, we might have to think about the fact if it can live in this world. Our worlds are quite different, I suppose. There might not be the right... food, perhaps? Still, I don't know, it might be a good idea." He thought aloud while leading her down to the music room. It was blessedly devoid of any person, shapeshifter, vampire or ghoul. In this thrice-cursed place, moments of peace were ones to cherish. Up until another blade plunged into his chest, he thought with a sigh.

Gray smiled at the request to play something of this realm. "I would love to, my dear." He replied just before they entered the music room. The immortal looked down to the blonde girl at his arm as she told him about the instrument she played. He coughed "The flute? How quaint." 'Don't think dirty thoughts, don't think dirty thoughts...' Come on, he was better than that, he wasn't Hyde after all, he chastised himself mentally.

His smile was slightly awkward as he banished those thoughts to the back of his mind, and while she went to pick up the instrument, he took a seat at the grand piano. At least this Dracula fellow did have some taste, and not just for blood. Dorian sat back and listened silently while he watched her play. He did not recognise the music indeed, so it was most likely from this other world she had told him about, but he appreciated it nonetheless. "That was quite beautiful... and fitting of the musician." He commented with an easier smile once she had finished. "What is it called actually?" Gray asked curiously.

"Ah, yes, would you like to hear me play? As milady commands..." Dorian spoke with a teasing grin and turned to face the piano. 'Let's see...' He wanted to play something that could follow in the metaphorical footsteps of the song she had played. Something calm, uplifting, beautiful... Ah. He wiggled his fingers above the keys before the first tones of 'Morgenstimmung' by Edvard Grieg began to play. He was into the full body of the song before he cast a glance to the only other person in the room with him, giving her one of his brilliant smiles.

((The song he plays is: Morgenstimmung ))

~

"It's still dreadful for the poor things..." Victor mumbled at Lovett's cold comment of 'better them than me'. He felt quite miserable about this thought. His experiments were done to conquer death, but now it seemed to mock him as people kept dying all around him. He was pulled out of his moping by a loud voice talking to them about werewolves. Why did he have to come out of his hidey-hole? Oh, right, the women were gone...

The young scientist sighed exasparated at the jab at his masculinity but decided not to argue since it was absolutely no use. He winced when Hyde talked about 'our little puppy'. Victor had no doubt that if that baker woman found out who the werewolf was, she'd shout it from the rooftops and poor Scorpio would get lynched. He subtly tried to indicate Hyde to 'shush', only to get weird looks from the barber standing by him. Frankenstein chuckled awkwardly, moving his hands behind his back.

Benjamin raised an eyebrow watching the lad before he finally noticed Hyde wasn't the only seeing him. 'Is everyone in this place stark raving mad?' He turned his dark gaze to the shorter man before him, and his mind was inclined to answer 'yes' to that question. He ignored the fact that it would also include himself. So this was the man that beated him up out of the blue? Well, he certainly had the looks for it... The barber's lips formed a thin line as he observed this Hyde creature, feeling an anger rise inside of him that scared him a little, but somehow felt familiar.

He was nonplussed however when this man suddenly acted scared as if someone held a knife to his throat. A beautiful glistening silver that would draw brilliant rubies from his skin and... Ben blinked several times. Where had that come from? Then he glanced down as his attention was drawn to something even more strange. "Fog? Inside!?" And it had a horrible clinging feeling to it, like dead hands grasping at his trouser legs. He grimaced and instinctively gripped his silver razor, the cold metal quickly warming to his touch and the familiar weight seemed to provide comfort. And more importantly, a weapon.

"The... vampires?" Victor squeaked, his face becoming deadly pale. Did they know after all!? But what could he do now, when even Mr. Hyde was terrified. And he wasn't sure if the amnesia-stricken barber would be much use. For once, he wished the man was Sweeney Todd again. That and he wished he could stand on a chair to get out of the fog. Or a ladder. His nerves tightened up to the point he was sure they would burst, and suddenly gave a rather girlish scream when the doors of the ballroom slammed open.

"Oh, I do love to be greeted by a lovely scream." Jack Reynard laughed with a million-dollar grin. "What's up, chaps, you all look a little... 'I'm going to piss my pants any second now'. Yes? No?" The demi-god stepped closer to them, and looked down to the fog he strode through. "Ew, what's this? A bad special effect? Oh, wait, it's a bit early in time for that... Hm. Where's a big fan when you need one?"

[deactivated28752859652]

The fog lifted an instant after Jack arrived, leaping together to form the vampire bride standing right beside Hyde. She hissed viciously at the demi-god who'd so rudely intruded on her bout of fun and then grabbed the little man beside her by the back of the neck, digging her sharp nails into his throat. Hyde let out a little strangled noise but otherwise didn't move, paralysed by fear.

"Close the door... close the door, now," Verona snarled, fixing Jack with a death glare. "If you don't, I will..." She paused, considering it. Killing Hyde wouldn't help, they all hated him. There had to be a way...

Verona grinned sharply. "If you do not close the door, I will bite him and turn him into a creature of the night like myself. This man will be immortal, invulnerable, super-strong, and blessed with powers of flight, invisibility and hypnotism. Would you like that? If not, I suggest you close the door."

~

The count returned to the ballroom in a few moments' time, looking paler than normal and quite shaken, with Marishka sweeping to his side in a moment. The other guests and remaining girls looked up as he entered, whispering among themselves.

"This is not good," he murmured, looking deep into the other vampire's eyes, "This is very, very bad. The villagers are moving. Soon they will be at the castle."

A look of hope flickered over the faces of the girls at the thought that they would soon be rescued. This faded in an instant, however, as Dracula looked up at them over Marishka's shoulder.

"Turn them," he ordered, and Marishka blinked, taking a step back away from him.

"What?"

The count snarled, showing his fangs as he surveyed the guests. "Turn them! Any who is strong enough! Turn them! Kill the weak, and any who runs! Now!" he roared, advancing towards the huddled people.

After a few seconds the gravity of the situation sunk in for the guests, and the screaming started as Dracula grabbed hold of one of the girls, mesmerising her in a second before biting her.

"What about the ones who left?" screamed Marishka over the yells of terror, and Dracula dropped his meal to the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Hunt them down! Do this for me! Find anyone in the castle, and get rid of them! Go, Marishka!"

The bride nodded and then vanished, leaving a trace of fog as she escaped out the window and up the wall of the castle. She'd leave Dracula to finish the guests in the ballroom, and herself start at the very top of the castle and work her way down. When they were finished, they'd have army enough to destroy the mob coming for them, and she... she would be more beautiful than ever.

~

There was a rattle at the door as Scorpio called out, and in a second Lavina had it open, she staring wide-eyed at the young priest.

"We heard ze screams, sir! And somesink came past our window!" she cried, falling into his arms and clutching his shoulders in terror. The other girls clamoured around the doorway, but pulled Lavina, Scorpio and Alia inside quickly before slamming and locking the door again.

"Somesink is going on, sir, and ve don't like it," explained Natalya at last, taking Scorpio's hands, "Whatever came past our window, we are pretty sure it was a vampire. Are zere only the count and ze two pretty ones? Or are zere more? And..." she looked thoughtful for a moment, and then glanced around the room, looking particularly at the wooden furniture, "Do you have an axe?"

~

Tilea shivered as she thought she heard a scream somewhere else in the castle, and looked back at Teatime. She stepped away from him, instead sitting down on the edge of the bed, and glanced out the window fearfully.

"If it is unlocked as you say, sir, can you please lock it?" she asked, looking back at Teatime, "I will be your friend, if you'll be mine. If I have your promise I'll be safe, then I'm sure I can rest for now."

The girl tensed again as she heard more screams, but stayed staring at Teatime, telling herself that at least they weren't her's.

((Hopefully I got everyone. ^_^' Do tell me if I've missed something. Sorry again for the late post. Also, if Jack doesn't close the door in, say, roughly ten minutes after Verona asks, they're going to be run over by terrified people, too. Just to give you some sense of scale. Please check the OOC for more details.))

[Jeir]

((She posted! Yay, my turn. ^_^

...oh, bugger. All these vamps better not get in the way of Jeir's shopping trip, or her and and Teatime's spar, Ooare. =P))


"Erm...I called it 'Eye of the Storm'. In our final year of school, we were instructed to make our own pieces. That was mine," Jeir murmured, blushing softly at his compliment and question.

She blinked, then looked up and smiled softly as Dorian started playing. Walking over, she stood beside him and the piano, watching his fingers on the key and grinning softly at the music. As he continued, she slowly put the flute to the side and stood behind him, leaning forward and laying her arms gently around his neck to give him a warm cuddle, her eyes a little unfocused as she listened to the beautiful music being played.

When he finished, she stayed like that for a few moments. It was interesting how, in a place such as that, being with some pleasant company and listening to some music could help calm you.

"That was beautiful, Dorian," she said softly, still with her arms warmly around him. She nuzzled a bit into his hair, but then released him and moved back in one movement, staring at the door at the sound of screams. Oh, gods...

"We had best find somewhere safe, Dorian. That does not sound like something I want to be involved in unless I have to," she said, looking back to him and moving to take his hand. "We'll got to my room," she continued, and as she led him to the door, added, "It has all my weapons in it."

As they reached the door, she cautiously opened it and glanced outside. If she was on her own, she probably would not be so careful, but making sure the vampires did not get a hold of Dorian was one of her top priorities. And the evening was going so well too...

Seeing it was clear, she led him out and moved down the corridor, heading to the stair cases, her steps automatically falling silent as she did not want to be heard. They would have to make a run for it if there was anyone at the bottom of the stairs, but she felt they could both manage, as long as she did not trip over her skirts.

She winced as they neared the area outside the ballroom, but swiftly led Dorian up the stairs and to her room, entering quickly with him and slamming the door shut behind. She sighed softly and locked it, then looked to him. She could either get geared up and head down to try and help the people there, or stay here and wait it over. But...

Guilt was an awful thing. She did not feel guilty for the inhumations over the years; in fact, she felt nothing but the pride of a job well done. In truth, most of her inhumations were not even official ones - killing someone trying to mug you is a good way to stop them, after all.

She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, then took out her Assassin's Black clothing. Turning, she looked to Dorian and sighed, then went into the bathroom and closed the door as she changed. Laying the dress to the side, she walked out and gave him a grim smile, tying her hair back into a pony tail.

If anything could be said about her current outfit, it would be; black and stylish. There was no point being an assassin if you did not look the part. Black silks made the close-fitting shirt and trousers, and even though they had a two inch heal, her boots certainly were 'business-like'. There was no sign of any weapon on her, although there was a hint that some could be revealed and used with extreme accuracy if she was in the mood.

"Well...I once outnumbered a group of muggers seven-to-one, so I suppose I'll find out soon enough how I'll fare against some vampires," she told him cheerfully, going over to the bed and taking out the pouch with her crossbow. She took out the parts and laid them down on the bedsheets, then quickly assembled the crossbow, putting the bag away and taking out the bolts for it.

She sat on the bed as she put the bolt into it's slot, then looked up to Dorian, smiling softly.

"If any vampire comes in here, it's getting shot in its head," she said with a grin, then looked to the door, holding the crossbow on her lap. She sighed. "Although, I do feel like I should go out there. I'm worried about the others, especially Alia..."

((Edit: ))

Looking down to the crossbow in her hands, she turned the small but powerful machine over a couple of times, the safety still on so she was not worried about it going off. Burleigh and Stronginthearm were the best weaponsmiths in the city, and everyone went to get their specialist weapons there. Quality was appreciated, and thankfully if you bought from them, you got exactly what you paid for.

She turned her gaze back to the beautiful man in the room, and smiled sadly. Standing up, she left the crossbow on the bed and walked to him, laying her arms around his neck as she reached him, and gave another soft sigh.

"I'm going to go out there. One of the vampire women is with doctor Frankenstein, mister Todd and missus Lovett and...Hyde, and I'm not certain of where Alia, mister De'Fair and mister Reynard are. I can probably stop her before she does them any harm, or at least distract her long enough for them to get away," she said softly, clinging on close to the immortal, a shudder running through her body betraying her calm and confident voice.

Yes, she was scared, but more for other people than herself; she survived seven years in the Guild, and she was not going to let a bunch of bloodsuckers ruin her perfect record for living. She could kill vampires. She could even kill a troll if she had to. That was what she had been trained for. It was just best that she got all her nerves dealt with before she went out there; vampires could hear heartbeats, and she did not want her racing one to give her away.

After a few moments, she pulled a bit back and looked up to Dorian, giving a brave little smile as she blushed and kissed him. Ah, if only perfect moments like this did not have to end...

Pulling back again, she looked up into his eyes and gave one last sigh.

"Promise me you'll stay here, Dorian. I don't want to see anyone else hurt, but you most of all. I love you, Dorian, and if those vampires get you...it doesn't bear thinking about," she said quietly, turning her gaze down, "They'll find out about your immortality, and just keep using you for food. I couldn't live with myself if that happened to you. So, promise me you'll stay here and keep safe," she finished, looking worriedly back up to him.

She pulled back from him and turned, picking up her crossbow, and grabbing her cloak from its place. Wrapping the black material around her, she raised the hood, and mentally checked that she had all the weapons she would need. It was just a pity she did not have the mind to bring any poisons of her own, or even some caltrops.

She turned to Dorian, gave another brave little smile, pressed the key to the room and one of her knives gently in his hand as she kissed him once more, then swept out of the room. Closing the door behind, not daring to look back on the man inside as she knew it would force her to return to him, she headed down the corridor to the stairs, concentrating on making herself as inconspicuous as possible.

Thus, by the time she reaches the stairs, she was as unnoticeable as a shadow, and as reassuring as a gentle breeze. Crouching down so she could keep out of sight if she lost concentration, she looked down the stairs to the small group, her face calm as she heared the screams coming from the hall. Well, there was nothing she could do about that now.

She took the safety off the crossbow, lifted it, and aimed it so that when it went off, it would go through the back of the vampire woman's head. Sure, it would not kill her, and would certainly piss her off, but at least that would give enough of a distraction for the others to escape. She did not fire yet, though. She did not want to make her presence known just yet, just in case the group could get out of the situation by themselves.

She just hoped she would get back to Dorian, and find out where Alia and her brother were, before the vampires did.
~

Teatime blinked at Tilea as she sat on the bed, but nodded, still smiling. "I am glad you have decided to keep me in your company, miss Trelles," he said softly as he walked to the door and locked it. As she looked back to him, he suddenly was not there. He was sitting beside her on the bed, looking to her. With a friendly grin, he placed the key on the night stand.

Now, according to the usual narrative applied in such situations, when a young man and young women are locked up in the same room, one of three things happens; they either kill each other rather violently, ignore each other and cower on different sides of the room, or do something that is far too explicit to describe here. What it did not count on was the fact that a) the man would be Teatime, who deserves a whole cartload of options on his own, and b) they would be in a huge castle full of blood thirsty vampires.

He turned his steady gaze to the girl and smiled, seemingly oblivious to the screams and shouts. They would end sooner or later, and if any vampire tried to enter the room, they would be dead before they could even look at the two people present. He realised he should do something. Killing her was an option, yes, but he still felt he had some use for her. Jeir and many other assassins had said he needed to learn how to handle himself in different situations, so perhaps this was one. Besides, killing vampires was more fun than some helpless girl.

He moved his hand and placed it gently on her shoulder, at a slight loss of what else to do. "Rest if you can, miss Trelles. I will watch over you," he said softly, before standing up from the bed and stepping back, looking to her.

[Moonie1]

Mrs. Lovett clung to Benjamin’s arm as she took a step behind him, she eyeing the fog uneasily. There was something ominous about it…but before she could wonder anymore about the strangeness, Victor’s scream jarred her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see Jack walk into the hall and start jabbering away about stuff. ‘Special effects?’….

Well, the fog turning into one of the beautiful women that Dracula had trailing behind him certainly was special enough. Hugging the barber’s arm closer, Lovett’s lip curled back a little as she bared her teeth at the female vampire, though she did want to applaud the woman for taking the step in the right direction of killing the horrid little creature she had by the throat.

However, Hyde the vampire didn’t sound all that appealing, not in the slightest. “…fine, let ‘im go then. We don’t need the ‘orrid little creature with all those powers. Not with ‘ow ‘e is…” she whispered as she peeled herself away from Benjamin and stepping past Jack, she snapped the door shut. Hearing the screams though, she quickly stepped back with a terrified gasp and clutched at Benjamin’s arm again.

“What was that?” She whispered to Verona, her eyes wide. “What they all screaming in there, then?” Whatever was going on in the ballroom, she was very glad that she was out in the hall right now as it sounded like Dracula and his other bride were having a bit too much fun. That only left them with this bride…

“…Now…either let ‘im go, or do everyone a favor and kill ‘im…come on, Ben, let’s go…” Lovett whispered as she stared at Verona and Hyde before she took a step backwards down the hall, trying to drag the barber with her.

~

Scorpio had heard the screams as well and pulling Alia closer, he stared wide-eyed down the hall, his breath quickening. What was going on down there? Had he gotten the young women, Alia, and himself out of there just in time? Looking at Lavina when she fell into his arms, he blinking as a blush spread across his cheeks, but he held onto her as they were pulled into the room.

“Something came past the window?...Well then, see! This room is perfectly safe if it just passed this room by!” Scorpio said as he glanced towards the window and swallowed, he squeezing Natalya’s hands. ‘Unless it planned on doubling back…and those screams, those awful screams…’ He thought before his mind, now that Alia was safe, turned to the only friend he had in the castle…well, one of two, three if you counted each personality of second. “Victor…”

Looking at Natalya, Lavina and the other two girls, Scorpio then glanced down at Alia, who stood rather abandoned off to the side as these strange women clung to her brother. He quickly pulled himself away from the girls and knelt in front of Alia, he taking her cheeks in his hands.

“…An axe?” Scorpio asked as he glanced back up at the young woman, blinking. Who carried around an axe with them? “No…but…” The werewolf quickly stood again and going to one of the more flimsy looking piece of furniture in the room, a chair, he picked it up and threw it against the wall. It gave a satisfying cracking sound and with two more throws, he managed to get several nice sized chucks from wood from the chair.

Picking one up, Scorpio held it before he pressed it into Natalya’s hand and collecting another one, he moved Alia to beside the bed. “Stay here, ready to duck out of sight.” He whispered, making her kneel before he quickly moved to the window and looked out of it.

“…no vampire shall get in here…I promise…” He whispered as he winced again at the screams, his thoughts once again turning to the young scientist he last saw in the hall and to the poor people that were causing the screams….He needed to get back down stairs and help out if he could…

Alia sat beside the bed, she shaking a little at the sounds of the screams. What was Scorpio still doing in here? He could stop vampires, she was sure of it…was he there for her? To protect the women? 'Just give them some stakes, some holy water, and we can protect ourselves just as well as you alone can!’ The child thought as she pulled one of the pillows off the bed and hugged it close.

[Jeir]

((I was going to put this in my previous post, but after re-reading the next posts, thought they'd best fit here.

This ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be.))

Death stood in the ball room, casually reaping the souls with his scythe, cutting their very existance from their bodies. He watched Dracula as the vampire killed and changed the people in the room for a few moments, then turned and stalked out, walking through the wall. It was not his place to interfere with the mortals of this world, other than for the Duty.

His all-seeing gaze passed over the group standing there, but then turned to look to the main doors. Some thing was coming, and He did not mean the villagers. He held his scythe in both hands, the edge of the see-through blade glowing with a blue light, and waited.

Moments after Verona captured Hyde, a figure walked through the great doors. It was Death; the Roundworld's version of him. A skeletal figure, a foot or two shorter than Death, wearing a ragged grey robe and carrying a more traditional scythe. Unlike the Disc Death, the bones were stained, seeming to suggest at some point it may have had skin attached.

The two Deaths stood face to face, glowing blue orbs staring into pitch black sockets, and ignoring all else that was going on; only one or two members of their party would be able to see them for as they are in any case.

The Roundworld Death knew this was his realm; his world, his lives. He had sensed the entrance of the Disc Death, and came to dispose of this intruder. What he did not consider, being little more than a force in the world that people put a shape to, and not so much the powerful and, above all else, final being the Disc Death was.

But even so, he was a Death, and this was his world.

THIS IS NOT YOUR WORLD. GO BACK. THESE ARE MINE. He intoned, his voice more of a hiss than the leaden tones of the Disc Death.

Death stared at the apparation for a moment, then tilted his head to the side. TWO ARE MINE. I AM HERE FOR THEM. I WILL DO THE DUTY HERE FOR AS LONG AS THEY REMAIN. YOU WERE NOT PRESENT, SO THE SOULS I SENT TO THE DESERT WERE FOR ME TO LEAD. I WILL CONTINUE GATHERING THEM UNTIL THIS IS OVER. YOU KNOW I AM ABLE TO DO THIS. THESE ARE THE RULES.

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE! The Roundworld Death whined, shaking his scythe at the taller figure.

The blue glows shifted into a red blaze as the Disc Death leaned towards the smaller Death. NEITHER DO YOU.

The Roundworld Death leaned back at the glare from those eye sockets, and brought up his scythe to block the swing from the enraged Disc Death. This did not work. The blue-edged blade cut cleanly through the wooden scythe, and the figure that was holding it. For a brief moment, the Roundworld Death gave a look of surprise mixed with horror, before fading away, leaving a faint ashy dust in the air.

Death stood still for a moment. He brushed some of the dust off his robe absently, then looked back to the group, the glows in his eye sockets blue once again. The Roundworld Death was not destroyed, merely the body it was given removed so that it could go back to being a force in the world. This event was slightly worrying, though. He was more powerful than anything in either world, bar perhaps ,Azrael. and ignoring the fact he had to follow certain rules, but if this world's Death could turn up, then...what about the others?

~

The Death of Rats allowed himself to be picked up and moved around in Alia's hands. Once behind her back, he curled up into a black and white boney ball and stayed still, his whiskers twitching every so often. when they were dragged into the room, he jumped down onto the carpet and scurried under the bed before he was noticed.

He had sensed the small fight between the two Deaths downstairs, but knew better than to interfere; if Death needed his help, he would know. The Death of Rats often had to save the day, after all.

He sat there quite happily in the dark, and listened to the big squishy people as they talked and destroyed furniture. He rummaged in his robes and pulled out a chunk of food from dinner, then nibbled on it as he got up and walked to the side of the bed, peering out into the room.

Seeing Alia, he blinked and scurried over to her, climbing up her dress to sit on top of the cushion. Squeaking cheerfully at her, he held up the piece of nibbled-on food to her to see if she was hungry. He always cheered up after he had eaten something, even if he did not really eat as such.

[deactivated28752859652]

Verona looked satisfied when the door was closed, but did not release Hyde, instead backing away down the hall with the small man trapped in her grasp. She spared but a quick glance to the girl up the stairs, deciding that Dracula would soon be done with her. And the silently dueling figures by the door - she was used to the presence of one and two did not surprise her. She had been taught by Dracula, long ago, to just continue on. She had, after all, nothing to fear from Death.

"That will be the master at work," she purred happily to Lovett, and then wrestled Hyde around the face her, holding him by the front of his jacket. This was hardly even necessary, however; the little man had gone white with fear, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"There... there were... dead..." he gasped, trembling slightly and pointing a shaking finger towards where the deaths had been standing, "And... no... and..."

Verona made a mocking face at him, like a mother would to a baby, and took his jaw in her cold hands. "There there; no need to be scared of them, Mister Hyde! They're just special, just like you and I! And given that we're so special..." she looked deep into his eyes, giving a little smile as she saw his pupils widen as always occured in victims, "...don't you think we should be working together, my dear?"

A blankness slid over Hyde's expression as he was fully hypnotised, and the vampiress stepped back. "Yes, mistress... I think... not much... but that's good." He smiled stupidly at her, held in a thoughtless bliss by her gaze. "That's... very good. I'll do that. Yeah."

Just like an animal, thought Verona, and considered her next strategy. There was a girl with a crossbow pointed at her head, and there was a stupid scared group of prey to her other side. With a sharp hiss, she pushed Hyde in Jeir's direction, though the man only stumbled forward a few steps in confusion, while she faced the others.

~

"Victor?" asked Natalya, taking hold of the make-shift stake carefully, "Ze shy one wis ze glasses? He's still out zere?" She looked concerned for a moment, and then turned to the other girls, yelling at them in her native language to follow Scorpio's lead and arm themselves. They quickly got to work, and Natalya sat down on the bed and started to tear her beautiful dress to something easier to run in. Thinking of something, she glanced up at Scorpio as she did this, throwing aside a piece of fabric.

"I don't sink Mister Victor can really look after himself, sir... he doesn't look like he can run fast," she commented, kicking off her shoes, "We should go down and get him, yes?" She picked up the stake, making a brief stabbing motion in the air to try it out. "We Nicolae have a history wis vampires," she explained, speaking quietly, "If I die, I die; if I don't, I want to take down as many as possible before I go. So if you go, take me wis you? Please?"

"Natalya..." started Lavinia, about to scold her, but she was silenced by a glare from the other girl. "All right. All right! Go, zen," she sulked, crossing her arms in annoyance, "Get yourself killed. It'll be your own fault."

"I know. So why are you worrying? You don't even like me!" The two slipped into Transylvanian to argue, their exchanges becoming more and more vicious as they continued.

~

((Sorry, I've been really busy with school and friends lately...))