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 Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:49 pm
Situated in the rural grounds outside of Durem's suburbs, the mansion is accessible via a gravel drive leading for a mile through woodland, then a further mile through sculpted lawns to a sweeping façade and drive proper.
The mansion is a three story building, built in Edwardian style, with large oak front doors and many wrought iron decorations to its exterior. Gargoyles look down from faux crenellations on the upper floors, and creeping vines cover much of the exterior.
Inside, the mansion has copious rooms and spaces, including a very modern Pc suite on the ground floor, adjoining to conference space, or the 'war room' as Roan likes to call it.
Stretching backwards, there is a pool, ballroom, and access to gardens. the kitchens are on the second floor, as are numerous drawing rooms and spaces rennovated for watching movies in a cinema environment, or playing video games.
The top floor contains all the living quarters, with a half floor at one end forming a huge suite for Roan personally, her butler having quarters adjoining.
There is a roof garden of rare plants up here, as well as a vivarium full of lizards the Lady keeps.
Below the mansion, and underground garage forms the most innocent of her holdings, while a dungeon area is also present, and a deep cave set into the bedrock, accessible from a floor hatch.
The grounds stretch backwards from the house for some miles, including a lake fed by a stream which flows through a rugged ravine after one leaves the manicured grounds.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:53 pm
On the beautifully manicured front lawn, next to the gravel drive, in front of the DeSeer mansion, a purple-black portal ripped its way into existence, scorched a line across the grass, then revealed a cold, icy landscape beyond. Chill winds blew forth from it... followed by a pale figure stepping through, supporting, forcefully, the haggard form of Nines.
Without pausing in his stride, Ice walked his charge to the doors, and hammered on them cheerfully, knowing he was completely disrupting someone elses night.
"Welcome to your new home. Snazzy, isn't it? Way too ostentatious for me... or more accurately, way too typically so. Still, I'm sure you'll prefer it to one of my cells, right?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:56 pm
Nines didn't recognize the property. Even if he had, his mind was elsewhere. So he remained silent in his stupor, not oblivious, but unable to do much.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:02 pm
Usually, it would be the neat, trim Jan opening the door. But not tonight. Tonight was one of Jan's infrequent nights off, and of those, one of the few he chose to take off site.
This meant the heavy oak door was hauled open by a strong hand, a mass of red hair poking around the door, attached to a slightly frazzled body.
"Who visits at this time of night?! This had better be im.... oh."
Lady Roan DeSeer herself. Stopped mid sentance by the sight presented to her. It was something of a work of art how fast she went from angry at being disturbed, to shocked, to horrified, to angry again.
"Ice?! And what the HELL have you done to... is that Nines? Oh by Caine what have you done...."
"Consider him a moving present, from me to you. May we come in?"
"...you sick b*****d. Bring him in and put him down. And dont you DARE touch him again."
"Alright alright, one thing at a time..."
Nines would soon find himself laid almost tenderly down on a couch inside the expansive, marble lined hall. Ice then stepped away, thankfully putting some space between them at last.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:04 pm
He honestly didn't comprehend what was going on. He saw Roan, heard her response and saw the house. Must be hers...the thought rattled around, but there was a disjunction between coherent thought and stimulus at the moment. Nines would need a little time to reboot once the bad man was gone.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:09 pm
Conversation happened. Some of it heated. In fact, a lot of it heated.
There was a yelp of pain, female.
There was more conversation. One sided, aggressive, male.
There was silence, save for laboured breathing.
A door shut. The smell of blood.
Silence.
For Nines, in his disjointed state, this was about the gist of what he'd take in over the next 10 - 15 minutes.
After that, someone clearly not Ice picked him up, and carried him up an impressive set of sweeping stairs, then down a wood lined corridor.
A door creaked open. The room beyond smelled clean, yet unused. That slight staleness to the air.
It was dark. There was a bed, but only for a minute or so. Then there was the sound of a shower, steam dispelling the stale air.
A few minutes later, warm water, cascading over him, someone supporting him until the water stopped running red and cloudy and turned clear.
Then there was warmth, and the bed again. Soft fresh sheets, and a puffy pillow.
The sound of a door quietly clicking shut. The sound of key in the lock turning.
Finally.. a soft voice, murmuring quietly by his ear, attached to nobody, faintly reassuring.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:05 pm
With the setting of the sun a full day after the trauma, Nines slowly came to. He was in a bed, in an unfamiliar house and unfamiliar furnishings. He knew none of what was going on, only that he had just woken up to utter confusion. Slowly he eased himself upright, his eyes darting about with worry.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:14 pm
The room was dark, and quiet. Indeed, there was barely a single sound disturbing the peace. Though in itself the quiet could be worrying, what Nines wouldn't know was that he was in the quiet, unused end wing of a very large stately home.
The room was a fairly large size, considering the bed he was in was king sized, and had plenty of room around it on all sides, plus a large wooden wardrobe, two bedside units and two arm chairs also in the room.
A door opposite led into an en suite, and there WERE windows, though all of them seemed boarded up from the outside. In the wardrobe, a selection of mens' clothes in varying sizes could be found, but any attempt to leave the room would initially be foiled by the fact the heavy thick door was locked. The lock itself was ancient, meaning it had a big key, and a nice big metal bolt running to the wall. Not easy to force.
Within about fifteen minutes of him waking, footsteps would echo in the corridor outside, and a key would slide into the lock.
....its alright... you're safe.... stay calm... it's alright....
A tiny, barely perceptible whisper from somewhere. Then the door was pushed ajar, Roan stood just behind the doorway, carrying a large jug and glasses on a tray, as well as a bundle of clean towels in her other hand.
"Nines? Can I come in? I brought you something to drink..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:20 pm
Eh..?
Nines sluggishly shifted to look at the door. Whispers, voices, none of that was appealing right now considering. But the turning of the key lit his senses up, actually brought a lucid moment of thought to his mind.
He...hello? Oh! Uh...yeah...
He nodded, then felt something odd. Reaching to his neck, he felt something cold and hard wrapped about his throat. A collar, crafted of metal. Immediately both hands were latched onto the offending device, and a look of worry, perhaps bordering on panic ran across his features.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:25 pm
"Don't... leave it alone for now, please. Drink first, ok?"
Her voice was calm, measured and as reassuring as possible considering. She set the tray on the bedside unit closest to her, carrying the towels into the bathroom before returning to pour a large glass of vitae for the kid.
"Here. You'll feel a bit better after you drink this, then we'll talk. How are you doing? Physically, I mean... Is there anything I can get for you?"
Pulling up one of the chairs to sit on, she sat far enough away to give Nines some space... considering where he'd come from, she figured he probably didnt want ANYONE too close right now.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:49 pm
...Thefookisthis?
He looked at her with an expression mirroring that of a puppy tied to a fence and left in the snow. Sad, almost pitiable eyes looked to Roan in a mixture of confusion and fear.
He tugged at the device, felt the lack of any clasp or catch, and sat still, blinking and worrying and trying to keep himself from freaking the ******** out.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:54 pm
"Insurance. Drink. Please."
Pressing one of the glasses she'd filled into his hand, she didn't want to risk spooking him yet, but his expression almost had her moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She resisted the urge though, really not wanting to make things worse.
"It's a collar, filled with tiny needles along the inside edge. Pull on it, try and remove it, and it will inject you with a dose of a chemical that'll make you feel like s**t. Just leave it alone for now, and drink. You're safe here. I promise."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:58 pm
-Twitch-
He just about reflexively flinched at the clinking of his new bangle against the collar, and one could see that the idea was more than merely disconcerting to the poor man.
His head sank, and his gaze fell to the floor.
What is going on? Why?
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:03 pm
Well, leading a horse to water and waiting for it to drink was one thing, but this wasn't going anywhere. Moving at last to sit on the edge of the bed, she'd almost physically make him start sipping from the glass if she had to, before lifting her right leg to rest on the chair she had been sitting on.
"Ice.... that is to say Syn Deciet, thinks you have something to do with an artefact in my possession for safe keeping. He has asked me to look after you and help you learn about being Kindred.
Considering the other option he was giving was keeping you with him, I figured you'd find me the lesser evil. I know you;re probably not too pleased to see me, and I can only apologise for our last meeting.
My only intention is to try and get you healthy again, and start bargaining with Ice. If you can bear with me and be a little bit patient, I'll try to get that taken off you. But I need you to work with me at least a little bit... and for now, that means drinking the vitae."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:08 pm
He made of a soft whimpering noise, then slowly nodded and accepted the glass. He cupped it in both hands, and very daintily sipped at the contents as Roan explained the situation to him. He didn't know what to say or think; the world had just been turned upside down and inside out from where he was sitting.
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