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 Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:29 pm
Missing, in a poorer neighborhood, is a chunk of building. Strangely, no one there really remembers, or cares what was. The space has filled now, with a few apartment buildings, an alley or two.
In the directly same area, in the underground, one also notices something off. Here, however, people are more observant, more logical. The notice that all pipes going through this area have been cleanly cut, and the ceiling doesn't seem to exactly match. Also, seemingly leering, is a contorted, lime green happy face, it's eyes bulging out into the space. One of it's eyeballs is clearly a doorknob. Yet, no one really uses this doorway. In fact, most people just plain avoid it.
And for good reason.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 8:36 pm
Deep, into some of the furthest reaches of the catacombs, is a very odd area. For miles and miles, the catacombs is, at best, paved with reused concrete, old pieces of wood, and bones. However, the ground here steps up abruptly onto very clean concrete. Here, a small cluster of buildings loom in the shadow of a hospital. There is a bakery, a barbers, a small booth to get keys re-done, and a resteraunt, named Richard's Diner. These buildings, while dusty, contain figures in them. The same people who worked here, or who were currently customers at some arbitrary time.
An odd feature to these inhabitants is they seem exactly physically the same, as they always were. They seem none too phased about the move. As one resident, a waitress in the diner says:
"Oh, it's different, yeah. But it's not that bad here. We may be with the bones and the dirt, but we have master Gasten here. He visits our humble little shops." At this point, Gloria smiles, and looks down slightly. "He even asks for me specially, to serve him here. He's touched us. He's touched our lives."
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:12 pm
The hospital looms, like a glaring monolith, over the entirety of this small township. It's once white paint is now tainted, with dirt and clay, painting it brown and earthy red, with only spots of grayish white shining through. The entire thing looks as if a bomb went off inside.
This building has a few key differences from any other of the structures here. One of the largest being that almost none of the original people within are still there. Their screams still roam, and their souls still reside in the building, trapped in an iron grasp.
However, within the building, there are two people still physically whole. One is the perpetually annoyed looking woman, behind the reception desk. Her name is Fran, which she will say with a sneer, while chewing bubblegum, reading a magazine and ignoring your gushing head wound. She is not useless, however; the crusty old woman is quick with a knife and a pistol, files better than any other, and is good at hauling corpses.
The other person still residing within the hospital is a social reject, a simpering sadist, longing to suckle for power. His name is Paul, and he has a gangly form, looking near emaciation. A natural born pessimist, his view of the world are framed in thick black glasses. However, one can not mistake him as a weakling either. He is a budding spell caster, under the apprentice of the lord of the house.
This brings us now to the man of the house, as it is said. Extremely little is known about himself. However, in his conduct with the townspeople, he has been exceedingly polite, graceful, and enlightening. However, everyone conversely remembers the screams from the hospital, the time when a headless, mangled corpse of a woman fell from the fifth story, and the time when he chased a man down in the street with a butchers knife. The man had burst from the hospital, and Gasten had come boiling out, frothing like a lunatic.
It is hard to create a proper portrait of Gasten because his visible form seems to twist and contort so often. However, his usual, possibly preferred form is that of a man, 6'1, not a muscle man, but doesn't appear to be lacking in physical strength. He has pale white skin, showing his veins and arteries distinctly. His facial features are smooth and rounded, with a small nose and slightly large golden eyes. His hair is straight, jet black and flows down to his shoulders. He is almost always never seen without a full suit and tails on, with his white cotton gloves and shiny black cane, made out of volcanic rock.
The hospital is also unique, in the facet that it has been the one building truly changed. There are many intricate and complex rooms, ranging from lounges, to deserted ballrooms, and prisons, to the actual old hospital rooms.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:11 pm
A small, quiet room, furnished in hard woods. Warm reddish brown colors flooded the room, as soft light lamps illuminated the place. A large four poster oak bed stands in the middle of the room, with soft linen sheets. Several book cases lined the walls, as well as two oil paintings, and a large cedar desk, with several papers messily strewn about on it's surface.
"Here."
The figure of Gasten slowly materialized in front of the desk, holding the woman. He loosened his grip, to look her in the face. She could now finally get a close look at his face. He looked into her eyes with a slightly vacant stare, before moving her over and onto the bed. After he did this, he turned his back towards her.
"Ama, you are part of something much more important than you could possibly imagine. I must go find another, very quickly. I'm sorry I can't explain more."
He strode over to the desk, and grabbed the phone. He dialed rapidly, and then brought the headset to his ear.
"Hello? Gloria? I have someone I need you to help take care of. Yes, Gloria. Someone new. Fran will take you up. No, I think that she could use a few hours of sleep right now. Thank you, Gloria. Goodbye."
He dropped the headset back down, and opened a drawer in the desk. He took out a small glass vial with around fifteen small blue round pills. He turned and tossed the bottle to Ama. He grinned.
"For your hangover, when you wake up. Go to sleep now. I need to leave. Rest well, Ama."
He turned, and opened the door, briskly walking out.
He walked down to the ground floor. He spoke briefly to Fran about Gloria, the waitress, coming. She nodded, and turned back to her filing. He strolled out the glass automatic doors, and glanced around at his dusty township, and smiled. He waved to everyone around, the barber, the baker, and the man in the key kiosk. He finally made it to his cities limits, and walked into the darkness. His legs, now, began moving. Much faster than was to be expected from any man. Running at extreme speeds, accelerated and assisted in no small means by telekineses.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:33 pm
Ama’s eyes opened slowly and with a small tired moan she nuzzled closer to the man, shivering slightly as he looked into her eyes and set her down. The covers on this bed were soft and warm, the perfect place to stay for a while… “Another?” she asked sleepily as she fell backwards, the feeling of the covers delighting her and allowing a small girlish giggle to escape from her ruby lips; her features still brushed with the crimson of the cold night. Ama listened to the man’s conversation with a smile, her eyes opening and closing lazily as she let the blankets warm her.
As he turned back to her she felt a small something land on the bed next to her, the mans words ringing in her ears slightly as she looked to see what it was. There were pills inside and she had assumed from the ringing that they were for her. With small and clumsy movements she pried the bottle open and let the pills fall to the dark blanket under her, their blue shimmering sheen making her smile even broader then it had been moments before. “Bye… I think…” She mumbled as she let herself gaze at the pills, wondering what curious effect they would have on her later.
After a moment she let her childlike curiosity get a hold of her, her fingers grasping one of the pills after a few tries and pushing it between her lips; a vague cinnamon peppermint taste making her mouth water for more. Ama swallowed the rest of the pills easily enough and looked around, taking in the immense and strange beauty of the room she was in. Slowly she tried to lift herself out of the bed, her head meeting with the floor in a quick precise manner, producing a resounding thud and a small giggle.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:48 pm
Granted, he probably should have given some sort of dosage information, but he was in a hurry and surely, she would not ingest them all?
Energy would surge through Ama's system, killing any sign of a headache. But even further; she would feel stronger, smarter and faster. She was, to be fair. Granted, it would be for a limited time span, but any of Ama's physical, mental and magical capabilities would be intensely enhanced.
Not to mention, the entire world seemed friendly and fascinating, as well as exceptionally textured.
There were two doors in the room, should Ama choose to go adventuring.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:13 pm
The pills had gone down easily enough and after a moment she picked herself off the floor and looked upwards. There in front of her were the bookshelves, thousands of brightly colored books catching her attention and seeming to sober her up instantaneously. With a small curious glance she fumbled over to the shelves and ran her fingers along the many golden titles there, title she had never heard of before.
How she hated to be alone…
With a soft sigh she looked around, and walked over to the door Gasten had left through; her fingers reaching for the handle and pulling the door open before she could give it a second thought. The hallway that greeted her was somehow different then she had guessed it to be, the walls here a bleak off white color and the fluorescent lighting above her was flickering brightly. Ama’s head liked the sound of her bare feet on the linoleum flooring and slowly she walked down the right wing of the hallway, more then hoping that she would run into somebody to keep her company until she fell asleep.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:29 pm
A cold breeze went through the hall...
A door quickly opened next to Ama. Fran was standing there, circles around her eyes. After grimacing a second, examining her with her red eyes, she faked a smile, showing gnarled and yellowing teeth.
"Right this way, dear. Some of the hospital isn't exactly safe to explore. Go see Gloria in the resteraunt."
Throughout this speech, Fran had led and pushed Ama through the door she had come through. She was now at the glass automatic doors, And gestured at the city.
"It's not a lot, but Gloria will show you around. She's in the diner. Now, go."
Fran gave Ama a small, hostile pat on the back, and then a push.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:07 pm
There was a small whooshing sound beside her and there stood Fran, her gnarled yellowing teeth smiling in the most polite fashion she could muster; Ama gasping slightly in response to this. “I… Umm… I …” She stuttered softly as she stumbled in front of Fran, the woman’s cold hands on her back already making the hairs rise on end... After a moment of resistance she found herself in what looked to be the middle of the street, the diner only a few shops away from the doors behind her.
Her feet moved forward slowly and timidly, this street was a lot different then any she had seen before, yet nobody outside or working really seemed to notice. Ama grasped her hands tightly in front of her and continued to walk, reaching the diner in a matter of minutes and looking into the windows with a soft sigh.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:25 pm
The citizens looked at her strangely. Ama could possibly hear, if she was paying attention, a small snippet from the man in the key kiosk.
"An outsider..."
As she approached the diner, however, there was one who was obviously watching her. She rushed to the door as Ama reached the diner, and hurriedly opened it, smiling and waving rapidly. As she spoke, it seemed strangely enthusiastic, and very intense. Gloria was soon shaking Ama's hand, and pulling her into the diner.
"Hello! We're so glad to have you here! I'm so glad to have you here! Oh, I'm so happy..."
Gloria had pulled Ama to a booth upholstered in red vinyl. The diner was originally a throwback restaurant from the restaurant. It's dated nature made the contrast even stranger, as music that was now practically classical played on the loudspeaker.
Gloria sat opposite Ama. Gloria was a young woman, who looked around nineteen. She had long, braided blond hair, and was dressed in an odd flashy attire that Ama would probably have never even seen, except possibly in old historical artifacts. It had many pins attached to it, containing phrases that had been popular before Ama was even born. All in all, it was bound to be confusing.
Gloria looked intently into Ama's eyes. She spoke with anticipation and excitement laced in her breath, as if there was a river of emotions that needed to break forward.
"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, and I'll be happy to answer what I can. Then, I hope, you will answer some questions that I and everyone else have. But first, one from me."
She pulled a menu from the table and handed it to Ama, smiling very large.
"What would you like to order?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:17 pm
Almost as soon as Ama had reached the diner she was being pulled inside by a more then excitable Gloria, the nametag on her chest displaying her name proudly.
“Umm I am glad to be here… I think….” She mumbled as she looked around, the sight of the diner making her smile warmly. It had been such a long time since she had seen anything like this. Without a word she found herself sitting in one of the many red upholstered booths around the place, the sight something lost and surely only found in books. The girl sitting in front of her must have been the one that Gasten had called, she was more beautiful then Ama could have imagined and with a small sigh she tried to straighten her thoughts. “I do have a lot of questions I guess…” She spoke slowly, a very small yawn getting caught in her throat.
She listened to Gloria speak and was a bit surprised when she held out the menu, her hands shaking as she accepted it and set it down on the table. “I am sorry, I don’t have any…. Uhh… money…” She mumbled as she was distracted by the many pins and tags on Gloria’s uniform, the colors and sparkle drawing her attention to the edge.
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:23 pm
Gloria looked shocked when she mentioned money.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly think of accepting money from you! Your Gasten's guest of honor!"
She smiled happily and opened the menu in front of Ama. She continued speaking, with a smile.
"Everything here is delicious. Gasten trained us to do everything just right. He says," As she said this, she seemed to blush, "That we are the perfect workers. So please, order anything! And I mean that, anything you can think of. It doesn't have to even be on the menu!"
If Ama looked at the menu, she would notice that it was not exactly a diner's usual menu. Surf and turf, Fajitas, and fresh seafood were just a few of the things that seemed out of place.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:43 pm
"I... uhh.... Alright..." She mumbled as she looked into Gloria's eyes, her hands folding in her lap so they wouldn't scratch at the leather seats. Gloria's attitude towards Gasten seemed warm and friendly, and surely if a nice man like him was willing to not only warm her up but feed her as well, the least she could do would be to oblige him.
With a soft smile she pointed to a colorful picture of Fajitas and a strawberry milkshake.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:24 pm
A large, extremely dark raven glided lazily near the top of the sewer-pipe, a speck of sheer black against the s**t brown and radioactive greens that composed most of the landscape of the sewer-system of the once-proud Boston, Massachusetts, America. To any residents of Gasten's personal playground, it would appear that one of the larger vagaries of c**k-roach, or perhaps a Neo-spider, had gotten a bit uppity and ventured into Ospedale Torto and surrounding environs.
The bird circled, once, lazily, and perched atop the Ospedale, shrinking into the twisted shadows the deeply sadistic place cast upon itself. Strangely enough, there was little enough light, to cast much of a shadow, nor was the building all that twisted. The black cloak that emerged from the shadow shook it's head, and dismissed the shadows as an illusion, nothing more than a self-projected anomaly.
A pair of ghost-white hands emerged from the cloak, and brushed it down, a nervous motion used to check the location of various sharp and pointy things that might make a deterrent for any pursuer. Surprisingly enough to the wearer of the cloak, none of the pointy things had been transmuted when he had changed. He had to keep that in mind. Anything he didn't have on him for a day or two wouldn't pick up his aura enough to change with him.
With a general uplifting of the cloak, the figure within shrugged, and went about looking for pieces of glass, or sharp rocks sitting around. After several moments of sounds one might expect of someone trying to be quiet while performing an action that is accompanied by a multitude of sounds, the figure drew itself up, satisfied with it's haul.
Moments later, a crossbow emerged from deep within the cloak, complete with stock and rests. It was a sniper's weapon. Moving with no small deal of care, he crawled to the edge of the roof, a shadow within a shadow, and set the crossbow up. With a disappointingly non-grandiose movement, he attached a scope to the top of the crossbow, and notching a bolt painted s**t-brown (fortunately enough, not painted with s**t) into the weapon.
The cross-hairs crossed slowly on Ama, sitting jovially, and no doubt enjoying her strawberry shake. The figure shook his head. Though the girl was no doubt one of Gasten's puppets, he had come to kill somebody much, much more important. He looked through the diner, not finding his target. Under his breath, Malphas cursed, damning his misfortune. Gasten was not with this girl, this new-comer. He calmed himself, and decided that he could wait, that Gasten was worth it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:41 am
(Dun dun dunnnnn..... Why am I always in the crossed hairs?)
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