|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:05 pm
x x x x x WHO: Alex & Roux
x x x x x WHEN: 5 AM
x x x x x WHERE: The Lab
x x x x x WEATHER: Cold, and about to get a lot colder...
It was a day like any other: unassuming with plenty to do and cold.
Winter had been a delightful change from the warmer months, though it was still unusual to the Italian to be bundled in a hoodie rather than her trademark tank tops. Even the Lab's heater didn't afford her much in the way of comfort, pausing in her typing to rub her hands together just to keep her circulation flowing. The day was no different than the ones before, decked in simple jeans and a fluffy dark green hoodie that she'd pilfered from her roommate, hands covered in gloves that ended at her knuckles to give her fingertips an unencumbered nimbleness.
Alex had been working since the day before, having lost track of time as she had a tendency to do, engrossed in the lines of text that filtered across her computer screen. It wasn't until she saw her breath plume in front of her lips that she blinked out of her work-trace, tilting her head to look up at the vents. The heater had broken! Scowling, the Italian pushed herself out of her chair and turned to move around her desk, pausing as something else odd caught her eye -- the window was nearly completely frozen over.
"Cripes, that's winter for ya," she muttered to herself, rubbing her hands together before sticking them into the fleece pockets of her sweater. Nudging her office door open with her elbow, green eyes peered up and down the hallway before finding something wholly unexpected.
Roux.
Rather than put two-and-two together, completely missing the warning signs, the Italian bounded out of her room and down the hall towards the frosty Sigel, all smiles. "Roux!" she called out gleefully in greeting, shivering against her will and hunkering a little more into her sweater as the air around the avian seemed to become oppressive and condensed. Alex paused a short ways from the feathered male, not about to get in his personal space, though she did try to peer around him to find Chloe or Snowdrop or Parfait. The hallway was ominously quiet.
"Been a while," Alex said with a gentle smile. "Over a year now, huh? So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" The Italian tipped her head to the side and smiled winningly at the Sigel. It never once occurred to her that the front doors were locked, and that Roux had come from a direction within the Lab. Had she been more aware and not so wrapped up in her joy, she might have realized that something was very, very wrong...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:29 pm
Roux froze in place and his head turned slightly as he heard his name being called. Having breaking into the Lab through a frozen window in the lobby, he was expecting the Lab to be empty, or at least... the residents to be asleep.
However, he did not hear any hostility from the voice that greeted his name, perhaps this could work in his favor.
The surrounding seems to become slightly warmer as he ceased to emit the chill that follow him wherever he went, gracefully controlling his powers. Slowly he turned around to greet the person behind him. "Alex." His tone, completely opposite of the Italian's, was cold. Yes, this woman he recognize, she had always been nice to him and Chloe. Had she replaced Chloe's job now? Quietly he trailed his eyes to a door further down the corridor. True enough, the door was slightly ajar and light was shining through. Then perhaps, she could help him. Oh yes, this will definitely work in his favor.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he refrained himself from grinning crookedly. Smiling is not a feat that the old him used to portray, and although he looks different now, it is best not to alarm the woman. "Chloe, wants to find Aphismet." He knew that if he used his former guardian's name, it would probably be easier to convince Alex. "Need new address."
Address first, Kyou, Lazarus and Alex later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:49 pm
Despite the chill of his demeanor and the air, Alex's smile brightened as she was greeted. The expression, however, did well to freeze in place at the request. Chloe wanted Aphismet's new address? Her stomach sank a little, but she quickly brushed aside the negative emotions that left her throat feeling a little dry; they weren't together anymore, nor would she stand in the way of two friends. Her smile dimmed, but remained in place, a touch more gentle. "Sure," she said as amicably as she knew how, pulling one hand out of her hoodie and motioning down the hallway. "I don't know the new address by heart," she felt a small pang at that, "so I'll take you to see Kyou. He'll be happy to see you anyway!"
Redoubling her efforts at maintaining her bright smile, she skirted around the Sigel and started back down the hallway from whence Roux had come, leading the way towards the doctor's office. Something felt off, a little strange that Chloe herself hadn't come, but it was possible she didn't feel welcome in the Lab after all that had transpired. It wasn't true, not in the least, but she could understand her pink-haired friend's trepidation.
At the end of the hall, she indicated the closed door with a flourish of her cold fingers. "Here we are! Kyou is--" Alex jumped a little, both hands scrambling for something in her jeans pocket before pulling it out: a cell phone that was tinkling a quiet tune that was almost lost in her layers. Flicking her thumb over the button dismiss the alarm, she gave the Sigel an apologetic smile and motioned down the hall again. "I have to set this to remind myself to eat breakfast, hah...so, if you'll excuse me Roux, I'ma go make myself something to eat~ Come stop by before you go?" The Italian indicated the door that was still open down the hallway before she turned on heel, waggling her fingers at the Sigel with a beaming expression. "Be back later!"
And with that, the woman jogged off towards the kitchen, oblivious to her grave mistake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:19 pm
Silently Roux watched Alex jog off into the kitchen before turning around. The Sigel was about to ask her to help him look up the files for the Delaran's new address, but it doesn't matter. Roux had watched Chloe arrange some of Kyou's documents before, so he had a rough idea where to find them in Kyou's office anyway. He had wished though that the Italian wasn't in the building at all, now she will just get in his way when she knew what he was going to do.
Quietly he floated across the laboratory, looking at the Raevan tanks as he passed by. This was where he was born, where he was brought to this wretched world, full of betrayal and abandonment. Letting go of his resolve, he let the freezing chill surround him once more, causing the edges of the tanks to form a thin layer of ice.
The door handle to Kyou's office frozen stiff and was rendered useless when Roux opened the door, pushing it wide open. The room beyond was dark and silent. At least someone in this Lab is not working. Turning his head a little, he turned to look at the door to his left. If he remembered correctly, that also leads to the scientist's bedroom, or at least one of them in this building. Floating over, he press his cold palm to the room's door, and sure enough, he could feel and hear a gentle hum through the thin wooden material. The heater working perhaps? That means Kyou is inside. Grinning crookedly, he let the chill from his palm radiate out, freezing the door in place with thick layers of ice.
When he was done, the Sigel turned around to the office again, now covered in a thin layer of ice. Quietly but swiftly, he opened the drawers in Kyou's desk, looking for Rivener's and Aphismet's case files. He knew that Kyou kept the documents close, but he just wasn't sure where. After a couple moments, he finally found them, opening a file with Rivener's picture and his information on the first page, and much to his delight, a sticky note with the Delaran's new address stuck just over their old address. "Perfect." Roux whispered coldly as he snatched the yellow paper up, so convenient too. Deftly he slips the paper under his furry waist band and got up. Now that he had gotten what he came here for, he just need to finish his work.
With a soft sinister chuckle, he let his powers loose and the room almost immediately froze over. The opened drawer now encase in a block of ice and unable to budge. The temperature in the room had been reduced to that of a giant freezer's. However, although most human being would probably be freezing, Roux felt just at home. Slowly exiting the room, he stretched his wings and began to freeze the laboratory over, letting his powers go wild. This feeling of enormous power emanating from his body, it felt good. It felt really, really good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:16 pm
All the while, the researcher was oblivious to the glacier that the building was becoming, humming with a piece of cheese poking out from between her lips. Breakfast was going to be an omelet -- or at least, that was the plan until the fridge she was peering into seemed to be emitting a lot more cold than was necessary. Alex crinkled her nose and was about to fiddle with the temperature gauge when she heard a crawling, snapping crack, making her freeze in place. She listened as hard as she could, but the soft hum of the fridge made her think that maybe she'd been hearing things--
Again! The Italian stood upright abruptly, shutting the fridge and shifting to turn her ear towards the door, acutely aware that the coldness that she thought was from the fridge was continuing to seep into her bones. With a frown, Alex crossed the kitchen floor and poked her head out, turning green eyes down the hallway.
Oh.
s**t.
She immediately pulled her body back into the kitchen and plastered her back against the wall, panic gripping her chest as the cheese fell away in her surprise. There was ice everywhere! Even as she stood there, trying to kick start her numb brainmeats into functioning, she could see - could feel the tendrils of the ice creeping into the kitchen with no intent to slow. "Roux," Alex breathed with a sudden sting of tears to her eyes, her breath visible against the chill that was filling the interior of the Lab. What had happened to him? True, he'd never been the poster child for sunshine and rainbows, but this...and Chloe's absence...and--
"Cazzo!" she hissed, her eyes suddenly wide. She'd left him at Kyou's office! If the ice was creeping here, then the office--!
Fear for another's well being kicked her into action, darting away from the wall and making a beeline for the broom closet, yanking open the doors. Her sharp eyes darted around the bottom of the storage space until she found what she was looking for -- propane tanks, the ones they used for the big get-together's to fuel the portable barbeque's. Cold fingers gripped the circular collar of the nearest one, hefting it with a small grunt beneath her arm as her eyes sought out the second piece of her immediate plan, and there--a special nozzle used to affix to the top of the tanks for removing ice from the walkways during this time of year. Snatching it off the shelf, Alex turned and ran out of the kitchen, sliding once she reached the hallway and colliding with the opposite wall. The ice is moving fast! she noted, resolve in her narrowed eyes. Leaning against the wall to minimize her slippery footing, she jogged towards the place she'd last seen Roux.
Unsurprisingly, he wasn't there. Judging by the slow creep of ice, it seemed he'd moved deeper into the Lab - or at least higher, maybe to the second floor. Not wanting to speculate and waste precious time, Alex started to affix the hose to the top of the tank, green eyes snapping around the office that was left open, a sickness settling in her gut. It was almost beautiful, if it wasn't so terrifying -- Kyou's office, or a perfect replica of it in ice, as if time had passed them by but the office was unchanged. Her gaze fell upon his private quarters, her stomach feeling like it had fallen to her toes: it was completely frozen over. It seemed that she was going to use the tank now rather than to get out of the rapidly freezing building.
"Kyou!" she called in a strangled whisper, realizing at the last second that being loud and attracting a raging Sigel was not the smartest idea she'd ever had. Biting her lip, she carefully set the tank down a short ways from the door, briefly double-checking the nozzle attached to it before setting her finger on the trigger. Alex knew the makeshift torch wasn't safe given that the hose was supposed to be used on a smaller tank, but she was no stranger to doing dangerous tasks in a dangerous time. Drawing in a breath, she loosened the valve on top of the tank and squeezed the trigger.
Even from outside, anyone passing would be able to see the sudden blast of white-hot flame that lit up the office, the steady, concentrated stream blazing directly against the door and spattering over the walls and windows. Alex didn't ease up on the pressure until the wall she was looking at was liquid and char more than ice and...well, anything distinguishable, really...
Sealing the valve and hoisting the tank up, she heaved the bottom of it against the fragile remains of the ice block, knowing that if Roux was going to be alerted to her efforts, he would already be on his way to stop her. "Kyou!" she called out as the tank made a dull thumping sound against the door, the ice effectively removed. Tossing the tank aside, she gripped the door frame and began to kick as hard as she could against the swollen wood, aiming for the door knob. If at least one of them could get out...if at least one of them could get help...!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:37 am
Having left to deal with more immediate threat, Roux had left the laboratory to slowly freeze on it's own as he went upstairs, coating the steps with a thick layer of ice to prevent anyone from coming up. The Sigel is unfamiliar with this floor, having not come up here much before. However, he knew that Lazarus's room is on this floor somewhere. Although he was not sure what the fire Raevan is capable of, but he knew that any Raevans, especially Sigels like himself, could pose as a very serious threat to him. Floating at the end of the narrow hallway, six doors lined up the walls on both sides. Roux did not know which is the fire Sigel's room, but he isn't going to take any chances.
Opening his palms and stretching his arms forwards, he flapped his strong wings once before a gush of chilling wind blew through the corridor. Ice started to form and crawl along the walls where the wind passed, like a crawling, freezing plague invading the halls. The ice Raevan cocked a smirk as he slowly floated forwards, touching the ice on the doors to form a thicker layer, further strengthening the barrier. With the ice this thick, even the fire Raevan would have problems breaking out. Finally reaching the final door on his right, coincidentally belonging to Lazarus's room, he lets out a chilling chuckle that echoed eeriely through the empty hallway as he added an extra thick layer in front of it, letting his power run loose. The resulting ice barrier was so thick that the ice nearly blocked the entire hallway.
His work is done here.
But wait, isn't there someone he nearly forgotten? Oh yes.
Turning around, he returned in the direction whence he came, floating down the now useless staircase with a gentle flap of his wings. That was when he saw it - a flickering... no, judging by the amount of light he is seeing, it is definitely more than just a candle light. Rushing towards the laboratory doors, he blasted the swinging doors open, his raging chill freezing the doors in place as they stilled from the abrupt movement, now no longer swinging.
"Alex." An eerie whisper escaped his lips as he flared his wings.
The Italian was about to kick on the door when the Sigel swooped in through the open doors swiftly, grabbing a hold of her fore arm and pulled her away before her kick landed on the door. "What are you doing?" His face was contorted with livid madness as the spot where his hand met with Alex's arm began to freeze.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:06 am
Suddenly jerked away from the door, Alex whirled around to Roux, her eyes wide and her expression desperate. "Roux, you're going to hurt--"
And then she saw the madness in his face.
As the coldness began to seep through her sweater, the Italian knew helplessness. Her green eyes were held by his sick bright blues, feeling the fingers of fear tightening in her chest, realizing -- seeing that there was no reasoning with Roux. What she was staring at was a shell of the Raevan she knew and loved, and in his place...a monster. Chloe, she tried to whisper, but the unnatural ice was making her breathless, stealing her will to move as her breathing became labored. The pain of the intense cold crawling over the scars of wounds inflicted almost an exact year ago was beginning to put spots into her vision, lungs tightening against the sudden crash of agony.
Alex knew her mistake, then, but it was too late. She should have called Aphismet, should have gotten out and come back with help instead of playing the hero, she should have seen that Roux was dead...
All the shoulda, coulda, woulda's in the world couldn't change the present, and as Alex was enveloped by the cold darkness that blotted her vision, sagging against the Sigel, all she could feel was a sad acceptance. If anyone was hurt, if anyone died -- it was on her. "Roux," she whispered again, her breath crystallizing in front of her bluing lips, her free hand gripping his vest. No further words escaped her, and as her head lolled downwards, regret holding hard and fast to her heart, Alex succumbed to the darkness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
