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 Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:03 pm
There had been a letter waiting at her bedside, on the first day she had been well enough to leave her room for a walk on her own. When she returned, there was no sign of entry from her new door - and yet there it was, the formal letter, sealed with a wax insignia, placed just so on her pillow. Out of sheer instinct she looked around for Andeon, before finally taking the letter and opening it.
To her surprise, it was from Invictus. Her heart stuttered before thudding faster when she read the formal invitation, and she put the paper down and stared at the wall for a second.
Memories of the Island came flooding back, as clear and fresh as the day they had happened. The day Invictus had brought her to her knees.
The only thing that pervaded that memory, was Hellma's voice. There was no denying that Riley knew she had to speak with the horsemen. No matter how the sight of them made her quake with anger and fear.
A few days later, she had followed the instructions to find the Horsemen's lair - but when she stood in front of a bathroom door, she had to re-read the entire letter first.
Was this a prank? Had she just been invited.. to a bathroom?
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:17 pm
There was a fun thing about having connections - it allowed him to hold onto the tiniest bit of information and play with it in the most proper way. In his case, Invictus had spent it writing a letter. Not just any letter - an invitation. Ink, quill, the entire shebang. Even for something as small as this, the horseman did make the effort to impress. Although if he'd ever been asked about it, he would have said that nothing about it had been an effort. However, the smallest inkling of timing had been in play for Conquest - there was no denying that the letter had been timed to arrive exactly when it had. He'd planned it, naturally.
The large door into the co-ed bathroom still had yet to have been fixed after Invictus's assault upon it, weighed down with the slightest of opening still in place. However, Invictus didn't lay beyond it. He was waiting in front of it, holding quite the arrangement of flowers in his care - Scarlet Lilies, Angrec, Peony, Lobelia... it was quite a feat that they went together so well. Had he arranged it himself? Never the less, it seemed they were indeed meant for Riley.
"Lady Mindflayer. It seems even in your confusion you have trusted my direction. Thank you." he bowed his head ever so slightly to the ghoul, respectfully so, but not enough to seem as though he would ever submit to her. No, if nothing else he likely saw her as a fascinating project. He approached, carefully offering her the bundle of flowers. "I would hope you do not find me being too forward with these. They are simply a token - nothing more." Nope. No secret message here.Never.
He looked towards the gap in the door, motioning to it with one hand. "I apologize that we have yet to have....fixed the door, but do step inside. I promise you will not be disappointed."
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:53 pm
The last time she'd laid eyes on the horseman, Riley had fainted. The time before that, she had died. Needless to say, the closer she came to Invictus, the tighter the tension curled in her muscles. As she stopped before him, she laid her hand on her chest and bowed her head slightly in response to his own. It was a gesture that her kind used as a greeting of respect. Was it respect that had her bowing her head to him, this day? Or was it something else?
And then she was handed flowers, and her hackles rose. There had only been one other person in her life who had found her fit to offer flowers, and those flowers had meant.. well, they had meant something entirely different to whatever it was that Invictus seemed to want from her. She was confident on that, at least. She took the bouquet, holding it close in admiration. That was.. very kind of you, sir. I regret I did not bring you a gift, now. I shall have to make up for it one day.
So the bathroom had not been a mistake, after all. He gestured for her to enter, and to question it would be rude. So, she did. Despite how odd the circumstances, she was glad to see that she was not entering an actual bathroom, but more of a lounge than anything. Once she had entered, however, she waited for him to join her.
I admit I was surprised to see your invitation, ah - She still couldn't pin down an appropriate way to address him. Her only choice was to take from his example, to keep from any accidental insult. Sir Invictus. Do you prefer another name?
The flowers in her hand were shaking, just slightly. It was hard to tell why.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:08 pm
"Do not worry yourself about such things as gifts. You are my guest." Invictus said, following after her through the one-person space into the lounge that he and his companions had taken over not long before.
A lounge with a throne in it, at that. Invictus would make a point to let Riley sit in it at some point during their little visit. He'd be making sure to let her taste that moment of sitting in such an important seat. Not that there were any vassals in this place - then again, it was highly unlikely many could enter that place safely when the four Horsemen held dominion over it.
At least not without an invitation. And Riley had one - a written one, even!
"Invictus is enough. It's as...simplified as I could make my true name." he spoke the words 'true name' about in the same way a demon would dance around their own name if they were asked about anything more than the name they gave freely. Did he have a name that nobody else would ever hear?
He seemed to notice that the mindflayer's hands shook, but made no effort to point them out - to tell her to be at ease around him or that he had no intentions of doing anything to her. In fact, he seemed to think it was more respectful to not point out the slight display of weakness.
"Would you like to sit in our throne? Perhaps get a feel for what your own shall feel like someday?" It was a polite suggestion, but there was this slight change in his eyes that told worlds more than he would ever speak; he was looking over Riley as a future conqueror. That was where his fascination was being held.
Anything outside of that beautiful brain of hers was irrelevant to his convictions.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:44 pm
This is a lovely place you've got here. Riley complimented, trying to give each feature of the lounge, and not focus on the throne. She was failing. It didn't help that Invictus was giving her an open invitation to sit in it. To taste her future. Her breathing staggered for a moment, and she cast him a mischievous expression.
You know me so little, and yet you know me too well, Invictus. She purred, feeling brazen as she called him by the name, despite the fact he had offered it to her. And yet, little mattered at the moment, other than the lure of the symbol of power.
She had come here for a reason.. hadn't.. she? Yes.. a reason.. what was it..?
You honor me with such an offer. I would enjoy that very much. Her voice sounded distant, just a touch conflicted, as though she warred within herself at the chance. The look in his eyes was mirrored in her own - and from an outsiders point of view, one might be convinced that Invictus had, with a simple few words and his offer, acquired Riley as his own.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:07 pm
Perhaps in his own way, Invictus was holding true to another aspect of his character. He didn't need brute force to dominate over Riley - not one with delicious ambitions like that. Nuturing them would be enough. Oh yes, enough to keep his appetite at bay - Jack only knew what he'd been up to for so many years amongst the humans. It would have been no surprise if many a great empire began as a seed of his own....fascinations with great minds.
Even if there were the occasional few he himself had found necessary to put down on his own - even through convoluted means. Funny what man would do when they earned the disapproval of their benefactor.
He offered Riley his arm as he approached the throne himself, every step as trained as every action he ever took. It was all for a reason. But even without that question, there was no denying that he hadn't just been dangling that throne above the Mindflayer's head. He approached it, up the steps, and stopped, motioning to it with one hand.
"The seat is yours, Lady Mindflayer."
He paused, waiting for her to sit before doing the one thing that none of the other horsemen would have ever gotten away with. Ever.
He removed his crown from his head and placed it upon hers. "I will deny having done this if you speak it to anybody." he warned, just to give Riley and idea of just how big that very action was. It was like an award ceremony, the entire thing; CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING KING. HERE IS YOUR BOUQUET, HERE IS YOUR THRONE, HAVE A CROWN.
There was no way it hadn't been his intention to give her that taste.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:41 pm
Riley's delicate touch rested on the arm that had been offered, until they reached the throne itself. She turned, in a swift, rounded movement, and fell to sit as though it was an action her body was made for. Her hand slid away from his arm as she did so, and both of her arms rested on the armrests. Her ankles crossed, and she looked up at Invictus with a curious gaze.
Her eyes slit thin as slits, however, when the crown was placed on her head. As entranced as she might have seemed a moment ago, Riley's piercing gaze spoke volumes of just how wary she suddenly was. It was not exactly the reaction Invictus might have hoped for.
I will not breath a word of it to anyone. She promised, before bringing her hands up to fold at her knee. I must admit, I have reservations. Why are you giving me a taste of that which you know I want? I mean no disrespect, truly. You must understand, the last time we spoke, face to face, you demanded me to fall to my knees. Now you are crowning me as though I am your queen. I am merely curious.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:04 pm
It seemed that the inquiry about his change in behavior between their meeting on the island and that moment brought a flash of pain through Invictus's head, his expression showing no hints of the pain that seered through his head. If he'd equated it to anything, he was sure that everybody else could feel how much that question had burned into his brain. That question had done more damage than the fog-machine at prom had - and fog was rather high up on his list of things he detested as of late.
"That fog on the island is not truly fog - have the students been told of it's true nature yet?" he spoke carefully, seeming to ponder if he should have told Riley what it was at all, or if she already knew. But if she had already known, would she have questioned it? There were many solutions to figuring out the answer to that, but asking directly was key.
"It should not be a surprise that I do enjoy a certain....placement at the top of the clan food chain. Conquest, or Pestilence, is the first horse to ride at the end of the world. It isn't coincidence. Subconsciously there are a lot of things that all four of us want - and wanted. Cymbeline hasn't quite.....been herself even after we were freed from that island."
That thought alone seemed to bother him - exactly because of that fog.
"Our curiosity lured us, our power ensnared us, and.... our minds twisted against us. Did you not suffer any of it's effects in your short time there? The insanity?" He seemed genuinely curious as to if Riley had gotten through that whole affair with nothing more but mental scarring from being killed and tormented by the afflicted.
Even if that had been himself.
"But your reservations against me are well founded, Lady Mindflayer. I would be more suspicious if you weren't questioning me."
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:27 pm
Riley was thrown off her game once more as Invictus' pained expression gave her pause. His response had her eyes sharpening, as she was suddenly reminded of just why she'd wanted to come here so badly in the first place. She leaned in, effectively at the mercy of his words despite the fact that it was she sitting on the throne, and she wearing his crown. As he enlightened her to the effects of the fog, certain understandings fell into place.
She'd figured out for herself that the fog was hallucinatory, simply by recalling what she'd seen within it - and what others told her they had seen. What she had not figured out, until this very moment, was the possibility that the horsemen had suffered a similar fate.
Whether or not this was the truth did not matter, as of yet. What mattered was that it made sense, and it was valuable information.
We did. She finally answered, breathlessly. We did things that I dare no longer speak of, to save the sanity of my friends who still bear those scars in our hearts. But you.. I did not think..
She took a deep breath, and said what she had come here to say. Invictus, I know there is a greater danger than the teachers dare speak of. I need to know what I can do to help. I need to know everything. At the moment, information is more important to me than.. than..
She paused for a moment, and touched the crown on her head, before slowly, reluctantly taking it off. She held it reverently in her hands, while looking at it, but eventually her eyes lifted up to the horseman. Than anything.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:05 pm
It seemed that his words were holding a special power over the demoness. However, it also seemed she hadn't been informed of the situation. Did the students know nothing? He seemed concerned. Genuinely concerned. It wasn't a usual expression for the Horseman and it would not be seen publicly. Possibly ever.
"That fog is a remnant of FEAR, at least based on my own observations as I can recall. I don't know if they said it, or I figured it out. It's mostly hazy.. but it seeps into your mind and it corrupts you. It drives you beyond your normal actions. It drove me to extremes of violence in situations where I never would have practiced it otherwise, it drove Cymbeline into spontaneous and unpredictable rages of her own." He looked to Riley and her earnest, hungry for information expression - it was like a reflection of himself a century ago. Hungry, hungry for everything (except food).
"Which wouldn't have been a problem if it had just been us."
His tone took this tone. It was a very serious and cold tone. His eyes narrowed. Invictus had expressions. Invictus never had expressions, but in that time he had expressions. His calm face was breaking down, but it just was that serious of a situation to him.
"We were safe from them. The four of us are strong - I do not mean this as a boast. I mean that alone is the reason why we....did not nearly reach a horrible situation. We have been turned against by our own, Lady Mindflayer. With that has come those who they have sided with. They are small in number compared to us, but with that they have gained from our betrayal, they have gained the means to harm us."
Invictus looked to Riley. "That island was not within Halloween. Those who live on it would not survive inside of it.
They are human."
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:56 pm
Riley was sitting in front of a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and he was telling her that this fog, the very same one that they had experienced, had manipulated him.
Him.
What little hope that Riley clung to concerning her valiant efforts to beat the oncoming menace died underfoot of that knowledge. And yet, as usual, it paled next to the phrasing Invictus had chosen to use. Once more, Riley was faced with the solemn reality that the danger was no longer some distant entity, surging towards them with claws extended.
The danger was within. Even here, safe in their warm beds, the students of Amityville were at risk. And someone, somehow, had tricked them all into this lull of safety while standing within the lion's den.
It was hard to concentrate on Invictus' revelations, after that. She was focusing so hard on wild theories as to all the possible culprits, when sudden the last word that had come from the horseman's lips pulled her attention back with a tug of great force.
She blinked.
I'm sorry. I think I mis-heard you. She turned a disbelieving gaze to him. I thought you said the island menace was human. That can't be right. I must have heard wrong. Right?
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:08 am
"You heard me correctly, unfortunately." He seemed somewhat bothered by it. "I have seen humans, Lady Mindflayer. I have seen their behavior, I have even influenced it. However, this....force, as I would call it, has gained a hand against us. Their own hands are weak.
We wouldn't even feel them.
But I have clashed with these ones. They encountered the four of us, and each time it ended with no winner." Clearly this may have been a contributing factor towards Invictus's violence on the island. For someone who was very set in his successes, no matter what it was he was doing, he'd been stalemated by humans and it probably had been a great blow to his pride.
He'd never admit that much, however. Some words were for him alone.
"They have weapons. And those weapons, from battled knowledge, were once of our kind. I have felt them upon me, I have felt what they do. We have manipulated the humans, many of our kind have hunted the humans, but now they have stopped standing for it. They have turned in retaliation towards us." His torso ached from the idea of battle, throbbing from the battle with the..thing... that had claimed this domain as it's own previously.
"I am not sure how you could go about using this knowledge without panicking the other students, however. There are too many holes - I don't know how they gained their allies of our kind, I don't know what those bodies are or how they got them."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:28 am
There were few things in this world that Riley could not comprehend. The information that was being laid at her feet left her at a complete loss, however. She struggled with it, thrashing it about in her mind. She felt so close, as if there was some lost corner to a puzzle almost completed.
How is that even possible? She quietly exclaimed, raising her hand to rest on her forehead and rub her temples. Humans. Humans!
It was impossible to swallow.
And just as she thought she had already been confused enough, Invictus spoke of the weapons themselves. She remembered confronting one of the enemy (.. had he been a human, too?!) and the feel of Fear draining from their bodies as his weapon charged using it. But a weapon made of Fear was one thing.. what Invictus was saying was entirely another.
Forgive me, I just.. don't understand. How can the weapons themselves be once of our-
A choking sound came from Riley's tentacles, the first audible sound she had made since her arrival. All of her thoughts stopped in one hard break, and her eyes widened round and fearful.
She remembered.
------
"No grand scheme!" The enemy had started getting downright cheerful by now, whatever was coming would definitely be to his benefit. "Well, if you truly want to know...the end of the story goes like this, The young loser was weakened over time and caught at leisure. He screamed and cried for days on end, but finally, finally the crying stopped. Because he had been transformed. Born an abomination, he woke to an existence the encompassed beauty, power, and the ability to balance this world. To save it." He spun the spear around and it's glow intensified, "And then he had to go deal with some monstrous little creeps because someone felt this was an ideal spot for a field trip of all things."
------
Riley's stomach churned violently. The pieces fit together in her mind, and the image the puzzle showed her was one she tried desperately to shove away in denial.
Please, Invictus. She whispered, unable to look him in the eye. Please tell me you don't mean these humans are turning our people into those.. those..
The spear glimmered in her memory, as if it was calling out to her.
She was going to be sick.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:38 am
He watched the look on her face. How it changed from one thought to another, he could see the gears turning as Riley pieced things together. Oh, she knew enough that things were connecting in an unpleasant way for her. Up there. In her head. Invictus had figured it out on his own. Snooping, investigating - the discovery that Horsemen could and would not be weaponshad been hefty enough. However, did that encompass the younger members of his clan? The weaker ones?
Being born a Horseman did not make one immediately a juggernaut like the four whom attended the school were. No, they..... definitely did not. Even Invictus had once been small and weak - perhaps even frail.
"I can't say."
It was a lie. An obvious lie. Was he lying for her benefit? But Invictus knew the answer to that question as plainly as many of the adults in Halloween Town did. Something was happening, their own people were becoming weapons - or even already had been weapons, and.....
They had more questions than answers.
"If they are, finding a way to reverse such a process, if possible, might be a worthy goal. Though I myself am not much of a scientist." So clearly he didn't have the means to do such a thing with.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 1:11 am
Normally, the words would have angered her. After coming so far, just to hear him shut down like that..
But he couldn't hear the words that were now echoing in her head.
You don't have to. One of them - one of those.. humans, the word came out in a hiss, and the hissing extended even to audible sounds coming from her tentacles. At least, I suppose it was one. He told us that his weapon was one of us. He told us of the torture it went through to become one.. all for what he claimed to be the balance of this- No, she stopped herself. It was not this world he was talking about when he said it, was he?
They had not been here, then.
To save the balance of their world. She corrected herself. Some balance. She muttered angrily. Using us..
As we use them.
She almost heard the thought as if it was someone else speaking, but it couldn't have been more than her own conscience bringing to light one glaring, important fact she was ignoring.
Halloweentown survived on Fear. Fear created by.. humans.
Riley fell silent, looking up at Invictus and searching his gaze for answers to the riddle that had suddenly taken presidence over everything.
Which side was in the right?
His eyes held no answers for her.
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