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 Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:04 am
This is a PRIVATE RP between: Malo and Atticus
Where: Hearts; a warm, sunny afternoon.
What's happening: Atticus and Malo speak for the first time since Atticus has been framed for the murder of a horse.
Atticus's brief stint in Spades had been somewhat of a welcome respite. Sure, he hurt most of that time, but he did get a chance to see the world outside of Hearts and make a friend in the process. He'd never known what it was like to have a real friend, before. He wasn't the sort to get close to anyone, but the eevee had seen him at his weakest and he'd developed somewhat of a fondness for the wimpy boy. He'd gotten beaten for standing up for him, after all.
But he was home, now. Ivan wasn't too thrilled, but was understanding once he saw the poor boy's bruised face. He felt responsible. He shouldn't have made him go to Spades all alone, like that. He did seem somewhat more cheerful, now, though.
Now back, though, he had to resume his duties. The insect boy held his broom tightly, swishing it back and forth as he swept the steps that led up to the castle. He hated sweeping.
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:18 am
The revenge thing was just revenge, but...Malo liked it. The reactions. The drama he had caused. It was just like one of his plays! The reaction...perhaps that was why he would target today- and many more times- Atticus as the victim of his pranks. He loomed at the top of the stairs and waited for the Venipede to almost be done...
and then, he struck. He shot out from around the corner, hat almost falling off his short-haired head, long coat billowing behind him. With him, came an upturned bag of flour, tracking all the way down the stairs.
Malo turned, smirking a bit cooly but in a sickingly friendly manner. "You know, I didn't think they let horse killers live. Preston was so very upset when he heard." He impersonated the Noctowl, whom he still lived with but saw less and less of as he roamed about more. 'A nice boy like that?! He always came and borrowed books...and nice books! Anatomy and story books. I was hoping to take him on as an apprentice one day.' He drifted back over, having...grown a bit since their last meeting, his bright fangs sparkling down at the bug.
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:23 am
Oh, he would have loved to have been Preston's apprentice. He surely would have appreciated it more than Malo. To know the Noctowl he admired thought less of him caused a strange ache in his chest, but he did his best to ignore it.
Instead, he gave a rather exasperated sigh and began swishing the broom yet again, sweeping the flour mess down the stairs. It wouldn't do any good to yell or carry on. He'd just make himself look crazier, he was sure of it.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" He muttered quietly, his emerald eyes casted downwards, watching each shift of the bristles. He wanted so badly to cause bodily harm to the older boy.
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:34 am
Malo frowned, not getting the reaction he wanted. He wanted the target to go apeshit on him, but he was almost reserved, just quietly picking up the mess the ghost had made. That was so BORING!
He continued to smile though, landing portside of the little helper. "I really don't, to be honest. They don't give guys like me chores because I just make a big mess of them." He reclined on the stairs like it was the most comfortable chair.
"So I've come to see how the horse whisperer, oops...murderer is doing. Chopping up anything else and poking it with sticks? It sure is dank down here, isn't it?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:44 pm
"Oh right, you're so irresponsible you can't work. Lazy lump on a log." The insect boy muttered as he continued to swish the little broom back and forth. Malo was growing up so fast and he was still so small. This so wasn't fair, an older boy picking on a younger one! He did his best to remain resolute, but his temper was starting to flare, noted in the small twitch of his right eye.
"I didn't kill that horse and you know it. Why don't you just go away?" The boy gritted his teeth as he swept a fairly large pile on to the next step. At this rate, he was going to be down here damn well near forever.
"Or do you not have anyone who can stand your company?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:20 am
Malo grinned from ear to ear, peeking out from under the wide brim of his hat- one of his newest prides. He felt it made him look rather tough.
"I'm not lazy, I just don't do chores. There's a difference between being lazy and being unproductive." He yawned. "But I am feeling lazy today." He stretched out, popped his fingers, and settled back onto the stairs.
"No-one knows if you killed it or not. All the evidence points to you." He was still relishing the look on the boy's face from that night. "And if you tried to tell them different you might not be so lucky with your punishment." He stretched again and gave another yawn.
"I have lots who will tolerate me, but I haven't seen you in so long. How have you been? Getting enough to eat? Been reading anything interesting lately? You know, I could bring you books from the library at any time."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:23 am
"You're getting flour all over your a** and back." The boy allowed himself to relish in the zing of a swear word as he swept around the great, big, slug of a ghost. Annoyed, definitely. He was trying so, so, so hard to not seem so, but it was difficult. He knew he couldn't argue his innocence and it was the most frustrating thing. He hated being accused. He hated that his favorite horse was dead and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He felt so powerless...
But at least his head was connected to his shoulders and he wasn't rotting in a prison cell.
"Plenty to eat, not read so much lately... Ivan says he's gonna take me to the liberry one day, though."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:35 am
Malo shrugged. "Eh. It comes off easily." His eyes never left Atticus and he showed his little fangs off in a wide grin. He was happy they hadn't killed him, to be honest, and he felt satisfied with the situation.
"Ivan, huh?" He liked Ivan. The Golurk wasn't exactly friendly, but he did willingly let Malo into the dungeons to feed, as long as he didn't kill or get underfoot. Now that he was old enough, Preston had stopped collecting life energy from the prisoners. Let the lazy bum do it himself.
Speaking of which, he was feeling a bit peckish, the flame in his stomach glowing a little less brilliantly. "When you're done sweeping this mess, I want you to escort me to the dungeons. I'm hungry." He'd never really explained to Atticus what he ate and he was unsure if anyone had told the bug. "I'll even let you watch if you want to."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:52 am
Malo was creepy, no doubt about it. Atticus knew what he was capable of and his eyes felt like searing hot pokers as they trailed him. He continued to sweep, doing his best to keep get all the little traces of flour off of the stairs. If they weren't nice and clean, he'd be in for it for sure. Ivan hadn't used corporal punishment against him, but he did not like physical pain and feared it.
"What do you eat, anyway?" He asked as he swept the last bits of flour into the dustpan. He hopped down the stairs a few steps at a time, carefully balancing the pan, before scuttling to the waste bin that sat near the front desk.
He plopped down in the great, big ol' chair and carefully wrote Malo's name in the guest log. He was glad it was easy, cos he still wasn't the most proficient speller. He was glad Ivan let him keep the logs, though.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 12:02 pm
Malo got up and dusted himself off as the other hurried to the waste bin. The Lampent floated after and looked from above at the log. It said his name more than 8 times on the one page. They didn't seem to get a lot of visitors, save the odd grieving lover or child.
"I eat essence." He answered bluntly. "Life energy. Not exactly a soul, but similar. Its accumulated energy they've built up over a long time, sort of like leftovers. They don't spend it in the day, but it aids in their longevity when they're older and helps them get over colds and such. They get it back in time."
Here he floated a few inches from Atticus' face. "They don't like me taking it from people who don't deserve it." He said eerily. "I lured a teen from the village away once and Preston had to send a letter of apology." He snickered. "So I get my food from the dungeons now. Prisoners who won't be missed." He licked his tongue over his lips. "And do you know how life energy is extracted?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:14 am
Once he was certain his writing was beautiful and Malo's name and the date were perfectly written, at least in his mind, he dipped the quill back in the ink pot and he set the log back on the thick, sturdy, wooden desk to dry. He blew on it gently, an antenna flicking slightly as he listened to Malo's explanation.
"That doesn't sound very filling. A wonder they don't even suspect you." He'd already fed on someone, someone from another village no less, and they just let him roam free like that? Well, he couldn't make too much of a stink about it. They thought he a horse killer and he was still alive and made trips here and there from time to time. Poor Preston... And poor Rhett. He hadn't seen his first dad in so long, now. It made him feel so down. He missed him. He missed curling up in bed and reading stories at night. He missed the horses and running amok.
But here he had Ivan. He had books. He had all he could want, really. A shame his name had to be smeared in mud to get it.
"No, how?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:37 am
But Malo, the tricky devil, had vanished and was already making his way down the hall. "I'll show you." He called over his shoulder, reappearing as more than just a flame in the chest. . The cells here made him feel contained, internally, and their bars were stronger than any of the farm hands could pull apart. He never really thought about it, but it was a perfect prison. You could escape the chains and the cells, but Alice help you if you did. The castle the dungeons lead into was a labyrinth for those who didn't know of its corridors and hallways.
Malo was so lost in thought that he didn't notice they had hit the end of the dungeon. He stared in at the middle aged man who was decaying from the outside in. He'd been here a while.
"Abbicus." He called to the youngling. "This is how a soul is extracted." He vaporized through the bars and drifted towards the prisoner, his face solomn, his eyes covered, but that goofy smile never leaving his face.
"I've come to set you free, friend."
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:48 pm
Another antenna twitched and the frown that had seemed permanently engraved on the insect boy's face seemed to fade slightly as he followed Malo down the maze-like halls. He wasn't sure he really wanted to see, yet he knew he had to. His own natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge would see to that, but even if that failed, he had the sneaking suspicion that Malo would force him to watch at some point in time or another.
Atticus knew these halls well, just as he knew the prisoners well, and knew where the ghost boy was headed, even if Malo wasn't that sure. He followed closely, his shoes scuffing the stone floor. The sound echoed down the halls, heralding the arrival of visitors to those who were caged and away from the public eye.
He hated it when he was called "Abbicus." It bothered him. It wasn't the name Rhett had given him. He really missed Rhett. Even thinking about the golduck caused pangs of sadness and regret. Rhett was disappointed in him now. He hadn't seen him in what felt like forever.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:18 pm
The old prisoner seemed joyful. "R-really? They know I was falsely arrested then! Oh, happy day!" He was a broken, ancient thing where the wrinkles on his face outnumbered his age. He had calloused, strong hands that seemed to sag with excess skin and muscle that had not seen work or light in many days. Malo's chest fire seemed to flare up as he licked his lips.
"Yes, friend. That's right. Just relax and I will take you a thousand miles away." His lips pulled back in almost an alien fashion, revealing his gums and his teeth. His fangs became cloaked in a white, ethereal fog and extended into long, gnashing monstrosities. They were like a great insect's. He forcefully rammed his face against the prisoner's their lips locking.
The prisoner gave a muffled whimper, their eyes locked. The ghost's were cold and unforgiving and hungry. They seemed to invoke a real fear in the man. The kiss was a long, loveless one with a horrible slurping noise. Dollops of silver light dropped onto the floor as Malo fed on that life's essance he spoke of. This man didn't have much left.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:30 pm
Atticus knew this old man. Sometimes he felt what might have been pity for him, but it wasn't a strong enough emotion to warrant feeling any true concern for the man's well being. He balked, but not out of fear for the prisoner, but disgust and confusion. He didn't like this, but quickly straightened himself and regained his usually nonchalant composure. His bright, vibrant green eyes took in the entire display and that familiar frown tugged at the edges of his lips.
He mentioned he wouldn't kill the prisoners, but it looked much like that. He doubted Ivan would be very happy to return to a dead man rotting in one of the many cells. Even if they did keep them incarcerated and sometimes torture them for much needed information, they were still caring for these miserable heaps of flesh and meant to keep them alive until they were either freed or executed.
"Doesn't seem very filling at all." He repeated his verdict once more and crossed his little arms.
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