Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 13, 2006 9:09:09 GMT 12
Seraphim ignored her, hanging a silver strip of cloth next to the blue one. He didn’t give a damn if she was uncomfortable – how long must it have taken Serenity to die? They said that being stabbed or shot in the lung was the most painful way to go. Seraphim twitched visibly and pulled his thoughts away from Serenity again. Had to stop thinking about her, or he’d go crazy.
Seraphim gave her another prod with his knife and caught sight of Daisuke’s purple-dyed hair behind a pile of rubble a moment before the Japanese cyber genius threw himself over the fallen concrete wall and came to walk beside Seraphim and his captive. Daisuke was completely silent, but Seraphim could see him flicking his gaze towards the Vampire girl as Castle Smoke loomed into view, wind turbines spinning slowly at its side.
The rest of Airforce-three appeared beside them, and they were escorted into Castle Smoke’s main hall by four children with white symbols on their faces and dirty clothing.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 13, 2006 9:26:58 GMT 12
She was getting nervous. If they talked, it would be one thing; she wouldn't even mind - well, not too much - it they beaten her. It would show some reaction from their part, at least. But the silence was unnerving her, with that ominous feeling if doom. Dancer shifted uncomfortably, fighting not to walk on the tip of her toes. And they were silent still. What one can play, two can as well. She kept her mouth firmly shut, looking at the white-marked Cigarettes with what she hoped was a distant Vampire gaze. Mina mastered it to the point of perfection, yet Dancer was not used to stare at people that way. She was not used to be so close to them, either.
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Seraphim
Administrator
King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 13, 2006 14:33:55 GMT 12
Seraphim hustled the vampire through the building, rather more roughly then was strictly necessary. It was silent procession that made its way from the barricaded doors of the building, through decrepit walls painted white and blue, past doors open and closed, into the great hall. It was really the remains of four rooms with the walls smashed in to form one large meeting hall. Chairs of all types, shapes, and states of repair were scattered around the floor and stacked against the walls. At the head of the room, Alexander had built a platform – a sort of stage, really – and on that stood two large chairs. One for the Master, one for the Beta. How many times had Seraph straddled the smaller of the two chairs and glared at the rest of the Cigarettes while Serenity talked?
Seraph pointed quietly to the stage, where Reason was already standing. She had her airgun drawn and was fidgeting nervously. She had been in New Pork only a few months when Serenity had died – but she felt the loss acutely, too. She folded her hands on her lap, her gun pressed underneath.
Seraph pulled himself onto the stage and waited for the Vampire to get herself up. Most of the Cigarettes had heard that there was a Vampire in the building and were all milling and gathering underneath them. They wanted to see justice done for Serenity – they would probably think it of little consequence that the murderer had already been punished by Mina effing Crow.
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 13, 2006 14:47:41 GMT 12
Dancer kept pace with the escort, walking as silently as she could. She might not manage Mina's gaze, but she kept her stance even with her hands bound; she would not allow them to see her cower. She walked the brink of death every time she stepped onto her wires, it wouldn't be a group of white-painted faces to bring her down. Thus she calmed herself as she walked. Her greatest fear, though, was not with the Cigarettes, but with Mina. Gods, the woman knew how to scare the s**t out of you, and in the next moment she was all caring and protective of her own. Not much hope of protection right now.
Keeping a regal pose to the best of her capabilities, Dancer stepped up the stage, cold gaze not even flicking to Reason. She knew many of the presents by sight, by the casual watch through her lenses. They were too close now but she wouldn't go down. She could not.
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Seraphim
Administrator
King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 13, 2006 15:00:23 GMT 12
Now came the fun part. Seraphim had to explain who this was and whats she was doing in Cigarettes territory. He’d have to outline how she was to be treated and take votes on what actions were to be taken in revenge of Serenity – no. This was a revenge mission, was it? This, this was leverage. Maybe Seraph could swap this Vampire for the one who had killed Serenity – No, there his mind went again. The tangent that was Serenity kept attaching itself to his mind and sticking there as if it belonged.
Seraphim pocketed his switchblade and glanced out over the milling tribe. Daisuke crouched on a the side of the stage, head to one side. He had his laptop in one hand and was typing away like a maniac. He typed so much, it was a wonder he had enough disk space left – then again, he could save it all on the internet, couldn’t he?
Reason cleared her throat, more as a cue to Seraphim to begin than anything else. Seraph cast her a dark look and she shrugged innocently. Seraphim twitched and turned back to the tribe. They were expectantly quiet. Their Master closed his eyes, paused for a moment, then glared out at them.
“Tell them why you’re here, who you are, and what you expect us to do to you,” Seraphim said to the Vampire.
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 13, 2006 15:13:38 GMT 12
"Right... And you listen quietly", she mumbled, loud enough just for him and Reason to hear. With a touch of insolence, she shook her chaotic hair and gazed at the gathered Cigarettes, not really seeing them. "My name is Dancer. I am a scout for the Vampires, as you can see." The pride on her voice was almost palpable. "Your dear leader there", she flicked her head on his direction, "had lighted what cannot be named any other thing but a beacon. I decided to investigate. That's my job, after all. But your friend has keener senses than I would like him too - and therefore I'm here." Of course she wouldn't say what she expected them to do with her. They would have to do the dirty job by themselves. Still staring at nothing, she waited for some reaction. the mute sound of the laptop keys was making her nerves twitch.
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Seraphim
Administrator
King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 13, 2006 15:31:51 GMT 12
Seraphim swore loudly and lashed out at her, his hands at her throat. Reason made a strangled noise, having grabbed her gun already. She replaced it, not quite sure it was the wisest thing to do. The crowd below was even quieter now than they had been before, if that was even possible. They were unmoving, too, the Cigarettes, and even Daisuke had stopped making any noise. His laptop humming was almost the only noise apart from Seraphim’s rapid breathing.
Seraph twitched and pushed the Vampire to the ground before throwing himself off the stage with and walking at a rather rapid pace through the crowd. It parted like the red sea before Moses, milling back into position as the door was slammed shut.
Reason glanced at the Vampire. Seraph had quite a grip.
[Sorry for the powerplay / Godmod, eh?]
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 13, 2006 16:30:19 GMT 12
[No problem. Just don't hack her to pieces - yet.]
Dancer tried to dodge Seraphim as he flew at her, but to no effect. Her bound hands affected her balance, and he hit her with all his fury, shaking her violently. She gasped desperately for breath as he threw her down, her arms smashed under her body on a painful knot. She could not even scream, breathless as she was. Don't kill me! Her self-control had shattered, and the thought flooded her mind, filling every recant. And his expression, mirroring Mina's now more than ever - her blood-lusting fury at the mention of a single word, the killing spree she had gotten into - that scared Dancer more than everything else. She could not move without cringing from the pain, so she stood there, sprawled on the floor, trying not to inhale too deeply, her hair even more chaotic than usual, eyes opened wide and tanned skin bleached white with stark terror.
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Seraphim
Administrator
King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 13, 2006 16:54:43 GMT 12
Slightly taken aback, Reason cleared her throat once more and told the assembled Cigarettes to get going. They obeyed with much murmuring and muttering, robbed of their fun. They filed out of the room, Daisuke at their tail with his laptop, recording everything. He’d have a story to send his remaining relatives, or maybe the papers. Wouldn’t that be something? Someday, when they were all dead and gone, their story would be found and published for the world to read. For the Adults to see that they were wrong and right about the children of the sandstorm.
Reason dropped her voice to a lower octave and let her Irish accent run rife with her words as she began setting the Vampire on her feet. She didn’t really feel anything for the girl – but then again, she did, in a way. Pity because the girl had seen Seraphim on a bad day, and was going to have to deal with it for a while longer.
“Come on, lass. Ah think maybeh yeh should let meh take yeh to teh cehls, eh? Be able teh get rid of them-there bindin’s.”
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 13, 2006 17:15:32 GMT 12
Reason's voice was a surprise. So much time spent watching people, Dancer had begun to imagine how their voices would sound; she had ever been too far to really hear them. She'd never supposed Reason had an Irish accent. But then, that hardly bothered her now. It was one of those ridiculous details that popped into the mind when all the thoughts were jumbled. Hissing through her teeth, due to the ringing bones and flesh, Dancer rose to her feet with the Cigarette's help. "Thank you", she whispered hoarsely. The girl was still terribly pale, and her legs were shaking slightly as she leaned heavily on Reason, unable to regain some composure just yet.
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 14, 2006 12:31:13 GMT 12
Reason grunted. This was completely un-cigarettes behavior of her, but she felt vaguely responsible for Seraphim’s sudden rage. It wasn’t her fault, but she could just as well promote the Cigarette’s position of neutral. She had already suggested turning the tribe into a sort of new CARE or Amnesty International – only for the other tribes – but the idea had been turned down. The Cigarettes, and Seraphim, didn’t want to be responsible for the welfare for clans that would readily rip them apart once they had served their purpose. All the same, Reason felt obliged to do good - even for this Vampire.
Of course, the Vampire probably wouldn’t have been expecting Reason’s accent – a lot of people didn’t expect it, partly because she hid it most of the time by echoing the voices of those around her. It had always annoyed her classmates and parents, but it was useful in this war-torn city. She could make amends or break promises that for other people as long as she wasn’t seen.
Reason reached into her red suede boots and pulled out a small pocketknife. She opened the blade and sliced through the nylon tripwire around the Vampire’s wrists before motion to a side-door.
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 14, 2006 13:02:15 GMT 12
Dancer worked her arms carefully after Reason had cut through the bindings; her shoulders had been cruelly shoved to the floor, and the position she had been on didn't help a bit. Her hands were dormant as she rubbed her strained wrists, creating an uncomfortable feeling. Seraphim had not been gentle - Dancer would wear the bruised marks of his attack for days. Her neck clicked as she rotated it tentatively, and her breathing was a rasp sound on the quietude of the hall. It was best checking her muscles before trying to walk. So far as she could tell, there were no broken bones, yet she didn't wish to crumble to the ground in front of the Cigarettes' beta. Too much pain already.
After a long moment, shifting her feet around, Dancer finally followed Reason's indications, her gaze fixed on the air ahead. She had to detach herself from the situation, from the severe beating she had just suffered, as otherwise she would fall indeed.
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 15, 2006 12:55:33 GMT 12
“The more pride, the harder you fall,” Reason murmured in Daisuke’s smooth monotone voice, and made leapt of the stage to pad towards the doorway. Her boots scuffed the dirty floor, throwing up dust motes that glittered like brazen bronze in the pale light of the low-watt bulb glowing on the roof. Daisuke and Kazuko’s wind turbines weren’t quite large enough to provide enough power for lights of any higher wattage.
Reason threw her shoulder against the door, pressing down on the handle. The door opened slowly, jammed in the uneven frame. Reason kicked it a few times and it lodged open, leading in an ill-lit hall. Store-rooms and cells lined the walls, storage cupboards and larger linen walk-in cupboards. Some of the cells were full – with errant Cigarettes or the few prisoners that the tribe took – and the storerooms were mostly bulging so that the entire basement of the building had been converted into further storage.
Reason picked up the paraffin lamp that sat next to the door, flicking it on. Light flooded the hallway and the rustling in the cells became still for a moment, then reassumed with greater urgency. Reason drew the master key from her pocket and went in search of an empty cell, trusting the Vampire to follow.
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 15, 2006 22:06:11 GMT 12
Dancer had no real choice but to follow the Cigarette, still working her wrists. Gods, Seraphim must have dreamed she would slip off the bindings, the way her hands had been tied. They would have black and purple spots on the next days, mirroring her neck. Stupid brute. Coward. She still felt the spots where he had jabbed her with the handle of his knife, as well. It was said the Cigarettes were adverse to violence - yet he had proved quite the contrary. Still, she was a Vampire, and the hatred between the tribes was mutual. Hopefully the fire torture was false... Better not to linger too much on that thought.
Walking behind Reason, Dancer started to twitch. The dim hallway was way too small for her, and the cells would probably be even worse. The terrifying feeling of being enclosed started creeping upon her, bringing her nerves to an edge. Unconsciously, she shifted closer to Reason - it was not the darkness, but the imprisonment, the blurred memory of a chain, that made her eyes bulge and her skin pale at the mere thought of it. The rustle in the cells brought remembrance of flapping wings, caged beings. Too close...
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 17, 2006 8:38:45 GMT 12
Reason tapped one of the doors. No response. Slipping the key into the lock, the Cigarettes Beta thrust the door open. The room was empty of life. A low bench-bed had been moved into the cell quite carefully, now jammed at the far end. A chamber pot could be seen under the folds of the old-drapes blankets. It was dark in the cell, but it face outwards and had a window through which light streamed. Of course, the window had been replaced by Alexander as the original had been merely a frame, with no glass left.
Reason examined the room. It’d do – at least it had a window. Most of the cells didn’t, and those on the other side of the hall certainly didn’t. Reason withdrew from the doorframe and tapped her feet expectantly. Dust and ashes tickled her nose and she suppressed a sneeze.
There were lavatories down the hall and a dark interrogation room nestled at the very end, door painted black. It was hardly ever visited, that room, but the knowledge that it was there scared the sh.it out of a lot of the prisoners.
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 17, 2006 9:47:39 GMT 12
Fidgeting nervously with her fingers, trying to keep some degree of control over herself, Dancer looked from Reason to the dim cell. After a few seconds, she shrugged and moved into the cell, sighing – which provoked an immediate cough, as the dust lifted by her steps filled her lungs. Her throat was in flames, the cough bringing up convulsions on her mistreated muscles. Leaning heavily on the closest wall, the girl fought to regain her breath, rasping sounds echoing on the small room, all thoughts of Reason and composure forgotten in her struggle.
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
Posts: 382
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Post by Seraphim on Mar 18, 2006 9:26:34 GMT 12
“Claustrophobia?” Reason asked politely as she began dragging the cell door closed. “Nasty, isn’t it?” Her voice was a copy of Seraphim’s again now, and it scared her a little – she shouldn’t be saying that sort of thing, least of all in Seraph’s voice. Reason shuddered and jammed the door closed before flicking the letterbox-catflap-observationflap open. She peered inside.
“You get used to it, eventually.”
[Seraph’ll come and apologize / rant once he’s finished with Rattlesnake, yeah?]
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Mar 18, 2006 9:46:07 GMT 12
Eventually Dancer regained her breath. "It's not... Claustrophobia..." she muttered, panting still. God, the girl's voice - how could she do that? Why would she? Better to ignore her than to grovel at her feet, and the anger Dancer felt at Seraphim's voice was something to hold on to. Coward, that's what he is. And that girl is not there... She is not there...
Crossing the cell, she looked through the window. The sun was still shining, yet its light seemed at both times compelling and dull. Depressing. Locked. It was best to ignore that, too. With a desperate sigh, Dancer sat down on the bed, her hands over her face.
[It seems I've just used the quote on my signature. Nice. By the way, it's not claustrophobia. Dancer would feel the same if she had the sky over her yet was bound to one place. It's the lack of freedom. And the dark... But that I'll leave for her dream, soon to come. Sure, when that accursed fight is over...]
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