Paridon: The Dark Metropolis (Ravenloft)

[industrygothica]

Darian hears Ru's voice--hazy, from a far off place. He sees nothing, just her eyes--scared and haunting, bloodshot.

Blood. It wakes him, dripping from her arm and landing on his, creeping slowly up his raised arm under his shirt cuff, surely leaving a stain as a reminder of his guilt.

"No," he says, whispering. Gently he lays her on the ground, his face next to her cold mask. "W-what've I done?" His voice is desperate, pleading. "Please don't hate me. I only wanted..." Darian stops when a tear splashes on her mask. "Forgive me..." His long fingers gently trace the length of her arm, and his words trail as he stands, his emotion nearly overtaking him.

"Ru, Calahan? What say you we leave Darian to go speak with Alek?"

Darian meets his partners' eyes and nods as he removes a cigar from his breast pocket. "We will be fine. You have my word."

 

[kinem]

Father Berman looks on, startled, but willing to tolerate some unpleasantless towards a woman of low morals if it got results.

"We must know the truth" he says "or questioning Alek will yield little."

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

The paladin glances about at his companions. "Ru, Calahan? What say you we leave Darian to go speak with Alek?"

Calahan nods silently, and will leave the room as soon as he sees the others ready. [From here, please take over, IVV! ]

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Everyone files out of Marionette's cell. Ru looks back at Darian, crumpled over Marionette. Darian looks at Ru intently through tear-stained eyes one last time to assure him that all is well. Ru breaks eye contact and heads out, blinking madly--it feels like something got in his eye. It passes quickly, though. Must have been an extra eyelash.

The door is closed behind the party with a THUNK.

The party leaves Marionette's cell behind.
​

Mogson meets up with the Rose Company, leading them to Alek's cell. "So... Darian's not coming? I--no, I won't ask. Not my place, not my concern."

The cell door is opened. Inside, the cell grows white. Alek lounges on the floor, atop a fluffy white cottony pillow. The floor beneath him, and the walls nearby are streaked with white, as if a lily-colored lichen advances from Alek, growing slowly. Mogson shakes his head and quickly excuses himself again.

Alek speaks. "Ah! Gentlemen! Please, come in, pull up a chair and sit down!" Of course, there are no chairs in the cell. There should not even be the pillow, or the white. "What? Oh, Darian is not joining us? Oh, dear, I suppose he needs to be with Marionette right now. I must admit, it's an interesting choice. For most people, Marionette isn't their favorite. Sasha's a clever seductress, and Kitten's always eager to please, but Marionette usually wants to be left alone."

* * *​

THUNK.

As Darian watches the door close, Marionette scrambles into the corner. She looks at her arm, where the blood was drawn, and tries to wipe it away. With only chains for hands and a keyhole for a mouth, however, all she manages to do is to smear the blood further across her arms and face. She cowers and whimpers in the corner, not even daring to look at Darian.

* * *​

"Ah, well, I'm sure she's in good hands."

With a pause he adds, "Oh, by the way, Torhan, how is Sasha? Are you keeping your love down here, where others won't see it?"

[sblock=ooc]Photo by puggirl365 of the dungeons of Warwick Castle.
[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

Torhan is really not in any mood to deal with the deceptive little gnome. The paladin momentarily wonders how many of the man's teeth he could knock out with a punch of his gauntleted hand. Then, he calms himself, trying to be tactfully diplomatic. "That's a very good question, Alek...where is Sasha? She disappeared while we were out retrieving you, and nobody seems to know where she got herself too."

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Alek rocks back on his pillow. "Goodness, no! She's gone missing? But I thought the two of you were an item! That's no way to treat you, Torhan."

Alek sighs. "Listen, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Sasha is a seductress and a liar of the highest degree. Are you sure that she has feelings for you? I personally wouldn't trust anything that she would say, which is why I had to get your word on our wager when we first met."

He leans in to Torhan. "Tell you what: if you think she's gone, I think she's still here. I'll wager with you. If she's found here in the police station, she's a liar... and you would have to give her back to me. If she's found elsewhere, then you're free to do whatever you want to her, and I'll make sure no one comes back to bother you. Sound fair?"

 

[industrygothica]

Darian watches Marionette as she smears the blood over her mask. The illusion that her wound is worse than it is pulls at his guilt, threatening to break him down where he stands.

As the smoke from his cigar fills the room he removes his cloak and unbuttons his shirt and finally take a chair with his back to the frightened doll. "Forgive me," he says in a whisper loud enough for her to hear. The smell of burnt hair and skin mingle with that of the cigar, and the muscles in in Darian's neck stretch to their limit as he tries not to scream.

Only when he can feel the blood trickling down his belly does he remove the cigar from his chest, and bits of charred flesh and gore come with it. After a few deep breaths he relights the cigar and burns another reminder into his sizzling flesh.

After stubbing out the cigar completely Darian removes a handkerchief from his cloak on the table. His chest still dripping blood and ooze, he approaches Suki in the corner and bends to wipe her blood from her mask and wooden hands. "My guilt is true, as is my promise--I'll touch you only if you allow it, and never in anger.

"I regret my actions, and will forever, but there is an investigation afoot. I fear your Alek is suspect; if only for him, permit me to speak with you so that we can put this horrible day to rest." His eyes ask without words to clean her mask and hands, but he will keep his promise not to touch her without her permission.

[sblock=ooc]Not sure if it'll help given the corcumstances, but Darian has a Diplomacy modifier of +10[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

He leans in to Torhan. "Tell you what: if you think she's gone, I think she's still here. I'll wager with you. If she's found here in the police station, she's a liar... and you would have to give her back to me. If she's found elsewhere, then you're free to do whatever you want to her, and I'll make sure no one comes back to bother you. Sound fair?"

Before the paladin can respond, Ru shoulders him aside. He's tired of this little man causing his fellow constables so many problems just by waggling breasts in their faces.

"No wagers in the station," he says, eyes locked on Alek. "Master Gis isn't the type you want to upset by breaking his rules. Likes rules, that one.

"If you wanted to run away, you had plenty of opportunity while we were ... distracted," Ru says, possibly too circumspect in his exclusion of details. "So, whatever you're getting out of it, you're interested in helping. You need us, or something we have access to, or we'd never be able to keep hold of you, would we?"

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Before the paladin can respond, Ru shoulders him aside. He's tired of this little man causing his fellow constables so many problems just by waggling breasts in their faces.

"No wagers in the station," he says, eyes locked on Alek. "Master Gis isn't the type you want to upset by breaking his rules. Likes rules, that one.

"If you wanted to run away, you had plenty of opportunity while we were ... distracted," Ru says, possibly too circumspect in his exclusion of details. "So, whatever you're getting out of it, you're interested in helping. You need us, or something we have access to, or we'd never be able to keep hold of you, would we?"

Alek chuckles. "Very astute, Ru. I am interested in helping. One of my close friends has gone missing, my little brother and his fiancée are witness to a murder--probably my friend's murder--and there is... something out right now terrorizing my people. This is not the New Year's I've wanted. Yet you have been trying to dig up dirt on me. Perhaps you've heard the rumors about my family. Perhaps you just want my pets. Whatever the reason, I am just simply interested in returning to my normal family, welcome Ada to the family, and enjoy the celebration. It's rather hard to do among all this death, mystery, and danger. Now you know what I want. What do you want?"

* * *​

After stubbing out the cigar completely Darian removes a handkerchief from his cloak on the table. His chest still dripping blood and ooze, he approaches Suki in the corner and bends to wipe her blood from her mask and wooden hands. "My guilt is true, as is my promise--I'll touch you only if you allow it, and never in anger.

"I regret my actions, and will forever, but there is an investigation afoot. I fear your Alek is suspect; if only for him, permit me to speak with you so that we can put this horrible day to rest." His eyes ask without words to clean her mask and hands, but he will keep his promise not to touch her without her permission.

Darian watches intently. For a moment, Suki lies unmoving in a pile in the corner, but she carefully unfolds, stands, and approaches.

Suki approaches Darian.​

She carefully raises her arms before her, presenting her hands to him... and embraces him.

You're lucky she's used to pain.

Suki steps back, nods, looks into Darian's eyes, and taps her mask with her arm. Then, suddenly--one would say reflexively, she looks away. That mask, it gets in the way.

[sblock=ooc]Photo by Stefano Corso.
[/sblock]

 

[industrygothica]

"Thank you," Darian smiles, relieved. "Ah, the mask. You cannot speak with it?" Darian puts his hand to his forehead with an apprehensive look on his face. "To remove it, if that is what you wish, is it.. safe?"