La Souffrance Éternelle - "Victorian" Horror - A/O

[Iradesca]

((Awww! I was waiting for you! I guess I can wait a little longer. ))  

[ScuroFenice]

Ariana placed a finger to her lips, signifying that they all needed to be quiet and very very slowly opened the door just a crack. The girl's laughing was closer and if she squinted her eyes, she could see a dim figure a ways down the hallway, growing larger and clearer with each second. She recognized the girl from the dining hall, but what was that large shadow behind her? No matter how hard she tried to see it, it just showed up as a blurry image. Unnerved, the girl moved back inside the room and turned to Arin.
"There is one, possibly two people further down the hall, we might have time to slip out before they see us, but we can't stay here." She clenched her jaw in a determined line and walked over to where she had see her bags. Feeling around, she got out any items she might need such as an extra dagger she belted to her waist and lockpicking kit. Once she was done, Ariana stood up and moved over to the door. "I'm ready when you two are." She worried about Neill; he clearly had never had to fight in his life, but they were looking to flee and only confront the enemy if necessary, she hoped he could keep up and find his footing well enough he wouldn't trip.

Clarity continued to skip down the hallway, her head turning left to right, a small excited smile on her face as she began looking for any of the dinner guests the Duke had invited. He told her she could go and have fun as soon as he'd revealed his true intentions to the unfortunate victims and her body was coursing with adrenaline, ready to play. Oh, how long it had been since she'd had someone to keep her entertained, and there were more than one. This was almost as delightful as Christmas. Giggling again, the girl opened her mouth.
"Ooooh, I love hide and go seek, come out come out wherever you are!" She said loudly and continued walking. Dallian had hidden himself again and was just a shadow behind her, ready to reveal himself when the changeling's true intentions for her "playmates" was shown.  

[Iradesca]

You wanna fight? Then bring it on!

~Arin Decoorum~

Outfit for Jobs and Fighting

Arin nodded at Ariana's words. She could hear the girl in the hall getting closer. They needed to move now. She looked over at Neil. Would he be able to move fast enough? She doubted it. When Ariana announced that she was ready, Arin handed her bag over to the girl. "Here. I'll create a distraction. I saw a servant hall not far from here when I fist arrived. I'll meet you two there." She opened the door a crack and saw the girl and the shadow. She motioned for Ariana and Neil to run, then stepped out in full view.

Once I'm through, you'll see I've won.

 

[ScuroFenice]

((should I wait for cake to respond before I post?))  

[Iradesca]

((I don't know. We could just drag him along, It's up to you.))  

[N K Cake]

((Sorry I'm being lazy rolleyes ))

Neill stood by, wondering what would happen. Ariana was the first to act, and he listened intently as she detailed what she saw. Two people even, could one be the Duke himself? Neill's stomach sank at being faced with that monster again, or anyone like him. If they moved fast enough, no doubt they could just go on ahead and hide elsewhere. Too risky to stay hiding here if they person passed by, but given enough time would the people not look for them wherever else they went?

The man's grip on the knife given to him tightened and he held it behind his back, and then let it go. It hit the floor silently, left there on it's own, and he stood, keeping his hands behind his back. No one would notice it in the dark, and he was not keen on holding onto it. The girls would not worry if they did not know.

"Ready," he stated softly with a nod, a serious look on his face. Time for action, well as much action as running and hiding was. Or that had been the plan, till the girl offered to leave herself behind to distract whoever these murderers were who hunted them.

Neill's right hand firmly grasped Arin's shoulder the moment he was in the hallway, forcing her back. He looked at her sternly, giving a glance to the other female as well.
"Go," he insisted firmly. As a gentleman, it was most proper and an honor to sacrifice himself for a beautiful young lady, or two in this case. A servant hall, if he got away he would see them there. Whatever distraction Arin had had in mind, Neill did not simply see many choices when in a narrow hallway up against.. whoever came at them. Thinking of that, Neill lifted his gaze down the hallway to the ... ever younger lady.

She looked perfectly ordinary! What was the world coming to? Was this the great threat the two other girls thought needed to be defended against with sharp pointy objects? But... who was that? A dark silhouette of a man, potentially taller than him, stood behind her. Neill lifted his hands and adjusted his top hat, and tie quickly. He was quite ready to do what was necessary.  

[Iradesca]

((Lol. I know the feeling.
I'm going to wait for Scuro to post before I do. I want to wait for whatever move Ariana and Clarity will make.))  

[ScuroFenice]

((sorry, two weeks until finals, I am swamped with homework, lol I will try to reply soon))  

[Iradesca]

((Ugh! I completely understand. Don't worry, I'll be patient.))  

[ScuroFenice]

Ariana stopped in shock when Neill pushed them away, motioning for them to leave while he dealt with whatever had come after them. She snuck a glance over and tilted her head to the side in confusion. It was just a little girl, but something about her made the thief's hair stand on end. Maybe it was the complete confidence with which she held herself, or maybe it was those magenta eyes, a color she had never seen in her life. Whatever the little girl was, it was not human.
Ariana looked back at Neill, hesitating, but her usual cold and emotionless demeanor kicked in and she grabbed Arin's arm, pulling her away. "He can take care of himself, come on let's go."

Clarity stopped as soon as she saw the three guests darting out from a side door. She grinned happily, but started pouting once she realized two of them were running away.
"But, but I just wanted to play...." Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes began to water. "Why are you running away?" The young girl turned away from Arin and Ariana and locked eyes with Neill.
"But you are staying, do you want to play with me?" She asked, a smile immediately showing back up on her face. "I have a playroom further down the hall we can use for all sorts of things! What kind of games do you like, I just love hide and go seek." She giggled and hugged Neill around the waist, him being too tall for her to reach his shoulders. Dallian held back, keeping to the shadows. He would wait until the victim was snared in a secure location, then make his move once Clarity gave him the order.  

[Iradesca]

You wanna fight? Then bring it on!

~Arin Decoorum~

Outfit for Jobs and Fighting

Arin yanked her arm out of Ariana's grasp. "Are you kidding me? I bet he's never had to fight in his life!" Arin ran back to Neil, but stopped once she saw that the little girl had reached him. She ducked around a corner, out of sight. She would wait and see if he needed her help. It didn't seem like he was in any danger yet, but she didn't like the girl's tone.

Once I'm through, you'll see I've won.

 

[N K Cake]

Neill was very glad when it appeared his.. 'companions', and he used the term loosely, left to save themselves. It lifted a burden off his chest to think they would be safer. Though... he was not sure what was so dangerous here. There was the most innocent looking young lady in front of him. But awwh, poor sweetheart. The girl looked so down when the two other women ran off. He smiled though when the young girl did, and nodded in response.
"Of course, mi'lady," he replied politely in a soft tone of voice. What an excitably child. How could anyone be worried of this little girl hurting them? She had the most unique eyes and great enthusiasm, it was adorable. Just playing something seemed a good way to distract her. It also seemed like a great chance to make her play straight to his hands, for all of their benefit.

The man chuckled when hugged, and embraced the girl gently. He smiled kindly down at her and stroked her soft hair. So cute. The suggestion to play hide and go seek, or to go to her own room, were instantly a no-no in his head. He was wary, to the extent that he did not want to go 100% along with whatever she wanted. Who knows, maybe those criminals were right and even this innocent looking girl was a menace, somehow..
"Oh that sounds like a lot of fun," he started happily, a bright smile on his lips. "But I would like to take the opportunity to make the most out of all this space we have around this impressive estate. I've seen much of the inside by now, perhaps we could even have a tea party outside, and play tag on the grounds?" He suggested eagerly. Neill was no stranger to children, though in his busy life had not managed to raise a family of his own yet. They really appealed to his gentle side, something he could not express during strenuous working hours. Neill gave a quick thought to the question 'what if his idea succeeded?', and the girl would take him outside. Could he escape, could he go look for help? He would not give up on the possibility of that.  

[greendragonfly52]

Animeprincess_9400

Maxine couldn't help but look rather amused at the look of fear so many of the guests atopted at the very moment blood was spilled. Some ran feverently without another word. Others cried, screamed, hesitated even. The most amusing reaction to her, though, was that of the gypsie woman - she grabbed her silverware and ran off as quickly as possible. Maxine hoped that the gypsie was willing to use whatever possible to defend herself, but wasn't about to put it past the woman to steal and later pawn it off somewhere at the first chance she got. "Any estimates on which will last the longest, beloved?" she asked Alexander, her gaze wandering towards him once all the guests had successfully fled from the room.

((Sorry for taking sooooo long to reply Anime. >.< Kinda kept forgetting. And when I remembered I didn't have time. *sigh* What a horrible Duke I have been. But alas, let the mayhem begin.....again? ))

Alexander looked to his wife, the cunning smile of a hunter pulling at the corner of his lips, exposing his fangs even more then usual. "The one who lasts the longest...shall be the one whom I hunt myself." He answered, a wicked desire for torture and hours upon hours of agony for whatever victim unlucky enough to meet him. Oh he had his suspicious which one he would catch. Some deserved their visit here more then others. Though they all did something to wrong him, or his wife. And so none would be shown mercy in any degree.

The duke went to the side table of the banquet hall and poured himself a glass of wine. Obviously, he was in no hurry. He wanted the terror to linger for as long as possible. He took a sip of the dry red liquid contained within the glass before looking to his darling wife again. "Hmm...I feel as though...we should take a leaf out of little Clarity's book. Shall we toy with our guests my love? I would so hate to see the night end before the stroke of twelve." Alexander took another sip of his wine before setting the glass down on the polished wood side table. "Ah yes, I believe that's what I will do."  

[ScuroFenice]

Ariana glared at Arin, and turned, walking away. Either she would meet up with the two later, or find a way out on her own. Besides, the larger group they had, the more of a chance they would be discovered; she was used to working alone and felt the most comfortable. With those logical excuses, the girl headed deeper into the estate. She had her lockpicking kit with her and a variety of weapons, she would be prepared if she ever met up with another of the inhabitants.With her thieving training, Ariana doubted she would be seen by someone before she saw them.
She continued down the corridor, turning her head back and forth whenever she came to a side hall to make sure there weren't any monsters lurking around the corner; the place was eerily quiet, setting her nerves on edge. The atmosphere felt like it was waiting for something to happen.

Clarity's eyes grew sad and a little scared when Neill asked if they could go outside. Who knew what the duke would do to her if she let anyone outside. She did not want to test him, so with a little sigh, the girl looked up at the man.
"I-I'm not allowed to go outside after dark....there are dangerous creatures out there that come out at night, they scare me." She frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, if that wasn't a problem, I would love to go outside, plus I'm not prepared, I don't have my coat and it's cold." Her eyes brightened. "I bet you haven't seen everything in here, come on, I'll let you choose the game if you want." Clarity smiled happily. She knew what he was trying to do, but he had severely underestimated her; the changeling was more clever than he thought, but she would keep her more.....malevolent nature hidden until the opportune moment.

((I decided to separate Ariana from the group so it didn't seem like they were all grouping together, she'll probably come back later smile ))  

[ScuroFenice]

((bump!))