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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 9, 2014 20:43:29 GMT -8
Leo followed the moth down a long corridor lined in mismatched paintings. They ranged from all eras, Golden ages to the Queen's age. Golden glazes to thick, textured impasto in candy colors. The moth fluttered from painting to painting, crawling over the faces of long dead sitters. The hall descended down stone steps, and the air became musty as an ancient closet. The moth's white wings lit with up a dull grey aura, as it fluttered down into the darkness.
A impossibly tall, dark figure stood in an alcove straight ahead. The moth flapped right to it. Aubrey leaned against an arch, and caught the moth with one over-sized hand.
Aubrey- "Hello my Priestess, I have new vestments for you."
He unfurled his hand, letting the crumpled moth's wings drop to the stone floor. He held it out to Leo. Aubrey- "This way, join me, do."
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Mar 9, 2014 20:48:42 GMT -8
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Post by Trinity on Mar 9, 2014 20:58:51 GMT -8
That certainly wasn't terrifying. His height was incredibly intimidating - Leo was a little over six feet, and this guy still towered over her. Talk about feeling small. She put on her best smile nonetheless and tentatively gave him her hand. "Um, with pleasure.. So then that's what you were working on the other night, I take it..? I can't wait to see them." During this time, Leo fixed her eyes on everything but Aubrey. The walls, floor, her shoes.. Anything to distract her until she got to Babette. She really hoped Ellen was nearby, and that she had a plan.
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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 9, 2014 21:40:43 GMT -8
Aubrey led her through darkened hall after darkened hall. Rats scurried under their feet, and lightning flashed through open oculus windows. Wait, was it even raining earlier? Aubrey's hand was a cold cradle of bone encircling Leo's hand. They came to a storage room with stacks and stacks of moldering cloth, rolls of shimmering taffeta pockmarked with moth-holes and sprinkled with dust and rat feces. A gown obscured by wrinkled paper hung down from an otherwise empty clothes rack. He held it over her body, squinting.
Aubrey- "Yes, yes, my vision was accurate. This will do. Tell me, do you have modesty like the little one? I think it so much easier to arrange things myself..."
~~~
Meanwhile-- Babette held her audience in rapt attention with her dramatic stylings. Unseen vermin squeaked and scuttled. One doll's eye sockets were stuffed with cotton; its head listed, and plopped on the floor, letting loose a puff of sparkling confetti. A doll in the back was particularly large, and had an Aubrey-esque rats nest of hair. Or was it really a rat's nest? The mannequin watched her with patient button eyes.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Mar 9, 2014 22:16:32 GMT -8
A moment later ... Babette sat on the ground and cradled a mannequin in her arms. Its head rested on her soft lap.
"Ya made me do this, Billy. Why'd ya make me do this? Why? Why? *sob* Any last words?" She forced a single tear down her cheek and then stared into the mannequin's sweet button eyes. Babette stroked its cheek and pretended to feel warm skin under her fingers.
"Oh, all right. But just one." She leaned over and smooched the mannequin passionately. Then, she gasped.
"No! Did I taste poison? You bastard. Snake bastard! I'll see you ... in ..." She collapsed next to Billy-quin, shuddered, and died. End scene. What a world.
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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 9, 2014 23:00:21 GMT -8
As Babette lay next to Billy-Quin, she could see the strange detritus on the stone floor, brushed under ruffly duvets and tucked beneath the velvet bench. Besides great mountainous dust bunnies, there were scraps of fabric and gems, the odd glove or torn hose, a rusted birdcage stuffed with yellowed bones, and hidden behind a chair leg was an ornately carved jewelry box...
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Post by Trinity on Mar 10, 2014 6:10:03 GMT -8
"Modesty?" She couldn't tell which answer was the right one. Did she say yes and risk the chance of him getting upset, or say no and have him dress her? Neither option sounded appealing. She thought for a good while, weighing her options. In truth, she had little modesty. Swimming naked in the middle of the night will do that to you. "Bah! On a list of things I am concerned about, modesty would be closer to the bottom." Babette would totally owe Leo one for this.
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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 10, 2014 8:47:11 GMT -8
Aubrey- "Oh goody, I do quite prefer my creations be arranged to my suiting."
Leo was probably glad she didn't need to breathe, as Aubrey yanked her clothes off, spun her around and around and dressed her with an assortment of strange garments and jewelry, with all the care of a child with their least favorite doll. He squinted, and hummed tunelessly as he choked her with necklaces and tied diamonds to her fingers with rusted wire. He mussed his fingers with fireplace charcoal and smeared it on her eyelids like he was polishing a shoe.
Aubrey- "Yes, yes. This will do."
Leo- "..."
Aubrey- "Now are you opposed to the painting of flesh? It won't show, but it will suffuse from your aura."
He waggled his sooty fingers at her.
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Post by Trinity on Mar 10, 2014 9:17:25 GMT -8
By the end of it all, Leo was sure there would be some bruising. She stared down at her jeweled hands and thought, where did he get all this stuff? And more importantly, from who? Instead of thinking about what poor soul the jewels came from, if anyone, she did her best to look like she was enjoying the situation by occasionally smiling every time new accessories were added, followed by a fond touch of said accessories and a blissful sigh. When the charcoal came, she cringed. A makeup artists worst nightmare! Next time she'd ask if she could do her own makeup.. "Painting of the fle--? Oh, like a tattoo? Yeah, sure, go for it. You ah, look like you know what you're doing, don't let me stop you.." She was screaming on the inside. It took all of her will power to not rip off the necklaces and the rings and run off to find Ellen. This was a little much, even for her. Is this what she had to look forward to in her eternity? Never ending do-it-yourself costumes? Babette must have gotten all dolled up too, and Leo certainly didn't envy her.
Suddenly, she had a thought, "..If I might make a request, Aubrey." She grabbed a small chunk of charcoal from off the floor and held out her hand for his. "There is a symbol I'd like for you to draw on my shoulder, like this.." She carefully drew her old tattoo on the inside of his palm with the charcoal. "It's supposed to keep demons from entering your body, or so I'm told. I understand it won't be permanent, but it's.. sentimental. Could you do that for me? Pleeaasse?" Leo batted her eyelashes and put on her best puppy-dog face.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Mar 10, 2014 11:56:39 GMT -8
Meanwhile, in a slightly less traumatizing part of the abbey. Though she believed that the bone-filled cage foreshadowed greater horrors and perhaps her own fate, Babette was instantly distracted by the box. Her expression brightened. Hu-rah! If Aubrey left precious stones lying willy nilly on the ground, imagine what he'd store inside a ornate jewelry box!
She had visions of riches fit for a queen: massive pink diamonds shaped like hearts, chandelier earrings crafted from rubies and black gold, sapphire bracelets, a serpent choker with glinting emerald eyes.
It was a dream! An absolute dream! Her favorite actress, Margot Labelle, was so beloved that her suitors showered her in precious jewels. Labelle's coffin weighed a ton (or so the rumors claimed), since she took every gift to the grave, like a grand empress. Babette wanted to be a grand empress, too. She wanted it so bad.
"Take a hike, Billy." She shoved Billy-quin aside and crawled to the bench. There, Babette pulled out the jewelry box and eagerly opened its lid.
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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 10, 2014 18:58:25 GMT -8
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Post by Trinity on Mar 10, 2014 19:17:45 GMT -8
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Mar 10, 2014 19:18:41 GMT -8
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Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Mar 10, 2014 23:18:07 GMT -8
Aubrey chewed his fingers red.
Aubrey- "Mmmmm--- Babette? Babette... Where did I put her...? The dummy is watching her. Dummy? Do you hear me?"
He meandered up the stairs and into the hall. ~~~ Babette slipped over the scattered teeth, barely catching herself as she fell. Someone offered a hand to help her up. A burlap covered hand, with wire fingers. Kind button eyes looked down beneath a rats nest.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Mar 11, 2014 3:51:59 GMT -8
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