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Sweeney Todd ([info]argent_dirge) wrote in [info]hhouse,
@ 2008-01-27 13:01:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Log; ongoing
Who: Sweeney and Nellie
When: Evening
Where: The Conservatory
Rating: PG13 - R
Status: Ongoing



The atmosphere in the conservatory was cool and damp when Sweeney and Nellie entered, the former having dragged the baker in by her arm. Without so much as a grunt, he let go of her and pushed her into one of empty chairs.

"..."

His blood was pounding; the familiar, biting anger was nipping at his heart, sending it into a heaving frenzy. Despite the growing rage that came with the sight of Nellie Lovett, he did not break his eye contact as he stood over her, folded straight razor in hand.

"Speak," He growled.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 06:44 pm UTC (link)
The chimes of a clock somewhere in the house rang ominously in Nellie's ears. The rough handling of her companion was certainly nothing new, but the reasons for this particular bout of anger were enough to make her know that this wasn't just a regular sort of ordeal. This could very well be life or death. The wet air of the conservatory packed against the woman and she felt very much like she was being suffocated by everything; the air, the hand on her arm and the reasons for her being in the position she found herself in. The moisture made her hair frizz immediately, her already tattered gown took on a feeling of great heaviness. She had never before wanted to vanish as much as she did right then.

As Sweeney let her go, throwing her into a nearby chair she gasped; she really couldn't help herself, but she knew it was a sign of weakness. She knew full well what she'd done wrong. Still when his voice reached her ears she flinched, that single syllable pierced her in ways that were too painful to describe. She didn't want to talk about it, deal with it, see it in her mind. It should've been done with long ago, it should've been over the night she gave up on Lucy. The night she realized what it would might mean if Mr. Barker came home to find not a wife and child, but a woman as willing to try and make him happy as it was possible to be. Her own voice hurt her mind and she bit her tongue to fight back tears.

"I never," The woman took a shaky breath, nothing she said could be good enough, she wasn't stupid enough to believe that any apology could make up for this, "I never meant to hurt you Mr. T."

It was nothing more than a whisper, "I thought only of you, you must believe me."

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 06:59 pm UTC (link)
Sweeney's knuckles were whitening as he gripped the razor's handle. Lovett's definition of harm and help seemed to blend together so nicely; after all, how could you possibly be hurting someone if you had their best interests are heart? Funny how those interests comprised mostly of yours.

Liar. You were only thinking of yourself.

It was not until his mouth closed and his teeth clenched that Sweeney realized he had spoken aloud.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 07:05 pm UTC (link)
It stung. Every word, every inflection in his voice, every pause stung. She was bewildered by the situation. Certainly she'd hoped, dreamed even that he might fall in love with her but deep down she had always known that it was an impossible notion. So she had hoped for the next best thing, and now even that had slipped away. But she had thought of him, things might've gotten mixed somewhere in her mind in the past but her thoughts were quite clear now.

"I was thinking of you," Her voice raised just a touch, cracking as she spoke but she kept going anyway, "You said it yourself, you dreamed for fifteen years that you might come home to a wife and child. The judge took your daughter, and your wife," She did not dare to speak her name for it would've burned her tongue, "She wasn't the same after how he tortured her. She broke right in front of me and I did try to help her, I did! When I- there was nothing else I could've done for her. You would've come home to a woman who didn't recognize you and I know that would've killed you!"

Nellie was leaning as far back into her chair as possible, hands crossed on her lap, tense. She'd done a lot of talking, and she knew that not all of it probably reached his mind but it was all she could do to try.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 07:24 pm UTC (link)
"You lied to me," He slowly spoke as if he still could not believe it. And, in a sense, he couldn't. He may not have loved her, may not have even liked her in the way she wished, but he trusted her. Trusted her with his secrets and, when it came down to it, his life. Sweeney knew she could have abandoned him right then and there the moment she looked into that trunk, and even days before when he walked into her shop. But she didn't. Even his heart, barely mended from his fifteen years spent on Botany Bay, could recognize that.

"You kept her from me. She knew I was home...and you lied to keep us apart."

He lowered his head in disbelief. It cost him his life, but he was finally starting to piece the puzzle together.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 07:35 pm UTC (link)
"I never-," The brunette stopped herself. Claiming not to have lied would've been a foolish thing to do at this point. He was standing before her, broken, just like Lucy had been and it was her fault. She knew he trusted her, he had to. Never did she threaten to go to the law, even upon seeing Senior Pirelli soaked in his own blood. Now though...he knew. Her game was over, no matter how hard she tried to make things better it would be no use. But it wasn't in her not to try.

"I couldn't...," That wouldn't work either, "You're right," She whispered, "I kept you apart but only because I love you."

The woman paused, swallowing hard and squeezing her eyes shut as fresh tears trickled down her cheeks, "I couldn't help but hope that maybe for once in my life a dream would come true. I never meant to hurt you, Mr. T."

She had never spoken about such things to anyone before. It was foolish to dwell on dreams, her own life had been enough to teach her that. But it was true, she'd given everything. Risked her sanity, her reputation, her life...all for him.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 07:47 pm UTC (link)
"Love."

He raised his head slightly enough for her to see his dark eyes, narrowed in an abashed outrage.

How dare her?

"Love is selfless," Sweeney said in an annunciated tone, as if it had suddenly revealed itself and he was struggling to understand it. "Love is selfless. If you love someone, you would give up everything for their happiness. Even your own."

His voice wavered between a stress of growing confidence and one of self-doubt.

"If you loved me...you would have told me!"

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 07:52 pm UTC (link)
"But how could you possibly be happy knowing that the one person you loved more than anything else had been hurt so badly that she'd gone mad? I do love you, Mr. Todd," She was looking up at him now, pain filled her dark brown eyes as she struggled to make him understand. His temper was rising, that much was apparent, she would have to work quickly to bring it down again.

"I thought that if you thought she was dead you would let yourself move on, and you were moving on. How could you ever be happy knowing she was alive and not actually living?"

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 08:00 pm UTC (link)
He leaned in. "Just as I was?"

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 08:08 pm UTC (link)
She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. The woman's chest was heaving as she worked at gaining a steady breath but it wasn't working. Her brown eyes searched his for a moment before she looked down at her hands, pale and shaking in her lap. There was nothing she could do, or say, that would help him and that more than anything broke her heart.

Mrs. Lovett had worked so hard to make him happy, to try and restore what little there was left of the man she'd remembered and it had never worked. She had thought, once, standing in his parlor, telling him they could have something of a life together that he looked at her a little differently. But that didn't matter now. He would most certainly never look at her like that again.

Words escaped her, and she was silent.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 08:42 pm UTC (link)
He gazed at her, utterly impassive, before drawing back. A sense of weariness and dejection filled him and, more than anything, he wished he was dead again. Perhaps then he might be with his Lucy again, away from this hell and its damnable occupants.

But we both know that won't happen.

There was an armchair behind him. Sweeney slumped back into it and stared up at the conservatory's slanted ceiling.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 08:54 pm UTC (link)
He left her and she involuntarily took a breath of relief. She figured, perhaps stupidly, that if he were going to kill her he would've done so already. But you never could tell with him. Her brown eyes watched him take a seat in the armchair and she drew her knees to her chest, curling in the chair like an unwanted child. The woman gazed idly at the torn hem on her skirt and let thoughts consume her mind.

He had found out but how? Had Lucy visited the shop? She looked so different it was a wonder he'd recognized her at all. Cautiously, Nellie raised her eyes to observe Sweeney as he sat. He looked weary, but that wasn't exactly new. Upon observing further she could tell that something had gone horribly wrong back home. A thought entered her mind, and she cringed inwardly before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"I didn't-," She paused and looked away from him, focusing instead on what lay outside the room in the gardens, "I didn't run out on you, you know?"

It seemed a meaningless effort. But she hadn't abandoned him, and she needed for him to know that.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 09:17 pm UTC (link)
"...No."

The reply was devoid of emotion. Sweeney's breathing was a little less labored, though his posture was still tense and wary; it was almost as if he expected to be attacked at any moment, and he was ready for it.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 09:30 pm UTC (link)
Nellie looked at him, eyes wide and a bit expectant but he didn't move. She leaned her forehead against her knees and took long, slow, breaths as she went over everything that had happened in a matter of minutes. Her mind begged her to speak, to defend herself further but her body wouldn't have it. Her heart couldn't take anymore distress.

Tears fell from her eyes but she did not feel them. She couldn't feel anything, only her confusion and his...absence. The woman drew another shuddering breath and took the lace of her dress between her fingers, toying with it. Life had, for a while, seemed so simple. She'd had her bakery, and dreams of that house by the sea had almost seemed reachable. What had gone wrong?

Of course she knew the answer to this, but still, there were a lot of blanks that needed filling. It was in her nature to question, but now she had no use for answers.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 09:36 pm UTC (link)
Sweeney heard Nellie's shudders, though did not turn to look at her. He had a feeling that this would be routine from now on.

"Your child is mad," He finally spoke at length, bluntly.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 09:40 pm UTC (link)
Her child? She racked her mind for what he could possibly mean and then the realization hit her hard. Her eyes darted to him, wide with fear, "Toby?"

How could she have forgotten Toby? The poor boy was left locked in the bake house before she had been pulled from her home and dropped in this god-forsaken place. Tears were welling in her eyes again and she prayed that he as alright, she could barely deal with the knowledge she had already gained. His death would send her reeling.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 09:49 pm UTC (link)
"Yes."

Silence. Then...

"He killed me."

There was no malice in his voice, but rather a very blunt, simple acceptance as if he were commenting on conservatory's moist environment.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-27 10:10 pm UTC (link)
"What?" It was out of her mouth before she could catch it to restrain herself. Toby killed him? But then how was he sitting there before her, speaking to her. Had she gone mad?

She uncurled her legs, dropping her feet and wincing as they tapped lightly against the floor. The sound burned. Carefully she scooted to the edge of the chair, unwilling to comprehend what had been said to her. It just wasn't possible. She would've gone to him, touched his arm, let herself know that he was real, but she didn't dare.

"How are you here, then?" It was an innocent question, and silently she wondered what the answer might mean for her. Was she in hell?

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-27 10:14 pm UTC (link)
"I was hoping you would explain that. And where exactly 'here' is."

His shoulders sagged as he slumped further down into his chair.

"I should learn not to hope anymore."

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-28 02:58 am UTC (link)
"I don't know," Nellie turned her attention to her feet and twiddled her thumbs idly, "I don't know anything about this place," As she admitted it, it made her laugh softly. "It's not funny, I know it isn't funny. Just fitting, I think."

And it was, when she really thought about it. She'd lied her way through the past few months, murder upon murder had occurred above her head and she disposed of the evidence. She had literally worked in hells kitchen and had been more than happy to do so. All for a dream that even she doubted would come true. Now here she sat, in a chair with a bruised arm and a longing to comfort the man who'd bruised her countless times. Of course she loved him, she always had and she continued to do so. No pain could take that away, whether she would admit that or not.

As her thoughts mingled in her mind she sighed softly and cast her gaze around the room. Those sad, brown eyes always managed to find their way back to him.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-28 03:03 am UTC (link)
He finally turned his head to her, his upper lip curling. His glance was brief, but it held a very clear message:

Don't get comfortable.

"Then we are truly alive?"

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-28 03:20 am UTC (link)
His gaze didn't startle her nearly as much as it might've in other circumstances. The truth was, despite her love for him, she never exactly let her guard down around him. She'd learned that as soon as he'd commanded her to leave upon his first day back in Fleet Street. The woman reached up and brushed the hair from her face, swallowing lightly as she met his eyes. It was obvious that she knew exactly what he'd tried to portray to her; she may have made mistakes but she was by no means a fool. Running, going to him, trying to act as though things were absolutely fine, would all end badly for her. She did not want things to end any worse than she knew they were already likely to end.

The worst, she figured, was by no means over, "I think so, yes."

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-28 03:34 am UTC (link)
"...Hn."

A blessing or a curse? Something was behind this, he was sure of that much. Something decidedly powerful enough to penetrate the darkness and pull him here. Though...it did not exactly "pull" him, did it? For whatever reason, he accepted the letter; just reached out and took it, shifting realities from that realm of oblivion to the mansion grounds.

The letter.

He looked incredulously down at his hands and patted his pockets. Empty.

He had lost what may have been his only clue to this queer phenomenon.

"..."

With a soft growl, he got up from his chair and began to stalk out of the conservatory.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-28 03:53 am UTC (link)
The woman watched as he appeared to search himself for something, he was in deep thought. And he was leaving. She shot to her feet, "Mr. Todd," Her mind was racing, she couldn't just let him wander around the house in the mood he was in. What if he found Katrina again? What if someone said something not knowing that...

"Mr. Todd wait," Nellie bustled a few steps toward the door and took a deep breath. As her chest expanded she felt the familiar crinkle of paper against skin. Of course, the letter. She reached into the bosom of her dress and withdrew the wrinkled thing, "Are you looking for this?"

It had completely slipped her mind, what with the appearance of the little man in the previous day, and now this. But it was a curious thing, she'd barely been able to read it before hearing the thud of Sweeney's boots in the shop above her. It was that that had caused her to rush to him, but she'd never made it. Now she held the envelope out to him, hoping her sudden movements wouldn't end her life.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-28 04:13 am UTC (link)
He spun around to face Lovett, bemused. He would have folded the blade of his razor out had he not have spotted the letter in her outstretched hand. Momentarily forgetting himself, walked over and snatched the envelop from her.

Sweeney tore the flap open, pulling parchment out and reading over it.

Or, rather, would have if there were any words to read.

"...Peh," The barber grunted.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-28 04:35 am UTC (link)
She watched him carefully, studying his movements and trying to make out what he was thinking. It was no use, he had never been easily read. But something was bothering him, that much she was sure of, "What's wrong?"

Her voice was soft, coated with her thick accent and entangled with an inflection that could only be a mix of curiosity and terror. He'd moved so quickly towards her, movements as fluid as ever. In many ways he frightened her, sent her spiraling into a sort of depression. He hated her, that much had been obvious for quite some time. So why did she love him so very much?

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 01:52 am UTC (link)
Silently, he turned the blank parchment over for Nellie to see. His eyes blazed with gall, though not all of it was necessarily directed towards the baker.

They thought it sport to place me here.

"What sort of fools do they play us for?" He muttered to himself.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 01:58 am UTC (link)
It was hard, sometimes, to see the difference between the questions he directed at her and the ones he meant to go unanswered. This was one of those times, and given his current state she thought it wise to not supply her own ideas about the situation. Instead she wrung her hands in front of her and looked around the room a bit, the glass was reflecting the stars that formed in the dark sky above them. She was breathing heavily, sighing, almost.

"I haven't been able to find any information on anything," The woman muttered, nearly to herself. It was true, though, she'd wandered the house in hopes of finding something anything that would direct her towards an answer. Her search had been in vain, but at least it gave her something to offer him.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 02:04 am UTC (link)
"Who lives here?" He asked, fingers brushing anxiously against the argent handle of his razor. If he ever had a chance to meet the mansion's owner...

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 02:12 am UTC (link)
Brown eyes flicked over to survey the man, he was listening to her. She'd never held his attention for so long before, "I'm not really sure of that either. I don't think anyone is, but there was a man who appeared in the morning. Least I think it was morning," The woman thought for a moment or two and then spoke again, "There are others here, too. People I've never seen before, like Katrina."

As she said this, Nellie's mind went back to the meeting that had been held in the parlor. They'd learned nothing other than the fact that people staying in the house were all very different, and equally as confused as their peers. Some seemed to be from a time much like her own, while others...well, she thought it best not to assume.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 02:25 am UTC (link)
"A man?"

His mind was buzzing with contemplations, possibilities. A man who with the power to penetrate realities of life and death...

"I need to find him."

He turned away from Lovett, prepared to walk out of the room. There was no question that this man was the answer to all of Sweeney's questions, but when it came down to it, did he even really want to meet such an enigma with such bizarre power and equally questionable motives?

I must.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 02:35 am UTC (link)
He was leaving again. Nellie swallowed hard and moved to go after him, though cautiously. "Mr. Todd," She protested softly as her skirts swished along the floor with her movements, "You won't find him, he vanished into thin air. No one even knows if he was real," The brunette shook her head sadly and looked to Sweeney.

Her stomach fluttered a bit as she realized that she'd probably just made a grave mistake. Her breath hitched and she stopped short, waiting for what she felt could be inevitable as a reaction to her braveness. Bravery was overrated in situations such as these.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 02:46 am UTC (link)
"If others saw him, then he had to have been real."

The reply was curt as he pushed the door open. He did not spare even a glance in Nellie's direction when he walked out.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 03:00 am UTC (link)
She wanted to just let him go, she wanted to be able to assure herself that he wouldn't hurt anyone. That if he did, it wouldn't be her fault. But as she stood there, listening to his footsteps fading further and further into the distance, she couldn't stand it. The woman rushed from the room, walking hurriedly down the corridor until she'd just about caught up to him.

If he was going to go wandering around the house she was going to make sure no one was foolish enough to get in his way. Her brown, mousy hair, was bouncing as she went, boots clicking lightly against the floor. Inside of her body her heart was racing, her breath coming in short gasps. Mrs. Lovett didn't know if she should say anything or not, his reactions at this point were becoming hard to read, even for her. And then there was the fact that he knew. That could set him off at any moment, she was sure of it. Even if she was protecting the others, she had to look out for herself.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 03:18 am UTC (link)
Sweeney heard her coming. He frowned, growing softly in irritation. Even now she was still insistent on accompanying him?

"..."

The barber stopped, clenching his fists at his sides.

"What?"

His voice was quiet, deadly. The anger was rising again.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 03:34 am UTC (link)
The woman stopped dead in her tracks, breath hitching in her throat as she struggled to come up with an excuse, any excuse but the truth. She couldn't very well tell him she was worried about him slaughtering people; she'd never exactly seemed worried before, "I- It's just that, well Mr. Todd you've never been here before, you've not had the time to wander like I did. Maybe, if I come with you, you'll be able to find things easier?"

Her voice was soft, calming, she was trying very hard to keep his temper low. The game she played was deadly, and she knew that.

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-29 04:03 am UTC (link)
"And what makes you think your presence would be welcomed?"

It was a neutral enough question, though his sandpapery, hushed tone was more than enough to emphasis its context.

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[info]adownrightshame
2008-01-29 04:14 am UTC (link)
It hurt, she knew he meant it to. His ploys had always worked brilliantly in his favor. She was practically putty in his hands when it came to controlling, manipulating her emotions. A subtle inflection, a single word was all it took to change her entire attitude. Now for instance, she was devastated, numb; she knew he hated her probably more than anything else, and yet there she was at his heels. Trying to help him, to protect not only the others in the house but he himself, from their judgmental eyes and quick tempers.

"Nothing," She muttered, "But it might be helpful."

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[info]argent_dirge
2008-01-30 01:16 am UTC (link)
"I don't want your help," He hissed. The baker's insistent adoration bordered on the absurd, and this irritated Sweeney to no end. He made it perfectly clear that he did not love her, made it clear then and stated it even more bluntly now. Yet here she was: following him about like a lovestruck child, harboring so-called "noble" intent. She wanted to

(harm she'll only hurt you again)

help him; protection from himself and others, most-likely. Practical and warm hearted even in death.

Even after she lied to you. Even after the weeks spent trying to fill Lucy's place in your heart with herself.

Even after she lied to you and it cost you your wife's death.

"I need no help."

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