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Bran Wilder {The Phantom} ([info]lemortvivant) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-20 22:59:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:christine daaé, dr. jekyll, fernand mondego, phantom of the opera, plot: omega, plot: tempus

Who: Bran, Lotte, Brian and Lucas
What: Waking up, planning, and other fun things
Where: An abandoned house in Paris
When: Morning, Day 2
Warnings: TBD

Bran didn't sleep during the night, save for a few times when he dozed off for a couple minutes before Erik saw fit to awaken him. Even if Lotte didn't trust him anymore, he still had to watch over her; he didn't know Brian or Lucas, which meant he had no idea what their tales were and whether or not they were dangerous. Erik, of course, trusted no one and refused to let his attention wander for very long - apparently he didn't think the tension between him and Lotte would have any sort of effect on himself and Christine. You're an idiot, Bran told him fiercely, tempted to burst his happy little bubble and tell him the truth - something along the lines of 'Spoiler alert, Christine is terrified of you and ends up with Raoul while you die in the basement.'

If he did tell him, then with his luck Erik would gain control and go throw himself off the nearest building, so it really wasn't an option. There was nothing he could do but wait until sunrise, and then they could think about finding food and possibly better shelter.

When the first rays of sun filtered through the cracks in the boarded-up windows, Bran uncurled himself from his position on the floor and got to his feet. The street outside seemed quiet, but who knew how long that would last? He glanced back to wait and see who else was awake before starting to make any concrete plans.



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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-21 11:32 am UTC (link)
With a big yawn, Brian arched against his comfortable bed and stretched his arms. No alarm sounded, as it was a Saturday and Saturdays were for sleeping in. Of course, he knew that he could be called at any moment with a dental emergency, but that didn't bother him. If anything, he looked forward to doing some mind-numbing work on a kid that was too stupid to wear a mouth guard while skateboarding downhill. Ever since Monday, when he had woken to see his body bruised and face swollen, he had been in a fog. He went through the motions, but nothing was real. It was like living in a dream world, and all he wanted to do was wake up. His eyes opened to take in a ceiling that wasn't his own.

Suddenly, things were much more real than he'd ever want them to be.

With a strangled gasp, he immediately began running his hands over his face and body. He felt no cuts on his face, and the swelling on his face was already going down. His palms skimmed over a set of clothing that wasn't his own, and he looked down to take it all in. He didn't recognize any of it, not even a little - these were not his clothes, and this was not his apartment.

He scrambled to his feet, cold sweat clinging to his neck as he vigorously patted his sides, trying to locate his wallet. Nothing. He could feel beneath the clothing that wasn't his that he was wearing his sleep outfit beneath it, complete with sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. So why was he wearing this nonsense? And how had he gotten here - and obtained the clothing - without his wallet? Had it been stolen?

Backing up slowly, he tip-toed across the room, trying to keep his breathing under control when all he wanted to do was scream. A few slats of light streamed through the room, illuminating the shapes of two sleeping bodies. Though he couldn't see their faces well, he didn't recognize anything about them. The girl's blonde hair was foreign to him, as was the man's curly mop. He had fallen asleep in a room with strangers while wearing strange outfits. This looked very bad.

Just as he was about to break through one of the windows and bolt, he saw a man standing nearby. His form was illuminated by the meager morning light, revealing that he, too, was a complete stranger. Putting on a smile, Brian approached him. Though he didn't know the other two, he kept his voice low out of respect, not wanting to wake them. And really, if he could get out of there before more people saw him, he'd be much better off.

"Hey," he said quietly to the man, waving slightly. "Good morning." He paused, looking around the room. "You wouldn't...happen to know what happened here last night, would you?" He didn't see any evidence of drugs, sex, or alcohol - this was unusual - but there was no way that four people fell asleep in a shitty place like this wearing the clothes they did while all of them were sober. "I guess things got pretty crazy here, right?" He hoped that he was wrong.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-21 01:06 pm UTC (link)
It was the pain in the back of her head that woke Lotte up. The pounding seemed to increase, as she slowly moved from her dreamless sleep until she couldn’t take it anymore. With a small groan, she lifted her head from her hands – a makeshift pillow from the evening before – and reached back to feel the bump on the back of her head. A voice in the back of her mind immediately criticized her, as the pain increased. Her hand fell more in dismay then the pain. Christine was still there and she shot up to her knees, looking around the room wildly.

She was still in France during who-knew-when. Christine was still in her head. She was still here with Lucas and Brian – and Bran who at least was on the other side of the room. Memories came back, a bit unclear from the day before – at least she didn’t remember anything happening from the night, other than crying herself to sleep over the situation. Nothing had happened then, right?

That was nearly enough to make her start crying again, even though her eyes were still dry from the night before. Dirty hands rubbed under her eyes, as she scooched further back against a wall on the other side of the room. There wasn’t far too go, but she still wanted to be away until she knew what to do, because at this rate she was going to hear other voices-

No, wait. She wouldn’t. Because he’d lied and she wasn’t crazy. Even if Christine was still trying to calm her down.

“I’m not crazy,” Lotte muttered, catching only a word from Brian as he spoke to Bran. A beat and then she looked up, face tear-streaked and dirty. She started to say something, else before looking to Bran. “Even if Christine won’t stop.” It didn’t matter, he already knew – tried to make her more crazy. At this point, she didn’t care if Brian or Lucas knew either – she was tired, hungry, and her head killed. “And I heard her before they hit me.”

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[info]charmed_lies
2010-06-21 06:26 pm UTC (link)
If Lucas slept at all that night, it was in fitful little naps that left him more drained than anything. An abandoned house. They were seriously in an abandoned house and he was wearing a dead man's clothes. Even the little voice in the back of his head (which enjoyed spouting off pompous tirades that he could relate to) was appalled at their current state.

When the sounds of wakefulness and movement hit his ears, Lucas finally let his eyes open, looking around at the others that were gathered there. He was tired, his head ached, and his wrists were chaffed from those few moments of bondage he had experienced at the hands of the riotous crowd.

"I've got a question for all of you," he said as he rose to his feet, trying to dust off his tattered pants, looking between the three. "You two," Lucas said, pointing first at Lotte, and then at Bran, "have said about... other people being you. I've been thinking this all over and I really don't want to make accusations but.."

Lucas paused, his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Did I move into some sort of... psychology experiment? Where the insane go and they throw some normal people in and then... throw them in some sort of historical recreation or something? Because, while some people might enjoy things like this, I'm finding it rather tedious and would really like an out." He folded his arms over his chest, firmly in disbelief that this was anything but some elaborate farce.

"And I'd like that 'out' right this minute, if you will."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-21 06:49 pm UTC (link)
Bran folded his arms across his chest, disliking the fact that he seemed to have become the de facto leader of their little group - it hadn't been intentional, but his impatience had driven him to get things moving. He watched with an almost unsettling air of silence as Brian woke up, but he didn't seem to recognize his surroundings at all. He awakens like a frightened child, Erik observed dryly, and he had to agree. "Hi." His brow furrowed when Brian didn't seem to remember anything from the day before. How was that possible? "Uh... you don't remember anything? Really?" This was exactly what he needed. "Crazy is an understatement. That lovely building we live in brought us back in time to the French Revolution." He wasn't big on history, but from the French words Erik had translated, it was the only thing that made sense.

Then Lotte awoke, and despite his better judgment his gaze immediately snapped to her. She seemed fine, if being utterly and completely terrified of him was 'fine', but at least she wasn't hurt. Medical care in this century probably wasn't the best. "You can hear Christine?" His surprise overtook the knowledge that she probably didn't want to talk to him. "I can hear Erik, too. He doesn't shut up."

He was doing a fairly good job of keeping calm, considering that Erik never stopped talking, Lotte hated him, and they were stuck in the wrong time period with the likelihood of getting out slim to none. But being called insane, well, it was a sore point for both Bran and Erik; and his frustration began to spill over. That boy dares to suggest that we are insane. He wants an out? Free me, Bran, and I can show him a very fast 'out'. It was tempting, but unleashing a madman was the last thing that would help the situation. "This isn't a psychology experiment, and none of us are insane. You moved into a building where all the residents are fables, either from literature or folklore, and right now it's decided to throw us back in time and let us fend for ourselves. We need to find food and weapons before we end up getting killed, but you're more than welcome to go look for an out on our own. Let me know how that goes, okay?"

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-21 07:33 pm UTC (link)
Bran's confusion was not reassuring. Brian looked down as he asked, incredulously, if he had forgotten the previous night. "No, I'm sorry." And he genuinely was. He wanted to make some excuse, but since he wasn't prying, he didn't. Instead, he just took in the information. The French Revolution? Eyes wide, he stared. "No..." he whispered, crossing his arms over his chest. "How is that possible?"

Before he could press the issue, the blonde spoke up. Glancing to her, he frowned. He never said she was. But her condition didn't look good. He opened his mouth to ask her if she needed anything when the others started to speak. So instead of butting in, he just watched the three others speak. The last man to wake up made him frown. Who was he to judge them? He was there, he was in the same damn situation. However, Brian just stayed silent until the group went quiet for a moment.

"We shouldn't be fighting," he said, taking a slight step forward. "This is a bad situation, but we have to get through it." He glanced to the girl. "We need to get something to eat before we all pass out, can we agree on that?" After a moment, he paused. "But what...what do you all mean, about...fables? We're...we correspond to characters?"

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-21 07:51 pm UTC (link)
After listening to Bran reply to Brian, Lotte realized that they hadn't been calling her crazy. She winced, hands clenching in her lap. Overreacting wasn't good - that was Christine's thing, though she protested that. Neither thought it very fair. She didn't speak up about it though, the pain in her head suddenly attacking again as she winced.

She hadn't opened her eyes when Bran looked at her and spoke up either, which at least made that news slightly more bearable. Christine immediately panicked, her fear rushing into Lotte's dread. Her hands went over her ears, as she winced as Christine began to plead with Lotte to not do anything that could get them angry, no matter what she felt, because then they'd be trapped and she couldn't have that after maybe thinking she could get out, even if she promised and-

Lotte looked up, trying to shut out the run-on thoughts. "How can I believe that?" She tried to meet his eyes, but ended up only shaking more. "Are you just making that up to make me feel less crazy? They don't hear anything-" She looked to Lucas and then Brian, asking more hesitantly, "Do you? Tell the truth, please? He's a liar and will say anything." Christine moaned in the back of her mind, but Lotte wouldn't stop.

"Everyone in Bellum has a story. Bran and I have characters from The Phantom of the Opera. We resemble them, some more than others." She didn't even look at Bran at that, looking to Brian instead. There wasn't much hope for someone who simply wanted an out. You had to move out of the building for that. "I'm hearing her in my mind, right now. And it's different from hearing voices. She's not using words and she's actually talking to me." She shook her head, eyes falling to her lap, as she said half-to-herself. "That should have been a tip-off. Stupid."

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[info]charmed_lies
2010-06-22 12:20 am UTC (link)
The look Lucas settled on Bran, and then Lotte at her explanation of her and Bran's fables, could only be described as "oh god they're all crazy". His lips pursed, expression twisted, and he didn't look like for a minute, he was buying this.

"Okay. Phantom of the Opera. Right. Now I know you're kidding. You do know that none of this is actually possible right. I applaud this very realistic show you're putting on, but seriously? There is a real world to get back to. Where real things happen. And I don't have time to be playing around with the local crazies." Lucas paused, considering his words.

"And by crazies, I'm not trying to offend. It's just the best word for the lot of you."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-22 01:18 am UTC (link)
Brian, at least, still seemed rational - and the fact that he'd helped rescue Lotte went a long way. He nodded at the mention of finding food, because that was what was important right now. They would never be able to survive in this time period if they didn't keep up their strength. "Brian's right. We need food and water, and maybe even some weapons. People are going to be on edge out there."

He tried to remain stoic while Lotte spoke, but every word felt like a knife digging into him and no matter how hard he fought, he just couldn't keep quiet. "Don't do that," he snapped, ignoring Erik's warning to keep his temper - what a hypocrite. "Don't-- don't talk about me like I'm not even here." A liar who would say anything, was he? He'd been wrong about her after all. Lotte didn't understand anything, and she never would. She was just like Christine, a silly little girl who in the end lived happily ever after while he'd die alone in the darkness.

Bran rounded on Lucas, his eyes flashing angrily. "Yeah, that's right. The Phantom of the fucking Opera is inside my head and he won't shut up. He wants out, and you know what? I'm about five seconds away from letting him do what he wants." He stopped abruptly, taking sharp breaths in an attempt to calm him down. "I'm going to find some food so we don't starve to death, and a bayonet so we can defend ourselves. Whoever wants to come can come, and whoever doesn't can stay behind. I don't care."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-22 01:57 am UTC (link)
She continued to look down, hands clenching in front of her. It wasn't often Lotte got angry - she was scared, usually and got over her anger quickly. The last time she'd truly had been angry had been when her father died, when the social worker had came with the news and she'd punched her. It wasn't a familiar feeling, but she liked it a bit better than being scared - even as Christine whimpered that she was going to get themselves killed.

It faded as he got angry though, as her usual fear replaced it. That didn't reassure Christine though, who continued to whimper as Lotte forced her shaking chin up. "You're a liar and - and will say anything." Her voice faltered, though she did manage to say it. For some reason that was important in her mind, even as she pushed against the wall as he threatened to let Erik out.

For the first time, Christine's voice came out as words in her mind - a sharp, piercing NO that made Lotte's breath catch. Their terror was the same as she shook her head. No, he couldn't come out - that was impossible it was the moon - but he couldn't, he'd take her or Christine and then it'd be even worse than Bran who she didn't think was going to drag her anywhere. Though how could she know even that anymore?

There was a long moment before Lotte forced herself to her feet and moved to the door. She wasn’t going to say anything else, but she wasn’t letting him go off like that. Not when he might come become Erik who could grab her – or Christine – unaware. She suspiciously asked if Christine could come out if that happened, but Christine only gave a little whimper. She didn’t know. With the most restraint she could muster, she got to the door and waited outside. A hand went behind her head as she waited for whoever else would come.

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[info]charmed_lies
2010-06-22 02:04 am UTC (link)
Lucas didn't say anything for a long while, giving Bran a look before turning to watch Lotte all but flee from the building. Women. He really didn't get them. Other than being pretty and fun to be with, what was the point? So he stepped away, pulling at the collar of his shirt, the room stuffy, and as he did that, there was a little hum of a familiar tune.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-22 02:23 am UTC (link)
You should let me out, Erik suggested coldly. You are doing very poorly with Lotte, and that irritating man is getting on my nerves. Bran rolled his eyes, determinedly not replying in any way before replying dismissively to Lotte. "Everyone's a liar."

He glared at Lucas for a moment, tempted to throw a piece of wood at his head, but forced himself to turn and leave instead.

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[info]charmed_lies
2010-06-22 03:20 am UTC (link)
A sidelong glance was given at the trio before Lucas decided to speak again. "You know. I think maybe I will try to find that out on my own. I don't think I can stand to be around someone who lures girls into underground labyrinths and for that matter... girls who let themselves get led. As for you." He pointed a finger at Brian. "You're a little off, but at least you don't think you're from some Broadway play. So with that..."

He dipped into an overly dramatic bow. "Adieu."

And then Lucas was off, shabby clothes and all, to conquer Paris or at least find someplace better than with these crazies.

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[info]tooth_fairy
2010-06-22 08:38 am UTC (link)
It was like watching a car accident in slow motion. Brian wanted to jump out and intervene, to stop this before it got out of hand. But he found himself temporarily frozen, unable to speak. The man with the curly hair was digging himself into a hole, and it was terrifying to watch.

As the combative man made his gesture, declaring Brian "a little off" - what the hell was that supposed to mean? - Brian heaved a slight sigh of relief. Though it was clear that the remaining two people had issues to work out, at least nobody was accusing them of being crazy. As a person who was clinically suggested to be crazy, Brian knew how much that could hurt.

The tension sat in the room like a giant elephant, and finally Brian took it on himself to at least kick it in the shins. "Okay," he said with a frown. "He doesn't get any cheese with his dinner." He paused, realizing that trying to be funny at this time was probably a bad thing. Clearing his throat, he looked down. "Sorry," he mumbled, realizing that he was much more on edge than he had previously thought.

After a moment, he glanced to the other man, recalling that the blonde girl had called him "Bran." "Going for food is good. Why don't we split up? That way we'll cover more ground, and we can meet back here?" He glanced to the girl, offering her a thin smile that seemed seconds away from shattering. "If I run into anybody from the building, I'll tell them about this place."

He moved to the door, resting his fingers on it for a moment. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what. Opening the door for himself and Bran - he wasn't sure if the girl would want to leave the safety of their shelter - he glanced back at the two, raising his fingers in a half-wave. "Good luck. Stay safe."

With that, he was gone.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-22 11:33 pm UTC (link)
Bran forced himself to answer Brian politely, because he hadn't been rude and was probably struggling with the situation more than any of them. He had no idea why the man couldn't remember what happened the day before, but it wasn't something he felt like taking the time to figure out. He watched as Brian left, a few moments of tense silence passing before he swallowed heavily. "Right. Well, we should probably get moving. We won't be the only ones looking for food out there."

He wanted to find some kind of weapon first, although if things got bad then he wasn't adverse to using his voice again - he didn't want to, but survival came first. Looking at Lotte was too much of an effort so he made sure she was behind him from the corner of his eye, making his way down the street with wary caution.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-22 11:44 pm UTC (link)
Lotte had forced herself to keep quiet, as Lucas abruptly left. Christine was in too much of a position of panic to protest the fact that she hadn't gone down willingly, like Lotte felt. Brian leaving made her stomach sink and she didn't even try to return his smile - instead waiting in the horrible silence, until Bran broke it.

She didn't respond, simply following him. There wasn't any chance that she'd stay on her own in this city - and she knew not to trust Bran. It was simply a way to not be alone. She didn't hide the fact that she kept her eyes on him, staying a few steps behind. If he'd been anyone else, if she could still trust him and believe he was a safe person, she'd have kept at his side.

There were a few more minutes of silence, as they moved through the streets before Lotte finally spoke up in a shaky voice. "When we get home, I want my tapes back." There was a beat, before the she corrected. "If."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 01:30 am UTC (link)
You will likely not be able to find any ammunition, so try to find a weapon that works without it - like a knife. Food will be scarce, so you may have to fight for it. Make sure she eats before you. Erik didn't stop talking as they navigated the streets, and as annoying as it was, he was at least trying to be helpful. It made the silence a little more bearable too, especially since he and Lotte weren't in any position to have a conversation.

Bran glanced back at her in surprise when she spoke, drawing a momentary blank before he remembered. Right, her tapes. "Fine." He paused, inspecting a small pile of bodies in an alley entrance before continuing on. "It's when, not if. I'm not staying here."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 02:27 am UTC (link)
She paused when he did, hands going into her skirts. The dress' length was beginning to bother her, as the edges of it trailed through the grime below - the least of her concerns, but at least it distracted her from other matters. The fact that the smell of the decaying bodies didn't bother her as much as before was nearly as horrifying as the thought that Bran's tone said that if he wasn't staying here, she wasn't either. There was nothing reassuring about that.

"The building has never done things for this long before," Lotte said, eying him before following. A moment later, she shook her head. "No, the first time was a full day. Back when we first changed." Christine's memories of that were vibrant - terror, the voice, meeting Rick on the stairs - Lotte frowned, sidestepping a body on the ground. The day after she'd heard things again and the voice had definitely talked to her.

She was quiet until they stopped again, trying to stop herself from asking but couldn't. The hurt and anger from before came back too quickly, as she remembered that conversation - how scared she'd been and it had been the first time she'd sung on her own in years... "I heard things then. When did you start?"

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 04:26 am UTC (link)
Bran hadn't been there for the first transformation, and now a part of him wished he hadn't been there for any of the others either. Why the hell had he moved into Bellum anyway? There was really nothing that made it unique, aside from the muttered rumors; had it been some weird magic thing? Had he been forced there by some unseen power? The thought that he hadn't moved in of his own free will made him scowl. This is all because of you, Erik. Couldn't you have picked some other guy to burden with your presence? "We should all just move when this is over," he muttered. "Who knows where it'll send us next time?" If they even made it out of this alive, that is.

You are not dying here, Bran. Erik's voice was sharp, almost demanding, and it made him roll his eyes. The stench of the dead didn't bother him, nor did the corpses themselves - it was too easy to disassociate himself - and at least searching them was a distraction. He took sharp turns down alleys and around corners, trying to avoid the distant shouts. Her question made him sigh inwardly, but he knew he couldn't just ignore it as much as he wanted to. "When I moved in," he said flatly, pulling a bloodstained knife from a corpse's pocket. It was small, but it would do for know. "Before I knew you or anyone else, for that matter. I was checking out the building and I heard you singing. It wasn't meant to... scare you. I've heard all sorts of voice types over the years, some with more talent than others. There was just something about yours that made me listen." Now he knew it was probably because of their tales, but he hadn't known then.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 05:19 am UTC (link)
Lotte had considered moving once or twice, but each time the thought was shoved aside. She couldn't afford to move and she couldn't leave James - even with the building's insanity, it was the closest thing she had to home. As she'd had the voices before she moved to Bellum, she doubted the Christine thing would change if she moved - no matter what rumors there had been otherwise. "I can't," she said, lips pressed together tightly. She wouldn't elaborate if he asked.

She ran over his words, as Christine pressed for more details. With a slight sigh, Lotte thought over the interaction - A Chorus Line, the thought that things were wrong, South Pacific. Hadn't she talked to "Trevor" on the forums a little afterwards? She couldn't remember exactly and that made it worse. She looked up to ask another question, but was silenced as he took the knife. Her back stiffened, though he had talked about weapons - she didn't feel comfortable with the fact he had one.

She looked away to some of the abandoned buildings, trying to breathe in so that she could calm down. One of the doors to the right seemed intact - more so than the house they had stayed in the night before. She ran over the possibilities of their being something useful in there, before deciding she could think about what he said. Was he only placating her by saying that? Just so she could cooperate for...whatever reason? Her lips pressed together, before she asked, not looking towards him, "You could have knocked on my door."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 05:37 am UTC (link)
He'd never thought of anywhere as 'home', and Bellum certainly wasn't going to change that if things continued on like this. Despite what he might say, he didn't like the idea of leaving Lotte behind, but now he wondered how much of that protectiveness actually belonged to him and how much of it was because of Erik. He liked her, more so than he liked practically every other person he'd ever encountered, but was that him or his tale? They were too closely entwined to tell. "Well, I can." You cannot separate Christine and I, Erik snapped, but Bran brushed him off. Oh, don't complain. If I move someone else will replace me soon enough.

He knew that the knife made her uncomfortable, but he had no intention of using it unless given reason to. Wiping off the blood as best he could, he kept it hidden up his sleeve so anyone they encountered could be caught off guard. By chance he glanced back and followed her gaze, moving towards the intact door and forcing it open.

Her voice made him pause again, and he tried to think up a proper response. Yes, he could have knocked on her door; but even thinking about it now made him frown. It was hard to explain, but somehow he knew that he wouldn't have been able to - it just didn't seem as easy as she made it sound. "Knocked on your door and said what? You make it sound so easy." this wasn't going well, and he knew anything he said probably wouldn't make much sense to her. "You were making progress," he added, almost defensively. "And I would have stopped once you got your confidence back."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 05:54 am UTC (link)
She looked to him, brows furrowing at that. Christine thought it would be good if he left - Erik wouldn't be there either and they could be left alone, maybe stop being scared. It seemed too easy though and Lotte shrugged - half at Christine and half at Bran. "Good." She didn't do sarcasm, but her tone was careless - forcefully so. Maybe she was getting better at lying. If another came, at least it was the evil she knew versus the evil she didn't know.

When he moved to the door, she followed again - a bit more closely, as she ducked around him and indoors. The air inside was thick enough to make her cough, hair falling forward in the movement. Clearly no one had been in there for awhile. She glanced around, before heading towards the kitchen - food was the more immediate concern other than more weapons. She couldn't imagine using a knife or using a gun - mace had always seemed like the limit for her. Besides, she couldn't remember the last time she ate.

"I don't know," she said, honestly. Pausing at the doorway, she tried to come up with something - ending up with only shaking her head again. He didn't get it. "You shouldn't have pretended to be them. I've been hearing them for years." Her eyes began to itch and she shut them, trying to keep from crying. Hadn't she done enough of that lately? "I've been trying to be normal since I was eight. You don't understand what it's like - everyone thought I was crazy." A final shake of the head. "And I don't sing because of them. They ruined it."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 06:31 am UTC (link)
Leaving would be a lot easier if she didn't want him there, but he couldn't tell if she'd actually prefer him gone. She wasn't that good of a liar... but maybe she was getting better. It was a skill that required practice, after all; but that word still had the power to make him wince. It would be even easier if he could make himself stop caring.

Bran had the knife ready in case anyone was hiding inside, but it didn't seem like anyone had been inside for a while. Whoever once lived here must have left at the first sign of trouble, but that still didn't mean he could let his guard down. "I didn't know that." He hadn't realized they were such a bad thing, not when what he heard inside his head was all he had growing up. "But you're not crazy. You hear them because of... the story. Because of Christine." It was too much of a coincidence, especially considering the nature of the voice he'd pretended to be.

Was this where he apologized? Erik was no help, deciding to be quiet all of a sudden. "I was trying to help. Your voice, it has potential... but I'm sorry if I made things worse." It was honest, even though she probably wouldn't believe it, but there was really nothing else he could say. If she kept thinking of him as a dangerous liar, well, maybe it was for the best. At least she kept trying to be normal - all he did now was pretend.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 07:10 am UTC (link)
Lotte attempted to cling to her anger - hands balling up as she moved into the kitchen, opening cabinets for supplies. But she wasn’t suited for it and helpless frustration – something Christine emphasized with – was closer to reality. He had done the wrong thing – he had lied to her ever since he met her - he had made her crazy. She shouldn’t feel like she was supposed to do something in return.

“I’m not,” she said, pulling open a cabinet and finding nothing. It slammed shut. “But I didn’t know that – I thought I was really mad, because he was talking to me instead of saying what he had to Christine.” She knew her pronouns weren’t right, but she couldn’t say it as him. It confused her too much and launched too many new thoughts – even more disturbing. “Did you – how much did you know before the first moon?”

His apology startled her – enough that she nearly turned, but stopped herself. The anger was gone by then, as her shoulders sunk. There was a familiar feeling that came and replaced the anger – guilt. She shut her eyes, tears starting again. Why was it that even though she knew she couldn’t trust him, she wanted to? It was idiocy. “I don’t want to sing,” she said, voice shaky. It was an obvious lie, even to herself. Because he had changed that. “I haven’t wanted to, since they came. Between them and my- my father, I just don’t.”

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 06:15 pm UTC (link)
Bran leaned against the doorframe, deciding to keep his distance while Lotte searched the cupboards. He would have preferred to avoid the topic, as usual, but he made himself answer in the hope that maybe if he could try to explain she wouldn't completely hate him. How was he supposed to keep her from getting killed if she didn't want to be near him?

He sighed heavily. "I talked to Katya, after that stupid fable post. She... didn't come right out and say it, but she didn't need to." That sounded bad, he realized, but he tried to keep from seeming too eager to elaborate. "I didn't really believe her, though. At that point the fable business still seemed crazy, and I hadn't read the book. I started reading it, but I didn't get very far." He shrugged, since he hadn't really liked it by the time he did manage to finish it.

Stop making her cry, Erik scolded.

Shut up, please. I don't want her to cry any more than you do! Bran knew she wanted to, and he'd thought that talking to her as the voice might have helped her realize that. But if she kept denying it, there wasn't anything he could do... not anymore. "I thought you did. If you really don't... then I guess I made a mistake."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 06:37 pm UTC (link)
She'd been hearing things - him - regularly before that full moon. "And that I was Christine?" She began to shake, going on her knees to look in a lower cabinet - and because she wasn't sure if she could keep standing anymore. There wasn't a way to hide her crying, nor a reason to. He'd heard her breakdown before and only pushed her more.

If he knew that she was Christine and that he had Erik...her breath caught and she turned back, for the first time. "Why did you let me go?" Her voice shook, but she made herself look at him. "I trusted you because of that - I told everyone you were fine and safe and you weren't horrible and I thought you wouldn't do anything because of it-" She shook her head as Christine said she was going to get herself killed at this rate. "I trusted you."

She could only shake her head again - could he tell she was lying? "Why does it even matter?"

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 06:55 pm UTC (link)
He'd suspected that she was Christine, but hadn't known - not until after the moon. Denial had only managed to last that long. "She didn't tell me anything about you. I didn't know you were Christine, not until after... in the catacombs." Taking her down there had been Erik, not him; he did like the seclusion, but he wasn't deluded enough to think that he could keep her down there. He didn't want to, because it wasn't the same.

Bran was speechless for a few moments, trying to wrap his head around the fact that she'd trusted him and in a few minutes he'd ruined that. "Why did I let you go?" He echoed her question, confused. "Erik took Christine down there, because he was confused and didn't realize what was going on. I didn't want to keep you locked up down there." What he did want in terms of Lotte was still hazy, and after helping her get her confidence back there really wasn't a set plan. Once she was singing, he supposed that would be enough... or was singing for him what he needed?

"I don't know. It probably shouldn't." Why did it matter? It probably had something to do with how miserable he would have been if something had ruined music for him like the voices had ruined singing for her.

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 07:11 pm UTC (link)
There was a brief pause, before she nodded - choosing to believe him, though her instincts said not to. Her lips pressed together, trying not to look away. "You said you wanted nothing to do with me." And there was a hint of hurt behind that - Lotte always wanted to be liked. Yet this disturbed her, as Christine offered disturbing possibilities. Lotte shut her eyes, a hand wiping at the tears, asking her to stop - it was hard enough to think without an additional person's paranoia.

Lotte didn't look up, accepting the confusion as well though his answer didn't completely satisfy her. "What did you want then?" She had still heard him, once she moved back upstairs - and he had met her as Trevor, during their watch. Before she'd shrugged it off as coincidence - but he must have known, after the catacombs.

"But it does," she whispered, unsure before turning around again. The cabinets were a distraction once more as she spotted something in the back. Crouching a bit lower and nearly crawling in to get in the back, she found a wrapped cloth with a few pieces of stale bread inside.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 08:00 pm UTC (link)
"What was I supposed to say, that I wanted us to be friends?" Bran shook his head. "I panicked. Besides, I thought you would prefer it that way." He tried to ignore her tears by staring at the ceiling, but with Erik's reminders and the tone of her voice, it was a useless effort.

Why were they even talking about this? It really wasn't the right time. "I don't know. I wanted you to be able to sing without being afraid, but for all I know that could be Erik's influence. Maybe that was why I stopped and listened in the first place." He paused. "I liked hearing you sing."

Not really knowing how to answer that, he kept quiet as she retrieved the stale bread. "At least it's food," he remarked, glancing over his shoulder. "We probably shouldn't stay in once place for too long, just in case."

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[info]still_lotte
2010-06-23 08:38 pm UTC (link)
She kept quiet, wrapping the bread up again as a way to distract herself. It wasn't much, but if they met up with Lucas and Brian again, everyone should be able to get a few mouthfuls. Her stomach growled at the thought, but she ignored it. "I don't know," she said again, not looking at him. It seemed to be the answer to all of their questions.

There was a moment more before she stood. Brushing her skirt off out of habit, she moved towards the door. The guilt from before stopped her from cringing as she slipped past him; and it made her stop a step away. Turning back, she met his eyes with a grimace. "I'm sorry." She only half-meant it - most of her apologies were out of instinct, rather than sincerity. But the guilt was simply getting stronger, even as she knew this couldn't be her fault. Not this time.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-06-23 09:43 pm UTC (link)
Neither of you know anything. Silly children. He sighed, finding it harder and harder to keep his replies silent instead of yelling out loud. Resisting the urge to tell Erik that there probably wasn't enough of an age difference to warrant being called a child, he turned to follow Lotte outside, even though he would have preferred to go first.

Bran had no idea why she was apologizing - was it to placate him, or something she simply felt she should say? "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything." He didn't feel any better about the situation, and this time he moved past her to exit the building.

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