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Bellum Letale Tempus ([info]bellum_tempus) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-24 11:21:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:plot: tempus, plot: xi

Russia, Day 4
Who: Group Xi
What: Dinner for the Grand Duke
Where: Alexander Palace
When: Day 4 (OOC, this will probably be open through the weekend)
Warnings: Could be anything. It's a party post.
Notes: Put your character's location in the subject line!

Dinner is an opulent affair.

The formal dining room has place settings for all scheduled attendees. Darcy and Helena are seated at either side of the Grand Duke, who keeps taking liberties with his hands that everyone at the table can see (including Vlad). The dinner is informal, and parties can dine at their leisure while enjoying the other activities of the evening.

The ballroom is chandelier lit for the evening, and an orchestra plays formal dance music, though the collection of nationalities present means that anyone can dance without standing out (as long as they're appropriately attired). There are curtained alcoves off the ballroom that afford some privacy for those so inclined. Lvov will stop his spies periodically, reminding them of the price of betraying him, while Pavel will be watching Joanie from a distance throughout the evening.

[Guests: Helena, Darcy, Vlad, Luther, Joanie, Nicky, Ella, Tegan]

Palace employees are all working the evening of the dinner/dance, and they have access to clothing in the guests' rooms (should they want to crash the festivities), and to the entire palace (should they want to work).

[Palace employees: Oliver, Will, Sam, Rosalie, Jane!Vaughn]

Outside the palace, the mob has seen Vlad, and they remain convinced he's Rasputin and that Jane!Vaughn and Ella are his witches. Even Alexandra seems to feel the same way, as she keeps drawing him aside and whispering to him. The mob is also still in pursuit of a Beast and a Tiger. Therefore, our village-hangers-on have been forced to hide in and within the palace, to keep from getting pitchforked. This group better sneak a bath and some clothing if they want to enter the palace proper.

[Hiding in the Palace: Daniel, Sebastian, Lily, Bernadette ]

[This is a party style thread. Put your character's location within the palace in your subject line. Have dinner, mingle, dance, sneak into one of those alcoves, go take a bath in a huge claw-foot tub, steal clothes, eat the Grand Duke for hitting on your woman, have fun!]


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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]vespertine
2010-06-27 01:55 am UTC (link)
An insurmountable horror rose up into her throat. Her screams were deadened as suddenly as a candles flame between two wetted fingers; a whimper tapering off the finish of it like a tiny blue banner. The strident aroma of freshly spilled blood, of the sticky feel of cooling blood upon her, the sting of wretched little cuts that bit her hands, arms legs, inspired her heart to continue galloping hastily toward an indistinct escape--even if she was stuck. It was the moist and terrible, ripping sound of skin being separated from skin, of ventricles being torn, that kneaded her clambering anxiety into a lazier, more idle procession with the absence of sound. While still roped within the subjugation of the vines, she had looked down toward her hands, at least... what she could see of them.

It was not her blood alone that shamelessly stained her pale, trembling fingers. She could discern this by the smell. This blood, mingled with snow, gingerly piggy-backed the enchanting scent of vodka, hate, and honey. It made her mouth water at once so much so, that she had to swallow. She was ready to wake up now. She was ready to forget; she shut her eyes tightly. Everything stung or tingled. The villagers had resumed being wrathful--or at least, what was left of the villagers--and she was beginning to feel as if she might faint, when:

Taste it, it whispered sweetly and warm to her, lilting, like a lullaby on a swing anchored to the moon. It appeases. Mmmm, I promise. Lily, with quivering wrist, impressionable as she could become having faced this situation, yielded.

Her tongue slid from the base of her opened palm, to tip of her finger.

A villager, having heretofore escaped the wrath of tiger and vampire, saw her do this, sharply gasped, and hurriedly swung at her hand with a branch he'd picked up as if being witness to an event so seemingly obscene damned him already. It hit her wrist, ricocheted from her jaw, with a force that knocked the rest of her free from the vines. It also got her hand away from her mouth as intended and back into the snow and blood. That presence, that voice wasn't too happy. The stroke had hurt badly, until it hummed.

Much like anyone hiding a beast in them that they did not know how to access, she merely growled as a warning for them to keep away from her.

Wasn't working. They still persued.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]veridicality
2010-06-27 02:30 am UTC (link)
Chaos. It was simply chaos everywhere. Moments were blurring together and he was having a hard time separating everything as it happened. One arm was folded protectively over his stomach and he was afraid to look down, to see why the sleeve of his coat was soaked in blood. The cool air bit at skin that was blistered and burnt, but he managed to stumble on, pulled by the woman with the trees.

And then fingers slipped from his and he fell to his knees in the snow, turning to look about him in a sort of shock. John yelled in his head fiercely for him to keep himself together, to pay attention, but then there was that guttural roar and his head whipped around just in time to see someone... no. Not someone, John corrected him. Dracula tear the throat out of a villager.

"No..." Oliver whispered, guided by John's rage, and somehow he pushed himself up to his feet, lurching towards Dracula and his victims. The mob, he understood, was dangerous. They had pitchforks and torches, but noone deserves to be killed by that monster! Let me out! He would never see this coming! Oliver! There is a torch over there, one burned out in the snow. Just take it. Wind your fingers around it and go after that monster!.

It was a combination of adrenaline and confusion that had him reaching towards the abandoned torch, fingers curling around it as he hefted it, making his way towards the monster. John's expression was set, determination flickering in his eyes.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]nobleblood
2010-06-27 02:57 am UTC (link)
Dracula never lost control, not even when bones snapped beneath his teeth and angry shouts turned into anguished screams that faded away to silence. He was a monster, yes, but not an animal; it was a distinction that probably wouldn't have mattered to anyone else but it was one he was always aware of. He certainly wasn't a hero, and he didn't attack the peasants that were targeting the innocent residents of Bellum. If his bloodlust saved a mortal from being set on fire or stabbed by a pitchfork it was completely coincidental and not something he aimed for. He wanted blood and slaughter; woe to any poor fool who stood in his way.

The presence of the tiger would have been irritating if there hadn't been such an abundance of prey, which meant that watching the animal tear human bodies apart was rather amusing. To give the mortals their due they did attempt to stop him, but he didn't feel the sting of a pitchfork slicing dead flesh or the burn of fire as it licked at his feet. These were human injuries that Vlad would suffer later, but none were fatal and he would survive. No serious harm would come to this body while Dracula was in it, and as a particularly brave peasant charged him with a pitchfork, the vampire simply laughed and snapped the man's wrists like twigs. From there it was easy to gain hold of the pitchfork and drive it through the man's neck, licking at the blood staining the rusty pointed ends.

Vlad was there in the back of his mind, but the man's voice was quiet enough to easily be ignored. There was a scent that stood out among the rest, and he paused amidst the slaughter to cock his head to the side and try to focus on it. It was strange, something familiar and yet not, but before he had a chance to consider it he caught a blur of movement from the corner of his eye and spun around, snarling and still clutching the bloody pitchfork. "Seward," he hissed in amusement. "You are willing to ignore the plight of the many to focus on me? How flattering."

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]tiger_says_rawr
2010-06-27 03:22 am UTC (link)
The homo sapien was still yapping, but Shere Khan was an animal - quite literally - and he hated humans more than anything, especially the way they traipsed around taking and stealing and destroying habitat, no cares whatsoever. He could grudgingly make an exception for the ones Sam liked, since Sam was essentially in control, but all of these peasants were fair game for massacre and the tiger did not care. Any excuse to give back to them, times ten, what they had given other species was something he would eagerly take. Therefore, it was easy to rip, claw, and tear along on his merry way and not feel remorse. The tiger's fur was stained and his paws were sore, but he was stronger and more powerful than a human - especially ones as malnourished and brittle as these peasants.

Just get Joanie out, Sam begged, trying to make the tiger listen to reason. He obliged, snuffing impatiently, and latched onto the girl's coat, dragging her away - like a mama tiger dragging her cub to safety. He deposited her in a fresh patch of snow, away from the blood and gore, then went back into the fray. This riot had to end eventually, but it wouldn't end well for the other team.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]veridicality
2010-06-27 03:31 am UTC (link)
John hardly noticed the chaos going on around them, his attention focused as it was on Dracula. Instead, he gave the monster a dark look, his fingers curled in a white-knuckled grip around the handle of the burned wood he picked up. "You are the plight that affects them," he said icily, stepping forward through the snow towards the monster and its victims. "I will save many if I can take care of you," he continued, moving forward unafraid, the sight of the bloody pitchfork making his stomach roll over.

He was still for a long moment, simply staring, the sound of the tiger roaring echoing behind him, and then he moved. It was neither fast nor with any sort of grace as he lunged towards Dracula, stake in hand with full intentions on striking the monster. If he could do this... so many would be saved. The monster had to be put down!

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]shebringscurses
2010-06-27 04:08 am UTC (link)
Vaughn and Daniel had perused the palace for several minutes, but Ella was thankfully not to be seen. Vaughn kept his wrist in the gentle curl of her claws, and the Witch's spookshow laughter echoed dimly in the recesses of her mind.

Outside, Vaughn, outside. To the woods, release me and I will make this man who troubles you weep..

Returning for a final weave through the kitchen, the pair vacated out one of the side doors of the palace just as the chaos was beginning to erupt. Almost instantly, there were shouts of panic rising from all four corners, and people rushed from the palace as vines began to overtake the stone. Too easily, Daniel and herself were separated by the beginnings of a riot. The snow up ahead was visibly splashed in gore, and she hesitated even as the Witch shouted about her insufferable conceit.

The Beast, you've lost the Beast!

Before a booted toe could even venture further into the trampled snow, a sneer-toothed peasant had her by the front of her blouse, shouting to his comrades both fighting and fallen, "VED'MA! VED'MA!"

Vaughn did not have to understand the translation, and she ignored the Witch whose insistence was as warm as tricksmoke, Let me out..

She just slammed the heel of her hand into the man's throat, and found release in his choking collapse. Like a marionette with cut strings, the man had crumpled, and she hustled over him as she ventured toward the bloody fray.

"Daniel?!" Bodies. Everywhere. She spun on her toes, looking for a sign of familiarity in all this red. Release me..

"DANIEL!"

Wait, was that a fucking tiger?

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]bookshelved
2010-06-27 04:20 am UTC (link)
The villagers had given up on trying to hang Tegan, since they had their bloody Rasputin, and Beauty had crawled over to the girl and cradled her on her lap as soon as they'd moved away enough for her to get to the girl. The quiet, however, had only lasted a moment before Dracula and Shere Khan had begun their bloody foray through the vines, where the blood was so thick that the snow ran red, and the air fogged with the heat of it.

The villagers, of course, reacted terribly to all of this, and even the members of the palace guard had begun work, slicing at the vines in an effort to get to the Tiger and 'Rasputin' within. Moments later, strong arms came and grabbed Tegan from her, and though Beauty managed to hold off the first set with vines upon vines, the second group was more determined. Both women were hauled to their feet. Joanie joined them as they were dragged through the crowd, her arms twisted behind her back, and Helena (who was seen with Rasputin) as well. All four women were tied up to pikes held high in the snow.

The villagers, it seemed, thought this a good way to get the attention of Rasputin and his tiger. Beauty didn't think as much. As they were lifted high above the ground, tied with ropes, she saw Jane calling for Daniel, and she witnessed her taking out the man in the crowd.

Really? That was interesting, wasn't it?

A moment later, the fire teasing at her feet at the bottom of the pike drew her attention. She couldn't do anything about fire. She desperately tried to control the vines, make them drag the fire-bearers down, but she was too afraid, and it was fruitless.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-27 04:44 am UTC (link)
After being absorbed into the mob, Joanie started to lose time. She could see the vines crawling over the palace, hear the shouts of confusion and rage, but they meant nothing to her consciously. All she could focus on were the shoes and fists that poured down from the sky like angry raindrops on her body, leaving scrapes and bruises that would surely show up in the days to come. The flats of shovels and pitchforks grazed her side and cut her clothing as she struggled to crawl away. Peasants stomped on her hands and kicked her over every time she tried to escape, leaving her so disoriented that she barely knew what "up" meant.

The presence of Shere Khan was both welcome and horrifying. She stared at the tiger, wide-eyed at the blood soaking his fur. When he grabbed the edge of her coat, she looped a shaking arm around him. The peasants screamed further as the witch embraced the mankiller, hitching a free ride out to a bank of snow.

Trembling, she pulled her coat around herself and sat up enough to see Ella with Tegan cradled in her lap. Suddenly, they were both gone, and Joanie felt a network of arms pulling her in just the same. Hissing like a banshee, she flailed and kicked, screaming curses and lashing out with whatever energy remained in her. A foot collided with the side of her head as she was held on the ground, bound by rope and lashed to a pole.

"Focus, child!" the Witch shrieked, but Joanie wasn't seeing straight. She was kicking and thrashing and doing everything she could to just get out until she was blinded to her situation. It wasn't until she felt the world shift, moving up above the crowd, that it sank in.

She was on a stake.

The stakes were burning.

She was burning.

A raw, furious shriek left her throat that left her feeling raw and hollow. She looked down at the flames licking the bottom of her pole, bucking against the ropes that held her, and screamed again. Her gaze shifted to the others - three others, including Ella and Tegan - to see that they were in no better state.

"Think, child!"

If she dissolved the ropes, she would fall into the fire. But if she stayed, she would burn. Arching her back against the unfeeling stake, Joanie turned to Ella. "Ella!" she shrieked over the roar of the crowd. "Ella fend them off!" If the peasants were pushed back, she could chance a drop into the flames. At least nobody would be there to hold her.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]old_fashioned
2010-06-27 05:27 am UTC (link)
It had all happened so fast. One moment she was dodging the Empress, trying to shoo Vlad out of a palace, and trying to pretend that nothing was wrong at all. Then the next there was screaming, guests around her trying to move out of the way of the rain of broken glass as vines scaled the palace walls, sliding through the windows and causing a massive riot inside. She tried to look around to see if there was anyone she might have missed, anyone she knew in this sea of panic. She saw the tsarina escorted out one direction, as were her children. She let out a sigh of relief - cut short as she received a sharp shoulder check and a hard shove into a wall - as she saw Darcy, arm in arm with the Grand Duke as he hurried her to safety. Knowing she was alright was enough for her and Helena hurried out the nearest exit, stumbling few times as the wave pushed her forward faster than her heels should have allowed.

Out into open wasn’t much better. The smell of blood was everywhere, sending Mina into a panic and Helena staggering as she tried to follow the vines to their source. Suddenly hands gripped her hard and despite her struggles, she was dragged kicking and screaming and was hoisted up on a pike. Her heart sank as she saw Ella and two other girls being strung up with her and she tried to come up with a solution, with only one coming to mind.

No. Mina was quick to deny her request, even before she voiced it.

We have no time. We’ll die. The fire began to lick at the edges her long dress and Helena let out a loud shriek before she could stop herself.

Jonathan—

Isn’t here and we’re running out of time! She spared a glance to the other women with her, one girl unconscious, the other two full of fear. Please! The fire rose higher, the fabric lighting up and sending Helena into a panic. HELP! she called out to Dracula a split second before Mina took over.

The flames meant nothing to the vampire, neither did the ropes, and she focused on freeing herself - one surge of strength was all it took - and not on the fierce roar of frantic hearts all around her. With nothing holding her up, she slid into the fire and hurried out, fiercely patting down the flames on the remains of her dress. The villager closest to her gasped and cursed and charged, and Mina’s hand instinctively caught him in the face. Her strength sent him flying back with unnatural force, the sound of his body crunching against a tree and making her cringe but she couldn’t focus on that. The fire still raged, too big for her to put out alone, and the villagers were about to surround her again, a new monstrosity to dispose of.

“Hold on,” she called out to Ella and to the other fearful woman. Mina had to see if she could free the unconscious girl first, and if she couldn't put out the fire, then perhaps she could at least pull the pike from the flames. She hoped that Helena returned to her own body, she would forgive Mina for any burns.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]bookshelved
2010-06-27 05:36 am UTC (link)
Beauty recognized Mina, and Ella (in the back of her mind) was completely grateful her friend was safe, even if she was about to be burned along with the rest of them. At Joanie's urging, Beauty changed her tactic from trying to control the flames and keep down the stragglers at their feet, and she opted, instead, to keep the mob back, using vines to push them further and further toward the forest. It meant, unfortunately, that anyone trying to get to them was going to have to get through the vines, but it was the best she had at the moment.

By the time Helena - no, Mina, used her strength to break free of her bonds, Beauty had managed to encircle the four of them (and their burning stakes) in a safe wall of thorns. She looked over at Joanie, and she gave the other woman a nod that said they'd be fine, a promise, a vow, and she watched Mina help Tegan.

In the crowd, they were calling for axes, and they started work on the vines, and she very much hoped for beasts and vampires and tigers to halt their progress.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]vespertine
2010-06-27 05:48 am UTC (link)
The villager advanced although the dissuasive, lilting growl rolled implicitly toward him in the gray, dusty breath it rode quietly on in the frozen night; static and bumpy. Lily winced and covered her face; a familiar burn filled the lashes of her tired, frightened eyes. She recalled a few lines from a Shakespeare sonnet she had to perform once on stage:

Golden lads and girls, all must
As chimney sweepers, come to dust

She didn't want to look at what was happening anymore. She felt powerless as much as she wanted so very badly to help ... thus, please pardon Lily Flores, as she's checked out indefinitely for the proceedings.

It was very leisurely for the voice to persuade without having to force control. The voice cooed and soothed, stroked her, eased her troubled head, yearned more for the taste of blood. It sang sweetly as a siren and seduced as easily as a nymph. Until Lily was merely as a spectator at a dreamy recital. Watching. There, yet somewhere else entirely.

... and Lucy was a very playful creature. Because of this, she much preferred hunting children. The villager would do, however! He wanted to play. With his ruddy, fattened cheeks and filthy beaded lines of sweat that made his clothing cling to him. She didn't want to touch him, but she wanted to hurt him. He was much larger than her by every imaginable means, tall, big in the belly, and oh! Did he reek of hate! She smelt it through her fingers. And she giggled. He thought it was going to be so easy?

"Surprise!" She'd exclaimed! Pulling her hands suddenly away from her face to expose a grin that rivaled the moon. It was worth it to see the fleeting yet distinct expression of alarm on the villager's face. Unfortunately for him, Lucy could move with a ghastly celerity, that swooped right before him in barely the frightened blink of a confused eye. All he'd managed to witness was a flash of wavy, brunette hair before she'd leapt fully on him. Her legs wrapped around his waist to latch on as much as she could manage, and she bit into his neck until he cried out to every saint in Russian any one devout Catholic could memorize. The view over his shoulder was devastating.... but a familiar face made it more so. And it was on a stake. It was near fire.

Helena?! Lucy let go. She knew that face because Lily knew that face. She crawled off of her assault, left the man shouting and swatting at his neck once he sank to his knees; chin, nose, cheeks smeared with blood, she hiked up her skirts and began running toward the fires.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]nobleblood
2010-06-27 06:15 am UTC (link)
Dracula shook his head scornfully, contemplating whether killing Seward was even worth his time when he hadn't even begun to have his fill of blood yet. Van Helsing and Harker were notably absent, and on his own the man barely posed any threat at all. "Fool... have it your way, then." He had told Vlad that he wouldn't harm anyone from Bellum, but the man hardly controlled him. He could and would do as he wished, and when Seward lunged at him with stake in hand his fate was decided.

He snarled and moved forward to meet him, but the sudden sound of screaming combined with a blaze of heat was enough distraction to make his aim slightly off. The stake missed his heart, instead sinking into the flesh of his shoulder. Roaring in anger rather than pain, he aimed a heady blow at the irritating man to knock him aside. The stake wasn't embedded too deeply, and without a hint of pain he tore it out and tossed it to the side. Vlad would feel it later, but right now that wasn't his concern. He turned towards the fire, watching as four women were bound to pikes high above the ground, flames already beginning to make their way hungrily up the wood. When his gaze fell upon Helena, Vlad's voice ceased to be a whisper and became an ear-splitting yell.

FORGET SEWARD AND SAVE HELENA! ANYTHING, I'LL DO ANYTHING, JUST HELP HER! It tore across his mind with savagery, and a cruel smile tugged at Dracula's lips. He'd do anything, would he? That sounded promising. I will hold you to that, Vlad. Now be quiet. Turning his back on Seward, he began to fight his way through the crowd, slicing open abdomens and necks alike with the pitchfork he wielded. Anyone who got too close felt fangs meet flesh before they were left to die in the scarlet-tinged snow. Through the vines and angry flames he saw Helena - no, she was Mina now - free herself from her pike and attempt to help the others. Slowing to a halt, he frowned at the thorns and then glanced momentarily at the woman running towards them. There it was again, that familiar scent... but the peasants were yelling for axes and he didn't have time to be distracted. Snarling furiously, he lunged at a man attempting to hack through the vines, tackling him to the ground and tearing him open from throat to navel. Like a particularly vicious cat he lapped at the blood before leaping at the other peasants, ripping and tearing without mercy. He couldn't do very much about the fire, but he was quite adept at dealing with axe-wielding humans.

Vlad was certainly going to be in a great deal of pain after all of this, not to mention the fact that he owed the vampire immensely for this. Dracula never offered his help without expecting a hefty price in return, after all.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]veridicality
2010-06-27 06:25 am UTC (link)
John could nearly feel the stake finding its home in the monster's heart, but the battle that raged on around them threw the aim off and he knew he had missed his mark. But when he turned back towards Dracula to see the fruits of his attack, he was blindsided by the blow that came to the side of his head, momentarily stunning him and leaving him unable to pursue.

The ground came quickly towards him, snow only half-way cushioning his fall. He had been hasty in his attack, fueled only by anger and desperation, and here he was, paying for his actions. Laying in the snow, ignored by the mob now that he wasn't fighting back, the adrenaline started to ebb and the pain started to set in. The screams of the women tied to the pikes echoed in his head, the calls of the villagers, the angry air that hung about the entire grounds. He wanted to raise his head to look towards them, to join in, to help where he could, because he could help. They were both doctors, after all...

But pain pulled at him harshly and he found his eyes closing, the snow around him rapidly turning red, and with a quiet, pained sigh, John surrendered to unconsciousness.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]dysmorphic
2010-06-27 06:33 am UTC (link)
Carnage and blood everywhere.

Sebastian was panicked, unsure of what was happening, tuning out the Russian and English shouts alike, focusing on nothing but running. Survival. Lily had run off on her own, but he stayed close, keeping nothing but her in his sights. Nothing else mattered, he wanted to make sure Lily would be alright, make sure that nothing terrible was going to happen to one of the few people he may be able to call a friend.

He remembered what she had said before -- that she had not noticed anyone else who could speak English as they did. From what few utterances he caught from the others who were running, screaming, and bleeding, it seemed they did. Were they from the same place? Was it true, that his new apartment was some sort of supernatural, villainous place?

The possibility seemed so far away, irrelevant.

The torches and the mob itself awoke something within Sebastian, something he had felt only bits and pieces of. It was as if there was someone else within him, someone with a crippling fear of this situation, of being chased by such angry, hateful people. They're looking for a monster, the voice said, sadly. Is it I or some other unfortunate soul?

This new personality made Sebastian want to stop running, to help whoever had fallen and become ensnared by the villagers. He set his sights on Lily again, who was --

Wait.

"LILY!" Sebastian shouted, confused as to what he was seeing. Was she...eating that guy? He was most confused. He ran after her, sprinting as fast as he could.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]shebringscurses
2010-06-27 06:58 am UTC (link)
Tripping over a vine, it's thorns gouged at the leather of her boot uselessly. There was a part of Vaughn that still recognized that the vines meant danger, the vines meant that Ella -- her sister -- was frightened. The vines meant that she was supposed to help her, but.. Vaughn was not Vaughn. Vaughn was supposed to be Jane, and she pivoted with disorientation in the snow.

The Beast will save her, if he cares. If he doesn't, he is our's..

The Witch's voice was hypnotizing -- even when she spun out of the way of a pitchfork-toting peasant, smashing the blunt, metal end of the instrument back into the man's face. But still, there was still a part of her, somehow, that understood Ella could be hurt. And Ella was her sister, and she was not supposed to let that happen.

The Witch disagreed.

Confused and riled, Vaughn was suddenly taken to the ground by the combined tackle of two local men. Their shouts fumbled foreign, and another pike was approaching in her periphery as she fought with booted heels and fierce, curled fists.

They will burn you! Release me!

Her heart pounded like a rabbit caught in the teeth of a foul beast, faster and faster. There was a man's hand on her throat as she clawed, before she was inevitably restrained. The Witch was whispering, so eerily calm, all the while. Darkness was coming. It was a darkness different than the night, it was the swift fall of unconsciousness. The shadows arrived on the heralding wings of a peasant man's hands, as he attempted to choke the life out of Vaughn while another held her down.

Now, now!!

Her scream was muted, it was trapped in the bruising tunnel of her throat. Her submission would have went unnoticed by most. It was only those wide, brown eyes.. two men crouched over her like the devil's darlings.. and then..

She gave in to the Witch..

Both men were flung into the air, as if on the receiving end of a mortar round. The figures flew a good fifteen feet before landing elsewhere in the snow. Hacking briefly, and recovering far too swiftly, Jane pushed herself to her feet and started forward.

The distantly burning pyres did nothing to sate her like of these people, and she knocked them over with a swat of her wrist. A good many yards away, and still the pikes fell swiftly into the snow, with the remaining women still tied. Their full release was not her concern, but no Witch was fond of a public burning.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-27 08:41 am UTC (link)
The other conscious woman was somebody Joanie didn't recognize, but the moment she burst free from her binds and flung a villager a cartoonishly long distance, Joanie knew that she was something to get on the good side of. Unfortunately, she was not thinking clearly, and so focused her energy on kicking, shrieking, and panicking.

She was going to die. She was going to die in 1917 Russia on a stick like a hot dog. Her parents would never know. They wouldn't find the body. She'd be a missing person, a number on a page, and history would fold itself around her secret. She'd never get to see her parents again. She'd never get to ride a motorcycle again. All the people she said she hated but didn't really, she'd never get to tell them that she wasn't serious.

Just as she was about to lament all the times she had flown off the handle for nothing, Joanie felt the stake she was tied to shift. Looking about, she realized that it was falling, as were Tegan's and Ella's. Twisting her fingers in the ropes that held her, she focused, and with a few words, turned the ropes to dust.

She leapt clumsily from the falling stake and collapsed in the snow, thankful to not be falling in the fire. After picking herself up, she ran over to Ella, disintegrating her ropes before doing the same for Tegan. She looked to the woman she didn't recognize, remembering her massive strength, and gestured to Tegan. "You get her!" she shouted over the noise, reaching into the snow and creating a large, savage knife.

Her gaze jumped to Ella and then the other woman as she leaned in to speak with them both. "We gotta get her out of here. I can make her a bed wherever we end up, we've just gotta go!" She turned to look at the wall of vines, suitably impressed by Ella's ability. Grip tightening around the knife, she watched as the peasants tried to break through, clenching her jaw. Through the exhaustion and fear and pain, Joanie was furious, and clung to that fury to fuel her now.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]vespertine
2010-06-27 08:53 am UTC (link)
Everyone was heading toward the fires and the stakes that were falling to the ground now. Helena had gotten away. She could see her darting through the crowd until she'd lost sight of her. It inspired her to run faster. She was getting closer and closer ...

Until she saw a man upon the ground before her approach. Oliver, an unfamiliar face, and a swelling red pool around his motionless body was not something she could pass up. Her head canted to the side--curious--and a little bemused. He wasn't dead. She could hear his heart. It was slow, but strong and steady.

Her glance was a jack-be-nimble swift of curls at the call of Lily's name, however. It whipped into the direction of the voice, whipped it into shape. The ivory skin underneath the glamour of the sullen moon glowed much more pallid in nights illumination now at the contrast of blood upon her expression. Her heart softened. Sebastian. She had to protect him, too. Lucy even had a melting point for him for being so unforgivably kind. She waited for him to catch up and said--her tone melodic and soft--it being very much clear that she was feeling better... was she merely not herself? "My darling boy!" her hands went up to cradle his face, imprinting accidentally the sides of his jaw with blood. Her touch was gentle and freezing. "I'm so happy you're here! You must come with me. I don't want you to be hurt." Her hands slipped away from him then as tenderly as she had held them, and then her hand, with the grace of a dancer, motioned toward the man on the ground. "He's alive. We can help him, before we go help the others? Are you all right?" Lucy cooed maternally.

And then slowly knelt down onto the scarlet-stained snow beside Oliver, her hand moving aside some of the wet hair from his forehead. A very mild gesture so as not to scare him. "Sir?" She said ever-so-softly. "Sir? Can you..."

Her index had collected a melange of snow and his blood; halfway to her mouth, Lily urged not in front of Sebastian. It dropped onto the front of her dress.

"Hear me?"

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]labete
2010-06-27 08:58 am UTC (link)
Daniel was separated from Jane by the crowd, but he didn't find a place to crouch and hide; at least, not for long. Not for long at all. Daniel was fucking terrified of that crowd, he was terrified for Jane, who he had lost once more, and he was terrified for Ella. He was responsible for Ella, Ella was who he was supposed to care for, and every harm that came to her was his fault, his, and he had to find her.

The Beast didn't have time for Daniel's terror. He was stronger than Daniel, in almost every way, and though his arrogance was his undoing, it was also what kept him very much himself through his change and years of silence and isolation. He was older, far more experienced, and a God-blessed ruler of men, whether or not he had a kingdom. If Beauty was there to be found, he would find her.

The Beast joined the chaos by effectively roaring inches away from anyone he barred his path. While the tiger may be surrounded by blood, the Beast swatted men aside with a paw the thickness of a stout young oak, and he tended to bound over heads rather than claw them off. He skidded to a stop where the smell of burning was most prevalent, and squinting through the smoke as he tripped over a pike, he lifted his head through another roar. "BEAUTY." It wasn't a despairing cry, it was a demand.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]veridicality
2010-06-27 11:22 am UTC (link)
Where he was, it was dark, cold and dark, and he didn't hurt there. John was more than content to let himself stay there for as long as he needed, but then cool hands pulled him from the darkness and he found himself stirring.

The voice was familiar, but a muddled mind had problems putting a name to it. It wasn't until eyes opened, vision swimming in front of him, that he could decipher who it was that had roused him. "Lucy..." he whispered, reaching up to grab her hand, fingers curling around it weakly. Of course he would see her now, when all he wanted to do was drift to the darkness. It was an illusion. It had to be, the sorts that dying men held onto in their last few moments of mortality.

His eyes closed again, a breath exhaled, but he didn't let go of her fingers. He simply lacked the energy to do much more.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]dysmorphic
2010-06-27 11:46 am UTC (link)
As he ran towards Lily, stumbling over unidentified things beneath him, it took all of his willpower not to consider what he might be stepping on. Sebastian felt things crunch underneath his feet, heard horrible moans and anguished screams all around him -- the atmosphere reeked of death. Was this the will of Bellum? Were these people meant to die? It did not seem right. The likelihood of Sebastian being meant to play some bigger part in this current reality was low, and yet...he felt that he had to do something.

In the midst of the chaos, Lily was alright. She allowed Sebastian to catch up, and it was only once he did that he realized how exhausted he was. Oh, what he wouldn't give to be at home, at the horrible apartment that very well may be the cause of all this. He almost allowed himself to collapse, but resisted -- barely. It was a relief that Lily was well enough to eagerly welcome him back, even though she did seem a bit off. But then again, who would be themselves under the circumstances?

It was enough to make his entire being smile, glowing at her with a large, silly grin. He only barely noticed the blood smearing on his face, but it didn't seem to matter. It didn't matter what Lily was doing with that guy -- even if she turned out to be a cannibal -- or why she had blood on her hands. "I'm glad you're here, too. And I'm fine. Everything is fine."

Sebastian quickly dropped down to the ground next to the man. Why did he call her Lucy, he wondered? It didn't matter. "You'll be okay," he said in a panicked voice. He did the only thing he could think of, taking off his shirt despite the cold and wrapping it around the man's wounds. "We'll get you out of here."

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]tiger_says_rawr
2010-06-27 12:00 pm UTC (link)
This was it, this was fucking it! Sam wanted to nuke Russia off of the map so badly. These villagers kept multiplying like bunnies. Weren't villages supposed to be small? This one seemed like it was the size of a small country. And then the Beast showed up late to the party - really fashionably late - demanding that Beauty be brought to him.

Uh, she's in the vines! Sam thought, exasperated, and completely beyond wanting to use any sort of reason to get them all out of this situation. No, he wanted the villagers to die and that was the only way it was going to happen, clearly. Hopefully Beast would pick up the hint when he saw Dracula and Shere Khan ripping and tearing at the peasants who attempted to break through the vine encasing. After a particularly satisfying maul, the tiger roared, almost amused - and swiped at the face of the next one carrying an axe, claws out. Being without a face was sort of inconvenient, the blood just adding to the snow and creating a nice pink color, but then two seconds later he got his throat ripped open so it all balanced out.

Just don't let them grab - Sam began.

I know!! The strange one. You've made your point already, the tiger huffed, continuing on.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]bookshelved
2010-06-27 04:49 pm UTC (link)
Beauty heard the roar in the crowd, and she made a small humpf sound. He'd have to be talked to later. Now, she was kneeling in the snow and realizing Tegan wasn't going to be able to walk out of this on her own two feet. She nodded when Joanie suggested Mina take the girl; Mina's strength made that decision the obvious one. But unless they could fly away from this madness, staying put might be a better option.

She'd seen Jane knock down the pikes, had known because she'd been watching the woman in the throng (not in the hopes of seeing the Beast, no), and she'd seen the magic thick and swirl around her in the night air. A witch then; a real one. Not like her (Beauty wasn't a witch, not really), but like Joanie.

Unfortunately, just then, the axes started cutting through the vines, and she shot Joanie a look that was all panicked composure. "I can reinforce them, or I can try to give us cover to the woods, but we need to get to the trees if you really want me to be of help," she said, even as she slid her burnt hands into the blood-red snow to cool them.

It wasn't that she didn't think their male saviors could get to them; it was that she didn't think a standoff in this crowd was going to do them a bit of good.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-27 05:39 pm UTC (link)
Joanie could see that Ella's palms were red and burnt, and she felt a moment of pity followed by nothing. It didn't matter. They had all been hurt. The nameless woman had fought, Tegan was unconscious, and Joanie had been beaten. All of them were injured; they were all tired and scared and angry. But they had to forget it. Push past it. Joanie did her best to ignore the paralyzing fear that had consumed her and instead focus on the here and now.

"Okay," she said unsteadily, taking a slight step back as the peasants continued to press on. A decision had to be made, and it had to be fast. If they stayed, the peasants would eventually overpower them because they had numbers and a fanatic hatred. They had to run or find a way to end the game immediately.

Joanie's gaze flickered to the still burning pyres, though they were starting to run out with no stake - or witch - to consume. A sick satisfaction twisted in her as she picked up a branch, glancing between Ella and the other woman.

"What if we burn them?" she asked, expression deadly serious. "Ella, you can supply the fuel. I can form a metal shield to protect us, and your use of the vines could keep the flames under control." She took a deep breath, biting her lower lip. "It's either this or we run for the woods and hope that we can outrun a pissed-off mob that wants nothing more than to see us all dead."

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]bookshelved
2010-06-27 05:47 pm UTC (link)
Beauty considered Joanie's words, and she tipped her head at the other woman. Setting the pyres aflame sounded like a solid plan. "Once they burn, I can clear a path for us, while you shield us, and we can use the distraction to get Tegan to safety," she agreed.

Getting out of this crowd was of the utmost importance; with any luck, the others in the crowd would follow.

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Re: Outside the Palace
[info]wickedwicker
2010-06-27 06:01 pm UTC (link)
Joanie nodded. "Okay. Hold them off." Without another word, she set to work. She stacked snow with one hand while running her other over it, muttering a string of words that sprang to her tongue as if they were just waiting to come out. Within a minute, she had created a metal wedge that aimed into the crowd. Beckoning to the nameless woman (Mina), she aided her in lifting the nearest stake and resting it on the top of the wedge. It was difficult work, but the other woman's massive strength helped them make it. Balancing the stake, Joanie looked to Ella.

The not-witch created a series of vines that ran from the tip of the wedge into the crowd. As she did that, Joanie set a branch alight and laid it against the large stake. It caught fire and after a few moments was burning brightly. Once it was roaring, the powerful woman and Joanie released it, allowing it to roll forcefully into Ella's vine barricades that the peasants were chopping down.

As the fire spread, the four "witches" ran towards the woods. Joanie moved slowly behind them, focused on creating a series of chest-high metal barriers that would slow the progression of both the peasants and the fire as the women retreated. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Joanie recalled that more residents of Bellum could have been trapped there. But she wasn't thinking properly. Her adrenaline was gushing seemingly from every pore, and all she wanted to do was make them pay while getting the hell away from her near-death experience.

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Re: Outside the Palace - [info]vespertine, 2010-06-27 06:23 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]veridicality, 2010-06-27 06:33 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]nobleblood, 2010-06-27 07:35 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]tiger_says_rawr, 2010-06-27 07:50 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]vespertine, 2010-06-27 10:06 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]thimbledarling, 2010-06-27 10:54 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]bookshelved, 2010-06-27 11:10 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]old_fashioned, 2010-06-27 11:32 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]wickedwicker, 2010-06-27 11:55 pm UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]tiger_says_rawr, 2010-06-28 12:37 am UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]veridicality, 2010-06-28 12:59 am UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]nobleblood, 2010-06-28 01:28 am UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]vespertine, 2010-06-28 01:58 am UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]bookshelved, 2010-06-28 02:11 am UTC
Re: Outside the Palace - [info]veridicality, 2010-06-28 02:57 am UTC

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