InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Do What You Do"

Rudorufu (rudorufu) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-05-10 18:22:00

Entry tags:

arrival, complete, day nine, gabrielle, rudolf habsburg

Day 9: Arrival Thread
WHO: Rudolf Habsburg, Gabrielle
WHEN: Day 9, late morning
WHAT: Rudolf's gone a little off course on his way to Mayerling and ended up in Illusion City
WHERE: the streets of Illusion City
RATING: um...PG-13, just to be safe?
STATUS: Complete

Everything had gone so terribly wrong. How had it gotten so out of hand so quickly? Rudolf went over and over what had happened as he stared out the window of his carriage. He had time enough to mull over the horrible details on the journey to Mayerling. Now, more than ever, he was glad he'd bought the place and fixed it up as a private lodge for himself. He needed to get away from the palace, get away from his father, and just think. Of course, he was going under guard. Given what had happened, Rudolf was surprised he'd been allowed to leave at all. Perhaps his father felt himself safer with Rudolf tucked away at his lodge.

The only problem was, the longer he sat in the cab, the more trapped Rudolf felt. The walls felt like they were pressing in on him, wrapping him in a cocoon. He shook his head, worry lining his brow, and stared at his hands. "Stop!" he called out, leaning forward to bang on the wall of the carriage. The guard opposite him reached for a pistol, but froze when Rudolf ignored him completely. "Stop the carriage!"

"Your highness?" the guard asked, clearly uncomfortable with the Crown Prince's actions.

"I just need to step out for a moment," Rudolf said. "I need some fresh air." He opened the door as soon as the driver had pulled the horses to a stop, and jumped out to the ground below. He blinked as he straightened to his feet, and his jaw fell open. They'd been traveling through woods. He'd seen the thick-set trees just a moment before. Now, he found himself in a snow-dusted town, of sorts. He turned back to the carriage, only to find it had disappeared. He took a step backward, looking all around.

Madness. There was no other explanation for it. He must have gone mad. Rudolf looked around again, turning right, then left. He felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth and shook his head. He wouldn't give into madness. Not now. He just had to clear his head. That's why he'd been going to Mayerling. Perhaps if he were patient, the odd vision would subside, and he'd find himself back in the forest, beside his carriage, his guard looking at him sternly.

Rudolf walked over to the nearest building and lay his hand on the wall. Did madness feel real? Was that the mark of madness? The building felt like a building, not a tree. Perhaps he'd dozed off in the carriage, and they'd stopped in a town on the way to Mayerling? Rudolf nodded. That seemed far more likely than madness. He coughed and straightened up, an unconscious habit he'd picked up from his father, and decided that must be it. He'd turned down a side street in some little village. The carriage would be right around the next corner, or the one after that. He can't have wandered too far.

But, the more he walked, the less sure he was about this new idea. The architecture didn't look anything like the towns in Austria he'd visited. Had his father perhaps given the carriage orders to get rid of him somewhere, remove him entirely, the way he surely had Elmer and the others by now? Rudolf froze at that thought. That was the one thing he felt worst about in all of this. He couldn't help Elmer or Zeps, or any of his new friends escape from his father's men. The guilt and helplessness overtook him, and he sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands. He did not cry, however. Tears did no one any good. He'd learned that lesson years ago, and just suffered a painful reminder of it.

He remained seated for several moments, eyes closed, as he got control of himself again. Upon at last looking up, Rudolf noticed that he wasn't alone. He scrambled to his feet in surprise at seeing another person in the streets and stumbled to find a greeting that wouldn't sound odd or awkward. "Um, good morning," he managed at last.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-19 05:21 pm UTC (link)

"Yes!" She watched him with a grin on her face, delighted by his surprise. She remembered when she'd learned that you could actually write to other people in the journals, and was happy to see someone else's response to it. "I was blown away when I realized what they could do. I hear you can write private entries as well, just by writing at the top that it's private." The blond bard watched as he flipped through the pages with her head tilted slightly to the side, but she didn't interupt him and just waited for him to be finished.

When he spoke, though, she was ready. "Okay! I'll take you there. We just have to go to the F building, and then go up to the second floor." She looked around, trying to get her bearings. "This way!" Gabrielle set off down a corridor, which would eventually lead to an exit outside, one closest to the dorm building they were looking for. "I'll give you a bit of a tour as we go..." She pointed out things as they passed. "That's the restaurant, you can get food there. Library through here..." And so on.

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rudorufu
2009-05-19 06:03 pm UTC (link)

"Just write that it's private," Rudolf echoed, filing the information away for later. Writing would help him, he knew. "It sounds deceptively simple. I wonder how it actually works." It was yet another thing that seemed like it came out of a fairy tale in this place. Goblin servants, magic books. All that was missing was a fairy godmother or an evil witch.

Rudolf scanned the hallway and nodded as Gabrielle pointed out the various rooms. Perhaps he'd explore later, if he felt up to it. He did his best to commit the locations to memory. He wasn't hungry just yet, and books, while alluring, weren't foremost in his thoughts right now. But he smiled at Gabrielle as she showed him around. "I'd be lost trying to do this on my own," he admitted as they walked. "It's quite disorienting, arriving here and then trying to make sense of everything."

Rudolf again opened the door and held it for Gabrielle when they reached the exit, and did the same as they approached another building, presumably this F dorm. "Is your room nearby?" he asked. Then, almost immediately, he winced. "Forgive me, that was an incredibly personal question, Gabrielle. I didn't mean...I just...." He took a deep breath and started again. "I mean to ask, may I call on you at home some time? It would be nice to see friends often while here." Rudolf hoped he hadn't come across as too brazen or rude. Stephanie would never forgive him if he had crossed a line with a woman. Not that he always cared what Stephanie thought, but in that respect, he didn't wish to upset her, even here. Worse yet, his mother would disapprove if he'd acted rudely toward Gabrielle, and the thought of his mother's disapproval was enough to flush his cheeks.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-19 08:49 pm UTC (link)

"Well..." She thought about that, then grinned widely. "I think that if it didn't work, we'd see a lot more entries that would have 'Private' written on them, right?" She laughed, finding the mental image amusing for some reason. It would be horribly embarassing, of course, to think you were writing something private, and to have everyone able to read it the whole time.

She continued to play tour guide as they passed the various rooms, and gave a little blurb about each one. Some of them, like the gym, she didn't really understand, but she went on at length about the library. "There are all sorts of stories in there, even things from worlds I've never heard of! It's amazing, I could spend all my time in there."

The blonde bard stood back and let him open the door, smiling at his politeness. She was very favorably impressed by his manners. The problem with being a wandering bard was that you tended to meet a lot of very rude people, but he was obviously anything but. As he asked his question, and then looked completely embarassed, she was quick to jump to reassuring him. "Actually, it's funny you should mention that. I'm in the same building, that's how I know where it is." She laughed, trying to put him at ease. "Well, one of my rooms is. I also have a room in the castle at the center of the Labyrinth."

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rudorufu
2009-05-21 04:52 am UTC (link)

Rudolf chuckled at the idea of seeing "private" marked on other handwritings in his journal. "I think in that case, there would be many angry people here," he said. It would be amusing, but in an unfortunate way. The last thing he would want was to write something about what had been going on at home, and have it broadcast to the entirety of the land. Information could be a weapon, in the wrong hands.

At her kind handling of his faux pas, Rudolf felt his cheeks warm even more. But, he smiled at the thought his new friend was so close by. Then, she said only one of her rooms. "You have a room in the castle?" he asked.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-21 01:30 pm UTC (link)

"The private entry isn't something I've tried. Maybe I should. I'll let you know how it goes, if I do." Not that Gabrielle was normally big on hiding things, of course, but it would be a fun experiment to try. "I wonder if I could even write private messages to someone else... what do you think? It could be a good way to communicate, even secret things!"

As they wandered to the dorm building that they both had rooms in, Gabrielle turned to look at him. "Yes. My friend Xena and I went through the Labyrinth, and got a room in the castle. But we get to keep our old rooms, too, and since not very many people have made it through, yet, I spend a lot of time here. It's sort of boring over there.. though much nicer than here."

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rudorufu
2009-05-21 03:51 pm UTC (link)

"It would be very useful," Rudolf agreed. If only he'd had something as ingenious as this back home. Zeps would have found brilliant ways to use journals like these, and the movement for an independent Hungary and Danube Commonwealth would have been far better organized. And if you truly could write messages only certain other people could read, then his father would never have found out about the meetings. Rudolf shook his head slightly, trying to stir himself out of the mire of "if only". That was the fastest way to madness and despair, and he was enjoying Gabrielle's company far too much to tread that road right now.

He chuckled at her explanation of the castle. "I would imagine so," he said. "Castles are often nicer places than inns, which is what this place reminds me of." He let Gabrielle precede him up the stairs as a courtesy. "Winning through the labyrinth allows one a place in the castle, though? That's...interesting." In truth, it was a bit disappointing. Rudolf had hoped that, should he try for an audience with the king, he might convince the other man to let him return home. Merely changing rooms seemed like a poor concession. "Are you on the second floor as well, Gabrielle?" he asked.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-22 05:33 pm UTC (link)

Gabrielle nodded, but being the empathetic person she was, she heard the pain in his voice and stopped with that line. After all, if he wanted to talk, he knew that... but wait. This was a new friend, he might not know that about her. So, smiling at him, she gently touched his shoulder. "You know, if you need to talk, I'm a good listener." And she left it at that. If he wanted to talk, he could. If not, she would be his friend anyway.

With that out of the way, she turned and went up the stairs. "Uh, no, I don't think so. I don't think it works that way. When you go through the Labyrinth, it seems to depend on how well you do. If you just get through decently well, you get a house. If you do a little better, you get a room in the palace. Who knows, maybe if you do it well enough, you might even get to go home." But... in truth, she was glad that she and Xena hadn't done well enough for that, if that was, indeed, the case.

"Me? No, first floor." She laughed. "This is my first time up these stairs." She reached the top, looked around, and got her bearings. "It looks the same. Your room should be this way." She pointed.

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rudorufu
2009-05-22 08:08 pm UTC (link)

Gabrielle's offer to listen meant more to Rudolf than she could realize. That was the true mark of a friend, in his eyes. Someone who would listen to your troubles, without judging. He smiled at her, the smile beaming through his eyes as well. "Thank you," he said, his voice full of warmth. He wasn't quite ready yet, but to know that someone here was willing to listen when he did feel ready to share his problems was enough.

He listened carefully and nodded. That made sense, he guessed. At least, as much as anything here had made sense thus far. Perhaps once he'd gotten his thoughts in order, he could make an attempt and impress the king. But that too was something for another day.

"First floor?" Rudolf said, frowning slightly. "But, the second floor would be safer." This king was remiss in his duties, putting ladies on the first floor. Unless he kept the kingdom so safe that there were no fears of break-ins. But, no kingdom was that safe. It was impossible.

Rudolf looked at the doors on the hallway, scanning the numbers. He walked down past the first few numbers, counting up from 201, until he found 213. "A-ha," he said, looking at the rather nondescript door. He held his key up to double-check that it was indeed the match for the door, then slid it into the lock, opening the door with just a bit of a shove. It stuck a little, but that would lessen over time. The room clearly hadn't been used in a while.

The interior of the room matched the featureless exterior. Nothing but the simplest furnishings and accessories adorned the rather small room. Still, it had a window, which let in a surprising amount of light for its size. It was nothing like his rooms at home, but it was functional. He took a step inside, looking around, memorizing the features easily, and turned back to Gabrielle. "Is your room as...utilitarian...as this one?" he asked.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-22 11:12 pm UTC (link)

Gabrielle tilted her head at him curiously. "Safer? No one can come into our rooms without our permission." She grinned suddenly. "And anyway, even if they did, Xena and I can take care of ourselves." At one time, that would have been 'Xena can take care of herself, and me', but those days were long past. "So don't worry."

She fell into step with him, taking off her cloak and hanging it over her arm. It was much warmer in here, and she was more comfortable without it. The bard watched as he found his room, and then smiled happily.

"Oh, yes. The rooms on the other side, though, can look like whatever you want." She peered into his room, which was, as far as she could tell, a match for hers. "Some of the fabrics and textures in this place feel weird to me, I've never seen anything like them. But it's not so bad. I don't spend much time in my room, anyway. There's so much to see out there... have you ever been to.. an amusement park, I think it's called? There's one out there. If it's still there in a couple of days, we should go, what do you think?"

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rudorufu
2009-05-23 09:05 am UTC (link)

The king wasn't as remiss as Rudolf had thought. If no one could enter a room without permission, that would at least ensure a basic line of defense. Rudolf smiled at Gabrielle as she mentioned taking care of herself. She seemed too nice to end up fighting against someone. But, as Rudolf well knew, looks could be deceiving. His father, after all, seemed like a perfectly reasonable man upon first meeting. It was only once you started talking to him that he revealed himself to be a closed-minded.... Best not to dwell on that right now, Rudolf decided. "It's a gentleman's duty to worry about a lady, but I will try," he said to Gabrielle.

"It reminds me even more of an inn now," Rudolf said as he inspected his room. He glanced aside as he realized that Gabrielle had removed her cloak. She didn't seem that disturbed by her lack of clothing, so he'd try not to make an issue out of it, for politeness' sake. He didn't want to insult a new friend. "It gives you exactly what you need and nothing more."

Rudolf shook his head. "I've never heard of such a place," he said, turning back to Gabrielle, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her pleasant face. "I'd like to see it, yes. Thank you." He could almost see his wife's raised eyebrow in his mind's eye. He was sure she wouldn't approve. But, she didn't approve of many things he did, including spending time with friends. So he'd never paid much mind to that. He glanced around the little room. "I'd offer you refreshment, but there doesn't seem to be anything to offer," he said sheepishly.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-23 11:56 pm UTC (link)

Well, that changed things. A gentleman's duty to worry about a lady! Gabrielle liked this man, she decided. He called her a lady. That wasn't the most common thing ever, and it made her beam at him happily. "Thank you. I appreciate the thought."

The bard, having spent a lot of time in inn rooms, nodded. She knew exactly what he meant, for it had seemed that way to her at first, too, and especially so since she had seen the rooms in the castle, which were pure luxury.

When he agreed, she smiled brightly at him. "Good! I'll write a note to you in my journal, we can meet once you've settled in a bit." She glanced around, and then looked at him. "Is there anything else you need help with while I'm here?"

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rudorufu
2009-05-24 04:40 pm UTC (link)

"I look forward to it, Gabrielle," Rudolf said, smiling at her. Using this new little journal would be interesting. He set it on the little table by his bedside carefully. There'd be time enough to peruse it later.

As much as he enjoyed her company, Rudolf decided it would be rude to keep her from whatever business she'd had any longer than he already had done. "I think that I'll be fine for now, thank you," he said, looking back at her. "As you say, I think I just need to settle in a bit. It's quite a lot to take in at once."

He also didn't want to end up losing control of himself in front of her. But the realization that he was, for all intents and purposes, trapped here, away from his mother, his friends, any sort of useful action, was beginning to weigh on him. And he didn't want to make his new friend worry. "If you would excuse me, Gabrielle?" he said, bowing to her and stepping toward his door.

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bardictraveller
2009-05-24 08:31 pm UTC (link)

"Me too!" Her tone was completely sincere. She truly loved meeting new people, making new friends, and she thought this man was one of the nicest she'd met in a long time. Both he and Caspian had made her feel like the lady that she most definitely wasn't, and she had to admit, part of her liked it. She was glad she'd made friends with them both.

"I'll see you in a few days... and remember what I said. If you want to talk about anything...you know how to find me." She smiled at him. "I'm downstairs in room F 118, if you need anything, alright?"

With one more gentle touch to his arm, and one last smile, she turned around, leaving him. He had, undoubtedly, quite a lot of settling in to do. But she very much was looking forward to seeing him again.

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