InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Can you hear drums?"

Rudorufu (rudorufu) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-07-14 11:34:00

Entry tags:

active, armand, day 15, rudolf habsburg

Day 15, Early Morning
WHO: Rudolf and Armand
WHAT: A Chance Encounter
WHEN: Day 15, early morning
WHERE: the Aquarium
WARNINGS: umm...TBD
STATUS: Incomplete

Rudolf woke far earlier than usual this morning, and found he could not fall back asleep, no matter how he tried. With a sigh, he pushed himself up from bed and set about getting washed and dressed for the day. There was little point in staying in bed when his mind was so active and his eyes refused to stay shut. Glancing out his window as he buttoned his jacket, he realized that the grounds of the city had changed yet again. Most of the oddities of the previous day had disappeared, replaced with what looked like carefully-mown lawns. In a way, it reminded him of the grounds of his father's favorite summer palace, the one in Bad Ishchl.

Exploring early would give him an advantage over his best friend, he realized with a grin. For once, he'd be able to show the other man around, and explain the nature of the place. It was rare to get a drop on the other man, and the idea that he might put an extra bit of spring in Rudolf's step as he headed out the door. Lamps, like the odd ones in his room, illuminated signs that led to the various stark buildings he could see around as he stepped into the city proper. The one that caught his eye first was the sign for the aquarium.

Rudolf had seen many fish in his lifetime, but the vast majority were either in illustrations in his books, or on his plate, cooked and ready to eat. He'd never really seen fish in their natural environment. With eager eyes, he turned sharply and strode toward the building, marching across the lawns with a gait that, were he an outside observer of his own body, would remind him of his father's. He gave the goblin that opened the door for him a cursory nod, out of politeness, and stepped eagerly into a room bathed in rippling blue light. All around him were tanks of water, illuminated from within to better see the contents. Rudolf stepped up to the nearest tank, the odd light playing across his face, and peered inside, awed by the brightly colored creatures swimming and crawling around in the water. So enraptured was he by the movement of the sea creatures that he had completely failed to notice that he was not the only person in the room.

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vagabond_child
2009-07-18 06:34 am UTC (link)

Well, it couldn't have lasted forever. He just wasn't all that good at fooling mortals, not when it really came down to it. That's why he so often simply hunted and killed before they could react to his presence. Even back at the very beginning, when Marius had first turned him, he hadn't been that good at the deception of being a normal human boy. So he dropped the charade right then and there.

The vampire laughed, and this time, the light gleamed off his sharp, wickedly pointed and very white fangs. Almost leisurely, he reached out and grabbed the young man's hands, holding him still for a long, agonizing moment before drawing him inevitably closer to him. He was far stronger than any human, and certainly more than anyone of his build had any right to be.

"I met your friend when he arrived..." His voice was almost dreamlike, but his eyes were sharp and focused on Rudolf. "He found me... frustrating. He couldn't do anything to me, you see."

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rudorufu
2009-07-19 06:25 pm UTC (link)

The young man was really starting to unnerve Rudolf. Then, he laughed, and Rudolf froze, wide-eyed, at the sight of his teeth. The incisors were sharp, pointed. Like the stories...the one of the woman who bathed in blood to stay young and beautiful. He tried to pull his hands away when Armand took them, but found he could not, no matter how hard he tried. He took a step back again, but the pull of the other man served to throw him off-balance, and instead Rudolf stumbled closer to him.

"How did you know he was my friend?" Rudolf asked. He could not pull away, could not look away from Armand. He felt himself trembling. Despite his fear, curiosity made him continue speaking. Or perhaps, he felt if he kept the other man talking, whatever horrible thing Rudolf was sure would happen wouldn't. "What do you mean, he couldn't do anything to you?"

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vagabond_child
2009-07-20 10:35 pm UTC (link)

This was so much better, really. There was a reason he so seldom bothered with subterfuge. It just wasnt as much fun as seeing the unease in this young man's eyes. He smiled, and it should have been a sweet, innocent, boyish smile. And it would have been just that, if not for the gleam of the ambient blue light off his cruelly sharp fangs.

Still holding Rudolf's hands in his relentless, though fairly gentle, grip, he gave an eloquent little shrug. "I see him in your mind, and I saw you in his." He said it casually, like someone would mention the weather in normal conversation. "Oh, but can this be? You don't even know...?"

He was beyond amused suddenly, and burst out laughing, though he didn't release Rudolf's hands. "This is really too perfect. There is truly a God, for having brought me here to you." He murmured softly, an impish look on his face that made him into a mischievious angel. "Do you truly not know? Ah, but perhaps I shall turn you loose, then. I had thought to feed, but this is much more entertaining."

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rudorufu
2009-07-20 11:06 pm UTC (link)

How could such a delicate-looking figure be so strong? And how could such a kind face be so cruel? Rudolf shuddered as Armand smiled again, revealing the unnatural fangs. And when he explained himself, Rudolf felt confusion spike within his increasing fear. Armand could see inside his mind? How in the world was such a thing possible?

"Know what?" Rudolf asked, the fear evident in his voice. His eyes had gone very wide. It was possible Armand was toying with him, trying to make him more unnerved than he already was. But there was a chance that Armand knew something about his friend that Rudolf did not. If, as he said, he could see inside people's minds, perhaps he'd seen something in his friend's mind?

Rudolf nearly jumped at Armand's laughter. He failed to understand what was so amusing about the current situation. "Know what?" he repeated, a little more forcefully this time, although he still tried to pull away. Focusing on information was far preferable than entertaining the meaning of "feed", which Armand had also mentioned. Rudolf was very sure he would not like whatever that entailed.

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vagabond_child
2009-07-24 11:56 pm UTC (link)

For a moment, he'd stopped tugging the young man toward him, too amused by what he was pretty sure he'd just figured out. But now he remembered himself and started pulling him easily in, just with the apparently light pressure of his hands. Finally, their bodies were close enough that Rudolf would be able to feel the cold radiating off of the vampire, though they weren't quite touching, other than their hands.

"Mmm, there are things your 'best friend' hasn't been telling you..." He murmured, clearly delighted by this. The smile wouldn't fade from his lips. "You actually think he's nothing more than..." Deliberately, teasingly, he cut himself off, and gave another little laugh.

Carefully, he transfered both of Rudolf's hands into one of his, which, small is it was, had no problem with holding the young man immobile. His newly freed hand shifted up to tangle in Rudolf's hair, tugging on the strands with just a slight hint of roughness. "You know what, though, I think I lied. I think I will see what such innocence tastes like." Slowly, but inexorably, he tilted the young man's head to the side, baring his neck. "If you are a good boy, I will make this the most pleasure you have ever experienced. If not..." He let the threat trail away unfinished.

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rudorufu
2009-07-25 03:53 pm UTC (link)

Rudolf tensed even more, feeling the strain all over his body as he tried to resist the inexorable pull of the other man. It was no use. Whatever Armand was, he was far, far more powerful than Rudolf could hope to be. That didn't stop the young man leaning as far back from Armand as he could without toppling over.

The problem was, each time Armand opened his mouth and mentioned his friend, Rudolf unconsciously leant forward, as if to compel the other to explain more fully. "Nothing more than...?" he echoed, his voice no higher than a whisper. Fear kept him from speaking any louder.

He felt Armand's grip shift, and Rudolf tried to use the opportunity to at least pull one of his hands free. However, the other man was faster. Even though he only held Rudolf in one hand, the crown prince found he couldn't pull himself free. He cringed as he felt Armand's hand snake up and take his hair. And at the man's next words, Rudolf froze entirely, eyes wider than dinner plates. His throat went dry, and he shivered. But, he did not resist when Armand moved his head. Nothing he'd done to free himself had worked thus far, and he did fear for what the other might do to him if he continued resisting physically.

"My...my friend," Rudolf said, forcing himself to speak, to at least try and distract Armand from whatever he was about to do. "What did you mean about my friend?" Not that he expected an answer; he could tell Armand took delight in not telling him.

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vagabond_child
2009-07-27 04:17 am UTC (link)

It was almost sensuous, the way that the vampire wound his fingers into the strands of Rudolf's hair. Why not? He couldn't kill anymore, so he had to get enjoyment through other things. Back on earth, with it's unlimited food supply, he'd been able to hunt and kill quickly. Here, it was different. He had to be more careful. So he would savor this in a way that he rarely had back home.

"Ask him yourself." The vampire was practically gloating as he held the young man still effortlessly. "If he's such a good friend of yours, he should tell you himself." He leaned in, let his tongue trace teasingly over the vein that he could see pulsing in the young man's throat.

He'd been distracted enough, he decided. So he leaned forward and let his sharp, pointed fangs rest on the smooth, sensitive skin of Rudolf's neck. Hold on, this will hurt, but just for a moment, I swear. The words echoed directly through the other man's head, though they were unmistably Armand's in voice and sentence structure. And, with that, his teeth broke through the skin and he drank. Meanwhile, with the ease of long practice, he slipped into Rudolf's mind, finding the most pleasurable images he could there and ruthlessly stimulating them. He would keep his part of the bargain, and, after all, Rudolf hadn't struggled much once he'd learned how futile it could be.

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rudorufu
2009-07-27 05:11 pm UTC (link)

But he didn't want to pry.... That was what Rudolf had been about to say. The words died in his throat as Armand lowered his head to Rudolf's neck. He swallowed hard, and shut his eyes tightly. It was like the stories, like the woman who'd bathed in blood. He realized what Armand was going to do, and despaired that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Just like he couldn't stop his father. Like he couldn't make mother understand.

He heard Armand's words in his head, and that startled him out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he clutched the hand holding his more tightly, as if to brace against the pain. And there was pain, sharp, hot, centered on his neck. He couldn't see what Armand was doing, but he could feel it, just for a moment.

And then, Rudolf found himself thinking of his mother. Of snuggling into her embrace when he was a boy, when she'd come in and demanded his horrible tutors leave immediately. The day the beatings had stopped, and he'd felt safe and secure, at least for a little while. The feeling engulfed him, and he clutched Armand's hand tighter still, but not out of fear any longer.

The images in his mind shifted, and he thought of his friend, his dear, dear friend, and the night the man had first come to Rudolf in the palace, comforting the crying boy, paying attention to him and calming his fears. More safety, more happiness, rare in his childhood. The thrill of playing tricks on all those stuffy advisers, tripping them in the hallways of the palace or sneaking worms into their meals. The secret smiles shared with only his friend. He was always so eager to please the other man, to have the rare smile directed at him, to feel the other man's hand on his shoulder or ruffling the hair on his head.

Rudolf lost himself in the memories. His worried face changed, a blissful smile replacing the frightened scowl, and he relaxed into Armand's embrace, forgetting it was the creature holding him fast and not his dear friend, as he imagined.

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vagabond_child
2009-07-28 06:16 am UTC (link)

Normally, Armand would be annoyed by the fact that his victim wasn't even paying attention to him. He hated that, on the rare occasions it happened. But, in this case, he was enjoying spying on the private feelings of the young man that he didn't even mind... much. Okay, it did sting his ego a bit, but it was beautiful enough that he could handle it. Chances were good, if he wanted to, he could force Rudolf to acknowledge him, but he let it go, this time.

In the end, he didn't take as much as he could have. Oh, Rudolf would be dizzy and feel a little sick, but with rest and food, he'd be fine. He slid his fangs free of the young man's neck, let him go entirely, to stand on his own or fall. Really, he didn't much care which. He gave him an amused look, then petulantly crossed his arms over his chest.

"Thinking of others, you should have been thinking of me, damn it, me!" A quick glance outside showed him that the sun was rising, and while the cloud cover held, he couldn't quite make himself stay out in the daytime. One time being nearly burned to a crisp had been enough. So with one more look at the young man, he turned to go. "You should ask him. He does not tell you anything, really, does he?" With that parting shot, he left, and quickly enough that the young man wouldn't see him leaving. He would seem to just disappear into thin air.

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