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Tweak says, "he don't want your sympathy,"

Jareth (goblin_king) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-03-22 20:29:00

Entry tags:

armand, arrival, caspian, cathal, cimorene, claudia, complete, day four, edward cullen, faith lehane, gabrielle, giselle, hermione granger, ianto jones, jack harkness, jareth, juniper golding, legolas greenleaf, mercy thompson, ned the piemaker, nymphadora tonks, olive snook, pandora, robin of locksley, rose tyler, sarah williams, schuldig, severus snape, tara maclay, the doctor, willow rosenberg, xena, yaten kou, yuna

Who: Jareth and everyone!
When: Day Four, evening
What: The King 'invites' everyone to his masque...
Where: Jareth's castle
Rating: Anywhere from G to R, I suppose
Status: Complete

It had been raining earlier in the day, but it had cleared up a short time ago. Jareth looked out the window of his massive ballroom, empty for now, and felt a little bit disoriented by the fact that the Labyrinth had just disappeared. Of course, he'd made it happen, but it had been a long time since he'd felt so exposed. But he couldn't very well have people needing to wander through the Labyrinth, could he? And the two who had been running it had been transported to the castle already, and he knew from the screams of rage that they were being dressed at this very moment.

The king smiled and turned away from the window, checking out his ballroom. It was quite spectacular, with a large orchestra pit, many snack tables, and, of course, lots of empty space for dancing. This, he figured, would be a night to remember. He snapped his fingers and peered into the crystal that appeared there, scrying on each and every person he'd brought to the Underground. Some, he knew wouldn't come on their own, and he sent crystals floating out to ensare them. Of course, some might just be strong enough to resist that pull, so he had goblins standing by to bring others in. Whether willing or not, everyone would be attending, he'd seen to that.

Dressed in his finery, with an evil looking mask in the guise of a leering demon, he walked over to his throne. Draping himself casually over it, he waited. People would be arriving anytime, now. He didn't fool himself for a moment that some wouldn't take this chance to attack him, which was why he wasn't precisely there. Anyone who tried to attack him, he knew, would find their useless effort wasted against what was no more than a projected image.

He gestured, and a goblin slave brought him a glass of wine. This, he was convinced, was going to be a night to remember.

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vagabond_child
2009-03-24 11:51 am UTC (link)

Armand laughed softly, and shook his head. Of course... but he would have to be a tormented angel. Lestat was, needless to say, a bit of a drama queen, really. He smiled sort of half-fondly at the thoughts of the flashing blue eyes and blond hair of the Brat Prince. I have done horrible things, but then, so has he.

In reality, he'd figured it out long ago. Each and every one of the immortals had done things that any moral person would be horrified by. Lestat, turning his own mother into a vampire, among others. Louis, attacking the child that had become Claudia. Marius... making Armand himself. The list could go on, but each and every one of them was guilty. Armand didn't worry about it much anymore.

He shrugged, a little bit put off guard my conversing with his victim after having fed. Normally, his chosen one would be dead. Though Armand didn't have to kill, he often did. It's useful. And Armand was really far too practical a being not to use something useful. He always treated his victims that way, licking away the wounds, to keep himself from being discovered.

He recoiled, though, and it appeared that his eyes shone red for a moment. Of course, it was only the blood tears rising, which he blinked back. Daniel... Heartbroken for the moment, he turned away to gather himself together. Daniel, who had tricked Armand into turning him, and then left him. He didn't even notice Juniper's reaction to Claudia, which was perhaps a good thing.

... I am the only one from my world that is here, so far as I know, and I believe I would have sensed their thoughts long ago. He turned back to her, his mental voice thoughtful. But a smile smile tugged on his lips as he recovered slightly from the emotional shock of thinking about Daniel again. Kill him? I suppose you could try...

Shrugging, he went along with her. This should be interesting.

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juniper_golding
2009-03-24 10:45 pm UTC (link)

Juniper knew all that, and oddly enough, Armand's admission of wrongdoing had her smiling. We all have, she noted, and she certainly wasn't exempt from that. Granted, her sins were considerably less severe than others she could think of.

She could feel the pain she'd caused, and Juniper's heart went out to him. She'd been thoughtless, mentioning something that she knew better than to bring up, and felt bad for Armand. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling that the voicing of it was far more meaningful than just thinking it, taking a step forward and putting her hand bravely in his cool one and giving it a squeeze. She had abandonment and betrayal in her own past, but she knew that bringing it up would do nothing to soothe Armand's feelings.

Juniper wondered if Armand thought she was actually going to try. What was she going to do? Strangle him with the yards of fabric covering her body? Not likely. Perhaps she had to be a bit less metaphorical with her new companion. But anyway, their host was in for the asschewing of his life, that was for damn sure.

She made her way through the crowd and pushed past a group of goblins, right up to Jareth, lounging in his chair. His careless attitude only fueled Juniper's irritation, and despite her stature, dress and gender, she looked truly imposing as she stood there, fuming at him. "Oi, you! Where do you get off yanking people from their homes, eh? What about my family? What happens to them? What are they supposed to think?" She demanded, but it was like he couldn't even hear her, or he was very, very good at ignoring people. She couldn't get a mental read on him at all. "Hey you tosser! I'm speaking to you!"

Frustrated, she turned to look at Armand. She was getting nowhere, as if he weren't there at all. "Can't you just like...eat him?" she asked, pouting.

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vagabond_child
2009-03-24 11:37 pm UTC (link)

Armand just nodded, accepting her acceptance of his evil along with her apology. It shouldn't affect him like this, he knew it shouldn't. Daniel was gone, not even on the same world as him anymore. And he'd never been much of a friend, really, simply using Armand to get the immortality Louis had denied to him, and then abandoning him.

Though she didn't speak of her own experiences, he read enough of them in her head that he actually smiled a little and nodded to her without comment. It was unlike him, but he didn't pry into her thoughts anymore. What he'd picked up was enough, more than enough to distract him from depressing images of Daniel.

Besides, there were more interesting things to watch. As Juniper walked up to the front of the room, he followed gracefully. Arms crossed over his chest, slightly high on the powerful blood of the telepath, he watched. The girl had an impressive vocabulary, he decided. He half wondered why she hadn't used that sharp tongue on him more than she had.

He stepped forward, however, when she spoke to him. He was about to respond when, out of the ground very nearby, a huge, strange looking... thing... popped out. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, and he gazed at it as it attacked the King. The small girl who'd summoned it, he gave a very thoughtful look to. Anyone who could do that was worth keeping an eye on.

But... it did nothing. Armand sighed softly. "I'm afraid, mon chere, that even if I did try to," his nose wrinkled up slightly, "Eat him, I wouldn't be even the slightest bit able to."

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juniper_golding
2009-03-24 11:47 pm UTC (link)

The reason for that, honestly, was that Armand interested her. She was still fairly sure that she was dreaming, somehow, despite everything that had happened, and a vampire that she'd read about fit right into that, right? That, and well, Armand had threatened her. Not her family. And when people did that...it didn't turn out well. Which was the biggest reason for her being pissed about being pulled from her home without so much as a by-your-leave. Marsha was going to have a fit.

Her gaze followed Armand's when that monster appeared out of nowhere, and Juniper stared at it with huge eyes for about a quarter of a second before she screamed bloody murder and fell down three steps in an effort to get to Armand. She didn't even bother picking herself up, just crawled behind the vampire and wrapped her arms around his legs. Which really, probably wasn't the best thing to do if he had to defend her - if he felt like it - but holy crap. There were not things like that in London. Not in her dizziest daydreams.

What were they talking about? She didn't know or care anymore, she just straightened up to a kneeling position and moved her arms to Armand's waist, holding on in a death grip. What? She couldn't hurt a vampire even if she tried. "This isn't happening. I'm going to wake up in the attic. This isn't happening..." She was past tears, past anything but complete denial. Juniper was honestly surprised she hadn't fainted.

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vagabond_child
2009-03-25 12:01 am UTC (link)

Armand was really rather stupid sometimes. This was something that he really couldn't hope to beat, the huge, chained monster. He somehow doubted it would be interested in the imagery he could provide. So what he should have been doing was getting the hell out of here, before he got hurt. But, after all, he had tried to kill himself because of a piece of fabric with Jesus' face imprinted on it. Intelligence wasn't entirely his strong point sometimes.

With a sort of detatched curiousity, he watched as the thing attacked their host without any affect at all. Belatedly, it occured to him that he should get the hell out of there. What if the monster got mad? It was only at this point that he noticed Juniper basically cowering behind him.

It seemed the easiest thing was to pick her up, so he did so, and walked briskly for the back of the room. Which meant, of course, that he moved much quicker than a human eye could track, and was safely against the back wall in a matter of seconds. Or, at least, he hoped it was safe. But that thing was huge...

"My God... all that power, and no effect on the Sparkly King at all..."

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juniper_golding
2009-03-25 12:08 am UTC (link)

Juniper felt herself get picked up, and started for a second before she realised she was in Armand's arms. Funnily enough, she felt safe, which was slightly backward, but she'd take a vampire over that thing any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

She didn't get herself down when he stopped, just stayed with her face pressed against his shoulder and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, shaking. She couldn't believe he was standing there analyzing it. She'd do that later, when she wasn't going to die of shock, thanks.

After a couple of minutes, Juniper picked her head up. "I need...air..." she begged, struggling with her skirts in her attempt to get down and almost slamming into the wall. "I have to get out of here," she said, not letting go of his arm as she started for the door.

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vagabond_child
2009-03-25 12:18 am UTC (link)

This was weird. Humans did not hold him like this, not unless he entered their minds and made them do so. He was the thing that mortals were afraid of, not the thing they looked to for protection. But he held her, at a loss for anything else to do, and because, well, now that it came down to it, he was a bit shaken, too.

He set her down, though, when she struggled, though he could have easily kept her slight form in his arms. And he watched as the thing disappeared with nothing more than a gesture from the King. He couldn't stop staring at the place where it had been, now empty, like it had never happened.

"I think that might be the wisest course of action, yes." Actually, right now, he was sort of thinking he might like to get the hell out of there, too. So though he could have removed his arm from hers easily enough, he went with her. Giant monsters were where he drew the line. He glanced around the room for Schuldig, his date whom he hadn't seen for hours, and shrugged. He'd catch up with him later. Right now, getting out of the ballroom was the most important thing.

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juniper_golding
2009-03-25 12:24 am UTC (link)

The danger was gone, and yet, Juniper was still hovering dangerously on the edge of hyperventilating. She picked up her skirts with her free hand and practically ran from the castle, leaving her things behind, only concerned with putting as much distance between herself and that impossible thing as she could.

Once her slippered feet hit the grass outside the palace, Juniper let go of Armand and fell to her hands and knees, letting out heaving gasps of air and trying to get her heart to stop racing. She'd seen a lot in her short life, and had been through far more in her many lives, but this day had shaken her to the core.

Giving up, Juniper rolled to her back and just lay there with her eyes closed and her hands pressed over her heart. "I thought I was so strong...I'm not strong enough for this..." she muttered, shaking her head back and forth. After a minute she looked at Armand, her eyes wet. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "Tell me what to do."

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vagabond_child
2009-03-25 12:33 am UTC (link)

Somehow, it hadn't fully sunk in that she was new, even moreso than he was. And somehow, she'd been stuck with the bad fortune to get him as her greeter. The irony amused him a tiny bit, but he was actually feeling the slightest bit of remorse. He'd played with her quite badly, really. If he'd known she was knew, he'd have... done the exact same thing, probably.

Well, at least he could make up for it in some small way. He knelt down beside her and took her hand in his, smiling slightly. "You are strong. You just need some time to deal with this." He sort of thought that, to be perfectly honest, he would too. And he saw horrific things all the time. But this was something no vampire had done.

"I'll tell you what to do." He became all practicality as he tried to help her to her feet. "Follow me. I'll show you around. I think that's what I was supposed to do in the first place. And you should eat something."

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juniper_golding
2009-03-25 12:40 am UTC (link)

Juniper decided that Armand had kind of gotten a bit of a bad rap. He was being perfectly nice to her, aside from the whole biting thing, but looking back on it, she'd kind of asked for it. That and, well, if she were being really honest with herself, it had been hot. Focus, Juni, she mentally whipped herself into shape. This was hardly the time for all of that nonsense.

She got to her feet and smoothed her skirts, trying to get the grass pieces off of them, and then ran her fingers through her curls, but that was a lost cause before she'd even started. Oh well. She gave up and gave Armand a little smile, slipping her hand back into his and leaning in to give him a small kiss, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do. "Thank you."

"I had a plum in my hand..." she mumbled, but somehow, she'd lost track of that. And now that she thought about it, she was fairly starving. "Yeah, might want to replenish some blood sugar, huh?" she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye, a little smirk playing around her lips. She could freak out with the best of them, but she bounced back fairly quickly as well.

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