castleinthemist | 001- Who could have guessed?

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001- Who could have guessed?

A coffin. Was he dreaming? For all he knew he could have been. As he awoke to the pitch black of his containment he looked up, felt around with his own fingers. Not a dream. He was a girl when he dreamed, living out the lives of those thousands of generations of girls. The second thing he noticed? He was weak, but not all of his strength had gone. He rocked in place, pulling back and pushing forth until whatever held him shook loose. He toppled forward, smashing along with the rest of the stone container.

He pushed the rubble off his weakened form and sat up, looking around the room slowly, taking in the details. The sights and smells, the ambiance of the sounds which he could hear better than any human. It was silent here, but he could hear voices resonating from within these walls. Lurks?

No, but the scent they were human. Something stuck too. A familiar scent. He seethed, thinking back to the moment when that madwoman betrayed him and left him to Gunther. Is this her doing? Or was it just a trick? Was he spun?

He pulled himself out of the rubble and started exploring the rooms, hands trailing against the cold stone sarcophagi as he headed down. Down a ladder, down stairs, down to the main level of this chamber.

This wasn't her doing. No. She was here but long before now. The scent still lingered in the air. Could be this was the work of some other higher power. Powers that be, he heard some say. Could be a demon of a sort, who he'd have to get on with. Or something else completely.

He continued onwards, finding a door at the bottom of the stairs and passing through. He felt hunger pangs pass through him as he walked and looked up with a look of curious apprehension and curiosity. A chain? To get up there? Rocketship. It didn't take him much time, but much effort? Yes. He was fatigued and following the sounds of those voices down this corridor would surly lead to these humans who had captured him.

"The watcher council." Could only be. No one else could have such a facility. He snorted a bemused chuckle as he headed down the final length of the corridor into a chamber with a glowing spring. What horrors could await them if he was right?

He rounded the spring once before moving further, down into a larger chamber where a small group gathered at a table, eating what smelled odd and couldn't taste much better.

He was surprised. Not what he expected at all. Not a single old man in sight. Good for him, he thought. That meant that nobody had any idea what or who he was. All he had to do is decide how he was going to play.

[OOC: Feel free to catch him lurking near the hallway here, watching and studying people in the common room during dinner hour.]

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Seishirou, for his part, was settling into this place nicely. Of course he wasn't content to be here for the long haul; the accommodations were lacking in many vital ways, and he would grow bored if forced to stay here for too long. But for now? He had that which he had been searching for, and he had the added amusement of his brother being present. He could be relatively happy here, in the short term.

The people here provided added information and entertainment. He was more than happy to have smalltalk with them, and he was even happier to find out intriguing details that he hadn't thought of.

All in all, it lead to Seishirou observing Harth from a distance-- and then closing the distance, offering him a smile and a pleasant nod.

"You'll learn more from talking than you will watching."

"Oh? I think you'd be surprised." Harth heard Seishirou come, and turned to watch as he neared. He turned his attention back to to the dining few, none of which were particularly enjoying themselves. Mostly just expressing their mild disgust, and something about shadows.

"But if you're willing to tell me what I need to know about this place I'll be more than happy to listen." That was a broad exaggeration on his part. Happy? Not hardly. What he means is that he'll be patient. No need to play his trump yet.

Most people knew in their hearts what a vampire was, and that? That would not be useful, having these people turn on him. So he'd play the role for a while. Be human.

Edited 2012-02-17 05:40 (UTC)

Seishirou's familiarity with vampires was perhaps a bit deeper than most, and it was only by the grace of long sleeves that any evidence to that was hidden away. The sleeves, of course, had been calculated to hide; Seishirou's clothing was hardly fashionable, and every bit designed to conceal.

"What is it that you need to know?" And what information would he be willing to trade for it? Even if it wasn't stated as a trade, the conversation would be directed as such-- and if Harth objected, well, then perhaps Seishirou could sit back and learn more from looking than from talking.

And while Seishirou may be able to guide the conversation in a particular direction, he may not receive anything more than Harth wanted him to. He was after all, just playing the role of a 23rd century high school boy from Haddyn.

"What's the nature of this place? Who does this castle belong to?" He asked calmly, two very important questions.

It would be frustrating, perhaps, if there weren't dozens of other people for Seishirou to talk to, to gather information from. And even then, all of this was merely a hobby. It was obvious now that Harth knew nothing about the castle, and when escape was the only real desire Seishirou had, flitting around the edges of his mind, anything else he learned was merely-- a pleasant addition.

"The nature is what you see," Seishirou offered, gesturing. "It would be reckless of me to say anything else, when I've learned only by exploring it."

In other words this smiling needs knew nothing. Harth raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back to the humans at the table. Humans and a smaller furrier creature with large ears. Hmn. A demon?

"And nobody is in charge here. No..." He pauses, searching for an appropriate word. "No management?"

"Not at all," Seishirou replied, lightly. He had suggested it, once, in a roundabout fashion, but it seemed as though everyone was largely content to take things in the way that involved the absolute most amount of anarchy rather than have any sort of system set up yet. It hardly bothered Seishirou; he wouldn't be caught in it, either way.

No organization, no leadership. Just like a ruttin' warren. Just like home, only without the toxic waste. He crossed his arms and just watched this smiling human for a moment.

"And what else can you tell me about this place?"

"You'll need a companion if you want to escape." Worthless information: easily obtained, if you had any interest in exploration, since there were so many doors that wouldn't open unless you had more than one person to work with.

Harth initially didn't care for Seishiro's personal details, but he had been looking over his priestly guard far more closely than he had before. No cross. Nothing struck out at him as particularly threatening to him.

Looked like one of those holy men from the scopes. Not many of them back in the warrens.

"And why is that?" He asked slowly.

"You'll find many of the doors require a second party to open." It was quite inconvenient, as far as Seishirou thought of it, but it could have been worse. He had Fuuma, and he had Subaru, and many of the people here were more than happy to go exploring with him-- with anyone. Escape was pressed high into everyone's minds.

As it was in his. Having a partner complicated things if it wasn't one of his own. Soon enough he'd have to remedy that. He filed that away, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. His problem? It was timing. He noticed the sun which would block his exploration through sheer timing, but he'll get around that eventually. Just had to find someone else on his schedule.

"I see. Well if that's the case then I will have to find a partner of my own, won't I?" Provided they're willing to go with him at night.

Seishirou had always been amused at the way vampires varied from world to world, and he would have been even more amused to hear such an obvious weakness from Harth. The vampires that he knew were souled and fed on the soulless, and feared neither sunlight nor holiness.

"You will. It shouldn't be hard." Seishirou's tone was light with the comment; shouldn't was different than won't and accounted for the many number of things that could go wrong or backfire when dealing with a variety of different people. "As most people have similar goals, most seem willing to group up."

Harth would probably have liked to know how many worlds Seishirou had experienced, had he actually said that aloud.

"How willing are you?" Harth said, his voice dry and absent of much anything but bemused curiosity. That said--

"Exactly what profession do you hold?"

"I'm a traveler," Seishirou replied, airily. It was a half truth, but true enough. "I do research." Well-prepared answers given multiple times over the course of the past few years-- and with little reason to give any more truthful answer, why would he bother to be honest? It would lead to more questions, after all, and he had no reason to want to answer them, yet.

"Hm." Interesting.

"Are you a priest?" Short, but an efficient question. By the looks of his clothing he'd probably say that would be an affirmative.

"And research on what?"

"I am not," Seishirou replied, tone a little airy. He was used to the assumption and hardly minded it, but it was the furthest thing from truth.

"I research folklore."

Folklore. Something he was once apart of, or is a part of. Suppose in some times and in some places, vampires were simply the stuff of legend. Manifestation of human fears and indulgence. And those stories were partly true, but so far from it at the same time.

As for his garb? It was odd to him that he'd wear something that would potentially confuse others, unless in his time that style didn't quite mean the same thing.

"What kind?"

"All kinds," Seishirou replied easily, the same airy tone to his voice. It was the tone of someone who is either telling a truth they have said many times, or an easy, well-rehearsed lie. "I specialize in the creatures of folklore."

"Creatures. Such as?" Harth pressed. How interesting that this man is so laconic. Vague. What'd he have to hide?

[OOC: And I meant to reply to this a while ago... Inbox collapsed.]

Walking along the elaborate halls of the establishment, Malik had made the choice to go collect some things to eat before heading out again in attempts to explore the realm more, see if something could be revealed. Most of his days were spent mapping out the area and would continue to stay that way as he furthered his exploration but right now his stomach craved sustenance and it was better than allowing it to grumble; something akin to his own grumblings of annoyance.

Still as he he headed towards the area though he noticed the person lingering in the hall and looking in. Wrinkling his nose somewhat he quietly approached till he neared the other and spoke in his accented tone. "You can go in, you know. No one here will judge you otherwise."

He didn't flinch or react when the man approached him from behind. He turned his head back to the man with a look of scrutiny. Wearing clothes he'd expect of a council member, but if he was there would be recognition, coupled with a wild spun tangent about his innate evils.

That or he'd light himself on fire. 'Dict's still out on that one.

So he tried to soften the hard look and nodded, trying to return to the role of that poor little boy who died so many years ago.

"I guess. What is this place? Who put us in those coffins?"

He was not about to judge the other for the look that was offered him. Everyone had their different worlds were something could remind them of another or vise versa but at the moment he was not concerned about soften expressions or any manner in which the other looked upon him. It was simply an introduction and while they said first impressions are everything--this place seemed to topple over a great deal of what was considered normal. So instead, Malik looked into the room and then back to the other with his arm at his side, posture loose and far from threatening.

Simply the perpetual tension he always seemed to have in his body.

"No one knows, as of yet. It's almost like we've all arrived in limbo without work or knowing of whats happening here."

Limbo. Interesting thought and certainly deserves consideration. He looked over the man, noting his amputation and his once again lays eyes on his clothing. Ancient. Nothing like he's ever seen. He watched him calmly and then turned his attention to the table, one rose from the table and headed to some doors on the other end of the room.

"And how long have you been here?"

A good question, he had been counting the days and calculating them upon parchment in his room. Exhaling quietly he allowed the question to roll around in his mind before he continued, his eyes remaining forward and not on the new face. "If you calculate the days towards an average month, than nearly a month at this point--though lately I've grown tired of counting the hours."

Came the reply amongst his thick accent, sounding sour and annoyed at the entire concept. "Others have been here longer than I, from what I know of--if only by a few days."

And yet they knew nothing of their purpose here? Who or what is responsible? Unlikely. There was some motive behind it, but with these people he couldn't imagine it was such a random act. Perhaps there was a connection to the people here, some connection that linked them all.

"What do you know?" He asked simply. Depending on the answer he might explore that possibility of connection.

There was always a motives behind something and Malik was not one to deny that, nor was he one to think otherwise. Some thought of it as an afterlife, some knew there was an ideology stirring around behind the scenes whatever they were. Something had happen, and while many were aware that motives likely existed there was nothing else to say when so little was known. "What I know so far is this place something akin to a labyrinth. The people here come from different time periods, different realms and words beyond this one. No one seems to know of this place in depth, as if no one is from here."

He exhaled and gave a glance to the other--he could try to assist, Kadar was right--he needed to make allies somehow. "There are living quarters scattered through and many have come here baring unnatural powers such as the control of shadows like hands. Everyone's skill level is different but it does not seem to hinder things that could be supernatural."

Another breath and he was looking back into the room beyond their own. "As insisted by the spring likely."

He listened tot he older man's words, searching through all of his memories and dreams for an answer. Has he ever been brought here before? As one of the girls? No. Nothing. Nothing of this grand scale. Such a place was a cunning trap, weeding out the weak and stupid in favor of the strong and versatile. Is that what this was? A test for something more?

If it was then Harth wouldn't play the game, he'd play around it.

"Can you give me an example? Supernatural powers? Like what?" He'd play naive, give no recognition of the concepts he was all too familiar with. As far as Malik had to know he was just a naive child.

"What types of people are here? And what about that spring? Is it special?"

There was always the feeling the people knew more than how they acted but for now, he had nothing better to do. Malik knew better than to believe anyone was hopeless, everyone had strength in their own manner. So in a pause he kept his eyes ahead as he continued to speak, leaning slightly against the door frame as he regarded the other with a sideways glance. "The power of controlling shadows, calling upon strength from words, things that would be considered abnormal at least in my own regard."

Another breath. "There are rumor that the spring provides those with their requests if they are logical but I have yet to try it. That is something I am not willing to touch as of yet. I don't like asking the unknown for favors, I feel one would find themselves in debt."

A spring that granted requests. He'd have to use that. Get his books and alter back from his own lair. He considered it all, organizing each of the things Malik was saying for later. There were all kinds of people here, from all different worlds. That was interesting to him, because it opened up so many possibilities. While he was no longer in Haddyn, there was always the possibility that he'd return with the benefits of new resources.

So that was something to consider. "It's possible. You'd expect there would be a price on something like that, but I'll chance it."

He smiled softly, an indifferent smile and curious as well. "Shadows. Tell me about them."

The spring was something he was not willing to trust as of yet, he was not so keen on the idea of such magic and feared a drawback from asking requests of it but that is what he knew of. Still--he was running low on his own supplies and therefore needed to come to terms to it eventually. Still, even at the others soft smile he remained quiet in his own expression though the glance was significantly less cold. "Then best of luck to you in your endeavours."

He continued on. "The shadows I only saw from one woman. She seemed to control them as she would hands and they bent to her will."

This human was interesting now. Tough act to break through to, even if he wasn't trying to charm in the least. He just watched Dai for a moment, looking over his garb and wondering just what kind of man he was.

"Thanks." He spoke with a dry tone, shrugging his shoulders while he stepped back against the wall to look once again at the people a the table.

"A woman..." Interesting. A witch. Sounded like it at the very least. "What's your impression? Magic?"

"Magic, sorcery, witchcraft--whatever you will call it." Came his reply as he gave a roll of his shoulders, keeping his eyes on the people eating before pushing himself off the surface he was leaning against.

"It seems like they were not the only one."

"No?" Harth replied, a brow raising as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Others who can do the same? Or something else?"

"I can assume that others can do the same in some manner or not, but thus far that is the only magic I have come across even though others have alluded to it." He gives a roll of his shoulders dismissively.

"My recommendation is simply keep a weary eye out."

That was all he needed to know about that. This man was possibly very ignorant of the possibilities when it came to magicks, and it was a secret he would like to keep himself. Preferably allow this man to second guess should he ever have to use any magic, and shift the blame to someone else. That would work, assuming he ever has to cast a spell.

"Thank you." He said dryly with a mock politeness. "You've been very helpful..." Name?

The man didn't like to give out his name so freely but still he bit his lip about it and bowed his head towards the other with a small exhale of breath. It would do him no good in such a small community of people to keep his name to his own mind and with the way his brother shouted it, the efforts would be in vain. "Malik Al-Sayf."

A pause. "And you are?"

"Harth Fray." He said blandly as ever. He started venturing forth into the room, looking this way and that. It was then he noticed at the sun was casting light into the room. Sunrays. How strange to see those after living in such smog for years. He'd have to be extremely careful.

"Best of luck in your wanderings, Harth Fray. I am sure we will see each other again." Came Malik's reply as he looked to him quietly before moving onward, pushing himself completely away from the wall.

A pause and he looked back once before he continued on his path, out of the area and onward into the maze of the castle.

Harth remained where he was, offering a slight nod as Malik moved from the wall. He would remain for a while, observing the others and picking out possible targets for his own use. For later.

Malik? He was a possibility. His lack of an arm made him vulnerable, yet there was a sense that he shouldn't underestimate the man. There were layers to him, and whatever talents he had he was not going to demonstrate so easily. He'd have to keep an eye out for him.

"See ya' around, Mal." He said once Malik was out of earshot. He'll be sure of that.

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001- Who could have guessed?

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