“Good job, Quentin,” Alex congratulated the droid with a wink before he carried the tray out of the dining room. After searching the rooms on the first floor, Alex climbed the stairs to the second floor. He spotted the mirror – appearing to stick out of the wall at an unusual angle. The butler quietly headed down the hall and stopped next to the doorway to the hidden room. He watched Zedd for a minute before silently retreating back the way he came. He would wait until Zedd was finished – even if that meant making a fresh pot of tea for his employer.
After finishing his search of the second floor, Alex returned to the first floor. He paused for a moment, silently retracing his steps in his head. Where was Trikks? His gaze shifted to the front door. Alex opened the door and stepped outside. Finding Trikks in time to see her pop something in her mouth, Alex filled a cup and held it out to her.
“Perhaps this will help?” he offered.
Rae’s eyebrows lifted before she looked towards the Poppy House. She took a step forwards before glancing at Amelia.
“There’s one way to quickly find the answer to that,” she stated. She nodded in the direction of the house. “Ask him.”
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 12:30 am
Darkerdemons
Amaroq K
A jolt went through Trikks upon hearing the butler’s voice, but she gripped the balustrade to keep herself steady. Still feeling the weight of those dead, sightless stares on her, she turned toward Alex and accepted the teacup with a stiff nod. The tea soothed only seemed to worsen soreness that the pills left behind, almost burning it raw as it assisted the pills on the way down.
“Thank you.” Her voice sounded exactly as she felt, stretched and worn thin. The figures in field remained visible in her peripheral vision; they started to waver, indicating that the medication was slowly taking effect. She kept her eyes on Alex as she rested the cup on the balustrade. Anything to avoid looking in the direction of the poppies.
Working alongside him, as they cleaned the house earlier that day, allowed her to study him further. Zedd’s previous butlers would’ve done what Constantine wanted to do deep down: bolt and high-tail it back to the sky-port, marking their departure as their immediate resignation. But Alex, undaunted by the situation, remained dutiful to Zedd and carried out his responsibilities as expected of him.
Why?
“Did you know? The flower shop, his reputation as a florist… Did you know it was all a front?”
((May expand on this; outcome will remain unchanged.))
When Alex first looked at Trikks to offer her the tea he didn’t get a good look at her. Preoccupied when he addressed her on the stairs, he didn’t get a good look then either. Now, having to answer her questions, he had a moment to scrutinize her. She seemed somehow different from the woman who aimed a gun at him by way of welcome. His eyes shifted to Trikks’ firm grasp on the balustrade and back to her face. In the dim lighting from the house her skin still seemed unnaturally pale. Strange that she could aim a gun at him with ease yet faltered at the sight of a dead body.
“No,” he replied. “I did not know.” Alex looked into her emerald green eyes, which seemed to become glassier the longer he stared. “I had my suspicions though.” His brow furrowed in concern. “Can I get anything else for you, Ms. Trikks?”
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:23 pm
Darkerdemons
Amaroq K
*Frosting. *Ozma. *Creeping Vines. *Shards. *Green Fairies... “No.” She shook her head, banishing her self-destructive train of thought, and offered him a thin, awkward smile. “No, the tea is good enough--thanks, again.”
So, the butler had his suspicions and, yet, he chooses to remain under Zedd's employment. Who exactly are you, Pendergast?
Trikks stole a glance at the poppy field. The figures were still there, more transparent now than a moment earlier; at least, she couldn’t make out their faces anymore. Certain that the edge had been worn down, she took up her cup, brought it with her to the porch rocker, and settled into the seat. Trikks planted her feet onto the floorboards and pushed off, setting the rocker in motion. The gentle rocking motion created a soothing effect that steadily improved her present state.
She shifted her gaze from the teacup to Alex.
“Watch yourself around him, Pendergast.”
((*Perizhan street-slang for heroin, opium, marijuana, methamphetamine, and absinthe, in the order that was mentioned.))
That is when two forces collided in Amelia and they collided with the force of a meteor smashing into the earth. One felt the suppressing fear of having alienated possibly the one person that had been very close to her before getting 'adopted' by Levi. The other side feared that she had become far too different from the little girl from long ago that she had already alienated him anyway. These two forces clashed for all of thirty seconds and suddenly she just went into combat mode. She shut out all the distracting sounds and began to focus on the objective she was seeking. For those thirty seconds, her face would have been contorted as she struggled within. "Let's find out and thanks for always being there Rae," she said as she shot an appreciative glance at Rae before taking a deep breath and striding back into the house. The war in her had been brief but now she only wanted to know. If he didn't like the person she had become then it was too bad. She hadn't had much choice in the matter as she had been raised by an assassin.
She found her mechanic at the kitchen table drinking tea that had been poured by possibly her childhood friend that had taken care of her. She couldn't quite decide what kind of a face to put on and so she just decided to be real with the mechanic. "Constantine, do you know where the bu---Alex go?"
gaia_star
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 11:40 pm
Darkerdemons
Amaroq K
Constantine tore his attention away from Quentin (who was presently trying uncover the function of a place mat) and furrowed his brow at Bloody. 'Alex'? Who's Alex? He didn't recall hearing the name any time that day. The mechanic started a mental head-count before realizing--
"You mean the butler, senhora?" He pointed at the door that led to the hallway. "I saw him go that way and that's the last I saw of him."
Bowing, Alex took the thank you as a dismissal. He straightened at Trikks’ warning. Was she warning him about Zedd? The outside air suddenly seemed colder. Alex frowned before replying with a single nod.
“I will.”
He headed back inside the house, closing the door behind him. On his way back to the kitchen he stopped at the base of the stairs and looked towards the second floor. He assumed it was too late to go to the small store Zedd mentioned earlier, but then again, he didn’t know if the store closed for the evening or remained open for later shoppers. He didn’t want to disturb Zedd; however, there really was nothing worth eating in the house. Making his decision, he started heading up the stairs with tea tray still in his hands.
-|-
Rose bowed her head, accepting Bloody's thank you. Instead of remaining with Bloody in the kitchen, however, she continued into the library. There she started examining the titles that adorned the shelves.
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:33 pm
darkerdemons
thornwick
Amelia glanced and saw that her close friend had decided to go on elsewhere. Leaving her to go find the butler, who was possibly the one that had taken care of her when she was little. "Thanks," was all she said to Constantine as she hurried past to the hallway. She had been about to search rooms for Alex and right when she began to open a door she heard footsteps on stairs. She walked quickly as she didn't want to fall flat on her face whilst wearing heels. She reached the bottom of the stairs as Alex had reached the top of them. She gasped, "Wait! Alex!" She took a breath before continuing, "Are you by any chance the boy I used to call Alex Ghost?"
(I hope that's alright. Giving him a nickname. I can see pendergast being a bit difficult for a five year old girl.)
Alex was introduced as Pendergast to their guests, so Bloody calling him by his first name stopped him in his tracks. Alex Ghost, however, was a name given to him by a five year old girl. Any doubts he had about Bloody being his childhood friend were long gone now. He slowly turned around to stare at the woman at the bottom of the stairs. How ironic that they should spend their youth in the same place, venture into the world on different paths, and end up in the same place once again - both of them assassins.
“You’ve certainly grown into a beautiful mature woman, Rose. The Bloody Rose, no less.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. “Impressive.”
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:07 pm
darkerdemons
[quote"thornwick"]
Amelia could feel the swirl of emotions just wanting to burst out. There was so many! She was so excited and happy about finding her caretaker as a child. The one who had taught her how to pickpocket! She was also once again torn about what she had become, but then Alex said those words. She couldn't help but blush like a school girl. She moved her left foot in a circle as she began wearing a sheepish grin before saying, "Well, there's only two choices when living with the former master of this house. Get better or die out on the streets. I chose to get better." She then realized that she may have made an arrogant statement and stuttered out, "N-not that there wasn't a whole mess of b-blood and tears in between! It's just it was either get d-destroyed or get better." She then palmed her face as she realized she let her old stuttering habit out.
Alex chuckled and shook his head in wonder. He glanced down the hallway before heading halfway down the stairs.
“It seems there is still a bit of that little girl with pigtails* in you. Was it about 25 years ago we last met? I’ve heard of the Poppy House. You had quite the teacher, but you’ve done very well for yourself; I’ve heard about the Clock Tower’s reputation too. To think the infamous leader of the Clock Tower organization is the same person as the girl who struggled to steal a loaf of bread. I doubt anyone would believe me if I told them that.” He quickly reassured her, “Not that I have any intention to spread such a rumor.”
((*'Pigtails' can refer to different hairstyles depending on where you come from. In this case I am referring to this hairstyle: Pigtails. ))
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:57 pm
darkerdemons
She chuckled at his reassuring comment, her organization's reputation certainly preceded her! Well, she had worked at it a long time to earn that reputation. For Alex to know it was a bit of a surprise and at the same time it wasn't. "Well, that little girl grew out of her pigtails. Not to mention that same little girl was also smaller than most girls at that age. Gotta love those growth spurts!" she said jokingly. This world really was very small. For two youths to start out life together and then end up in the same place 25 years later. It was a wonder. Then she thought of Archie and then leaned against the wall at the bottom. She then sat down and pulled her knees in. "If only Archie had been able to see this," she said with a downcast face.
“I don’t know this gentleman, but if his spirit is watching, then he’s probably happy for you. I’m sure he is also pleased with the performance you and master Zedd gave him.”
Mentioning his employer’s name reminded Alex of the reason he headed up the stairs in the first place. He was about excuse himself to ask his employer about the times for the store, but realized Bloody might know since she was raised here herself.
“Sorry to inquire about something completely unrelated, Rose. Do you know if the store near the valley entrance is open this late?”
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:55 pm
[quote"Darkerdemons"]
She looked up at Alex in thought. It had been fourteen years she had last been in this area and she wasn't sure if anything had changed. If it hadn't, then there was one place that stayed open all night and all day. "Well, there could be one, but I haven't been in this area in fourteen years. No harm in finding out," she said and at that moment she didn't want to be by herself, "I'll go with you and we'll see for ourselves!"
After twenty fruitless minutes, Zedd closed the bureau drawer with an audible snap, frustrated. He’d opened drawers, opened doors, thoroughly perused files and folders--he’d even carefully inspected the furniture, floors, and walls for hollowed sections and oddities in their construction, loose boards, and hidden doors. Still nothing. Zedd wasn’t surprised: Archie wouldn’t be so foolish as to hide anything in his own personal quarters, knowing that it would be first place to be searched. But the Gardener still held out hope that the butler left something behind for him.
At least, that was what his last conversation with Archie led him to believe.
“Allow me, then, to strike a bargain with you, Zedd: two favors for the price of one. I have the information you seek.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This only works if you don’t play ignorant, Zedd. Otherwise, I’m hanging up; Levi needs me.”
“I’m not playing ignorant. I just want to make sure I know what I’ll be agreeing to.”
“Your pattissier-friend added rather some unusual items on his last grocery list: derridium, jumper wires, fiberglass, logic boards, ZT-3 processors, a rodnium power-core, and an extensive list of TS-Technologies software. All acquired from the black market, of course.”
“The man has hobbies.”
“Who needs hobbies when you have a passion for something? Mr. Beaumont loves his business more than anything. No, I’m referring to his activities before he became a pattissier. Under your orders, he’s constructing something rather big, but, you know as well as I, his efforts would be in vain without one key element: an excellent surgeon.”
“And the second favor?”
“Fort Willheim and Briggs, eight years ago. It was the summer time, I believe.”
“I’ll need some time to think it over.”
“Ten minutes and the deal is off the table.”
Zedd scanned the pile his efforts did turn up: old receipts, financing ledgers, photo albums, and a small, bloated datebook. The Gardener picked up the datebook and leafed through it for the second time that evening. Phone numbers, appointments, business cards from other establishments--nothing would’ve changed since the first time he’d gone through it, but maybe he’d missed something. As he neared the center of the datebook, something slipped from its pages and hit the floor with a muted tap. Pausing, Zedd stooped down and picked it up. It looked like a piece of torn cardstock, with the date May 5, 2732; below it, written in black ink, “Arc--” and directly below them “Brich--”. One the other side was a much younger Archibald Twitch, smiling so broadly that it brightened the sepia-colored print; the rest of the photo had been torn away, and only Archie knew where it had gone.
He was about to return the photo to the datebook when a trilling sounded in his ear. Incoming Call: Uknown in bright orange letters flew into his line of sight. It was coming from his secured line. An uneasiness raced up his spine. Rising to his feet, Zedd tucked the photo into the datebook’s pages then depressed the switch on the side of his goggles. At the same time, he exacted a few commands with a few deft flicks of his fingers and initiated a tracer.
“How did you get this number?”
“Same way a pair of dead bodies appear in a secured household.”
At this, Zedd bolted from the room, still clutching the datebook in his hand.
“Did you enjoy the welcoming committee?”
“I wouldn’t know about enjoying it, but another word does come to mind.”
“Oh, right--that was me then.” The voice on the other end of the line chuckled.
Finding Alex half-way down the stairs, the Gardener stalked toward the butler and nearly pinned him against the wall. Taking one of Alex’s hand, he started tracing the inside of Alex’s palm with a black finger: Q-U-E-N-T-I-N. “Who is this?”
((Rough-draft and subject to revision; outcome remains the same.))
