RPG The Ripper Program

[Otori_Guy]

OOC: Yes pg 11!

"A picnic you say? Is this personal opinion or experience that you are speaking from. Rufus could see the glint of a smile coming from Eclair when he said this.

"Experience." Eclair stated, a shade of pink coming to her cheeks.

"Is that so Eclair? Would this be with our Sir Nathan?" Ariana asked quickly.

"Yes, it wasn't anything big. I just took him luch while he was working. I wanted to smooth things over from earlier today." Eclair replied in her defense, she could see the mischevious smile crossing Rufus' lips.

"You know every officer under him has been trying to get him with a decent lady for over 3 years now?" Rufus replied.

"Oh is that so?" Elciar acted as though it wasn't anything.

"Dante, what are you're plans for reconstruction? If you need any help I know a few people that could get you the man power you would need." Rufus offered kindly.

OOC: Yay Filler from the plain guy!

[Lord Dante]

Dante turned to face the bedridden lord.

"Thank you for the offer, Rufus." Dante said, the use of the lord's first name conveyed a sense of sympathy for his current predicament.

"but Unfortunately thee is some rather intricate and precise masonry work that must go into the reconstruction. As for Ideas, I plan to reconstruct the wing exactly as it had been before."

"ah. well do let me know if there is anything I can do to help." rufus replied.

"The same goes for you." dante said "If there is anything that You need, just send a messenger."

"What's this I hear? Dante being helpful?" eclair piped in a semi-mocking tone. "Recent events or recent company must be having an Effect on him."

(OOC: meh. poorly-written filler. just go with it.)

[missrelena]

Two weeks had passed since Lord Rufus had been brutally attacked by a cockney accented assailant during the queens ballet. Now, Dr. Lancaster had agreed to let the lord return home -- and it certainly did not seem too soon to the patient. To celebrate, Lady Ariana and conjoled, begged, pleaded and finally convinced the good doctor to allow Rufus to attend a small party in her husband's honor. Dr. Lancaster knew that dinner with friends somewhere other than his bed would do wonders for his patient's moral, but he was also going to attend the gathering to be sure Rufus did not try to do too much.

The gathering was small as far as ton gatherings were concerned. Lady Eclair and Sir Nathan were first to arrive so Nathan could help the doctor get Rufus out of the carriage, up the manor stairs, and into the dining hall with as little pain as possible. Lord Rufus hated being so dependant upon others, but even this humbling experience was better than staring at the same four walls all day. Elcair satyed close to Ariana, reassuring her that everything was perfectly fine, and if it ever wasn't, the doctor would take care of it immediately.

Not long after Rufus was settled, their neighbor and long time aquaintence of Ariana's family, Lady Constance Alexander entered with her two teenage daughters, Isabelle and Christine, in tow. Ariana did not particularly care for Lady Constance's company, she was a matchmaking mama who attempted to foist her rather awkward daughters onto any elegible batchelor who had the misfortune to come into her sights. But she was a friend of her mother, and to not invite her would be a social snub that she would never be forgiven of by either her mother or the lady in question. She just prayed for the welfare of the unmarried men in her party.

On that stroke of misfortune, Lord Dante, Lady Geni and Lord David were the next to arrive.The taciturn young lord had barely crossed the threshold of the dining room before Lady Constantine had whisked him away and trapped him in a corner with her girls. He looked over the heads of the three attackers at Lady Ariana with the expression of a fox hunted to ground. All the hostess could do was smile aplogetically at him.

Dante had been staying as a guest of Geni's family while the rebuilding of his own home got under way. Lord David had extended the invitation without any prompting from his daughter. He liked the young man despite the fact that Dante was quite obviously taking his daughter's heart away. Dante had mother-henned Geni's injury more than her own mother had. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was something else, but even though Geni could now walk at a normal pace without a limp he wouldn't let her asend the outside stairs. He had carried her, like he still did in her own home. He had set her down just outside the dining room so she could enter in what she considered a dignified manner. When Dante was kidnapped from her side, however, she looked as if she wished she had reconsidered that decision. She took her father's arm and tried without much success not to look as shocked as she felt. Her father led her to the seat at the table that held her placecard and sat his daughter without comment.

Lady Ariana made her way over to the young lady. "Geni, I am sorry." She whispered. "She's my mother's friend and incorrigible. If I had any idea she would try anything on Dante, I would have changed the seating arrangements." Geni looked about the table and saw that Dante was placed across the table from her, between Lady Constance and Isabelle. Society dictated that a table was set up lord-lady-lord down the sides, and that married and engaged couples sat across from one another, but Geni was not exactly happy at how it had ended up. Yes, she was flattered that Ariana would place Dante across from her, but to be surrounded by that crowd just did not seem fair to Dante.

Geni was seated between her father and Dr. Lancaster. Christine was on the other side of Lord David with Lord Rufus's vicar across from her. Eclair and Nathan sat across from one another next to Lord Rufus at the head of the table. Ariana sat at the foot of the table with the vicar to her right and Christine to her left. Ariana hurridly called everyone to the table so the meal could begin.

The salad and fish courses were exquisit, and the fillet minion promised to be equally wonderful. Dante only wished the conversation could compare. Lady Constance dominated the table regaleing the many wonderous and obviously over-estimated talents and virtues of her two amazing daughters. The lady practically glowed red in her vehemnance to be the loudest voice at the table. Despite efforts to coverse with her father and the doctor, Geni kept getting distracted by sights of Isabelle "accidentally" placing her hand over Dante's and Lady Constance shooting venomous looks to Geni any time her name came up in any conversation. Ariana was begining to think the lack of forgiveness from her mother would have been better than the torture she, Rufus and all of her guests were being forced to endure.

With barely a sound, Lady Ariana's servants dished the beef course to all at the table. But this time, instead of Rufus being served first and Ariana served last, the service ended with Lady Constance. Just as she took in a deep breath to reproach Ariana for the manners of her help, a long kitchen blade flashed in the light as the servant behind the rather vocal lady raised it over his head as he prepared to plunge it into Constance's chest.

Without a second thought, Dr. Lancaster grabbed his wine goblet and threw the vintage into the assailant's eyes. "Corr!" The man shouted as the alcohol stung his eyes, forcing him to squeese them shut. Lady Eclair was just seconds behind with a large candlestick full hot wax drippings. She stood and threw it as hard as she could, landing a scortching blow to the man's nose. The metal of the candlestick made a loud clang as it connected with her target. Blood from his broken face spattered the table and guests as he spun away from the counter-attack.

Lady Constance began to scream as the danger she was in finally registered beyond her original surprise. This set her two daughters off in full voice as well. "Oh shut it, ye old cow." The assassin slurred through the blood. "You nag so much your son-in-law changed laws that me boss would rather be left alone. You can't stand silence can you?" He glanced at the others in the room who were marshaling against him. Dante had a sword pulled while Nathan and Dr. Landcaster held pistols aimed. Eclair had stepped behind her high-back chair, using it as a shield. Geni and Ariana had linked their minds, trying to get though the number-babble of the man's supposed thoughts so they could attempt to back-trail to whomever had sent him.

"Jack'll not be 'appy. The death is on you again." The attacker pronounced. He glanced around again, then tossed his blade with a flick of the wrist. The knife pegged the back of Geni's chair, shearing off one of her trailing strawberry ringlets. Then with a shimmer of light, he and all of his spattered blood was gone.

_______________________________
OOC: I cannot believe how increadibly LLLOOOOOONNNGGGG it took me to post this! I am so sorry! Thank you for being patient!

[Lord Dante]

"In the name of the Magi!" dante screamed at the now, empty space. "Will this madman evel let us be?!"

the assembled stared, open-jawed at dante, oblivious to the meanings of his curses. Geni sat, wide eyed and trembling as the kitchen knife pinned her to the chair by her hair. a silent tear rolled down her cheek.

[I]"Geni, are you hurt?"[/I] He urgently sent into her mind.

[I]"N..not physically, dante[/I] Came the tentative reply. Dante turned, and sprinted for the open door, he wasn't about to let this one go so easily, not when he was just beginning to find a purpose in life. This time, he was ready.

"Faustus!!" he roared as he bounded out of the open door. faustus appeared by the side of Dante's carriage, where he had been waiting in the shadows. "there has been another attack. have the others spread out and look for anything strange. The last two times working girls in the city have been killed, start by having someone look there. No matter what, We will find him."

Faustus said nothing, clapping a fist to his heart in an unmistakable salute, turning, he struck off into the night like a shadow. Seconds later, numerous other shadows wound their way into the night, silent as death.

Abruptly, mind-shattering pain ripped through every nerve in his body, dropping him to his knees. COnvulsing in agaony, Dante managed to stand up again, He threw back his head and screamed at the night sky. The fires of hell danced in his eyes.

OOC: yay, postage! If any of you have aproblem with this, PM me and I'll correct it.

[missrelena]

As Dante?s scream of rage echoed through the halls, what little color was left in Geni?s face drained out. Lord David yanked the large knife from her chair, freeing her from the makeshift entrapment. Without pause Geni stood, knocking her chair over, and rushed from the room with a hastily muttered, ?Please excuse me.?

His rage was palpable, but more than that, Geni was terribly frightened by the seizure that Dante?s anger had caused. She didn?t even notice that her father and the vicar had followed her out. With no regard for her own safety she descended the stairs and dropped to her knees by his side.

Alarmed, Lord David began a cautionary shout to his daughter, but with a single caress of her hand across Dante?s cheek, the convulsion ceased. The young lord went limp. Lifting him as best she could Geni settled Dante?s head on her lap. ?Dante, love.? She called to him softly. ?Come back to me, now.? She brushed his hair away from his face.
In her mind?s eye she saw what he had ordered of his men as they melted into the shadows.

[I]Keitaro, things will be well. Have faith in your men. Let it go and come back to me.[/I] She whispered gently into his mind.

With a moan Dante?s eyes fluttered open. ?Geni, what??

?Sshhh. Just rest. I?m fine.?

The watching vicar turned to Lord David. In a hushed voice, he said, ?I would not pretend to understand all that has happened this evening. But, milord, if I do not presume too much, I would be greatly honored if you would let me wed those two when the event arrives.?

?The young man has not yet plucked up the courage to ask for her hand.? Lord David replied in equally quite tones. ?So it makes me curious as to why you would make such a request.?

?Marriage to advance social standing is expected in this cold world today; however, a wedding where real love rules is always a joy for all to behold and participate in. Such was Lord Rufus and Lady Ariana?s ceremony, and so, I believe, would be the union of these two. Nothing uplifts hope and life as love.? The vicar smiled and waited for the Lord?s response.

?You are a romantic.? Lord David said without any derision.

?Absolutely.? The vicar agreed. ?Now, shall we return to the dining room to see to the welfare of the screeching ladies??

Lord David grimaced. ?If we must.?

* * * *
Faustus rambled his way thought the poorer districts of the great city, always keeping to the shadows. His lord had said that it had been working girls that had been targeted in the past, so it was to the areas that those women were most known for that he traveled. The trouble was, he wasn?t precisely sure what he was looking for.

He took to the rooftops by way an old brick building with mortar that had crumbled away enough to create perfect hand and toe holds. He hoped to be able to see more from the high ground than he would from the streets. The darkness enshrouded the area. Gaslights were few and far between because of the expense of maintaining them. The ladies of the evening flocked around these few globes of greenish light to make themselves more visible for possible hire.

A flash of pure white light seen in the corner of his eye drew Faustus?s attention. It came from a few alleyways away. It took him mere moments to find the point that it originated, and what he found there was a scene from nightmares.

The ?lady? had never even had an opportunity to cry out. Her throat was cut and heart stabbed through before she could even register that she was in danger. Horrified, Faustus watched silently as the man in the shadows eviscerated his target. When he had finished his macabre mortification of the body, the man dropped the knife with a tiny clang. Then he looked up, staring directly at his nearly invisible watcher.

?Someone must die, you see.? The attacker explained in a calm tone and without any obvious accent. ?That?s how the program works. Once activated, a death must occur, whether it be the intended target ? such as Lord Rufus or Lady Constance ? or the first innocent person that the program could encounter in the proper circumstances of availability and secrecy. Tell your lord that the choice of who dies lies with himself and his associates. Oh, and if you would, please give them this.? He dropped an envelope with the letter "J" writen on it, snapped a sharp salute to Faustus, and vanished with a fast flash of light that to eyes adjusted to seeing in the night?s darkness was blinding.

[natchan]

Eclair hadn't really moved since she threw the candle stick across the table at the assailant, true they were used to these attacks but she had never thrown anything at anybody. Of course he was sent by jack, but here own reaction still surprised here.

"You've got quite an arm there Miss Eclair." Rufus was speaking to her from his seat. "Amazing shot really, I couldn't have done better my self, even in a perfect state of health."

"Um... Thank You. It was rather right on the mark wasn't it?" Eclair glanced around the room at the current situation at hand. Nathan and Ariana were trying to smooth things over with Lady Constance and here dramatic daughters, and Geni accompanied by her father and the vicar left the house to follow Dante who was quite enraged at the moment.

"That was a nice move there with the wine Dr. Lancaster." Eclair replied.

[I]'This is rediculous.'[/I] The familar voice came in Eclairs mind.

[I]'I know we'll talk it over later.'[/I] Eclair thought back.

"You know what I find most peculiar though. Where did all the blood go?" The Docto pointed out to Eclair and Rufus.


OOC: Kinda short I know I gotta go to work!

[Lord Dante]

OOC: I know I should wait for some others to post, but I just can't help myself!

Dante, with the help of his drawn sword managed to rise to his feet. the pain that had ripped through every fible of his being had gone, and was replaced by a dull ache.

"I... I lost him..." dante said weakly, as he wavered on his feet. "I sent some of my runners out, to try to track him down. my men won't fail...won't fail.." Dante's voice dtrailed off into incoherency as he sheathed his sword.

"My god man, you look like you've been through hell." Lord david remarkedas he motioned to Dante.

"Worry not, I am fine" Dante said, as he straigtened himself.

[I]"Dante, are you Sure you're alright, you look terrible."[/I] Geni sent into his mind.

[I]" I will be fine, I let my rage at the fact taht you nearly came to harm get the better of me. A night's rest and I'll Be back to rights"[/I]

"I am going to go for a walk to clear my head." dante said as he turned to go.

"wait. You're not going anywhere alone in your condition." Lord david said, a commanding tone to his voice that probably stemmed from his army days.

"I'll go with you." Geni piped up. "No I insist, a walk would do me good after what happened in there" geni said.

After walking for a time away from the building. Dante was aware of someone following them in the shadows. determidly keeping his eyes forward as he continued walking, he spoke.

"You can come out now, Faustus." Geni turned to him as if to ask who he was talking to, but her eyes went wide as she saw Faustus seemingly materialise out of the shadows, snapping a fist to his heart in a salute.

"what did you find?" Dante said as he stopped, turning to faustus.

"well, I found him..." faustus said hesitantly. "But I was unable to prevent him from killing someone." faustus sighed inwardly before continuing "HE gave me this letter to give to you, as well as a verbal message". Faustus handed the letter with the J inked in red on it.

Dante tore open the envilope and began to read.

[missrelena]

[COLOR=Red]Hello Loves-

It is truley a pleasure to greet you on this fine evening. I didn't want to give you time to miss me, so I thought I would stop by and say my salutations. Tommorow, you will notice that I have sent a note to the newspapers. After all, I must entertain the masses. But of course, that will be simply be pointing out the usual suspects to the brainless authorities. Nothing about what you, my friends, are actually dealing with. You could say that the letter is merely a Red Herring, but you would have probably guessed that already.

Oh, I have forgotten my manners -- please welcome Lord Rufus home for me. As it seems, I do know where to find each of you. So, as I have said before, there is no point in trying to run from what I have started. Forget this piece of advice that I so generously give and you might get burned -- no offense to Lord Dante -- I do hope there aren't any hard feelings about that, by the way.

I look forward to our next meeting,
your close friend,
Jack[/COLOR]

Geni read the letter over Dante's arm, and could feel the anger building in him again.
"Let's take this to the others. They need to know what it says."

"There are those that are not involved inside." He argued.

"This attack and others have involved them. Sir Nathan, I am sure, will escort the voiciferous lady and her daughters home. But we [I]need[/I] the others to see this. We need to talk this out and reach a plan -- together!" Geni grabbed his arm and began dragging him as forcibly as she was able back inside the manor house, calling for Lady Ariana as she entered.

[Otori_Girl]

Ariana turned at the sound of Geni's return, Dante follwing closely behind. In her hands she held an envlope, sha already knew what the leter pertained to without having to ask.

[I]'Perhaps if I had Sir Nathan escort Lady Constance and her daughters home?'[/I] Arian thought in the effortless language of the mind. Geni picked it up without even having to try.

[I]'That would be most conveinent, thank you.'[/I] Geni tought back.

Ariana turned to Sir Nathan and with a knid smile and a look that told him what she meant, she asked if he would be so kind as to escort the lady and her daughters home?" Without hesitation Nathan picked up exactly what Ariana was getting at.

"Of course." He turned to Lady Constnace and her paniced daughters. "Milady I would be honored to escort the three of you home." He gestured toward the door and with much arguing and protesting the 4 of them left the house.


OOC: Take it away sweetheart!

[Otori_Guy]

OOC: Alright honey!


"This is preposterous, we're not even safe in our own homes it seems." Rufus was angry and it was completely apperant.

"I'm afraid its exactly as it seems milord." Geni replied softly setting the note on the table. Eclair picked up the note and opened it reading it to herslef then handed it to the Ariana and Rufus.

"What are we going to do, we've managed to stop the important deaths, but each time it causes another life." Ariana stated.

"What is this 'Jack' after exactly. As far as we know hes just a mad killer." Eclair asked, not really to anyone.

"Well we don't really have anything we can do right now. All we can really do is stay in the pairs that we have made and keep eachother safe." Dante replied.

"Is that the best we can do?" Rufus was quite frustrated and he could help but make it obvious.


OOC: Sorry i don't really have anything importanat to add.

[natchan]

OOC: This post is from Nathans point of view!

After what seemed like an eternity to Nathan but only moments to everyone else Nathan returned to the young couples home. He was led to the parlor where everyone one else had migrated to. They were discussing the obvious subject of yet another attck happening in their presance. He made his way over to stand next to Eclair.

"Oh Nathan its good to see you back." Eclair replied as he took is place beside her.

"How is Lady Constance? How did you explain the situation? Does she know it was an assassin, does she blame me?" Ariana bombarded Nathan with the mess of questions. He lifted his hands gesturing that she need not worry about anything, a smirk on his face.

"She is rather upset that she won't be getting a better dress out of this mishap, but other than that shes fine." Nathan replied smiling. Ariana looked rather confused.

"What, shes not ranting about an attempt on her life?" Rufus added in equal confusion.

"Well you see, I have made it so that she doesn't know that it was an attack on her life. Infact all she knows is that a nervous servant tripped, spilling wine all over her gown, and then when she stood quickly to throw her royal tantrum she knocked he candle stick over herself. Which explains the wax all over the place. Naturally you excused the servant, and told her that you would buy her the exact same dress." Nathan said this all with quite the smug look upon his face.

"And how is it, Sir Nathan that she doesn't seem to remember the situation the same as we?" Dante asked flatly.

"Well you see, its a trick I learned using my telepathy. I was able to, lets say 'suggest' to her mind that whenever she thought back on the attempt it would simply lead to the memory that I gave her. Therefore we no longer have to worry about her spreading to all of London that there was a murder attempt at the home of our dear friends. But I am afraid that you do owe her a new dress, it was the only thing I could think of. I am sorry Ariana." Nathan replied apoligetically.

"The dress is no problem, I am quite thankful for all that you have done." Ariana replied.

"So what does our friend say to us now?" Nathan asked seeing the letter sitting on the table before them all.

OOC: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

[missrelena]

Geni looked at Nathan's expression. He seemed quite pleased with himself and the solution he had come up with to aviod any unpleasantries with the loud-mouthed lady. She smiled in return. "I remember doing that when I was a child to keep out of trouble in the complex -- before they caught on to my tricks." She said without thinking. Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized what she had said. [I] Do I remember that?[/I] Before she could answer her own question, a true memory flash hit her. As she fell into it, she opened her mind to anyone who could pick up on it -- hoping that they might see something she could miss.



Jeni and Ariana sat in a dark, pleasantly warm room, staring at a holographic image of another huge room, the ambiant light dancing before their eyes. Both were concentrating very hard, small sweat droplets forming on each brow.

"Keep up with him, Ari. He's all alone, so he shouldn't be that hard to track." Jeni muttered to the girl beside her. This was her first day back to work since the incident with Bobby, and she didn't want to fall behind. They continued the excersize for a few moments more before Ariana slumped into her seat and pressed the "end" button on her finger keypad.

"There is just too many objects in my way to see him properly." Ariana bemoaned.

"That's the point. The object of this excersize is to keep track of the target despite visual interfearance." Jeni reminded her. "No wonders we had to try tracking Wellington six times before we got through the entire battle of Waterloo. Do you really expect the people of history to keep still just so you can follow their thoughts easier?"

"Don't remind me. I got a pay dock for that debacle." She sighed. "Do you think I could blame how rotten I did on my tech?"

"Nope, Helena is at the helm. There are none better when it comes to using telekinesis to do the microscopic adjustments needed for us to "view" our subject's minds." Jeni smiled sympathetically. "You could just say that you are having an 'off-day'."

"Nah, I'll say that you weren't giving me enough of a boost so the power levels kept coming up short." Ari teased back.

"Hey!" Jeni responded, mock affronted. "I'm a fabulous boost battery. Brute power, that's me. You're the one who's supposed to have all the finesse."

A male voice crackled over the comm system. "Another try, ladies? Or are we finished for the day?"

Ariana looked slyly at Jeni, then toggled the speak switch. "Once more, if you don't mind. But this time it will be Jeni who is tracking you."

"What!?" Jeni blurted, astonished. "This is your excersize. I shouldn't be taking up all your training time."

"Put your money where your mouth is." Ariana smirked. "I bet you a really nice dinner somewhere that you won't do any better keeping up with him than I did."

Jeni stared at her, mouth opening and closing like a landed fish with no sound emerging. "Just signal me when you're ready." Said the male voice, sounding completely disinterested with the commentary that was coming through his speaker.

"Teleporters are the toughest. If you can track him, the next plum assignment is yours." Ari said, upping the stakes. "If you can't, you can never mention Waterloo again."

Regaining her composure, Jeni's eyes flashed with excitement. "You're sure?" She asked. "Dinner and the next plum?" Ariana nodded. "You're on!" Jeni settled herself into her chair and arranged her keypads to the most convienent position for her hands before she sent a warning thought to Helena and pressed the "begin" button to signal the start of the excersize. Fingers racing, she recorded the location and thought pattern of the target each time she located him. It took mere milliseconds to locate and record each time he appeared. Ariana acted as the boost, but she was still able to keep track of what was going on.

"That's five minutes, ladies. End of excersize." Said the voice.

Jeni relaxed and took her slightly shaking hands from the keypads. She whiped the perspiration from her face, then turned, smiling to her friend. "You owe me dinner. Italian will be just fine."

"How on this green earth did you do that?" Ari demanded. "You broke his record. No one has kept up with him that well before."

"And if you look, the last record was set by me, too." Jeni grinned. "I guess I have to come clean. The target, as you know, was Keitaro."

"Yeah, so?" Ari was miffed. The only Italian resturant nearby was very expensive.

"Well, he's a natural affinity. Has been since we were kids." Jeni attempted to look sheepish instead of smug, but it wasn't working.

"You mean you always know where he is?" Ari asked, increadulous.

"Only when I think about it." She relpied. Then she rubbed the healing fingers on her left hand. "That's okay, it works both ways. Can be kinda annoying when you don't want to be found."

"Well then, the bet doesn't count! You cheated!" Ari announced triumphantly.

"Does too still count! You never asked if I had an affinity with the test subject. I tried to back down, but you wouldn't let me. Don't forget, the bet was your idea, not mine."

"Yeah, whatever." Ariana gave in.

"By the way, did you notice the glitch?" Jeni asked.

"Glitch?" Ari asked for clairfication.

"It seemed like each time I registered location, something read that the date was incorrect. It wanted me to enter a day sometime in 1888. But then the prompt would vanish. It took me seeing it six times before I could read all the way through it."

"I think you're seeing things." Was all Ari would say about it.

"Whatever." Jeni flipped the speak switch on the comm system. "Thanks, Keitaro. We're finished and heading home."

"I'll be there in a few seconds." Was his reply, then the other side went dead. The two ladies looked at one another and shrugged. They stood up, streaching the kinks out of their muscles, and made their way out into the brightly lit hallway.

"So, did you win the bet?" Keitaro asked as they entered the hall, squinting at the light. Ariana jumped at his sudden appearance, but Jeni just grinned. "I did. Ari is taking me out for Italian tonight."

"Shower first, then food." Ariana spoke up.

"Then allow me to take you to your rooms." He offered. Ari raised an eyebrow at him. Keitaro hated acting as a taxi, so why was he offering now?

"But?" Jeni asked.

"Because there are those that you would rather not meet around today." Was his cryptic answer. Jeni sighed heavily, but did not comment. She took his arm, and Ari followed suit after a tiny heasitation. They were in the hallway that led to Ariana's room and Jeni's dorm in seconds.

"Do you ladies mind if I join you tonight? I'll pay for myself." Keitaro asked.

"Doesn't bother me. Maybe if you're there, the conversation will have more to it then Jeni gloating over me." Ariana said.

"I don't gloat - much." Jeni defended.

"Then I'll meet you here in an hour." He declaired. In an instant, he was gone.

"Well, that was unexpected." Ari whispered, even though he couldn't possibly hear her.

"He was in a giving mood, I guess." Jeni answered.

"Giving? When was the last time that man went out? Sometime last decade? I'm pretty sure it wasn't for my sterling company and conversation that he asked to come along."

"He's just being protective. I could wish . . ." Jeni trailed off.

"Wish?" Ari prompted. The whole complex knew what Bobby had done to Jeni, but no one was going to breathe a word to Jeni about it. Ariana had always held the belief that her friend could do better than that jerk. It was just horrible that she was proven right in such a violent way.

"It's nothing. I'll see you in an hour." Jeni muttered, then wandered off to collect her shower things and head to the dorm showers. Ariana still had her own room and bath, since no one had ever asked her to move back to the single-ladies dorm. At times where sharing hot water was not something she wanted to deal with, she was glad the higher-ups had never made her move. Despite how much the meal was going to hurt her pocketbook, she was looking forward to this evening out. She hadn't been out in -- well, since things went wrong.



The flash ended, and Geni blinked to clear her eyes and her mind.

"What just happened?" Lord David asked. "We were in the middle of a conversation when everyone went silent for a moment."

"Just taking a moment to ponder how it all fits together." Rufus explained smoothly. He recognized the glassy-eyed look of people who were sharing something mind-to-mind, and did his best not to feel left out. He knew that once the doctor, the vicar and Lord David absented themselves, he would be told all about it.

_________________________
OOC: Wow, marathon post! We haven't had a memory flashback in a while, so I guess you won't hold it against me. At least we now know what we did at work. :catgirl:

[natchan]

After Lord David and the vicar had made their departure for the evening the others made their way up to Rufus' room where they could discuss the recent events. Ariana sat on a chair next to her husbands bed. Geni and Dante took a seat on the love seat that sat in front of the window, and Nathan pulled out the desk chair for Eclair.

"I just don't think I'll ever get used to those memories." Eclair stated as she took her seat. Geni and Ariana took a moment to explain the memory to Rufus, who being completely "normal" didn't get to see it. While the two younger ladies took their time explaining Eclair let her eyes wonder the room. Thats when she noticed that not only were Rufus' clothes set out for the next day, but so were Ariana's. A smile crossed Eclair's lips, but she didn't say anything, and she didn't have to. Ariana noticed at precisley the same time as Eclair, then turning a bright shade of pink turned her gaze to Eclair.

"Its just that..." Ariana started but her voice faltered when Eclair winked and smiled.

"My dear girl, the only thing my room was used for when Vincent was alive... was the closet." Eclair replied cheerfully. Still a little pink Ariana smiled and turned her attention back to Rufus.

'Aren't they adorable?' Eclair thought to herself.

'I gusee so, its nice to know that in a time such as this love can still be found.' The sound of Nathans voice came in Eclairs mind.





OOC: Not much I know but I'm just adding filler to get us moving along. Yay we've made it to bedroom!

[Lord Dante]

Dante was only listening with half his attention to the young laides report to Lord Rufus about the flashback. He looked about the well appointed room while he mulled over what he had seen in the memory. He knew that there was something more -- something that the girls had not seen -- something improtant that had happened that night. It was right there on the edge of remembering, but it would not come.

Then he noticed that Ariana had dropped out of the conversation. He glanced at the lady and witnessed her blushes. The reason was quite obvious as he followed the direction that Eclair and Ariana were looking. Society of this era was so prudish. If a husband and wife desired to share a sleeping chamber, who was anyone else to dictate otherwise? Tradition be hanged, it was pure foolishness as far as Dante was concerned.

"So then Keitaro -- er -- Dante said he would meet us in an hour and the three of us would go out for an Itallian dinner." Geni's voice cut through his musings. "I think we all went off to freshen up, but that is when the memory ended."

Something she said clicked in his mind, and the familiar disorientation that accompanied a flash struck Dante. He nonchalantly let go of Geni's hand and did his best to shield her telepathic ablilities out of his mind. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but unlike Geni, Dante preferred to review his memories himself before sharing the contents with the entire essembly. Old habits died hard, and mistrusting others was a habit of his that few had gotten past. Unobtrusively he made his way to a chair and quietly sat down and let the flashback wash over him as the others continued to converse.
-----------------------

Keitaro set off down a different corridoor to Jeni and Ari, there was something he had to do. The time was now. his boot strikes reverberated around the dreary grey walls as he made his way to the Elevator. Keitaro stood before the sliding double-doors, inhaled a deep breath, and swiped his ID tag over the sensor. The doors slid open.

"Records department, Floor 3, office 9" Keitaro spoke to the air. The elevator responded to his command and began silently moving upwards.

Several minutes later, the doors slid open as the elevator came to a halt. Without hesetation, Keitaro strode out, and down the left hall. It was near now. His breathing quickened with the need to do what had to be done. Keitaro stopped just short of Office 9. Bending down, he activasted the maintenance panel to the side of the door. Keitaro pressed the Security lock. there would be no escape.

"And so the time has come" Keitaro whispered to himself, as he focused his will, his wrath, his power beyond the door.

"Hello Kinas" Keitaro said as he materialised inside of office 9. the person at the window jumped with a start, and turned around.

"Oh. It's You." Kinas said with a hint of hostility in his voice. "waht do you want? - and use the door next time" Keitaro took a few steps closer to the centre of the office. a few steps closer to kinas.

"Why did you go and give Jeni's report to bobby?" Keitaro asked, a slight derisive tone to his voice.

"I didn't, I'd lose my job" Kinas snapped. taking a step away from Keitaro.

"Come now, I know that you gave Jeni's file to bobby. You know that he hates telepaths, and I know for a fact that you dislike jeni, if not all psytechs".

"What are you talking about? I'm a psytech myself for B'jesus's sake!" Kinas said, taking another step back.

"Ah yes, so you are. but this whole issue is an aside, the fact remains that you did give Jeni's file to bobby." Keitaro took a step forward.

Kinas sighed. "So what if i did?" he said, a slightly defensive and agressive tone to his voice/

"So you admit it?" Keitaro said quietly, taking another step forward.

"yeah." Kinas said, his voice rising in pitch. "yeah I gave the Whore's file to Bobby. He had a right to know what scum he was marrying." Kinas took three steps forward, squaring up to keitaro, keitaro smiled.

"that's all I needed to know, kinas."

Suddenly and without warning Keitaro lit into Kinas with a vengance. Striking him repeatedly in the face.

"What in the hell?" Kinas yelled as he staggered back, blood spraying from his nose. He tried to fight back, but he was disoriented, and swung wildly. Keitaro sidestepped, and Kicked kinas solidly in the back of the head. Kinas was floored.

"Why kinas? why did you have to go and give the report to Jeni? I mean you're a telepath too." Keitaro said as he kicked kinas in the abdomen.

"well, no matter now, you will get your Comeuppance. you and that Scumbag Bobby." he said as he knely down beside Kinas, drawing a silver-bladed knife from his pocket - He was wearing gloves, His DNA would not be a problem. The light glinted off of the guilded name 'bobby' on the blade. Keitaro thrust the knife into the abdomen of Kinas. KInas grunted, and slipped into unconciousness.

Ketaro calmed his breathing, and grasped Kinas's head in his hands. he had only done this once before; teleporting out a memory from someone's mind. In theory it was possible - but the last time he had tried this the subject suffered irreversible side effects. It didn't matter though, He would do anything for her, even if she could never know how he felt. At least in this way, he would express at least something. Focusing his mind into the head of the unconcious Kinas, latching on to the hazy image of recent events presented to him, He yanked back his will, his power. a light, white haze lifted from His head, which began to jerk violently.

Keitaro stood, withdrawing a tube from his pocket. He threw the liquid contents over Kinas's face. the liquid was Bobby's saliva, he had teleported it out of the Jackass's mouth yesterday. The setup was complete. Bobby would pay.

Keitaro walked away, and dissapeared - he had an appointment this night.

----------------------------------------------------

The color drained from Dante's face as he staggered forwards, up out of the chair.

"My god, What did I do?" He whispered to himself.



---------------------------------
OOC: Wow, you will not believe how difficult this was to write! If anyone has any problems with the flashback - just let me know.

[Otori_Girl]

Everyone in the room sropped dead and turned attention to Dante, his coloring was pale and a slight distinct fear could be ssen in his face.

"Dante whats the matter, are you alright?" Geni asked quickly. Dante regained his composure and turned to Geni giving her a weak smile.

"I am alright, its was merely a sudden pain in my stomach. Nothing to worry about." A lie naturally, they knew somthing was wrong, but if Dante wasn't ready to tell them now then no one was about to pry.

"Are you sure you are alright Dante? If there is anything we ca do for you just ask." Rufus replied concern could be heard in his voice. Dante once again took his seat next to Geni.

[I]"Somthing is a miss here.[/I] Ariana thought to herself. Nathan glanced over at her from his place behind Eclair.

[I]"I agree. Dante has never lost composure infront of us all."[/I] He thought in return.

[I]"I'm worried about him, what should we do?" [/I] Geni chimed into the silent conversation.

[I]"I believe that the only thing you can do for him is to be with him. You are after all the one thing he cherishes most."[/I] Ariana suggested.

"Well hasn't it been an eventful evening? And as much as I would like to get down to the bottom of this I do believe that a good nights rest would do us all wonders." Eclair suggested seeing the distress in everyone.

"Thats a good idea, though we wish to figure things out, I do not see it happening tonight." Rufus agreed.

"Sir Nathan."

"Yes Ariana." He turned his attention to her.

"I expect that you will be excorting Eclair home, and staying there to make sure that nothing else can possibly go wrong." She replied a shint of a smile appearing on her lips.

"Yes we've had one too many close calls and we would hate see anything else happen." Rufus stated. "You two will be alright then Geni?" Geni turned her attenion momentarily from Dante.

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

[missrelena]

The air outside was starting to cool from the day's heat, so it was refreshing in it's gentle warmth. Geni had bid a cordial good evening to the group as they broke up the party to follow Lady Eclair's advice, but Dante had remained in glassy state of shock. He had tried to cover his state, but failed miserably. The most perplexing thing to Geni, however, was that he would not hold her hand again till he had put on his gloves -- avoiding skin to skin contact.

The carriage ride back to her family manor was quiet. She could see that Dante was agonizing over something, but did not want to pry. So much had happened, the attack, his seizure, the flashback -- it was terrifying for her. She couldn't even guess how he was taking it. She desperately wanted to help him, she just had no idea how.

Although he took her hand to help her out of the carriage, he moved as if it were all motor memory, with no attached thought behind it. She had to guide him up to his room as if he were a small child awake far too long past his bedtime. He offered no resistance, but showed no initiative of his own. The servants had gone to bed, so no one remaind to help him undress. Normally this would not have been a problem, but with him in such a state, Geni was at a loss as to what to do. She sat him on the edge of his bed, then placed herself beside him.

"Dante, please. Please tell me what is troubling you so." Geni softly pleaded with him, hoping to draw him out of his self-induced shell. She moved to place her hand on his forehead to check for fever, but he reached up with his gloved hand and snatched her hand away.

"Geni, how do you feel about me?" he whispered horsely.

"I love you." She said without heasitation. "But I don't understand. Why are you asking me that?"

"Even if I'm a monster? A dangerous monster? Can you love me even then?" There was a terror in his eyes that almost frightened her.

"I will love you no matter what you are. But you are not a monster. How could you even consider calling yourself that? Jack is a monster, not you." She gripped his hand tightly.

"If you knew what I know, [I]you[/I] would call me worse than a monster." His eyes had tears in them.

"You had a flash, didn't you?" It was more a statement than a question. His shoulders shivered, and that was all she needed as a confirmation.

"And you must have seen something that you hated. Something that you did or was done to you that you loath. Am I right?" Her voice was soft and she gently stroked the hand she held captive. "And now you don't want me to touch you because you don't want me to see what you saw." Dante hung his head in dispair.

Geni took a deep breath. Then her voice settled into the tone that she used when teaching her younger brother his literature lessons. "Beloved, close your eyes." He responded to the 'teacher voice' by shutting his eyes without question. "Now, picture the memory. Make sure you review it all in your mind." He winced, but she continued. "Now, begin mentally building a brick wall around it, from start to finish. Make it a tight enclosure without any chinks. Picture the color and solidness of each brick as you place it in your wall." She kept speaking of the wall in a firm but soft voice, guiding him without ordering him. Slowly she watched the tension melt from his shoulders and the pain smooth away from his face. "Now," She added, "you need to place a tiny door into the top of the wall. A door with a lock that none can break, and the only one who has a key is you."

Geni knew that this was only a temporary solution. Dante would need to work through this memory, but not with her. That was brutally obvious. It didn't hurt her, not really, that she could not be the one help him though this once and for all. She understood that Dante's first responce was to protect her, even if it was from something about himself. Maybe one day he would open up to her father or Lord Rufus. She really had no way of knowing.

"Now, my love, I can touch you." She reached up and stroked his cheek before he could stop her. "I have no way of seeing your memory, even by accident or while you sleep, unless you unlock that door and allow me inside. No one can."

Dante started to shrink back from her touch, but then leaned into the caress. That she did not pull away from him in revulsion must have strengthened his confidence in the mental barrier he had constructed. "Why? Why would you help me do this? Don't you want to know what a horrible person I am?" He asked, his voice nearly cracking.

"That was Keitaro, Dante. Not you." He gave her a puzzled look. "Keitaro is part of what you are, just as the other Jeni is part of who I am -- but only part. You have become your own person, away from such memories, and nothing and no one can change that. If Keitaro did something or had something done to him that you do not agree with, then Dante need not be a part of that."

"But he is me." Dante said without hope.

"And you are more than him." Was her reply. "I love you, Dante. I'm beginning to believe that Jeni was in love with Keitaro. But for myself, Genieve, I love [I]you[/I], Dante, and none other." She leaned closer and captured his mouth in a kiss. It lasted till she felt a splash of wet on her cheek. She opened her eyes to see another tear streak down her beloved's face.

"You offer forgiveness without even knowing what you forgive." He whispered.

[I]It does not matter to me.[/I] She spoke into his mind and into his heart. She gathered him close and placed his head on her lap. She murmured sweet comforts to him as she stroked his soft hair till he eventually drifted off to sleep.

With the softest of touch, she loosened his cravat and unbuttoned his vest so he could sleep easier. She removed his gloves, shifted him off her lap and onto the bed, then took his hand. She knelt next to the bed and leaned her head aginst the edge of it.

Even though it was only two tears, Geni marveled at the enormity of Dante allowing her to see him cry. It was then, more than any other time, that she knew he loved her. So, to return that sign of love, she kept her hold on his hand and kept her vigil, determind that he would not wake to an empty room. She dosed off nestled next to Dante's bed, his hand in hers.

She woke with the morning sun shinning into the room. Someone had placed a blanket over her shoulders while she slept. She glanced up and saw Dante sitting on the eage of his bed next to her. He was gently caressing her hair with one hand. She still held the other.

"The butler, James, was here a short time ago." He told her. "He told me to let you sleep, but I needed to touch you."

"I don't mind." She smiled. Color had returned to his face and the usual strength was back in his voice.

"I think I grow weary of London." Dante said. "Would you and your father accompany me to my family castle in Scotland? It would only be for a short while, no more than a month."

Geni began to say that they were needed here, that Jack had not been stopped and that the others would have use of thier abilities. But then she saw the pleading in his eyes, and she knew that he needed this break more than they could possibly be needed in London. "I would love to. My mother has plans to visit my home and spend some time with my younger brother, but my father and I are free for a short while. As long as we have returned here by the end of September, I do not think there will be anything to stand in the way of us accompanying you to your home." She stood up and tried to find a genteel way to streach the kinks out of her legs. "I will speak with my father about it." The smile he gave her was worth it all.


Later that day, Eclair, Nathan and Lord Rufus (and Ariana, of course) recieved a letter from Geni:

[COLOR=Blue]Dear Friends,

Lord Dante is still not quite himself. Something last night shook him terribly, as I am sure you could well see. My father is of the opinion that a small break with the sociatal pressures of London would help him recover. In pursuit of that hope, my father and I are accompanying Dante to his family residence in South Scotland. We will return within a month.

It is my hope that none will take our leaving amiss. If Jack strikes again, we will return instantly. I wish the best for all of us, but I must do anything that will bring him comfort. Please forgive our absence. I pray we all meet at my townhome in four weeks time happy and in good health.

With All My Thanks,
Genieve [/COLOR]

[natchan]

Kinas found himself walking down a hallway, the floors were polished with glossy finish and massive windows served as the ceiling. People were running about in every direction, they were all wearing the same type of uniform. There was a maintenance crew working on installing a new window just ahead, Kinas didn't pay them any mind, he had an important meeting he had to be to. As he appoached the crew, a shout came broke the bustle of the hallway traffic and the sound of a cord snapping could be heard. He glanced up just in time to see the large panel of glass stop just a couple feet above his head. He knew he should move but his feet didn't allow him, thats when he heard her voice.

"You up there, make sure to check your equipment next time, you nearly killed this man." The voice was commanding and stern. He watched as the panel was lifted to the ceiling and placed in its proper place with very little effort. A Telekinetic, he had deffinately met his fair share of them, but he had never seen one moved such a large object as if it took nothing at all. He turned around to meet his rescuer. It was Helena Yvo, the highest ranking telekintec in the division.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her tone very official. It took Kinas a moment to find his voice.

"Yes.... thank you very much." He replied greatfully. "I was --"

"Its no problem just becareful of where you're walking next time." She stated matter-o-factly then continued on her way. Kinas watched as she walked away, he had heard of Helena Yvo, everyone in the division knows who she is. Rumors were that she was currently dating one of the special opperations board members, interesting really. As far as everyone could tell Miss Yvo was extremely polite, intelligent, and didn't usually have time to 'hang out' with others. So the fact that she might be dating someone was interesting gossip.

"You know I hear shes really nice once you get to know her." Some one replied as they also watched her walk away, probably back to her office.

Nathan opened is eyes to the early morning sun creeping through the curtains, waited a moment for them to focus then remembered that he wasn't at his home. He had stayed the night in Eclair's guest room last night. Infact Nathan had been staying at Eclair's home for the past week, though they have been keeing it a secret. What would his men think of him, let alone what people in general think.

OOC: More coming later!

[Otori_Guy]

Rufus sat in the silence and dark of early hours of the morning. He hadn't been able to sleep all night due to more than one factor. Too many things had happened tonight for him to even think of sleeping, and his leg was hurting slightly more than usual. He simply grit his teeth and endured it though, he wasn't about to tell anyone, especially Ariana. She was so busy worrying about everything else that he didn't want to burden her. He ran his hand through her soft blonde curls, she was so deeply asleep that she didn't even stir.

The night before he had heard her call for him in her sleep, as if some one was trying to take him away from her. His heart ached whenever pain of anyform was inflicted upon his dear love. True she had a life before this one before him, but he didn't care. She was here with him now, and he wasn't going to let anything come between them. Thats the only reason he figured he was alive, he had made a promise to Ariana that he would never leave her, and he ment never.

The hours crawled by and Rufus finally drifted to sleep as the sun began to crest the horizon.


OOC: Sorry Its short and sappy I KNow! :animeswea :animeblus :animesmil But they're soooo cute!

[Otori_Girl]

Ari's eyes began to focus on the image before her. Her husband lay just infront of her, blood flowing from the many gunshot wounds he had recieved. Ari made her way closer to him, taking him in her arms. The robbery was still fresh in her mind, but everything had happened so quickly, she heard the gunshots but they didnot register until now. Her husband trembled in her arms, and she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. He raised a hand to her face to brush away the hair falling infront ofher eyes, smearing blood as he did so.

"I want to see those blus eyes before I--" He grit his teeth trying to endure the pain. "I always wanted to protect you Ari... I just didn't think it would have ended this way." His voice was quiet.

"Please don't..." Tears fell down her cheeks as she held him closer, holding on tighter in hopes that he wouldn't leave. "..don't go."

"Be brave Ari... I love you." His hand fell from her cheek and his body went limp in her arms. At that moment Ari thought that she would never smile again, everything she had ever cared about died in her arms that night.

Ariana awoke with a start, her pillow soaked with tears. She put her arms around Rufus, and he stirred slightly but remained asleep.

"I won't ever let you go, not like I did before. I promise this."

"Hey you alright?" Rufus' tired voice asked Ariana. Then he could see that she had been crying. "Whats the matter Ariana?"

"Nothing, just promise me you'll let me protect you." Ariana replied crying into his chest now. The tears falling uncontrolably. Rufus placed his hand on her head to comfort her.


OOC: A little bit of sad past for you all! :(

[missrelena]

Geni rocked and swayed with the motion of the carriage as she leaned her head against the window pane. The trip had constituted several days of long travel with little chance to stretch or enjoy any kind of air that wasn?t filled with dust. She sat across from the two men in her life ? her father and Dante ? and willed the miles to pass more quickly. She had never liked travel, the motion made her slightly ill and irritable, but she imagined that she hadn?t become too intolerable to deal with since her fellow passengers hadn?t abandoned her at the last stopover.

Dante roused himself from his thoughts and leaned forward to touch Geni?s knee. She shook the wool from her mind to raise a questioning eyebrow. He pointed out the window opposite the one she had been leaning against. She slid herself over, being careful not to disturb her dosing father. As she gazed through the glass, the carriage rounded yet another corner and a dark crag came into view with a castle built on top that must have dated back to Edward I. She inhaled a breath, in awe of the very dominance of the structure. It was quite easy to feel insignificant while standing in comparison to such a building.

?Do not fear,? Dante said with a smirk, ?Gas, heat and plumbing were installed some years back at great cost to my father.?

?The thought of that hadn?t even crossed my mind.? She rebuffed.

[I]Liar.[/I] He directed the thought to her, loud and clear. I may not be able to read minds, but your face was an open book.

[I]So what if I was worried about drafty halls and dark nights? You invited me here, and here I am. If it were a hovel made of mud and straw, I still would have come ? but I do enjoy my creature comforts, I admit.[/I] She had to be honest mind to mind.

[I]So do I. [/I] He agreed. [I]And once we have arrived and washed the dust away, I have something I would share with you.[/I]

[I]Can?t you just tell me about it now? [/I] She queried.

[I]Its not something I can tell. It is more like something you have to hold.[/I] He replied cryptically.

?If you two are nearly finished with whatever you are silently discussing, will you let me know if we are near our destination?? Lord David interrupted.

?Father?? Geni asked with an innocent expression.

?Don?t ?Father?? me.? He responded. ?Dante furrows his brows when he is thinking hard. You, my dear daughter, get glassy eyed when you are listening in to things that I cannot hear. Both of you had such expressions, so I logically concluded that you are conversing inside your head. I may be a mere mortal man, but I am not unobservant.?

Geni chuckled at her father?s lecture. ?You were right, father, but only about the fact that we were conversing. I never meant to intimate that you were unintelligent. I simply wondered how you could know that we were carrying on a silent conversation.?

?Yes, sir. We are not far from my family?s ancestral home.? Dante answered David?s question. ?We need to make the ascent to the castle, but it should not be more than a few hours more.?

* * * *

Several hours later, after Geni had been guided by Faustus to a palatial room that she was to consider her own and then treated to a steaming hot bath and a freshly pressed change of clothes, she made her way to the courtyard to meet Dante. He stood nonchalantly leaning against a huge, ancient tree that was one of the few providers of shade in the large square. When he saw her approach, he straightened and walked toward her. A long, slim, ebony case was in one of his hands.

?And how is my lady?? He inquired politely.

?Much refreshed and very curious.? She answered.

His face became very serious. ?After the last attack by Jack, I became painfully aware that you do not posses any skills of self defense.?

?No, I do not. It is a lack that most women must claim, I?m afraid.? She wanted to know what he was getting at.

?Well, I have already obtained your father?s permission, and with your consent, I would like to teach you some basics in swordplay.? Dante lifted the case before him and lifted it?s hinged lid to display a short, curved sword in an enameled sheath.

Geni looked from the sword to Dante?s face, and back to the sword again. Her heart had flip-flopped a bit as he had began his sentence, but she came to her senses at the sight of the contents of the case. ?I hate to betray my already obvious ignorance of blades, but I don?t even know what kind of weapon that is.? She stated.

?It?s a type of short sword from the east. It was given to me when I began my martial studies there. It is meant purely for close combat and defense.? He drew the blade from the sheath and held it out for her to see. ?Can you see the writing on the blade??

?Yes, but I cannot read it.?

?Don?t berate yourself on that count. It took me longer than I will admit to to learn their written language. It says my name, among other things. See, these three kanji here spell out ?Dante?, or the closest approximation that could be derived.?

?You learned with this?? She asked meekly.

?Yes, and now I would like you to learn what it has to teach you, too. It has no spirit nor has it been endowed with any mystics of any sort, but it is an old friend. I think you would suit it just fine.? Dante hoped that Geni would understand how serious he was in this offer.

?You have already spoken with my father about this?? She asked him.

?Yes, and he agreed with the idea of you learning some basics since there is a mad man in our general midst. But only if you agreed.?

?Then as long as you don?t feel it is a big waste of your time, I think I could benefit from what you and this sword might teach me.? Geni saw this as an opportunity to become less helpless, and was grateful for it.

?If you feel up to a few exercises today . . .? He paused to receive her affirming nod, ?then I have had Faustus lay out a few clothes in your room that should be easier for you to move in without sacrificing your modesty.? He offered her his arm and escorted her back to her room.

It took her nearly an hour before she would admit defeat ? and she hadn?t even left her room, let alone began her training. She cracked her chamber door opened and glanced out into the hallway. Dante leaned against the opposite wall, looking like he was just beginning to become impatient.

?I think I have the top under control.? She whined to him, ?But I simply cannot understand how the divided skirt is supposed to stay on.? Her hands were holding pleats an folds of blue fabric that were somehow supposed to be kept in place by four long ties that resembled a backwards dress sashes as far as she could tell.

Dante chuckled at her dilemma, then relented. He checked to see if anyone was observing them, then stepped toward her. In what could have been misconstrued as a warm embrace by anyone just passing by, Dante reached around her and with deft and practiced hands wrapped the ties around her, over and under the fabric several times before he tied them in a secure bow at the front of her waist. ?What you call a divided skirt is called a ?Hakama?. I can think of several men that would be horribly offended if you hinted that they were wearing skirts.?

His humor was lost on Geni. ?These are men?s clothes?? She looked like she was about to strongly protest, but Dante interrupted.

?Yes. In fact, they are my clothes. That?s why they are a bit long on you. Now, shall we go?? He wasn?t going to give her any opportunity to be prissy. Amusing as the discussion might have been, he really wanted to get some of the basics started before the sun went down and supper was served.

?Wait just a moment.? Geni dashed back inside her room for something. She returned to the hallway with the short sword and a small envelope in her hands. ?Since the party at Lady Ariana?s, I have wanted to give you something, but I did not want to appear too forward.?

Intrigued, Dante waited for her to finish. ?I ? I wanted to give you this.? Geni handed him the envelope with a slight blush. With care, he broke the seal and lifted the paper flap. Inside was the strawberry ringlet that had been cut when the attacker had thrown the knife at her, pinning her to her chair. It was tied toward one end with a deep blue ribbon, nearly the shade of the hakama she wore.

Society dictated that a gift of this type was a symbolic declaration of love. But this seemed to hold more meaning for Geni. ?Thank you.? He said sincerely.

?It?s a keepsake.? She mumbled. ?In case anything should happen to me.?

?Nothing will happen to you.? He reassured. ?I won?t let it. That?s why we?re doing all this. That is why I will not ever let you out of my sight.? Then he gave a cocky grin. ?But I?m keeping this curl nonetheless.? He gave her a swift kiss and gently returned the lock of hair to the envelope and placed them in his vest breast pocket - over his heart. Then turned her toward the direction of the courtyard. ?Now it is time for me to be an evil task master. The sooner we begin your torture, the sooner it will be over for the day.?

_______________________________
OOC: A little lightness to give everyone a smile. ;)

[natchan]

It had been just over a week since Geni and Dante had left for Scotland, and Eclair had spent most her time in the comfort of her own home, mostly with Nathans order. When he was out being the officer that he was required to be, Eclair was left in the safe protective hands of Edward and Darian. She was sitting next to the window in her library reading, when there was a light tap on the door, and Nathan entered the room. He gave a bow and a soft to kiss to Eclair's hand before taking the seat across from her.

"What are you reading?" Nathan asked curiously. Eclair blushed slightly and set the book aside face down.

"Nothing important... it was Vincent's favorite." She replied quietly giving a weak smile.

"I'm sorry." Nathans voice was kind as he apologized.

"You have no need to apologize dear Nathan. Besides I have a favor to ask of you." She glanced away for only a moment before her saddening eyes me Nathan's. "Tomorrow is... its the first year anniversery of Vincent's death, and I was hoping..." Nathan lifted a finger Eclair's lips. He returned the weak smile Eclair gave moments earlier.

"Of course I will accompany you, you have no need to ask. We'll go whenever you wish." A single tear rolled down Eclairs cheek.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning came far too quick in Nathan's opinion. The slience was thick enough to touch it seemed as him and Eclair waited in the carriage for the cemetery to come into view. Nathan's mind troubled him more than ever this morning.

[I]'I should tell her, but we only just began becoming to closer to eachother. What if she doesn't take kindly to what I have to say, and I shatter what we have.'[/I] He glanced out the window to see they were now nearing the cemetery. [I]'Thats rediculous, Eclair is a very understanding person. There should be nothing for me to worry about, I'll just tell her the truth.'[/I]

The carriage came to a halt, Edward opened the door for Nathan and Eclair. Nathan stepped out first and turned to take Eclair's hand, helping her out of the carriage. Edward stayed with the carriage as the two of them made their way to Vincent's grave. They weaved through the maze of intricate headstones before they reached the stone that was Vincent's. Across the headstone read 'Vincent James Chamberlayn' 1864 - 1887 'Kind soul and loving husband, may his smile brighten our darkest hour.' Eclair approched the stone slowly, as though she was afraid to disturb her sleeping husband. She placed a envelope and a crimson rose tied with black ribbon on top of the stone. Her hand fell to the letters that formed Vincent's name and she traced them delicately with her gloved fingers. Tears formed in Eclair's eyes but she fought to keep them at bay.

"Eclair... there is somthing that I must tell you. Its about the night you were attacked in your home. When Vincent arrived home later that night and I gave him the report as to what happen, and he found out that I was stationed in your room he... he thought that..." His voiced faltered. Eclair gasped and the tears fell.

"Thats why he said that. He thought all along that you and I..." She stood but did not turn to face Nathan. "As Vincent lay dying the last thing he said to me was, 'As my last gift to you my love, I give you freedom.' He must have thought... Oh Vincent." Eclair now cried uncontrollably at the sudden realization of the torment he must have actually gone through from that night until his death. Thinking that his beloved wife did not truely love him. Nathan not knowing how to comfort the distraught Eclair, simply wrapped his arms around her whilst she sobbed.

"I miss him sooo much Nathan. Why was he taken from me, am I a bad person?"

"No Eclair you are not a bad person." He held her in his arms for what seemed almost an eternity, until the young dutchess could cry no more.

[Otori_Girl]

A knock came to the door of Rufus' room, where he had been ordered to stay for the next couple of weeks.

"Come in." Rufus called out. Ariana put down the bok she was reading and look over toward the door. A young servant stepped through and Nathan followed after.

"Nathan good to see you, what do we owe the pleasure?" Ariana replied standing to welcome him. Then noticed his somber looking face. "Whats the matter? There nothing wrong with Eclair is there?"

"No no shes fine, well in a matter of speaking." Nathan stated softly.

"In a matter of speaking?" Rufus raised an eyebrow.

"Well you see yesturday was the 1st year anniversery of Lord Vincent's death and I accompanied her to his grave. There she cried as expected, and I held her until she could no longer cry. She asked me if she was a bad person, and I told her no of course not." Nathan's eyes almost seem to tear up as he continued. "I told her that Lord Vincent couldn't be more proud of his dutchess. That she could walk through these past trials with a smile on her face, but..." His voice trailed.

"But the smile is fake." Rufus replied.

"All I want in this world is to make Eclair happy, I want to see the smile she used to grant Vincent when he was alive. The life that shown in her eyes when they met his, this is what I want. For Eclair to be truely happy again, I've seen it before and it pains my heart to see her this way. That day when Dantes house burnt down and I said those terrible things to Eclair, I wanted nothing more than to be killed where I stood, but even after I had said those things to her she came to see me. She forgave me faster than I could forgive myself. Yesturday when she asked if she was a bad person, nothing had ever caused me more pain than to here those words come from her." All shame put aside Nathan allowed the tears to fall down his cheeks, his tired eyes glistening.

"You just want to make her happy?" Ariana asked a warm smile on her face. "Then continue to care and be there for her as you are now. Don't let anything discourage you, and someday soon..."

"You'll see that smile again, only it will be for you." Rufus replied.


OOC: Yay sappy! ! ! !

[Lord Dante]

The tip of his sword whistled past, missing her neck by mere inches as she jumped back. Bringing up her own sword to parry the rage-filled strike, she tried to gain ground against her relentless attacker, to no avail. Dante was pressing his attack with wild abandon. Geni had no choice but to retreat, trading ground for her life. Holding his sword high above his head, dante moved in to hack at her. To deliver the killing blow. She saw her opening.

Kill or be killed.

she reversed her momentum, springing herself forward. ducking under his arm she thrust her sword into his soft midriff. The air drove from his lungs as he collapsed.

"I've killed you..." Geni whispered as she tried to catch her breath. "Dear lord I've killed you."

"No you didn't." Dante said as he sat up, leaning on his wooden pole-sword.

"I did too!" She said as she walked over to him, and poked him in the ribs with her pole-sword "there, I've killed you twice!"

Standing up, dante comforted his ribs. "Oh all right, I concede the point, Well done Geni." Dante smiled at the fact that he had been bested, She had learnt well; although she was far from competent enough to stand up to Jack yet.

Dante smiled inwardly, after tonight Jack would be a problem no more....


OOC: *Gasps* what could he mean? stay tuned folks!!

[natchan]

Eclair sat quietly in her study reading, she had been doing a lot of it lately. Nathan was off doing whatever he does whens away, which left Edward in chanrge of Eclair's protection. Him and his father Darian were sitting only feet away playing a game of chess, Edward was loosing horribly.

"Why is it I can never beat you?" Edward asked slightly frustrated as he focused on his next move. Eclair glanced over at the baord out of the corner of her eye, Edward was indeed in bad shape, but he might still have a chance. Edward made his move, and Darian made his taking a bishop away.

"Well that didn't work no did it Edward?" Darian replied in his joking manner, cracking a grin. Edward folded his arms across his chest and starred hard at the board. He moved his hand to touch the rook and his father snickered slightly.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" He asked teasingly. Edward snapped a partially joking glare at him as he did so. Eclair could watch the poor boy suffer any longer. She closed her book and she moved to sit next to Edward.

"Milady?" Edward started but Eclair just gave smile.

"May I see your hand?" She asked politely. He showed her his hand slightly trembling as it always was, and she took in her own. "Alright no you are going to want to move this piece next." She replied moving his hand to the knight. "Thats it place it here." She directed the piece and allowed him to set it on the board. Edward looked at the board, glanced at Eclair, then at his father.

"Check Mate!" He replied a wide smile touching his lips. Darian was still starring at the knight as if it had insulted him.

"There now Darian, you can stan loose at least once can't you?" Eclair asked cheerfully.

There was a knock at the door and they all turned to see Nathan walk in the door. He was covered in mud and looked rediculous.

"Nathan what on earth happened to you?" Eclair asked trying not to laugh at the silly state he was in.

"Sir Nathan are you aware that you are getting your muddy prints all over the floor?" Darian asked standing up glarring at Nathans mud cover boots.

"Well you see I was walking along the side of the road and well it has been slightly rainy the last few day. To make the long story short--"

"You fell." Eclair finished for him giving a smile.

"Might I use your bath? I've already sent out for my clothes." He replied blushing slightly.

"Of course silly, Darian, Edward if you will please?" Elciar asked kindly. The two of them bustled off to do as they were asked. Eclair left her seat and walked over to the mudd soaked Nathan. He was wearing a grin.

"You're hiding somthing officer?" Eclair stated.

"True I am hiding somthing, but I'm not about to tell you what it is. At least not quite yet that is." He replied

OOC: Woohoo! Filler!

[missrelena]

Geni could not believe how bone weary she was. She lay on her bed, staring up into the darkness that should be her ceiling, and would have been if she had been able to gather the energy to light her bedside candle. She was still in the top and hakama from her training, too tired to care that she was getting her bedcovers sweaty.

Dante had pushed her hard this day. He almost acted as if he wanted her exhausted tonight. He had smiled serenely when she had declared herself uninterested in eating dinner, and that in and of itself was suspicious. Usually he would have been ordering her a meal, reguardless of her wishes, in order that she "keep up her strength." Did he want her out of the way for some reason this evening? What did he have planned? "Curiouser and curiouser." She quoted Alice in her wonderland.

Geni wanted to think about Dante's odd behavior more, but she slipped into the oblivion of sleep instead.

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OOC: Sorry so short, but Dante seems to be going somewhere and I don't want to get in his way!