OPEN * FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

People are strange. A person could be the same way their whole life, finding no reason to change the way they were. No one ever expects to be given a reason to change. If they did, however, they wouldn't expect it to be the reason Emmeline did. They would expect that they would mature, or one day wake up in the real world and realize that they can no longer be the same person if they don't want to be squashed from the rush of people who had already figured that out. Emmeline, however, was quite opposite. She had not woken up to reality; in fact, she had woken up to fantasy.

When she had been dropped into Reena, she had to quickly learn the ways of a new world. Hell, she hadn't even fully figured out the human, normal world, and now she had to forget what she knew about that in order to survive in this new, exotic place. After a few weeks in here, she had even begun to start to realize what was going on. Sure, she constantly wished for a map, or even a guidebook, that she could bring along with her while she gallivanted around this creepy world, but it was getting better.

The truth was, she kind of liked it here. In her old world, she would constantly wish for an adventure, or a change from her boring schedule. Now, all she got was adventure. She could do something as simple as turn around, and something will have changed that she could explore, or run from. It was a little overwhelming, sometimes, but it was constant. Emmeline could always count on that; there was always a change, and she had not ever come across a point where she had been bored in this place.

Emmeline had taken to wandering lately. She could not find a safe place, so she might as well go explore around. If nowhere was safe, then there was no reason not to. She had not come across many people, but she knew that there were people in this place that were not actually people. She was very aware that everything was not as it seemed there, and despite her fear, a part of her wanted to know more, more, more. Today, she found herself in a dark, swampy part of Reena.

There was no one around that she could see, but she was aware that there was surely eyes on her. Her heart was beating quickly, but that could have been from the way her feet were slowly sinking into the ground when she hesitated upon taking another step. Emmeline was not sure how she had ended up in this part of Reena, and was not even sure what part this was. For one wild second, she wondered what could be lurking in the deep, dark waters around her. She pushed that thought out of her head as quickly as it had come; there was no use in frightening her even more.

Had she been bold, and charming, she would have smirked and tossed her messy hair over her shoulder and headed back the way she had come. She would have acted as though the waters were ruining her clothing, and she could not risk getting her perfect self sweaty. Instead, she ploughed on through the undetectable, open swamp, waiting for the right place to get out. She had logic on her mind, and Emmeline knew that what had a start had to have an end. There was a burning curiosity inside of her that lured her on through the swamp, one strong enough to keep her pulling one leg out of the water at a time, moving slowly but surely.

Emmeline kept sloshing through, wondering what could be at the end of the shallow, murky waters. Perhaps if it got deeper than it was now - at her knees - she would turn back, for fear that her mild swimming abilities would not get her through to the end that she wanted to reach. Absentmindedly, as she looked around, she adjusted the bag that she carried around her shoulders higher, not wanting to get it or any of it contents wet. The water was dirty, so dirty that if there was something in it, she would not be able to see it unless it came to the surface.

There was a slightly eerie feeling that set upon her when she noticed that it was completely silent except for her slowly moving through the waters. The feeling of eyes upon her had grown now, and she had half a mind to turn back. But she didn't.

status: done
tags: open
music: folkin' around - panic at the disco
notes: - - -
word count: 771

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

As daylight slowly departed, Victor stalked through the thick shadows of the enchanting Khalid forest. His nose had caught an interesting scent, and the man pushed his luck with the fading light as he pressed on, careful not to let anything but shade grace his skin. As the days dragged on at their sluggish pace, Victor became more restless and impatient with the sun. Why is it that the days seem so much longer when you are immortal? He dared himself to leave shelter earlier than usual, challenging the damned whim of his other half. So far everything seemed to be working according to plan, much to the male’s pleasure.

The scent Victor continued to follow had led him deep within the forest. His boots squished the soil beneath his feet as the ground began to turn moist, and he was instantly alert, listening quietly. Not a sound was made, save for the atypical echo of what sounded like sloshing. Deciding his leather boots and worn leggings were worth the sacrifice, Victor allowed his curiosity to take hold and he quickly found himself trudging through the murky waters. The slimy mud on the swamp floor sucked at his footwear as the guardian’s weight shifted from foot to foot with each step. It became inconvenient after a short while, but there was no point in turning back now.

Darkness was slowly settling over the land, making Victor feel more at ease. He could already feel his senses sharpening with every moment that passed. It was almost exhilarating. Trying to quicken his clumsy pace (due to the cursed mud), the man managed to scale at least one mile of nothing but swampland. The scent was growing much stronger. It smelled mortal…human, perhaps. Victor was keen to find out. How long had it been since he had any communication with another humanoid?

After some more sneaking about he saw her. Lowering his stance to a squat – careful not to accidentally seat himself in watery yuck – Victor watched noiselessly, his breathing nearly ceased. The female he studied seemed quite young. He guessed that she was a brave soul. She gained additional points by being all alone with no visible weapon. Interesting…Maybe she was a witch of some sort. Perhaps even a monster in disguise. It wouldn’t surprise Victor. He was one himself, and he knew better than to doubt the existence of others.

Now one question remains. Should he remain hidden? Or should he investigate further?

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: I hope you don't mind I made it nearly nighttime.
word count: 412

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was getting dark out, and Emmeline was not sure if this was because she was getting further and further into the swamp surrounded by trees, or if it was becoming night. That was another thing about Reena that was never very clear; the sun seemed to disappear at ease, whenever it felt the need to portray a spooky scene, it seemed. Or perhaps time went much faster in Reena for humans. Well, maybe it was like that for everyone; Emmeline had not come across very many of the other things in this world. In fact, she was not sure what truly was here, and what wasn't. Once again, the wish for a guidebook fell upon her. It would be much simpler to understand the place if she was not out on her own, churning through a dark swampland.

It was incredible how in Ashling, she would be told what to do for everything - she had no say in most of the things that happened her life. It was dictated for her. She was to sleep at night, rise in the morning and complete the day the way others asked her to. Here, she was her own person, creating the rules for herself and making decisions on her own. It was easy at the moment to think up good and bad things about this, but right now all she could think about was that she did not have to go home just because it was dark out. Not that she had a home, to begin with. Not here, in Reena, at least.

Of course, she was feeling a bit unsettled as she trudged her way through the swamp. It was sometimes difficult to move her feet, she would have to yank them out of the wet soil that threatened to eat up her feet if she stood still for too long. She had a feeling that if anything tried to chase her in here, they would easily be able to find her, catch her, and do whatever they wanted with her. Great, she thought to herself. Now is the time you have thoughts about getting eaten up. She refused to stop, though. The water around her made ripples that went soft and smooth over the rest of the peaceful swamp. She wondered if she was disturbing something, and if they would come grab her feet and pull her in.

Occasionally she would turn around, looking backwards and forwards, side to side, watching for a sign of movement from somebody - anybody. With that feeling of someone watching her so sharp inside of her, she could not help it. She absentmindedly adjusted the strap of her bag again, pulling it closer towards her still. Now, every time she moved her left leg, the bag would jump. There was nothing inside of it that was worth anything; just a change of clothes and a few coins. She suddenly felt slightly foolish, going out into no-man's land without any knowledge of where she was, or who could be lurking. At least when she was around where other creatures were - which was not very often - she could study them, learn who was good and who was bad. Out here, it was up to her own instincts. And her instincts were telling her right now that something bad was going to happen.

Still, she ignored it, pushed it away, as stubborn as ever, and walked further. She did not know what she was looking for - perhaps a person, or something else magical that she could discover. Emmeline was now looking regularly over her shoulder, feeling as if there was something right in front of her nose, that she couldn't quite see but knew was there.

Bravely, she called out to the shadows. "Who's there?" The sound of her voice, so loudly echoing over the dark waters, frightened her. "Show yourself!" Emmeline was not sure if anyone really was there, but in the heat of the moment did not feel like a fool for shouting at nothing. "I-I'm armed!" Unsure why she was saying this, when she knew she wasn't, she grabbed a floating bit of wood, holding it up in front of her. If her shaky voice was not proof enough that she was unable to do any damage, her wild eyes would give it away.

status: done
tags: victor
music: she's my winona - fall out boy
notes: no, that's fine, i like the touch!
word count: 720

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

“Who’s there? Show yourself! I-I’m armed!”

An eyebrow lifted quizzically as Victor took note of the slimy branch the female snatched up in her hands. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, somewhat amused by this stranger’s actions. Deciding it was safe enough, Victor stood to his full height, blue eyes fixated on the female.

“You won’t do much damage with that,” he stated firmly, forcing one foot from the mud which had started to sink him slowly. “I guarantee it,” he added, grunting as he forced his second foot out. Deciding that remaining immobile was a dense thing to do, the man started forward. Victor prepared himself for a possible stick-to-the-face, but harbored no intentions to frighten this young girl. With that thought in mind, the male held up both hands before him to expresses liberality. “Don’t test my own words on me, though,” he laughed, trying to put on a gentle smile.

The gargoyle wasn’t quite sure how well the girl would take to his sudden appearance. Surely she would not be pleased to know about his stalking habits. Victor decided to keep that to himself. He also decided that he would try to act as human as possible. He was, after all, once as mortal as any other man. The struggle within him began to spark, and Victor prayed to the heavens above that he would once again be able to socialize with another being other than birds or mice.

She could talk. She could rationalize. She could partake in deep conversations and brainstorm ideas. Victor missed that. It was years ago when his link to the world began to dissolve, leaving him with a lonely and empty feeling. Protecting the withered farmlands was basically the center of his never-ending life whether he wanted it to be or not. Sure he could sneak around the curse in different ways, but his soul would always be bound to that land.

Did he seem desperate? Possibly, but Victor remained at a calm and collected state as he neared the girl slowly.

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
music: another world - gackt
notes: Alright, cool.
word count: 341

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Emmeline had no idea what to do with this stick she was holding up for a weapon. She had no experience sword fighting, which is what she assumed she would do if someone was actually there, threatening her. The only time she had ever come close to this was when she babysat a child in Ashling who wanted to have a pretend duel. This was nothing like that moment; here, her heart pounded, blood was rushing like it was electric through her veins. She didn't have it in her to hurt somebody, no matter who they were, no matter what the reason. Even if it was self-defence. But Emmeline still did not put down her only weapon, just grabbed it with both hands instead.

In the second that she looked away to inspect the stick, eyes rushing over the algae that had grown on it, trying to decide where best to hold, a man popped out of no where. When she looked back up, he was still moving to straighten himself up completely. Emmeline jumped, wondering how on earth she could have walked right past this man without noticing him. She held the stick up higher, and peered at him. Her heart was pounding - he had frightened her to death!

When he spoke, he sounded like a regular person - she could not tell if he was a magic creature from Reena or just a human like her. But she watched him unstick his feet, and she held up the stick further, despite his words, telling her that it would not do much damage. He did not appear to be threatening. Of course, a few weeks experience in Reena told her not to trust anything at first glance, so she did not speak yet, only observed. The man did not look like he was going to hurt her; on the contrary, he looked lonely.

He was taking a few steps toward her, cautiously and slowly. He did not appear hungry, or damaging, like some of the creatures would by now. She was not sure if it was a good idea for her to allow him to close the space, or if she should back away. Backing away would show a sign of weakness, though, and when everyone in this magic world had one up on her, she could not show that weakness. She remained in place, watching. Finally, she spoke. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" Her voice, neither strong nor rude, simply flew out of her like wind. To her, it sounded curious, which was a surprise, because she intended it to be powerful, showing no signs of weakness.

Her body was in a slight crouch, a defensive position that, when paired with the stick she was holding, made her look like she was winding up to hit a baseball. She knew this posture was not very inviting, and if this man was just a human, he would probably be frightened of her, thinking that she was some sort of mystical creature that lived here.

It was getting hard for her to see him, as the dark was steadily growing, pouring over them like poisoned air. She feared that if he were a predator, she would eventually succumb to any wound he inflicted upon her - always the pessimist. His features were becoming sharper, though, as he moved closer to her. Her heart pounded, and her jaw clenched, waiting for him to reach her and do his damage.

status: done
tags: victor
music: i wanna be the one - fun.
notes: i absolutely love how fast you post, to be honest (:
word count: 578

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

A soft sigh escaped Victor’s lips when the girl remained in her hostile stance. “If you want to quarrel, I can’t say it’d be much of a fair fight.” He lowered one hand, tapping his fingers against the hilt of his blade which was safe in its scabbard. The leather belt which held the weapon also had a hunting knife tied firmly to it. “You need not fear me. I will not harm you,” he added, hoping that presenting his armaments wouldn’t intimidate the girl.

It was getting darker. The air responded by slowly turning crisper and cool. Victor could sense the shadows growing thicker as they darkened his features. Soon now the nocturnal creatures that dwell in these parts would awaken. They would be hungry, for sure, and on the hunt for a meal. Victor rarely had any problems keeping such monsters at bay simply because of certain advantages. But this girl…how would she manage on her own? The man certainly did not have the heart to leave her out her all alone. He surprised himself from actually feeling concern for the human. Sure she put off that rough-and-tough attitude, but he doubted she’d fare well against a hunting party of hungry swamp horrors.

How could he make her feel more at ease?

“My name is Victor.” As he introduced himself, Victor bowed low, wanting to show signs of respect towards the stranger. “Please forgive me for just suddenly appearing. I did not mean to frighten you.” Straightening his form again, he shifted his weight, trying to avoid being sucked down into the watery muck which soaked his boots and shins.

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: Haha, well my posts aren’t as long as everyone else’s, though…
word count: 293 (see what I mean? xD)

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

With the muscles in Emmeline's body so tense, she was already beginning to feel the first faint signs of tiredness. She ignored the thought of this, knowing that it would do nothing for her stamina if the time came when she had to strike. Undoubtedly, she would love to find a reason to relax, but her instincts all told her that she should not, at least until she was comfortable in her surroundings.

Unfortunately, one of the things that Emmeline knew about Reena was that the creatures in it were bound to lies and deceit. If they were hungry, they'd pretend to be nice until they lunge for you to eat you up. Of course, Emmeline had not been in this world long enough to have seen it happen firsthand, but she had heard about it. It was nasty business, and she would try everything in her power to not land herself in that situation.

Obviously this man was good at holding his own, because he responded to her stature by showing the blades that were attached to his belt. She felt a trickle of fear run down her spine at the sight of them, but his next words contradicted that feeling. "You need not fear me," he had said. "I will not harm you."

Emmeline didn't know what to believe, but his first words had been right. If she tried to strike him, he would respond back fully, and she would lose - there was no doubt about that. So she nodded, lowering the stick, but not releasing the hold on it. He sounded believable; he didn't sneer when he said the words, and they sounded sincere. Plus, it was getting much, much darker, and the sooner she could put off being in this swamp, the better. If he was playing nice, so could she.

He was certainly strange, though. She noticed his way of speaking, how it did not sound modern, but rather very formal. He bowed upon introducing himself, which is something she had never seen happen, except in old movies. "I'm Emmeline," she replied, wondering whether she should laugh or curtsey back. Instead she just stood there, watching him. "Why are you here, Victor?" she asked, not sounding rude, only curious.

status: done
tags: victor
music: and so it goes - billy joel
notes: of course i say that right when i have to leave, so i look like an idiot! nahh, short and sweet, right?!
word count: 371

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

Before responding to Emmeline’s question, Victor dared to move closer to the female until he was almost beside her. For a moment he rested his sky colored eyes on the piece of swamp wood still in her gasp, wary of it possibly smacking him across the cheek in protest of him getting too close.

“Take my arm.”

It probably sounded like an awkward request to the girl, but Victor offered his arm anyways. Emmeline had been planted to that one spot for some time now, and the male guessed that she might have trouble pulling her feet from the nasty bog mud.

Victor wondered if he was getting too close. He certainly did not want to make Emmeline feel uncomfortable. A stroke of fear vibrated in the gargoyle’s stomach at the thought of his new acquaintance struggling to get away from him. Deciding that answering her question might make her feel better, Victor spoke again in a humbling tone.

“I caught your scent about a mile back while I was hunting. I suppose you could say that my curiosity got the better of me. Forgive me if you feel uncomfortable around me, Miss Emmeline.”

Seconds later his own words registered in his mind, and Victor regretted his choice of dialogue. No human could track a scent from a mile off with their noses. Maybe Emmeline wouldn’t notice his explanation about smelling her. However, she may be listening intently due to the fact that she still seemed tense. Trust would be made more difficult to acquire.

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: You don’t look like an idiot. x)
word count: 255

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Emmeline's eyebrows were knitted together, watching the man come closer and closer towards her. There was a wrinkle in her forehead from concentrating, quickly running over self defence mechanisms, before pushing the thought out of her head. He was not going to hurt her, unless she hurt him. She kept her hold on the stick, however, more as a comfort than anything. In case something else came up behind her out of the blue and she had to defend herself again. She did notice him looking at it, and she wondered if she should put it down. Instead, she used it to absentmindedly stir the water around them, to show him that she was not thinking of using it as a weapon anymore.

His request was odd, to take his arm. The first thing she thought of was that he was going to teleport them somewhere else, but she realized that teleportation was impossible. But, thinking of no reasons why not to, she hesitantly reached out, pale hand almost shining in the dark, to grab Victor's arm. She felt odd, but she was very aware that her legs were sinking into the muddy ground very quickly now; she had forgotten to move while she was on the defence.

Emmeline was certain that he must be a human. He had not shown any signs of being any other creature, and as she looked at him up close, it was not like he was something hiding in the shell of a once living human whom he had killed himself. No, he was civil, she had decided.

When he answered her question, however, she froze. She had stopped swirling the stick around in the water now, and was holding it still now, not quite as a weapon, but as she was so focused, there was no need for the stick to distract her. She was not expecting this; now she was feeling wary again. "Hunting?" Emmeline breathed, her stomach twisting in knots and every inch of her burning to run again. "Hunting what?" Her eyes were fixed on him, watching in case his face changed into a predator's, or if his eyes betrayed his calm posture. "What are you, Victor? How-How old are you?" Her voice had gotten louder, and voiced what she had noticed before. The chivalry, the odd way of speaking, the blade in his belt - he did not appear to be from the same generation as her. She knew that these were very risky questions to be asking, and it must sound horribly rude, but she needed to know.

status: done
tags: victor
music: dear god - avenged sevenfold
notes: good - first impressions are everything! xD
word count: 429

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

Victor felt doubt swell up within him. He felt that if he told Emmeline what he truly was she would tear from his side in an instant. Silently cursing himself for mentioning hunting, the man gazed down into the shallow water trying to figure out the right words to speak. Hope had sparked when the girl took his arm, but when Victor sensed Emmeline growing nervous he knew he had chosen the wrong words. At least she still hadn’t beaten him over the head with that nasty stick.

“When I need to feed I must hunt to satisfy my appetite,” he answered, disgust in his tone. Might as well lay down the truth from the get-go. It would be foolish to lie to Emmeline until she figured the truth out for herself. When she stammered, Victor’s heart sank with uncertainty. He faced the female now, expression harboring little emotion. “I shall not lie to you, Miss Emmeline. I am a monster. Due to unfortunate happenings of the past…I will not meet with death unless I am properly slain.”

There. Now there would be no secrets to confuse Emmeline. It was her decision to decide whether she wanted to stick around or not. Without another word Victor stepped forward, yet again having to force his boot from the irksome mud. He gently tried to coax Emmeline to follow with his arm, not looking back over his shoulder to see if she would follow him or if she would flee.

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: Haha, and I always make my first impressions awkward. xD
word count: 248

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She did not know how to feel about the person standing in front of her. Her hand was limp on his arm, not holding tight anymore, in case she felt the desire to tear it back. She would not want to be rude, but she had to put herself, and her safety, before anything else. Emmeline never thought that she would be in that situation - usually she craved adventure, wished that someone else with problems would come across her. That was in Ashling, though, where everything was different, and everyone was the same. Of course she would wish for something that was not about to happen. Here in Reena, everyone had their own problems, much, much more different than the petty problems of the human world. And Victor's problem was what he was. whatever that was.

Knowing that when she had problems, it did no good to ignore it, she decided to try to lighten the feeling, without making it a joke. She didn't know why, as she did not usually speak very much, or even try to hold a conversation, but if someone was upset, she knew all about that and what to try to say. She spoke, trying to sound as though the information he was presenting about himself did not bother her. Now that she had figured out that he was not a threat to her, she didn't want their meeting to become awkward. "Tell me, Victor, were you thinking of eating me?" Emmeline tried to make this sound light, but without changing the intonation. She was curious about the answer, but she did not want to appear too interested.

When he started walking away, she wondered what she had done. Her eyebrows knitted together once again, before she wrenched her legs out of the mud they were sinking into, and followed him, pulling on his arm slightly. "What are you doing? Where are you going? It's getting dark out, and there's bad things out here!" Emmeline did not know if this was something he should be worried about, or only her. Since he was some kind of magical creature, he could surely live in Reena more undetectable than her. She was walking bait, and since Victor was nice, she was following him around, since it was getting dark and there was no way she could stay in this swamp alone.

status: done
tags: victor
music: mr. right - a rocket to the moon
notes: don't we all? i'm surprised i even have friends, since they were probably like o.O when they met me xD
word count: 393

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

"Tell me, Victor, were you thinking of eating me?"

Victor hesitated for a moment, feeling a twist in his stomach. “Don’t be silly,” he breathed in a low, offended tone. That was all he could muster at the moment. He wished his words had not sounded so full of hurt, but it was too late to take them back. The man continued to trudge along, his expression slightly grim.

"What are you doing? Where are you going? It's getting dark out, and there's bad things out here!"

What was he doing? The light was gone now, and the swamp became dark and more eerie than before. Where would he take her? Somewhere safe, of course. But where?

“Decide now, human,” Victor suddenly said, trying to keep a steady tone. “Either I can take you with me or you can leave my side now. Should you decide to stay here I can promise you that those who dwell in this wretched place will treat you with less kindness.” He hated the way he spoke. It sounded improper to his sensitive ears. Where had the chivalry run off to?

Sometimes the beast within cracked his surface. His personality sometimes became more cold and isolated. Keeping this side under control was a challenge, but Victor forced himself to regain control of his emotions. He couldn’t help but feel guilty; he worried about what Emmeline thought of him now.

She must feel frightened. This world was an unforgiving one. Victor knew that. He felt that his sudden mood swing was not fair to Emmeline, for she was already nervous enough. The gargoyle wanted to make her feel safe, not uneasy.

“I will protect you.”

The words flowed out smoothly, almost a whisper but audible. Though Victor barely knew this girl, the teachings from his training to become a knight were tightly knitted around his heart like a net. It trapped in what he had believed in before he even knew he’d ever get the opportunity to become a knight. It was the want to protect others no matter what.

“They,” he added, nodding towards a couple shadows lurking in the darkness, “will not.”

x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: Lol Me too! I can be rather strange sometimes...
word count: 359

[EMMELINE ISOBEL WENTWORTH]

EMMELINEISOBELWENTWORTH

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OF ALL THE WRONG YOU'VE DONE
THEN I'M PUTTING OUT THE LANTERN,
FIND YOUR OWN WAY BACK HOME.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the grounds around them was so eerily quiet, Emmeline just felt the urge to scream just to get rid of the overwhelming silence. At least an echoing scream would be better that the hollow nothing. She had been given many reasons to stay quiet, and now she was going to take their advice. Maybe she was disturbing what was disturbing her. Disturbing the silence that had been crowding her.

She felt bad about making the comment previously. He sounded upset by it, and she had not intended it to be rude. "No. Right, I'm sorry, that was stupid of me to say," she said apologetically. She could not help but be very curious, however, what exactly he was, and what his intentions were. How did she manage to come across the one good creature in Reena? What luck she had, apparently.

Emmeline wondered if he was getting impatient with her. He was nice before, patient and calm, but now he was sharp, serious and stern, more like a school teacher who had gotten tired of too many stupid questions asked by naive kids. He called her a human, which she normally wouldn't find offensive, because she was one, but his tone was not very light. In a situation like this, of course, Emmeline was glad that she was the introverted type. If someone got angry, she did not get angry back, just retreated into her shell."Right. Right," she said, pulling her arm back to rub her arms, which were getting colder and colder by the second. "Let's go," she said, making sure he knew her decision to stick with him.

She could not deny that she felt a bit better when he said he would protect her, but she was not even sure that was what he said. He said it so quietly that she may have imagined it. He unknowingly confirmed it by acknowledging the shadows. She whipped her head to look back at them, jumping when she noticed that they were surrounded by shadows of creatures. She placed her hand on her neck, holding the back of it, a small comforting notion that she hardly noticed she was doing. Emmeline had always done that, even in Ashling, when she feared the 'monsters' were going to get her - she would hide her neck, the most vulnerable part of her. Following behind him, she could not help looking backwards, and all around her. The slightest noise would make her jump, even if it was coming from her. She pulled her blonde hair closer, and walked with one arm wrapped around her waist. She was horribly frightened, especially knowing that they were outnumbered.

status: done
tags: victor
music: neighbours - the academy is...
notes: don't we all? hey, what's a world without with a bunch of strange people?
word count: 443

[VICTOR JERICHO ARKWRIGHT]

Victor was exceedingly alert now. He paid little mind to the creatures surrounding Emmeline and himself, though, knowing that they knew better than to pick a fight with him…well, most of them anyways. What his ears were listening to and what his sharp nose was smelling was the human female following close behind. She had removed her hand from his arm, but Victor could still fully sense her presence burning his back. He felt guilty.

The water was making gurgling sounds as it slowly became shallower, the persistent mud still trying to suck at Victor’s leather boots. Victor noticed the air was becoming chilled as it nipped at the rim of his ears. The thick leather coat strapped about his torso prevented any more cold from freezing up his muscular frame, and Victor halted suddenly. Twisting around, he studied Emmeline. She looked cold...and frightened. Victor cursed himself for not doing anything about it.

“I did not mean…” He stammered, unable to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. “I…” It was difficult for Victor to look Emmeline in the eye. That’s how bad he felt about his behavior from before, and his inability to speak was starting to get irritating. “I’m sorry.” Shame masked Victor’s visage; his light eyes staring down into the bog water.

How was he supposed to explain that he sometimes had these pathetic little mood swings? That even after fifty years of being this thing he still had difficulties controlling the more violent self? Victor’s eyebrows knitted together in thought. He decided he would not say anything more, feeling that those thoughts were just petty excuses.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, the man forced himself to look Emmeline in the eye. He suddenly realized that standing there trying to explain himself to the girl was a bad idea. She appeared cold and he was just wasting time with his stuttering and musing.

Reaching towards the mortal, Victor placed one arm around her shoulders, urging her to try and move quicker. “Come. This is no place for a young girl such as yourself. Especially during the night.”


x x x

status: complete
tags: Emmeline
notes: A boring world, probably. xP
word count: 340