exsiliumlogs | [ Open ] A Home for the Holidays

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[ Open ] A Home for the Holidays

Date & Time: December 10th - 21st
Location: The Museum of Old and New(ish) Art
Characters: Xerxes Break and you. Information about and a map to the castle has been left in the Transporter Facility, so anyone interested in renovating a warm and secure (if weird) place to stay is welcome.
Summary: An eccentric billionaire’s 27th century medieval-replica castle/art museum/hotel lies abandoned and half-buried in the snow. It’s going to take a lot of work to renovate, but hey it’s more kid-friendly than a brothel. Right? Right?
Warnings: None.

The 1980's ski-wear themed snow suits Break brought back from this mission proved to be a hit with the local population (so stylish!), as were Mister Cecil's ugly Christmas sweaters, so they have been able to trade for goods and some technical services, to help make this place more livable. Supplies from the DITR have also been a great help. However, a lot of work needs to be done: cleaning and vermin-smiting and clearing away snow. Come and help, or simply explore.

(ooc: feel free to start threads willy-nilly, action-spam or prose, name your time and place, threadjack and mingle.)

(1) Museum:

The stairway forces you straight down, past four floors, into the very dungeons of the castle. There are no windows; it was artificially lit, although the electricity isn't on at present. However, the old geothermal power generation system in the structure is simple and robust, so only a small amount of tweaking will be required to get it operational once more. In the meantime, the DITR has kindly supplied you with bright uber-LED flashlights and batteries with advanced energy storage, meaning they should stay lit for weeks. Should.

As soon as you emerge in the dungeons, you’ll find yourself lost in a maze of gallery after gallery. High sandstone walls rise up, towering over everything. What was once a set of opulent velvet curtains lining the art spaces hang in rags, having long since been devoured by rats.

Many of the paintings are destroyed, but most are intact, as are the sculptures and installations, preserved in the deep freeze. The subject matter is bizarre and disturbing. Take this human centipede for instance. And what on earth does this machine do? What’s that smell….

However, some of the “artworks” are playful and interactive. Try a game of ping pong on an accordion-shaped table; or jump on a trampoline in a cage with bells underneath; or find the white library, full of blank books (don’t deface the art!).

Try not to get lost.

(2) Castle/Hotel:

The upper levels of the castle were hotel rooms, long ago. Alas, all of the sheets and bedding were made into nests by rats. Here too, the lush velvet curtains hang in rags, and the wool carpets over the stone floors have lost their battle to the moths.

Yet most of the furniture remains intact, as well as the elaborate chandeliers. Compact heaters will keep the spaces at a near-comfortable temperature, and sleeping bags will do for now.

Let’s get cleaning!

(3) R&R

All that hard work has finally paid off. The geothermal power system is now providing electricity and abundant steam heat, and multiple hotel rooms are in habitable shape. Most importantly, the kitchen is functional. it's time to relax with a cup of hot spiced wine (or chocolate) and pastry. Some mischievous person has hung mistletoe over various random entranceways, so look sharp!

(4) Playing in the snow

The weak December sun makes an appearance, illuminating the ice crystals in the frigid air, creating a sun dog. The snow sparkles like white diamonds. It’s still freezing, but how can you stay inside on a day like this? Anyway, the snow needs shoveling, but perhaps there’s time to make a snowman (or snow angels).

(5) Penguins:

In addition to vermin of the four-legged, tailed and whiskered variety, this castle is home to a flock of penguins. These might be the principal reason the castle has lain abandoned all these years. They can be found anywhere in or around the structure. Approach with caution. Or better yet —

— run away.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[From the depths of Break’s embrace, Kevin tilts his head so their lips are a mere fraction apart. He glances up at Break’s unseeing eye and, after a heartbeat, closes the distance between them.

As one would expect, it is an innocent kiss. Not much more than the silkily warmth of inquiring lips. And yet it is still an angel’s kiss, laced with the same tender divinity and sunlight Break knows so well.]

[ From a "mad crush" to "sincere affection" to this. This is love, confessed and sealed with a kiss. He can feel the divine warmth and tenderness of it, to the very depths of his soul.

Even as his heart takes flight, it twists. He has always hidden his own secrets away, not only because of his deep guilt, but also not to burden anyone with them. But to stay silent now is to accept Uriel's angelic love on false pretenses.

He draws out of the kiss and the embrace. His hands are on Uriel's shoulders, pushing him back. ]

I deserve your torment, not your love.

[ He knows he won't be believed without specifics, so: ]

I am a murderer, who coldly slew one hundred sixteen innocent souls.

[He expected something dark and terrible. He did not expect this. One hundred sixteen innocent souls. He has seen Break's violent side, and yet it is extremely difficult for him to link so much bloodshed to the human right in front of him.]

[ A short moment of silence passes before Kevin takes his gloves off. He brings both hands to Break's cheeks, tracing its lines with his fingertips as if he were the one who had been blind. Finally, he brings Break's face closer to his, the gesture both gentle and dangerous.]

...Tell me why.

[His eyes briefly fall on the rag doll on Break's shoulder, reminded of how the human reacted when he inquired about it. Kevin realizes that Emily is not so different from the scar he carries on his own shoulder, but he still must understand its full meaning.]

Edited 2013-12-23 22:58 (UTC)

[ He can feel the power behind this gesture, and — though he longs to be punished, finally, for his sins — a wave of terror thrills through him. It's what every sinner must feel, standing at judgement. ]

Because... because I was a failure and a fool. Because, in my arrogance, I thought I could stand against the will of Fate. Because I was blind, despite having two eyes to see.

[Like the Initiative itself. No matter how many times humans are punished.... And yet he says nothing, for Break's story is far from finished. He allows the silence to stretch between them, his warm hands still supporting Break's face, forcing him to look at him. It is not possible to evade his gaze, and Break, who has been hiding all this time, might find out that all protective shadows have become incredibly scarce in the bright sunlight.]

[ That silence has its effect, so too the brightness of Uriel's presence. He is naked in this awful, terrible light. ]

I... I was a knight, bound to serve a noble family.

[ He’d been a boy when he’d first arrived. He had wept from homesickness, but Lady Sinclair gave him tea and cake — and hugs. The family embraced him as one of their own. He flourished, treated with such kindness. They were precious to him, every one. ]

My job was to protect them. [ It was his life’s sole purpose. ] But they were murdered, all but the youngest daughter of the family.

[ His first duty had been to her; he should have devoted the rest of his life to her happiness. ]

I blamed myself for this, and fell into despair. I forged a contract with a creature called a Chain, from a world called the Abyss. My Chain promised me that if I sacrificed enough people to him, then I could change the past. I could bring back my Lord, and his family.

[ His fingers clench; his face colors with the shame of that awful memory. ]

Like a fool, I believed it.

Edited 2013-12-24 03:47 (UTC)

[The angel heaves a deep and weary sigh. He should have known. Evil always preys on those who need it the most. He also knows how this story ends.]

In the end, you lost yourself as well. And more importantly, you lost the little girl.

[A little girl with a little doll.

"Lady Emily is someone else."]

...But this time, you knew there was no return.

[He gently covers the empty eye-socket with his warm hand.]

Who has given you this mark?

Edited 2013-12-24 07:00 (UTC)

[ He had stayed sane throughout, aware of what he was doing even to the moment he was dragged down into the Abyss, . He can remember every victim with awful clarity. Then afterwards, learning of Lady Emily's fate had driven him to despair but not insane.

It's the reason he had wanted to die, the only release from his suffering of which he could conceive. To "lose himself" forever, that's what he had wanted. ]

Yes...

[ Uriel's hand over his lost eye is a more intimate gesture than the kiss. Break's shoulders come up; there's a tense interval when it seems that he is going to twist away, out of Uriel's grasp.

It passes. His shoulders slump; sighing, he leans forward into Uriel's warm hand. ]

The same lady who gave me my present Chain. My reason for living, I think I told you once, but it's more accurate to say... I would have shuffled off this mortal coil long ago, but for my duty to her, still unfulfilled.

[The angel approaches him again. Yes, Break had told him that Mad Hatter was what had been keeping him alive all this time, and that had terrified him. Now...now he is almost grateful. He pulls the human into his arms and lays a comforting hand on top of his head, as if Break were a child who had been lost for too long. Lost, but finally found.

He doesn't want Break to die. Not yet, not yet. He is so tired of losing everyone. However, this is a selfish thought, and he is still Uriel, notwithstanding his own punishment.]

What duty would purchase a murderer's life?

[ There is still something terrifying about Uriel, despite his comforting gestures. ]

I must release this lady from her desperate existence as Will of the Abyss.

[ Release might mean "kill" and it might mean "save." Perhaps it's both. Perhaps it is changing her existence altogether. This is still one of the puzzles that confound him, even now. ]

And, in so doing, restore the Abyss to its former state, a place of golden light.

[Once a knight... Uriel can't help but smile. It is a worthy mission, but...

Still holding Break with as
much care as before, Uriel raises his fingertips once more to where his eye should have been. This time, his touch is hot enough to burn, like midday sunlight.]

And yet you know redemption and punishment are not the same.

[One hundred sixteen lives, an abandoned child, and so many more existences ruined. Uriel wishes it was his place to be merciful, merciful for Break's sake. It isn't. ]

Edited 2013-12-25 05:19 (UTC)

[ In the instant Uriel's fingertips burn into his flesh, he realizes with a thrill, that this is what he has always longed for: his just punishment. ]

I... ha! I know! Hahaha!

[ But in the next moment, in the midst of his staccato giggling, he remembers Gilbert's words to him, ringing in his head like a clarion bell: there are people you should think of, and faces you should remember. To submit to this would be the worst sort of indulgence. If he lets Uriel kill or obviously wound him, that would upset Gilbert and Oz. Perhaps also Rosette and Miranda; even, perhaps, Allen and Lenalee. If he let himself be incapacitated to the degree that he wouldn't be able to help or look after them...

Kevin himself, when it's all over, will be beside himself. Hadn't he nearly fallen apart, that morning in the desert? Back then, he'd simply been healing Break, with his consent, but it had proven to be too much. Also, given the Transports' keen interest in a legal system these days, torturing someone over crimes committed fifteen years ago in another world is liable not to be well-received. ]

But even so, you'll find I won't die so easily.

[ He moves, suddenly, to twist out of Uriel's grasp. ]

[The relief on Uriel's face when Break pulls away is so obvious he turns away, even knowing quite well that the human is blind. The uncertain hope he feels right now can only lead to trouble.

Break. Break doesn't need to know what real divine punishment is like. He doesn't need to know that his health or even his own life would never be enough. He doesn't need to know that, most likely, he is being punished as they speak.]

Y-yes. So I have noticed.

[He doesn't move from where he is sitting, but he has wrapped his arms around himself in a protective gesture. He is trembling from head to foot now, uncertain of what he should do next. The narrow space between Uriel and Kevin has always been difficult to navigate.

And of course, there is Break. What about Break?]

Edited 2013-12-25 14:23 (UTC)

[ He leaps off the sofa, cane in hand, poised in a crouch, about to defend himself or flee. Kevin's answer surprises him; he had half-expected this avenging angel to come after him. But it's clear now as ever: the duty to punish sinners is one that was thrust upon Uriel. It's not anything he wants.

Break stands, seemingly wavering between possibilities; and then, lightly, he lands half-sprawled on the improvised sofa, next to Kevin. ]

Executing divine judgment upon me, welll.... it's not your job, you know. I'm not of your world, and none of my crimes were committed in this one. [ Scientist-torturing aside. ] So it's out of your jurisdiction, or something like that.

[ If Kevin needs an excuse, he'll provide him with one. ]

[After a small, startled pause, he brings his no longer scorching hand to Break's forehead, and then proceeds to stroke his hair. He had expected Break to run away, so having him back just where he was almost reduces him to stupid tears again.]

You cannot hide from God, Break. No matter where you are.

[Out of his jurisdiction. Break...is being too kind. He clings to that as the poor excuse he knows it is.

Locking himself in a tower with seventy two demons did not save Solomon from God's punishment. And God's punishment is...]

Please, at least allow me to pray for you. He does not talk to me anymore, but...

[ He checks himself from flinching at Kevin's touch, even allowing himself to smile at the caress. Also he notes the omission of the "Mister," but doesn't comment on it. ]

Fine, fine~!

[ He waves his over-long, floppy sleeves breezily. ]

Better you than me at this "praying" business. Cos if I ever spoke to your god, there's be words.

[Break's efforts do not go unnoticed. With a small concerned noise, Kevin presses his forehead to his, mimicking the blind man's secret healing technique. A curtain of dark hair falls on Break's face, warm and smooth. There, there, no smiting for Mister Break today.

He wishes he could apologize for frightening him so, but he cannot. That, he knows too well, would represent the worst kind of treason.]

...He is your loving creator. Please, try to have some faith.

[He thumps his forehead on Break's again.]

I...Thank you. T-that was very brave.

Goodness, Mister Cecil, haven't we had this conversation already? 'Twas my parents that created me. I might add...

[ He pulls out of the head-bump. He remembers what it was to see, and so he is able to look up, as if he were regarding Kevin seriously. ]

No "loving father" would tell his son that he can't think for himself. Nor would he mutilate his child for disobedience.

Edited 2013-12-25 22:54 (UTC)

[Kevin is the one who closes his eyes this time. This is not a step he wishes to take. It leads to a road of no return.]

Angels are different. We should know better. And I...I was just too close to claim ignorance.

[He gives Break a shy smile.]

Besides, He has always favored you anyway.

[Lucifer and Michael even started a war because of humans. Envious. Uriel had been envious too, in his own way. And Solomon had seen through him with terrifying accuracy.]

[ The more he hears about this God of yours, Kevin, the more he's convinced that He's a raging bastard. ]

Mister Cecil, a "loving father" doesn't play favorites. You know, I really quite wonder if heaven and hell haven't got themselves a bit mixed up, in your world. Or perhaps there's something amiss in your heaven, that wants fixing.

[ Just as in the Abyss. ]

[Uriel has stood by God's northern side since before the beginning of time, and has known no greater loneliness than being removed from His holy presence. He cannot and dares not comprehend what Break is trying to imply. From all major angels, only Lucifer has gone that far.

And who wishes to be like Lucifer, anyway?

Still, God is ineffable, and he knows he would fail even if he tried to describe what everyone is missing.

And that is why he smiles instead, curling his fingers around a lock of white hair, his own divine aura surging just for a brief second, bright, joyful and loving.]

I see...[he says, not bothering to hide how much he is teasing Break with his freakish powers.] So there must be something amiss about me...

[ Which is a nice change of pace, as far as Kevin is concerned. A few minutes ago, he was about to hurt someone he loves. Again. It is so much more according to his temperament to just be silly and steal sunshine instead. Break has the right to be reminded that heaven is not only about smiting. And if God is watching any of this sinful nonsense, Kevin wants Him to know how grateful he is for Break's brain, which was created just weird enough to accept someone as damaged as him.]

Edited 2013-12-26 06:45 (UTC)

[ Kevin might notice the way Break's stockinged feet curl, or the way his shoulders come up and his body tenses at that brief moment of divine sunshine.

On an exhale: ]

Yes. Yes definitely something amiss...

[ He leans in, as if to bump foreheads again, perhaps to use his "magic" technique to heal whatever it is that's wrong. But at the last moment, he tilts his head and kisses Kevin instead.

It's not an innocent kiss. Not at all. The way he nibbles at and briefly tongues Kevin's lower lip ought to be a clue, even to someone as sheltered and pure as this silly, sunshine-stealing angel. ]

The first being that you're not a miss, but that's quite all right with me.

[The way Break's toes curl and the "magic" technique are both mesmerizing and endearing. Kevin is about to submit meekly to that treatment when something completely different happens.

In a split second, the following thoughts cross Kevin Cecil’s mind:

First, the reports about friction have been exaggerated.

Second, this most certainly qualifies as a sin, but probably not as deadly as murdering one hundred sixteen people or letting Solomon off the hook for consorting with demons. All things being equal, it is unlikely that any of them will lose another wing or be sent to a deeper circle of hell over something as comparatively inconsequential as a little sodomy.

Actually, this might not even qualify as sodomy at all! Sodomy is something humans do, isn't it?

Lastly, Break tastes of confectionery and Chartreuse. It is rather pleasing, albeit a little startling and wet.

The next split second is entirely thought-deprived: he finds himself meeting and even deepening the kiss, his fingers trailing down white locks. However, a sudden and quite new abdominal fluttering causes him to lose balance like a clumsy bird. With a panicky yelp, he collapse on top of Break.]

Hahahhahahaha!

[ What an eager virgin. Break giggles under the weight of Kevin's body, as several practical considerations inevitably come to mind, the most salient being that they are on a sofa in the drawing room where anyone could happen upon them. With a bit of effort, he wriggles out from under Kevin, sits up, and slides his moon boots back on. Taking up his tin of Pfeffernüsse cookies in one hand (#priorities) and reaching for Kevin with the other, he says: ]

Come oooon, Mister Cecil. Grab a glass and your terrible liquor, and —

[ Of course, Emily has to chime in: ]

LET'S GO GET COZY!

[ Open ] A Home for the Holidays

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