Strangers , Strangers Open

[Alexander Arjon]

He crawled his way down into the dining hall. His mood giddy and excited. He had at least a little bit of an appetite, his washed self pleasant to him which lead him to have his hair tied into mini pony tails. A silly hair do for a silly man. Setting down the knife, next to the fork and the spoon. He grabbed the butter and set it down next to the silver wear. Taking the sliced bread. He sat down and helped himself to a good serving of butter and placed some ham on top to finish the dish off. Taking a bite, he sighed and prepared himself 5 more before he excused himself and walked over towards the dining room.

A handful of knives in his hand, he was rather in the sporting mood. Taking the set of knifes out of his pocket. He set them down, and started to grab one and point to one of the portraits. Throwing it, he saw it fell into the position he had expected. His mouth taking another bite of the meal , as he sat down and removed his boots and flexed his fingers. Yes this did relax him, greatly. But he was still missing something, maybe the sudden realization that he had company bothered him.

Yes of course it bothered him, it meant he had to be cordial , civil, but that did not mean that he could not be a bastard about it. Sure he had his faults, but yet at the same time he liked the way he was. If the man and the woman could not understand that. Then it was their own loss. Picking up the next knife, he crossed his finger to check the sharpness of the blade and threw it. No he did not want to encounter anybody, for the longest time he had been depressed and sad. His loneliness evident in his sulking mass, he needed some form of company.

But who to kidnap, what woman would suit his needs. Which one of the many new inhabitants that would be arriving would catch his eye. He would need to take great care, and study each one. He could not have another spoiled bitch like his Christine, it was out of the question.

[lyddietalise]

Stretching her stiff arms as she stood by the enormous dining hall doors, Lydia had found herself growing rather distant and confused in her own right. After all, she had no idea as to where she was and found it rather odd. Her dark curls fell upon her back in elegance; not a hair strayed from her head. The blue dress she wore was one that fit her form rather well compared to the hand-me-downs her parents had sent her. The skirt of the dress fell to her ankles, yet curved out toward the edges. For what seemed like an eternity she stood in the doorway, gazing around as if looking for a familiar face. Seeing no one she had seemed to know, a crooked smile stretched across her tanned cheeks. No familiarity meant no one would bother her.

She strode away from the door and began to head into the hall when she saw an object, gleaming as it flew past and fell into what seemed like a targeted area. Her eyes immediately turned black with fear as she began to head toward the shadows of the hall. Her stomach gurgling with the immense amount of hunger she was feeling. When was the last time she ate? Lydia asked herself. She couldn't seem to remember. Never the less she headed toward the food and grabbed her own meal before sitting at an empty table. She was too shy to socialize. In fact, she had rather enjoyed being alone.

People could hurt and she knew that. That was why she had not wanted to take the chance in getting to know even one person. Attachments meant there was a possibility of losing the person and not knowing someone enough meant that there was a risk of finding new parts of that persons life making them out to be someone they weren't. But not getting to know the person at all. That was safe. No pain, no attachments, no chances in losing anything.

[Alexander Arjon]

He turned his head around, his teeth uncorked the wine bottle . The lady sat down before him as he stared at her for a few minutes and continued eating quietly the food. His hand throwing the last knife at the target head. His body standing up , his hands placed on his pockets as he walked closer to the woman and sat down. He had heard the swinging of the service door open and close.

His brow quirked as stared at the dark haired beauty. His fingers traced his cheek as he grabbed the last knife and threw it at the wall. His fingers traced the wood. His mouth munching on some chunks of loose meat. His hands pushed the plate towards the girl and shied his face away. The burn of the bottle in his throat making him cough as he wiggled his fingers and made an attempt to hide his interest in the girl.

She seemed interesting enough, what was her dark past to sent her crawling in here. Everyone in this house had a story, the more he chewed and knew about them. The more he could find were he stood in the hierarchy of the inhabitants of this house. The more he would feel comfortable. “ You seem the quiet type, why” he asked calmly as he nibbled on his nails nervously. A tick from such a long time, that it was useless to give up.

The small squeaks of a mouse entering the room as he draped his arm across his right side. The animal climbing up as it poised on its chest and he petted it, yes, the mice could never be hurt. He sheltered them , kept them warm. He was a confused soul himself, but the rats they gave him a sense of living. He had asked the question, the woman had not even answered his question. Was she frightened of him, he would not hurt her. That he would swear, and he would even promise her if that would make her relax.

[lyddietalise]

Her fingers curled around the silverware gently as her fork began to whirl around the plate filled with potatoes and different kinds of meats. Even her hunger made her uneasy with the need to eat, she could not stop herself from feeling vulnerable in a room filled with people. Faces that she couldn't put a name to. Eyes that, for all she knew could have been staring her down, trying to read into her soul as if she were a new breed of human. Or...as if she were not human at all.

For a time, her eyes rested solely on her plate. Reading far too much into the different shapes and forms in each and every piece of food on her plate. But she did not want to catch the eye of a passersby. That meant trying to ease a sort of tension that was not meant to be there in the first place.

Raising the fork to her lips, she took a bite of potato and looked up only for a moment in paranoia, but nothing seemed inconspicuous in that moment. Just average people keeping to their own business. Those were the kind that needed to be carefully observed. Never to be trusted. That was the thought running through her mind as she heard the question quietly reach her ears.

Her voice was caught in her throat as she remained silent and tried to act as though she had heard nothing. After all, the man before her had a rat resting against his chest. That was after all one of her biggest fears. Her gaze lowered from the man to her plate once more as his question burned in her mind.

[Alexander Arjon]

He tapped his fingers on the table, a steady rhythm displayed. His eyes shot to the woman , he had not heard her reply to anything. But yet when she stared at the rat , and then at him. He sighed and rubbed his face. His body standing up, the rat dropped on his food . He was less hungry now, he had eaten his share and the rats well they needed to feed.

Someone needed to take care of them, after all it was his job . Grabbing the woman’s chair, he moved it away and turned it to face him. “ Why are you scared, what has got you so paralyzed” he questioned her, his hands kept back as he knew he would have the chance to capture her if she ran away. Yes he had decided that it would be the best course of action.

“ Your very mean, and quiet. I can understand that” he explained, his words released to thin air as he scratched his head , and stood up. His thoughts swirling with the screams of kidnapping, he was not sure if snatching the woman would be of any good use to him. It would only make the girl scream. Yet screams were good, it brought a little bit of sense to life.

If she did not want to talk to him, he could at least force her. A little bit of sweetness always brought the ladies to talk to him, he was not a monster. Or was her, wait he was now contradicting himself. Now that was never good. “ Well then” he said and sat down in front of her kneeling. His hand gently poked her face, afraid that she was a rabid dog who would bite his finger off. Yes he had to be cautious, at least in some way he was being civil.

[lyddietalise]

She held her breath the moment she heard the man stand and tried to keep calm. He was just leaving. She thought to herself. Hoping that this was true. Lydia did not like to be pestered. For who business was it that she was quiet? After all, for all her knew Lydia was mute. Of course she knew that not to be true but she could perhaps play it that way if only to make the man stop from pestering her.

When he grabbed her chair and turned it towards him, her eyes went wide and her body tensed. She looked around as he questioned her fear. No one was coming to help her and without her blade she was defenseless. Her mouth opened if only slightly but no words came out. Nothing but squeaks as if her throat was tight from needing to cry. But that was not the case. In fact, she was unable to find her voice as she raised her gaze to look at the man who stood, anger showing in her eyes. His shadow had turned her deep hazel eyes black. The perfect way to express her anger.

She clenched her jaw and defiantly watched the man as he spoke once more. 'Very mean, and quiet.' Those words repeated in her head over and over. What did he know about her? Nothing and that was how she wished to keep it. The moment he knelt before her her shoulders tensed more. He wasn't going to let her go without getting an answer, was he? As he touched her face she grew tempted to snap but all she could hear was her mother during the times before she had been sold. "Biting is never nice, Lydia. You must be poised. Una agraciada joven." She used to say. But how could she be graceful and polite when-Her hands clenched into fists. She had to stay calm.

Taking a deep breath stopped her from going through with the temptation of ripping the skin from his fingers. "Perhaps I choose not to answer your question because it is a choice to do so." Her accent wasn't too thick as it was easy to understand her, yet the accent was still there as she glared up at the man.

[Alexander Arjon]

He scratched his face and sighed, the woman had a temper and when she had stayed quiet he did a service to him. Oh yes there were so many things to think about her, how she acted, how her accent sounded in his ears. Was it Spanish, la Carlotta was Italian so he did not know if they were similar or not. Running a hand through his face, he made small indented marks. They hurt now, but either way he wanted to ask questions to the woman. “ So she finally speaks, and pray tell me why is it that you pretend to be mute.” He questioned and poked her nose, a laugh escaped him as he was indeed amused by all the things that were happening.

But the anger in her eyes, made him smile. He murdered while he smiled, it was one of the greatest pleasures anybody could give him. It brought him a sense of peace and tranquility. But no the woman was not getting rid of him so easily. No she was not, in fact he could kidnap her and nobody would know. Nobody would wonder where she had gone off to. “ Do I find you frightening?” he asked this, and wondered if he would be mad to hear her say yes. He would need to control his temper, but yet without giving it much thought he pushed her out of the chair. His tongue licking his bottom lip as he crossed his arms to his back.

“ Want to dance” he asked and chuckled, oh yes he was as mad as ever. But he wanted to see how strong the woman was. If she was as strong as his Christine, that she might be a suitable replacement. After all a man needed a woman for other things. His muse mostly, but his need to fulfill her world with the most beautiful things was also the point of him testing her.

[lyddietalise]

Her eyes never left his face as her nails dug into the wood of the chair she sat on. She was growing much more frustrated with each word he uttered. The moment He poked her nose she moved her face away and bit her lip. She could kill him if she truly wanted to. The silver ware was not far behind her. But she couldn't. She had to be a proper lady. Lydia reminded herself. "Assuming that I was pretending to be mute, monsieur is a mistake." The moment she spoke the french word for sir her accent grew thicker, if only in that moment. "Perhaps I just choose not to speak." She sounded defiant.

When the man smiled she began to feel restless and uneasy. What could he want? He had gotten her to speak. She was answering him, however impolitely she sounded. Yet he still would not leave her be. Clenching her jaw the moment he spoke another question she answered honestly and rather straightforwardly. "No." The moment he pushed her out of her chair she fell forward and frowned. "What-" She stopped herself, glaring at him with fierce eyes. He was starting to really crawl deeply under her skin.

"No! I would not care to dance!" She said rather strongly. The stubborn tone in her voice only made her body grow tense. Turning away, she was ready to walk away. Get away from this man who, little by little, was starting to irk her.

[Alexander Arjon]

He chuckled and shook his head, "Then I guess because your being stubborn and tense you don't like to have fun. You seem to be interested in dance, or else you would not have those strong legs." he said pointing to her feet as he raised her skirt. An amused chuckle escaped him as he released her, and traced his fingers over his lips. Whispering and mouthing words silently. The name of his muse whispered and hissed as he knew that this was wrong. Thinking of her was wrong, it was wrong because when he thought of that c**t he knew that he could rape any woman and he could be homicidal. Violence did not process as an act of evil.

No he now needed to think of something else, "Well then my dear, I shall have to kidnap you then. Or how about we talk, and I don't get violent with you. " he suggested, his smile formed into a grin as he crossed his arms over his suit . The air around them tense, and she now needed a strong brew of absinth to quench his thirst. He was crazy, crazy to think that this woman would accept anything from him. The game was on again, and now he could never let her go. But he wanted to at least be a gentleman, he was not a best. Or was he? . Was he truly what his Christine stated and expressed to him. Her yells of hate , her screams, were those signals that he was bad.

[lyddietalise]

When he chuckled a chill ran down her spine swiftly and she shivered a bit. She didn't like the way he was taking this nor did she like the fact that he dared to continue bothering her. "Why is it hard for you to believe that I choose not to have fun...with men like you?" She answered coldly. Her eyes still on his as she snatched her skirt away in a fit of rage. "I'd stop myself before things get out of hand, señor." Lydia was cursing, unladylike in her mind as she remembered she left her daggers in the room she had found herself in. She wouldn't be able to win a fight with this man even if she tried to fight him off.

"Kidnap?" She took that as a joke as she spoke that word as a question. Her tone was amused by she took a few steps back in case he was going to try anything funny. "I don't have to talk to the likes of you!" If it was not anymore obvious that she was angry, by the tone in her voice and the raging dark eyes that were fixed upon the man before her. Now, her tanned face was red hot with boiling madness. He dare not touch her or she would most certainly do what she had to.

Keeping her distance, Lydia found herself unable to break away from this pervert of a man. She knew she had to run. She knew she had to go before he tried anything stupid but she found her feet stuck, as though glued to the ground. Reaching for a knife which had been laying on the table as though left there by some careless slob she pointed it at him. "Don't. touch me." She glared at the man.

[Alexander Arjon]

Staring at the knife, he smiled as he flicked his hand gracelessly in the air and started to walk towards her. His hands pulling the knife away. His other hand holding it down as he tucked it into his dress pants and picked her up in one swoop. Not caring if she protested or not, he made a face and he was now more pissed off at her than anything else. His lack of amusement was the real problem of this little situation. Her laughter had caused him to actually do the opposite which was to woo this young lady with the best of his talents. But when she was so rude, so unkind. He just had to snivel and find her a little whore and bitch just like the rest of them.

Actually by what he meant the rest of them was all the other girls that would appear in this house. Walking out of the room, he sighed and started to wonder if this was any way to be treating a woman. But she had asked for it, he had tried to be kind , tried to be polite. Yet the she witch could not even hold her tongue. But by the accent he had heard she was Spanish , just like La Carlotta, he would have fun with this one. In time, but first he needed to get to his lair. First he needed to calm her down. First he needed to actually make her see that he was not so bad. But he was raving mad. That was one thing he could not hide , not from her or anyone.

[lyddietalise]

Watching him with a cautious eye, she saw how his eyes were fixated on the knife and tried to edge away when his hand raised in the air and the moment he walked towards her she tried to move. But it was useless. She was stuck there. Even as he pulled the knife away, she couldn't move. She wanted to fight him off, but she was frozen in her own body. Not a muscle would until the moment he scooped her up. "Put me down. Put me down please..." She begged. She was not about to let this man take her. She tried to fight him and in an attempt for him to drop her she put on a sweet act. "There's no need for this amount of force. I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own." Her tone was softer than when she had been trying to fight against him in the dining hall. Being of the stubborn type, Lydia was not comfortable with men trying to treat her as though she could not think for herself. As though she had no options of her own. The fact that this man had wanted her to dance or talk to him when she was choosing not to put her on edge.

Giving up the idea to actually fight him, Lydia just thought of possible ways to escape his grasp. Pulling at his hair, biting or clawing at him, anything really. But she pushed all of it aside. She was a proper lady and if he was going to be a perverted kidnapper then he would have another thing coming. "Are you so easily angered that you have decided to kidnap me? Can a woman not choose to do as she pleases?" She wanted to continue to argue, to make him see reason but she figured he wouldn't. To her, this man was as mad as anyone could be. All she had done was refuse to talk and dance with him. Here he was kidnapping her and obviously angered by her being who she was.

[Alexander Arjon]

He stopped in his tracks and sighed. His hands dropping down the woman as he shook her in place. " You want to know why... you really want to know why I hate and decide what a woman should not do... you don't know me ... you don't even know half of my life!! you whore... " he yelled and started to close his eyes and started to see the reason of kidnapping. But yet his head was messed up, he was conflicted between emotion and reality. Not really knowing how to manage one idea from the other. His hand covering his face as he halted and started to turn a blind eye to the woman.

" I am sorry, just that.. I am very conflicted with women.. The last women .. I loved well ... She.." he paused and started to think that he was raving mad. This woman would not want to know anything of his past,he must just let the woman go and be away with him. Cleaning his eyes of the tears he spilled , he turned his face away and still held the woman's soft hands. " I am sorry .. I don't know what came over me" he said softly and sighed. He was a conflicted man, with a dark past, and a lighter side. Though he hoped the woman had not thought of him to badly.

[lyddietalise]

The moment he dropped her down and shook her into place her eyes grew wide in fear. She didn't think he would go so far in his anger. Nor did she expect the word "whore" to be used as reference to her. All she had done was speak her mind and show that she was not the normal simple minded woman most others were. Frowning in his discontent her eyes blurred with tears for a moment and she found it hard to breathe but calmed herself, the tears refusing to fall. Perhaps she should not have taken to judging him so quickly. Perhaps she should have given herself the chance to grow with others rather than run away.

As he began to speak again instead of growing angry she began to feel pity. A sincere emotion that she felt would do no good. But as she observed him in that moment she could not help the pity nor the immense amount of sorrow that hit her unexpectedly. That must have been what made him how he was or perhaps not. She could not be sure. Love caused all sorts of insanity. She had seen it first hand as a child. Placing her hand gently upon his shoulder she gave a light smile thinking it would defuse the tension. "I understand." was all she could think to say before she continued. "We...women that is...aren't exactly the easiest to handle nor do we make sense. I should not have been so quick as to test you and for that I apologize."

[Alexander Arjon]

He pulled his lip upward and sighed. He admired the girls bravery. But she should not have been fooled. " I am very troubled mademoiselle and for that you should never trust me when I am alone with you. I have done some terrible things. " he said, but it was enough. He wanted to be honest with her, wanted her to see that he had a very dark side. But yet at the same time he could be sweet. " I judged you too.. You are a very strong woman" he said as he held up his first and sh0wed a little respect as he let her go.

" Have you ever fallen in love? and would you like me to make it up to you with um.. Dinner? 'He asked as he did not think this as a formal occasion, just a man trying to make things up for the woman he sort of liked. It was a little bit tricky, because he always took what he wanted. This time, he took his time to achieving it. He was rather sick and twisted to to think that there was any other way to dominate a woman. Except through pain, but if he truly knew her. Was there ever a chance. No he was a monster , and a monster always stayed hidden from the world. What purpose did he have here. Of all the people in the world, why was he ever so useful to this manner.A mystery that would never be fully explained.