The Hourglass of Dust and Sand ((Lu))

[Erik Gunner]

((Okay so I couldn't find a picture of what his lair looks like but its the cave from the Lone Ranger. After an explosion they land in a really large underground cave that is all sand and has a lake that even has a light mist/fog on top of it's surface. So if you go see the Lone Ranger, you'll know what I am talking about. xD But until then, that's all I can describe it you as for now. Oh, but the elevator is where the land is so its not too far from where Erik actually is.))

Erik Gunner was sleeping, though it was anything but pleasant. He laid on top of a pile of blankets with a few large pillows that was close by a bond fire that he kept constantly lit since it was the only source of light in all of the desert cave.

One of the upsides of living here was that he didn't have to go out searching for bushes to keep the fire going. The manor actually had a supply of wood for him that he could always use. Though exactly where it was coming from he didn't know, nor did he really care. As the fire blazed with a summer warmth and enough light to wake a person up, he struggled in the darkness of his dreams.

Everything was absolutely black, he couldn't see a thing. All he could do was stumble blindly in the darkness as he continued to hear gunshots that flew by his ears but came from every direction and always seemed to be moving as he heard Lu screaming his name, she sounded like she was in deep trouble and if he didn't reach her soon, who knows what would happen. There was then one last large gun shot that seemed louder then all the rest. And there was a gurgling sound, then silence.

Gunner woke up with a loud gasp as he realized that he had been tossing and turning and rolling so much that he had rolled himself right into the shore of the lake where the water splashed his face and side. Shaken by the still vivid nightmare, he quickly got up and walked by the fire and stood by it for a good ten minuets, staring into it's core. He then took off his shirt and tossed it to the side and picked up his handkerchief that he would normally wore to cover his face to just wipe and dry it off before tossing that to the ground too and standing a little closer to the fire.

He let the warmth absorb into his skin, it quickly drying the water from his now bare side. Gunner suddenly clenched his fists and shut his eyes tight. He could still hear the screams of Lu as if she had actually been here, calling for him. He had this nightmare before. In fact, he had been having these kinds of nightmares quite frequently as of late. He would be somewhere and he couldn't see her and she would need his help and though he tried, he never made it in time. He shivered. Why was he having these dreams? Erik still saw Lu fairly frequently, just not as much as they use too, before the manor. He side and grabbed his whip and walked off to the edge of the lake where he began to practice with his whip some more, shirtless since he didn't think he would be having any sort of company.

[Christine Lucinda Dallas]

It had been a day or two since Lu had seen Gunner. They had left the little Frenchman de Chagny and gone off, arm in arm, leaving the fellow probably shaking in his boots. It was an amusing thought, although she really held no ill will toward the Frenchman. He just happened to be in Gunner's way. And you didn't mess with Gunner. She was the only one who could get away with a bit of persuasion if she saw him getting into some trouble.

And in the short time she had been here, Lu had decided something. She had made some friends and had a nice place to live. She really didn't want to steal anything from her friends. Everyone seemed rather nice. Even the rather frightening Lenoir, who had forgiven her for stealing his girlfriend's locket. Now the village, that was a whole 'nother story. She had heard some talk of the village, and it would be a grand place to rob, especially during the night. She could go in disguise, on of her dresses, and she and Gunner could go in and take what htey pleased. Most of the villagers, she had heard didn't care to come to the mansion. They thought it was haunted. Lu laughed. Haunted? That was ridiculous! There were no such things as ghosts!

This morning she woke up wanting to see Gunner. It felt like a really long time since she had seen him. He had left her the other day, after a lovely kiss, telling her to visit him in his quarters. He only said there was an elevator that you had to use to get there. She hadn't heard about one of those in the mansion. She had never ridden one, although she had heard all about it from a fancy gambler fella that she had talked to for quite a length before robbing him. The previous day, she had been wandering around the mansion trying to find the elevator, but she was sidetracked by a lot of interesting things. Today, she must find this place in earnest. She was a bit put off that Gunner hadn't looked for her and taken her there himself, but that was Gunner. She loved him, but sometimes he wasn't the smoothest operator.

A couple questions to a few passing residents told her where she needed to go. She approached the metal double doors and looked at them puzzled. There were no door knobs. How were you supposed to open them? She knew it was the right place. A sign above the doors stated: ELEVATOR. All she could see was a button, a round button on the wall beside this elevator. She timidly put out her finger and pressed it. She pulled it away, surprised, when she heard a whirring, mechanical sound. And then the doors opened, magically. She entered the little room behind the doors, expecting to see an elevator operator sitting there, as the gambler had told her was normal in these contraptions. The doors closed behind her almost silently and she felt a tiny bit of panic. Now, what? How did this thing work? She turned and saw several rows of buttons with names on them. Lu's reading skills were not the greatest, but she sounded out the words. The French names rather stumped her. Then she saw GUNNER written next to one of the buttons. She smiled and pushed it. The same whirring sound came from the little room and she felt a strange falling sensation as it moved. She held on to a railing which went around the inside of the room. It wasn't a bad ride. But when would it stop? As soon as she thought that, it came to a soft stop. Then the door opened. She walked out to a small corridor and two large wooden carved doors up ahead. There was an oil lamp sitting on a small table in the corner, next to the doors.

As soon as Lu opened one of the doors and peered in, she knew why the lamp was there. She pulled out a match and lit the lamp, then opened the door and ventured in. She could hardly see a few feet before her, even with the lamp, the darkness was so pervasive. Was this really where Gunner lived? Not knowing what else to do, Lu called him at the top of her voice, hoping he was somewhere around.