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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 2, 2012 0:49:28 GMT -5
Nathan took a deep breath and winced a bit when he saw her go over to lock the door. Charles wouldn't be stopped by that stupid little piece of wood, no matter how broken he was. If he wanted to get to Emma, then by God, he would get to his Emma. It had always been that way, ever since the beginning.
With a sigh he said, "That didn't sound like careful consideration to me..." Nathan looked down at the words, tracing one finger under them. "It's an incantation in Latin; this is a special code to conceal it. The incantation... it's for, um... well..." The ghost looked over at the young woman, gnawing on his lip. Did she even know the consequences of what she was about to do? Charles was already at the door, knocking firmly. "Emma... Emma, why are you going to sleep? Are you tired? Emma! Please come out! I love you!" "If you let me do this, it will give him part of your soul." Nathan closed his eyes for a moment. "Think about that, though, Emma. Your soul. He's going to be judged on your actions, and you on his. You'll practically be the same person. You must consider that..."" Emma! Let me in! We need you!"[/blockquote]
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 2, 2012 10:27:04 GMT -5
Her soul...Emma clenched her fists and rose a shaking hand to press it against her forehead, closing her eyes. She flinched as she heard Charles against the door, crying for her and banging on the door. She only took a moment to think.
This was no small matter. Her soul...She had never had to consider it. It was still whole, pure and intact inside of her, had never been touched by Claude because Charles had protected it. Had protected it like his life depended on it, his very existence. How could she deny him that which he had taken such good care of...?
But to rip her soul in two...How would it feel? How would it be? Would it hurt? Would she be able to tell when it had happened? Fear gripped her heart like a cold hand. She could feel it pulsing madly in her head, in her chest, in her fingertips. What if it were to stop again? What if she were to go back to being a ghost, that half existence? Could she handle that...
She gave a little whimper at his cries of needing her. He sounded so desperate, so hurt...She half wanted to fling the door open and collapse into his arms...but it wasn't him. The man she loved wasn't there. He had been for a few days but he had disappeared again. And there was a chance she could get him back...
She slowly moved her hand down from her face and put her eyes upon Nathan's, pressing her lips together. Her trembling stopped and she steeled herself, her eyes set. She had no choice. If she didn't do it...She would be trapped in existence with this monster, this man with nothing behind his eyes.
"I'll do it."
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 2, 2012 16:18:52 GMT -5
Nathan took another deep breath, and wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, Charles wouldn't have the demons inside of him anymore--since he was now a clean slate, and her soul was pure, he wouldn't be tainted as he once was. Perhaps he could finally be a truly good man, though Nathan couldn't be certain that he'd be any less insane than before.
He was about to ask her again if she was completely sure, but it occurred to him that he didn't need to--of course she was sure. And he was sure she'd never been so sure of anything in her life. And so he looked down at the page and shook his head slowly--it also occurred to him, then, that he didn't know how black this magic was.
As he recited it, Charles seemed to quiet a little bit outside, but still rattled at the doorknob. In a few tries, he wiggled it loose and was able to bang to the door open with a couple violent slams. Nathan stepped back, still chanting under his breath, as the disheveled man stepped into the room and went directly to Emma.
"There you are," he said, as if he'd forgotten the wild chase she'd just led him on and had just been casually looking for her. Charles smiled and took one of her hands, bringing it to his chest. His heart no longer beat in time with hers, it only moved sluggishly, barely keeping his body alive.
Nathan looked between them and interrupted his chant with: "Emma, why don't you go light a candle and bring it over here..." He felt guilty over this--but Emma couldn't be told what was about to happen to her.
As she went to light a candle, the ghost took Charles's arm and muttered something in his ear. Charles listened without emotion, staring at Nate afterward. "Why must I do that?"
"You should, trust me."
To Charles at the moment, that sounded perfectly reasonable. He took Emma's hand again when she returned to them and took the candle she'd lit in the other. Nathan recited something, his voice louder, before looking up at Charles expectantly. The man turned to Emma and took the candle, bringing the flame to her palm. His hand clamped around her wrist so that she couldn't fight away, thinking of what Nathan had told him: Hold it there until she screams.
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 2, 2012 16:51:26 GMT -5
Emma watched Nathan expectantly as he began to recite the words on the page, not at all sure what was going to happen. Was she meant to do something? How would it feel...? She had a sudden feeling of fear and wonder if she had made the wrong choice, but she pushed it away. No. This was all she could do. She had to do it, for him.
She jumped violently and whirled around when the door banged open and Charles came lurching in. It was slightly reminiscent of his entrance on the night when he had murdered her, and she half expected to have to run away, to flee, lest he cause her bodily harm again. Her love for him did not lessen the fear she had for what he might do in this state. It threw her off completely when he approached her so casually, and she stared at him, bewildered, as he took her hand to his chest.
His eyes...They were the most terrifying part. She couldn't look at them. She turned her head to look at Nathan when he made the request, and furrowed her brow a little, wondering at it. But any excuse to move away from this mad man masquerading as her love was welcome for her.
She walked over to the bedside table and picked up a long white candle, lighting it with a nearby match before bringing it back. She pressed her lips together as Charles took her hand again, and almost protested when he took the candle- she didn't know if he might harm himself in the hot wax in this state. Before she could say a word, however, her hand was being yanked forward, his hand was tight around her wrist and the candle was being held against her palm.
Her fingers splayed violently at the contact and she let out a scream, fighting to get away, her eyes wildly flickering between Charles and Nathan. What the hell were they doing?!?! Her skin was burning, she was BURNING!!!! Her consciousness seemed to be slipping from her, she was feeling strange, unwell....
The scream grew louder and louder, more and more bloodcurdling, until it reached an entirely new level, an unbreathing wail coming not from her physical form, but from her very soul. Her head jerked back violently, her eyes were rolling back in her head and as she screamed, a thin, white mist was floating from between her lips, floating up into the air, glowing brightly, a pure and clean soul.
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 3, 2012 16:28:46 GMT -5
Both Nathan and Charles watched in awe as the shimmering mist swirled from between her lips, writhing in the unfamiliar, frigid air of the outside world. The good doctor began to chant quickly, picking the ritual up right where he'd started--it was important that he do this quickly before the soul tried to rejoin its other half or, God forbid, slip away entirely.
Charles dropped the candle, it going out as soon as it hit the floor and wax poured over the wick. His flat, dead eyes followed the mist reverently as it drifted softly with a strange breeze that blew through the room. After a moment, it seemed his body was no longer able to take it and it began to shake with the need to take the soul that was being offered to him.
Hungrily, he snatched at the air, pulling the mist down in a movement like cloth. He stretched it between his hands and, like a baby, began to gnaw on it. It was a strange sight, seeing him do this--he looked more like an animal than Charles as he tried to devour this spirit. It wasn't working, though.
Nathan's transparent hand hovered a bit, near the soul. Charles snarled at him and hunched, protecting it, but the good doctor did not let up--he kept chanting in the strange language, until the mist entangled in Charles's fingers began to morph into what seemed like long, shimmering ropes. They twisted and bound themselves around Charles, who stood there, helpless to stop them.
Finally, after awhile, they seemed to dissolve into his skin. His cheeks became pinker... his hair got its shine back... his heart beat quickened. And as he looked at Emma, his pupils seemed to collapse in on themselves, revealing those familiar black wells that she had so missed.
"Emma..." he breathed, and then gave a little noise of pain. "My hand...! ...Your hand...! Oh, Emma, I didn't--" Charles rushed forward to her, taking the burnt hand by the wrist and gently splaying her fingers out so that he could look at the wound.
Nathan closed the book as soon as the breeze settled down and went back to the chest, placing it inside and closing it as Charles tended to his bride.
"Emma, it was that... Devil. He took our flesh away, we were spirits... I had to stop him, and he..." Charles exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "...he took me away. I'm so sorry..."
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 3, 2012 16:46:11 GMT -5
As soon as half of her soul completely left her body, Emma collapsed onto all fours on the ground, hissing in pain as her palm hit the floor. She sat back on her knees, cradling her palm, breathing deeply, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks from the pain of it.
She couldn't stop shaking. She was aware of the other half of her soul floating in the air, could feel it screaming to get back into her body, could feel the soul left in her body yelling to get it back. She shot her head up and watched as Charles snatched at the soul, gave a cry of pain as he began gnawing on it, clapping her unharmed hand over her chest, feeling her soul screaming for the pain of its sister. Before she could do a thing, however, Nathan was guiding the soul into Charles body and the pain disappeared.
Emma hung her head again, panting and looking down at her hand, which was still burning from the flame of the candle. She looked up at the sound of her name from Charles and nearly pulled her hand away when he grabbed it, whimpering in protest until...His eyes. They were no longer shallow and glassy, but deep, feeling...She could read into them. She could feel his guilt and concern for her!
She barely even heard the latter part of his sentence as she gave a cry and wrapped her arms tightly around Charles' neck, hugging him close to her, the tears flowing partly from the pain, and partly from relief, "It worked...You're back...."
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 3, 2012 18:18:49 GMT -5
Charles breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she seemed to stop struggling against him and realize that he was back. He wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close. "Emma... Emma," he whispered into her hair, closing his eyes and nuzzling his face into her neck. They stood like that for a moment before he pulled away, clutching her shoulders and looking down at her red-ringed eyes.
"Your hand..." he said again, taking it into his and turning it over to look at it again. It was bright right and blistered, but it wouldn't be too hard for him to fix. Charles looked up at her and then finally seemed to notice Nathan, regarding him silently for a moment.
"Dr. Valentine. I... suppose I should thank you," he said stiffly.
"I suppose you should," Nate said back, one eyebrow raised. Charles looked at Emma and then back at Nathan again and nodded. The ghost merely sighed and shook his head, gliding toward the door. "I'll leave you two alone... but..." He turned and looked at them sternly.
"Heed this warning: Charles is host to parts of your soul, Emma. He has human things like hope and a conscience... He won't be judged on the actions of the past, only on the things he does from this point. However, his body might reject your soul..."
"I don't think that will happen, Doctor," Charles said coolly, looking over at him with his mouth in a thin line. "After all..."
"I know," Nathan said with a sigh. "But if it happens that you two aren't truly compatible, and her soul won't fit you--"
"I don't think we need to worry about it," Charles interrupted, jaw tight. The doctor shook his head in frustration, gave Emma one last look, and then left. Charles looked back at his bride with sudden brilliance. "Emma, I love you. I love you! You did this for me!" He finally felt like he was getting back for all those years of pain for her.
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 3, 2012 18:36:34 GMT -5
Emma closed her eyes as she rested against him, feeling their hearts beating in time once again, could feel his happiness and his gratefulness. It was bliss to rest against him, to be with him again.
She smiled at him as he examined her hand, trusting that he would take care of her. He knew about these sorts of things. She looked up when Charles and Nathan began talking and furrowed her brow a little, pressing her lips together. The two men had never gotten along, and her eyes flickered between the two, almost willing them to stop the somewhat tense exchange. She was relieved when Nathan moved to leave and caught his eyes for just a moment, her eyes speaking her gratitude as she murmured, "Thank you, Nathan..."
Charles never knew the extent of their friendship. He could never know, seeing as he disliked the man to begin with. How would he feel if he knew that Nathan had become her therapist, of sorts? And, of course, Nathan had never approved of Charles and was certainly not altogether pleased that she was giving in to him now. Well, no matter. She would speak with him later about him, and he would surely understand.
She looked back at Charles once Nathan had left and nodded a little at his words, smiling. She had done it for him. And she didn't regret it either. She had needed to, she needed his sanity back. For, if he lost his mind, how could she keep hers? And she felt no different than she had before, save for a possibly stronger connection with Charles. His emotions seemed stronger to her, in any case.
"I had to...You...You weren't yourself at all. You must see what you built, it was...frightening." She pressed her lips together, looking over him. Surely now that he had a soul, he would be able to see how very disturbing what he had built was. "How do you feel...?"
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 3, 2012 18:58:34 GMT -5
Charles exhaled with a brilliant smile and moved his arms from around her waist, taking her face in both his hands. She was so beautiful... even when she'd been obviously so upset just minutes before. When she'd been in so much pain... for him! He admired her from her chin, with the tiniest little cleft in it, to her flushed cheeks, to the way her nose sloped. And then his eyes rested on hers--those doughy brown eyes that had captivated him from the first moment he saw them. It had been so long since they were that bright, that... real. Since she'd been alive. He couldn't believe he had taken the lights out of them...
But her death... to him, it still seems justified. It was a damn shame and he was guilty about it, but she was going to leave him... forever... just like everyone else had. Well, she would not be leaving now, for she was bound to him by something much greater.
His smile faltered a little. "What I built...?" He looked thoughtful for a minute before he remembered... the robot. He remembered building some sort of talking dummy. "Oh... I think I remember... was it frightening? I didn't think it was..." Charles knitted his brows together. "I suppose I don't remember."
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart beat. Though their hearts were in time, they were beating quite rapidly both from the pain in their hands and from the fact that what had just happened had been a shock to the system. "I feel... tingly. All over. But besides that... I feel just as I felt before..." Charles closed his eyes for a moment, frowning in concentration.
After a few moments, his lips parted a bit and his eyes opened up wide. "Emma! Emma, I can't hear them anymore-!" Charles stayed with that frown for a few more moments before he began to laugh--a loud, delighted laugh that she hadn't heard in a century. "Emma! What've you done?! I can't hear them!" He picked her up around the waist and hugged her so tightly that her feet lifted off the ground some. After a moment of that laughter, he set her back down and stole her lips in a surprisingly passionate kiss.
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 3, 2012 20:14:37 GMT -5
Emma moved one hand to his chest, putting the one that was hurt palm up on his shoulder, out of harm's way. She blushed as she noticed him studying her face, wondering at the large smile on his face. It couldn't be for her beauty, could it? Her eyes were certainly puffy from crying, and her nose might even be running slightly. Still, Charles thought her beautiful...He always had and always would, she thought. Then his eyes met hers, and she couldn't help but smile at the depth of them, the soul she could now see. It was beautiful, being able to see emotion in his eyes again. It was something she had most certainly taken for granted.
She furrowed her brow a little at his assertion that the creation wasn't frightening. How could he say such a thing?! Perhaps he didn't remember it properly, the little talking mannequin he had presented as their child. The thing itself wouldn't have been so disturbing if he hadn't presented it as such...But surely, he had forgotten that. He would realize the error of his ways when she reminded him, but no reason to distress him with it now.
She could feel her heart beating fast as well, and nodded a little at his words. She felt tingling in her fingers as well...Probably because of the excess oxygen in their systems. She pressed a cool hand to his forehead, his cheek...He had no fever, wasn't hot at all. He felt perfectly well. She smiled at it, sighing a little happily.
She looked completely bemused at his statement, raising her eyebrows in question at his laugh. That laugh...! She hadn't heard anything like it in over a century! She gave a little squeal when he lifted her up, staring down at him in delighted surprise and confusion, squealing, "What voices? What are you talking about?!" She kissed him back when he returned her to the ground, still utterly confused but quite happy to kiss him.
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 3, 2012 21:09:40 GMT -5
His hands slipped from her back to her waist as he pulled away with a little hum, studying her face with a little frown. He was surprised that she didn't know what he was talking about immediately--but, then, she would never really understand. She couldn't understand the complete horror that the demons had put him through. But at the moment, he wasn't thinking of that.
And now they were silent! There wasn't even an echo! "The demons! They are whispering anymore..." he said with a slow smile. "Oh, Emma, don't you hear it?! The beautiful silence?" Charles pulled away and looked around the room in awe. "Just nothing... we're finally alone..."
He closed his eyes and smiled in bliss, just savoring it for a few moments, before turning back to her. It occurred to him that her hand was still blistered and looked down at his own fingers. His soul may have been free of the demons, but his body was still wracked with them--his hands oozed a horrible white mist, almost tangible. He looked back up at her.
"Come, Emma... we have to get you bandaged up," Charles said, holding his arms out for her again. "I have some bandages in the old wing, or we could go back to the workshop..."
As he took her unhurt hand in one of his, he thought of the ring--he needed to give it to her soon. Sooner rather than later, to make sure that she was completely secured to him. Charles knew the moment it was slipped onto her finger that she would finally belong to him--and he'd waited so long...
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 3, 2012 21:38:44 GMT -5
Emma stared at Charles in wonder, trying to take in and understand his excitement. The demons...Had they been speaking to him all this time? Had he always been able to hear them? She could hear them at times, when they came to torment them, but it wasn't often at all, as they had always been kept far away from her by Charles. She couldn't imagine having to listen to their chattering all the time.
She followed his eyes as he looked at her hands and then his own and furrowed her brow at the sight. There was some strange sort of most coming from his finger tips! What in the world was that? She kept her eyes on it as he took her left hand, concerned, "Charles, what happened..?"
She gently extracted her hand from him and used it to touch his fingertips, watching the mist as it swirled around her finger tips as well, "What is this?"
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 3, 2012 22:01:24 GMT -5
He looked down at his fingers as she took them, frowning. Why did she care so much? He was sure she'd seen him wear these bandages before... Or perhaps before, she hadn't cared enough to notice. Charles watched as the mist swirled around her fingers, feeling her out, getting used to her hands touching his. "It's just residue," he said. "It happens, when... when I get touched by the Fire."
It happened nearly every time he came in actual contact with the demons or Claude--the very ashes of the Fires of Hell drifted and clung to him. He breathed it in and it coated his lungs, even in death, and this mist happened. It had happened countless times and he had really stopped thinking about bandaging himself.
"It happens all the time," he said nonchalantly. "I thought you might have noticed. Don't worry, it won't affect you at all, I wouldn't think." Charles took her hands a little tighter and pulled her toward the door. "Now, come, we really must bandage you before that gets infected..."
With a little sigh of frustration, he opened the door and let her out before him, keeping very close to her as they made their way down a few floors to the workshop. He knew she would rather go to the workshop than the old wing, which he had built up as a twisted sort of medical ward. He knew that she probably wouldn't want to visit the dummies...
Charles opened the door to his workshop and laid eyes on the automaton. He smiled wide--he didn't remember making her look so life-like! "Well, what do we have here?" he said, his tone pleased. He went to her and flipped her over onto her face, looking at the open machinery on the back. He was gentle with her, but not in that horrifying way he had been before, like she was a real baby.
"I don't see why it's so disturbing," he said, a little unsure. Did she really think his inventions were frightening? He thought they were sort of cool... he thought that someone like her must like them too... Charles felt horribly guilty, doubting her.
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Emma Ravenhearst
Love can hold one captive in more ways than one...
The bride of Ravenhearst
Posts: 269
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Post by Emma Ravenhearst on Aug 4, 2012 9:00:01 GMT -5
Emma furrowed her brow at his entire explanation. How was it possible that she had never noticed this before? If he had the mist now, did that mean he was still working with the devil? She had no time to voice these concerns, however, as he grabbed her hand tighter and took her away from the room, sounded almost frustrated. She was rather bewildered at his sudden frustration. Of course, her hand hurt, but that hardly seemed to be justification for his attitude...
She stared up at him in confusion as he kept her very close to him as they trekked back down to the workshop. Why in the world did he feel the need to keep her so close to him? She had to practically trot to keep up with him and it was worrying her more than a little that he showed such frustration just because she was concerned about him.
She stayed in the doorway as they came back to the workshop, looking in at the mannequin in consternation. It really wasn't quite as scary as it had been before, when he had been claiming that it was their baby. His fascination with it now seemed to be more with the mechanics, something she could appreciate, at least.
She moved forward a little timidly, knitting her brows together as she moved to Charles' side, "Well...I suppose it isn't...You were saying that...that it was our child...Before, I mean..."
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Post by bedeviledmanor on Aug 8, 2012 17:41:57 GMT -5
He frowned as well, looking from the wooden, gray-eyed mannequin to his wife... he must have been quite far gone indeed, to think that this unfeeling piece of machinery was their child. Granted, he did love his inventions--he worked hard on them. But he would never openly tell someone that. It was unprofessional. And he hadn't exactly had cause to take joy in them over the past century.
"Well... things are better now," he said quietly, opening one of the wooden cabinets above his head. They were cluttered with strange springs and cogs and bits of machinery such that he barely knew what they were. From the back, he drew out a roll of bandages and a thick tube of some sort of ointment, then pulled up a chair to sit in.
He patted the work bench next to the strange mannequin, telling Emma to sit wordlessly, and then took her hand. He squeeze some of the ointment onto two of his fingers and very gently spread the clear, sticky substance over her burn. He wiped his hand on a nearby rag and then began to roll the bandages around her fingers and hand. When he felt he'd covered it thoroughly, he tucked the end of the roll into the wrappings.
"There. Does that feel better?" He held her hand in his gently, and smiled a little down at their matching wrappings.
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