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Thread: [M] Codetta to Coda [Hannelorian & ZiekwaltZier] {IC}

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    Horror [M] Codetta to Coda [Hannelorian & ZiekwaltZier] {IC}

    Rated M: For language, content, mature and sexual themes, violence, horror etc...

    Axel was just finishing up a show in a nightclub as he was drenched down in sweat and his throat was both sore and dry from singing his lungs out on stage for several hours on end. "That will be our last song of the night everybody! Thanks for showing up for the concert, we hope to see all of you at our next gig as well!" Axel spoke into the microphone on stage before his band the 'Crimson Fang' started to pack up the equipment to load into the van while Axel went to speak with the manager of the club to get paid for performing. "So that will be a total of nine hundred and forty dollars excluding the price for drinks." The manager said as he counted out the money for Axel before handing it to him. "Thanks for hiring us, if you ever want us to play for your establishment again feel free to give us another call!" Axel said as he accepted the payment and headed out to go home. What he didn't know was that he was going to be receiving an invitation to a secluded mansion atop a cliff which could only be reached by passing through a forest. Once he was inside the van Axel divvied up the pay from their gig and split it accordingly between himself and his two other band members.

    "Good night guys, see you at our next practice. I'll let you know if we get any more gigs in the meantime. Get home safe my brothers!" Axel said calmly as he got out of the van and pulled his guitar out of the back once they got to his place. Taking his guitar inside Axel came out temporarily to check his mail only to find an envelope with a letter addressed to him. "Huh, wonder what this is about? I didn't know people still sent letters by mail." Axel sighed as he went back inside and grabbed a knife to open it and read the contents. "You are cordial invited by the master of the house at 14739 Avalon DR. in Westhaven at zipcode 97724. The master wishes to speak to you about signing an exclusive contract to produce records of your work on Tuesday the 7th at 8PM." Reading the letter Axel decided to give it a chance and would head to the location specified in the letter via his motorcycle.
    Last edited by Hannelorian; 09-25-2023 at 12:13 PM. Reason: Adding Rating Description

  2. #2
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    As the sounds of applause faded, a large group of musicians made their way backstage where the light was dim but harshly fluorescent. For the time being everyone could breathe easy as intermission set in, the first half of the performance had been a success. The heavy red velvet curtains had come down and a silent crew of workers donned in black from head to toe set about clearing the stage. The only sounds through floating through the air was that of whispers from one member of the orchestra to another. Soft smiles were changed, words of encouragement or congratulations uttered, kind inquiries about wives, husbands, and children.

    Amalia sat quietly upon a small stool, staring at her face in a vanity mirror decorated with large Edison style bulbs around the border. The look in her piercing blue eyes was one of complete and absolute focus, discipline. "Hey Aims." A voice called from behind her, a puzzled pianist turned her head. "What's up?" The words she spoke seemed so casual, they drifted off her tongue without a moment's hesitation as an envelope was handed to her. "This came for you earlier, forgot to hand to hand it to you before the show." The same voice responded with an outstretched hand that offered a rather weathered looking envelope. Amalia clasped it and nodded her head, and just like that, the man left her, returning to his duties.

    Delicate fingertips ran across the face of the envelope. The paper, though beaten up and worn was new. The recipient's address on the front was hand written in a careful cursive, not a pen stroke was out of place. It bore her name and the address of the theatre. "Hmm..." The small sound escaped her lips as Amalia carefully opened it and retrieved the folded paper within, though wrinkled it seemed to have faired the journey better.

    "You are cordially invited by the master of the house at 14739 Avalon DR. Westhaven, 97724. The master wishes to speak to you about your fine work, and become a patron of the arts on Tuesday the 7th at 8PM."

    Amalia glanced down at the program that had been left at the vanity, that was today. Something struck her as odd about the invitation, there was absolutely no mention of who it was from, but the return address did match the one on the envelope. The lights flashed suddenly, indicating that it was time to resume the performance. Amalia stood and made her way to yet another man clad in black. "Get this to the musical director, yeah? See what he wants me to do." The man nodded in affirmation and took the envelope and letter from her hand.

    The curtain rose, and this time all that was on stage was a single grand piano, black and shiny crafted by Steinway & Sons. The lights came on and Amalia stood waiting for her cue. With a deep exhale, Amalia began to walk out onto the stage, the bright lights thankfully kept her from seeing too far into the crowd as the shower of applause began. Amalia was beautiful, clad in a black evening gown, strapless, her perfect and unblemished shoulders exposed. The length of the dress trailing ever so lightly onto the floor with a large slit along the side, allowing her legs to stride gracefully and occasionally giving hints of the flesh beneath. A broad smile was plastered on her face as she made her way directly to the bench before the piano.

    With all the grace in the world Amalia seated herself and looked down at the keys. 88 keys, each one perfect and appearing as though no human hands had ever touched them, when in reality she played them daily. As the applause subsided Amalia placed her hands gently atop the keys in their starting positions, they were just gently resting upon them, nothing was pressed yet. After a moment of silence she began to play.

    Beethoven's 14th Piano Sonata. More commonly known as "Moonlight." A piece Amalia had played hundreds if not thousands of times. The first movement was easy, it was soft and gentle, it carried the notion of moonlight shining through the clouded skies faintly illuminating all that was below. The second movement came and went as though anyone had hardly noticed it was so short and sweet.


    A Musical Interlude



    But the 3rd movement was where the power lies, presto agitato itself being Italian for "very fast and with excitement" but for the modern pianist more accurately meant a bit of pain. The first musical subject would clash with the second subject, the exposition would build into the development, bringing forth the repeated codetta or little ending. All the way into the coda, where the piece was finally complete. With the last note played, Amalia leaned back away from the Piano, taking in a few breaths of air simply glad to be done. The sounds of thunderous applause had returned and so she stood, taking several steps forward toward the edge of the stage and bowing, expressing her gratitude.

    Taking her leave of the stage, the musical director was waiting for her and simply nodded, resting a hand on her shoulder. There were no words exchanged, only looks. Amalia had a party to get ready for. The car would be waiting to take her to that address and would remain there until she once again emerged.

    What an odd turn of events.
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

  3. #3
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    Axel having decided to take up the offer to attend the invitation which he was sent found it strange that the supposed meeting was on the same day in which he received his invitation to the address but he wanted to check the legitimacy of the letter's contents. If he could get a record deal with some rich businessman in the entertainment industry for him and his band members they wouldn't have to worry about making ends meet to pay bills and pay for studio time for practices. Another factor that Axel found so odd was the matter of the name not being mentioned of the so called 'master' who seemed to invite him to their estate. The location wasn't to far out of the city being merely a hop and skip away, just needing to leave the outskirts and drive through a forest path up to the mansion which was on a cliff. Anyone could see it from the city since it was at a higher altitude. Not wishing to be late, the young man checked the clock on his navy blue iphone. Seeing as it was only six forty-five Axel decided to take a quick shower to make himself better presentable. Walking into his bedroom which had African Mahogany floors and a tall Mahogany Armoire, Axel walked over and pulled open the iron latch to rummage for some decent clothing to wear to the meeting. He wasn't sure the type of person he was going to be dealing with personality wise, but seeing how they lived up on the cliff outside the city in a mansion he assumed they would be sophisticated so he was looking to try and impress them. As such looking through his armoire, the young man pulled out what some would consider their 'Sunday Best' grabbing a white dress shirt with a black Suit and slacks from Marks and Spencer which was known for being an affordable brand name that was founded in 1884. To go along with his suit Axel pulled out his Maroon Silk Tie and his black floor shines. Having his attire for the evening Axel was ready to get in the shower, as such walking into the bathroom he undressed and placed his dirty laundry into his hamper before getting into his walk-in glass shower after placing his clean clothes onto the bathroom counter and adjusted the water before washing up with Tea Tree Mint Shampoo and Conditioner so as to be sure his hair was clean. For his body he washed up using Axe's Dark Temptation, known for its revitalizing and rich chocolate scent. Getting out of the shower the young man walked over to the sink after turning the shower off and wiped the steam from the mirror to look at his own reflection before taking his brush to slick his hair back once he dried his body.

    Finally feeling clean and refreshed from his shower Axel began getting dressed starting with a fresh pair of boxers then moving on to put his dress slacks on followed by his white dress shirt and then the blazer, putting his clothes on all he had left to put on was his Maroon Silk tie before his floor shines once he put on a pair of ankle socks at which point he gave himself a few sprits of Blue De Chanel cologne. Looking himself over Axel brushed his teeth thoroughly and used mouthwash to cover up the scent of the alcohol he had drank earlier at the nightclub during his gig and headed to his garage to get on his Ducati Motorcycle and made sure to bring his invitation letter before driving out of the city towards the forest at the foot of the cliff in which the mansion that was mentioned in the letter sat atop. "I'm feeling a bit nervous, I wasn't aware anyone even lived up in that mansion but whoever it is must be some big shot if they're in the entertainment industry and wants to sign an exclusive contract to produce records for the band and I." Axel spoke to himself driving at a safe speed since it had recently rained a couple of days ago and as such he didn't wish to splash any muddy water up on his suit or floor shines on the ride up to the mansion.

    Reaching the outskirts of the city, Axel stopped momentarily to look up the forest path to the mansion and started up it shortly afterwards being careful of any possible fallen branches in the road and stopped out by the front gate to the manor before pressing the intercom button. "Hello? My name is Axel, I was invited here tonight to discuss a possible contract?" The young man spoke into the intercom before letting go of the button only to hear a slight crackling before a voice came through from the other end. "Come on in the master will meet with you in a bit, he's currently busy with other matters." The voice sounded a bit elderly though refined in the same fashion as the electric gate began to swing open after a few moments, at which point Axel drove through and parked his Ducati off to the side in the driveway and walked up to the front door of the old mansion which in some ways looked as though it was abandoned and in others it still seemed to retain some of its charm. On one side vines traveled up from the ground to just below some windows. On another were rose hedges which seemed well groomed and kept. Knocking on the door Axel waited a moment before a butler answered. "Good Evening and thank you for making the time to attend the master's invitation, He has asked me to escort you to a guest room for the time being. After some time dinner shall be prepared and you will be allowed to speak with him over the matters written in the letter he sent you via mail." The elderly male had black and grey peppered hair with a slender pointed nose and big round glasses that sit atop his nose, his eyes were a youthful baby blue as despite his age he seemed rather spry. Letting Axel inside he looked around as the butler guided him up to the second floor as Axel's footsteps echoed with a light clack of his floor shines on the marble floors. To his surprise he could not hear the elderly man's footsteps but the thought quickly left his mind as he asked a question. "So what is your master's name? I didn't see it written in the letter." He questioned as he continued to follow the man up the red velvet carpeted stairs to the second floor and down the west wing hallway adorned with portraits and porcelain statues and other exotic artwork. "Master Julian Whittaker is what he goes by. You may address him as Mr. Whittaker however." The butler stated before stopping before a door and pushed it open. "This shall be your room for the time being, make yourself comfortable." The elderly man said before taking his leave to go attend to his duties.

    Watching the butler walk away Axel walked into his room which had a Queen sized bed with violet silk sheets and a comforter. The walls had a sky blue paint job while the floors were adorned with a red throw rug near the side of the bed on the marble floors. Outside the large glass window was a garden with what appeared to be a labyrinth of hedges with a fountain in the center of all of them. The whole situation felt strange to Axel as he didn't know what the real deal was but figured at dinner time he would find out not knowing there was another guest coming. Decided to get comfortable, Axel sat down on the bed and pulled out his phone to check the time finding that it was nearly eight thirty at the present time. Wondering when dinner would be, Axel pulled up a game on his iphone to pass the time until he was called to the dining hall to eat with the master of the mansion. As time passed, Axel was started to feel hungry having not eaten anything before getting to the mansion since he had such a short amount of time to prepare in order to be on time.

    At long last the elderly butler came to get him to guide him to the dining hall first before he would go to fetch the other surprise guest in which Axel was not aware of. Stepping into the dining hall, the table was set up with a place setting at all the chairs being a long hickory wood table with a white table cloth and fine china as well as silver ware. In the hall Axel was left alone before he sat in one of the chairs on the side near the end figuring that his host would sit in the end chair when they arrived to the dining hall themself. What Axel wasn't aware of was the fact that he would not be meeting the supposed master of the house or the fact that once the other guest arrived they would be locked in the room. Thankfully the table was set with flavorful appetizer of Mushroom caps stuffed with cream cheese topped with basil and drizzled in a buttery garlic sauce. At the same time the Entree was placed on the table which happened to be seared scallops with brown butter and lemon pan sauce. For the main course they would be having braised chicken legs with grapes and fennel. To Axel's surprise they had put out all the courses at once instead of bringing them one by one which is how he assumed the rich and affluent usually did so, but then again it would be his first time meeting someone so sophisticated and well off which meant he wasn't versed in the ways of high society as a whole. Even then the last dish after the main course and everything else they had on the table was the dessert which was double fudge chocolate cake with a caramel drizzle top sprinkled with powdered sugar.

  4. #4
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    "What time is it?" A pleasant voice called from the back of the car, a limosine which had not originally been intended for one Ms. de Graaf, but rather the managing director of the theatre. Given the odd circumstances of the invitation, she had been allowed to acquire the car.

    "A little after 7:30 ma'am." The driver responded in a most stern voice. Amalia let out a sigh, and looked over at the garment bag she had set beside her. Always have a backup outfit, and for this particular evening that would have to do. Thankfully it just so happened that on this particular Tuesday, the Phil had a guest act for the later evening performance, so it left her off the hook. "Participation up, if you wouldn't mind." Amalia requested in a sense, a part of her perhaps commanded it. With a gentle whirring noise, the participation had indeed risen, and Amalia set to work. In a manner of minutes, she was able to undress, casting aside the black gown and shoes.

    "Would it have killed you to wear black underthings, Aims?" Amalia asked herself rather sarcastically, noting that her unmentionables as they, were a deep red, crimson even with lace accoutrement. "This dress had better be red." In truth, Amalia had no idea what was in the garment bag, it had been fetched from her apartment, some PA had gone through her wardrobe and grabbed something that might be appropriate should she require an outfit change prior to performance or heaven forbid, mid performance.

    Her delicate fingers peeled the zipper down on the garment bag, hands reaching in to the pull it apart to see exactly what she wanted, a beautiful red silk dress. Her hands gingerly wrested the dress from the garment bag and slipped into it. The dress had thin strips, was hugging to her figure and showed an impressive amount of her back. Her silky skin on display for all to admire. Amalia was known for her appeal, as well as her talent. She was the full package, enough to so to make wives worry for their husbands in her presence.

    Her hands ran down her torso, smoothing the fabric against every straight and curve. "Step one. Change" Amalia put a check next to that item on her mental list. Grabbing her purse, she withdrew her compact and lipstick, administering delicate touch ups to her makeup which still remained pristine after her performance. It was as though she had trained herself not to sweat when under stage lights, she had to be composed at all times. Always and forever. Her father had taught her that.

    Finally Amalia, appearing to fidget her hair removed a couple of pins and a neat tie, which sent her brunette locks cascading down her shoulders. If one was close enough to her, her perfume would stand out, Chanel's "Chance." One of her favorites, one of her four fragrances in rotation, all Chanel as was her preference. Withdrawing a hairbrush from her bag, a bag which was not very large, but enough to keep everything she needed before a performance. After some fidgeting, she pulled her hair back up into a tight and neat bun, not even a single hair was amiss or astray.

    It wasn't long after that, that Amalia felt the car roll to a stop with a subtle squeak of the breaks. There were muffled words exchanged between the driver and the intercom. Amalia paid little attention as the gates opened and the car moved up the drive. Amalia for her part had gazed out of the windows. The estate was high up on atop a cliff that overlooked the city. And depending where one was within the city, you could see it. Though Amalia had never even recalled any lights being on. Why was she doing this? She wondered. There was nothing safe or secure about this invitation, yet she had been shipped here anyway.

    With the car having arrived at the valet, the driver exited and opened the door for Amalia, and if she looked closely, he could see his eyes scanning up and down her body. The desired effect had been achieved. Amalia nodded a note of thanks before heading inside, as the heavy double doors had been opened for her.

    8:15, she was late. Perfect.

    "Welcome, Ms. de Graaf, I presume." The butler, an older man spoke as she approached him.

    "The very same." Amalia confirmed nodding her head and smiling kindly. "If you know my name, you surely know why I have been summoned." Her voice was kind, ginger, almost full of hope and sentiment. But she did notice something odd, it seemed eerily quiet, utterly empty. But there was no speck of dust to be seen. The decor was ornate, old, clearly antique in style. Whoever owned this house had good taste.

    "The Master..." Before he could finish, Amalia had interjected. "Is who exactly?" Amalia was curious for answers. She was told something similar to the guest who had arrived before her, but who she had not known would be present. "Mr. Whittaker, and please, allow me to show your room."

    Amalia was taken aback by this. Her room? What exactly was she here for? This seemed to get far more mysterious, but damn she was intrigued now. "Very well. Shall we?" Amalia outstretched her arm, and the butler began walking, she followed behind him. Her eyes wide taking in every portrait, decoration, vase and thing she had passed. She was stopped before two heavy doors of oak. Amalia pushed them open at the butler's insistence. Amalia stepped inside only to hear the heavy doors shut behind her. The room was decorate in pink, almost like that of a little girl, though it had a large bed complete with canopy and curtain enclosures tied back. The floor was an ornate and high stylized marble.

    Her room looked out over the central courtyard through which they had entered. When Amalia tried to open of the windows she curiously noted it was locked. "Odd." She commented to herself, it wasn't long before she had been summoned and making her way through the empty halls behind her guide she was led to a dining room, and within was something she had not expected.

    There was a young man, perhaps no older than herself. His suit was well fitted, if not cheap, but it showed that there seemed to be a good amount of muscle below. His hair was a stark white. Was this the master? The man she had been summoned to see? On the table there was an abundance of food. But only two chairs with table settings before them. "I... hello." Amalia called to the man, attempting to get his attention. She folded her hands behind her back as she approached him, rather cautiously. "Are you Mr. Whittaker per chance?" Amalia had asked, extending one of her hands as she approached him more closely. The man was seated, but she didn't quite know what to think now.

    The mystery was just unfolding.
    Last edited by Hannelorian; 09-25-2023 at 02:00 AM.
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

  5. #5
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    Axel sitting in the dining hall was taken aback when he saw a stunning young woman clad in what appeared to be a rather fancy red dress with brunette locks pulled back out of her face into a bun. As she entered he noticed her approaching him and cleared his throat standing up brushing his blazer with his hands before taking her hand in his own to shake. "Actually no, my name is Axel Valentine. I assume you must have been invited to his estate as well? I was under the impression I was the only one who was to be his guest in order to discuss a possible contract to start making records. If you don't mind me asking what is your name miss?" Axel asked as it seemed he had no clue who she was despite the fact she frequently played in big performances. Standing there talking with Amalia he couldn't help looking her up and down, she was a truly stunning beauty from just what he could see on the surface. Checking her out Axel subconsciously bit the corner of his bottom lip before breathing in her perfume. "On a side note is that Chanel you're wearing?" Axel asked with a gentle smile on his lips gazing down into her beautiful blues. On closer inspection the young man had a slender, chiseled jawline with medium white slicked back hair. His eyes were a beautiful hazel green with flecks of yellow around the pupils. After greeting Amalia, he released her hand before moving over to her seat and pulled the chair out for her. "Shall we sit while we wait for Mr. Whittaker? It appears by the placement of the tableware that it will still be some time before we can meet him. I was told by his butler that he was busy taking care of other matters earlier. Living in such a place I could only imagine that he must be a very busy and affluent man though I've not heard of him. I wasn't even aware anyone lived here until I received his invitation." Axel said before pushing Amalia's chair back in once she was seated and then sat in his own.

    "If I may be so bold to say, you look very stunning in that dress of yours. What type of band do you play in if you don't mind me asking?" Axel inquired as he wanted to know more about the beautiful woman who was to be his meal companion. "I play the electric guitar in my own band. We aren't very well-known yet but our band's name is Crimson Fang if you're curious to know." Axel said trying to make small talk with her and get to know her better. It felt odd to be eating with someone who he didn't know, even more so considering she wasn't the one who invited him to the mansion but he didn't want to be rude and leave a bad impression on her since she seemed to come from money as well or at least that was what it seemed like with her outfit and appearance.

    "Since we aren't going to meet Mr. Whittaker yet shall we eat while we await for his arrival? I am rather hungry since I came here straight away after getting washed up and dressed. I didn't have the time to eat before coming since the invitation was such short notice." Axel stated as he began to eat starting with his appetizer before working on his entree leaving the main course and dessert for last trying to follow proper meal etiquette for high society, both of them getting separate appetizers as well as entrees and dessert rather than bigger portions together. Axel didn't want to seem like some sort of uncivilized hooligan which was why he was trying his best to show proper manners. Eating while sitting across from Amalia he finished portion after portion being sure to keep from making a mess before getting up to attempt opening the door to the dining hall in order to ask the butler to bring him something more to wash down his dessert. "Uh.. huh?" Axel seemed puzzled suddenly as he was unable to open the door, he assumed it was only stuck but there must have been some mistake.

    "What's the deal here? The door won't open. Is it stuck or did we get locked in here?" Axel asked as he kept trying to open the door which would not budge having no clue they had been locked in. Having no luck he decided to try something else by walking over to the windows to try opening them, but those too were locked in fact they were all nailed shut. While he had been trying to open the door to the dining hall outside a storm began to rage, thunder striking and rain pouring down. "Why would they trap us into the dining hall? Did the butler suffer some sort of senile break or something and accidentally lock us in here?" As he said that Axel was facing the table with his back to one of the windows off to the side after he had attempted to pry it open.

    The rain clouds outside and the downpour making visibility difficult outside until a sudden strike of thunder making a loud crackling suddenly as well as lighting up the sky outside showing the sudden appearance of a silhouetted being just outside the window holding a large bloody knife dressed in a trench coat holding the knife up as if they were getting ready to break in and attack Axel who was unaware of what was behind him. The young man looking at Amalia was trying to figure out what was going on and why they were in such a weird situation. He had thought they were guests but didn't know who in their right mind would do such a thing to them.

  6. #6
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    It was an embarrassing moment. Amalia supposed the expression was true, when one assumes they only make an ass out of you and me. This man was indeed, not one Mr. Whittaker but rather one Axel Valentine. The name alone could have made her roll her eyes, but then again, Amalia supposed his name was not his fault. What was impossible to ignore was that he was a handsome figure, his hair slicked back, he smelled of pleasant cologne, something familiar that she could not really place it.

    "Forgive me." Were the first words out of her mouth. "I shouldn't have assumed anything." Amalia was now left to settle into her feeling of surprise as she had not expected there to be anyone else present, save for their host. "It is indeed, Chanel. Aren't you rather observant Mr. Valentine." Amalia as yet had held back with her own name, but such delays seemed rather pointless. "Amalia de Graaf, at your service." Their hands had dropped, his flesh had been warm, his grip was strong, but not overly so. At least he was a gentleman, having pulled her chair out and pushing her back in.

    "Even so... you would assume the table would be set for three, not two." Tables, her in experience at least in houses like this were always set for the exact number of guests. Even if all had not yet arrived at the table. Everything about this evening was proving to be rather strange. Axel was quite complimentary in addition to being easy on the eyes, but it was when stated his profession that Amalia seemed to tense ever so slightly. "Ah... the electric guitar.... contemporary music." Contemporary was Amalia's polite way of saying rock, and trying her best to hide her displeasure at such things.

    "You assume I'm in a band?" Amalia smiled as she looked down at the plate before her. "For all you know I could be a lawyer or a doctor." Now she was just toying with the man, there was no reason to be so... unsavory yet here she was. "You would be... correct however, in your assumption. Mostly." Amalia shook her head and rested her hands in her lap as she gazed across the dining room table at her companion. "The Old City Philharmonic Orchestra." There was a bit of a smirk as she said that, it was a point of personal pride. The Orchestra after all, had been consistently placed in the top 5 in the world for several years now. "Pianist." Amalia reflexively held up her hands, her fingers were long but delicate, the perfect tools.

    Amalia decided against being openly insulting, the urge to state that she played real music was strong, but she made no mention of it. "And thank you... for your compliments." She did try her best to be polite, even if she was rather confused. "You are certainly handsome... even in your... budget suit." Amalia regretted what she had said immediately, but it wasn't far from the truth. He did look good in that suit, in fact, the very notion that Axel was the one wearing it was the only thing that could make such a suit palatable.

    At the suggestion of eating, Amalia did comply though she seemed more to push food around on the plate, taking the occasional bite here and there, she as clearly distracted. Though Amalia did pay attention to how Axel held his fork and knife, if he used the proper hands or not. Though he was certainly quite a neat eater. That much was refreshing. But that was when things began to take a turn for the worst. Axel rose, and attempted to open the door. But it didn't budge.

    "What do you mean?" Amalia rose from her seat and moved to join Axel, standing calmly by his side. She rested her hand on the doorknob, it was cool to the touch. With a delicate motion she attempted to twist it, but to no avail. "Well... this is... unexpected." One entire side of the dining room was a wall of windows, old and ornate. One could see that a storm had begun to rage outside. Similarly she also tried windows on the opposite side, and they hadn't opened either. "This... is not an accident." Amalia sighed, now she was beginning to feel the fear set in. But she was grateful for one thing, she was not alone.

    As Amalia turned to face Axel, with his back to the windows a crack of lightning illuminated the sky to reveal the silhouette of a rather murderous looking figure. "Axel." Amalia said with a particularly calm voice. "Back away from the window, come here please. Quickly." Amalia waited patiently for him to comply, her eyes were wide now, she quickly began to look around. Out of instinct, she longed to wrap her arms around him, to be held and made to feel safe, but this would only be the beginning of their nightmare. "There's someone outside... who appears to be armed..."
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

  7. #7
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    Axel smiled politely at Amalia when she apologized for naming him incorrectly assuming that he was their host. "No need to apologize, it was an honest mistake. Had I not known our host was a man I would have assumed you were the one who invited me as well." Axel stated as he remained calm and collected speaking with proper manners not wanting to seem like a roughneck in front of such an elegant looking young lady. "Well I purchase the same brand, I'm wearing Blue De Chanel so the scent seemed familiar." The young man explained as he gazed upon her figure again once they were sat down to have their meal. "Not really contemporary music but rock music." Axel said as he didn't really get what she meant by contemporary since he never took actual musical lessons and was a self-taught musician who got into it on his own. He didn't even really know what the word contemporary meant but he assumed it was some musical word.

    Axel cleared his throat and rubbed his chin when Amalia spoke of the possibility of being either a lawyer or a doctor. "If I may be so bold? There is no way someone as beautiful and stunning as you would be a doctor, not with that amazing figure. Doctors and Lawyers would be too busy to keep up their physical appearance, its only natural that a musician would have some time allotted to physical training since its needed to stay healthy to perform at their best. Like I said though, you are definitely a musician with a body like yours." Axel listened as Amalia explained that she was part of an orchestra. "Oh you're one of those fancy musicians who play in a large group. That makes sense seeing as the way you look. You give off an air of sophistication." Axel seemed to sense the disdain a bit when it came to the type of music he played. He didn't quite understand it but he figured it was just her personal taste. When she spoke of his 'budget suit' even though she stated he looked handsome in it, the fact she called it a budget suit cut him a little deep. "Well not everyone is well off, I purchase what is affordable to me." Axel sighed as he scratched his cheek looking at Amalia and licked his lips.

    "Like I said the door won't open its stuck or locked." The young man said as he gazed at Amalia standing next to him by the door before they had moved on to try and open the windows. To no avail the windows were also locked. Having been in thought he looked up from the floor holding his chin after Amalia warned him of an armed figure outside the window, hearing such a thing he couldn't help his curiosity and turned ever so slightly to look out and stared at the figure for a split second before the knife came crashing through the window shattering the glass and sliced down his right shoulder blade sending a ripple of pain through his back as his suit was sliced up a bit. "Gahk! Bastard!" Axel shouted before rushing away and turned around and scanned the room quickly to try and find some sort of weapon to fight their assailant. "What is the meaning of this?!" Axel exclaimed as he picked up a chair not finding much else to fend the mysterious figure off with.

    As the young man grabbed the chair he stood in front of Amalia instinctively to try and protect her, when he did she couldn't see his back very well in such a dark suit aside from when the thunder struck which allowed her to see how the suit had been sliced into and blood stained the area around the cut. At the same time the area in which the blood soaked was slowly growing, meanwhile Axel had his full attention on the figure which had climbed through the broken window into the dining hall, rain battering the floor and wind violently blowing through the new opening filling the room with an eerie chill. "Stay behind me Amalia, I don't know who this is or what they're deal is but they won't get to you while I'm here!" Axel said as he felt a searing pain in his back which started off hot and turned cold as well as began to throb. Of course Axel didn't know Amalia that well, but it didn't mean he was going to just abandon her to be subjected to whatever twisted things the figure which had their features hidden with a plain mask could think up. He wasn't the type to turn tail and run when there was a fight that needed to be fought, he had been raised to always protect women and treat them with respect by his mother. He never really knew his father but his mother had raised him to the best of her abilities which he respected and loved her for.

    When the figure started to approach them Axel swung the chair as hard as he could back and forth causing the figure to jump back temporarily out of reach, as he did swinging the chair only worsened the pain in Axel's back but he couldn't just give up because of a little pain. Besides that it wasn't as if it was his first time experiencing such intense pain since growing up he had broken more than his fair share of bones due to acting stupid and recklessly as a youth. Putting up with a gash on his back was nothing compared to the time he broke his collarbone when he fell hard trying to stop himself with an outstretched arm when he went snowboarding, or the time he broke his leg due to being tackled during a friendly game of football among friends. Again the shadowy masked figure attempted to get close to attack when Axel stopped swinging the chair to catch his breath which had become labored due to the pain and the exertion of trying to swing such a well made chair. When the figure lunged, the young man flinched for a moment only to get the knife stabbed into the bottom of the chair a portion of the blade sticking out the top of the seat inches from his chest startling him at the freakish strength the figure had. Taking the chance that gave him with how the knife was stuck, Axel shoved the figure with the chair and then kicked at their stomach before lifting the chair above his head to slam it down upon the figure who was frantically trying to get back up from being knocked down. CRACK! was all you heard before the figure was knocked unconscious, momentarily giving Axel and Amalia some reprieve.

    "While they're out, lets get out of here! We can either go out the window into the storm or try and break the door down. It's your decision Amalia, but make it quick! What do you wanna do?" Axel said as they needed to get out of there and he needed to have his injured tended to before it got any worse or before he lost any more blood. It was already difficult for him to breath from just the bit of exertion he put in while injured. Not wanting any more chances of being cut, Axel decided to carefully remove the knife from the chair to take it with them not wanting to leave it with such a psychopathic bastard who clearly had no sanity considering they attacked him when his back was turned and tried to kill them. Hearing her decision, Axel quickly moved around the masked figure after taking her hand to help her through the broken window breaking down any glass still sticking up so as to prevent any further cuts for either of them.

    Climbing out the window after Amalia, the rain was freezing cold and the wind did not help any as they made their way away from the window and attempted to look for shelter somewhere which was difficult due to the visibility of having such a heavy downpour. "I think there is a shed over there! Lets head for it and try to see if we can get inside out of this heavy rain and this freezing air!" Axel shouted to her as the rain made it difficult to hear with how loud it was coming down and took her hand rushing towards the silhouette of what seemed to be a gardener's shed only to find it had a lock on it. Lucky for them there was a shovel nearby which he picked up and stabbed at the lock to try and bust it off before going inside and closed the door behind them feeling both freezing cold and as if he was burning up now. His once slicked hair covering his eyes having the gel rinsed out of it from the heavy rain. "We should be alright in here for a little bit if we don't turn the light on at least.. But we'll have to get moving after we come up with a plan of what we are to do next." Axel said as he was shivering feeling cold as they both had gotten drenched by the rain like drowned rats. To warm up their only option would be to rub against one another and cause friction or to huddle together.
    I have nothing important to say here.. But enjoy some sparklies in my signature! uwu


  8. #8
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    Amalia didn't need Axel to spell out that he was a rock musician, her choice of words with contemporary was purposeful. Contemporary meant modern, new. She preferred the works of the dead. But none of that seemed to matter now that their new reality had dawned. And of course, things unfolded somewhat predictably. Axel was now attempting to play the hero. If it was one thing Amalia knew in situations like this, it was don't be the hero. And sure enough the knife came through the window and seemed to slice into the man. Amalia raised her hands to cover her mouth in abject horror. What was happening? How was this happening? In the chaos she didn't have the time to see how bad the wound really was.

    For a moment, Amalia could forgive the stupidity. Here was a complete stranger, one she hadn't even been particularly nice to, and he was doing his best to protect not only himself, but her. It would have been easier to take care of himself, to leave Amalia behind as a pleasant distraction for their unknown assailant, their would be killer. It was starting to become all too gruesome.

    And for the first time in a long time, Amalia found herself listening to instructions and taking orders rather well. She stood back and did exactly as she was told. Flashes of his compliments on her appearance flooded into her head, something that would have made her blush, had all her blood not seemingly left her body, she was pale. She gave off an air of sophistication. Well that was true, but perhaps that betrayed who she truly wanted to be, or wanted to become. She had so blatantly rejected his kindness in favor of her own judgment. That was a topic to be revisited.

    The chair had crashed over the man or whoever and temporarily rendered them unconscious. And just like that, she was hurried out the window, the same window from which the attacker came. Right into the pouring rain. The droplets that fell from the sky were enormous and heavy, moreover they were freezing cold. The rain was so heavy you couldn't see, the wind was whipping harshly again her skin, Amalia now regretting just how much had been exposed to the elements.

    But the cold was nice. It shocked her into a state where she could now believe in what had happened. Amalia followed quickly behind for the shed, without much effort she cast her heels aside, moving faster on her bare feet. Besides, the shoes were ruined anyway. The shed was small, cramped and smelled of the earth. But it was dry and for the moment it was safe. Amalia turned to face Axel, and delicately raised her hand to his forehead, swiping the wet hair out of his eyes ever so gently. "Thank you." Amalia finally said the words as she came face to face with him, looking up at Axel one could see she was grateful.

    Though Amalia began to shiver lightly, she kept her attention on Axel. "Please... let me see your wound." Amalia smiled softly, though she was not sure how much of that he could see in the darkness. Her hands lowered and rested on the blazer, slowly, slowly, slowly she peeled it away from his skin and set it aside, knowing she would inevitably have caused him pain. "What... just happened to us?" Amalia couldn't understand it, why her? Why him? Why were they specifically invited here to be attacked, murdered, whatever. It seemed far fetched that either of them would get what was promised. "We were having dinner... and then... that?" Amalia was unsure, deeply uncertain about why this had happened.

    "I... don't have anything to fix your wound here... I'll look." It was strange, Amalia's hands never left his body from the initial touch to his head. Even now her hands were loosely gripping his forearms. Even though she went to look she did not move, she stayed there, wondering, lost.
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

  9. #9
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    "There is no need to thank me.. My mother raised me to be respectful to women. I was only doing what any man in my position should do." Axel said as he was breathing somewhat heavy and soon he was turning to allow Amalia to remove his blazer groaning and wincing as it came off him sticking somewhat due to the blood and the fact that he had to move his arm to even take his blazer off didn't help the matter either. Sure it had to be done so that Amalia could check out the severity of his wound but that didn't change the fact it hurt. "I don't get why this is happening to either of us.. I mean sure I could possibly have enemies for whatever reason, but why would someone as beautiful as you have someone after them?" Axel said standing there looking into Amalia's eyes, when she touched his forehead it was somewhat cool from the rain but the skin itself was burning up from his body reacting to the injury trying to fight the blood loss. Staying close together, Axel soon moved his hands and started to caress his hands over her arms and shoulders leaning his head down to press his forehead against hers and pant as their lips were so close but right now was not the time for such things. Axel was merely trying to rest while regaining his strength and energy.

    "How bad is it? Can you see? We should head back inside somehow.. We need to find something to patch me up so that I don't bleed out, we also need to figure out why this is happening and see if we can find the so called 'master' of this place. Maybe he could give us some answers for why this is happening to us and what is going on." Axel said soon resting his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her to try and warm them up and moved his hands to the small of her back feeling her wet flesh as he closed his eyes trying to catch his breath. The young man knew they couldn't stay in the gardening shed for long, but they needed just a moment to think up a way to get back inside and then to look for medical supplies. The real challenge being that they needed to find somewhere safe to hide once they entered the mansion again along with finding the medical supplies if there even were any. As long as they could find a needle and some thread and something to heat up the needle or some alcohol to sterilize it and his back then something could be done about his injury.


    Managing to catch his breath after a bit, Axel breathed in the young woman's scent. "What a shame.. the rain washed away your succulent smell. I really liked your perfume, but I suppose its a good thing so that our assailant can't find us from scent." He said as he pulled away and tried looking in the dark for something to get back inside with and anything that could be of use. "I got his knife but I don't really want a close quarters fight with that insane person with how freakishly strong they felt. Lets try to find something to arm ourselves with before we go back to the mansion." Axel said before he found a metal hoe and moved to the window to look outside and at the mansion. "Where should we try to enter first? What do you think Amalia? Clearly we don't want to go back in the way we came out considering we don't know if that figure is still out cold and if they are we don't know when they might get back up." Axel said as he looked at Amalia and licked his lips.

    Once they had decided on where they would break into Axel walked beside her taking his blazer and the knife as well as the metal hoe with them and tossed the hoe and knife up onto the second floor room before letting her climb up the wood on the side of the wall which had vines growing through it for decorations as it was still rather sturdy. If need be he could always catch her if she slipped down while climbing up and he would get an eyeful of what she had to behold under her dress if he looked up while she was climbing. Axel didn't have such a thing on his mind when they made the decision or while she was getting ready to climb up as his first priority was safety and getting back inside to go find medical supplies and somewhere safe to hide. When they were both up after he got his glance at some eye candy Axel climbed up with some hard fought effort and then picked up his weapons and knocked a corner of the window out and then climbed in first before helping Amalia inside once he cleared more of the broken window out of the way and pulled her inside carrying her past the broken glass checking the room for their assailant. Once he knew the coast was clear he decided to try the door and luckily they were able to get out and start walking down the hall deciding to let Amalia lead them around while he kept an eye out for their attacker.

    Searching around for a while, Axel was glad when they found a restroom which had some medical supplies. It only have some alcohol wipes and band aids but shortly after they also found a room meant for sewing and took the needle off of the sewing machine along with some thick thread that Amalia could use on him. He didn't care if it hurt as long as the injury was taken care of he would endure it, the fact that she may or may not be good at sewing didn't even cross his mind. Axel was only focused on what could be done in the moment to help them out. As such he carefully removed his once white dress shirt now stained crimson with his blood and exposed his broad toned back which had ample creases from muscle tone to Amalia to take care of the injured area on his right shoulder blade area where he had been sliced, first needing to be cleaned and sterilized before they could treat the wound itself which happened to be rather deep going as deep as reaching some of the meat and muscle. To even be able to move in such a state had to take a lot of willpower to overcome the pain that came with such a wound.
    I have nothing important to say here.. But enjoy some sparklies in my signature! uwu


  10. #10
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    The scent of the sewing room was a familiar one. It reminded Amalia of childhood, of her mother. The lights in the room were dim, but thankfully it had no windows, being on the interior. The walls were lined with an old and yellowing wallpaper, it was once upon a time a shade of white with delicate floral patterns that repeated. The shelves that lined the walls were old wood, some splintering. One could see from the wear that at one point these shelves were well loved and used. There were threads of all different colors and types, silks, synthetics. There wasn't something anyone would be left wanting for.

    "You asked if I had enemies." Amalia said, coming beside Axel now. "Sit." Amalia requested pulling the chair from beneath the table whose sole purpose was to house the sewing machine. Amalia had taken the needle from his hand, and pulled the thick thread away from it with some ease. Stepping toward one of the shelves, Amalia withdrew a spool of white thread. "How could someone who look like me have enemies?" She could have laughed at that, but given their situation she didn't.

    Taking the bottle of alcohol she carefully untwisted the cap. "This... will hurt." Amalia poured the isopropyl solution on the wound which had been bleeding fairly badly. The sting that he would feel would be significant. "You don't get to be where I am... without making enemies." Amalia sighed. She began to unspool the thread, tearing a significant length. Holding the needle to the air, she was able to thread it quickly.

    "I'm known for my talent, not my charm." Amalia was not difficult to work with. She played well in the orchestra, contributing to the overall body. But she was direct, and unabashedly herself. Amalia knew what she was worth, she knew her talent. She was the best of the best. As she spoke, she set to work on stitching his wound. She tried not to think too hard about it, that she barely knew him and here she was stitching his flesh back together. "I can sew... but sewing people is... new."

    Amalia was making fairly quick work of this step. Though some of this required slightly deeper stitches which undoubtedly would cause a great deal of pain. "But no. No one hates me enough to want to kill me. At least I didn't think so." Though stranger things did happen in the world of competitive orchestras and pianists. "I'm... almost done." Sewing was good practice with precise hand movements and muscle control. In a way, it helped with her piano practice.

    Amalia completed her stitching and with ease, tied off and severed the remaining thread. In another moment, a splash of alcohol poured down over the freshly sealed wound. "Everyone thinks that silk is so delicate... fragile." Amalia was in an odd way talking about herself. "But in fact, it's quite strong you see." Amalia took a step back and moved back around to face Axel head on, kneeling down on the floor. "It'll hold, but you have to be careful... you..uh... don't want to tear them."

    Slowly pacing around the room, she began to wonder what their next step was going to be. "I need to find a bedroom... on the off chance there's something I can wear." It was strange to think about her clothes just now. But she was soaked through. "And then... we can do one of two things." Amalia looked up at him. "We can try to find the master or... We can try to escape properly, call the police. Come on." She rose then and rested a hand on his non-injured shoulder. "We've got work to do..." After he had risen to a stand, she approached the door and turned off the light. Slowly she opened it, and peeked out into the hallway, before slipping into it.

    It was silent, the sconces were lit, the hallway's carpet was near threadbare. The wallpaper peeling. Slowly she walked down, waiting for Axel to follow. Much to her own fear, Amalia opened each door that she passed and looked inside, until she came across a bedroom. Slipping carefully inside, she turned on the lights to reveal a brilliant red wallpaper, an ornate wooden four poster bed with canopy. The furniture was all of similar dark woods. It was a woman's room. The painting on the wall were perfectly aligned, most landscapes with a portrait or two thrown in. There was a small vanity table with mirror, a silver handled hair brush, just like one had seen in the movies.

    "What... is this place?" Amalia turned to look at Axel for a moment before walking to the door she had assumed was the closet. Inside were dresses, other clothing that seemed like it was from a bygone era. The smell of moth balls was palpable. Amalia stepped inside, her fingertips running along the garments. There was even something that resembled what had once been a wedding dress. It was almost perfectly reserved, to be honest, it reminded her a bit of the movie Psycho.

    Shaking off this feeling, she pulled a dress down from the hanger. It was yellow with short sleeves that would come down half way on the upper arms, the white hem would fall just below her knees. It was certainly a more conservative look than she had before. Sliding out of the wet dress, Amalia allowed it to drop to the floor, and without much consideration for whether or not Axel had been looking, she slid into the one she had taken. Stepping out of the closet, she turned, her back to him. "Zip me?" Amalia asked, looking over her shoulder back toward him.

    "Tell me... who wants to kill you?"
    Thanks to Hayabusa/Ryoku for the set.

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