Entry 586; Day 1408

[misterblackbird]

[Video Post;]
[A video post? Yes, but not, it would seem, made by Cain himself. In point of fact, although it seems that this video was entered into the Network by way of Cain's account, it is not his own. Instead, think of it more like...advertising...

Under the draped cover of a red tent, it seems another exhibit in this wondrous circus is about to begin. A great domed shape all swathed in red drapery and gold fringe--a cage, almost certainly--stands on a wooden platform. Brass ornaments peek through the draperies and the light from the strings of electric bulbs glitter there--this is an elaborate cage, to say the least. To one side of the platform is propped a sign, written in red and gold and black and poisonous green reading:]


{Rappaccini's Son}
...the accursed poisoned boy...
☠
{Don't let his shadow fall over you~}


[An audience has filed in and waits in great expectation. They murmur amongst themselves. The strings of lights cast shadows under their eyes and make them seem ghouls. The sounds of the circus beyond drift at whiles through the tent.

After a long while, a gentleman of respectable years, dressed in an opera cape and shabby white tie (ornamented with sashes and medals which he most likely bought rather than earned) mounts the stage and bows. There is applause. He holds up his hands (white gloves, rather soiled) and there is as much silence as there can be in such a place. He begins:]

Ladies and gentlemen. Mesdames et messieurs. Meine Damen und Herren. Signore e signori. Señoras y señores. Minasama. Welcome. And good evening.

[A pause.]

In our great perambulations about the worlds known and unknown, we have come across a great many scientific peculiarities. We have found beasts spoken of only in legend. We have found men and women capable of feats dreamed of by mere mortals. We have learned of magical secrets and occult sciences. But only ever so rarely does one find such a creature as this.

Such a creature, bearing within him, within his very blood, all the venom of the asp and the viper and the scorpion and the tarantula. A beast, truly. A beast who knows only death, who creates only death around him, whose very shadow makes those who stand within it sicken and die--!

[A blast, a small explosion, and the red draperies around the brass cage fall away and there sits Cain, barefoot and in his shirtsleeves, on a battered gilt chair. An great urn of withered flowers stands beside him. He seems paler than usual. The crowd breathes: perhaps he is not what they expected...]

Do not be misled by his appearance, however charming it may seem. I see more than one young lady here tonight who might wish an hour's conversation with him. [A slightly lewd wink, answered with male laughter.] But you must not think of it! Like so many creatures, he hides his deadly venom behind a comely mask. Think of the foxglove with its beautiful flowers, or blue monkshood which you may even now grow in your own gardens, or deadly nightshade's purple flowers.

Indeed, even the rose--

[And, a magician at heart, truly, the carnival barker produces a red rose in full bloom from seemingly nowhere, to all appropriate gasps of surprise.]

--bears its thorns.

But I see that you do not yet believe my warnings that even the shadow of this young man bears poison in it. We must have a demonstration of the evil that sleeps within him...

[With all necessary flourishes, the barker changes his white gloves to a black leather gloves hitherto hidden behind the sign and, now protected against the poison, slips the flower of the rose through the bars of the cage.

Cain looks resentfully at the rose. The barker speaks to him, aside, firmly.]

Come, come now.

[Confined as he is, he doesn't have to reach very far for it. He touches the bloom lightly with his fingers and kisses the center of it once.

And the flower immediately wilts in the barker's hand, turning not just brown and withered but blackened, as though it were being burned as it died.

The crowd gasps again and the barker turns in a swirl of his cape to hold up the flower before them as it shrivels and even smolders. He calls above their gasps and cries:]

Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that this is no magician's trick. Whatsoever he touches, he poisons. Death follows him everywhere. We know not how such a curse came to be placed upon him, that suffering, sickness, and death would be about him like a dark mantle...

But, perhaps another demonstration is in order...

[Now he draws a white rose from somewhere in the depths of his cape...]

Mademoiselle... [He offers his hand to a young woman standing near the front. She looks around shyly before letting herself be drawn onto the stage. She stands nervously, looking at the crowd. The barker hands her the flower.]

Mademoiselle, if you will offer him the flower...

[With the barker looking on proudly, the young woman slips this flower through the bars of the cage--slowly, as though she is afraid Cain might bite her. And what would she do then, so poisoned by a monster? Cain regards the flower a moment and then, keeping his eyes locked to the woman's face, kisses this flower too.

Like the other, this rose too withers, smolders, and dies in the woman's hand. She shrieks and laughs and hurries away from the cage. The barker takes the flower from her as she dashes back to her place in the audience and stands gasping and giggling with her friends again.]

Magnifique, mademoiselle. Merci, merci bien.

[He kisses his fingertips, but soon turns to the whole of the crowd again.]

Ah, but perhaps his poison is not so wicked, you think. Perhaps it only burns these delicate flowers. Perhaps you doubt the truth that he is himself a poisonous creature, that his very touch is death. Very well. We shall have to provide you with better proof!

[And then, still with all the skill of a practiced magician, he produces a white dove from the folds of his cape. It flutters, bewildered, and he catches it and cradles it in his hands. It murmurs and coos and struggles, but uselessly. Its eyes are dark but they glitter like jet in the electric lights. The audience has grown very still: they know what they will see, but they will not look away.

The barker now comes slowly, bearing the dove to the bars of Cain's cage, like a priest with an offering or a sacrifice.

With the dove now between them, still cooing and struggling, they consider one another coldly. Cain speaks, lowly:]

I won't.

[And the barker answers, just as quiet:]

You have and you will.

I will not.

You have. And you will. You lost any chance you may have had of discussion a long time ago. You're in my cage now, Lord Hargreaves.

[Something moves in the shadows behind the cage and Cain looks over his shoulder almost nervously. Indeed, it seems negotiations are quite impossible at this point.

The dove is still offered to him. It seems, after a moment, almost to bow its head. Cain's eyes fall shut. Another dead bird in the bottom of a cage. Another dead rabbit. The dove waits. He leans forward and kisses the top of its head.

There is the sound of furious wings and--]
[//video post ends]

[ooc: Long, long video post, but viewable to all. tl;dr: Cain got caught by the circus and he's now in the freak show too. Come one, come all and behold Rappaccini's Son! Caution: this post includes a lot of creepy, a little gore, and an off-screen fictional animal death. View with care.]

Comments

[he_who_kills]

[Hidden nearby. Waiting for everybody to leave.]

[misterblackbird]

[The dove is dead. The crowd files out, the lights are put out (save for a handful of lanterns that glow like fireflies), and Cain's cage is covered again...]

[he_who_kills]

[Stealthy scuttle to and duck under the cover. Bars are too close together, can't squeeze thru. Your pant-leg to pluck at is out of reach.

Faintest fingertap-tap-tap on the cage floor.]

[misterblackbird]

[Wait, wait--it takes him a moment to realise what he's hearing and to identify the source.

It can't be. But it is.]

He-Who-Kills!

[Only spoken in a hushed whisper. Truth be told, Cain would be surprised if he could poison a possessed doll like He-Who-Kills. So there's that to be encouraged by...]

You shouldn't be here.

[he_who_kills]

[Grins. Pulls a small backpack into view. Digs into the bag. Holds all sorts of little useful things for the Zuni MacGyver on a mission. Rubberbands, dental floss, mini tube of superglue, halved drinking straws, thumbtacks, paperclips, needles - TADA! Bobbypin!

Scrambles up the cage door. Gets busy with the lock.]

[misterblackbird]

If they find you here, they'll catch you...

[It's only a warning. He has no doubt that HWK will just keep on doing what he's doing, no matter what Cain might say.]

[he_who_kills]

[Activity outside; too much for comfort.

Lots of under-breath cursing in Zuni. Tosses Cain the bobbypin. One-handed over the shoulder dig into pack, pulls out and tosses matchbook.

Slide down bars and back into hiding.]

[misterblackbird]

He-Who...

[No, too late. He can manage the bobby pin: he's more than a fair shake at lockpicking. But what does HWK intend to do?]

[comeonecomeall]

Oh, best not to fight him, Lord Hargreaves, you'll not care for the sweetness of his rage.

[misterblackbird]

I think I've already encountered that 'sweetness'.

It won't do any good to ask you to let me go either, will it?

[comeonecomeall]

And face his ire? I think my skills worth more than taking your place.

[misterblackbird]

I should bite him and poison him the next time he puts his fingers in this cage. I should poison him and you and all the rest of your troupe.

[comeonecomeall]

That might make for a show none will ever forget.

[misterblackbird]

I almost think it would delight you.

[headofoperations]

Artful and majestic, I can taste it.

[misterblackbird]

If you can, then I think you haven't long to live.

No comment

[allinhishands]

[He is just going to smoke his pipe like he's had damn good sex after watching this. Excellent show, son.]

Nor one here either

[misterblackbird]

[It was all inspired by you, oh beloved father...]

[primrosella]

[Oh, look. There, lingering behind as the rest of the crowd moves on, is a familiar figure in an equally familiar red wool cloak, cautiously sneaking her way as close as she dares toward the bars.]


[OOC: I feel at this juncture I should point out that Rosella definitely ate like a bajillion mooncakes last month and therefore is unknowingly exempt from death. If that's, y'know, relevant to your interests or anything. la la la dead girls and poison in the blood la la la >> ]

[misterblackbird]

[Yes, a familiar figure, indeed, and the last one he had hoped to see in a place like this--certainly from this side of the bars of a cage (no, it would be worse if she were the one on display, that much is certain).

He feigns indifference; she's at risk here, and they may catch her too.]

[ooc: That may indeed be relevant to my interests, oh yes~]

[primrosella]

[She knows the risks of coming here all too well, of course--both from prolonged experience in the City and also the knowledge born of a fair number of adventures of her own. But they've danced this dance before, and so long as she doesn't show too much interest (no more than any of the other wide-eyed ladies stopping to gawk, at least), she can evade them. She's played the naive peasant girl before, in the face of a witch. Here, she's simply a silly girl a little too taken, and perhaps in search of--as the gentleman said--that hour's conversation.]

They don't suit you, these bars.

[Nothing more than a silly, curious girl. Surely she doesn't know him. Perhaps she's speaking more to herself than she is to him, even. That's the sort of thing such a girl would do--and hopefully what any nearby ears will assume.]


[OOC: I forget how the mooncake works; is it straight-up invulnerability, or death and respawn, or the usual City!Dead method, or our discretion?]

[misterblackbird]

[He lounges in the battered gilt chair. He's tired. And he would so much rather warn her away from this place, no matter how good it is to hear her voice right now...]

But these bars, you see, keep you safe from my venom.

[ooc: It can be straight up invulnerability, insta-healing, or death-and-respawn without City!death consequences--it's your take on immortality, as you'd please.]

[primrosella]

Is that something I ought to fear?

[She sneaks a little closer, enough to touch the bars.]


[OOC: Well, then, we are all set if you would like her to die in his arms tonight (it must've been something he said). o/]

[misterblackbird]

I think you would do well to fear it.

[And he looks her in the eyes then. She must know that everything he says has two meanings to it at least.]

[ooc: Oh dear.............!]

[primrosella]

I'd do well to do many things.

[Of course he wants her to get away from here. That's how it goes; he'll always try to shield her even as she tries to save him.]

It's a shame, about the flowers.


[OOC; OH COME ON SHE'LL GET BETTER.]