|
Post by Miss Jack on May 8, 2008 20:42:57 GMT -5
Iker arched a brow, remaining calm as Zizzy boomed her threat. He shifted form as the lightning sizzled toward him. Iker-Zizzy caught the bolt in one hand, spinning it around experimentally before sending it hurtling toward Alexander. Alexander's eyes widened and he dove out of the way, but Iker didn't watch long enough for the outcome.
He clucked his tongue at Zizzy as herself. "Temper, temper," she said, batting her eyelashes. Zizzy's hair grew longer and darker, curling around her shoulders until Iseabail smirked at her. "What are you doing here?" Iseabail-Iker asked. "You're out-classed, out of your league, and frankly, not nearly as pretty as me." Iseabail turned into Armand, who smiled at Zizzy with pitying blue eyes. "Not to break your heart, but given my options..."
"Don't," Iker reared his ugly head once more, eyes glowing white as he rounded on Iseabail. "All this love, it sickens me. If that word leaves those obnoxious little lips---"
Tosca burns with...
Iker snarled and grew several inches in height as he took on his new form. Neither or Iseabail nor Zizzy might recognize him, but Alexander did. Vince whipped a hand out and several yards of bandages whizzed and curled from his wrist toward Iseabail, wrapping first and foremost around her mouth, and then tying her wrists and ankles together.
Vince-Iker took three steps and closed a hand around Iseabail's throat. "You're incredibly annoying, and so far useless. So, I think I'll kill you first." Vince changed into Armand and said, his voice hauntingly the same as it was just that morning, "And believe me, it will be my pleasure."
|
|
|
Post by Maestro on May 8, 2008 22:17:20 GMT -5
Well, this was problematic. If she couldn't talk, she couldn't breathe and that was potentially fatal. But she was a vampire. Looking into Armand-Iker's eyes, the exact shade of Armand's, Iseabail smiled.
"Aye, ye may have stopped my ability to vocalize, but ye havena gotten rid of my ability to talk. And I dinna care what ye want to hear; I'll tell ye anyway."
Iseabail couldn't move, but she was able to stare defiantly into the eyes of her captor. She had been afraid (and still was) but she was not going to show that fear to Iker.
"Iseabail burns with love for Armand!" she cried, her mental-voice loud, clear and sweet. She knew that she may have just sealed her fate, but she thought she might be able to get through Iker, to Armand. Even though she didn't use her mental-voice a lot, she unconsciously directed her thoughts to find Armand, if they could. She didn't know how she was doing it, but she hoped that she would be able to reach him.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 8, 2008 22:26:02 GMT -5
A sliver of doubt wiggled into her heart. Common sense told her it wasn't really Armand, but it looked like him, sounded like him, it made sense. It caused Zizzy to falter and hesitate and hate herself for it because even if Armand despised her, she would still try and save him. There was no way she could let Iker stay, or Iseabail die.
It was there that she realized her foolishness. Iker had to stay. Iker wasn't separate from Armand, and she didn't think they ever would be. Armand would dominate again, but Iker would be there. She grinned and lunged forward, she gripped his head between her hands and forced him to look at her. Familiar blue eyes clouded with cruelty.
But she loved him anyway.
"I love you. All of you." And she meant it.
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 8, 2008 22:54:08 GMT -5
Iker cringed like a yard dog against the voice in his head. It was worse than it should have been because Armand could hear it, Iker could feel that he could hear it. His lip curled over bared teeth as he glared death at Iseabail. "Your last," he hissed and his grip tightened. He would crush her.
He was entirely unprepared when Zizzy caught his face. His expression spelled a torrent of fury and disbelief. "Get away from me," he snarled, his one-track mind unable to comprehend the implication behind her words. He lashed out at her, and in doing so, his hold faltered on Iseabail. The lust, the drive he felt to end their lives blurred into his host's opposing love for them and made his step unsteady.
Alexander approached behind him with trepidation. He felt the change in Iker's demeanor, and he didn't know how wise any sudden action might be, but if something didn't happen now somebody was going to get hurt. Iker jerked like a ticking time bomb, and Zizzy and Iseabail were in the line of fire. Alexander latched onto Iker, forcing him back. Surprised, Iker struggled, but Alexander didn't relax his hold. Iker's heart raced wildly; a heart that pumped blood, blood that Alexander held a close bond with. "Come on, Armand," Alexander muttered.
Armand's body went limp in his arms. "Alexander," he said, his voice weak but his tone angry. Alexander went still, waiting, watching. Armand glared at him through half-lowered lids. "I'm going to kill you," he muttered and Alexander laughed, squeezing him tight enough that Armand had to gasp to get any oxygen. "Grngh... gt'off...Ow--"
"Oh, sorry. Your hand, I forgot." Alexander pulled away, examining his twin up and down. Armand looked as if a slight breeze would run him to the ground, but his eyes gleamed with triumph.
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 8, 2008 23:00:48 GMT -5
There was a startling moment of panic when she thought she might get hit, hurt or otherwise maimed, but Alexander pulled Iker away. He had lashed out, but missed, she'd bent back quickly. Besides, Alexander had offered a distraction. And when the tuffle was over, Iker was gone. There stood Armand, tired but himself. She'd never felt happier in her life.
At the mention of his hand, Zizzy had produced the bandaging she'd tried to apply earlier in a bit of a nonsensical hysteria. But now things were calm, the quiet after the storm. She walked towards him and took his injured hand gently, starting to wipe it clean.
"Armand...." But she didn't really know what else to say. There was so much and yet she couldn't express it in words. "Good to see you." She said with a smile.
|
|
|
Post by Maestro on May 8, 2008 23:52:41 GMT -5
She knew that something had happened; she could tell that Iker was not nearly as strong as he had been. After all, she was sort inside his head at that point, too. And then everything changed: Armand was in control again. The blue eyes were once more the caring ones that she knew. Although, she had to admit, Iker reminded her a lot of Scarpia and she had fallen in love with him.
"Oh, Armand," she whispered, sinking to her knees. That was all she could manage vocally; she had to resort to mental-speech to say her next words. Armand, ta annsachd thu. I should have told ye every day since I discovered it, but I didna ken how," she whispered, glad that only Armand could hear her.
"Are ye all right?" she managed to ask, stretching out a trembling hand to touch his cheek. She hadn't known how scared she had been for him until she saw that she was shaking. And it was visible; fine tremors were running all down her body, but she could have cared less about herself, right now. Armand was the only one she remembered and he filled her eyes, her mind, and her soul.
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 9, 2008 0:15:14 GMT -5
There were a lot of unspoken words that no one seemed to have the energy or will to say, but it wasn't a heavy silence. An emotionally charged one, to be sure, but quietly relieved. Armand watched Zizzy doctoring his hand. "It's not so good to see you," he replied. "I told you to stay home." But he couldn't make himself be angry. He was alive. Everyone was alive. He had no idea what was going on but he was himself and nobody was dead. He almost started laughing.
He tensed suddenly as Iseabail's words filled his head. He didn't know how to respond to such a declaration after what had just happened. How could she say that? He gently took Zizzy's hand and removed it from his own. His fingers lingered on hers for a moment and then he turned to Iseabail. He crouched down next to her, touching her hair. "Iseabail..." He brushed his fingers along her neck where her skin was already darkening with his fingerprints. He frowned. "I did this."
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 9, 2008 0:40:41 GMT -5
"And you also said three days." But it lacked the anger she'd originally felt. She fresh out of anger. Zizzy wouldn't be surprised if the anger she'd felt today was enough for the rest of her life. She turned to Alexander as Armand went to Iseabail. Looking him up and down she assessed the damage. A few cuts, minor bruising, nothing serious. She smiled in relief.
"And here I was expecting you to be even more hideous then before." The only 'wounds' that Zizzy had incurred had been when she'd been knocked off her feet. A bump to the head that no longer hurt. And she hadn't even turned into a cloud. There was a sense of delirious calm, of happiness and in her mind, exhaustion.
A touch more seriously, she regarded Alex. "Are you ok?"
|
|
|
Post by Maestro on May 9, 2008 2:31:42 GMT -5
Iseabail saw that tension and made sure that Armand was the only one that would hear her before she spoke again. "I just thought ye should know, Armand," she whispered. "I ken that ye dinna feel the same, but ye have a right to know." It was true; Iseabail knew that Armand felt something for her, but it wasn't love. At least, she didn't think it went that deep, that would be too much to hope for.
She was still trembling as Armand crouched next to her; it was all she could do not to throw her arms around him, to make sure that he was real, warm, and alive. As he touched her hair, she almost broke down. Her eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy.
His words wrenched at her heart. She was going to tell him that no, Iker had done it, but they were the same person, weren't they? Or they could be. "Aye," she said softly. "But I kent that I could get hurt well before I came here, Armand. And," she added, blushing a bit, slightly ashamed of this, "I broke my word: I didna go when ye said. I'm sorry," she murmured. "So it's my fault, really." She didn't want Armand to take the blame, didn't want him to feel guilty. She was just happy that he was alive.
|
|
|
Post by Miss Jack on May 9, 2008 18:30:22 GMT -5
"Oh, you know." Alexander lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. "A little burnt out," he quirked a small grin at his own joke, "and I may be mildly sore in the morning, but nothing to cry home about. Most of my damage can be complimented to you, anyway." He said it lightly, but there was an undertone of seriousness to his voice. Not anger, but rather that he was impressed, and slightly surprised that he was.
Armand pressed his lips together, thinking. He didn't acknowledge his lack of response over Iseabail's first words (not it hadn't burned just as awfully as it had when Zizzy had said it). Now was not the time. He gingerly helped her to her feet, keeping a hand on her arm in case she was tempted to tip.
"No one's blaming anyone right now," he said, only because he knew he would get nowhere trying to argue with her. He turned to Zizzy, examining her condition. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly. Not that he expected a decent answer. She could have been missing two limbs and declared herself fit to run a marathon.
Alexander waited a beat and then waved. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking."
Armand appraised Alexander's torn and burnt shirt, one sleeve entirely missing, and the gash above his eye. "You better hope Mom doesn't see you. Or you'll really be grounded."
"Again, your concern is simply overwhelming."
|
|
|
Post by Jules on May 9, 2008 21:50:03 GMT -5
The most frightening moment of that had been when Iker had become her, both times. Her face crumpled a little and she took in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry." She crossed her arms over her chest, her hands resting on her shoulders. The idea of her powers being used against a friend was sitting ill at ease with her.
She turned to Armand when he addressed her and smiled. If she'd been hurt, she wouldn't have been able to say otherwise even if she wanted to. Her lying capabilities sucked so very badly. "I'm actually fine. You didn't manage to hit me once. Terrible aim." Alexander made her chuckle and she took the first aide kit out of her bag once again, grateful that for once she'd had foresight. "Here, clean yourself up. How about you Armand? You ok?"
|
|