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Post by Maestro on Dec 16, 2008 0:58:52 GMT -5
As per usual when Dr. Jekyll was in control, he tended to lurk about the library. Despite the man's dual nature, he continued his research, attempting to delve even deeper into the differences between good and evil.
"You'll never be rid of me, Jekyll," Hyde growled softly. And that pleased him, that Jekyll could not kill Hyde without killing himself. Truth was, that was far from Henry Jekyll's mind. "I don't want to be rid of you, Hyde," he told Edward, hushed voice carrying, even in the library. "I just want to be able to understand you."
Hyde couldn't help laughing at that. "'Understand' me? Poor Henry Jekyll, going to save the world, even when you need fear to survive," he scoffed.
"You mean you need fear to survive," he shot back without looking up from his work. "Soon, I won't have to let you have control when this body needs fear."
Laughing again, Hyde shook his head at the doctor. "Oh, you poor thing. Naive Dr. Jekyll is going to starve himself to keep me at bay."
Jekyll shook his head, smiling sadly. "No, Edward," he corrected, "I do not intend to starve myself. I intend to make a substitute for fear. And I will be able to survive despite your innate need to terrorize hypocrites."
Of course, that part was something they almost agreed on. While Jekyll shared Hyde's disdain for hypocrites, they differed drastically on the ways they thought that such people should be dealt with. Hyde, predictably, thought that it was best to simply rid the world of hypocrisy: "the only reformed hypocrite is a dead hypocrite." Jekyll, on the other hand, preferred to show the person their contradictions and see if they learned from them.
"You should have been a Dream, Jekyll," Hyde growled audibly.
"If I had been, you wouldn't exist," he pointed out.
Hyde fell silent at that. He knew that Henry Jekyll was right about that bit. And Hyde loved existing. Every time he took control, he gloried in the simple feeling of being alive.
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Post by Jules on Jan 7, 2009 2:15:50 GMT -5
Indira, in general, was against eavesdropping. There was something very wrong about listening into other people's conversations and the Marelock had never felt comfortable with it when she'd caught herself doing it in the past. But it was incredibly hard not to do so when you stumbled upon a man taking to himself in different voices. Even harder when it was a subject that interested you greatly.
She was on the other side of the shelf he stood in front of, watching him through the gap between books. Indira followed him when he moved, and tried to think up a way to approach him that didn't make it completely obvious she'd been listening in this whole time.
So far, she was failing, but she was too busy thinking to realize it'd probably be only a matter of seconds before he spotted her through the shelf and recognized her behavior for what it was.
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Post by Maestro on Jan 7, 2009 18:34:24 GMT -5
While Jekyll may not have noticed the girl following them, Hyde certainly did. Forcing his way to the surface, Hyde whipped around the shelf, bearing down upon the young Marelock.
"How long have you been eavesdropping?" he growled, ignoring Jekyll's protests.
Be nice, Hyde. There is no reason to harass this young girl; she's done nothing to us. Besides, you have no idea what she's like.
What does that have to do with anything? Hyde growled silently back at Jekyll.
We both know that you're opposed to harming women unless they've proven themselves to be hypocrites. And Jekyll was right about that; he was, as well. Of course, Jekyll usually tried a more peaceful approach to hypocrites, but it was hard to do that with Hyde around.
Jekyll didn't usually do this (it was better to just let Hyde do what he was going to and then take control again), but he made his way to the surface, with a bit of difficulty.
"I'm so sorry about that," he apologized. "Hyde has a rather volatile personality." But, he was probably right about the eavesdropping. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, basically repeating what Hyde had said, only in more polite terms.
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Post by Jules on Jan 7, 2009 18:49:09 GMT -5
Indira jumped a little as the man whipped around the shelf and caught her in the act, but in a second, her features settled in a frown. "Since the beginning of your little conversation." She replied truthfully. She lied when it suited her, but the man appeared volatile and she had no fighting abilities whatsoever. No abilities at all, in fact, except her intelligence.
She brushed herself off to distract herself from how threatening he was. And when she looked back, she was surprised. His demeanor had quite suddenly changed into something much more polite.
"I heard you talking about fake fear. I didn't mean to listening in. But you ARE talking out loud to yourself in a a library."
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Post by Maestro on Jan 7, 2009 19:28:22 GMT -5
Even as Hyde growled inwardly, Jekyll smiled slightly. "Yes, well, there's something you must understand about me. While we are very much the same person, there are technically two personalities inhabiting this body. And, as you can tell, we are rather different. It's rather confusing, but we represent the duality of man."
With a bit of a sigh, he explained, "You see, Hyde enjoys scaring people; I do not. This necessitates letting Hyde have control every time this body needs fear. It would make things much simpler if I could create artificial fear." He paused for a moment, frowning. "I'm only in the first stages, but it should be possible."
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Post by Jules on Jan 7, 2009 19:54:14 GMT -5
Although his personality split was interesting, it wasn't her priority today, and Indira stored it away to ask him about in greater detail at a later date. It sometimes grated when Nightmares talked about their powers, but he (they?) didn't seem to feel very blessed.
"Your invention might have greater implications than personal convenience. Perhaps you haven't heard, but something has changed in the Real World. Most Nightmares and Dreams seem to be unable to manipulate the human psyche." It was impossible for her to keep the tinge of smug from her tone.
"I wanted to work on a cure for the problem. For more, ahh, political reasons."
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Post by Maestro on Jan 7, 2009 20:17:09 GMT -5
"I heard something of the sort, but I was not sure that it was anything more than a rumor." Apparently, things were more serious than he had thought. But perhaps this was a way to get the world at large to accept the fact that, while there may be two distinct personalities, this man was one person.
At the mention of political reasons, Hyde surfaced again. "Political reasons?" he growled out, suspicious. "If you turn out to be remotely hypocritical, I'll kill you. I have absolutely no qualms about killing hypocrites." At which point, Jekyll resumed control.
"I'm so sorry about that, but he threatens to kill almost everyone he meets." Well, now that that had been explained, it was time to go back to thinking about manufacturing fear. "I'm going to have to do more research," he murmured, thinking out loud. "I'll have to go and study this inability to get control the human mind." And Hyde would come in useful, there. But, no matter how well things progressed, it was still going to take time.
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Post by Jules on Jan 7, 2009 20:29:52 GMT -5
Indira rolled her eyes. "So I see." She replied coldly and straightened her back. "I'm a Marelock. One who doesn't need Fear or Joy. As such, I won't be affected by this...famine. I'm hoping to use this moment of advantage to...find a place. Peacefully, of course. I imagine there will be riots enough soon."
She looked back up at him, eyes flashing a little. She didn't appreciate being threatened, "I am not a hypocrite, to my knowledge. And I can help. There are others too, that I would like to recruit to my cause."
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Post by Maestro on Jan 8, 2009 0:28:08 GMT -5
At her mention of being a Marelock, he nodded. "I suspected as much." While Hyde might have been able to tell when they were being watched or anything like that, Jekyll was observant enough about people and auras to understand basically what people were. Of course, there were times when he was very wrong.
"Trust me, I do not mean that as a negative thing," he added, realizing how that may have sounded. "What others? I will, perhaps, need assistants if I am to develop artificial fear." They might not actually need an assistant, but it would certainly make things go much quicker.
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Post by Jules on Jan 8, 2009 13:49:35 GMT -5
Indira stiffened even more and didn't relax much when he assured her he meant nothing by what he'd said. "I came here looking for the old librarian, Dren. You just so happened to catch my ear. I don't think she works here anymore. There's Finola Vicerri, who's a Marelock and quite the genius. Although," She even gave a little smile that warmed up her expression a few notches, "I wouldn't refer to them as your assistants."
She was beginning to get excited. How was it that on the day she came to the library, someone with close to the exact same interests as her was babbling about it out loud? "How far along are you, anyways?"
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Post by Maestro on Jan 8, 2009 20:21:40 GMT -5
"Trust me, I know what it is like to be reviled for being two in one, perhaps even more than you do," Jekyll said quietly, glancing down at the book in his hand. "At least you do not have to worry about situations like the one you overheard a few minutes ago," he murmured. IF he were to tell some people that, they would most likely tell him to argue inside his head, but you try keeping Hyde quiet when he wants to say something.
Hyde raised an eyebrow, arrogance showing through a bit. "Yes, well, I have been working on this invention for a bit, long before this crisis, long before you approached me." He was a bit irked about the way she had phrased that; both Jekyll and Hyde were amazingly brilliant, which most people recognised (having at least a partial knowledge of where they had come from), but this girl didn't quite seem to get it.
"I don't quite think it's your business, yet," he said, with a bit of a laugh. "Besides, how much would you really understand if I told you?" Hyde did not hold a very high opinion of this girl, so far. Jekyll might like her when he knew her better, but Hyde was not impressed.
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Post by Jules on Jan 8, 2009 20:48:14 GMT -5
Indira softened a little, one side of him seemed agreeable anyways. The other side she wasn't so fond of, and she could hypothesize life hadn't been simplistic for him either, despite being a Nightmare (or so she assumed). "I talk to myself all the time, and I don't have the benefit of two different voices."
It was supposed to be a joke, but it was also true. Indira found that talking to herself out loud often helped memory retention and the sorting of thoughts. She didn't appreciate it so much when Hyde surfaced, but she hid her distaste. Kind of.
"I'm sure you have. And yet, here it is, not in existence yet. I was not suggesting anyone but you should lead this, certainly you'd be the best to lead. But you understand that people will be starving soon and chaos will break out. And there's another goal to be accomplished, after the masses have been fed."
The softness brought on by the connection felt towards Jekyll fled at Hyde's grating and misplaced arrogance. "I think I'd manage to keep up."
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Post by Marguerite on Jan 9, 2009 2:25:40 GMT -5
Richard was not good at research.
In fact, he was not good at anything that required him to be still and quiet for a very long time, or anything that would not tell him immediately what he wanted to know when he shouted at it. He had already gotten in trouble with the librarian for swearing at the bookshelf for being dueced unhelpful. Well, it wasn't his fault the written word didn't know anything about minds being blocked off!
If the book knew what was good for it, it would have flipped open already to the relevant section.
What was even worse, someone was having a duecedy loud conversation in the stacks while he was trying to read and Richard would be damned before someone else could talk when he couldn't!
He glared around the stacks. "What the devil do you lot think you're doing? This is a library not a bloody theatre! Where'd the third tattle-box go? I've half a mind to wring his neck!"
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Post by Maestro on Jan 9, 2009 2:54:13 GMT -5
In Jekyll and Hyde's case, Jekyll was the researcher; Hyde had a mentality rather similar to the General's. And now that he had interrupted, Hyde finally had a chance to direct his attention somewhere other than this ... idiot.
Now, now, Edward. Give the girl a chance, Jekyll scolded. He was used to this type of argument with Hyde; it was not new at all.
Yet, there was one thing the girl had said that Hyde responded to with a growl, "The reason it is not in existence yet is because idiots like you keep disturbing me!" Jekyll had similar sentiments, but much more polite. "And trust me; you wouldn't understand one fourth of the data I have." No, Hyde was not impressed.
But now, he could turn his attention to the newcomer. "I am merely trying to rid myself of an eavesdropping imbecile." At that, Jekyll pushed himself to the surface.
"I am terribly sorry, miss," he directed at Indira. Turning his attention back to the General, he added, "And there is no third 'tattle-box,' as you put it. Hyde and I are one and the same." If he asked for details, Jekyll would try to explain, but for now, he would leave it at that.
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Post by Marguerite on Jan 9, 2009 3:00:24 GMT -5
"One and the...!" Jekyll and Hyde had managed the extremely difficult task of stunning Richard into speechlessness.
"Why devil take it, man! I heard three people again! Where the devil are you storing your friend? This is bloody madness! Rent is not so high but that you must bloody well share a body! Demmed bad form, demmed bad... devil take it, you ain't one of those coves who accidentally lost his body and had to bunk up with his friend, are you? I call that very sloppy indeed, sir! Bloody Cheapskate, that's the name of your friend, sir! I would shove him out at once!"
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