paradisalogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Spike (

heloise, and Joshua (

ofhope)
What: They keep bodies in the cellar.
When: Seven days after death.
Where: The mansion.
Rating: PG-13

A week later, and Spike was awake.

When he opened his eyes to complete blackness, he didn't immediately comprehend the difference of breathing air into his lungs, or the clamminess of that air as it circled around him. Only when his heart began to accelerate, and after he brought an arm up to find the limited space of a softly lined box, did he feel that something had changed. Briefly panicked, he shoved at the lid until it swung open and revealed an increasingly alarming scene.

With memory lingering, like a dream that seemed both excruciating and numbingly quiet, he took his time to work himself through the confusing mess of what happened. He died, it seemed, and for a second time his body rejected the idea. If it was ever his decision. Death was never what Spike anticipated, but somehow he never thought of finding himself in something as traditional as a coffin. Or in a suit as nice as the one he belatedly noticed himself wearing. Which meant someone had taken a bizarre interest in his funeral arrangements.

His was the only body he could see in the room; although when scanning the area, his eyes rested too long on an old soda machine stored in the corner. Weird collection. -- Maybe that should have been a sign to get out as soon as possible, but instead he moved slowly, as if his limbs were still relearning how to function.

Eventually, he ventured to the stairs and the door that blocked them at the top. A locked door, as it turned out. At first, he considered knocking, but quickly changed his mind. He took two steps back and kicked just below the handle to send the whole thing splintering open in a remarkably loud bang that nearly caused him to flinch back in surprise. Even still, Spike pulled his head out to the other side, and looked up and down the hallway and let its odd familiarity slowly dawn on him.

...

The mansion. Suddenly it made sense.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Life in the mansion is far more mundane than many might suspect. Joshua's long naps and Lucrezia fussing over her terrible embroidery take up much of the day, and her dressing and putting up her hair in intricate coils take some hours too.

Only now she has grown too tired of trying to turn the jumble of colors woven onto her silk cloth into something resembling roses, so she turns her attention Joshua's hair instead. Possibly more manageable. It helps that he hardly stirs when she comes over to sit on the floor by his head to start weaving the smallest braid. But not before a kiss on his crown, because this is certainly well meant. He might turn out prettier than her!

The loud sound startles her. It sounds like something breaking, something dangerous, and she turns over her shoulder to watch the hallway leading to this room, fully expecting an intruder. Someone with less than good intentions perhaps. But Joshua is here with her, so they are both safe. A princess should never worry.

As close as they currently are to the cellar, it's no wonder that the cracking sound might bring some alarm, even from Joshua. Well, alarm and curiosity are the same, surely. When he opens his eyes to look and check where Lucrezia is, he shouldn't be too surprised to find her hovering above him.

What is tugging at his scalp...

Reaching up to muss at his hair, Joshua must spare her a look of mock exasperation when his fingers get stuck on what feel like tiny little braids. But there's really no time to get into proper hair care of sleeping bystanders when it sounds like something definitely got broken. He still takes the time to stretch and lean over to kiss her cheek before he stands and moves out into the hallway to check what all the fuss is about, expression and pace making it seem more like he's going to on the mail instead of an intruder, as he tries to tug his hair free of the braids.

No sound comes after, which may initially add to the theory about an intruder; it's more likely than a kidnapped body breaking loose. But an intruder would have had the sense not to stand there perplexed in the hallway until he hears someone approaching.

For once, Spike can't think up a single appropriate thing to say as he looks up to see Joshua. Maybe he should apologize for the door. In a place as nice as this, those have to cost more than normal. He even glances back at it, as if that's enough to indicate that he considered voicing the sentiment, when he's immediately distracted by the sight of the jagged wood sticking out at unnatural angles.

Jumbled thoughts get in the way of him asking very important questions that are sure to dawn on him at any moment. For now, all he manages is a weary shake of his head before he brings a hand up to rub his eyes and block out the things that threaten to overload his senses. Which might be just as expected for someone in his position. He's really starting to have a strange collection of memories associated here.

Her mind goes through all the possibilities as she watches Joshua saunter away. Stephanie or Ezio. Who else would even dare? It is a small comfort to know that neither of them would stand a chance of even harming Joshua, but he seems to have more enemies than she does here. Greater and stronger than the ones she made. Maybe in such instances, she can protect him instead. None would dare hurt her.

Lucrezia rises and runs to catch up, grabbing the back of his loose shirt as she peers at the hallway from behind him. This must be how Martha felt to see Lazarus rising from the dead, a mix of awe and trepidation, only she finds no urge to kneel and worship when this feels more like blasphemy. A castle with power over life and death. No matter, it serves her purpose today, smiling hesitantly and holding tighter to Joshua.

"Spike. I hope your lodging was satisfactory."

Joshua actually has the grace to look startled when he finds Spike standing around in the hall. It doesn't last long, though, as he's rarely fully aware of the passage of time, anyway, only remembering his time here for all the scratches on the walls and calendars. Maybe it has been two weeks, but who cares? He bears an easy smile soon enough, hands in his pockets while Lucrezia clings at his shirt.

"I would have unlocked the door on the day you were supposed to wake up. Are you that impatient to hang around the castle again?"

Spike opens his eyes again at the second voice. Even if it makes complete sense for her to be here, he looks to Lucrezia with the same mix of confusion and reaching memory. Not long after, his expression softens and a small smile attempts to erase any trace of seriousness. There's really no need to make things awkward by thanking her for their taste in coffins and whatever that implies. He still doesn't know.

"I'm not sure we'll be on speaking terms after that." As if he used to pal around with the Castle. It shows a great amount of control to compartmentalize enough to make the joke, but they shouldn't expect too much out of him. Rising form the dead can take a lot out of a guy. "How long?"

Excellent. It seems that they can expect no hysterics from Spike even after putting him in a coffin and locking the cellar door. She much prefers this reaction.

Lucrezia returns his smile twofold, no reason in hiding the fact that she is grateful, even if she might not have shown it back then. Letting go of Joshua's shirt now that there is no danger to face, she steps closer to the recently dead man so she can give him a loose hug. Joshua can answer his question. It certainly felt long enough.

"Welcome back."

Don't set your hopes too high, doll. Death affects everyone differently, Joshua has witnessed this enough times over the past few years, even if just from a distance. He won't be too surprised if even Spike has a meltdown at any given moment. For now, the teen will just roll with it.

"I'm not sure... I thought it was only a few days, but I would have to check the calendar again."

His muted gaze follows Lucrezia as she wanders over to hug Spike. It colors his smile with amusement, and he follows after her, stopping to slap the man on his back. Not too hard this time.

"Welcome back, hero."

It seems like breaking a door down was enough to satisfy him for now, while everything is still a haze of mixed realities and his less than peaceful slumber keeps him from being fully present in front of them.

Spike remains still when Lucrezia wraps her arms around him, although he flinches for the second time when Joshua pats his back. Feeling a warm body against his pushes him just a little bit further into their meeting than he's comfortable with. The gestures also keep him from recalling anything he did that would be considered heroic, but it's always hard to gauge sincerity between the two of them.

"Is that why I got the special treatment?"

"Do you not remember?"

Honestly, she hardly remembers everything that happened either. Most of it is just a mess of images and sounds that she isn't even sure are real, but she prefers believing what pleases her, as she does. She prefers having a hero. At least she doesn't recall him ever making the attempt to hurt her or lock her away, they can always make up a story that satisfies them.

Lucrezia pulls away soon enough, reaching for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze and beaming up at him, then to Joshua. "Do you suppose a coffin is payment enough?"

"He just woke up. A little early to talk about any sort of payment, huh?"

Lucrezia has never been clear on the last day on that ship, but she had at least been clear about Spike constantly seeking her out and at one point freeing her from where Stephanie had locked her away. And he had been there in her lap when he died, Joshua saw for himself.

And his look was at placid as it is right now, though his hand lingers before he moves away. In his own manner, Joshua was concerned, though he never sees much point in stating it. Especially to someone like Spike, who's clearly tense enough at the touching. (Not that he cares about such minor issues.) He just has so few people he can stand to be around for long these days.

"Hungry?"

He opens his mouth to answer Lucrezia, but nothing comes out, so he shuts it again. Of course, she'd become the one person who he'd managed to track down on the ship more than once, at the cost of others who he did even less for. Some of the faces he saw stirs up some kind of residual reaction in him that builds the tension in his shoulders.

Her hand is just as warm as the rest of her. Or maybe his body temperature hasn't reached a normal level yet. Spike doesn't really get how it works when it's so different from his last experience, but it gives him something new to focus on. Aside from payment, which mostly goes over his head.

"Yeah," he blurts out in answer to Joshua's easier question, even if it's a complete guess on his part. He hasn't eaten in days, so he must be, right?

Never mind the answer then, payments can wait. He can name whatever he wants for all she cares, if only because she thinks he would ask for something trivial. He doesn't strike her as covetous.

She doesn't notice any tension, perhaps she only wishes it away, moving away then to step closer to Joshua, looking over her shoulder to see that Spike follows. She does like having someone to pamper and a good reason to, when Joshua is so easily pleased with marshmallows and other simple things. Still, she has a suspicion that Spike is just the same.

"What are you hungry for? Pheasant? Rabbit? Name it and it will be served," she would send the maids on a kitchen rush that is.

Joshua has to chuckle at Lucrezia's suggestions, heading in the direction of the kitchen. Might as well. It's doubtful that Spike will want to sit around and watch Lucrezia sew while Joshua naps or reads some more. He can't even include the poor mortal in his training.

So food it is. He loves food.

"I don't know. He's looking pretty pale... Maybe he needs some virgin blood. That's supposed to taste the best, Zelman said."

Spike was about to shrug and say 'sure' to any suggestion they had, but Joshua's comment makes him pause in following them, like he's just now paying attention. Joking or not, his stomach churns at the idea. There's probably a supply of that in a freezer here somewhere.

He really picked some good people to take favors from.

"I'm not that hungry."

They certainly do more exciting things than sew and nap and read, but those things Spike might be even more averse to watching, if his last visit was anything to go by. Lucrezia laughs at the suggestion, turning to Joshua and playing along. Where is the fun in having guests over otherwise?

"Will one of the maids do, do you think?" Never mind what Spike said about not being hungry. Guests should never refuse food when served by the host, that would be rude. "Or I might have to call on acquaintances."

There is always the more innocent form of dancing instead, which Spike couldn't claim any punishment worse than boredom of he watched! Joshua even does plenty on his own time, but those hours are spent away from the mansion, weapons and all. The one thing Spike might be able to be interested in, but Joshua's level of training really was no place for him, as much as he thinks again now he'd love to drag him along, seeing the state the cellar door is in as they pass.

"Hard to tell who's a virgin these days... That's something he should just be able to tell by tasting, I think. Might have to go through a few before he hits the jackpot. But I think they need a lot of blood when they first wake up, anyway. I definitely read that somewhere."

His eyes narrow as they go on, obvious in their implications. He'd like to think they're teasing, but it doesn't help that he can imagine them acting the same way if they aren't. In either case, his appetite is dwindling the more they go on, which is probably proof enough. -- As if he's honestly considering the possibility. He really is out of it.

"I'd hate to be picky." He mutters, keeping his reaction as bland as he can. Although he should be careful, since they did pull out a coffin from somewhere. There's something called taking a joke too far.

That is the sort of dancing Lucrezia would want to watch too, even if Joshua has reason enough not to show her. Everyone has their secrets. Maybe even Spike, and she isn't so generous to allow him that when she can try to find out. There is no limit to how far she would take this game.

She reaches for Joshua's hand and surveys Spike like a newly minted member of their secret circle. He cleans up pretty nice.

"We might as well take wild guesses then. Young or older? Blonde, I assume." Joshua sure did give her a few tips.

And those weren't tips she was really supposed to flaunt in front of Spike, although Joshua's expression doesn't even flinch at the mentioning. Lucrezia could just be saying that because she's a narcissist, and that would not be a far off assumption, anyway.

At least he has the grace not to include any other specific traits, then or now. "If he's not picky, we'll just invite over one of your friends who feel charitable."

On top of it all, Lucrezia's comment seems to stand out as the strangest thing he could have heard. Almost surreal. Did the two of them gossip while he was...? Is that what he's dealing with now? He glances at Joshua as he attempts to cover up the slip.

"That's enough," he mutters when he finishes, too low to be at all threatening. Although that seems to be open to interpretation.

He wants to say that he's not one of the undead, but he isn't quite there yet. At least, not to the point where he can make light of whatever he went through, as much as he'd prefer to join them over whatever he's feeling now. If it weren't for the sudden twist in his stomach, he'd actually try to find a place to sleep it off. "Thanks, but I've had enough hospitality."

The quiet and mysterious ones too, but those seem strange traits to mention when it comes to drinking blood from someone. She slows her steps when Spike calls the magic word, or so it seems, time to end the joking perhaps. It is easier to make light of darker things, like death, when the Castle ruins its finality.

"No, you must at least stay the night," Lucrezia knows to drop her smile, a nod to his annoyance maybe, but he was never the easiest to read. But she thinks he can't say no to his hostess if he still means to be polite. "Then you can leave however and whenever you wish."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only