Black Manor

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

AbbieNoel

Guest
Original poster
Black heels quietly clicked across the tile; A young woman entered the main room of Black Manor. Her eyes held a fierce stare, her body slowly inching towards the door. "Julius.. Where are you, my dear?"


A man with long, gray hair entered the room, his grayish-blue eyes fixated on the woman near the door. "Serena, dear.. Come play with me." It wasn't long before the woman noticed the skeleton behind him. She rolled her eyes, walking away as he began to twirl with the skeleton. The dance was slow and oddly captivating. Serena walked into the dining area, snapping her fingers slowly. "Hurry, dear.. The guests will be arriving. That is when we shall play."

Julius smiled, sitting the skeleton down in a nearby chair and hurrying after Serena. "Shouldn't we notify Abigale?" Serena slowly wrapped her arms around Julius, hugging him tightly and giggling. "Silly me.. I told you who was in charge, didn't I? That harlot need not to know as much as I, correct?"

The strange man nodded, a small smile flitting across his handsome lips. "Correct, my lovely Serena."

The sound of their footsteps clicked across the stone floor; A small whistled tune could be heard.

"Welcome to Black Manor."
 
Sid was just finishing with buyer that was buying his late parent's business. Sid didn't want anything to do with the business anymore after both his parents were shot to death by some petty thugs.

"Thank you so much for selling your business to me Mr. Maverick" Sid looked to the man after he was finished speaking. Leaning back in his chair and removing a smoke from his pack. He said "Its no longer in my hands. It dies with my parents. Now its history is in your hands." He lit his cigarette and exhaled some smoke through his nose.

After Sid recieved the money and left the building. He was walking down the road to his home with a cigarette in his mouth. A little orphan boy stopped him...

"Sir? Please sir. I haven't ate in weeks. Would you be so kind to give me money to eat with?" Sid looked down to the boy with indifference, deciding whether tbe boy is actually going to buy food. Or buy contraband. Either way, it didnt matter to him. He bent down and gave the boy 10 pence. The boy smiled "Thank you Sir. I won't ever forget your kindness."

Sid eventually made it to his home, where he stopped when one of his servants came out. "Master Maverick, a letter came in today from the postman. It is directly for you sir." Sid was handed the letter. Once he read through it, he sighed softy. "Its probably some other twit trying to rope me into another scam." Sid looked to his servant. "Your services are no longer needed. I cannot afford for you to stay here anymore" The servant bowed his head "T'was a pleasure sir"

Sid was walking down the alley, where he was told to go from the letter. Once he made it to the door, he did what was asked and waited.
 
As the door swung open, Serena smiled, welcoming the man in. "Welcome to Black Manor. I have a list of names, so it'd be best if you inform me of who you are now before we begin."

She smiled, walking ahead of him. "Let's take you down to the study room where we will be performing the studies." She led him down two flights of stairs, her slim body inches from his. Her blue hair hung in curls down her body, especially her breasts. "For the first half of the study that we are conducting, we are going to place the group in cells. It's a technique used to determine what essentially happens when one is locked into a cell for an extended period of time." She opened the door, nodding to him and closing it behind him. "If there is anything you need before the study begins feel free to ask. I hear another person at the door. Make yourself comfortable."
 
Ryan walked through his door with a sigh. it had been a long day of chasing person after person up about getting a job. He still hadn't gotten anything out of it though. How many days had that been now? He was too tired to count. He collapsed into the seat by the door, untucking his shirt and loosening his tie. He had been trying to get a job for too long. You'd think a certificate would assist with this... Maybe he just had to move on and try something else.

He rested his head against the wall behind him and closed his eyes.

"When will I catch a break? I've put in so much effort to get what I want, and what do I get out of it? Not even enough money to get food for the night..." he thought to himself. "Could I bring myself to give up on this though? I've put so much effort in. And it's not like I'm just going to sudden have a new job after I give up or anything. I'd have to put in the same amount of effort I am using now, and probably get the same results. And... wait a minute..."

He opened his eyes and looked at the floor in front of him. There, by the door, was an envelope. He had completely missed it before, being as tired as he was, but now he reached down and picked it up.

"Well then..." he said as he read the note inside. "Sounds like an opportunity for dinner." he groaned as he got out of his chair. "It's not that far away anyway. I'll be in and out before I know it. Maybe this is my shot at a job." He opened his door and headed off in the direction he knew the manor to be. When he reached it, he walked up to the door, knocked, knocked again, whistled, then waited. Weird that they needed a secret doorknock like that.
 
Hearing the knock and whistle, Abigale entered the room, nodding to the man and letting him in. "Oh.. Welcome to Black Manor." Serena quickly walked in, glancing over at Abigale with a frown. "Welcome! I was just about to show you the study room that the study will be taking place in. Would you like to see it?" She glanced over at Abigale again, smiling sheepishly. "Go speak with Julius. He will inform you of what is going on. Thank you."


Abigale retreated to Julius' room, her eyes narrowed. "Just what in the dickens are you and Serena up to, Julius?" Julius shrugged, plucking the antennas off a moth. "You know.. The usual things, I suppose. Don't worry, we're playing nice, Abi." Abigale huffed, sitting down in a chair beside Julius. She watched him carefully for a moment, her body rigid. "What is it that Serena has that I do not? Do I lack the proper attire for you, Julius?"



Serena led the man to the cell, shutting the door behind him. "Now if you two will tell me your names, I can cross you off the list and pay you.. I assure you, we pay before the study begins and we are particularly fast at our jobs. Just make yourself comfortable while we wait for the rest of the group to show."
 
Keith walked with the usual spring to his step, enjoying the fresh breeze. His steps were slightly rushed today, as the letter that had been delivered to him during the day piqued his curiosity more than nearly anything he had ever come across. It came at just the right time, too; he was running out of ideas for another route to his house from the library. Going to Levyway and knocking on the door in the alley was definitely something he hadn't tried yet.

He knocked thrice on the wooden door, his anticipation near palpable. After waiting a short while longer, he knocked two more times, whistling the beginning of "Greensleeves". It had been his sister's favorite song to play on the family's harpsichord since they were both children, and he'd memorized the tune years ago.

He heard footsteps inside, and he tugged at his jacket so it would look slightly nicer. Even if he didn't care much about appearances, the person on the other side of the door might, and he didn't want to make a bad first impression. When the door opened, Keith's smile became a friendly grin as he gave a cheerful "Good day!" to the people within. He couldn't wait to see what lay in store for him.
 
Hehewuti, or, Spirit for short, was out and about, not exactly having anything in mind. Her bare feet pattered against the warm floor of the forest, mud getting stuck between her toes. Shoes seemed so outrageous, and very disapproving to Hehewuti. They normally hurt her feet, being too tight, or too big. Normally her mother scolded her, but that was only when she would be around other people, which luckily there weren't people wandering around the woods. At least, there were supposed to not be wandering, since there were many hidden secrets within the dark beauty in which people were way too afraid to explore. These secrets, were never found Hehewuti, so that's why she always seems to visit the place, day and night.

Finally, after who knows how long, she slowly began to walk through their very small town just to get to her home. Passing by many shops, people, and carriages, the moon seemed to be getting higher by the second.

Once her home was in eye reach, Hehewuti quickened her pace. Exploring was very tiring, and she just couldn't wait to go to bed. Her soft silky skirt seemed to be dragging mud in behind her as she reached the house, knowing that her mother wouldn't be home until late. She wasn't wearing anything proper, like ladies should. Actually, she was wearing things that her people would wear. A small shirt that covered the breast area, little small strings falling down onto her stomach, and a long skirt with the same thing on the bottom of the fabric. Her clothing wasn't very colorful, but she seemed to enjoy it. Now only if she would wear shoes, then she would be a proper 'Lady' as her mother would say.

Spirit realized that there was a small envelope right in front of her door, making her a bit confused. How long had it been there? She didn't have any plans set in stone tonight, so what could it be?. That thought in mind, she opened the envelope and read through it intently. "Well, how kind.." Was the only thing that left her mouth, her voice soft and quiet.

Deciding to go through with it, she followed the instructions, quite curious. She was led down a couple of different paths, only to be found right in front of a door. Tilting her head, she pondered if she should knock or not.. Well, she's come this far, so why not?.
Wait she forgot to grab shoes, man that sucks. Maybe whoever's inside won't mind?.

Spirit then knocked on the door three times, followed by two more about a minute later. Her mouthed was formed in an 'O' as a soft noise came out, still not exactly sure how loud she should whistle.

(( If needed, I can delete this and Re-post it when Miss AbbieNoel comes back. I just had to post it because I'm not on my OWN personal computer so I can't save it. ))
 
Serena welcomed more people in, smiling slightly and leading them to cells in the 'study room'. "I'm glad that so many have decided to show up! Usually people ignore our cries for research!" She locked them into the cells, crossing the names off slowly and nodding. "I think there is one or two more people left, but I will get down to business." She pulled out the coins slowly, handing them each twenty a piece. "These shillings should feed your families for a month or more." She smiled inwardly, reflecting upon the fact that she didn't expect any of them to survive.


"As I told the others earlier, we will be conducting an exam on the effects of being locked in a cell. Eventually this will help housing criminals better. I expect to keep you all in the cells for over an hour or more.. If you need to use the restroom, there is a small door that leads to one. Please remember to flush each time. Thank you!" She took a seat delicately on one of the small chairs near a desk, writing down ways to trick the prisoners. "If you are uncomfortable, just let me know. If you need anything it'd be likely best for you to speak up now."



===========================================

Julius became concerned, shaking his head and pulling out a needle. He pushed the needle into Abigale's finger, making her bleed. Abigale did not flinch, though she inwardly recoiled at Julius' weird behavior. She observed him as he stuck his tongue out, tasting the blood and laughing. "You're just as sour as you are right now." Abigale yanked her hand away, her lust for him raging inside of her. "You must not forget about your promise, Julius. Lest you forget.. It'll be your head." Julius shook his head, kissing her cheek. "Are you happy now?"
 
Ryan raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember anything about this in the letter. he had thought it would be a simple survey. She was being very vague about how long they would be stuck there, which made him uneasy. He decided that he should get his questions out of the way.

"Um, excuse me. You didn't really specify how long we would be in here. I'd like to know when I can go home. Did you have a specific time?" He looked around his cage to find nothing but the door she had pointed out, then tied the pouch of coins to his side, waiting a reply.
 
Sid sat down in his cell being non-chalant about the whole thing. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and took one out. He lit it once he brought it to his mouth. Then he got an idea and it made him smirk.

"How about you show us them two balloons strapped to your chest there. Pretty sure that will make these twits quiet for an hour or so." He exhaked smoke through his nose waiting for a reply.

As he waited for the reply, he began to take in his surroundings. There wasn't much to look at other then the walls and the cell door.
 
Keith smiled at the money in his palm. His mother's fiftieth birthday was coming up in a few days, and she had been somewhat depressed about it, saying that it made her feel old. With part of this money, he could certainly get her a special present that would make her smile again. The letter had said that the people of this place would pay him, but they had certainly understated the amount they were giving. It was a pleasant surprise.

Ignoring the other's comments and pocketing the shillings, Keith leaned against the back wall of the cell. This whole situation was interesting; he hadn't heard of any experiments like these, and if he could ensure that prisoners were not being treated inhumanely, then he was certainly happy to help. It was surprising that more people hadn't shown up to volunteer for such a noble cause, especially since sitting in a cell for an hour or so didn't sound particularly hard, and even more surprising that the letter hadn't said this was what he would be doing. But maybe the people giving the test were sticking with a small sample size and didn't want to scare anyone off by describing the experiment. Well, no matter what had happened, this was an interesting circumstance indeed. He started whistling "Greensleeves" again; the tune was stuck in his head now.
 
Serena raised an eyebrow at the man who began smoking. She circled his name, nodding. "Sid, isn't it? Well.. Let me clarify what we plan to do... This experiment involves risks and being locked in a cell. You see.. Prisoners around the world are being treated horribly in prisons and jails. They never get the same respect that we free people do. Now... I know they did something to put themselves there.. But everyone is human. With this experiment, we can safely and quickly find what is so uncomfortable about cells... And maybe we can help the cause with our information and knowledge."

Abigale walked into the room, her blue eyes looking around at the prisoners. "Serena.. May I have a word with you?" Serena rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Not now." Abigale huffed, her black hair falling into her face for a moment. "No, I insist it be this instant! I know your plan, and I do not agree with it!" She looked to the prisoners, her eyes narrowed.


"Lest you all be ignorant.. This isn't a study. This is a scam to get you all into cells. Serena coerced you into being in here. I, as well as Julius, do not agree with this and will have no part in it."


Serena growled inwardly, standing and walking towards the cells. "Well.. You know my true intentions. But there's a catch.. The ones who can make it through the trials and things I assign will receive two hundred shillings a piece. Now, we are talking about a lot of money.. So what will you do? Could you kill for it? Could you manipulate for freedom? Now the study has started."


Abigale snorted, rolling her eyes and walking up towards the cages. "Listen before sleeping.. Someone can and will help you.."


With that, Serena and Abigale walked out of the room.


------------------------------------------------------------------

Lurking in the shadows and underneath the cells was a man known as Jarrett. He had been listening; He heard Abigale's statement. He planned to help.
 
Spirit's eyes widened as the two ladies began their small argument, the true intentions of this 'Study' coming out. Well that was surprising, who would help them then? Seeing as one of the girls spoke of some... Savior, in a sense. She shook her head and sat at the back of her cell, pulling her knees close to her chest. The trials they spoke of, what exactly would happen?. Her thoughts were interrupted as she smelled the smoke from.. What was his name? Sid? Oh well, it didn't seem to matter.

Would they die if they did something wrong during the trials? Hehewuti didn't exactly know what to do, she was scared, and curious. The curiosity was of just what they would have to do during their stay here, the fear set on if she'd never see her mother again.

Ceasing all negative thoughts, she calmly rested her chin on her knees, not feeling tired anymore. Well, her body was telling her to sleep, but her brain said otherwise. This was strange, yet it seemed to be exciting at the same time. In the books of history, never had their been anything quite like this. Well, maybe, but it hadn't been recorded in anything that she had read so far.

The things needed to win this so called.. Game, were things that she had no specialty in. All she had was book smarts, but then again, she had read many books of defense from others. Manipulating would be quite hard to do, and as fighting would be too. Well, she wouldn't give up. That would be a complete waste of coming anyways, plus who knew, there may be some good things coming towards them, even if it was dangerous.
 
Ryan's looked around, knowing that the other's in their cells were likely thinking about the same thing he was. That woman had asked "could you kill for it?" He shuddered as flashes of his memory in the army flashed before his eyes. A falling man, bloody grass... a curl...

He ran to the front of his cell and called out after them. "Wait! What are you talking about!? Let us out NOW!" His commanding voice echoed back at him after a few seconds, but nothing else happened. He walked back to his cell and slumped to the ground. Now what? Should he just wait? He thought of an idea and quickly stood up.

"Hey, you over there. The girl in the loincloth." Ryan said quietly. "You wouldn't have any hairpins or anything like that, would you? If you had any, I could use them to get us all out of here." He glanced over at the man who was smoking and rethought about that 'us all' statement. Personally, he couldn't stand it when men showed their lust towards women openly like that. He shook his head and waited for the girl's reply.
 
Spirit shook her head, only to realize that he probably couldn't see her. "U-uh.. I don't.. Sorry" She muttered softly, knowing that she didn't because she had always hated putting things like that in her hair. Yes, maybe a few beads here and there, but never a Hairpin.

Sadly enough she forgot to grab her small bag that normally carried necessities that she would need out and about. Man, luck seriously wasn't on her side, or anyone else in this room. "Maybe there's something in your um.. Cell.. Or the bathroom that the girl spoke of.." She pondered allowed, thinking of it as a possibility. She closed her eyes and leaned on the wall beside her, not feeling like moving as of right now.

The small space was getting to her, which made her begin to shake. Spirit had always had a.. Problem, with small spaces, since it seemed like she was trapped and that she would never be able to get out. Yet she was actually trapped, and it felt like the walls were closing in on her. Any sense of sleep ceased, her mind thinking that if she slept, the walls would crush her.
 
Julius had wandered into the room that housed the prisoners. His long hair shrouded his face; The only defining feature was the long, odd scar that wrapped around his face near his eye. He looked to the prisoners, shaking his head and walking to the old wooden desk. As he sat down, he grabbed a short, stubby pencil. He began to draw an odd skeleton, his long body outstretched in the chair. It wasn't until one of the prisoners caught his eye did he begin to stand. He walked up to the woman's cell, his eyes looking her over.

He decided to say nothing, though his eyes looked around the room before he returned to the desk, pulling out a needle and pricking his finger. He dipped a quill into his blood, outlining the skeleton in red and signing his name with his blood. He smiled up at the prisoners, walking over at looking at each of them, one by one. "Serena isn't usually like this.. Honest. She usually yells more." He laughed, stepping back and licking the blood on his finger. "I think I will now go find my cemetery and go back in my coffin." He began to laugh, though it was more of a maniacal and odd laugh. He walked away, his body slim and toned. "Don't be afraid. She makes it worse when you are afraid."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
At the sound of the word "scam", Keith's mouth fell open, and his shock only increased when he heard the conditions of his imprisonment. He had never manipulated or killed anyone before; if anything, he was more susceptible to manipulation than anyone else he knew. The top incident (as he called it) was quite indicative of that, even if it was a long time ago. If he let himself get killed, he could give someone their freedom, but he couldn't just abandon his mother and sister. Well, maybe this was a test of some kind, to see how they would react. Maybe this was part of the study. Yes, that made sense.

When he heard the conversation about a hairpin, he began searching the pockets of his jacket. His sister tended to leave hairpins in her pockets, for reasons Keith didn't understand, and she had borrowed his jacket the other day. Maybe he could help the nervous gentleman. Unfortunately, however, he found nothing of the sort. Oh, well; at least he had tried.

The odd man with the long hair passed his cell. Keith studied him closely, hoping to get some idea of what this man was like. The injury on his finger, while small, looked worrisome. He wanted to offer the man some help in patching it up, but when the man had dipped a quill in it and started drawing with it, Keith had realized he probably didn't want help anyway. Though the activity was slightly creepy, he couldn't help feeling sorry for the man. If he felt the need to draw with his own blood in order to find some amusement, he must be a very bored or unhappy individual. And what did he mean by "She makes it worse when you are afraid"?

Keith turned to his left, speaking to the person in the neighboring cell. "Excuse me, do you happen to know anything about this place? I don't believe I have ever been here before."
 
Ryan looked up at Keith. He had been in deep thought, and only now noticed the man on the outside of the bars. Without taking his eyes off him, he replied. "I've never heard much about it before. And I've definitely never heard of anyone who lives here. But then again, I'm not exactly the best person to be asking, since I've only been living around here for a few months."

He moved over to the front of his cell and stared at the gray haired man. "What do you know about this? Your friend who came in earlier mentioned that she and someone else didn't approve of locking us in here. Would I be right to guess that the other person she spoke of is you? And if so, will you free us?"
 
Julius walked towards the man that spoke to him, his eyes glancing at the other prisoners. "It's been so many years since someone has asked me for help.. But I am a fool; Am I not? I cannot help someone when I cannot help myself. At least.. That's what Serena says."

He grabbed the picture, handing it to the woman and smiling. "I encrypted a message in the drawing.. Serena told me not to but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.." He looked down at his finger, opening his mouth and licking the blood. As his mouth opened, his unnaturally long canine teeth were shown; He closed his mouth quickly, stepping back and walking towards the desk. He picked up the skeleton, sitting it down in one of the chairs and smiling. "This is my best friend. She's a wonderful dancer, too.. Maybe soon I'll show you our signature dance."

He walked out of the room then, shutting the door and locking it. "See you around.."



[Message Code:] Scrambled letters have been added into the skeleton drawing that Julius drew. It is a scrambled message. Your characters will have to personally decipher it one by one; You all can help eachother. I will give you the words, but they will be scrambled and you will need to figure it out.


Scrambled Words
  • fI
  • oyu
  • awnt
  • ot
  • etg
  • uto
  • hten
  • ouy
  • illw
  • eend
  • ot
  • srutt
  • nad
  • sentil .
  • lalC
  • yM
  • nema
  • nad
  • I
  • illw
  • lpeh
 
Shu Fang was late, and he knew it. It wasn't like he'd really done it on purpose, but he wasn't going to agonize over it, either. He was the kind of person who did whatever he liked, whenever he liked. He wouldn't let even something like this tie him down- the only reason he was there in the first place was because he was curious. If they weren't going to let him in now or something, he'd just shrug his shoulders and head away. Perhaps find the closest bar and take a drink or smoke. In other words- Shu cared little for the consequences of his actions.

As he reached the mansion he still followed the instructions and knocked the required amount of times on the door, before taking a step back and carelessly folding his arms over his chest. It was dark and a cold breeze was blowing towards him, causing his ponytail to flutter slightly in the wind. While the robes he wore were comfortable, they weren't very good in cold weather and he could feel a slight shiver ripple through him. Not that he would have complained openly about that... ever. Shu was way too proud for taking such actions. Instead he simply waited patiently for the door to be opened.

(Sorry it's so short. >.< It was totally written while there were really hot woman in swimsuits on TV... >////< I-I... was distracted. o.o)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.