once_janus | IC Contact

Ready for another silly "Christine gets into trouble in Hell" story? I thought so. When the plagues rolled through town, I was buried alive in a coffin. I'm sure you're thinking, "Christine, that happened to lots of people, that's not exciting." You're right. The interesting part comes in when I tell you with whom I was buried with. It was Hancock. I was buried alive with John Hancock. We were a mess of tangled limbs. In a coffin.

[a hint of a smirk (or is it a smile?) curves the corner of Elizabeth's mouth]

Always.

You were buried... alive. Well, glad I missed out on that adventure. Seems like it was a good time to stay in and paint. I'm glad you that you're alright though. I guess you couldn't exactly die... again.

Oh, Hancock?

[He seems like a decent enough fellow; kinda starting to grow on her, he is. Like a mold.]

Wait, tangled limbs?

Chris, should I be worried about your decency? ;)

I was out and about. As I tend to do. You know me, can't stay put for very long. Found a lovely jazz club on the day that the sky was raining icy fireballs. We'll have to go sometime. Anyway. Yes. Hancock. Red coat, tricorner hat. Distinct lack of nose. Remember the day I went out to hunt down a hellbeast that was terrorizing the outskirts of town? It was with him. Pretty sure I mentioned that before but. I got banged over the head with a cast iron frying pan so I was slightly concussed at the time. When I started to come to, I might have mistaken poor Hancock for someone else, at first.

I'm guessing you spent a lot of time in one place, during your life. Restlessness can be a symptom of that. Trust me, I would know.

Yes, I know him. Actually made a deal with him; you could almost say we're working together, in the way that he's helping me and I will be helping him. With. Something? I'm uncertain what he wants, thus far.

Oh, you mistook him did you? And what form did that take exactly? Don't tell me you accidentally called out someone else's name.

[She's teasing you Christine!]

I did. Got sick of it. My death ought to be more interesting than my life.

[moving on because...THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED, ELIZABETH. GET OUT OF HER HEAD.]

I might have accidentally called him by my oh-so beloved almost-husband's name. It's rather difficult to tell the difference between the two of them in the dark while shoved into the tiny confines of a coffin.

Edited (what is html even) 2017-02-27 03:37 (UTC)

There may also have been an attempt at kissing him.

I couldn't agree more.

[Elizabeth contemplates the reality that Hancock could be mistaken for someone else; he's rather striking looking! It was dark though, and a small space...]

What exactly caused you to mistake him? Hancock is, uhm... I imagine it might be hard to confuse him with someone else, even if all you had to go by was touch.

[But oh, details!]

An attempt? I suppose your almost-husband should be glad of that?

Please don't think I'm judging you, Christine. I'm only amused by the situations you seem to find yourself in.

He seems like an agreeable sort, I doubt he was too upset over having a beautiful woman such as yourself try and kiss him.

[...right. She's probably mentioned something about Erik being ugly but never the full extent of it.

Well.

This is getting awkward.]

I do seem to attract ridiculousness, don't I? Erik has a rather peculiar appearance. He...might also be lacking a certain facial feature that sits right in the center there. I don't think Hancock was upset about it but. I am afraid I may have given him the wrong idea. I have been spending a lot of time with him, lately. More time than I've been spending with Erik, I dare say. I've gotten myself into a bit of a mess, haven't I. Another mess. I'm always in a mess.

You do. I'll just have to be sensible for both of us, won't I?

Oh, I... can see how that would make it easy to mix them up, in the dark. No nose is a somewhat striking feature. Well, here, anyway. You'd be surprised what kind of monsters Rapture churned out.

Spending time with someone doesn't hurt, but if you find yourself feeling guilty? That's probably a sign something is wrong.

[She would know!]

Huh, then maybe it's a good thing I don't mind you in a mess? I don't know... really anything about romantic relationships, so I'm afraid I can't offer much advice.

I can be sensible! I was sensible for the majority of my lifetime!

[Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Christine.]

I figured out the differences rather quickly. Erik's cheekbones are far more distinguished.

[That's the nice way of saying that he looks like a skull, she supposes.]

There's a lot of things I feel guilty about.

[But whether or not Hancock is one of them...she's not going to admit quite yet. She doesn't know what she feels for him.]That's alright. Wasn't really looking for advice, I don't think. Just...wanted to talk. Feels good to get it off my chest.

Seems like your death is nothing at all like your life, doesn't it?

[I don't think anyone has seen so much good nature from Liz in a long time.]

Yeah well... join the club. Maybe we should get jackets. [Sarcasm]

I'm here to listen, if that's of any comfort to you. Just send me a message, and I'll be here.

My life was dreadful. That might be an exaggeration a bit. It wasn't so bad. The sort of privileged life that all the Victorian ladies dream of. But yes! Jackets. We could even...what do they call it. What's the word I'm looking for... Bedazzle. We could bedazzle our stylish guilt club jackets. Shall be all the new rage for angel fashion.

So you were kept in a metaphorical cage, more or less? I can't decide if that would be better or worse than being locked up in a real one.

Bedazzle. [Oh. My. God.]

I can honestly say I've never worn anything bedazzled. It just looks so... shiny.

[She's not sure if she approves or disapproves.]

Out of curiosity, have you told your almost-husband that that you almost kissed someone else? Maybe you would feel less guilty if you tried that. He couldn't be too upset over an accident, could he?

[Hmmmmm.]

Unless there's some reason you think you shouldn't?

There's a lovely sort of torment involved when you can see freedom right outside your window. And that it could be yours, if only you were brave enough to take it. Your own mind ends up being the cage, in the end.

[But enough about that...this bedazzling thing is amusing her right now, okay.]

Well, when in Hell, right? No demon would dare mess with two angels glittering so wonderfully in gaudy rhinestones. We'd truly be a force of nature.

[Her ridiculousness is charming, right?]

I haven't spoken of it to him, yet. I intend to but it's a delicate subject. He's the sort to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. I know that he wouldn't hurt me. I worry that he'd make an attempt at hurting Hancock.

A cage is a cage, I guess; never any fun for the bird.

[Full serious tone:] It's very likely we would blind them, with so much excess glitter.

You think he'll take it out on Hancock? Odd. Seems like it's you he should be upset with.

No offense, Chris.

We'll have to invest in some quality sunglasses.

[Okay, okay, time to be actually serious.]

No offense taken. He should be upset with me. He will be upset with me, I'm sure. He'll still go after Hancock, though. Eliminate the threat even if there is no actual threat.

How much damage could he really do? We can't die again, for one thing.

I wouldn't put anything past Erik, honestly. He's a very creative person. His voice is but one of his many, many talents.

[This conversation is really making Christine realize what an idiot she's been and oh God.

But is that going to stop her...?

Probably not.]

He sounds like a man not to be trifled with. Actually from what you've said, he almost reminds me of this mad artist I apprenticed with... uhg, he wanted me to sing for him and I wanted a line on his trafficking business.

Not that Erik sounds quite that bad, by any means.

He might be exactly that bad. Perhaps worse. I never said my relationship with my darling almost-husband was particularly healthy.

I was politely trying to avoid mentioning that it was child trafficking, so I sincerely hope he isn't quite that bad.

And trust me I would be the last person to judge what makes a healthy relationship.

[You know. She only drowned the creature that raised her. And her father, too. Oops.]

No, no. He's likely murdered and tortured hundreds of people but he's never done anything like that.

[As if murdering and torturing people is that much better???]

Elizabeth...why were you trying to get involved with a child trafficking business?

[a wisp of dry laughter]

You and I seem to keep like company.

[Oh... that. Well shit.]

That's... actually a complicated question. The short version is that I was trying to get revenge on a man who had wronged me. I needed Cohen to... set the bait, more or less.

[It doesn't sound so good that way, but it won't sound good regardless.]

The man was a lunatic. Even had this mask with tall white rabbit ears. I didn't see him wear it all the time, but he certainly had a... fixation.

[She tries to nudge the conversation away from the hand she had played; it's not a story she's told anyone, so she isn't even sure how to begin.]

[WELL. That's just oddly specific in a way that pertains to Christine.

Just a little. A tiiiiiiny little bit. Barely even a thing.]

You know how I just mentioned that Erik is lacking a nose? He has a bit of a complex about it. He wears a mask all the time. Doesn't have rabbit ears, though. But he definitely qualifies as a lunatic.

[Christine lets Elizabeth get away with turning the conversation a bit. Christine is more than happy to put all the snippets of information together on her own. Like a puzzle.

But also, she's sort of distracted by her own giggling at the thought of Erik's mask having rabbit ears.]

Really? Huh. Constants and variables, I guess-- which means, more or less, that across time and space some things change, and yet others remain the same. The multiverse is fond of it's patterns, like that.

Hm.

Now I'm starting to get concerned. Cohen did things such as electrocuted me when I wasn't dancing to his absurd standards; please don't tell me we have some common ground surrounding that kind of treatment, too.

text; rosedurossignol

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject