|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 11:27:02 GMT -5
The room filled itself with people in only a short amount of time. Parties at the A La Amour were the most desired in the city. Everyone wanted to attend. But only those associated with the theater were ever aloud. How David Remoure got his hands on an invitation was unknown. But Margot hadn't thought to question. As a man she had once known as a child, he took the liberty of keeping her company while she frantically searched for Damon. After an hour, she traveled over to the wine table and gulped down a hearty glass of rich red wine. Her father had been on her about getting Damon to do less shows for a while, perhaps none at all. She had told him that she had done all she could, but there was no stopping him. The crowds grew less and less after everyone came to the conclusion that they didn't want shot when they went to see some guy perform magic tricks.
David, taking notice to her consistent drinking that night, slithered an arm around her waist with a small smirk. She didn't reject him, because she already felt numb. Had she been aware of his hand clenching her hip, she might had swatted him off immediately. Margot leaned back against the table, staring out into the mass of dancing bodies. He was nowhere to be found, and here she was, being felt up by her childhood friend. Each time Damon was more distant than the last, less considerate, more angry with her. David swooped in to the rescue, being there as often as Damon was acting funny. Once, Damon had even accused David of being the man who had beat him on the night after his shooting. She was too blind to realize it.
Margot's father stepped over to his daughter. David gave an innocent smile and only tightened his grip on her. Margot suddenly felt his presence and her stomach lurched. She needed more to drink.
"Darling, have you spoken to him?" Her father asked.
"I have, and I mean to further tonight." She explained. Margot sighed as her father walked away silently, another drink produced in her right hand. David hadn't skipped a beat in getting it there.
This time she simply sipped it, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks from intoxication. She was a depressed drunk most of the time. It depended on how drunk she was whether or not she could be a happy, giggly drunk as well.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 11:56:28 GMT -5
Gazing down at the ground far beneath him, he sat in wonder while he listened to the muffled sounds of laughter and conversations that he couldn't understand. The noise echoed very quietly through the theater and toward him, where he was sitting with his legs dangled from the stage. He should have been in the ballroom already, listening to meaningless conversations and laughing at pathetic jokes like everyone else was, but for some reason it just felt too awkward to him. Why it seemed that way, he didn't know, but he was sure it had something to do with Margot and her old childhood friend.
Damon looked up from his usual black outfit and gazed toward the four sets of doubled doorways that lead into the ballroom. Though he wore his darker than night sunglasses, the theater still seemed to be just as bright as day to him, and he could easily see the faint outline of the doorways with the shadows passing across the light beneath them. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, knowing that he should probably get himself into that room.
He leaned forward and allowed gravity to pull his body to the ground, off of the stage. For that brief moment, he felt the air pass by his ears and through his air, until his feet landed flat on the ground. He stepped forward and brushed a hand lazily through his hair and could feel the long, black leather duster swishing behind his legs. Taking the aisle nearest the center that lead to the doubled doorways, he glanced up toward the portraits on the sides of the theater. For a short while, he was reminded of the night that he had been practicing in the theater when he revealed his secret to Margot. That was probably a foolish idea, and as he turned his gaze back to his destination, he made a vow to never allow it to happen again.
When he reached the doorway, he pushed gently on it to allow just enough space for him to step into the room, and he then could see the vast crowd that was already there. A quick sweep of his eyes around the room told him that the majority of the crowd was part of the theater staff such as actors, front desk clerks, or dancers, but then there were also a few that he didn't recognize who probably simply slipped inside without notice. From what he knew, the party was for the theater staff alone, but he didn't truly care who had attended.
Soon though, his gaze fell upon a young woman who was sipping from a glass of wine with someone he had met only a while ago. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched them briefly, but when he felt his hands clench themselves into a fist, he turned his head forward into the crowd again. Inhaling slowly, Damon allowed his eyes to close and his hand to release the fist, and as the breath was also released, his eyes opened again.
I really need to get a grip on myself, he silently thought to himself. Lately, he had been having a lot more trouble controlling his temper. That fact was probably due to the lack of customers he had been seeing in his shows. Ever since the one that he had been shot in, the audience had become smaller and smaller every week. Why? He wasn't exactly sure, but he could certainly guess. Who would want to go to a place that there would be potential shooting? Even if the entertainment was astounding, health risks overruled everything.
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 12:17:37 GMT -5
"Damon." Escaped from her mouth. It was a miracle she had even seen him in the thick crowd. But there he was. She sobered up as much as possible and struggled from David's grip, heading for the only person she had ever trusted with her whole life. She would jump off a bridge for him and probably would have slit David's throat had she realized that the man who had beaten Damon was.
Suddenly, on her way to embrace the mysterious man, David swooped her up and carried her in the opposite direction to a small door behind the liquor table. He took her through a hall and placed her down on a sofa in one of the rooms.
"Love, I think perhaps you should sit for a while and get some rest. You look like you've had a barrel of wine. Your father wouldn't like to see you in such a state." David said, brushing his hand across her cheek.
"But..." David covered her mouth as she protested, wanting to see Damon. She slinked back, defeated, into the chair as she place a dangerously close to her lips kiss on her cheek. Margot pulled away and sighed, feeling the effects of her drinking coming back once again.
Once David had gone, Margot stood up, feeling nausea set in. She ignored thisand wandered down the hallway. Disoriented, she didn't realize she was going the wrong way, and instead of ending up in the ballroom, she was walked down steps to the basement of the theater.
David, while this was occuring, was grinning mockingly at Damon. Margot's father standing next to David, talking of something that the young man cold care less about. All David wanted was to see another bullet through Damon, this time, through the hear.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 13:10:20 GMT -5
Damon reached his hand up and caught a glass of wine from the server that had just passed by him. It was full nearly to the brim, though Damon's smooth and swift catch didn't allow a drop to fall. He pulled the glass to his lips and took a sip, allowing the fruity, dry wine to swish into his mouth before he swallowed it. Glancing again toward where he had seen Margot before, he that time only saw a couple of empty spots. Another sigh escaped him when he decided that she must have simply left with whomever this 'David' was, and he simply stepped carefully through the crowd.
Before long, he reached the doorway that lead out into the nightly air. Turning, he still saw no sign of Margot, but instead saw her father speaking to the young man that she had been with before, who then was simply grinning with a mocking smile in Damon's direction. Confounded by the sight, one of Damon's eyebrows rose to show his confusion, though he only glanced a second longer as he pushed the door open. Stepping outside into the cool air, he took another sip from his glass and moved a little ways away from the door. He stood there in silence next to a pillar and stared out into the night, watching the few people that were still awake walking around the streets. They were all lit by the lampposts and stars in the sky, though it was still slightly dark and comforting to Damon. He enjoyed the nighttime air compared to the day, though that was probably understandable due to his condition.
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 13:33:18 GMT -5
Margot's father caught sight of Damon and told David farewell. He waited for Damon to get situated outside before he followed him. Once he was in the young man's presence, her father let out a long held breath and bowed his head to the man.
"M. Walker. It seems that our numbers are falling these past few weeks. Perhaps it woud be wise to take some time off. My daughter has that she has spoken to you about this. Why do you not consider a break? I could get you two a lovely cottage off the coast of England for a few months. Perhaps we could speed up any courtship between you two."
_______________________
Margot crept down the spiraling stairs, wondering if there was ever an end. Out of her drunk state, she tripped on the last step and nearly banged her pretty face on the ground. She uprighted herself and walked along a narrow corridor, finding it darker than before. She could hardly see anything. Every once in a while she would come across a corner, where she'd turn to the next space, and finally she would come upon an open room with dim lights. The small amount of lighting was enough for her, who had not been able to make out her own hand in front of her before.
For a moment, she was unsure of what she saw before her. There was a window that displayed a room further below. There was a vat of chemicals stewing inside a heavy steel barrel. There were about three workers checking it every so often. Gadgets and buttons were everywhere. Wires extended out. She followed one to another room that could be observed from her spot. In a chair sat a young man, probably around Damon's age. He was strapped down and being forced to consume various kinds of liquids. The he was injected with the chemicals that had been in the steel casing. The man howled, writhing in his seat. No one seemed to mind.
Margot let out a small, horrified gasp as she ran back in the direction she had come. As quietly as possible, she groped her way through the corridors, back to the room David had placed her in. Once she had caught her breath, she used one of the doors of the room to head outside. She couldn't see Damon and her father from where she was, but if they were paying attention, they could have seen the panting girl standing there in horror.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 13:57:27 GMT -5
Moments passed in silence until finally the door swung open behind Damon. He glanced back shortly to see Margot's father coming outside to join him and then he returned his eyes to the streets.
Damon heard the man let a long breath escape from his lips as if it were a sigh just before he started to speak.
"Mr. Walker. It seems that our numbers are falling these past few weeks."
Damon said nothing and only half listened to what the man had to say. Though Margot's father was very wealthy and had connections beyond belief throughout the city, he still had little care for anyone who was trying to get him off of the stage.
"Perhaps it would be wise to take some time off."
And there it is, Damon thought to himself silently. He knew it would have only have been a matter of seconds before the point of the conversation would have come out.
"My daughter said that she has spoken to you about this. Why do you not consider a break? I could get you two a lovely cottage off the coast of England for a few months. Perhaps we could speed up any courtship between you two."
Damon turned his head toward the man and gazed at him for a moment. It always amazed Damon how much her father wanted her to get married, even to someone that he barely knew. Granted, he was famous, but even that was slowly sliding out the window due to the event that had happened in one of his shows. His eyes fell to the ground and his head turned back to the street once more. He then was staring at the steps that lead out to the sidewalk along the city streets, and his mind was slowly looking over the conversation as he attempted to come up with a reason why he should stay on stage.
Before, he was the main person that brought in the audiences, allowing everyone in Paris to see a new side of the world, as well as to let them drop their money in the bags for the theater. After that shooting though, it was no longer him that brought in the customers. If anything, he was the one who was scaring them away. Slowly, he took another sip of his wine. The dry and fruity taste once again swished through his mouth and he held the glass close to his waste between his middle and ring finger.
"I suppose that you're right, Mr. Reolas," he replied finally. "After that one show, it does seem that I've been scaring away the customers more than anything, but as for your offer, I don't believe that would be necessary."
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 14:05:24 GMT -5
"Sir? Is there something wrong with my daughter?" He asked, getting to what he really wanted. "You two have been spening less and less time together. I'm beginning to wonder if David hasn't stolen her from you already. Personally I would rather see her with you. But I suppose I can let that matter fall with you children."
Her father sighed. "You have not told her about the operation then at least?" The last thing he needed was for his little girl to know how he really got his money, the experiments in the basement of the theater.
Margot spotted them and sighed, watching as he father spoke to him. She could hardly hear what they're saying, but she listened as well as she could. She heard the last and swallowed. Was there something else Damon was hiding from her? Her own father seemed to be hiding something as well. Was it thatplace she had just seen?
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 17:34:19 GMT -5
"Sir? Is there something wrong with my daughter?"
Damon's eyes rolled involuntarily toward the man.
"You two have been spending less and less time together. I'm beginning to wonder if David hasn't stolen her from you already."
His eyes narrowed behind the polarized sunglasses at the mention of the fool's name.
"Personally I would rather see her with you. But I suppose I can let that matter fall with you children."
"I don't remember those words coming from my mouth," Damon replied somewhat more coldly than he intended. "I simply said that the offer was not necessary. I believe that I am capable of taking care of my own romantic events."
Her father sighed. "You have not told her about the operation then at least?"
Damon turned his head toward the streets again. "I've told her about me," he said in a more calm voice, "and I'm sure that she's smart enough to figure the rest out if she really wanted to, but no, I have not told her about the 'operation'." Damon didn't share that secret with anyone. Allowing her to know that he was no longer normal was as far as he took the information, but he was certain to leave out the reason or place that it had happened.
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 19:58:01 GMT -5
"You...told her about," He pointed towards his glasses. "You?" He couldn't believe that Damon had had no couth in the manner of telling his daughter. How could his daughter still love a man who was so injured and broken? Then again, how had she fallen for him to begin with. Mr. Reolas had liked the idea of her and Damon simply because he was a kind and thoughtful young, who he knew would keep his little girl safe. He wasn't so sure anymore. He was even surprised that his daughter, who had been given everything she wanted, hadn't thought to seek perfection in even her own mate. Maybe Margot was not as he percieved her to be.
"And she still loves you?" He asked. "I've got quite a wonderful young girl." He stated, glad to see that his daughter wasn't shallow like many others.
Margot stared at the to figures. After a while, their speech became more clear and apparent. She was able to understand them from her spot. Neither of them had noticed her yet, and for that she was thankful. Of course she would love Damon with every flaw. She had loved him before hadn't she? Why not after? He had not murdered someone. He had never hit her or done anything wrong. So maybe he was a little more distant. She only hoped it passed.
"Do we have a deal then?" Mr. Reolas inquired. "You will take a nice long break from your performances?"
From within the party, David was wondering what Margot was off to. He had checked the room, hoping to catch her in a groggy, worn state. It only made it easier to get inside her head - and her dress for that matter. He decided to check outside. There he found her, listening to her father's conversation. Before he could startle her and she make a noise, he placed his hand over mouth and held her tight against him.
"Hello love." He whispered, grinning. It appeared that Damon could not see them. This disappointed David.
Margot struggled in his grip, tearing his hands from her as best she could. She stepped back, hoping no noise would allow the two men to know that she had been there all along. David smirked and went back inside, trying to take her with him. She swatted him away and he retreated.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 20:20:21 GMT -5
"You...told her about,"
Out of the corner of his eye, Damon could see Mr. Reolas's hand pointing toward his dark, polarized sunglasses. A simple nod went in return to the astonished question.
"And she still loves you?"
One of his eyebrows lifted in annoyed confusion as his eyes shifted toward Mr. Reolas.
"I've got quite a wonderful young girl."
Damon turned his head to look at the man fully, and then over Mr. Reolas's shoulder, he saw some movement. He noticed that Margot was standing there listening to them, but he made no motion to show that he saw her. It would be to her benefit to hear the conversation, since it was about her after all.
"Do we have a deal then?"
Damon's head turned back to the streets again.
"You will take a nice long break from your performances?"
A moment of silence passed between them while Damon thought to himself. The stage was all that Damon had become accustomed to. Granted, he didn't need to keep performing for money, it was simply who he was and it would be a completely different world if he were to just up and leave. After a few seconds had passed, he replied with, "Yes, but after my next show. It will be my last for quite a while."
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 20:37:56 GMT -5
"Alright. One last show. I will be sure to advertise to all my friends. It will be your best." He smiled. Truly, he was not a bad man. All he wanted was happiness amongst his employees and clientelle.
In all his haughty glory, David stepped stood at the door near Damon and Margot's father. He pondered for a moment whether it was worth going out there. But then he decided he would do all it took to get rid of the dark young magician. He opened the doors with his usual shit eating grin, and stood between them. Turning his back to Damon, he shook the hand of Margot's father. Finally he turned around and was about to shake Damon's, but instead he stepped back next to Mr. Reolas.
"What is all of the talk out here about?" David asked, patting the old man on the back. He was aware as well of Margot's presence. Her father was the only oblivious one.
"Oh. Nothing. Mr. Walker and I were simpl making arrangements. He quite an asset to the theater." Mr. Reolas said, obviously lying. Damon was killing their status and taking up space at the moment.
"Ah. Yes. I'm not sure I've seen how he has effected your wages, but if you assume so, sir." David smiled at Damon.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 20:57:35 GMT -5
"Alright. One last show. I will be sure to advertise to all my friends. It will be your best."
Damon was annoyed at the fact that he had to make 'deals' to stay on stage. He had never had the problem before. If anything, he simply needed to say when he was next ready and then the show was basically set to any standard he wanted. After that dreaded show though, everything had gone downhill. If ever he were to get his hands on the man that caused it all to happen, he would certainly make a huge change in his life as well, or possibly end it.
Damon then heard steps coming from the doorway behind him and he glanced to see David's foolish grin walking toward them. The policeman stepped between the two men who were dealing with business, turning his back toward Damon who aggravatingly rolled his eyes and crossed his hands before him, holding the wineglass above the other arm and tucking his left hand beneath his other elbow. Whenever David turned toward Damon to shake his hand, Damon simply stared at him and saw that David never actually intended to shake it at all.
"What is all of the talk out here about?"
Damon's glare wasn't able to be seen through the sunglasses, but it was all he gave David as the policeman patted Mr. Reolas on the back.
"Oh. Nothing. Mr. Walker and I were simply making arrangements. He's quite an asset to the theater."
His eyes shifted toward Mr. Reolas, hearing the lies slip between the man's teeth like a snake's hiss. The statement stung Damon, but David's next only pushed the venom even deeper into his blood.
"Ah. Yes. I'm not sure I've seen how he has effected your wages, but if you assume so, sir."
Damon watched as David smiled at him, knowing it was only a mocking one, and Damon returned an evil smile himself. Hidden beneath the other arm, Damon slightly opened the palm of his left hand and allowed the tiniest tuft of smoke to appear. The black smoke formed itself into a pebble, about the half the size of a marble, and he simply held it there.
One more word, he thought silently as he watched the policeman carefully, I dare you.
Though the threat was silent, and possible unavoidable to break, Damon attempted to make small talk with the man. A tight loathing was still there, but due to his performing career, he knew well how to mask it. "How are the patrols, David?" he asked. "Keeping everyone at bay?"
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 21:07:56 GMT -5
David let out a soft grunt that sounded more like a laugh as Damon mentioned the patrols. The night he had beat the shit out Damon was still fresh in his mind. He would never acknowlege that Damon had been at a disadvantage at the time. Instead, he acted as if he had overpowered the daring magician.
"Oh yes. Keeping everyone under control. Just remember to watch yourself out there Mr. Walker. Can't make any exceptions to the law." He said, a very knowing tone to his voice. He meant what he said.
Mr. Reolas didn't understand what was going on between the two, so he just smiled as well, listening. Margot somewhat began to see what was happening. She felt strange listening to the conversation.
"Have you see my daughter David?" Mr. Reolas asked David.
"No sir. I'm not certain I have for quite some time. Perhaps you should check in the ballroom." David answered.
"Ah. Perhaps I shall." The old man said, heading into the room of people, leaving David and Damon alone.
|
|
|
Post by Damon Walker on Mar 23, 2008 21:18:02 GMT -5
"Oh yes. Keeping everyone under control. Just remember to watch yourself out there Mr. Walker. Can't make any exceptions to the law."
Damon's left hand clenched into a tight fist around the pebble, though his face still held the evil smile. Silently moving through his mind, the thought of Alright, that does it, began to form. You're de-
"Have you seen my daughter, David?"
The thought didn't go through completely, though he knew exactly what it was going to end as.
"No sir. I'm not certain I have for quite some time. Perhaps you should check in the ballroom."
Eyes shifting back toward the policeman, Damon thought silently, Bad move, donut breath.
"Ah. Perhaps I shall."
Damon watched out of the corner of his eye as the older man walked back into the room full of people and also watched as the door closed behind him. Returning his gaze to David though, he allowed his calm tone to become a cool acidic one.
"So, do you always attack people that are injured or did you just make a special risk for in my case?"
|
|
|
Post by Margot Reolas on Mar 23, 2008 21:26:43 GMT -5
"Some of my men take to beating the homeless. I found it to be a dry sport. I rather came after you for my own reasons. Your inury just made it all the more enjoyable. I was happy to hurt you more." David said nonchalantly.
And there was the truth. Margot stared at the two. David either had forgotten she was there or thought she had left. She stared at her old friend and then looked to Damon with an appologetic glance. Had she been aware of her friend's intentions before, David would have been gone a while ago. She didn't want to hear anymore.
Margot came forth, as if she had never been there before, even though they knew she had been. She walked right past David, who was ready to embrace her, and took a spot beside Damon. Once there, she wrapped her arms around him lovingly, Resting her chin on his shoulder.
"There you are." She said as if she meant it.
Margot looked at David, who had an apparent amount of disgust in his look. His demeanor changed from slick and clever to disappointed and angered.
How could it have been David who had hurt Damon? What the hell was going on? Margot didn't understand a bit of all she had witnessed that night.
"'Ello Margot." He said. "Are we feeling better now?"
"What are you talking about. I've been fine." She said. "But if you mean when you carried me against my will to one of the back rooms, then yes, I think I've recovered quite well."
|
|