✦ 1x1 - [ fxnty & peppersdots ]

[quit...]

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[ Lucas Rogers ]
[ Colonel Rogers, Mr. Rogers ]
Tagged [ All ]
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"Sometimes the unbelievable is believable," he stated. Lucas laughed, "take the infected for an example." He sat down and placed his napkin on his lap. He grabbed his soup and ate it rather fast. He just ate till' he was finished but he stopped every once in awhile to remain polite.

He looked up and saw a maid, scratching her sleeve soon revealing a bit of her arm. He looked to see a bite. The infected once bitten are taken over yet they are not revealed until having their first of flesh. They are clever. He stood up and laid his hand against his belt, walking out of the room silently following her.

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[ Elizabeth Abney ]
[ Lizzie, Ms. Abney ]
Tagged [ All, Nathan, Louise ]
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Lizzie perked into Louise's and Nathan's conversation. "That's actually amazing with all these incidents happening around the nearby towns," she said. She didn't have much interest in Nathan yet she hasn't really learned much about him yet.

She created a small plan in her head and soon laid it out, "would you mind showing me around the castle tomorrow?" She asked. Lizzie finally filled her bowl with some type of soup, she truthfully didn't notice but it was mostly vegetables. She took a sip realizing what she got. She enjoyed and thanked one of the maids bringing another soup bowl, bot noticing Lucas' disappearance.

She looked at Nathan and saw the goofy grin on his face. She saw that before but seemed to ignore it. "That's fine," she replied softly. Lizzie noticed the things around, she just never really understood them. Having her heart broke many times she had just seemed to get used to it.

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[ Nathaniel Bryant ]
[ Nathan, 'the Flirt' ]
Tagged [ All, Lizzie, Louise ]
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Nathan felt sorry, he should of known. He replied, "sorry for the loss. The roads are horrible the way here." He grabbed a bowl and filled a little bit of it up. He truthfully wasn't hungry for eating a couple of hours before. "Yet the walls around us keep us protected, this castle hasn't had an incident in years," he said with proud.

He turned and saw Lucas get up. Like always, he thought. Lucas always left to do something, always busy it seemed like. Nathan really didn't think that about him. He just thought that Lucas was just more quiet and wanted to spend time alone. Personally Nathan never really got to know him but how could you if he was always gone.

He turned to Lizzie, nodding at her comment. Nathan took a sip of his soup. "Well, I hope you guys enjoy the castle," he replied joyfully. He continued to take small sips. "Oh, of course!" he replied to Lizzie with one of his smirks. Nathan continued, "how about in the afternoon? I have fencing in the early morning."

[peppersdots]

[ sorry for shortness! ]

❃ nora louise thornton
43 years ⋗ worried ⋗ watching ⋗ tagged; nathan, lizzie
"perhaps if joseph is free we can all go together, don't you think margaret?" she said inclining her head towards the older girl, who had watched lucas leave the room rather quickly after observing a maid. she ignored it, even when margaret made a phony excuse, saying she wasn't feeling well, stood and left the room by the same door. lord keep her from trouble, she thought to herself in a small silent prayer before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"yes, how is it that you've been so resistant to attacks?" she inquired, picking up on lizzie's thread of thought. it was odd that the surrounding towns were burnt out or overrun while this castle was a shimmering beacon of hope and safety. a little too good to be true, she thought creasing her brows together.

she watched nathaniel's expression change as lizzie joined the conversation. he was flirtatious and flippant and nora didn't like him. she would do what it took to keep her girls away from him, for now at least. while lizzie was practically a perfect lady, she would believe anything anyone told her, especially when it came to romance. the poor girl was in love with love, and found it hard to say no to men like nathaniel.

☄ margaret barbara abney
26 years ⋗ curious ⋗ talking ⋗ tagged; lucas
"sometimes what is presented as believable is quite too good to be true," she replied, taking a sip of wine. her spoon lay beside her bowl. she was done eating and a servant offered her more, but she was distracted by lucas standing and walking out of the room without speaking. she creased her eyebrows together in curiosity and dubiousness.

"if you'll excuse me for a moment, i need a little air," she said, nearly at a mumble as she stood, the chair scraping against the flagstone tiles of the floor, and following lucas closely. he was tailing a maid, one that had been scratching her arm since dinner had begun. she couldn't tell if she was from the castle or not, but eventually, when lucas stopped at a corner, she caught up to him.

"what's happening?" she inquired in a soft, but demanding voice. "not so much of a host that runs out on his diner guests. unless we're all about to be dinner for something else." her eyes scanned his face, trying to pick out the emotions and thoughts. was someone else bitten? she wondered, her mind and heart racing at a mile a minute. the memory of anna screaming in the back of the wagon was still glued to the insides of her eyes. when she closed them, that was all she could see. she knew now that she would not sleep well tonight.

♞ joseph james stuart
25 years ⋗ nervous ⋗ talking ⋗ tagged; all
joseph caught a glimpse of lucas leaving the room out of the corner of his eye. he trusted that the man had a good reason to leave now, something pertaining to security. what was more curious was when margaret made an excuse and left the same way as him. nora's expression seemed to confirm his suspicions; she was following him.

he turned his attention back to the conversation at hand. "there's also a patrol heading out in the morning, to check on the outlying farms nearby, but a patrol in the afternoon seems lovely," he interjected, giving nathaniel a level glare. the younger man was always doing as he pleased, rarely helping him and lucas and the soldiers with the protection of the castle and it's grounds and people. "we take in those that need help, provided they're not bitten, and they offer us what services they can to help support their keep," he continued, turning his attention back to elizabeth and nora.

"the surrounding towns are old, and most of their walls are timber," he said in reply, taking a sip of his own wine, having rehersed these answers hundreds of times. "many did not have the small force of soldiers that we have here, and not the stone walls and supplies. we have become a place of safety for many that lived in the area."

[quit...]

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[ Lucas Rogers ]
[ Colonel Rogers, Mr. Rogers ]
Tagged [ Margaret ]
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He turned around to relieve a small sigh. "I'm not the host, I'm a warrior of the castle," he stated nobly. He touched her shoulder, which was a bad mistake. His mother would always do that with him. Lucas was always running off with his work or help with others. He never really paid attention until his youngest sister was infected. That was the end of it, he paid attention to everyone around him after that.

He shook the thought off, he was still in reality. "Sorry," he said releasing his hand from her shoulder. He continued, "I must do this alone. Inform the others that a maid is infected if you must." He rushed with his words and turned away. Lucas didn't want to waste his time.

In the back of his mind he knew that in a second, someone would be stopping him. He shook his head and pulled out his katana placing it carefully between his hands. He didn't take a breath or prepare himself. He has done this many times before and it was no different than the others.

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[ Elizabeth Abney ]
[ Lizzie, Ms. Abney ]
Tagged [ Louise, Joseph, Nathan ]
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Elizabeth was surprised to see Joseph showing some shade for Nathan. Only meeting Joe for a day and she couldn't imagine him getting set-off so quickly. She listened to him, it was clearly an old line. Her questions weren't probably the first of them.

She spoke up, "I believe that everyone should come and get a little taste of the castle." She craved all the drama happening between the two men, it was almost amusing to her as a small giggle slipped from her lips. "Margaret will be missing out on all the fun if we don't invite her," she said.

Lizzie hid her yawn as it escaped her mouth. She was tired after the long ride but would have to stay for dinner. She started to think of unpacking the rest of her luggage in the morning, organizing her clothing. She was always an early riser, children were taught to wake up when needed yet she was always up when the sun was up.

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[ Nathaniel Bryant ]
[ Nathan, 'the Flirt' ]
Tagged [ Louise, Joseph, Lizzie ]
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Nathan grimaced at Joseph's interruption. To Joseph and Lucas he was just a bug roaming around the castle. He was a slacker but at least he did what he did. He waited for Joe to finish not really paying attention to what he was saying. I swear I've heard this.. he thought to himself.

He slicked back his roaming hair from his face. "I think that's a great idea," he replied ignoring his thoughts before. He continued from his statement, "everyone together." He said before he took a sip of his wine. Nathan held a cough from the wine, his throat stinging a bit.

[ don't worry! I keep having writer's block w/ Nathan ;-; ]

[peppersdots]

❃ nora louise thornton
43 years ⋗ worried ⋗ watching ⋗ tagged; nathan, lizzie, joseph
nora took a long drink from her cup of wine, noticing nathaniel nearly sputtering out a cough at the red liquid. it made her realize her age even more so than her physical pain and the lines on her face in her reflection. at her wedding she had done her best to chocked down the wine, not wanting to appear out of touch or too young. that had been father's concern, she thought to herself, bringing up the memories for a few moments and embracing them. that i was too young to marry such a man, too young to become a wife. the only thing i was too young for was being a widow and the mother of a dead son.

"i agree that margaret ought to come with us," she said in a genial tone, giving elizabeth a little smile for her suggestion. "otherwise she might just spend all day riding her horse or shooting. she's taken the passing of her parents... rather poorly." for a few moments, nora wondered if she really ought to be telling this to these two strangers. but joseph seemed kind enough, and nathaniel, though cheeky, seemed fairly harmless.

she reached across to elizabeth and gave her a little poke as she giggled at the conversation between the two men, shooting her a look as she did so. don't poke the bear, she thought at the younger girl. men often find a way to pick and pick at one another until nothing is left but outright conflict. let's pray that this isn't what's happening here. she had seen it happen at the abney castle, starting out as squabbles between servants and ending with the infection of elizabeth and margaret's parents.

☄ margaret barbara abney
26 years ⋗ worried ⋗ talking ⋗ tagged; lucas
margaret froze when his hand touched her shoulder, giving him a curious look. he almost immediately retracted the gesture and offered an apology. a reflex, she thought to herself, trying to brush off the simple gesture as nothing more than that. still she had to admit it had an almost electric effect. it's nothing more than the circumstances, the curiosity of the moment, she told herself, hearing him tell her to go back and tell the others.

"fat chance," she said under her breath, turning on her heels and going after him, one hand hovering over her side where the holster for her right hand pistol was hidden under the thick sash. "i can help and you know it. you just don't want to admit it," she continued in a hushed tone as she followed him, two steps behind with her eyes darting from left to right, then forwards again. "and i'm not sitting back anymore. not while i can do something."

she tried to ignore the resemblance that this moment held to many moments in the days in and around her parent's infection. infected roamed the lower levels of their home, taking servants by surprise and guards in fights. but margaret had gone down, leaving behind her dying father and mother and frightened sister, wanting to see what was happening herself. if you had killed the one that had bitten them, you wouldn't be here, she scolded herself as her eyes flicked back and forth again.

♞ joseph james stuart
25 years ⋗ nervous ⋗ talking ⋗ tagged; all
"i agree," joseph said, offering a genuine smile to the ladies and a sly smile to nathaniel as he made a strange half-coughing noise. "though within the walls are safe, there is always safety in numbers and i know lucas and myself are always more comfortable when we know where all of ours guests are and that they are safe." another little look was directed at nathaniel. he often left wihtout warning, telling little to no one where he was going or why. but joseph would have to get past a petty rivalry for the sake of the abney girls.

"so it's settled then," he said clearing his throat as the second course dishes were brought out and set in the center of the table. "tomorrow afternoon, the six of us will go on a little tour of the castle, giving you ladies a chance to get an excellent night's rest and settle into your rooms and for us to get our usual duties accomplished."

a little ball of nerves began to build up in joseph's throat again at the thought of showing people who were practically strangers his home. he had never enjoyed it, but for the most part those people came from smaller towns and were usually in awe of the castle. the abney girls have been to court, seen the palaces of the king, he thought, beginning to panic. what could be so special here that would awe them?

[quit...]

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[ Lucas Rogers ]
[ Colonel Rogers, Mr. Rogers ]
Tagged [ Margaret ]
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He sighed, "follow me." He couldn't waste his time therefore he already wasted it enough. Lucas quickly made his way down the hallway with Margaret close behind him. The only exit was a door leading to the basement below them. "Great," he mumbled with a quick point to the door for Margaret.

He walked down the steps, it was dark and the lights before them were daintily lighting the room. He switched his katana to his right hand, slowing down his pace. Lucas was almost at the bottom of the stairs but before his feet could reach the last step a scream was heard across the room. He tried to find his way around the huge room.

He saw a dimly lighted body in front of him. She was rotted away trying to grab him but before she could think she was dead. Lucas now heard various infected screams. There were only about five around him but it would hard to attack. He could barely even see.

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[ Elizabeth Abney ]
[ Lizzie, Ms. Abney ]
Tagged [ Joe, Nathan, Louise ]
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Elizabeth nodded and watched as the dishes were set down at the table. She looked around to see if Margeret nor Lucas was back. Not, she thought. She couldn't do anything about it, she had to stay at dinner and talk to the two men. She truthfully didn't know what to think. She was just tired and wanted to get most of dinner over with.

She took a bite of the food. "The food is quite a delight. We've been stuck with such a sore appetite with the trip here," she said. Soon enough her head raised to hear a faint scream. Now it was several tiny screams, she recognized it. The sounds of the undead trying to feast on another of it's prey.

Lizzie raced out of the room, pulling a throwing knife out of her dress. She looked around and saw that the rest were behind her. "Where do we go?" she asked Joe since he probably knew the castle best.

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[ Nathaniel Bryant ]
[ Nathan, 'the Flirt' ]
Tagged [ Joe, Lizzie, Louise ]
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k

[peppersdots]

❃ nora louise thornton
43 years ⋗ worried ⋗ watching ⋗ tagged; nathan, lizzie, joseph
nora was about to agree with elizabeth's comment about the lack of good food that they had access to when she too heard the screams. her spoon dropped to the table with a clatter and her heart sank. peggy, where's peggy? she thought once he mind was clear enough to form a thought. the girl had gone out, following after lucas with a lame excuse. at first she had suspected impropriety, and now she feared the worst.

elizabeth was already up, a knife pulled from her corsets. nora's hand flew to where her bulldog pistol sat, still in it's holster strapped to her thigh. she was ready for the absolute worst, at least what might happen to her. if anything happened to her girls, she wasn't sure what she would do. and yet here was elizabeth, chomping at the bit to get the source of the screams, to find out what was going on.

peggy is probably with lucas, she told herself as she followed the three young people out of the dining hall and down twisting corridors to a low basement. lucas is a capable man that will keep her safe, never mind her own skills. she was trying her hardest to calm her heart rate, to slow her pulse and clear her mind. a gunshot up ahead in the basement fogged her mind again, and she found herself crying out, though she wasn't sure what she was saying.

☄ margaret barbara abney
26 years ⋗ worried ⋗ fighting ⋗ tagged; lucas
margaret followed him down to the basement. the torches were out and in the near pitch blackness the only soupy light came from slits near the surface with bars on them, makeshift windows that had been reinforced. he pointed to a door and led them down further. hearing the moans and screams of the dead ones, she now pulled both pistols from her holster.

lucas cut down one, then stood in a defensive position. she stepped backwards until her back touched his, then took a half step forwards again. "look out!" she cried as an infected lunged at the pair from the left and she pulled the trigger. the spark from her shot lit up the head and bullet hole of the infected as it fell to the floor, and also illuminated the room a little more. her eyes widened. she had always killed them from horseback before, never really getting a good look at their faces. the servant girl hadn't looked infected, but these people did. their skin was rotting away, their eyes yellow and empty.

she squeezed her eyes tight shut for a moment, then opened them. "two on your right, one in front of me and one to my right!" she called out, having a better grasp of the layout with a little more light. she re-holstered her one pistol, having let off it's only shot, and reached for a long dagger that was strapped to her side. there was a scream upstairs, but she forced herself to pay attention as she stepped forwards, driving the knife into the skull of the infected in front of her.

♞ joseph james stuart
25 years ⋗ nervous ⋗ walking ⋗ tagged; all
joseph stood up, the screams bringing him out of his reverie that things might continue as they had been before all of this infection and death and disease. immediately elizabeth was asking about how to get there, how to help. she had a knife out and ready. joseph balanced his hand on the hilt of his sword and gave a short nod. "follow me," he said, turning on his heel and heading out of the room, giving a special glance to nathaniel to tell him to follow.

he followed the screams as best he could, but it was the servants running in the opposite direction that were the best clue. one servant mentioned lucas heading for the entrance to the basement, a cold cellar and rooms for extra servants. "i'm sure lady margaret is with mister rogers," he said, looking back at nora who was white as a sheet and looked as if she might be sick. she must have seen a great deal of this at abney castle then, he thought as he noted that she was frightened and worried, but not panicking.

the echoeing sound of a gunshot was what made him begin to panic. lucas didn't carry a gun, but he guessed margaret did, and clearly if there was cause to use one then there was danger within the walls. they were still several hallways away from the doors to the basement, and joseph broke into a light jog, looking back over his shoulder occasionally to make sure the others were following him.

[peppersdots]

❃ nora louise thornton
43 years ⋗ worried ⋗ watching ⋗ tagged; nathan, lizzie, joseph
nora was about to agree with elizabeth's comment about the lack of good food that they had access to when she too heard the screams. her spoon dropped to the table with a clatter and her heart sank. peggy, where's peggy? she thought once he mind was clear enough to form a thought. the girl had gone out, following after lucas with a lame excuse. at first she had suspected impropriety, and now she feared the worst.

elizabeth was already up, a knife pulled from her corsets. nora's hand flew to where her bulldog pistol sat, still in it's holster strapped to her thigh. she was ready for the absolute worst, at least what might happen to her. if anything happened to her girls, she wasn't sure what she would do. and yet here was elizabeth, chomping at the bit to get the source of the screams, to find out what was going on.

peggy is probably with lucas, she told herself as she followed the three young people out of the dining hall and down twisting corridors to a low basement. lucas is a capable man that will keep her safe, never mind her own skills. she was trying her hardest to calm her heart rate, to slow her pulse and clear her mind. a gunshot up ahead in the basement fogged her mind again, and she found herself crying out, though she wasn't sure what she was saying.

☄ margaret barbara abney
26 years ⋗ worried ⋗ fighting ⋗ tagged; lucas
margaret followed him down to the basement. the torches were out and in the near pitch blackness the only soupy light came from slits near the surface with bars on them, makeshift windows that had been reinforced. he pointed to a door and led them down further. hearing the moans and screams of the dead ones, she now pulled both pistols from her holster.

lucas cut down one, then stood in a defensive position. she stepped backwards until her back touched his, then took a half step forwards again. "look out!" she cried as an infected lunged at the pair from the left and she pulled the trigger. the spark from her shot lit up the head and bullet hole of the infected as it fell to the floor, and also illuminated the room a little more. her eyes widened. she had always killed them from horseback before, never really getting a good look at their faces. the servant girl hadn't looked infected, but these people did. their skin was rotting away, their eyes yellow and empty.

she squeezed her eyes tight shut for a moment, then opened them. "two on your right, one in front of me and one to my right!" she called out, having a better grasp of the layout with a little more light. she re-holstered her one pistol, having let off it's only shot, and reached for a long dagger that was strapped to her side. there was a scream upstairs, but she forced herself to pay attention as she stepped forwards, driving the knife into the skull of the infected in front of her.

♞ joseph james stuart
25 years ⋗ nervous ⋗ walking ⋗ tagged; all
joseph stood up, the screams bringing him out of his reverie that things might continue as they had been before all of this infection and death and disease. immediately elizabeth was asking about how to get there, how to help. she had a knife out and ready. joseph balanced his hand on the hilt of his sword and gave a short nod. "follow me," he said, turning on his heel and heading out of the room, giving a special glance to nathaniel to tell him to follow.

he followed the screams as best he could, but it was the servants running in the opposite direction that were the best clue. one servant mentioned lucas heading for the entrance to the basement, a cold cellar and rooms for extra servants. "i'm sure lady margaret is with mister rogers," he said, looking back at nora who was white as a sheet and looked as if she might be sick. she must have seen a great deal of this at abney castle then, he thought as he noted that she was frightened and worried, but not panicking.

the echoeing sound of a gunshot was what made him begin to panic. lucas didn't carry a gun, but he guessed margaret did, and clearly if there was cause to use one then there was danger within the walls. they were still several hallways away from the doors to the basement, and joseph broke into a light jog, looking back over his shoulder occasionally to make sure the others were following him.

[quit...]

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[ Lucas Rogers ]
[ Colonel Rogers, Mr. Rogers ]
Tagged [ Margaret ]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

He turned over to Margaret, observing her behavior. He never expected for her to be surprised by the infected around them. Of he had been born killing these rotted away monsters, he was used of the screams of the undead. Lucas quickly realized that the two coming his way had been growling the whole time. He slashed right through them.

"That can't be the last of them," he stated out of the obvious. Before he could receive a snarky comment he turned to the stairs continuing his words, "I bet the others were alerted by the gun's shots. I suggest you find them and tell them what happened. I will warn the guards and walk about the castle." Lucas made his way upstairs at a quick pace.

He cleaned his katana from the blood that stayed there, soon putting it back in his scabbard. He continued his way to the entrance where most guards were kept. He alerted them and made his way to walk about the castle, searching for the undead

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[ Elizabeth Abney ]
[ Lizzie, Ms. Abney ]
Tagged [ Joe, Nathan, Louise ]
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She quickened her steps each scream of the undead they heard. Her knife was placed neatly in her palm ready to strike at an enemie that faced her. Lizzy heard the footsteps that gathered their way upstairs. "They're fine," she said out loud. She knew Louise would be worried for naive sister.

She still kept her knife in her hand, the zombies could have made their way all along the castle by now. She saw the two make their way up, Lucas quickly pacing in the opposite direction. She kept her mouth shut ready for sister to speak of what happened.

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[ Nathaniel Bryant ]
[ Nathan, 'the Flirt' ]
Tagged [ Joe, Lizzie, Louise ]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Nathan hurried his way out their direction. He didn't have a weapon, he would have to grab any that he could see. It didn't bother him much considering that that's all he's every worked with, anything he could have in his reach.

He hurried into his room grabbing two throwing axes. He rushed his way back to the group that he had left. Nathan found himself in front of an infected, he slashed his way through it. He needed to notify the others that there was more around them, but they probably already found out.

[peppersdots]

[ apologies about the delay, this last month has been stupid busy at work and at home ]

❃ nora louise thornton
43 years ⋗ worried ⋗ watching ⋗ tagged; nathan, lizzie, joseph
nora broke ahead of joseph, her leather soled boots hitting the floors in a rhythmic fashion as she ran towards the sounds of the gunshot and now, someone calling her name, a voice she knew all to well. please god let her be alright, she thought as she rounded the last corner and continued to run, rewarded by the sight of margaret standing at the top of a staircase, knife out, face covered in blood again.

she came to a halt in front of the younger girl and was led away from the door by margaret, who explained the situation as best she could. "you didn't get bit did you?" she asked hurriedly, putting a hand on either side of the brunette's face. a dismissive answer was all she got, but it was better than nothing. margaret grabbed her hand and began to lead her away from the basement doors.

she looked to joseph as margaret asked about weaknesses in the walls. he shook his head, not certain. in her true form, margaret rolled her eyes and went off. nora grabbed at her wrists. "please peggy, don't," she pleaded, trying to hold onto the young girl. but she didn't listen, turning on her heels and wrenching her hand away. nora moved closer to elizabeth, unsure of what was happening and why.

☄ margaret barbara abney
26 years ⋗ worried ⋗ fighting ⋗ tagged; lucas
"be careful," margaret nodded at lucas' words, knowing that while she could help him, now was not the time to argue. it would only put her and lucas in more danger if their focus was split between an argument and fighting. instead she holstered her other pistol and fled up the stairs, taking them two at a time. "nora! lizzie!" she called as she did so. she broke through the doors that had led down to the basement, and looked around quickly to get her bearings.

coming down the hallways, in a blur of blonde hair and worry was nora. closely behind her was her sister and their host. "someone was bit!" she called out to them, trying to explain. "i'm not sure how, but the basement is full of the dead. lucas is down there now, he said he would tell the guards." nora put her hands against her face and asked her questions rapid fire, the most important if she had gotten bit. "no, i'm fine," she said dismissively, pulling away from her mother hen's glare and pulling her by the hand away from the stairway.

she turned to joseph as he arrived with elizabeth. "there has to be someplace that was weakened, somewhere where they could have gotten in?" she said quickly, earning a boggled and confused look from their host. he shook his head, unsure. margaret rolled her eyes. "i'll go find mister rogers then," she said, turning on her heel, avoiding nora's warnings. she stalked down the halls, making her way towards the entrance.

♞ joseph james stuart
25 years ⋗ nervous ⋗ walking ⋗ tagged; all
joseph let out a shudder as he watched lucas and margaret emerge from the basement, her face spattered with blood and his sword still with a streak across the blade. the dead were in the basement, the servants quarters. he found his thoughts clouding, his mind filled with worry.

margaret explained the situation, but joseph caught barely any of it. he was focused too much on what this meant now. his home was invaded, and it had to be defended from the dead. his father would give him absolute hell if this place fell and he survived. he would want me to defend it to the death, he thought as another chill ran down his spine and his hand moved to the pommel of his sword instinctively.

margaret turned her attention to him. "i'm not sure, i- lucas would know better than anyone," he answered, a weak one at best. he turned, obviously dissatisfied with his answer and walked off, much to the dismay of nora. he shook his head a little and took a deep breath. "lady elizbeth, miss thornton, perhaps we should get you two to a more secure part of the building for now," he said finally regaining some of his confidence. "i'll send for guards to find lady margaret and send her to you. but until we know what is happening, then we should take the utmost caution."