ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ's ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ♕ closed; started

[RoselynBlackThorne]

✠ Ｖ Ｉ Ｘ Ｅ Ｎ ~ Ｌ Ｕ Ｃ Ｉ Ｆ Ｏ Ｒ Ａ ✠
𝔯𝔬𝔶𝔞𝔩 𝔞𝔡𝔳𝔦𝔰𝔬𝔯 - - - 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔯𝔶 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 - - - 𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖘: book-birb, half-birb

Vixen didn't have much of an expression as all this played out. Honestly, she just wanted to get the job done in the quickest and most painful way possible.
... At least, painful towards sassy little Evie.
When signaled to be quiet, she just crossed her arms and stayed quiet without much of a sound. Sure, yeah--try taking the little brat out first and lil' ol' Vix will swoop in and burn her to the ground--while making sure there was no holy water on her again, of course...
...
Nope. It was just Ave.
"Hmph." She strutted out of the shadows to tilt her head slightly upon eyeing the book-bird. "Fancy seeing you out here--alone, at least. Did little Evie leave you, and... oh... tell you where exactly she was headed, for the sake of some of us who desperately need that information?"
She was just acting calm at this point. In truth, her blood was boiling so much that she was ready to burn the entire forest down just to cook some of that female-turkey.

[Teekl]

ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ ᴠᴏɴ ᴇᴄᴋʜᴀʀᴅᴛ
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖25〗〖Form〗〖Location: The Halls〗〖Tags: Cordelia〗

"I understand. I don't think I want to kill anything else, for a while at the very least."

Well, that didn't sound ominous or threatening in the slightest. From the general connotation of the words down to the fact that she'd essentially referred to her victims as 'things,' the statement only fed Darcy's suspicions that Cordelia didn't even fully understand what life was. He made no comment, but it did make him wonder how the others would take this. As much as they loved Cordelia, would they stand for the fact that she'd murdered one of the guards?

Actually, Darcy got the impression that most of them would react in a manner similar to him. Even during his brief stint here, he'd gotten the sense that many of the courtiers were... morally lacking.

This was his train of thought, until, of course, it was interrupted by Cordelia's pleading. "No... No, Darcy, I didn't kill him. He must have run off—"

He tilted his head at her when she froze, trying to decipher what was running through her mind. She looked scared, paranoid... He withered a little on the inside, feeling at least partially responsible for the constant air of fear she exuded. But the more she rambled on about how she couldn't have killed Avis, the less convinced she sounded, and the less persuaded Darcy became.

"I couldn't have killed him. I would remember. Darcy, my Darcy, please... Please, you have to believe me!"

Some of the warmth went out of his eyes as he watched her. Not all, though. He needed to see what had occurred before jumping to conclusions.

"Take me to where it happened."

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy

Cordelia rubbed her eyes, feeling more and more overwhelmed by the moment. She still wasn't at her strongest after Evanna's poisoning, and now she may have added a third murder, the murder of an innocent no less, to her already too-long resumé. This was all just too much for her.

She gestured back around the corner with her thumb as she spoke. "When I... woke up, or came to, or whatever, I was standing over there... There's a lot of blood and feathers but I don't know whose feathers they are or whose blood... I don't even know where the bodies are, Darcy, I'm sorry."

She huffed in frustration as her hand twitched at her side. "Please, I'm all ripped up, can we just go back to the lab? We could just forget all of this ever happened... No one's going to miss that evil harpy anyways, Darcy, she was a regicidal maniac and a bully. She tried to kill you, remember? And she poisoned me." Cordelia pouted, expressing her indignation at the assault. "Nobody liked her but Avis, and Avis isn't here anymore so he can't be mad at me."

She knew she should stop talking and let him speak, but another question struck her mind and she immediately looked up at Darcy with wide eyes. "Wait... You're not going to tell Lilith about what I did, are you? Or anyone else.... This is gonna stay secret, right?"

[feather_light_flight]

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L I L I T H
12/ 123- female
D A R L I N G
hiatus
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watching the
drama occur

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It had been a long time that the delicate girl meandered around Darcy's lab, and eventually, her worry got the best of her. She should go to sleep soon, but she had to make sure everything was ok first. With a small huff of air, the tiny vampire hopped off a stool and wandered out of the lab, taking great care in shutting the door behind her. Voices were easy to follow, although Lilith had yet to make out any distinctive words.

It wasn't until she padded up through the end of the hall that she heard Cordelia clearly, asking Darcy not to mention 'it' to her.
Mention what? The smell of blood wafted through the air, something Lilith had become all too numb to recently. With a hesitant step forward, the girl halted at the edges of the shadowy hallway, just in sight of the pair. Cordelia was a mess, and Darcy's face seemed paler than a newly woven sheet. "Cordelia...Darcy...what's going on?" Her voice was soft, just tinged with enough fear to be child like.

[Teekl]

ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ ᴠᴏɴ ᴇᴄᴋʜᴀʀᴅᴛ
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖25〗〖Form〗〖Location: The Halls〗〖Tags: Cordelia, Lilith〗

Darcy watched Cordelia rub her eyes. Her mannerisms struck him as those of a tired child. His eyes strayed in the direction in which she had just gestured, around the corner, but he couldn't see anything.

"There's a lot of blood and feathers but I don't know whose feathers they are or whose blood... I don't even know where the bodies are, Darcy, I'm sorry."

His blood curdled. "You don't remember?" Judging from how much she'd been able to describe to him, he had been under the impression that she remembered just fine. Apparently, this was not the case. Unless she was lying... but he did not know her to be capable of that. Even when he knew she was a murderer, he still could not match her eyes to those of a liar. Not to him.

Now she seemed to become agitated. She insisted that they go back to the lab, forget it even happened. She started listing off justifications, that no one liked Evanna anyway. Of course, Darcy shared the sentiment. Didn't Cordelia know that? Didn't she know how that harpy had managed to fan the flames of a hatred inside of him stronger than any love he'd ever come close to feeling?

Or was it love that Evanna had ignited in him... not love for her, but a jealous and fearful love, like a fire that he was afraid would blow out at any second. The line between love and hate was so dreadfully thin. How was Darcy supposed to make the distinction? It was all besides the point. Evanna's death was far from the problem.

But when Cordelia tried to brush Avis's alleged death aside, sweep it under the rug like it was nothing, the vestiges of Darcy's old temper began to resurface. "And what exactly do you mean by that? Avis can't be mad at you? Is that all you think about?! Whether or not someone will be angry with you?! Do you even understand--"

His rant was cut short when he heard Lilith's voice interject, and he drew in a halting breath. He remembered the words Cordelia had said just now, about not mentioning the ordeal to anyone. He had to admit he was seriously considering sealing his lips, but for more selfish reasons than one would think. If Cordelia was found to be a murderer, what would that mean for Darcy? He had created her from scratch, hadn't he? He wasn't just responsible for giving her life the way a mother gives a child life; he was responsible for creating a different kind of creature altogether, one where no one knew what the aftereffects would be, no one knew what to expect. What if her blackout-murder-sprees had, indirectly, been caused by some flaw in his design?

Would any of the blame for the murders fall to him? Would he be implicated?

The next train of thought his brain jumped to, was whether it would be humanly possible to hide the evidence from the others. If he could just get Cordelia to go back to the laboratory with Lilith while Lilith stitched her up, it would give him time to clean up Evanna's and...possibly Avis's...remains. This was assuming no one else stumbled across him and caught him in the act, even though this was a big castle. And if he did get caught, the punishment would be far worse than if he had simply been responsible for creating Cordelia.

The risk was simply too great. And the possibility that Avis could have fallen to the hands of his creation did not help her case.

But what would happen to Cordelia if they knew? piped up a stray voice in his head. Didn't that factor in at all?

His fist clenched and unclenched. He hadn't even realized that all of the color had drained from his face completely. He forced himself to meet Lilith's gaze.

"Evanna and Avis disappeared. We don't know where they went. We're just... worried at what might have happened." He thought himself a decent liar, a skill he had learned at a young age, but Lilith seemed scarily perceptive at times... he hoped she wouldn't see through him with those vampire eyes of hers. In an attempt to keep her from thinking too much about it, he added, "Do you think you could take Cordelia back to the lab and help her with her stitches?" He knit his brows at the sight of her bloodied hands. "Before Evanna disappeared, she got into a scuffle with Cordelia... blood was drawn. Cordelia is... still a little shaken."

God, only five minutes after becoming an accomplice and he was already knee deep in fabrications.

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy, lilith

Cordelia was on the verge of tears by the time Lilith interrupted. She couldn't bear being scolded, she never did, but she didn't usually cry. She was upset over everything that had happened, and she so desperately needed Darcy on her side if she was going to avoid losing the only home she had ever known. She was so terrified of being sent away, or destroyed. The only thing standing between her and that miserable fate, was Darcy.

She audibly gasped and jumped back when she heard Lilith's voice. That was almost as big a fright as Evanna's actual attack, and she bit her bottom lip, choking back a sob that she knew wouldn't stay back for long. She really was just a child, and she was exhausted, and though she was trying hard not to cry it was just in her nature at that stage of her life.

How could Darcy expect her to understand such things as death and life anyways? He of the scientific mind... He created her from nothing, and kept her locked away in a castle where death and rebirth were essentially synonyms. Her best friend and possibly only friend was a vampire, and her creator had been one as well. Camille was gone for days or weeks at a time for something called a "funeral," allegedly a bad thing, but others did the same thing and it was called a "mission," or "trip," or "vacation," and all of these things were considered good! How was Cordelia expected to understand death when everyone she knew had found some way of cheating it? How was she expected to understand life when it had been given to her so unnaturally it verged on unjust? She had no intention of being ungrateful, but she was simply incapable of comprehending the very things he'd stolen from her.

"My hand keeps twitching," Cordelia held out her right arm towards Lilith to display the disheveled appendage. "It's confused... it doesn't know if it's still attached to me or not." She couldn't stop the tears from falling now. She wiped them away with her left hand, also a bit loose but better than nothing. She lead the way toward the lab, shooting an accusatory look backwards at Darcy that read, Now look what you've done, I'm crying.

[feather_light_flight]

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L I L I T H
12/ 123- female
D A R L I N G
trying to
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V A M P I R E
chaos reigns

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Lilith watched the exchange with a wary gaze, eyeing the two. Darcy's voice wavered during his statement, and even from his distance she could hear his heart rate increase. Obviously a lie. She'd ask him about it later. At the moment, the vampiress had bigger concerns. As Cordelia led the way to the lab, Lilith fell into line next to Darcy, her tiny size considerably overshadowed by his hunched over form.

"We need a coronation soon, and to choose the next leader of the court. With Evanna on the loose, we need to return order to the castle." Of course, Lilith was aware she was technically the King's heir, but after so much shadow and mistrust had been spewed through the court, the darling felt it was only right to let the courtiers decide on their next leader, rather than simply assume and jump to the position herself. The court needed to agree on a leader so that no more blood would be shed.

Such thoughts tugged on the girl's heart, her mind casting back to when the king had first taken her in under his wing. She had loved him dearly, despite the pain of being transformed into a vampire. Even at the age of twelve, Lilith knew what loyalty was, what it felt like to swear your life to someone....and yet...the king was gone now...and she was left alone.

[Ghostarriver]

That’s one less thing to worry abou- no precious birb oops
For purposes of improper speculation
Avis Savant
Bookkeeper♢Location: Forest♢Tags: Aaaaand we’re back to poor confused cinnamon roll


This was the first time Avis had been out in years. It brought back too many unpleasant memories and it was why he’d always been afraid to leave the castle walls, scared of the past.
And he hated himself for it.

But he was still living in a haze and he didn’t know what was going on anymore. Not that he wanted to know. It felt like Evanna had just sent him away to keep him quiet and she’d come for him after she did whatever it was she was planning to do. She treated him like a child most of the time, yet he didn’t have the will to question her judgements, remaining the ever innocent and obedient servant Bookkeeper. That was the only thing he’d ever known.

When Michelangelo and Vixen appeared, he was even more terrified, the sword Michelangelo was pointing made everything worse, he physically began to shrink away, overcome with fear. He was worried that he was in trouble and that brought back even worse memories, particularly of his father; a man Avis would never really know.

His worry subsided, partially, when the angel hugged him and Avis became less tense. But not completely.
Seeing Vixen’s anger burning in her eyes and hearing their question Avis began to panic once again, trying to figure out what to say to them. He wanted to tell them Evanna was back at the Castle, but something kept him from talking. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was Evanna herself, but whatever it was, it kept Avis silent. The Bookkeeper closed his eyes for a minute, attempting to formulate a response of some sort, inhaling deeply. He opened his eyes again and was about to reply, but was stopped, as an excruciating pain hit him in the back of the head. Avis didn't realise it, but he was slowly slipping, until his legs had given way, leaving him sprawled across the forest floor.

“Can you hear me?”
The boy nodded, in response the woman's question.
“Are you lost?”
Another nod form the boy. He risked a glance up at her. She seemed friendly enough, more friendly then anyone Avis had known out here, so far, anyway.
“Why are you alone? Where's your family?” her brows furrowed, slightly, a concerned expression across her features. Avis frowned, looking back the way he had come. Avery was dead. He didn't know where he was anymore. He wasn't even sure if any of his family was still alive. He shrugged, lightly, having no response, his gaze falling to the ground again.
“I'll look after you.” she said, eventually.
“Why?"he looked up, but she had vanished. Feeling slender claws rest on his shoulder, he stiffened; a soft voice whispering in his ear,
“I just want to be your friend..."


Avis reawoke with a start, a small scream escaping him.
He couldn't accept it. He couldn't even believe it.
Evanna was dead.
She couldn't be dead.

But she was.

But she wasn't. Was she?
Was this truly freedom?
Avis wasn't sure, having spent too long being controlled by others to truly know what that meant. Nonetheless, he shifted to his raven form, flying as fast as he could back to the Castle.
He had to find out for himself.
He had to find out if Evanna was truly dead

[Teekl]

ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ ᴠᴏɴ ᴇᴄᴋʜᴀʀᴅᴛ
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖25〗〖Form〗〖Location: The Halls〗〖Tags: Cordelia, Lilith〗

When Cordelia shot him an accusing look, Darcy did everything he could to stifle the indignant expression that took his face by storm, and failed miserably. After everything I just did for her? Spoiled, ungrateful little--

"We need a coronation soon, and to choose the next leader of the court. With Evanna on the loose, we need to return order to the castle."

Darcy fell into step beside the young vampire, arms clasped behind his back as they tended to be when he was deep in thought. "I quite agree," he replied. He admitted he was surprised, and a little impressed, that Lilith spoke of the coronation as though it would be the result of an election, not a divine--or quite the opposite, in this case--ascension. True, these were dark times, but the vampiress could probably take the throne and no one would have any grounds on which to question her. Despite her juvenile body, she was possibly the most qualified. Darcy knew for certain that he wasn't; even if he was, no throne had ever interested him. Camille was no older nor more experienced than Darcy, and Avis, assuming he was even still alive (Darcy smarted at the alternative), was nowhere near confident enough to be a leader. Vixen might have some claim since she had been the royal advisor and quite close to the King, but she tended to let her emotions drive her where Lilith kept a cool head. Michelangelo carried an impressive sword and allegedly a pure heart, but he was here to protect, not lead. Cordelia, for obvious reasons, could not take care of herself, let alone an entire castle. Which dwindled the remaining candidates down to Asher and Ryan, whom Darcy hadn't even seen in days.

Lilith was simply the logical choice. Which is why it was difficult for the scientist not to raise a questioning brow. Still, he made no comment. He couldn't afford to engage in conversation now. "Lilith, I beg your pardon," he took a step back. "I must take my leave. I asked you to see to it that Cordelia is fixed up because... I have to look for Avis." That was no lie. He fixed her with a look that seemed impassive on first glance, but searching his eyes one might find a beseeching plea there. "He's still out there." He wanted desperately to believe it, but he wasn't so sure himself that this was true.

[feather_light_flight]

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L I L I T H
12/ 123- female
D A R L I N G
trying to
be organized
V A M P I R E
chaos reigns

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Lilith watched Darcy curiously, nodding as he wandered away, his voice disturbed with worry and anxiety. It softened her heart, seeing how concerned he was about Avis. Moving forward,
Lilith decided to join Cordelia's side. "Here, I'll help to stitch you up. After wards, it might be a good idea to take a bath. The warm water will sooth your nerves."

Something tugged at Lilith's core, and for the first time since loosing her King, Lilith began to feel more like herself, in control of her life. She'd have to gather the courtiers later to organize a vote for the next ruler. There were many excellent choices. Michaelangelo was the most powerful, Vixen was technically second in command when the King ruled, and Darcy himself would have been a brilliant tactical leader- if he could learn to take better care of himself.