high_seas | ☠Seventh Reel: Brooding [CLOSED]

Indeed, Undertaker had sensed the other's presence, but he hadn't quite been bothered to move until she made noise to make herself known.

Lazily then, he raised an arm to flap a sleeve in her general direction, alerting her to his position-- of which happened to be splayed out in the coffin that he'd designated his own, leg dangling out it's side and an arm lazily tucked beneath his head.

"Something I can assist you with, Captain?"

"Perhaps..." Grell followed his sleeve and found him in the coffin. Usually he was pretty upbeat, but now he just looked a bit...pathetic. "Where's all of our hard earned work?" She grabbed a stool and brought it to the side of the coffin before sitting atop it with a leg crossed over the other. "It seems rather empty in here."

Adjusting to tuck that arm beneath his head, he merely hummed in response, until she made herself comfortable.

"I dooo wonder," he drawled with a sigh. "Within minutes of one another, they simply began to-- well, disappear. Right down to the organs I'd extracted for preservation."

Despite saying it all so casually, it was a bit obvious that he was in the process of coming to terms with it, and working on moving past the brooding stage.

"All that hard work, indeed~."

Grell widened her eyes at bit at the revelation. "Disappeared..." How could such a thing even happen? Her eyebrows furrowed, not in full belief of such a thing, but what else could explain the lack of organs? Undertaker could be lying, but he seldom did...

"What...should be done?" And seldom did Grell sound unsure. Did they have to glue things down? Work faster? Would this happen every time they harvest organs?

A frown pulled at his lips, absently raising a hand whilst shrugging.

"I've not the slightest. Though it had been a week's time since we'd acquired our guests, precisely. Perhaps the expired have an expiration date themselves here... Not much else makes sense."

Tilting his head to look up at her, he seemed to think on the latter question for a moment. He wouldn't just give up, that's for sure.

"And if that's the cassse-- well. I suppose I'd just have to work much faster. What a challenge..."

"It would make sense, as everything has an expiration of sorts." Grell leaned her arm on the edge of the coffin idly. "Exactly how long does it take you to complete one doll?"

A week's timeframe wouldn't be enough to complete the dolls and let them loose, surely.

"Mm, yes..."

Grell's questioning had him think. Head tilted back, eyes wayward, he'd hum aloud as he did.

"Preparing their bodies should take no more than a few hours each. The time to patch their memories would vary-- buuut as I may hand off the less capable to Miss Bianca, this might be feasible yet." Idly, he gestured to nowhere in particular, then. "With that porting device, it will be simple enough to reach a destination en masse, at the least, mmm . . . ?"

"That's assuming it doesn't get traced back to us." Grell shifted in her seat with a sigh and closed her eyes. "I doubt we wouldn't need permission to send our guests to dinner."

Such a statement amuses her and made her smile. It disappeared, however, remembering the reason for such a visit. Grell looked to Undertaker, no longer amused.

"Which brings me to the point of my coming here. Have you seen what Miss Izanami wrote?"

"You have a valid point, my dear - one I hadn't bothered to look into, myself . . . Hm," he muttered, drumming his fingertips along his stomach idly - and just maybe reflecting a bit of that smile that he senses on the lady's lips.

"Ah, that... Indeed, I was wooondering when you'd come across it. Not very trust-worthy, that one...

"Having more than one pair of eyes can be helpful."

Grell made a sound of agreement, not liking how Izanami was jumping to conclusions. "No, she isn't. Do you think we'll have to KILL her, or silence her of her own volition?"

To that, Undertaker broke into a grin, shoulders shaking with the snicker that slipped past those barely parted teeth.

"Always so quick to jump to that solution," he purred, raising a hand to trace his knuckles along the graceful curve of her jaw. "Perhaps I should give her the truth that she wishes for, mm?"

"With such a solution, problems rarely come back twice~!" He could feel the muscles of her face work to form a grin on her face, accompanied with a chuckle. At first, she thought his idea wasn't the best route to take, but the more the thought of it, the better it sounded. The weaving of their web grew wider with each row they created, and such a revelation would surely silence their pigeon.

How she loved having leverage to use at her discretion.

Grell was silent for a moment, but her grin...if it could split her face open, it could have. Her eyes, once clouded over in contemplation, cleared. She turned her attention to her co-conspirator.

"Certainly Izanami would be rather red to find out that her suspicions are incorrect, but even further..." She leaned her chin upon her palm, using the arm that was leaning on the coffin. "Ousting Miss Conchita during such a VOLATILE stage in her life would prove disastrous! Perhaps the DEAD goddess could find it in her heart to keep quiet?"

Lacing his fingers over his stomach, Undertaker watched her thought process unfold with the fondest of smiles. Once he had her attention again, he would tilt his head, prepared to listen, with an inquiring hum.

"Ahhh, yes - and if that shouldn't be persuasive enough, we could happily♥ introduce them to the concept of the deathscythe, mm~?"

"Precisely~!" Their 'concept' was one of a kind, and she would be happy to show it to them. "While I have your attention, mind shedding a bit of truth my way?"

"Wonderful," he crooned. Their conversation had done well to lift his spirits a tad - though, really, he would still gratefully execute his frustrations on the conference to come.

Though, Grell's inquiry did have him rather stumped, as he wasn't expecting it. Undertaker's mouth slacked to pucker in a clearly curious manner.

"Ah~? I suppose so. What it is, then?"

Grell leaned forward, looking to Undertaker keenly. It was something that had been on her mind for centuries.

"Where did you disappear to?"

Ah. Perhaps he should have asked for some sort of incentive before this one... being a tad weary that this one would turn sour fast, and all.

Regardless, he would hold to what he said.

"You'd seen it, yourself. My shop in the heart of London," he uttered with a smile.

Grell only rolled her eyes before sitting up straight. She crossed her arms, tapping one finger against her upper arm. Having to remember that he was as vague as they get was a difficult task, and capping her anger was a task.

"You simply left, before seeing the pinnacle of all your hard work, just to become a mortician? Do you truly think I'm that daft?"

Chuckling, he reached to pat his hand over hers.

"Now, now. Don't lose your temper because you've asked the wrong questions. If you'd like to know why I left, no, that's not it."

He shifted then, idly dragging his fingers beneath his chin - down his throat, to settle on the scar there.

"I suppose you could say that I became... enamored by a certain family. All extraordinary in their own way - but all cunning, confident, clever... Or so I thought. Undoubtedly interesting, though..."

Loopholes.

Undertaker had many scars, and she had an inkling of where most came from. One wasn't a deserter without the consequences, but she was sure some came from their line of work, as well.

"If I were to guess this certain family, would I be right?" There weren't many families that fit the bill as being all that Undertaker described. "They'd have to be so, in order for you to make tracks covered in snow." She could understand the draw of curiosity while observing humans. Being on the other side of death made her perspective on them wider. She never realized just how small her world was when alive in comparison to her afterlife.

"Mn, I'm sure you would," he uttered with a nod, smile turning the slightest bit bittersweet.

'Tracks'... yes, some of them covered in snow - others, earth. It wasn't something he'd care to mention so easily, but Grell had taken it all in stride, as of then. So though he might have hesitated, tapping a finger at his collar, and yet...

"Though-- that isn't why I left."

Grell was easily upset over frivolous things ninety percent of the time. The other ten percent were over things that required more emotions than she was willing to show to anyone. She could easily count the amount of people she trusted with her emotions with a few fingers.

Undertaker was one of them, even if he had changed over the years.

She rose an eyebrow, not thinking more on why he would have left. She was curious.

"Oh? What more could there have been?"

Even after countless centuries and relationships that came and went, some things were still very much a mystery to him. Some people beyond his understanding - though, perhaps, by choice.

To go about explaining such a thing... perhaps being upfront was the only way to make it seem believable.

"A child. One of my own."

That was when Grell came to a loss of words. Something like that was...near impossible! Was supposed to be! She stared at him in shock with wide green eyes, her arms going slack at being unable to sustain their fold and function at the same time.

"A...child..." And not just any child, at that, if she put two and two together.

Then...that Earl was..

There came a sort of mad laughter from Grell, because while it was all very surprising, should could only imagine the terrible mess they were all in for. And she wanted in on it.

"Dear sweet Fates! You should have told me ages ago! I wouldn't have held a flame to burn you with!"

When surprised turned to laughter-- well. That wasn't quite what he was expecting. Blinking behind those overgrown bangs of his, he'd hum a sound of questioning.

"And what do you mean by that, hm~?"

Nothing could be predicted with her.

Grell's grin faded into a wry smile, calming down enough to reply. "I resented you, for the record. Receiving my glasses was my crowning achievement, with your tutelage going a long way, yet you weren't there." She pushed up her glasses a bit before shrugging. "Your absence was necessary, it seems." So that bridge is now burned once crossed.

Her words... Undertaker found them to be truly surprising. Indeed, she was a difficult one to predict, but.. It seemed that he had misjudged her.

Grell had certainly been passionate in the time that he'd known her, but also very... detached. As the damaged tend to be. After all he'd taught her, he'd assumed that she'd be content enough in moving on with her skill, that he wouldn't be missed-- no. Perhaps he told himself that, to justify the selfishness behind cutting their ties.

If only she'd known that more than fifty years had passed between her graduation and the birth of Claudia. She wouldn't dismiss it so easily then, he'd assume. His chest rose and fell with a silent sigh.

"I see."

Shifting to turn to the other and prop himself upon his elbow, he carefully brushed away the hair from her face, wordlessly holding her cheek for but a moment as he considered telling her.... but, no. Instead, he would lean up to press his lips against her forehead.

Some things were best unexplained.

His shift caught her attention, wondering what he could be up to now. He didn't say much to her reasoning, and chalked it up to him accepting the reply, or being disappointed by it. She couldn't tell. With one hand brushing away her fringe and the other holding her cheek, Grell...wasn't sure what to do besides blink at him. She definitely did not expect him to be so...caring.

There was a definite lack of that in her life, both then and now.

She blinked once, slowly, appreciating the gesture, and moment. Who knew when it would come along again. Whenever he would pull back, there would be a smile on her face waiting for him.

"Thank you..." Really, what would be a better response? Staring awkwardly?

A breathless chuckle shook him, then. It was funny, wasn't it-- he'd apparently hurt this girl, and though she forgave him, he still had it in him to let her be misguided about the whole thing. Yet, she thanked him. Poor thing.

Something about it stung.

"You shouldn't thank me," he remarked with a teasing air, hand settling to brush over the side of her neck, resting there. "Funny one, you are."

The whole situation, setting, and especially these two, were twisted. Nothing about their situation was proper, and yet they're dealing with it.

"What would you rather I do? Drive my dagger through you?" She grinned, leaning into that touch. "Because I could oblige." Sure, it wouldn't do much, nor would she be able to get that close to doing so, but the sentiment was there.

"How considerate." With such words drawling into a chuckle, Undertaker idly threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. For Grell, that was a sentiment indeed - and one of the many reasons that he found her to be so very interesting.

"That dagger is reserved for greater purpose, is it not, little Juliet," he muttered, fully amused. "Though I would still be honored to taste the poison from your lips~♥"

Violence and lust tend to mingle with one another with her. You hurt the ones you love, as they say.

The fingers felt quite nice. Not many get the privilege of touching her hair, and Grell had forgotten how wonderful it could be. The reaction to them was subtle. A muscle movement of encouragement.

"My happy dagger~! To rust in its sheath is a purpose worth seeking." She grinned, lifting up a hand to brush aside the overgrown fringe. "A timeless end for a timeless being? Nay, that end never near, but the TASTE ever so close. Mine honor is at your discretion." There was a dry chuckle after. "Whatever is left of it."

Edited (Had to add that last part! >.>;;) 2013-10-14 10:59 (UTC)

The outer edges of his eyes creased just the slightest as he smiled, gaze meeting hers. It had been some time since he'd seen that face with any sort of clarity, but the close proximity certainly helped with that. Glasses and hairstyle aside, Grell was still as he remembered more than a century ago.

It had been almost too easy to set her off like so, but he found it to be rather endearing, the eccentricity and excitement behind her words - and then, how could he hesitate, given such permission! Hand carefully wrapping into locks of cascading sanguine, he pulled her in to close the distance between them. Briefly and affectionately, he nuzzled the tip of his nose to hers while breathing a chuckle between them.

"If you say so, fairest."

Not a moment later would he embrace those very lips with his own, to claim them in a kiss.

The creases suited him as he smiled. Likewise, it had been a while since she could see his face properly. Being pulled close helped, leaving Grell with using her free hand to balance herself with the shift. Her eyes flutter closed once at the brief brush of their noses, half lidded at his acceptance before closing again once their lips meet.

If there were truly poison passing between them, then it would be happily taken. The hand holding back his bangs slid to the side, allowing silver strands to fall to their original place. It did little to disturb their lip lock, as it had been quite some since such affections were bestowed upon her. Grell gave a hum of content in response.

After a long, lingering moment, he'd break the mesh of their lips; though, he would not move far. Alas, in his position at the time, he was not able to do much more - but resting his forehead to hers, he'd allow his lids to fall again with a smile.

"Mm. If milady should ever doubt her honor, by the way, she'll always hold my esteem, regardless," he uttered, words languid and soft.

Yes, sitting in a coffin did that.

"Hmm~?" Grell replied, smiling softly. "Are you going to defend that, should any sea boar idle through and step out of line?" She absentmindedly twirled a strand of silver hair around her finger, her own eyes watching for his reaction.

Having Grell play with his hair certainly wasn't bothersome. Undertaker rather enjoyed it, in fact. To her question, however, he found himself snickering.

"It would be a great disservice to rob a capable lady of her own battles, don't you think~?" Pulling back, he'd meet her gaze with a happy little hum. "Mnn, no, I'd much rather take whatever you have to give, and assist in de~stroy~ing what's left."

Grell giggled and gave a nod. "That would be the correct answer. Take everything and give NOTHING but Hell in return!"

Ah, if she could burn the world, she would. She had a crazed grin on her face.

Always so excitable! Quite easily, she earned another chuckle from him as so, and he decided the endeavor to be quiiite rewarding, as of then. Moments with her were never boring, and more often than not left him with something to ~smile about~, even if it were typically at her expense. She was surprisingly compliant about pursuing his interests, or easily enough swayed -- impressionable, perhaps? Useful, surely. It seemed that she looked up to him, and in turn, he was very fond of her! Attracted, yes. They would benefit one another well, for as long as they made nice, and a little extra affection was always welcome...

Well, it couldn't have been considered a healthy relationship, what they had - but they weren't entirely healthy beings! It all wasn't bad, to start, considering.

"I see. How convenient that I meet your standards."

Edited 2013-10-15 10:23 (UTC)

Impressionable, if the means were interesting enough to pursue the goal, which was why she was continuing. Admittedly, she was doing so to keep an eye on him, but...now she couldn't care less what he did, so long as she got to play and do as she pleased.

Nothing was healthy about them, but that was what made it fascinating. Her looking up to him, their obvious attraction for one another, and their less than stellar morals all formed a toxic concoction sweet to the taste and smooth going down. Indeed, their allegiance to one another would be mutually beneficial.

Grell smirked, pushing back some hair behind her ear. "You should be proud to have hurdled over the bar I set." If it were any higher, surely they would need wings. "Did you wish to continue brooding alone, or have your spirits arisen from their defiled ground?"

"Heh. I do believe you've managed put me in better spirits, yes," Undertaker uttered rather softly, hand finding hers to lace their fingers. "Are you offering to stay with me, my dear?"

If Grell would allow it, he'd guide her to join him in his coffin, on his lap and into awaiting arms.

"I would like that."

She'll allow it, settling comfortably with a soft smile. Her hands weren't gloved at the moment, so seeing the polished red nails being one of two differences between their hands was interesting. "If it will help, I don't see why not." A dark setting, a dark gentleman, and a coffin.

Really, how could she just leave?

Undertaker briefly chuckled, leaning in to nuzzle along her jaw just so, whilst slipping his arm about her waist. "What a charitable miss." Though as soon as he did, he pulled the other reaper, holding her to his chest, so that they could both safely fall back - with a fwump - to lay comfortably within the coffin's confines.

"That's better♥." Mischievous little grin pulling at his lips, he would slip his hand from hers to pet beneath that pretty little chin, coaxing it up so that he may steal another kiss.

Grell smiled softly, her eyes sliding closed at the affectionate nuzzle, before things started to tilt and then that fwump. It wasn't very graceful or romantic! Of course, she grabbed onto him while they fell, more out freaking out because they were falling sideways.

"Give some sort of warning!" Although she pouted angrily, Grell didn't turn down the opportunity to have a kiss stolen from her.

Undertaker paid little mind to her fussing, in favor of that kiss - a soft, yet heated embrace of their lips. With Grell's consent then, he wouldn't hesitate to tighten his embrace around her - pull her body closer and take hold of her jaw, as he slowly, precisely drew his tongue along the part of her mouth.

For as aggravating as he could be, perhaps the old man had a few redeeming qualities, as well.

☠Seventh Reel: Brooding [CLOSED]

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