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tampered2007-06-20 07:53 am
elainebelloc.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-06-20 07:53 am
Log: Completed
When; June 19, Early Evening (Cherry Bomb curse day 1)
Rating; er, PG for creepy talk and dismemberment?
Characters; Elaine Belloc![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elainebelloc and Lucifer fallen_samael
Summary; A thank-you gift leads to something unexpected and brutal.
Log;
The invitation from him for a short evening flight surprised her a bit. She thought about how the curse affected him just 2 days prior and decided that if he wanted some company, she would not refuse it. She had spent the day tidying stuff around her apartment, reading some random books she borrowed from the library and mostly watching her pet hedgehog sleep. She left her room, after setting out some food for Mona, at around 5:55. Dusk came at 6-ish around these parts, and she didn't like to see him irritated if she'll be even a minute late. And if it was only for a short flight, she figured she would have just enough time until she and Greed hit the karaoke bar for some singing.
Lucifer was already at the rooftop at half-past five. He tried to curb the impatience that he felt by lighting up. Funny that he still found the stub of the last cigarette he had smoked on the rooftop. Proof that no one really came up there often. Like the rest of the plan, the choices he made have little room for error, which was not as easy as it seemed. He had trouble concentrating, the thought of pleasing the tree with the sacrifice grated on him relentlessly the entire day. That it was so near... that she was so near, almost made his spine tingle.
"Hey, you said 6." she blurted out when she found him already waiting for her when she reached the rooftop. "I could've made it up earlier if you wanted." She had just stopped herself from asking him how he was feeling, since she figured he'd just shrug off the question and not want to discuss what happened 2 days ago.
"Nothing wrong with being early." Lucifer took one last drag from his cigarette before extinguishing the tiny flame. It was so easy, to crush the life out of something. Or someone. Lucifer discreetly looked at his prey. Yes, very easy.
"Ready?" Lucifer asked.
She didn't realize he was that raring to go flying. He must have really been disturbed by the repeat loss of his wings. And that eager to use them again. "Yeah, okay." she nodded. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular". Lucifer lied for the first time in his very long life. He didn't have time to give it a second thought, however, as he unfurled his wings and stepped off the building. He couldn't stand to be idle on the roof any longer. Or watch the beautiful white wings of his prey spread out before him. The anticipation, the hunger might undo him right then and his plan might not come to the desired end. He must not do things rashly. He must remind himself that he is doing it for the Tree.
Only after he heard the sound of wind being beaten softly that he let out the breath he did not notice he had been holding. She followed.
Good little birdie.
"Oookay, nowhere in particular sounds good" she muttered to herself as she manifested her own wings and set off after him. He was a bit ahead of her, so she pressed to fly a bit faster to at least catch up with him. She had just realized yesterday that she had been in the City for a little over a month now, and that she had not gone flying in that space of time. Well, I guess flying every now and then wouldn't be so bad here, she thought as she followed the figure that was slightly ahead of her.
As they crossed over rooftops and ant-sized humans below, Lucifer went over the plan in his head. The fading light was to his advantage. He did not want anyone disturbing them once they've begun. The circle of binding had already been drawn and hidden, protected by his own wards to keep out would-be meddlers. The reaper had provided assistance in the preparation. Lucifer did not like to rely on underlings, but Charles Johnson did come in handy. Perhaps at the end of the day he wouldn't end up as fertilizer after all.
Lucifer nearly chuckled at the thought that just yesterday he had been teaching the little bird how to protect herself. And a diligent student she was, even going as far as cleaning up her own blood. These things always tend to get a little messy in the end. But Lucifer did not mind dirtying his hands a little. The end after all justifies the means.
"I'm going to have to interrupt your train of thought there, but does "nowhere in particular" imply just flying around the City all night?" she asked as she finally flew alongside him. "Because it’s okay with me, really."
His wings ached a little from... the curse. That bloody curse and inspiration from on-high.
Lucifer chose not to answer Elaine. Instead his wings ever so slightly dipped as he started to descend -- a straightforward path to the outer edges of Xanadu. From above he scanned for presences, but felt no one, except for the excited throbbing coming from the Tree, as if it could taste the coming of its meal. The once mortal reaper was gone as pre-arranged. He need not know for whose downfall he had been an apprentice to.
Xanadu. Well, it wasn't a too-bad place to stop by, she thought as she followed his descent. Though she should probably suggest that they keep their distance from the Cherry Blossom tree in the middle of the garden. She had read not-so-good things about it in the network and kept in mind Ranmaru and Subaru's warnings about it. "Mm, this place sort of reminds me of your own version of the first garden in your Creation."
"Close enough." Lucifer said. His garden, like Xanadu at present, was devoid of humans. His garden also had a tree and a temptation. But the tree was not a magnificent sakura, and the temptation is not as strong as the one he feels now. Lucifer slowly made his way to the gazebo, careful to always keep himself ahead of the prey, blocking her view.
"Close enough? How about subtle rip-off?" she replied, stretching her arms above her head and letting her wings stretch out behind her as well. The tree wasn't visible from where they were at the moment, so she wasn't that worried about it. "You know, even though you hate your father, you should've at least given him credit", she added as she picked up her steps to catch up with him as he neared the gazebo.
Lucifer no longer heard what the little birdie had said. When she caught up with him at the entrance of the gazebo, his instincts took over. In one fluid motion Lucifer pushed the girl forward to the very center of the gazebo, and as Elaine staggered from losing her balance, Lucifer yanked out several fine long feathers from Elaine's right wing.
Before Elaine could recover, Lucifer took out his lighter and with a gesture lighted the candles placed on the gazebo floor. It would have been easier had he been in full possession of his lightbringer powers. But he had no time to regret giving it away. As the candles breathed to life, the pentagram they formed on the floor also illuminated the binding circle mirrored above in innocent blood. A two-fold prison.
“HEY, What the..." She barely had the time to react when Lucifer suddenly brought her forward and pushed her to the center of the structure. She stumbled to the floor on her hands and knees, wondering what bought that on, when he saw him holding some feathers - hers? - and saw the candles that surrounded where she was, in the middle of a pentagram? The words were barely out of her lips when she felt a huge, sudden pressure bearing down on her, preventing her from moving, almost forcing her face-flat on the floor. Greatly disturbed, she tried to lash out at the surrounding force with her will, but found that it would not let up. And as the pressure continued, she found her powers being drained, ebbing from her being and into... her wings? ! "...L..Lu.ci...fer....., W...ha.... yo.....u.......dd....oin....g?!" She gasped out, trying to both lift herself up from the floor and stem the drain of power from herself at the same time, and failing.
"Be still," was all that Lucifer said.
The binding had not yet taken full effect. But already Elaine felt her powers being suppressed. Lucifer watched her out of the corner of his eye and let his stare trace the circle he had drawn on the ceiling. It was having more than the desired effect for innocent blood.
Lucifer unsheathed the dagger hidden in his boot and cut into his arm. The blood flowed freely, staining the feather he held against the wound. Carefully he coated every inch of the feather until the white was replaced with crimson. With blood he drew the rune of binding, and set the feather on fire. As the ashes were carried by the wind, so Elaine's powers were taken away from her and sealed within the wings. Lucifer watched her now, his prey, a god, trapped like a caged bird. In the silence the only thing he heard was the pulsing life of the tree as it waited.
It was hard to lift her body from the floor and keep it up, propped with her hands. Struggling, with beads of sweat starting to form on her brow, Elaine tried to see what Lucifer was trying to do. What the hell is he doing?! She thought, partly-terrified and panicked, is he trying to take my powers? But he doesn’t want that responsibility! Wait! If I still figure in his plans, why is he doing this?! These thoughts were racing at breakneck speeds in her mind when she saw him set a bloody feather afire. As soon as the last speck of ash was blown away, her body slammed itself to the gazebo floor, now totally devoid of any Godly power, but feeling her wings humming with it, the pressure still bearing down on her. She felt the pain - felt the pain - of her cheek slamming against the floor and it staying there. No, dammit, no, this isn't happening!! She tried to call out to him, but the pressure was making it difficult to breathe properly, let alone speak.
Powerless. That she was now. The beads of sweat clung to her skin as her wings glistened and shimmered with power in the half-light. Pain was etched on her face as she continued to struggle. There was more of that to come. Lucifer did not find pleasure in torture. No, that was always the misconception. The pleasure now is in the fulfillment of a wish. The elation in giving a worthy offering.
"Get on your knees." He commanded the broken little bird. But still she struggled. The blood magic had hold of her now. She could not move unless he willed it. She was not strong enough to resist.
Not waiting any longer Lucifer stepped closer and pulled Elaine by the hair until she was upright and balanced on her knees. A proper sacrifice. Her breath came in short gasps, and with each laborious lungful of air her wings shuddered with the rest of her body.
Lucifer, dagger in hand, placed himself directly behind Elaine, an executioner about to deal the final blow. Almost gently he took hold of the base of her wings and struck. A dagger was not a blade made for cutting through preternatural flesh. Halfway through the first wing Lucifer had to adjust the angle of the blade and pushed against the resisting muscle. He sawed away at the flesh and peeled off the last bits of stubbornly clinging skin. The second wing was quicker to remove with an upwards stroke. But the blade was embedded too deep and broke as Lucifer tried to pull it free. The jagged bit of steel served to free the remaining inch of flesh. The little bird’s body lurched with pain again and again as Lucifer hacked away. She twitched with it even when there was nothing but grotesque stubs on her back.
Elaine's body and mind were doing everything it can to struggle against the onslaught she was experiencing. The pressure was almost excruciating, threatening to squeeze the very air out of her lungs but just stopping short of doing so. She heard him command - command?! - her to get on her knees and found her body starting to move. A sudden burst of desperation and anger made her struggle, but found that it only served slowing herself.
She suddenly felt the pain of her hair being yanked back to make her kneel. And almost immediately she felt the harrowing, almost obscenely exquisite pain of the forced separation of flesh from flesh. Her wings!
Her eyes dilated, filling up with tears immediately as she felt - inch by torturous inch - her wings being sliced very uncleanly from her back. Her mouth formed an "O" for her to scream, but had no breath to do so, as she felt the skin being ripped from her body. Her tears flowed steadily as she felt the almost quicker severance of the other wing from her body, her body jerking in spasms of tremendous pain as he methodically hacked away at it, never saying anything during the whole process. When it was done she felt the steady stream of blood almost gushing out of her back as she tumbled to the ground again, her mouth still in the "O" of her silent screaming.
He let the broken body drop back to the floor. It was worthless now. Instead he cradled reverently in his arms the most exquisite pair of angelic wings one can acquire in the city. He smoothed out the feathers from where he had held on too tight during the struggle and felt the life and the power in it, power that once belonged to the demiurges’ daughter.
"A pleasure doing business with you. You have the Tree's appreciation." Lucifer said.
Lucifer stepped over Elaine's still form, taking care not to soil his shoes in the quickly pooling blood. Almost as an afterthought, he picked up the bottle of Armagnac that the reaper had delivered earlier, along with the cherry-scented candles and the not so innocent blood. He had something very special to toast to later on. Too bad he'd finished off the cherry tarts. And to think the reaper might have cheated him of one.
Lucifer walked towards the Tree in the very center of Xanadu. The throbbing now was not malevolent. He felt a greeting. Already the base was littered with other paltry sacrifices. His offering did not belong down there with the rest of the filth. His own wings brought Lucifer to the upper branches of the tree. And there he carefully laid down the wings.
As he flew away, he remembered what the little broken bird had said earlier. That he should give credit to where credit is due. Lucifer had to admit to himself, sunsets were his father's best creation. And sky painted blood red by the setting sun perfectly highlighted the sakura tree and its crimson petals.
She felt the pressure slowly disappearing as her hazy vision faintly registered a black-clad figure walking away from where she lay in an accumulating pool of her own blood. White wings shone against black as she struggled to lift herself from the slick floor and failing, her breath still coming out of her in jagged gasps. Not... happening..., she thought to herself, as she felt each painful throb of her wounded back surge through her body. Not... true... her mind screamed at herself, as she finally felt the malevolent thrum emanating from the Sakura tree. So... stupid...Damn you... she thought to herself, as her vision dimmed and the numbness claimed her back and spread to her entire body...
Rating; er, PG for creepy talk and dismemberment?
Characters; Elaine Belloc
elainebelloc and Lucifer fallen_samael Summary; A thank-you gift leads to something unexpected and brutal.
Log;
The invitation from him for a short evening flight surprised her a bit. She thought about how the curse affected him just 2 days prior and decided that if he wanted some company, she would not refuse it. She had spent the day tidying stuff around her apartment, reading some random books she borrowed from the library and mostly watching her pet hedgehog sleep. She left her room, after setting out some food for Mona, at around 5:55. Dusk came at 6-ish around these parts, and she didn't like to see him irritated if she'll be even a minute late. And if it was only for a short flight, she figured she would have just enough time until she and Greed hit the karaoke bar for some singing.
Lucifer was already at the rooftop at half-past five. He tried to curb the impatience that he felt by lighting up. Funny that he still found the stub of the last cigarette he had smoked on the rooftop. Proof that no one really came up there often. Like the rest of the plan, the choices he made have little room for error, which was not as easy as it seemed. He had trouble concentrating, the thought of pleasing the tree with the sacrifice grated on him relentlessly the entire day. That it was so near... that she was so near, almost made his spine tingle.
"Hey, you said 6." she blurted out when she found him already waiting for her when she reached the rooftop. "I could've made it up earlier if you wanted." She had just stopped herself from asking him how he was feeling, since she figured he'd just shrug off the question and not want to discuss what happened 2 days ago.
"Nothing wrong with being early." Lucifer took one last drag from his cigarette before extinguishing the tiny flame. It was so easy, to crush the life out of something. Or someone. Lucifer discreetly looked at his prey. Yes, very easy.
"Ready?" Lucifer asked.
She didn't realize he was that raring to go flying. He must have really been disturbed by the repeat loss of his wings. And that eager to use them again. "Yeah, okay." she nodded. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular". Lucifer lied for the first time in his very long life. He didn't have time to give it a second thought, however, as he unfurled his wings and stepped off the building. He couldn't stand to be idle on the roof any longer. Or watch the beautiful white wings of his prey spread out before him. The anticipation, the hunger might undo him right then and his plan might not come to the desired end. He must not do things rashly. He must remind himself that he is doing it for the Tree.
Only after he heard the sound of wind being beaten softly that he let out the breath he did not notice he had been holding. She followed.
Good little birdie.
"Oookay, nowhere in particular sounds good" she muttered to herself as she manifested her own wings and set off after him. He was a bit ahead of her, so she pressed to fly a bit faster to at least catch up with him. She had just realized yesterday that she had been in the City for a little over a month now, and that she had not gone flying in that space of time. Well, I guess flying every now and then wouldn't be so bad here, she thought as she followed the figure that was slightly ahead of her.
As they crossed over rooftops and ant-sized humans below, Lucifer went over the plan in his head. The fading light was to his advantage. He did not want anyone disturbing them once they've begun. The circle of binding had already been drawn and hidden, protected by his own wards to keep out would-be meddlers. The reaper had provided assistance in the preparation. Lucifer did not like to rely on underlings, but Charles Johnson did come in handy. Perhaps at the end of the day he wouldn't end up as fertilizer after all.
Lucifer nearly chuckled at the thought that just yesterday he had been teaching the little bird how to protect herself. And a diligent student she was, even going as far as cleaning up her own blood. These things always tend to get a little messy in the end. But Lucifer did not mind dirtying his hands a little. The end after all justifies the means.
"I'm going to have to interrupt your train of thought there, but does "nowhere in particular" imply just flying around the City all night?" she asked as she finally flew alongside him. "Because it’s okay with me, really."
His wings ached a little from... the curse. That bloody curse and inspiration from on-high.
Lucifer chose not to answer Elaine. Instead his wings ever so slightly dipped as he started to descend -- a straightforward path to the outer edges of Xanadu. From above he scanned for presences, but felt no one, except for the excited throbbing coming from the Tree, as if it could taste the coming of its meal. The once mortal reaper was gone as pre-arranged. He need not know for whose downfall he had been an apprentice to.
Xanadu. Well, it wasn't a too-bad place to stop by, she thought as she followed his descent. Though she should probably suggest that they keep their distance from the Cherry Blossom tree in the middle of the garden. She had read not-so-good things about it in the network and kept in mind Ranmaru and Subaru's warnings about it. "Mm, this place sort of reminds me of your own version of the first garden in your Creation."
"Close enough." Lucifer said. His garden, like Xanadu at present, was devoid of humans. His garden also had a tree and a temptation. But the tree was not a magnificent sakura, and the temptation is not as strong as the one he feels now. Lucifer slowly made his way to the gazebo, careful to always keep himself ahead of the prey, blocking her view.
"Close enough? How about subtle rip-off?" she replied, stretching her arms above her head and letting her wings stretch out behind her as well. The tree wasn't visible from where they were at the moment, so she wasn't that worried about it. "You know, even though you hate your father, you should've at least given him credit", she added as she picked up her steps to catch up with him as he neared the gazebo.
Lucifer no longer heard what the little birdie had said. When she caught up with him at the entrance of the gazebo, his instincts took over. In one fluid motion Lucifer pushed the girl forward to the very center of the gazebo, and as Elaine staggered from losing her balance, Lucifer yanked out several fine long feathers from Elaine's right wing.
Before Elaine could recover, Lucifer took out his lighter and with a gesture lighted the candles placed on the gazebo floor. It would have been easier had he been in full possession of his lightbringer powers. But he had no time to regret giving it away. As the candles breathed to life, the pentagram they formed on the floor also illuminated the binding circle mirrored above in innocent blood. A two-fold prison.
“HEY, What the..." She barely had the time to react when Lucifer suddenly brought her forward and pushed her to the center of the structure. She stumbled to the floor on her hands and knees, wondering what bought that on, when he saw him holding some feathers - hers? - and saw the candles that surrounded where she was, in the middle of a pentagram? The words were barely out of her lips when she felt a huge, sudden pressure bearing down on her, preventing her from moving, almost forcing her face-flat on the floor. Greatly disturbed, she tried to lash out at the surrounding force with her will, but found that it would not let up. And as the pressure continued, she found her powers being drained, ebbing from her being and into... her wings? ! "...L..Lu.ci...fer....., W...ha.... yo.....u.......dd....oin....g?!" She gasped out, trying to both lift herself up from the floor and stem the drain of power from herself at the same time, and failing.
"Be still," was all that Lucifer said.
The binding had not yet taken full effect. But already Elaine felt her powers being suppressed. Lucifer watched her out of the corner of his eye and let his stare trace the circle he had drawn on the ceiling. It was having more than the desired effect for innocent blood.
Lucifer unsheathed the dagger hidden in his boot and cut into his arm. The blood flowed freely, staining the feather he held against the wound. Carefully he coated every inch of the feather until the white was replaced with crimson. With blood he drew the rune of binding, and set the feather on fire. As the ashes were carried by the wind, so Elaine's powers were taken away from her and sealed within the wings. Lucifer watched her now, his prey, a god, trapped like a caged bird. In the silence the only thing he heard was the pulsing life of the tree as it waited.
It was hard to lift her body from the floor and keep it up, propped with her hands. Struggling, with beads of sweat starting to form on her brow, Elaine tried to see what Lucifer was trying to do. What the hell is he doing?! She thought, partly-terrified and panicked, is he trying to take my powers? But he doesn’t want that responsibility! Wait! If I still figure in his plans, why is he doing this?! These thoughts were racing at breakneck speeds in her mind when she saw him set a bloody feather afire. As soon as the last speck of ash was blown away, her body slammed itself to the gazebo floor, now totally devoid of any Godly power, but feeling her wings humming with it, the pressure still bearing down on her. She felt the pain - felt the pain - of her cheek slamming against the floor and it staying there. No, dammit, no, this isn't happening!! She tried to call out to him, but the pressure was making it difficult to breathe properly, let alone speak.
Powerless. That she was now. The beads of sweat clung to her skin as her wings glistened and shimmered with power in the half-light. Pain was etched on her face as she continued to struggle. There was more of that to come. Lucifer did not find pleasure in torture. No, that was always the misconception. The pleasure now is in the fulfillment of a wish. The elation in giving a worthy offering.
"Get on your knees." He commanded the broken little bird. But still she struggled. The blood magic had hold of her now. She could not move unless he willed it. She was not strong enough to resist.
Not waiting any longer Lucifer stepped closer and pulled Elaine by the hair until she was upright and balanced on her knees. A proper sacrifice. Her breath came in short gasps, and with each laborious lungful of air her wings shuddered with the rest of her body.
Lucifer, dagger in hand, placed himself directly behind Elaine, an executioner about to deal the final blow. Almost gently he took hold of the base of her wings and struck. A dagger was not a blade made for cutting through preternatural flesh. Halfway through the first wing Lucifer had to adjust the angle of the blade and pushed against the resisting muscle. He sawed away at the flesh and peeled off the last bits of stubbornly clinging skin. The second wing was quicker to remove with an upwards stroke. But the blade was embedded too deep and broke as Lucifer tried to pull it free. The jagged bit of steel served to free the remaining inch of flesh. The little bird’s body lurched with pain again and again as Lucifer hacked away. She twitched with it even when there was nothing but grotesque stubs on her back.
Elaine's body and mind were doing everything it can to struggle against the onslaught she was experiencing. The pressure was almost excruciating, threatening to squeeze the very air out of her lungs but just stopping short of doing so. She heard him command - command?! - her to get on her knees and found her body starting to move. A sudden burst of desperation and anger made her struggle, but found that it only served slowing herself.
She suddenly felt the pain of her hair being yanked back to make her kneel. And almost immediately she felt the harrowing, almost obscenely exquisite pain of the forced separation of flesh from flesh. Her wings!
Her eyes dilated, filling up with tears immediately as she felt - inch by torturous inch - her wings being sliced very uncleanly from her back. Her mouth formed an "O" for her to scream, but had no breath to do so, as she felt the skin being ripped from her body. Her tears flowed steadily as she felt the almost quicker severance of the other wing from her body, her body jerking in spasms of tremendous pain as he methodically hacked away at it, never saying anything during the whole process. When it was done she felt the steady stream of blood almost gushing out of her back as she tumbled to the ground again, her mouth still in the "O" of her silent screaming.
He let the broken body drop back to the floor. It was worthless now. Instead he cradled reverently in his arms the most exquisite pair of angelic wings one can acquire in the city. He smoothed out the feathers from where he had held on too tight during the struggle and felt the life and the power in it, power that once belonged to the demiurges’ daughter.
"A pleasure doing business with you. You have the Tree's appreciation." Lucifer said.
Lucifer stepped over Elaine's still form, taking care not to soil his shoes in the quickly pooling blood. Almost as an afterthought, he picked up the bottle of Armagnac that the reaper had delivered earlier, along with the cherry-scented candles and the not so innocent blood. He had something very special to toast to later on. Too bad he'd finished off the cherry tarts. And to think the reaper might have cheated him of one.
Lucifer walked towards the Tree in the very center of Xanadu. The throbbing now was not malevolent. He felt a greeting. Already the base was littered with other paltry sacrifices. His offering did not belong down there with the rest of the filth. His own wings brought Lucifer to the upper branches of the tree. And there he carefully laid down the wings.
As he flew away, he remembered what the little broken bird had said earlier. That he should give credit to where credit is due. Lucifer had to admit to himself, sunsets were his father's best creation. And sky painted blood red by the setting sun perfectly highlighted the sakura tree and its crimson petals.
She felt the pressure slowly disappearing as her hazy vision faintly registered a black-clad figure walking away from where she lay in an accumulating pool of her own blood. White wings shone against black as she struggled to lift herself from the slick floor and failing, her breath still coming out of her in jagged gasps. Not... happening..., she thought to herself, as she felt each painful throb of her wounded back surge through her body. Not... true... her mind screamed at herself, as she finally felt the malevolent thrum emanating from the Sakura tree. So... stupid...Damn you... she thought to herself, as her vision dimmed and the numbness claimed her back and spread to her entire body...