decadence; henry

[hita imani]

A tottering of unsteady footsteps

[/b][/font][/color] from a person who was clearly impaired could be heard reverberating from the dark alley. Hita was always one for a drink after a long day of work, but that particular day had been rather trying for the young girl- after getting into an argument with a fellow servant over the most trivial accusation of stealing a locket. At some point in the day, Hita was certain she was not the thief, but with the alcohol seeping its way into her bloodstream and tainting her mind, Hita began to doubt herself. Her own hidden insecurity in addition to the liquor created a most unpleasant Hita.

She stumbled sideways and fell against the brick of whatever building she was near, laughing uncontrollably at her own mistake. She lifted a small, dark hand to rub at the tip of her nose as her eyes fluttered open and shut- the images before her doubling before returning to normal. All the while, that damned locket was fixed on her mind. I couldn't have stolen it! She always kept it around her neck-

Hita recalled a time she was once of great power and wealth... a time when she'd smirk when overhearing the arguments of her servants, much like the predicament she, herself, was currently in. She remembered how pitiful they would look to her- frail from being denied the rich foods that she and her family ate multiple times a day, and yet strong from the intensive labor the upper classes failed to do themselves. She and her siblings would be plump and shiny from the heavy Indian cuisine they'd indulge in.

Looking down at her unattractive garb, a bit of a frown settled onto her face, and a faint line of upset drew between her brows. How things had changed, from all those years ago. Her form had shriveled from the healthy, curvaceous frame she once had. Hita was now made of hard, lean muscle, and as she leaned against the wall, she seemed to notice this for the first time. She pressed her hand to her upper arm to find that she had, indeed, the body of a laborer.



With one hand squeezing her bicep, her mind on the stolen locket, and with a set of less-than-functional eyes, Hita continued down the alley upon realizing that it was unnervingly quiet. Feeling the need to quickly walk toward the nearest sign of human life, Hita moved rapidly down the alley, unaware not only of the tavern that was only a few yards from her, but also of the man who was turning the corner at the precise moment she was.

Almost immediately, Hita found herself stumbling forward and backward in attempts to keep from falling directly on the stranger. A tired smile appeared on her face and she shook her head as she studied the other man. "I-I apologize, I've had a bit too much to drink tonight. I was upset, you see, so I found myself at the tavern, and the next thing I know I'm here... with you!", Hita stammered, in an attempt to be charming in that way silly women are. She would only hope the other man would feel the same way.

Looking the man up and down, Hita immediately noticed that his clothes were well-kept and immediately took him for a proper, possibly wealthy, gentleman. "Of course, I suppose your guilty of indulging, as well...", Hita said, her voice taking on a deeper, more seductive tone, "But whatever is a fine gentleman like you doing here? Haven't you a wife and family to be tending to?"[/blockquote]

[Deleted]

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It was late, the darkness of the night had already consumed all in its path. Were it not for the bravery of the lamp-lighter boys, any vision through this blanket of darkness would be quite the impossible. Even the moon itself had troubles pushing it's beams of light through the sheer density of the fog, that swirled eerily about the feet of those few who wandered London's streets by nightfall - courageous, fearless, ignorant - whatever they may be it wasn't a wise thing to do. Not with the recent reports of mass murder and massacre caused by rogue criminals who cherished this time of night - members of Scotland Yard and detective agencies were on the case, of course, but that didn't stop the corruption between London's citizens. Everyone was paranoid, no one trusted another for fear that they held a dreadful secret.

One dark and lonely figure trudged, surprisingly quietly, it's way through the shadows between street lamps, ducking away from the light for fear that his identity could became known. His steps were clumsy, and unorganized, perhaps a night down at the olde public house had an effect on this man's ability to walk straight and with purpose. No? No. There was something else about him that eliminated this point completely, he was laughing. A cold, quiet chuckle pulsed from within him, the smell of evil itself lingered about his shadowed and surprisingly lithe frame. Were it not for this, he could easily have passed off as a respectable man, a doctor to be precise; a Doctor Henry Atwood, taking a stroll, in the moonlight.

Not far from where the doctor stood was a young woman; she too had a little stumble in her step as she tried to keep herself upright, however it was clear that she was rather intoxicated. It was at that point that she almost fell head first into the stray doctor, catching herself just before she did so. Taken aback, he retreated into the shadows, keeping himself concealed. As soon as she had set eyes on him, she quickly muttered some words of apology, before taking on a seductive persona. Were it wise? He looked like a dangerous character. He was in fact, and he knew it. Though perhaps it was his attire, he did look respectable, but she was talking to the wrong Henry. The man chuckled, a little louder this time, so the cobblestones beneath their feet rattled with uncertainty. He waited a little while, and stumbled a little closer to her, his face however still consumed by shadow. 'I am but an unwed man, so no, I have nothing to be tending to. Though tell me, young lady, why should you be alone so late at night?' He whispered. This was indeed a very dangerous night within London.

notes → apologies for the delay!

[hita imani]

Henry's dark laughter

[/b][/font][/color] echoed through the narrow alleyway the two strangers found themselves in. It was only at that precise moment that the gears in Hita's mind began turning... and she began to wonder if speaking to this very abnormal stranger was a smart decision. Regardless, the young woman had a natural tendency to believe she was above finding herself in any danger, for she was independent and could handle any situation if need be. Her inclination to believe nothing would ever happen to her mixed with a rather great deal of alcohol created a dangerously bold and rather idiotic little woman to be running about London's dark backstreets by herself.

Hita strained her dark eyes to make out a face of an otherwise inscrutable, aphotic shadow. Her search for a sign of humanness was halted by a movement of the shadowy figure towards her. Hita stood her ground, her eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise that the man didn't merely brush her off and continue on his way, much like she was expecting him to do. Instead, the dark figure o f what she was quite sure to be a man but also quite unsure herself, replied to her seductive inquiry. His response to her sent an unnerving chill up and down her spine. The young woman brushed off her shudder as a cold breeze in the night. Surely she wasn't afraid of the stranger, they were only having nice conversation. Or so she told herself.

The shadowed man's question made Hita smirk. "Having a drink, of course! If a man desires a drink late at night, he is socially permitted to sneak out and satisfy himself. But heaven forbid if a woman thirsts for liquor!", She exclaimed, a bright smile appearing on her face as she spoke. "It was a hard day. You wouldn't believe the audacity of some of the working-types.", Hita mumbled, as though excluding herself from the criticism of her own class. There was a silence, as Hita glanced to her left at the soft sound of a rattling, possibly by a rat or stray dog that may have been watching the odd pair.

She returned her attention to the figure she was speaking to and cracked a bit of a smirk. "I can hardly even see you, sir... why don't you come into the light? I'm sure you're quite handsome.", she inquired rather curiously. Indeed, the idea of speaking to and quite possibly flirting with an anonymous, faceless shadow was less-than-appealing to anyone, let alone the very sociable Hita. That and the fact that the animal that was there scampered away, made Hita feel incredibly, and dangerously alone. [/blockquote]