London's Shield (Steampunk/Supenatural Victorian Era) PM to join

((All right, I am finally ready to get this party started. Sorry for the delay. I was down with the flu.))

((Here is the place for OOC discussions and character description. Please PM me if you want to join. As the lot moves on I'm sure we can take on more players.))

(Countess) Zahlena Deswa was slumming it. Not for idle curiosity nor for 'fun' nor to clandestinely sample the pleasures of an opium den. She was here to meet with 'colleagues' and collect information. The group that formed the core of the Shield met this way whenever something came to their attention that only people of their skills could handle. She had contacts at The Yard and others. But theirs was a secret organization, letting the general public keep to their simple world view. But Zahlena knew better. There were far more things in heaven and earth...and most of those things were not interesting in helping mankind.

She had left her coachman some way back. She pulled her cloak about her shoulders and walked alone. Her hood kept her auburn hair under cover. She delicately stepped over a pile of horse dung as she crossed the street to enter their meeting place. Richard's Beard. A pub that was neither too base nor too fine. One that catered to the working class. She was dressed appropriately for the place. People could assume she was a servant with an evening off to meet with friends. The pub was also noisy and crowded enough that they would not be overheard.

She entered by the back door and took a seat at a table in the corner where she could watch both entrances. She pushed her hood off. It was dark enough she had no fear that she would be recognized here. People tended to make quick judgments based on a person's clothing and accent. She was confident in her disguise.

She took note of the other patrons then looked at her watch hanging from a chain around her neck. She was a little early.

((So...if everyone has decided they are already a member of the Shield, come on in. If not, make a post abt what your char is up to and I'll see how we can pull them in.))

Johann Regenstein

Johann had a long day and he was thirsty, not your normal "I want a pint" thirsty, no he had a thirst that would drain a keg. He opened the door to Richard's Bear, of course the moment he ducked inside the pub, a hush fell across the room.

"Oi Johny boy!"

Johann grinned

"Oi Derek, come on boys, first drink's on me, I'm here to drain a keg and go home"

A general laughter of good humor rippled through the crowd as Johann closed the door behind him and stepped up to the bar, placing down a handful of coins. The barman grinned at him, and counted the coins, before nodding his consent

"Got paid well Johny?"

Johann nodded

"Long hard day, but at least I got paid well for it"

The barman placed a beer down in front of Johann and he picked it up and started to drink it.

"Ah yes this is much better than cold water hey"

He continued to drain his beer and laid down more coins for his next one

((I'm assuming that Johann is not a member of the Shield yet.))

Zahlena noted the very large specimen of a man come into the pub. He seemed well liked. She thought about chatting him up a bit since none of the others were here yet. He might be someone to use on an ad hoc basis. She wondered how open minded he might be about the occult and supernatural. And how discreet. The Shield sometimes needed muscle. She leaned forward on her table to get a better look at the man.

Johann Regenstein

Johann finished his second beer and paid for his next round, he didn't know why, but where some men would by now feel a bit drunk, he was as sober as when he came in to the pub, he always shrugged it off to his bulk. He picked up the refilled tankard and turned to survey the crowd, they seemed to be the usual bunch, but some eyes were directed towards a lady seated in one corner, she was looking intently at him, clearly studying him. He saluted her with his mug and grinned, before taking a sip, the clothing was of the working class, but clearly the lady didn't belong here as an air of unease wafted from the patrons closest to her position. He finished his ale and found that the thirst was slacking, he paid for another one and waited for it to be refilled

The tall man sighed as he walked through the dark streets, a footsteps echoing down the alley way accompanied by the clack of his walking stick hitting every third of fourth step. He grumbled under his breath at the Shield and his general distaste of their ways of not giving him a moment's peace. If he wasn't off being tossed around by a werewolf, he was being berated for missing this or that requisition form and still somehow ending up with the needed supplies.

Billy poked his head into the pub, shillelagh on his shoulder in a way that tipped up the suspiciously new looking derby hat to force him to lift his chin for a proper view. He grinned at the sight of the lovely Zahlena, a long time favorite tease of his and popped the hand holding his walking stick up, tossing the hat from his head and into his waiting hand. He stood at the door for a moment in his dark brown waistcoat and shirt with dark gray pants, ending with a pair of muddy boots. His eyes shined brightly in the dim room as he made his way through the pub's patrons, throwing his arms wide with a look of mock surprise and wide smile. "By th' stars above, look 'ere at thes vision 'f a beor b'fore m' eyes! Barman! A pint 'f dark fehr me an' th' vision blindin' me."

He settled into the chair next to Zahlena with a rakish grin, not minding if the barman didn't even hear his request. "n' how 'bout a kiss, love?"

((I realize it looks terrible. Just imagine a very, very thick accent peppered with all of those fun unintelligible Gaelic sayings.))

Zahlena gifted the large man with a smile. She sipped her wine looking at him over the rim of her glass.

She was interrupted by the arrival of Billy. She laughed at him and gave him a smirk. "You do lay it on thick, Billy." She offered him her cheek. She had to play the part of a flirting working class woman. "How have you been?"

She nodded when Georgette joined them. "My drink is fine, thank you." She took the papers and stuffed them into her large bag. She would look at those later and see if what Georgette had found jibed with the news she had to share.

"Get yourself a drink, when I tell you what a friend told me about the...horrors, I think you'll need it."

Zahlena looked about the room at the patrons again. No one skulking about, everyone enjoying their drinks and talking with friends. It was way she liked Richard's. A perfect meeting place. That and she paid Richard a little something to keep her informed of shady characters asking questions.

Johann Regenstein

Johann watched as her friends met with the lady, she kept very interesting company, he turned around to face the bar and playfully slapped the patron next to him on the back

"So whatcha up to Billy boy"

The man spluttered into his beer and gave Johann a glare

"John I do declare, you got to understand that us men who are smaller than you, do have a slighter constitution"

Johann grinned at him

"Das Wasser des Gottes über den Garten des Gottes my friend"

Billy blinked

"What? Oh you and that infernal tongue that you picked up over yonder docks, why do you insist on speaking it upon a God fearing man's ears I'll never know"

Billy ruefully drank his beer

"We are doing well to be honest, trade is picking up, but these killings, I tell ya Johnny boy things are going to pot"

Johann grinned and finished his beer, he decided to have another, he paid for another cup and waited for the refill

"Billy it's like they say: "What the queen do hear, we all pay for dear", so rather not talk where strange ears can hear ya hey"

He picked up his ale and took a long drink from it

"Strange tales run around in the street Johnny boy, hobgobblins and faerie tales if ya ask me"

Johann grinned, thinking back at the tales of the Black Forrest in Germany

"Aye Billy boy, tales they may be, but sometimes even tales can have meaning to it ya know"

With that he finished his ale and stepped away from the bar

"Well then, I reckon' I placed a big enough dent in your keg, but the dent you made in my pocket hurts even more"

With a good natured laugh he bid the patrons good night and headed towards the door

Henry Jekyll

Henry's hands were balled into tight fists as he made his way slowly towards the public house. Why did they have to meet in a place such as this? Oh, it was far from the worst establishment he'd ever had the misfortune to enter, but that hardly put him at ease. What with the beggars and the drunkards and the... the women of the night who skulked in the shadows.

He was running late. He knew he was late and part of him didn't care. Of course, that was the part of him he hated, the part that felt quite at home in dingy back streets such as this. Oh, why couldn't they just let him stay in his laboratory!?

Jekyll paused for a moment and took a deep breath, leaning against a wall and wiping the sweat from his brow. Easy, Henry, easy. There's no need to get worked up. We all know that would be terrible for everyone. After all the effort that had gone into bringing him back to London, it would have been awful for him to throw such a chance away now. Nice, deep breaths - you're in control, son.

Henry entered Richard's Beard by the back entrance, keeping his head low so as to avoid eye contact. He didn't think ayone here would recognise him, but they might recognise something about him, that terrible aura that never disappeared, even as the monster inside did. He spotted the rest of the party sitting around a table, whispering whatever dark secrets they'd uncovered that day. There was Madam Deswa, exuding her high class background even as she trudged through the mud. Reinaldi sat to one side of her. Henry found her intimidating - not so much her physical presence, but more the way her steely gaze seemed to cut through you like a hot wire. And of course, there was the Irishman, McCraik, who lived up (or rather down) to his nation's frailties by always being wherever alcohol could be found. There was something about the man that Henry couldn't pin down. McCraik seemed to have something of the stage Irishman about him, his movements and speech exaggerated to such a great degree. Did he do it to put people off guard, or was he genuinely like that? Henry didn't know, nor did he care to find out. All he wanted was to finish this meeting quickly and get back to his lab.

"Madam," he mumbled, nodding politely at Zahlena as he sat down. "Please, uh, forgive my delay. I... always have such trouble finding the place." He smiled awkwardly, his hands still balled tightly into fists.

He laughed and gave Zahlena's cheek a playful smooch before leaning back to kick his feet up on the table and rest the back of his head on his hands. "Tch, nothin' bein' layed on, love. D' yeh mean ta say yeh doubt th' full measure 'f th' fire yeh light? Fehr shame." He grinned and looked up to Georgette's slender frame saunter over.

"An' fine evenin' back ta you, Georgey. Pull up a stool, have yehself a drink. Oh, an' th' fires 'r warm but th' dog rolled over. Or somethin'." He chuckled and shook his head. "Fine on drinks, lass." Billy lifted his cane by the knob and poked at the papers, sliding one off of the other to get a look.

"Yeh know, yeh write a great deal ta say yeh dunnae know much." He watched her go back to the bar and return a short moment later.

"So...what's the news for the night? Any new victims. Any leads."

Click to expand...

Billy shook his head and rested the stick along his chest. "Nah. Jes' hearin' about blood, some fella swore 'e seen some snake kill 'em, another coulda swore tha' his wife did th' thing."

A few moments in relative silence before he saw Jekyll's skinny body slide through the door, as anxious looking as ever. He slipped a leg under the table and nudged the chair opposite him out for Henry to sit before resuming his leaning back.

"Henry! Are y'alright, boy?" He always felt a little awkward around the man, mostly because the man was pretty damned awkward himself. "C'mon man, siddown, have a drink, share a tale 'r two."

"I think anything with a dress and two legs light a fire for you, Billy." Zahlena laughed continuing the banter, playing the part. She leaned closer to him. "Do you know that rather large man there? The one they called Johnny? See he's leaving now. What do you know about him? I think he could be useful when we have a problem that requires more brawn than brains." She lowered her voice, "Or magic for that matter."

((I love cheeky Billy))

Once Jekyll was settled, Zahlena began, "Dr. Bell sent me a private post. You know of Dr. Bell? ((A.C. Doyle was his student in Edinburgh and is the basis for Sherlock Holmes.)) The Yard has called him in. He has detected a pattern, and a few other things at the scenes point to something he felt warranted the involvement of the Shield. He believes the killer is not...normal. In fact, he believes a vampire has committed them. He has asked that we investigate along those lines. He told me, he thinks this may be part of some elaborate ritual."

She paused to let than sink in. "Have any of you heard of anything along these lines? It troubles me that a vampire would do such a thing. Lord Byron worked so hard against them, until they sucked him dry. But a truce was forged not long after. They have their clubs and recruit willing blood donors. They leave London alone and we leave them alone. They do not want another Inquisition, and neither do we for that matter."

She sat back in her chair keeping her eye on the patrons. None seemed interested in what their little group might be talking about. "So, tell me what you have found."

((We need to establish the date, how many of the five Ripper murders have taken place so far? The first three? Then I can set up a timeline.

Henry Jekyll

"Henry! Are y'alright, boy? C'mon man, siddown, have a drink, share a tale 'r two."

Jekyll widened his nervous grin (it was beginning to hurt, if he was honest) and shook his head.

"No, no, that's quite all right, Mr McCraik," he said. "You know I, uh, never touch alcohol." He lowered his eyes, hoping Billy wouldn't pry any deeper. Henry did not know how much of his past was common knowledge among Shield agents, but he supposed it was enough.

He sat quietly in his chair and listened to Zahlena. Her calm tone when speaking of such awful horrors unnerved him. That he, a man of science, would seriously listen to such talk of monsters should have been ridiculous. Unfortunately, Dr Jekyll knew all to well that monsters did exist, even if they were nowhere else but in the hearts of man. Whatever the Ripper's identity, a monster he most certainly was. Henry almost wished for something strong to calm his nerves, but knew that would be a mistake. No, more than a mistake - it would no doubt be a tragedy.

As soon as Georgette had offered whatever information she could give, Henry coughed politely and leaned forward, speaking quietly so as not to alarm potential eavesdroppers.

"I have examined the first, um, victim," he began. "And I agree with the theory that we are looking for someone who has great skill with a blade. A butcher, perhaps, or a surgeon. And much of her blood was missing. It was not apparent at first, but it occurred to me through further examination that the... cuts ran through veins in the throat and, I believe, one cut to an artery in the thigh. I will not be able to determine my findings until I see the other two bodies but, I, uh... I mean, it takes time." He turned away, breathing deeply and trying not to think of soft flesh and bared breasts. Before, he could examine a cadaver with the cool professionalism of a medical doctor. But now, baser instincts threatened to overcome him all the time.

Billy McCraik

Billy let out a low whistle when she pointed out the giant of a man at the bar, remembering him from his walks by the docks and regular visits to this particular street. "I cannae say I know 'im pers'nally, but 'e's called Johann. German fellah, strong 's three oxes. Like me ta give 'im a visit some time an' see ef 'e's keen on the idea 'f ghosts an' goblins? An' love, truly. I'm all yeh need." He offered her a playful wink. "An' speakin' 'f dresses, th' lovely Georgette does a fine job with 'er pants. All nice an' snug in th' right places, so I'm broadenin' my horizons. Ain'tcha proud a' me?"

He leaned his head back as the brains talked their way around, keeping an ear in on the conversation. Butchering people; women no less. That was coward's work. His father knew the way it should have worked and for all of Billy's teasing and play, you don't hurt women. Unless of course that woman happens to be a ruskala and wants to drown you, but that was a different circumstance.

Billy sighed at the mention of vampires. He hated vampires. Damnable parasites who strutted around like they were the good Lord's gift to humanity. All their finery and high society couldn't convince Billy that they were anything but over sized and overly intelligent mosquitoes. "Feh...feckin' leeches. Dunnae think a well placed pogrom would be all tha' bad..." He grinned to himself, forgetting for a moment his own somewhat less than natural blood that could very well mark him for similar public distaste.

"Ach, can we jes' say tha' it's time ta sharpen some table legs? Yeh know...jes' as a precaution?

Johann Regenstein

He took in the cooling night air as he stepped out of the pub, it will be a cool night tonight. He didn't see the shadowy figure slip out of the door behind him and around the corner, only to disappear into the shadows cast by the building. Placing his hands in his pockets, he sauntered down the street on his way home, whistling an old German folksong. He missed his home country, but he knew that coming to England was the only way that he could make a living and not get treated as a freak.

The scuff of leather against stone, made him turn his head, just in time to see his attacker, his hands slid free from his pocket and twisted to take the hit meant for the base of his skull on his left forearm, he grunted and with his other hand grabbed the tall man and pulled him up to eye level

"Ouch"

He threw his attacker against the nearest wall with a resounding thump, the man crumpled to the ground and lay motionless, then the rest of the group came from behind a house and Johann grinned, he loved thieves, they always gave him a good way to unwind after a long day at work.

"Come on friends, let's talk about the softness of your skulls and the hardness of my fist hey?"

He laughed and a few of them produced small daggers

"Ah an interesting proposition you have lads, let's see if you can uphold your idea"

He walked towards them, the space between them shrinking quickly with his long strides. A few moments later his strides was taking him home as seven thieves was laid out on the ground. Johann grinned and started to whistle his song again.

Zahlena Deswa

"What you have heard, Miss Reinaldi, does fit with Dr. Bell's assessment. And why the Yard is having a difficult time containing the wild conjectures. The murders are most violent. Much more flamboyant than the way a vampire usually works. But the posing of the bodies, the splattered blood... I think there is some ritual involved." Zahlena said.

"Dr. Jekyll's assessment shows it cannot be a beast, besides that no werewolf has been seen in the city limits, a beast of that sort would not be able to pose the bodies, and there would be jagged teeth and claw marks." She sipped her wine. "A visit to the hellfire club may be in order. In disguise, of course. I can probably get us an invitation from Dorian Gray, he has connections there."

She gave a smile to Billy, "Table legs, silver bullets, holy water...I think we'll need the entire arsenal." Then she laughed lightly and patted his hand. "You may be all I need, but you are not all I want." She smirked. "Please do speak to Johann and see if he might be interested in taking on a second job."

Zahlena Deswa

"Mr. Gray is a little too pretty for my taste." Zahlena said. She wasn't interested in being with a man who was prettier than she. "I'll make sure you're included in the invitation." Bahiya looked at the bullets Georgette carried. "Good. But we'll have to be more subtle at the club." She didn't want to keep saying the full name. It might arouse curiosity. I'll send a note to Mr. Gray tomorrow." She looked at Billy then back to Georgette, "Is there anything else? Shall we depart? Do keep me informed of you discover anything else of note. I'll be in touch." Zahlena took another sip of her wine and prepared to stand.

Billy McCraik

Billy shrugs and hops to his feet, offering both Georgette and Zahlena a hand. "Eh. When a man takes mroe time ta primp than 'e does ta empt 'is bedpan, there isn' enoff goin' on up there. "B'sides, Georgey love, th' man adores 'is mirror a bit too much, aye?" He chuckles after helping them to their feet as a gentleman should and spins his hat around in his palms before popping it onto his head.

"We'll see ef this Johnny fella's jes' big fehr fun 'er if he's got th' stones ta tussle with th' excessiv'ly odd. An don' yeh dare go prancin' about daen at tha' club without me. An' you, Henry? Yeh plannin' on pokin' th' sleepin' wolves with a stick too? Always more fun wi' more. An' yeh might want tha' drink fehr it. Yeh know, cut loose outta tha' lab a bit. Cheers friends, yeh know how ta get a hold 'f me."

He gave Jekyll a playful wink and made his way into the night, tip of his shillelagh lightly clicking on stone before he walks through a shadow to vanish from sight in the pitch black of the night to tail Johann from the rooftops. He paused for a moment when he saw the bodies of the would be thieves strewn about the street, a couple of them still groaning from their beating. "Boy's got a nasty left hook, I'd wager."

He caught sight of the giant at the end of the alley, using his cane to balance as he skittered across a rooftop's peak. With a short pirouette and mid-air cartwheel to leaped to the next roof, somewhat proud of his completely unnecessary acrobatics. His somewhat inhuman blood gave him a slight love for the dramatic, even if he wanted to convince himself he it helped. Ending up on the roof above Johann he crouched down in a deep shadow and let out a shrill whistle.

Johann Regenstein

Johann looked up at the whistle, his own whistling interrupted by it, he peered and saw a figure crouched in the shadows, judging from the hat it had to be one of the female from the pub's friends, he had been wearing a hat when he came into the pub. He arched an eyebrow and then grinned up at the man

"You want to come down from there friend? The only one I speak to who is in the heavens is our good Lord and you do not really fit the bill. You are not shiny enough hey"

He stuck his hands into his pockets

"And since you drew my attention I am quite sure you don't want to fight, but talk"

Billy McCraik

Billy stood from his squat, shillelagh resting across the backs of his shoulders with his rests hanging over the edges, propped up by its ends. He chuckled with a somewhat wicked grin and took slow steps along the narrow top of the roof, walking a few steps before deftly spinning about. "Oh...I dunno. Air's nicer up 'ere. An' yeh ne'er know, boyo. Could be I jes' love a good fair fight, aye?" He grinned and hopped down the twenty feet or so to the ground and bounced back to his feet. "An' th' lights all wrong 'ere, 'cos I could put steel t' shame wi' my shine."

His nimble fingers idly spun his walking stick with a quiet wiff of the air at each rotation. "Nae, I gotta question for yeh. D'yeh ever wonder wha' kin'a things happen ta big guys like yehrself when they go wanderin' 'round a' night thinkin' they got th' street safe 'cause all they gotta worry about's little guys like th' t'ieves back d'ere?" Billy paused for a moment to give Johann a look up and down before resuming the spinning, taking slow steps around the giant man. "Seen one of 'em gutted an' beggin' fehr death, another eaten alive, an' more 'n a few turned inta a fine red mist, 'cause they didn' have much clue ta wha's really out there." Billy tossed his cudgel into the air and caught it on the tip of a finger after hopping to one side to catch it properly and giving his hand a short jerk to keep it balancing.

"Nae, I been sent by th' lovely lady back a' Richard's yeh no doubt noticed, as she no doubt noticed yeh're great bulk drinkin' th' bar dry. We sometimes need us some help doin' a bit more fehr th' common folk than tossin' crates around. So, if yeh happen ta be a man 'f honor an' no questionin' yehr mum brought yeh up proper like tha' and if yeh happen ta be curious how hard a werewolf 'r vampire can hit, come 'ere in th' mornin'." With that bit of monologue over and offered Johann a small card with the Shield's public cover's address on it. Billy seemed to have trouble letting people have a word in edgewise when he was on a roll.

A small shuffle of noise came from the dark alley across the street, causing Billy to glare into the shadows with an annoyed glimmer in his bright eyes. "Oy, quiet yeh wee shites! We're havin' a chat!" He kicked a loose stone up and swung his shillelagh around for the knot to crack against it with a bright spark. It lit the stone like a flare and flew into the alley, exposing just barely hidden shades and bright red glimmers of eyes that yipped and dove into the dark corners again as it passed by and disappeared.

"Feckin' goblins. Anehways, come along in th' mornin' if yeh get bored. An' ta be proper friendly, names Billy McCraik. Get some rest, aye?" With that he spun where he stood and took off with a lighthearted whistle into the alley he knocked the stone into, disappeared into the shadows to leave Johann alone. Oddly enough, his voice came back again, this time from a different direction from the now unseen Billy. "An' another thing! Dunnae bother thinkin' about et all too hard right away 'r yeh'll get a headache!" And then there was silence.

Johann Regenstein

Johann watched the man and had difficulty to understand him, this was not a type of accent he had heard a lot of before. At the end of it all he was left standing with a card in his hand, he looked down the alley that the strange man disappeared down and he just had to chuckle

"Vampires and Werewolves, tales from the Black Forest had made it here, how interesting"

But in the back of his mind Johann knew that the tales was based on facts and truths, that his great grandparents was renown hunters of the beasts that made children have nightmares and what parents used as examples why you should be obedient and listen to your elders.

"Well then Billy, I'll come see in the mornin' just how hard a werewolf and vampire can hit, but right now Mrs Regenstein's son is hungry and there is a stew that needs making"

He strolled further towards his place, studying the card, before slipping it into his pocket, the address already committed to memory. He resumed his whistling, this time a more somber note and he wondered if these new killings was not the sign of some new beast on the prowl, in that case he would love to go out and hunt the damned thing. All those ladies, what a waste of good female flesh.

Henry Jekyll

Henry responded to Billy's friendly wink with what he hoped was a friendly smile, but every fibre of his being was screaming that he'd rather leave right now. He had to keep himself from breathing a sigh of relief when Zahlena brought the meeting to a close. He would try his best to avoid the Hellfire Club. That den of sin would have terrible effects on him, he knew. Better to stay in his laboratory, examining the corpses of those poor women, trying in his own way to help the investigation.

He bid a polite farewell to the ladies, gently bowed his head and then turned back to the side door. He shuffled quickly through the dirty streets, avoiding the riotous groups that were falling out of public houses and brothels across this decrepit neighbourhood. Henry finally made his way across the river and returned to Shield headquarters, where a guard let him pass through. Soon he was back in the lab, two bodies laying on examination tables, each one with a shite sheet draped over them.

Not yet feeling tired, Jekyll set about examining one of the bodies. He gently pulled back a sheet to reveal the pale face of the unfortunate woman. Her wounds were similar to the first victim's, her throat slashed from left to right and another gash across the abdomen. There were no signs of a struggle, according to the police report. Had her killer skulked up behind her in the middle of the night? Had she been aware of what was coming, or was she at least granted the mercy of a quick death? Henry frowned - there would have been nothing quick about this. The cut to her throat was jagged; the killer had sawn at the flesh. Jekyll shuddered and wondered if she'd been alive as the murderer started on her gut?

Yes, the second wound, certainly the more disturbing. Henry had read with no small amount of disgust that part of the poor woman's uterus had been cut out, her intestines thrown across her shoulders to reach her womb. If this was indeed the work of vampires, why would they mutilate the bodies so? Was it an attempt to hide their actions? Henry pulled back the sheet, revealing the ripped torso of the victim.

Look at the tits on her! She was a goer, all right!

Jekyll closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Just keep breathing, Henry," he told himself. "Breathe, breathe..."

Face isn't much to look at, but they all look the same once you've bent 'em over the table, eh?

Henry threw the sheet back over the body. He tried ignoring the hard, malevolent voice whenever it popped into his head, but it was never easy. Jekyll knew the consequences of even engaging with Ed-

No. No, don't even say his name. Jekyll moved to a wash basin and quickly cleaned himself before walking out of the lab. A good night's rest was all he needed. He made his way slowly through dark halls towards his sleeping chambers on one of the upper floors. He just needed his bed, that was all. His bed, a good night's sleep and to be on his own, far from temptation.