forum The Masked Angel (3/3)(Closed)

Started May 31, 2022 by @Anxietyfilledcinnamonroll group

tune

(Sorry this took So long, I’ve been on the road all day)

Soft piano music played in the theater’s basement. A melody of melancholy drifted throughout, bittersweet nuances tuning in and out. The person playing it paid no mind to the performers who readied themselves down here. This particular person stopped his song, dancing his way over to a trap door, his shoes making echoes throughout the place. He poked his head up through the small door, watching the mingling of people. He was soon to join them, but not without the readiness that he might face a foe. This peculiar person closed the trapdoor, donning a mask and cape. He wore a beautifully tailored suit that was maroon and black. He spun around, swishing his cape around, his mind focused on one thing. This person of interest ran across the basement to the stairs, carrying himself up to the ground floor where a masquerade party was held. He didn’t want to make himself a person of interest to the public, hiding the point of his ears with his hair. He sought out one thing.

This masquerade party, however, was celebrating the smashing performance that was held earlier. Many were invited to attend and others half wondered in themselves. The managers of the theater held small talk with exquisite guests, hustling to show off their performers. Our mysterious man smiled as he made his way through the crowd, a half-mask covering his ugly scars. It wasn’t hard for him to spot his performer when the managers had them all huddled together. He smiled, moving towards the performers basking in their limelight, knocking into someone. Our person held back a hiss, and he muttered a quick apology. Our mysterious piano player had a name, and his name was Nathaniel. And he hadn’t known he had knocked into a secondary person of interest. An enemy per se. Instead, he made his way over to the performer he wanted and would claim as his.

Sebastian was chattering among his fellow partygoers; speaking about the wondrous new performer recently on stage. Various things such as "How did he do that?", and "Who tutors him?", alongside a few unprecedented comments that made Sebastian slightly uncomfortable. Other than that, though, everything was falling into place quite perfectly. Just as he moved away from the crowd and towards the dancer, someone crashed into him. Someone…familiar…but he couldn't put his finger on it. Nothing was too clear with the masks. That didn't matter though, since the dancer was still crystal clear. He walked to the dancer, put on his best smile, and held his hand out. "Hello. Your performance was extraordinary. I'm just here to congratulate you."

Chris was walking around the after party talking to friends when someone came up behind him. "Hello. Your performance was extraordinary. I am just here to congratulate you." The man said smiling.
"Of course. Thank you, thank you. My name is Chris Gardner and you are?" Chris asked hoping to get an answer, he was memorized, he could see the mans eyes through his mask and it felt as though they could see everything good inside of you.

(I hope this didn't suck)

Nathaniel glared at the unknown for a few seconds, trying to see who would dare talk to his performer. The one he had helped find the limelight. There wasn’t much to be seen other than the green of his eyes. He knew many with green eyes, but couldn’t tell if it was him. Nathaniel turned to the lovely man who had been caught up with the theater managers. He grabbed the man’s hand and twirled him around with zest. “Bravo, bravo, my dear.” A mysterious teacher is what he had been playing for months. A mysterious teacher that’s an angel was his current disguise. Although, his performer had only heard his voice and had never seen his face. A mysterious love interest. Nathaniel kept his eye on the other, trying to congratulate Chris. This could become a real inconvenience. He stepped back, his smile not hidden by the mask. It was a sweet smile, but underneath it was a level of manipulation. Nathaniel glanced around the ground level of the theater, looking for a way he could usher Chris away and ditch this other.

Sebastian stumbled back a bit when the man suddenly grabbed Chris. Was it the same man as before? Who could tell, at this point? All that he knew at this point was that his lovely dancer was more popular than he anticipated. He needed to stand out. Sebastian watched the whole ordeal for a few seconds, before following the two. Above, a little white bird was perched upon a rail, cooing softly. Sebastian looks up at it, and does a motion with his hands. The dove spreads out its wings, and rides the gentle London air down onto his shoulder. He holds the bird out towards his dancer, and smiles. "She is very well trained, and friendly. Mind saying hello?"

Chris was caught up in a conversation with someone else when the same man from before came smiling holding a dove. "She is very well trained, and friendly. Mind saying hello?" He asked motioning toward the bird. "Oh my goodness!" Chris exclaimed, "she is beautiful, what is her name?" He asked while petting the lovely dove.

Sebastian chuckled, as Chris pet the bird. Perhaps he had overreacted…nobody was trying to take Chris. He relayed in his head that the foundation of every relationship was trust, and that was even true when the relationship had barely started. "Her name is Blanche. It's French for white." The name had been suggested by an artist two lifetimes ago, when his boss had first bound the dove to his soul. After that, it stuck. The dove then waddled over from Sebastian's shoulder to Chris' hand, and perched there, looking up at the dancer with huge, red eyes.

Nathaniel's escape attempt was far too late. This small, bumbling boy was following them was a total nuisance. "Now please, young one, it is time to practice for the next recital, as you must know its on Saturday of next week." He put his face right in Sebastian's. He knew this boy was bound to follow, as for Nathaniel couldn't enter the uppers floor's of the theater. Nathaniel, on the other hand, had his own tricks and ways of getting around this territorial restriction. He squinted at the dove and gave it a cold stare. He despised doves. "We have a lot to do and a limited amount of time. This great performer need to pamper himself in his room." His room in my domain. Nathaniel cocked an eyebrow, turning on his heel to descend to his domain when his masquerade mask fell off. He quickly re-tied around the back of his head, the mask realigning back with his features. However, Sebastian could mostly see half of his face and the scaring that came with it.

"If he need be alone, that does not bother me at all." Sebastian bowed subtlety, and began to walk away, after all, him and Chris could continue speaking later. When he heard the sound of the masquerade mask dropping to the floor, he darted his head back, and the only thing that he saw in that split second was a particular pattern of scars that belonged to someone he had known for far too long. A man by the name of Nathaniel. The two had been in quite a few affairs of similar nature, and most typically the demon got the better of him. One instance in particular, he had killed his mortal shell. Sebastian hastened himself, acting as if he had seen nothing at all, and disappeared into the bustling crowd, leaving Blanche on Chris' hand, listening.

Chris stood there with Blanche on his hand. What just happened? Chris thought, A cute boy came over congratulated you gave you a dove named Blanche and left without a word Suddenly Chris felt something plop onto his hand. Blanche just pooped on his hand. "Over for fucks sake," he muttered quietly so no one could hear as he walked to the bathroom to clean up. He got to the sink and placed Blanche on his shoulder, "Stay there Blanche and please don't shit on me again," Chis told the bird and began scrubbing off the bird shit. He took his mask off so her could see what he was doing.

Nathaniel pushed himself to his feet and glared at Sebastian, who was hurrying along and disappearing into the crowd. He spun around to discover Chris had vanished. He assumed the boy had bolted, taking the long way down to the basement dressing room. Nathaniel, on the other hand, went a short distance and opened one of his domain's many trap doors. He crept down into the entrance and closed the trap door on his way down. With a thud that echoed across the vast room, Nathaniel landed on his feet. He cast a quick glance over to the dressing room and hurriedly walked away in the opposite direction. He walked into his room, ignoring the luxurious upholstery and elaborate decorations. Instead, he sat down at his piano and began to play a sweet melody. The melody of a song he'd been working on for years. There was no need for Nathaniel to remove his mask. In fact, wearing it made him comfortable.

Sebastian was sitting behind a pillar, huffing and puffing like he had just run across two small cities. He could see everything happening to Chris, through Blanche's eyes. Nothing seemed too odd there. Blanche made frequent fecal deposits, like all birds. He returned primarily to his own vision, after a short period of time. Nathaniel was the other man. Nathaniel wanted to use his dancer. Like every time the demon had interfered with Sebastian's life, he told himself that he had to eventually come out on top, after all, he was the angel. He was the one who was sent by the heavens to just do the right thing. Couldn't he protect it? No. He couldn't. Sebastian let out a cry of frustration, accidentally calling attention to himself. A few fellow partygoers darted their eyes over, looks of somewhere between concern and pity in their eyes. He quickly stepped back, before walking into a hallway as if nothing had happened. Visiting one of the empty rooms on the lower floors would likely clear things up. Quieter. He descended down a short flight of stairs…before an odd piano melody filled his ears instead of the regular cheer and laughter of the masquerade. Peeking into the room emitting the lovely music, he realized that he may have made a mistake.

Chris got the bird shit off him and went back to the party. It was normal party after every performance, people congratulating him and telling him how good he was. And Chris hated every second of it. Obviously he loved dance and loved that it made people happy but just once he hoped some one might come up to him and tell him he did bad or did a move wrong or something other than "You are very great dancer." Chris left to an empty room. No one else was in here. (Different room then you guys). Chris places Blanche on the windowsill, "Stay here girl okay., Chris told the bird. He went to the middle of the foor and started practicing his ballet. (I am spelling these wrong I know it) Chenay turns, Passa's, PK turns, and Arabescs. He kept doing him same dance he had just preformed. Doing his best to improve every single step until it was perfect.

Nathaniel stopped playing his lovely tune, a smile crossing his lips. Naïve boys such as Sebastian weren't hard to shake off. Such a scrawny thing shouldn't be entering his territory. Or talking to his dancer, for a matter of fact. A demon-like him managed to come out on top. All of London could tremble before him, but he preferred to stay concealed in the dark, watching whom he claimed closely. He untied the mask, the mask making a slight sound when it hit the hardwood. Nathaniel turned to the boy. Big mistakes were always made by this angel. How did he think this demon came out on top? Karma? "What brings you to my territory?" He stood up, walking closer to the angel steadily. His shoes clicked as he walked, echoing throughout the basement. "You are quite infatuated with things that are not yours. Although, you are like that with everything that is mine. Would you not say?" Nathaniel moved closer, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian. The scars were sickly, covering half of his face with little pockets of unburned skin separating the big blob. "Now, I am not one to not acknowledge that little puppies tend to get lost, totter away from their own territory. I'm giving this puppy a chance to return before I spill some holy blood." He smiles sweetly, but anyone could see the devilish intent behind it.

Sebastian took a shaky step back. It seemed that every lifetime Nathaniel's scarring got even sicklier. Almost as if he took pride in the injuries. When he spoke, a sudden wave of fear washed over the boy, but only for a second. He composed himself. Nathaniel stayed in the shadows, he told himself. Murder wouldn't necessarily fulfill that, would it? Finally, Sebastian spoke with the best tone of bravery he could wear. "You wouldn't have the nerve to kill me. Not at a party like this." He slowly untied his mask, before throwing it right at the demon's face. Of course, he had missed by a few centimeters. The mask scaped against the ground, eventually skidding into the wooden wall. "Is everything yours? Where does it end? Now you say that you own people, cities, everything." Sebastian scowled. "Well guess what? You own nothing, Nathaniel." At this point, he was practically asking for a fight. Anything that happened afterward would likely be quite unsavory.

Nathaniel took slow, deliberate steps forward. He was going to make this boy regret he ventured into his lair. His scars were his pride and joy. That meant he had lived through whatever nonsensical hell Sebastian put him through. Nathaniel took slow, deliberate steps forward. He was going to make this boy regret venturing into his lair in the first place. His scars were his pride and joy. That meant he had to go through whatever nonsense Sebastian threw at him. His smile was intentionally wide so that his fangs could be seen. He rolled his eyes at Sebastian's empty words as he leaned against the wooden doorway. "I would have the audacity to murder you, young one. No one would be able to locate your body. I'd bury your puny corpse somewhere no one would suspect foul play. I am, after all, the perfect angel." When Sebastian threw the mask, he sneered at him. He drew closer to the boy, almost standing on top of him. Nathaniel grabbed him by the wrist, applying pressure to the bone. He yanked the boy closer to him. "EVERYTHING IS PART OF MY TERRITORY! THIS ENTIRE CITY IS MINE! I OWN IT ALL! YOU ARE A COWARD WHOM IS TOO SCARED TO CLAIM ANYTHING!" The words he shouted were said with a hiss. He let go of the boy's wrist and punched him in the face. "Stay out of my affairs and off of my territory. Be lucky I didn't beat you to death." Nathaniel's words were quiet but harsh. He turned heel, assuming the boy wouldn't do anything in retaliation. He shifted his weight, assuming the boy would not retaliate. As he steadily made his way to the shadows that fell upon his room, he didn't even bother to look back.

Sebastian held his hand up to his face. He could already feel some bruising. For a moment, he simply sat on the cold ground where Nathaniel had hit him. He gazed around the room, hazy eyed. There was a large, black piano in the center of the room, with two candles on it, their lights flickering in and out like the dimly lit London cityscape. There wasn't much else, though. Sebastian expected to be attacked again if he didn't fight back. Slowly, he rose, sneaked across the room, past the piano, and tackled the demon, tumbling to the ground. He hissed. "So what? Do your claims mean anything?"

Nathaniel disappeared back into the shadows, his home. Yes, a big black piano encompassed much of the space, but one keen eye could see faint outlines of upholstery and odd scavenged thing. Nathaniel tended to pick up intricate things like a crow. The candles flickering upon the back mass dared to go out, merely playing with Sebastian’s limited sight. A growl could be heard, harmoniously syncing with the hums of hell. The boy tackled this 6-foot giant to the ground with a thud. Nathaniel hissed at him, pressing his claws against the angel's soft skin. “So what?! My claims mean you cannot touch my territory or things. It would zap you. I would know if you tried to touch anything of mine and would come to murder you.” He took a deep breath, throwing the angel off of him. “You wish to underestimate the lengths I would go to eliminate a vermin like you. The only way to stop me would be if someone intervened.” Nathaniel's dastardly laugh echo throughout the semi-empty room. “And I don’t see anyone here who would be at your mercy. I don’t have mercy for a creature like you.” He crawled close to the angel. “Stop intervening in my affairs!”

Sebastian grabbed a candle from the piano, and pointed it toward Nathaniel. The flames wouldn't do anything to his already hell-burned face, but Sebastian hoped that it would at least provide an incentive to not lunge at him. "Obviously, I'm not vermin if you've spent 200 years trying to rid of me to no avail. You're a hypocrite, a manipulator, and I don't know what you want to do with Chris, but I know that it only benefits you in the end. I don't care if you kill my mortal body again, because I will always come back. You may call me a talentless, stupid boy, and you may be right, but I can at least tell right from wrong. I pity you, senseless beast." The candle that Sebastian held continued to flicker, before dimming itself. "I was created for one reason, and it was to exterminate you."

(Nathaniel is a bit of a handful. Good luck with him)

Nathaniel looked at Sebastian and pinched the flame with his thumb and pointer. The room was plunged into darkness. As he did with everything, he forcefully took the candle out of Sebastian's hands and threw it across the room. Glass shattering stung the air with its pitiful sound, hot wax spilling across the wood floor. He placed a hand around the angel’s neck, snarling at every whimper he made. “I could kill you right here, in this very room. Sometimes, I like to keep my prey alive, so when I end it excruciatingly, I get to set a smile across my poisoned face.” Nathaniel whispered. He pressed against Sebastian’s throat harder, almost as if he was genuinely going to choke him to death. “Chris will benefit me in the end, yes. You should know how. But I do not share in hypocrisy. Honestly, You sadden me. Such a fragile creature looking for love. When will you learn to stop AFTER EVERY INCARNATION WE HAVE BEEN ALREADY THROUGH?!” He removed his hand from the boy’s neck and punched him again. Rage built up within the demon, and he let out a roar of anger. He looked down at the angel and started to laugh non-stop. “You…YOU FORSAKEN ANGEL! I DO NOT WANT YOUR PITY! I DO NOT NEED IT.” Nathaniel’s voice trembled with each word, trying to hold back laughter. “You were created to give them a sense of security. You are useless—because you can not even kill a fly.” He pushed Sebastian's face up with his pointer finger. “You would look so handsome with scars drawn across your face.”