Daniel, is it! [ Lucius feels the involuntary swallow beneath his fingers, and as Daniel sways in his hand, the grip of his fingers abruptly falls away from where it has held him fast. Again, he laughs, and in the stillness of the evening, the sound is uproarious. ] You look every bit as wretched as you sound, don't you?
[ Whether Daniel manages to remain upright, or whether his legs give out beneath him and he sinks to the sidewalk, it doesn't matter. No matter which, Lucius leans in close, cruel eyes and cruel smile widening with excitement as they loom inches from Daniel's face. ]
[The readiness with which the words leave his mouth surprise him, as though they've been torn from his throat. He staggers backwards with wide eyes, his injured hand clutched tightly to his chest. ]
I've done this before. I remember. I held a man's head and-- and I forced him to drink something! It tasted like a rose, the drink you gave me, but only in my mind. Was that what I gave the man? Did it taste like roses?
[He gulps down a breath, his eyes darting from left to right before settling on Lucius in a panic. ]
I wonder. [ The sneering, wild humor in his voice is gone, but he sounds no less cruel for the sudden contemplation in his tone. He holds the vial up to his own eye level, swishing it between his fingers, watching as the remaining liquid within swirls within—and then he caps it, shoulders rolling in a shrug as if the answer to Daniel's question is of no real concern to him.
By the time he lifts his eyes from the mysterious chemical back to Daniel, the broad, toothy grin is already back, and he asks, ] Not so innocent after all, are you?
[ It's rarely a good sign when a man of justice and virtue finds his actions echoed in those of an amoral monster. Lucius would know; he has stood on both sides of that gulf. ]
[He hates that he can't control himself, that the words are flowing unabated from his mind to his mouth. It's terrifying in the way a seizure is terrifying. The panic reflects in his eyes, in the way his uninjured hand tenses and relaxes. His mind is not his own.
And this man is to blame.]
What did you do to me?!
[It's the same question as before, only louder now, furious in its fear and anguish. There's no doubt he's outmatched, but for a moment, it looks like he's considering tearing into Lucius with his bare hands. Or his teeth. ]
[ So he tries to wash away his guilt with the blood of other men. The thought comes to Lucius, and it makes him laugh again. There are things he might say to that, but before the humor of it all can abate enough for him to speak again, Daniel is yelling at him, and the threat of those words only serves to make him laugh anew.
This time, the sound is harsh and brief. ]
Then come and kill me, if you think you can! [ Mania floods his face with the words, and he throws his arms wide as if to beckon Daniel into an embrace. ] Maybe this time, I'll take your whole hand!
[He hisses the words as fear overcomes him once again, his eyes darting strangely as he wrestles with his tongue. ]
He'd take off your hand. Or worse. He's a madman.
[He sways as he speaks, clutching his injured hand tightly against his chest. It's still bleeding, and the blood trickles between his fingers and stains his clothes. ]
You're too weak to kill him right now. You need to wait.
[ He agrees, and his voice drops again into a low purr—except there's still a manic sort of hunger in his eyes, and his tongue runs across his gums like a starving beast of prey as he watches that slow drip of blood between Daniel's fingers. ]
Perhaps you'd like to be divested of your tongue instead? It seems to be the source of a great many problems for you! [ Another laugh cuts through the evening air, but the threat seems to be just that: a threat. Lucius takes no forward step. ] Now or later, little man — it's up to you.
[It's not a question he intends to answer, but Luicius is right -- he's lost control of his tongue. He shrinks backwards, and from the way he fidgets, it's obvious that he's considering running.]
I can't control the things-- the things that I'm saying! [He isn't crying, but his voice carries a weeping quality to it, almost like he's choking on it.] Is this your fault? Are you the one who's doing this to everyone?
Me? Please! [ This time, there is no laughter, as if the incredulous tone in which he speaks says all that needs to be said of that accusation's absurdity. ] If I were the man behind this, do you really think the result would be this?
[ After all, in Daniel's own words: he is a madman. There are things to be done with a serum of this effect, and none of them are of interest to Lucius the Eternal. ]
No, I simply followed my nose. [ Lucius lifts a finger and taps the tip of his nose with its claw. ] The scent of it has been lingering about the air for days.
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[ Whether Daniel manages to remain upright, or whether his legs give out beneath him and he sinks to the sidewalk, it doesn't matter. No matter which, Lucius leans in close, cruel eyes and cruel smile widening with excitement as they loom inches from Daniel's face. ]
How does it taste? How does it feel?
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[The readiness with which the words leave his mouth surprise him, as though they've been torn from his throat. He staggers backwards with wide eyes, his injured hand clutched tightly to his chest. ]
I've done this before. I remember. I held a man's head and-- and I forced him to drink something! It tasted like a rose, the drink you gave me, but only in my mind. Was that what I gave the man? Did it taste like roses?
[He gulps down a breath, his eyes darting from left to right before settling on Lucius in a panic. ]
What did you do to me?!
no subject
By the time he lifts his eyes from the mysterious chemical back to Daniel, the broad, toothy grin is already back, and he asks, ] Not so innocent after all, are you?
[ It's rarely a good sign when a man of justice and virtue finds his actions echoed in those of an amoral monster. Lucius would know; he has stood on both sides of that gulf. ]
no subject
[He hates that he can't control himself, that the words are flowing unabated from his mind to his mouth. It's terrifying in the way a seizure is terrifying. The panic reflects in his eyes, in the way his uninjured hand tenses and relaxes. His mind is not his own.
And this man is to blame.]
What did you do to me?!
[It's the same question as before, only louder now, furious in its fear and anguish. There's no doubt he's outmatched, but for a moment, it looks like he's considering tearing into Lucius with his bare hands. Or his teeth. ]
I'll kill you for this!
no subject
This time, the sound is harsh and brief. ]
Then come and kill me, if you think you can! [ Mania floods his face with the words, and he throws his arms wide as if to beckon Daniel into an embrace. ] Maybe this time, I'll take your whole hand!
no subject
[He hisses the words as fear overcomes him once again, his eyes darting strangely as he wrestles with his tongue. ]
He'd take off your hand. Or worse. He's a madman.
[He sways as he speaks, clutching his injured hand tightly against his chest. It's still bleeding, and the blood trickles between his fingers and stains his clothes. ]
You're too weak to kill him right now. You need to wait.
no subject
[ He agrees, and his voice drops again into a low purr—except there's still a manic sort of hunger in his eyes, and his tongue runs across his gums like a starving beast of prey as he watches that slow drip of blood between Daniel's fingers. ]
Perhaps you'd like to be divested of your tongue instead? It seems to be the source of a great many problems for you! [ Another laugh cuts through the evening air, but the threat seems to be just that: a threat. Lucius takes no forward step. ] Now or later, little man — it's up to you.
no subject
[It's not a question he intends to answer, but Luicius is right -- he's lost control of his tongue. He shrinks backwards, and from the way he fidgets, it's obvious that he's considering running.]
I can't control the things-- the things that I'm saying! [He isn't crying, but his voice carries a weeping quality to it, almost like he's choking on it.] Is this your fault? Are you the one who's doing this to everyone?
no subject
[ After all, in Daniel's own words: he is a madman. There are things to be done with a serum of this effect, and none of them are of interest to Lucius the Eternal. ]
No, I simply followed my nose. [ Lucius lifts a finger and taps the tip of his nose with its claw. ] The scent of it has been lingering about the air for days.