Paulina is pouring the young male some gin, the look of one that seems uninterested with dealing with Nathan though she still warns the red headed boy, "You ought to slow down a bit, lad. It'll go straight to your head." The boy still downs the small glass with one gulp before placing it before him.
"They used to give it to us in the workhouse so as we could sleep," he explained, his gaze on the glass before him. He shot her a look. "Not that you'd want to sleep in that place, ma'am. Not with the things what happen in the dark." The Latina is looking above her every few seconds, listening to the boy talk, though she seems preoccupied with the room upstairs and the fact that she hasn't heard anything from the space after all the thumps she had just heard and the fact that the boy had just come from up there.
"That's nice, dear. Think I'll just pop in on Mr. Phantom for a tick." She stands up, corking the bottle after refilling his drink. Before attempting to leave the boy she asks, "You all right, there?"
"Leave the bottle," is his response as he downs half of the glass. He watches her leave, a look of interest in his eyes. He knows that something is going on in this establishment, but he can't tell what it is or if he should trust the woman before him.
"That lad is drinking me out of house and home," the raven haired woman mutters as she enters the room above her shop. Dan is there, his back to her as he cleans off the blade in his hand. Paulina looks around the space, her gaze searching for a moment before she asks Dan, "How long till Walker gets back?"
"He won't be back," the raven haired male responds. She notices the blade now, her teal eyes growing wide at the implication she is getting by his actions.
"Mr. P, you didn't," she asks, her body stiff. When he fails to meet her eyes for a moment, his glance shifting to the trunk next to him. Her eyes follow his gaze, her gaze falling on the chest before her. Opening it up slowly, she almost can't bring herself to look in that container, her teal orbs widening further. Before her is the mutilated body of the barber from the square. She can't believe what she is seeing, fear seizing over her as well as the darkness of his act. "You're barking mad. Killing a man what done you no harm." Dan still didn't meet her eyes, but now she realized that it wasn't because he felt bad or even guilty of what he had done, he just didn't want to stop his task. Those blades were more important to him and she knew it.
"He recognized me from the old days. Tried to blackmail me." He glanced at the body with a sneer. "Half me earnings." Paulina didn't know how to react to that. She was all for helping Dan with his revenge, but to think that this male had to die all because he knew the man before her. Stepping back she shrugged.
"Oh, well, it's a different matter then. For a moment there, I thought you'd lost your marbles." This time when she opened up the chest she didn't hesitate, her teal eyes taking in the gore before her. His brain had slipped further back in his skull, well what was left of it. His lifeless eyes had already glazed over with the shroud of death. "All that blood. Poor bugger." Dan walks by her, still shining his blade as he stands before the door, the window showing all the houses before him. "Well, waste not, want not." She reached in and finding a pocket took out his pouch of money. "So, what are we gonna do about the boy then?" Paulina asked as she slammed the chest.
"Send him up." His lips curled as he looked into the shiny blade of his knife.
"Oh, we don't need to worry about him. He's a simple thing," she said with a glance toward him. He snarled at her, his eyes flashing green at her.
"Send him up!" he growled at her. She turned into a simpering woman, her bottom lip pouting.
"Now, Mr. T, surely one's enough for today," she stated, moving closer to him until she was breast to chest, though he didn't allow her close enough to touch him. Even if he wasn't a widow, he found this busty hussy nothing to take a second look at. She was too cold, too detached. "Besides, I was thinking of hiring the lad to help me run the shop." She looked up at him with her puppy dog look. "My poor knees aren't what they used to be." He sneered at her as he took a step back from the feel of her heated form.
"All right," he snapped, walking away from the raven haired female.
"Course, we're gonna have to stock up on the gin. Boy drinks like a sailor," she said with a thoughtful look. Dan stood before the window, his eyes noting a familiar person coming from the dark alley with the one person he yearned to kill.
"The Judge." Paulina raised a brow, her mouth opening to say something when Dan turned on her, his voice insistent, "Get out." When she just stood there before him, looking lost he glared at her, his voice rising as he snarled, "Get out!" That seemed to pull her out of her fog as she moved quickly to leave the space. Dan went wait at the door, his arm ready when he realized that he had blood on his sleeve and some on the front of his shirt. Looking around, he spotted a jacket. Tossing it on just in time he turned to look at the door, the sound of the bell over the door twinkling as the judge entered his room. He straightened his body, fighting the urge to bash this man's face in as he had done Walker just moments before. Schooling his features he locked eyes with the male before him.
"Mr. Phantom?" the dark haired male inquired, his blue eyes giving the male before him an once over.
"At your service," Dan said with a slight incline of his body, as if in respect of the loathed male before him. He took a step forward, his hand falling on the chair to his right. "An honor to receive your patronage, my lord." This seemed to bother the judge, his dark brow raising as he looked suspicious of the barber.
"You know me, sir?" Dan was quick, knowing all that he needed to do was suck up to the judge. He knew that doing this would make his stomach turn even more than it was doing now, but it would be worth it to get a shot at the male before him.
"Who in this wide world does not know the great Judge Masters?" the dark haired male said, his lips twitching as he threw the judge a few tentative smiles. It wasn't because he was afraid, nervous maybe, but not afraid. He was trying to hold back the need to do harm to this male, to kill him as he had done his wife all those years before. He held his daughter's life in his hands and yet, Dan knew that he couldn't just up and kill the male before him. No, he had to have patience.
"These premises are hardly prepossessing, and yet Skulker tells me you're the most accomplished of all the barbers in the city." The judge walked around the room, his eyes flickering to every wall as if unsure if he should really be here for a shave. Maybe Skulker was wrong about the talents of the male before him.
"That is gracious of him, sir." Danny watched him move around the space, his face twitching slightly again at having to act like he was the good guy. "What may I do for you today, sir?" Dan asked, standing behind the older male now before the window overlooking the city. "A stylish trimming of the hair?" Dan took off the other man's coat, Vlad turning to give him a strange look. "Soothing skin massage? Sit, sir. Sit." The evil judge moved away from him, but not before telling the other man of his problem, the reason for his visit.
"You see, sir, a man infatuate with love. Her ardent and eager slave." His eyes locked on Dan's own blue ones as he continued, "So fetch the pomade and pumice stone and lend me a more seductive tone." Removing his necktie the older man moved toward the chair, Dan still watching him with a look of interest, not that he cared about what this man before him really wanted. "A sprinkling perhaps of French cologne... But first, sir, I think a shave." He sat down in the chair now as Dan moved to his side.
"The closest I ever gave," the younger male stated, taking the time to set up the chair a bit to make the other male comfy, a whistle leaving his mouth. The tune wasn't one that Vlad knew, but he seemed to think that the other male was feeling happy.
"You're in a merry mood today, Mr. Phantom." As if he knew this man and his normal carrying ons? Who was he to say that Mr. Phantom were not a joyful man or a pensive one?
"'Tis your delight, sir, catching fire From one man to the next," the barber stated with a smirk of pleasure. He pulled the cloth around the neck of his customer, the thought of it being a noose causing Dan to feel so happy... or maybe his hands as he squeezed out the judge's life.
"'Tis true, sir, love can still inspire the blood to pound the heart leap higher." Dan whisked the cream in his cup, the foam becoming firmer for him to use to shave the male in his chair.
"What more?" Dan asked, lathering up the brush, his eyes only on the male before him.
"What more?" Vlad inquired back, unsure what the man was asking him.
"What more can man require than love, sir?"
"What, sir?"
"Women," the dark haired male stated, his mind going over the one woman that he loved, the one that was gone.
"Yes, women," the judge stated, his own mind going back to the one woman that he had lusted for, the one that Dan himself was thinking about.
"Pretty women." They stood there, Dan finishing his task at covering the stubble of the judge who lay before him. He turned from him, walking over to the drawers to grab his knife, his blue eyes flashing to green as Vlad lay there with his eyes closed. Dan muttered to himself, to the blade before him about how he must wait and so should the blade. They would have their revenge, but at this point even if they both wanted to spill the blood of the judge it would do them no good.
'Make haste, and if we wed you'll be commended, sir," Vlad stated, drawing Dan back in surprise that his victim were to rush him.
"My lord and who, may it be said is your intended, sir?" He knew that whoever this male wanted as his bride was going to be happy to lose such a dick for a husband.
"My ward," was his response and the barber felt his heart stop, anger flickering in his blue gaze. This man, this bastard of a man was going to try and marry his daughter, the same one that had lost her parents to the foul man at his mercy? "A pretty little rosebud."
His eyes narrowed at those words, but he still asked the other man, "Pretty as her mother?"
"What? What was that?" the judge asked, his head turning slightly, though he never saw the other male leaning over his shoulder looking malicious.
"Nothing, sir. Nothing. May we proceed?" It was a question, but he didn't wait for an answer, talking to the other male about women. They both talked, but with every shave on the exposed neck of his intended victim he found his hand trembled. The blade lusted for blood to be spilled, and he was finding that he too yearned for the blood of the vile male to spill upon the shining end of his knife. His heart beat in tune to this call, his head singing of all the ways he could enjoy this kill. The door burst in, the blond from before entering without a knock.
"Mr. Phantom! I've seen Lily and she said she'd leave with me tonight!" he cried in triumph, failing to note the stiffening of both men before him. Vlad was up, his eyes narrowed at the blond before him.
"You," he spat, his hand using the cloth around his neck to wipe away the foam on his face. "There is indeed a higher power to warn me thus in time. Lily elope with you? I'll make sure that neither you nor any other man shall ever set eyes on her again." He turned from the younger male, his eyes landing on a rather lackluster Dan, the other male looking as if someone had just died... his chance at killing the male before him was lost... His plan was foiled. "As for you, barber, it's all too clear what company you keep." The judge rushed to gather his coat, his eyes still narrowed on the barber while he made his way toward the exit. "Service them well and hold their custom, for you'll have none of mine," he raged, his face turning red in anger before he disappeared out the door. It slammed soundly behind him as Dan turned his cold blue eyes on the male before him. This boy had ruined his chance at killing the male holding his daughter, the man who had forced him from his young family and the love of his life. The man who had forced his young wife to end her life and who had left the young child without love from either parent.
"Get out," he hissed, turning his head from the boy for a moment as he fought the urge to kill the male before him. When the blond failed to heed his tone Dan found his power flaring over his body, but he managed to keep it close as he screamed, "Get the fuck out!" The blond's eyes grew wide at the force of his bellow and stumbling back left the dark haired male alone in the room.