Dash, dressed more nicely as he plays the part that Dan has instructed him, walks behind a short male, the small male slightly heavy set with grey hair and green eyes. Under his greying mustache the male frowns as they walk past several rooms. The man known only as Bertrand holds a large pair of scissors. "Oh yes, sir, I agree it would be to our mutual interest to come to some arrangement in regard to my poor children's hair." Dash holds back his disgust at the male's slimy tone and at the appearance of the dingy halls around him. The place is full of people, their cries filling the air as they scream or moan. They stop in front of one room, the door like those of the others, barred but filled with people of one hair color. "I keep the dark haired ones over here. It was black hair you was looking for, sir?" Looking only thru the bars of the door, the blond himself cannot see Lily as there are several bodies packed together in the small space.
"Yes." As the door opens several of the women in the front move with a quickness, their cries alerting the other women in the cell of the one male they have come to fear. Dash can see their fear as they move as far back from the male before them as they can. Most of them form little clusters of bodies, their dark hair all different tones. They look at him with curious stares, but don't dare approach him since he seems to be with Bertrand. As the men walk further into the group of women the blond spots Lily, her eyes sad as she stares back at him. Her hair is dirty and the dress she now wears is an off white color that is tinged with dust and grime. He doesn't want to react to her, but he can feel his heart squeeze in pain and anger at her current state. Holding it together he says, "That one has hair the shade I need." At his words the greying male turns to see Lily and after clarifying that she is his target turns back to her.
The greying male stands before Lily, his eyes seeming to glow in the dimly lit room, and leaning down he says, "Come, child. Smile for the gentleman and you shall have a sweetie." His hot breath is foul as it blows over her pale flesh. The raven haired female realizes that the male who had come into the room is none other than the one that loves her. She holds back the joy at being reunited with him as Bertrand gets ready with his scissors. "Now, where shall I cut?" He looms over her with the blades, the little light entering the room hitting the large tool, but before Bertrand can begin to cut at her locks Dash produces a small gun from his vest pocket. The short male falls back, his eyes wide as he eyes the barrel of the gun that is pointed at him.
The blond reaches out and grasps the young female, pulling her soft form against his hard body. She is wide eyed at what is going on, but still clings to him as the blond shoves the older male against the wall of the cell. Backing away with the pistol still pointed at the offensive male, Dash removes Lily from the room before saying to Bertrand, "Not a word, Mr. Bertrand, or it will be your last." Slamming the door shut he states with a smirk, "Now, I leave you to the mercy of your "children."" As the pair rushes off the sound of screams can be heard down the silent halls, one scream that of the male who was now being attacked by the ones that he tended to.
While this is going on Dan and Paulina are rushing down the stairs that connect his room with the shop. The raven haired woman is frantic, her words high pitched as she states, "I got him locked in - but if he escapes he'll go to the law!" Is that all that she is worried about or the fact that even while she is trying to protect the large male coming down the stairs behind her, she has to bring about the death of the child that she had saved from Walker.
"He can't escape," he states simply, uneasy about the fact that had the boy not gone to this woman and had instead had gone to the law that his plan would be ruined. He was upset with the child, but he had at one point intended the kill the boy for that very reason. It would stand to reason that everyone of the people he had allowed in his life since landing back in his home town has put him in a tight spot when it came to his revenge, his obsession. He may have to kill them all.
"Mr. P. I don't know... maybe we could-" she is cut off, the sound of her backpedaling only making the dark haired male angry. Yes, he should have done away with her. She was growing too attached to him as it was and her emotions were getting in the way of what he needed to do!
"The Judge will be here soon! I have no time, woman!" he hisses in frustration. Before she can respond as they turn the corner of the stairs the door to her shop opens to reveal Skulker!
Paulina is truly startled by the male and reaches out to strike him in fear before saying with a quickness, "Excuse me, sir!" Her hand is on her chest now as she breaths rather heavy from not only the rush down the stairs, but the fear of Nathan's earlier theories regarding the male behind her. "You gave me a fright." Though the blond narrow his eyes at her attack he brushes it off.
"Not my intention, good madam, though I am here on official business." As he speaks he moves out of the doorway, his manner almost appearing remorseful, but you can tell by his tone that he is anything but. Since Dan had offended the judge inadvertently because of Dash's untimely arrival in his room, the lackey of Vlad has decided to harass the taller male. "You see, there's been complaints. About the stink from your chimney." He opens a small compact filled with white powered, his gloved fingers taking a pinch of the stuff before sniffing it into his nose. "They say at night, it's something most foul. Health regulations and the general public welfare, naturally, being my duty, I'm afraid I'll have to take a look..." Again he takes another sniff of the stuff before pocketing the small compact. With a sneeze from his snuffing the powder he continues. "... at your bakehouse." Paulina looks nervous, her eyes flickering between the pair, but Dan isn't as he smirks.
"Of course, but first why don't you come upstairs and let me attend to you?" The male before him had been smirking too, but now his face twitches in surprise. He does like to be pampered when the occasion is presented, but he is on official business...
"Much as I do appreciate tonsorial adornment, I really ought see to my "official" obligations first." Placing his hand on the shoulder of the male who is just inches shorter in stature while Paulina takes a step toward the door. She doesn't trust this male, her eyes cold at his intent to investigate.
"An admirable sentiment, but I must ask you... out of professional curiosity you understand, is that a cream or a tallow pomade?" The male in question touches his golden locks, though dull in color are rather shiny.
"Oh, not a pomade at all! Me secret is a touch of ambergris," he confides with a sly smirk as he leans close to Dan.
"But, sir, hair that delicate requires a genuine pomade!" Skulker looks skeptical at this as he has been doing the same thing with his hair for years, but then Dan says, "Come along, let me show you the difference." When it appears that the blond haired male won't give in to the idea that he could do more for his hair the darker haired male states, "It will be much appreciated by the ladies." At that the male before him stops, his head turning to look at the lady before him. Paulina forces a smile on her face as she nods. They have got him!
"Well, you are the expert in these matters..." he fades off as Dan leads him up the stairs, Paulina taking a deep breath.
"How would you like a glass of bay rum?" the blue eyed male inquires as he shoots a look at the door where Paulina still stands.
"Oooh, bay rum is bracing." He seems to like the drink suggestion and as he moves further up the stairs Dan adds in that it is all on the house for a man that he considers a friend. It is hard to keep a straight face at his own lies, his own agenda coming back on track as he follows the blond male up into his barber shop. Across the street a familiar woman stands, her body slouched over as she observes the pair of men disappearing into the upstairs room. Once the door shuts she moves quickly to cross the street.
Still in the bakehouse Nathan is eating a pie as he slowly wanders around the large room. He stops to consider the many stained cleavers and bone saws, curious about why one would need such tools to make the meat pies. As he bites into his pie his face changes to one of surprise, the strange item in his mouth stopping his chewing motion. He reaches into his mouth and pulls something out, the end of a finger, complete with fingernail still on it is revealed to him in the light of the large oven. He looks at it, his eyes growing wide when he notices off in the shadows something that glistens. It seems like a pile of things and as he takes a step forward he can see what appears to be flesh, the red blood glittering in the dimly lit room. Dropping both the finger and the pie he hears a strange, loud sound as something above him opens up.
Just inches from him a body drops to the ground, the sight of Skulker, his throat slashed and the blood from his fatal wound filling the cracks of the brick floor, forces a cry out of the small red headed boy. He rushes past a shelf littered with an assortment of body parts, most of them hands. Hitting the door with the force of his young body he begins to yank at the handle only to find it locked. His eyes fill with tears at the realization that the woman he had promised to protect was possibly a part of something so vile, so disgusting, but still as he bangs on the door, the sound echoing around him in the place he still finds himself calling out, "Miss Canal! Miss Canal! Please let me out!" The thundering roar from the bake oven seems to rise to match his frenzy, the sound of the oven overpowering his cries. With a quick remembrance of what Paulina had said about the grates that spotted the floor of the large space the young male rushes to one of the ones close to him. Yanking it open he disappears into the darkness of the sewers just minutes before the door to the backhouse opens to reveal Paulina with Dan right behind her.
The pair walk around the space, surprised to find that the boy is gone, but while they do not know where he has gone or how he got out they both head for the large gate in the back of the room, the large structure taking up a good portion of the back of the room. They call for him, Dan with his blade behind his back while Paulina calls out, "Nothing's gonna harm you..."
"Nathan!" Dan yells, his face neutral even as he clenches his blade tighter. His power is swirling around him now and while he contemplates killing the woman before him he knows that with the fear the boy has of him that without her Nathan will never come forward.
"Not while I'm around..." The pair turn down the tunnels, the sewers dark save for a green glow from behind them and while Paulina fails to notice the strange eerie glow, Dan allows it to help light the way to finding the boy who tried to run to the law.
"Nathan!" Water rushes next to them, another small walkway on the other side of them. The stones that house the dank and smelly place are wet, glistening from the green glow that is in Dan's hand that he has held out between him and Paulina, but the raven haired woman is so worried about the male behind her and the boy who will ruin it all for her, that she still fails to notice it, even as it gives off a heat.
"Nothing's gonna harm you, Darling..."
"Nothing to be afraid of boy," Dan promises, though the blade that also begins to glow with the eerie green light tells another story.
"Not while I'm around." They continue down into the darkness with no sign of the boy that has escaped from his death, but how long will that last before they find him and take him down?
"Nathan," the raven haired male hisses, growing mildly frustrated with this game of hide and seek... well, kill. He yearns to complete his revenge and this boy is keeping him from doing just that. Skulker is gone and that is bound to draw the judge to his place, looking for his lackey as well as the letter that indicated that Lily would be there waiting... just waiting to be taken back into his care and the male that had taken her away from him.
Dash rushes into the space that Dan has been using as his barber shop, Lily standing behind him in the doorway. Her body is covered with men's clothing and on her head is a hat to cover her dark locks. She is dazed and worried. "Mr. Phantom!" He sees that the place is empty so he turns to her as she still stands in the doorway, unsure of the place he has brought her. He walks over to stand before her. "No matter. You wait for him here and I'll return with the coach in less than half an hour." She seems doubtful that their plan will work. She can never seem to escape from the man who calls her his ward while at the same time proposes marriage to her. "Don't worry, darling, in those clothes, no one will recognize you," he states as he places his hands on her shoulders. "You're safe now." Her amethyst/blue eyes look uncertain that she is really safe. Sure, she looks nothing like she had before, her body looking a little more boyish with the clothing and the hat, but Vlad isn't who he appears. She moves away from him and toward the dresser where all of Dan's blades are laying, save for one. She touches the largest one, a voice whispering her name with such joy that she pulls her hand back.
"Safe ... So we run away and then all our dreams come true?" Her tone is bordering on sarcastic as she turns to him.
"I hope so..." he breaths with a heavy heart. He knows that she has been hurt, but he wants to put her mind at ease. He wants to take her far from the place that feels her with such depressing thoughts and words.
"I have never had dreams. Only nightmares." She turns back to the blades, something about them drawing her as memories of a dark haired male and woman look down upon her. Both are so happy as they kiss.
"Lily, when we're free of this place all the ghosts will go away." He can't seem to see it as she knows it to be. The ghosts will always be there. They will never leave her.
"No, Dash, they never go away." He moves to stand closer to her again, his rough hand coming out to touch her soft cheek as he promises that once he is back that it will all be okay. She will be safe and he will never let anything happen to her ever again. Rushing back out the door to find a carriage to take them away he fails to note the tears that glisten in her eyes. She turns to look toward a window, her steps light as she walks over to it. Below her he disappears into the darkness as she shakes her head. As soon as he has left her sight she goes to turn away when she notices the beggar woman approaching from across the street...