Chapter One (Written by Rei Nokato)
"Hmm..." Dorian gazed at the book floating in mid-air nearby. "What's that book you were so eagerly reading?"
Noticing the book was visible, unlike himself, Rodney closed it and put it on the table next to him. "Quite an interesting book, actually..." He fixed his eyes on it. "I didn't know half of them... and I only had time to read ten techniques -"
"Alright! Alright! I understand, Mr. Skinner." Dorian said quickly, really hesitant on discussing those techniques with him.
"Oh, please!" Skinner murmured. "As if I'd start chatting about them with -" The creatively annoying gentleman had a sudden idea, as he glanced at Dorian's nervous face.
He picked up the book with false enthusiasm, just to scare poor Dorian. -
"There's just one thing I don't understand, Dorian." Skinner pretended to examine the page carefully. "I don't understand how you express technique six... Could you perhaps... demonstrate it for me?"
Trying his best not to laugh, Skinner waited for Dorian's reaction.
About ten seconds passed. Dorian's face was still blank.
Slowly, the mischievous smile on Skinner's face faded away.
What's his problem? Can't he take a joke?
Another five seconds died. Rodney's smile had died too. His joke was SO gone. Geez, how could anyone ruin one of Skinner's gags??
He opened his mouth to speak, but Dorian started speaking first, in a voice of forced calm.
"Well, er, Mr. Skinner, I really thought you would respect my thoughts, that is... if you know..."
Silence. Long (but not awkward) silence.
"What the hell?" Skinner stood uncomfortably still, trying to interpret what Dorian had just said.
The sickening realization came to him. Rodney was slightly homophobic; he admitted silently that this was probably the scariest thing that had ever happened to him.
"Er... You know what, Dorian? Just ah, forget the demonstration." He drank the rest of the sherry out of the bottle; he wanted to get out of Dorian's mansion as fast as possible.
Dorian stared at his cane, seemingly jumpy and fidgety.
Rodney Skinner threw the empty bottle out of an open window. The sound of glass shattering always satisfied him somehow. Flipping the back of his neckline up, he straightened his hat and strode out of the library.
Now that Dorian couldn't see him, he could run for his life. The little ornaments he had stolen out of the library clinked in his pockets loudly as he hurried down the flight of stairs.
"Mr. Skinner..."
Rodney looked up as he was addressed by Dorian, who was at the top of the staircase. He was holding that book that Skinner really wanted to read the rest of...
He stopped abruptly. "Yes?"
"Would you like to take this?" Gray held up the book. "I have read it a dozen times, so I don't mind if you borrow it for awhile."
No thanks. I choose life, thought Rodney.
"Ah, forget it." He continued walking down the stairs.
Feeling a bit suss now... Stretch... Shake it all out...
When he reached Dorian's painting, he frowned as he stopped to stare at it.
Mina had told them she had shown Dorian the painting and the spell of his immortality had been broken. She said he had died right before her eyes.
He walked quietly all the way back to the League's hideout. It was about an hour away from Dorian's mansion; Rodney didn't mind though.
It was an awfully quiet night... Or maybe it was just because his ears were still ringing from Dorian's words... 'That is... if you know...' But there was also the case that maybe he hadn't meant that... It may have just been Skinner's strange mind twisting the words into something dirty and undesirable.
When the Invisible Man arrived at the League's hideout, he emptied his pockets of the stolen items and put them in a drawer.
To try and make himself calm again so he could forget about Dorian, he took his coat and hat off (just forget what you were thinking you pervert-minded people...please) and looked for the rest of them.
He noticed it was two in the morning, so he imagined they were all in bed. Damn.
He continued looking for them anyway, in case someone had wandered off.
When he was bored, he'd walk around invisible (you could rephrase that as naked) and sneak up on someone. It always scared them. They always jumped, sometimes giving a quiet 'eep' which really amused him.
The last place to look was the basement. He moved stealthily down the wet staircase. If someone was down here, he would forget about Dorian for sure...
He froze as he heard something echoing. It was the sound he had heard every night for a small time that haunted him; it was the sound of someone weeping their heart out.
So this is where it was coming from...
Now he could finally discover whom it was that sobbed every night.
He slowly and soundlessly opened the old rotted door.
It was dark, but he could just see a shape in the darkness. A shape, which he loved to annoy every day... Mina.
With his same routine, he snuck up behind her. But... something made him stop. It was a strange stirring in his heart, which he hardly ever felt...
Sympathy?!! OMG!!!
Surprised, mainly at himself, Rodney solidified and watched Mina cry, his face softening from his pert smile.
If he was going to comfort her, he had to get some clothes on. Consciously, he had the feeling Mina would not feel very comfortable with him consoling her whilst naked.
When he came back to the basement, with at least his jacket and hat, he opened the door again.
She was gone.
If it weren't Skinner I would have yelled out: "OOOOOOO DENIED!!!!!!" just now...