Will you, Won't you.. Join the Dance? { open }

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The clock ticked away in Jervis' quiet apartment as he sat in his chair near his window. He was not feeling well, his days as of late had been rather tiring... a constant struggle between himself and his madness. He had not been attending his therapy sessions, making excuses to not show up.. Perhaps he did not want to fight the madness or perhaps he feared being sent back into Arkham, either way Jervis was doing this alone. He believed that the Doctors at Arkham really were of not much help anyways, more or less they were in this program to either nitpick at him or to gain some sort of spotlight on their so called careers.

It was early afternoon by now, Yes it had to be. Jervis sighed as he glanced across the apartment and into the kitchen, stretching his neck a bit to peer at the clock, yes nearly noon. He was expecting company, well..not really, after all who would want to visit HIM? He had extended an outward invitation to a few of those he might call 'friends' to come over for tea and a chatter... maybe that's all he needed to get better? Maybe.

" Jervis? You alright? " Came a voice inside his head. Closing his eyes he could see Alice, the radiant young lady he had loved, cherished and lost. He sighed and muttered to the voice," Oh Alice.... It hurts so much.... I am so empty....."

" C'mon Jervis, Smile..... you always had a nice smile..... made me smile...."

He inhaled deeply as he stood up, trying to shoo away the delusion in his mind as he went into his kitchen and began to prepare to make tea, White pear and Cranberry. He felt his eye tear up as he put the kettle on to boil, then turning to get some of his medication from the counter. He paused when he realized there were no meds, not orange bottle waiting for him to swallow down pills and numb his mind. oddly, but not so unexpectedly, Jervis did not feel a twinge of panic or fear...

The clocked ticked onward as Jervis finished preparing his small round dining table with napkins, a plate of biscuits, some small cakes, Tea cups and some honey for sweetness. Now all he had to do was wait, wait for guests to arrive or to realize he had no one in Gotham he could call a friend....

Tick. Tock.

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In one of the many elevators in the Gotham Towers apartment, a figure stood in the middle of it. It was a man, approximately six feet tall and clad head to toe in an abundance of cloth robe, with absolutely no skin showing, save for his right hand. On his back was a staff, which had carved images of screaming faces and undescribable monstrosites all over the shaft, the end capped with a luminous orb that glowed a sickening red. He was Cyphus Kane, and sniffing out the insane was what could be determined a hobby of sorts for him. 

After all, his cult was never short of openings for members. Much too many of them had dedicated themselves to spying on the city, taking mundane jobs in mundane locations and reporting on the overall status of things. He would usually prefer having them in the cult's chambers under the east side of gotham, praying to The Ancient Ones and offering their souls up in glorious worship, but it was the occasional bit of information that kept him from calling them back. In his exposed hand, he held an invitation to a tea party.

Surely, it was meant for someone else, but the cultist infiltrating the post office was quick to make it look like an error and got it trashed. Since there were several of them, there was no harm in removing just one. He looked it over, making note of where the apartment was, before the elevator doors opened with a ding. Standing in front of him was a man in shorts and a T-shirt, distracted by his smartphone until he looked up and saw what was standing in front of him. Being a completely sane human of weak will, the man put one of his hands on his forehead, and held the other one out in front of him, dropping his phone as if it was no longer important to him. Merely looking st Cyphus pushed mere men to the brink of insanity.

The man was paralyzed by fear as Cyphus walked past, the world seeming to bend around where Cyphus was. Cyphus ignored the man, who jumped into the elevator chattering wildly before pushing the button that closed the door and curling up into a corner. To truly break anyone, Cyphus would have to reveal his true form, but that was risky. After all, the guard monitoring the security camera might go mad and press the fire-alarm. 

Cyphus arrived at Jervis' door, and raised his human hand to the door-knocker. He gave the door a good triple-knock, and waited. His robe stirred slightly as he did so. Human words could not describe the biology that was hidden underneath the robe, but he missed the cult chambers inside the sewers. At least there he could spread his wings as wide as he wanted without others screaming, and not need to have them glued to his back like he never had them.

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Jervis was beginning to feel down, seemed that his invitations were being ignored, then the silence of his apartment was interrupted by a knock at his door. Someone had come? Someone really decided to show up? Jervis strides from his living room, through the kitchen and into the small hallway. His hand grasped the cold doorknob and turned it as he peers through the opening doorway.

He paused for a moment, unsure if he was greeting a guest or was about to be kidnapped or something of that manner. Jervis perked a brow and cleared his throat for a moment, his gaze still trying to figure out the person who stood before him. Seeing oddly dressed persons were not a surprise to him, but this gent seemed.. eerie.

"Uhm, Good Afternoon? A..Are you here for the tea party?" His British accented voice held a faint studder as he stepped aside to let the stranger in.

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"Yes, unless there's another that I should be aware of." Cyphus politely said as he replied to Jervis' question. Although the movement was slightly stunted because of the hood, he bowed his head gratefully when Jervis stepped aside to let him in, and promptly entered. If Jervis was feeling particularly perceptive, he would notice that Cyphus just kind of slid silently across the ground towards the table, not bobbing like a normal person as he moved. He came to a stop just in front of the small table, looking around at the decorations. How quaint...

"Lovely little accomodation, you have here..." He uttered in his perpetually low, unnatural sounding voice. He suddenly spun around, placing his visible hand on where his heart would be. "Oh, terribly sorry, where are my manners? My name is Cyphus Kane, but you may have heard of me under a different name." He said, letting go of his staff and extending a hand for Jervis to shake. The staff didn't fall, and instead floated onto his back, where it latched itself into some straps.

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"Perhaps I have..." he replied watching his guest with keen eyes, curious, very curious. He had seen persons before that dabbled in the magical arts, but the cloaked figure seemed to have something little more darker then what Jervis was use to. None the less,he was his first guest for the tea party and Jervis being the gentleman he was, was going to behave as a host should. He gave a cheerful smile and shook the man's hand though gingerly before guiding him into his apartment.

" He's a strange one isn't he , Jervis?"

"Perhaps just a tad my dear... But all the same..." Jervis thought to the sweet voice in his head as he walked past Cyphus to fetch the warm kettle of tea. He really was going to have to keep an eye on this fellow, Jervis was wise to the mysterious folk of Gotham, you never know what to expect. He cleared his throat as he returned to his guest and smiled, holding up the red kettle," I do hope you are staying around long enough for me to become a little more familiar with you, chap. You see I haven't been in the Gotham social circle for a few months... and  I am most curious about you..."

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Cyphus watched Jervis scurry about, keenly interested in him. When presented with the tea kettle and a question, Cyphus paused in his thoughts. "I am not to well acquainted with the social circle as well. You could say I'm..." He trailed off, and the robes stirred slightly. "...A recluse." He finished. "Although, I do have a select group of friends who keep me company." He added, and sat down at the table. He seemed to awkwardly occupy the seat, almost as if it wasn't designed to accomodate someone like him. He didn't exactly have legs, but it looked normal enough after a second of adjustment and getting comfortable.

After he sat down, he listened to what Jervis had to say. "Curious, my friend, is not a very good thing to have towards me. There are many who would seek me out, and most don't return with their sanity, but I will indulge any questions you may have. But first..." He trailed off again, and reached into his robe with his visible hand. "...A gift, for the host." He finished as he pulled out a small wooden box, just large enough to accomodate a book.

The box had warnings carved onto the lid, but they were in a language no human tounge or eyes could speak or read. He set the box down, using nothing but his visible hand to negotiate the lid. It was inevitable that Jervis would ask about Cyphus only using his right hand, but Cyphus would only use it until he mentioned that fact. He eventually got the box open, and took out a book. It was a black, leatherbound book, with no writing on the front or back save for the title, which read "The King in Yellow". No author, no cover art, just the title. "Do consider reading it. It's a rather spellbinding piece." He said, setting the book down on the table.

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"Thank you, I will find the time to read it..." He sat down across from his guest and smiled, though it seemed to be more of a fake smile then a sincere one. Jervis poured two cups of tea and slid one cup toward Cyphus before leaned into his comfortable Victorian style chair and sipped his tea. His first guest wasn't exactly who'd he'd expected, but then again having at least one guest was better then no guests at all.

Waves a hand at the table covered in biscuits, cakes, crackers and other treats. He wasn't hungry himself, his mind turning wheels as he made mental notes about the man sitting across from him. His lips pursed as he sipped his cup slowly. Thinking for a long moment before setting his cup down and folding his hands together," So tell me, How long have you been in Gotham? What... occupation do you have.. I am most curious about that, I myself.... was a man of science... until... other events..."


Tick , tock goes the clock... And so the madness begins....

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Cyphus nodded again, and watched Jervis as he spoke. He took the cup of tea in his visible hand, but stopped midway through taking it under the hood as Jervis spoke. Cyphus set the cup down to listen to this man's questions and words. He had an affinity for the insane, he could tell the sane apart from the not-so with a glance. Jervis was so beautifully insane, but that potential was being held back by...something. As Jervis spoke, the indescribably inhuman eyes that resided under the hood tracked his every facial movement, the way his clothes moved as he talked, the way he sat in his chair.

"Personally, I've been in Gotham for just about two years. I run a certain group of like-minded individuals, not too different from yourself actually. I guess we can go so far as to call ourselves a religion." He said, picking the cup of tea back up. He stopped again, and he shook his head, the movement translating onto the hood. "Silly me, I forgot the honey." He said as he finally raised his left arm, the one with no visible hand.

"Unlike the deities worshipped by your 'christians' and 'muslims', the beings my group follows actually gift their followers. We call ourselves The Heralds of The Ancient Ones." He added, his left sleeve writhing about as two green, oily tentacles each twice the length of his other arm extended themselves. One of them wrapped itself around the honey, and the other prepared a spoon. He precisely spooned some honey into his tea using the twin tendrils that replaced his left arm, speaking to Jervis as he did so. "I, however need to ask you no questions. I know what ails you, Jervis Tetch." He said as he finished mixing the honey, taking the teacup under his hood and taking a sip. "Mmmm..." He sighed, and leaned back slightly in his chair.  

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His eyes watched in wonder as his guest seemed to reveal more and more of himself as they chatted. Indeed this was something Jervis figured he'd see in a dream, or perhaps a mild nightmare. His head tilted slightly as he was mesmerized by the slithering tentacles that danced about before settling down. He then realized he was staring and snapped back to the conversation at hand, a brow raising up as the religious spew came forth followed by Cyphus' little noted about him being ill.

Clearing his throat he carefully thought for a quick moment and parted his lips to reply, but then paused and leaned forward in his chair before resuming," And what, if I may ask... do you think 'ails' me? As I do recall myself being perfectly fine.. though fine is indeed relative to a persons point of view, but I am harmless as far as Gotham or society is concerned so please... Indulge me...."

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Cyphus chuckled at Jervis' insistence that he wasn't ill. As his twin tendrils held up the tea cup, he rested his normal hand on the table. "Allow me to re-state that.." He said, leaning forward, his face still not visible. "We're all ill, my friend. Some of us more than others, and you...you're quite the special case." He slowly said, setting the cup down. His tone was in no way threatening, but it had this tone of slight respect to it. He reached across the table for a biscuit with his unoccupied human hand, it would come to pass that the biscuit was slightly out of reach.

He leaned back in the chair, and the robes stirred. A large tentacle, oily and black, emerged from under the table. It was about twice as wide as a human arm, and it plucked the biscuit from the platter, went back under the table, and then Cyphus reached under the table. His hand came back up with the biscuit, and he held it in front of his hood, looking it over. After about a second, some small tentacles shot out from the depths of the hood and pulled the biscuit in.

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" I see..." Jervis kept his eyes on Cyphus, his finger tapping on his chin as he thought for a moment. Curiouser and Curiouser... Indeed this tea party, though it have only two at present for it, was an interesting one. He slowly retreated into his comfortable chair, his finger still on his chin before it slid down and wrapped around his tea cup. He buried his face into his tea briefly before he continued their small conversation," It almost seems like you know a fair bit about me, I wonder just how much you know......"

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Cyphus looked on at Jervis as the small man seemed to adjust himself. Cyphus transitioned the teacup to his human hand, and the tentacles rested on the table. "The Heralds have had eyes all over this city for over two years. Nothing escapes us." He said, the tentacles fidgeting casually before they retreated back into his left sleeve. He sighed, and set his tea down on the table. "I know about the girl...and what you did to her. Why, I haven't seen anyone quite as perversely demented as you in a very long time." He said, again with that respectful, almost complimentary tone.