|
|
Post by Storyteller on Jul 8, 2013 1:15:44 GMT -8
Kingdom of Corona - The Village
Events occurring 100 years before Dark Curse
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 7, 2015 15:38:04 GMT -8
Jiminy
You shouldn’t be doing this, it’s wrong. Jiminy tried to ignore his own thoughts as he weaved expertly through the crowd, stealing their belongings like it was child’s play, which it was. After all, he’d started robing people when he was only five years old, so now as an adult he could practically do it without thinking. However, that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. Jiminy’s parents had reassured him that, eventually, he’d realize being a dishonorable thief was so much better than being an honest member of society, but he had yet to reach that point. He doubted he ever would, honestly, but every time he tried to quit and settle down somewhere where he wouldn’t have to steal, his parents would yet again manage to convince him to stay with them.
Jiminy slipped out of the crowd, having nabbed as much as he could reasonably carry without risking detection, and headed toward the back of the wagon. His parents would be thrilled, this was a pretty good haul. He sighed with discontent, wondering, not for the first time, if his parents would die soon and leave him alone. He knew it was morbid, and cruel, and that they truly did love him. But, his longed to be free of them, and they’d made it crystal clear that would only happen over their dead bodies. Feeling like a terrible person for stealing and for wishing death on his own parents, Jiminy failed to notice someone was watching him.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 11, 2015 12:22:57 GMT -8
Rumpelstiltskin was sitting on a rooftop in the village of Corona, watching the crowded market from a safe distance. The Dark One shuttled his feet to and fro. He was bored. It seemed to be a day with no cries for help, no nonsensical requests and not even anything interesting to do. With a liverish face Rumpelstiltskin started to search for a possibility to at least cause some trouble, just to get himself some fun.
Just as he found a victim for his plan, a young man, rushing through the crowd, caught his attention. Above all his talent to prey on the people around.
Rumpel's feet stopped shuttling and the boring expression on his face changed into a devilish smile. This boy seemed to become a good pastime for sure. Maybe even one of utter utility.
Within only seconds Rumpelstiltskin vanished into a purple smoke, only to appear in the back of the wagon, the young man was heading to.
"Nice work, dearie!", he said with the typical high-pitched tone in his voice, his legs crossed and an uninterpretable smile spreading over his lips.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 11, 2015 13:58:02 GMT -8
Jiminy
Suddenly, purple smoke appeared in front of him, in the back of the wagon. He took a step back as it disappeared, revealing a man. This man looked odd; his skin had a gold tint to it, and its texture reminded him of scales. It only took Jiminy two seconds to jump to the conclusion that this was the rumored Dark One, and fear slammed into him full force. He’d heard that the Dark One kidnapped kids, murdered countless people; and that these were the least of his crimes. Jiminy didn’t know how much of the rumors were true, but he had absolutely no desire to find out.
"Nice work, dearie!" the Dark One complemented, shocking the thief. Was the evil legend really just here to congratulate him on a job well done? Surely he wanted more from him than just that.
“Thank you,” he stammered. He really had no idea what to say, but he wanted to avoid upsetting the sorcerer if that was at all possible. But, he also needed to discover why he was here in the first place. “Um, sir, if you don’t mind me asking …” he paused trying to get over the penetrating stare of the Dark One’s inhuman-looking eyes. “Um, why were you watching me?”
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 17, 2015 16:27:15 GMT -8
“Thank you,”, the young thief stammered back. The smile on the Dark One's face didn't die down. Finally he found the solace from a boring day.
“Um, sir, if you don’t mind me asking …”“Um, why were you watching me?”
"What a polite turn of phrase for an ordinary thief.", Rumpelstiltskin interposed with an excessive move of his hands. "But as for your question,", he continued with a raised finger, got up from the wagon to approach the young thief. "I don't fail to see potential, when it passes."
With still the same smile he left his words standing, waiting for the young man's reaction.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 17, 2015 18:24:38 GMT -8
Jiminy
"What a polite turn of phrase for an ordinary thief." Jiminy winced, dread coursing through him. Well, more dread anyway. He’d already been filled to the brim with it before the powerful sorcerer had informed him he knew of Jiminy’s crimes. What would a person like the Dark One do with this information? He couldn’t see the powerful deal-maker telling the authorities, but he also couldn’t see the Dark One acquiring knowledge he didn’t intend to use.
"But as for your question," he said, advancing toward Jiminy. He took one shaky step back, before it occurred to him that might anger the sorcerer, so he froze, trying not to tremble as the Dark One approached. "I don't fail to see potential, when it passes."
“Potential?” he stuttered, shocked. The Dark One saw potential, in him? He was just an average thief, what could such a powerful sorcerer possibly see in him? “Potential for what? Stealing?” He hoped desperately it wasn’t stealing; he didn’t want to have to steal for yet another reason. But, there was really no other skill Jiminy could think of that the Dark One would need and he possessed.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 18, 2015 2:59:47 GMT -8
“Potential?”, the boy repeated obviously shocked. “Potential for what? Stealing?”
The way the thief pronounced the word stealing betrayed him, that he was anything but proud of this skill. But seriously, what else could Rumpel have meant? What other potential could lie dormant within this intimidated scapegrace?
"Not simply stealing, dearie.", Rumpelstiltskin corrected with a wagging finger. "heedfulness, fleet-footed, clocklike."
If someone doesn't want to hear the simple title of what he was, just add zest to it by itemize the strengths of the simple skill. Though he seriously was impressed by them. Thieves weren't rare in the village, but good one were and the boy in front of him seemed to be one of the best Rumpel has seen so far.
"I'm sure with these abilities you eventually can be more like this.", Rumpel continued in hope to strike the right chord. If you're planning to catch someone's trust, just tell him what he wants to hear.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 18, 2015 5:58:23 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Not simply stealing, dearie." "heedfulness, fleet-footed, clocklike." Well, those were all skills required to steal, but saying it like that made it sound so much better; like he could use those skills for something other than robbing people. Maybe, he could use his observant nature and agility for something else; something good. "I'm sure with these abilities you eventually can be more like this."
“More like what?” he asked, interest piqued. Maybe, just maybe, the Dark One would offer him a way to be free, to be good. That sounded absolutely ludicrous; the Dark One helping him become good, but just maybe that could happen.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 18, 2015 8:17:33 GMT -8
“More like what?”, the young thief went into it, a mix of interest and suspicion reflecting on his face. But this was everything Rumpelstiltskin had intended anyway. Interest.
Rumpel watched him thoughtfully for a little moment, narrowed his reptile looking eyes to slits, before he continued talking.
"Let me guess something.", he finally said. "You don't steal voluntary, do you?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 18, 2015 11:06:22 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Let me guess something." "You don't steal voluntary, do you?"
“Well, not really. I mean …” he sighed, hesitating to continue. He was about to voice opinions he never vocalized; at least not to people he wasn’t related to. “It’s my parents,” he admitted. “They want me to steal.” Was he really confiding, in the Dark One of all people? Well, he supposed the sorcerer was the first person to actually ask for his opinion, so it really shouldn’t be too surprising that he would confide in someone who so openly asked for his input.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 18, 2015 12:11:26 GMT -8
“Well, not really. I mean …”, the boy in front of him started to stumble again. He wasn't surprised about the answer. It was obviously anyway, because of the way he talked about it.
“It’s my parents,”“They want me to steal.”, the boy continued, seemed to bring enough trust on him already. If he knew who Rumpel was?, he wondered for a moment.
"Why would parents want their child to steal?", he asked spurious shocked.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 18, 2015 12:27:12 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Why would parents want their child to steal?” the Dark One questioned.
“Well, it’s what they do; it’s who that are.” He sighed. Being a thief was who he was, too, even though he desperately wanted to be good. But, the Dark One saw potential in him, for something other than stealing, and despite his terrible reputation, perhaps he’d help. “But, you said you saw potential in me?” he asked, bringing attention back to the reason for their discussion. He waited, hopeful that the Dark One would tell him that he had the potential to be good; to be the man he’d always wanted to be.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 18, 2015 12:59:33 GMT -8
“Well, it’s what they do; it’s who that are.”, the boy sighed. He really seemed to suffer from being a thief. Maybe even suffer from being his parent's child. And he seemed to see no way out. And yet there was such an easy way out. Putting the parents away.
“But, you said you saw potential in me?”, the boy continued, alluding to Rumpel's earlier statement.
"You have it.", he answered with a nod. "But it's up to you what you make of it."
Suddenly Rumpel got the apprehension, that his words weren't the best to make his personal thief out of this boy, so he added with a raised hand: "Well, sure the way to free yourself won't be easy and delightful."
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 18, 2015 13:37:42 GMT -8
Jiminy
"You have it." "But it's up to you what you make of it." He nodded, already feeling determined. He was going to do his best to live up to his potential.
"Well, sure the way to free yourself won't be easy and delightful,” the Dark One informed him. Jiminy had already learned that lesson; every time he’d tried to leave his parents, they’d managed to drag him back. Anything worth-while was going to take a lot of work.
“What do I need to do?” he asked, eager but also feeling slightly cautious. After all, the sorcerer could be attempting to trick him. He was, after all, the Dark One, a man who killed without qualms. But, if he really did want something from Jiminy, the sorcerer wouldn’t need to trick him to get it. Surely he’d just demand it from him. No, Jiminy wasn’t being tricked; he was finally getting an opportunity to be free.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 18, 2015 14:11:41 GMT -8
Rumpelstiltskin's added comment didn't seem to make him shock. That was a good base, as the suggestion to free the boy will be nothing for sensitive minds.
“What do I need to do?”
The boy cooperated faster than Rumpel thought he would. His plan seemed to work. And so he will make a deal even on a boring day like this or better say like it has started.
Rumpelstiltskin met him with a joyful smile. A smile, containing the darkest evil joy. "You need to free yourself from the root.", he answered in a whisper, underlined his words by moving his hands, as one of them would rip something out of the other. "Your parents."
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 18, 2015 15:34:14 GMT -8
Jiminy
"You need to free yourself from the root,” the Dark One whispered, and Jiminy felt like his entire world was slowing down. "Your parents." Sorrow and dread hit him in equal measures. The only way he’d ever be free of them was to kill them, and that would defeat the purpose of him acquiring his freedom in the first place. The last thing he wanted was to become a murderer.
“You don’t mean kill them, do you?” he asked. This was the Dark One, after all. If anyone knew how to free him from his parents without actually murdering them, it would be him.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 22, 2015 11:18:55 GMT -8
Rumpelstiltskin watched the emotions changing on the thief's face. And he enjoyed it. It was such an imbuing feeling to have that influence on people. To have control over them. But to not destroy what he just has seeded, Rumpel tried to hide the joy behind a mask.
“You don’t mean kill them, do you?”
Rumpelstiltskin was smiling inwardly.
"Would I tell a boy to kill his parents, dearie?", he asked like rhetorically. He would. But did the boy has to know? Sure not. "There are other opportunities.", he therefore answered, waiting for the boy to show interest.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 22, 2015 11:43:10 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Would I tell a boy to kill his parents, dearie?" "There are other opportunities." Well, from what Jiminy heard, asking someone to kill their parents was the least of the Dark One’s crimes. However, hearing that he wouldn’t become a murderer and could still be free from his parents took a great weight off of Jiminy’s shoulders.
“What type of opportunities?” Now that he knew the Dark One wanted to help him, Jiminy was starting to lose his caution. This was the first time he’d encountered someone who genuinely seemed to want to help him, and Jiminy wasn’t going to question that. Instead, he started to wonder how such terrible rumors could be spread about the Dark One. Sure, he looked threatening, and his manner wasn’t exactly friendly, but all he’d done so far was try to help Jiminy. He failed to see how anyone could call the sorcerer cruel.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 29, 2015 9:54:30 GMT -8
“What type of opportunities?”, the thief's interest was obvious readable on his face. And so not only interest. There was something else. Or more precisely something, which normally was shown on Rumpel's dialog partners' faces, was missing. Suspicion. Rumpel hadn't believe that it would be that easy...
A satisfied grin was playing around the Dark One's lips. "Magic, dearie!", he answered, fully in his element, a sparkle spreading out in those creepy reptile eyes. "Magic!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 29, 2015 10:52:18 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Magic, dearie!" "Magic!"
Of course, magic! He’d failed to escape from his parents before, but he’d never had magic on his side. He knew magic came with a price, but it could also do things that were impossible to accomplish any other way. If magic couldn’t free him from his parents, then nothing could.
“Great, when do we start?” he asked. The sooner he started, the sooner he’d rid himself of his parents. He could almost taste the freedom already, as he anxiously awaited the Dark One’s answer.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 29, 2015 11:07:48 GMT -8
“Great, when do we start?”
Rumpelstiltskin couldn't withhold an impish giggle at the boy's drive. Above all because he asked for starting without any further informations. If all of his dealing partners would be like that...
"As soon as we gathered all of the required ingredients.", he lastly answered with a raised finger. "Or more precisely, as soon as you gathered them." The finger turned in the thief's direction. Time to make a deal. Time to get him another gofer.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 29, 2015 11:21:27 GMT -8
Jiminy
"As soon as we gathered all of the required ingredients." "Or more precisely, as soon as you gathered them."
As soon as he gathered them … something about that sentence didn’t sit quite right with Jiminy. It reminded him of how his parents made him do all the stealing, and they were the ones who benefited the most from it. He knew the Dark One probably wasn’t trying to manipulate him, but just to be sure …
“And then you’ll help free me from my parents? Using most the items I acquire?” he asked, doubt starting to creep into his mind. Worry that the items wouldn’t be used to help him, and worry that he’d have to steal them. Of course the Dark One would want something in return for Jiminy’s aid, but still, he didn’t want to steal, especially if it wouldn’t do any good. Stealing had to be part of the equation; that was why the Dark One had seen potential in him, after all. He just hoped he was making the right decision.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 29, 2015 11:43:44 GMT -8
Of course Rumpel saw the sudden doubt, the missed suspicion, in the boy's eyes. But did he really thought, that he would get something for free? Nothing was for free. Especially not magic.
“And then you’ll help free me from my parents? Using most the items I acquire?”
What a crafty boy. He seemed to be fully aware of the fact, that not all of the items, he will acquire for Rumpel, would be needed for the magic to free him. The potion to get his parents out of his way, only to not have to steal anymore. This really sounded like there was a dark side lying dormant the boy, Rumpel thought with an evil grin.
"You have my word.", he answered with a bow. "How shall I call you by the way, boy? You probably won't prefer thief, will you?", Rumpelstiltskin added with the hint of amusement.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 30, 2015 10:58:39 GMT -8
Jiminy
"You have my word," the sorcerer answered, easing Jiminy’s worries. The man really did want to help.
"How shall I call you by the way, boy? You probably won't prefer thief, will you?" He winced slightly at the insult; thief. In his mind, it was the worst insult imaginable. After stealing from people and hurting them every single day, he was more than ready to be free, to be good.
“I’m Jiminy, sir,” he said, a little sheepish as he realized he had yet to introduce himself. “And you are the Dark One, correct?” Suddenly, Jiminy realized he’d jumped to conclusions, and this might not be the Dark One after all. He could be another sorcerer, even if that was unlikely. He didn’t want to accidently call his new benefactor by the wrong name.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 30, 2015 12:26:23 GMT -8
The arisen suspicion seemed to disappear. Actually there was no need to get someone's trust, if you offer something the dealing partner was really interested in. But well, never look a gift horse in the mouth, right?
“I’m Jiminy, sir,”“And you are the Dark One, correct?”, the boy answered sheepish, apparently unsure if he was right.
"Seems my reputation precedes me.", Rumpel responded with a grin, swaying his head. With a deep bow he added: "But Rumpelstiltskin is sufficient." As he returned to upright position, a joyful sparkle was seen in his eyes again. "Now, Jiminy, do we have a deal?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on Apr 30, 2015 13:03:17 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Seems my reputation precedes me," the Dark One said, bowing deeply to him. Jiminy was shocked; no one had ever shown him such a sign of respect, especially not a powerful sorcerer. "But Rumpelstiltskin is sufficient” "Now, Jiminy, do we have a deal?"
Rumpelstiltskin’s eyes were twinkling as he offered Jiminy his way to freedom. “Yes, I will steal for you if you help free me from my parents,” he agreed, clearly stating the deal so the Dark One couldn’t go back on it. Sure, he didn’t think his new ally would betray him, but it never hurt to be careful.
|
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on May 6, 2015 11:41:21 GMT -8
“Yes, I will steal for you if you help free me from my parents,”, the thief boy stated, prudent choosing his words, though there was no need for it of course. It actually was a breeze to free him from his parents, even without letting him collect some ingredients. But that will stay his little secret...
"Deal!", Rumpelstiltskin confirmed with a sudden high-pitched voice, stepping back from the boy with one fast move. "You will hear from me soon, dearie." And with these words he disappeared into a green-coloured fog, a giggle accompanied the dwindling grimace of his.
This deal has saved him from the boredom of the day.
**Rumpelstiltskin leaves the village of Corona**
|
|
|
|
Post by Zizhun on May 19, 2015 14:49:30 GMT -8
Jiminy
"Deal!" "You will hear from me soon, dearie." And then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone, smoke making his exit more dramatic.
And as he left, so did Jiminy’s certainty. Was it right to betray his parents like this? They needed him … but he needed to be free to do what he wanted, not what they told him to do. No, this was the right choice. He had to get away from them, to have a chance to be good. And this was his only chance; he wouldn’t be able to leave them without help. He’d tried before, and failed. But with the Dark One’s help, he should be able to escape.
He loaded the wagon with the items he’d stolen, and waited for his parents to return. Soon, he could move on to a better life, one without them. And the best part was no one had to get hurt. He was just going to escape from them. No one would be hurt, and he would be free. It was worth the little extra stealing he’d have to do to get there. Because soon, very soon, he wouldn’t have to steal ever again.
|
|
