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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
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|  | Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Thread Started on Jul 28, 2004, 9:30pm » | |
The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain (heh)
I will freely admit that I have no idea what Mr. Mycroft Holmes can be thinking.
Whatever was the logic in recruiting me for this...organization? I am not my father. I am not even my brother, and he was but a pale shadow of the great white hunter. I am just Elizabeth -- the daughter he was never completely certain he even wanted. Certainly that became a different matter when I was all he had left, but...ah, but why I am treading over old ground? I am here now; I accepted the summons.
I have been handed the opportunity to prove that I am, after all, a Quatermain.
Indeed, I've already had to prove my own identity! Mr. Tom Sawyer was not at all prepared to accept that my father even had a daughter. I am not precisely certain what exactly convinced him, but somehow I have managed to gain his trust. He seems rather an amiable fellow, when he is not accusing a lady of lying about her parentage.
Captain Nemo -- good heavens, I had no idea I was going to be in the company of the famous pirate-scientist. He seems exceedingly gracious, however, not at all the villain that the legends would have one believe. Perhaps the stories are exaggerations, or perhaps he is not the man he was. I do not know.
Mrs. Harker seems quite the proper lady. Indeed, I think she is the sort one may speak with sensibly. I understand she is a brilliant chemist, which I am sure comes in quite handy with the work that this group does.
Thus far I have only encountered two of my other shipmates; one is a foundling child familiarly known as "Kitten." She appears to be of Indian descent, like Captain Nemo, and is really quite the little darling. She speaks very poor English, and has abbreviated my name to "Beth" for convenience. Coming from her, I mind it not at all.
The other is Rodney Skinner, who introduced himself as "gentleman thief, invisible spy (thought I could see him quite plainly), and giver of toys to young ladies who behave themselves." This last was actually an appropriate comment at the moment, as we had just learned he had purchased some toys for the young Kitten, but one must wonder if there was some additional meaning intended in those words. He seems to be something of a rake, and I might not trust him if it were not for the fact that Kitten declared, quite plainly, that she loves him. A man who can earn the affection of so sweet a creature surely must have more to him than appearances would indicate.
Captain says we dine at seven, and I will most likely encounter the rest of my new companions then. In the meantime, I must unpack the herbarium and see to it that my plants are properly cared for. This submarine is vast, and exceptionally beautiful, and I feel more as though I am staying in an elegant palatial hotel than on a ship.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #1 on Aug 8, 2004, 4:41pm » | |
It is still the first day, and I have already been bewildered more times than I can think to count.
After I finished settling in, I went exploring and promptly got lost. Fortunately, I bumped into Agent Sawyer, who escorted me around a bit; I did see that the ship has a splendid library, and there I met the other child who lives on the vessel, ten-year-old Noriko.
Up on the conning tower, where Mr. Sawyer was headed for shooting practice, I encountered his enamorata, Noriko's mother Yumiko. She is lovely and, from what Agent Sawyer said, an expert swordswoman. Apparently there is quite a bit of "pairing off" within the League; Agent Sawyer's brother Sidney is attached to a Miss Aineen McIlroy (whom I met a bit later), and werewolf Drusilla Mason is partnered with shape-shifter Gabriel Monroe.
No, I am not making those facts up. The League includes two werewolves, a shape-shifter, Noriko (who is a fledgling telekinetic), the aforementioned invisible man, and a vampire -- the stoic Mrs. Harker of whom I wrote earlier! I am utterly astonished. Mr. Holmes clearly did not tell me everything I needed to know ahead of time.
Shortly after bringing all of this to my attention, Agent Sawyer retired to the infirmary, on account of a shoulder injury he sustained some time ago. I was left holding Matilda -- yes, Father's own rifle, which the agent unofficially inherited -- and had not the first idea where to take her. It was while searching for someone to give me directions that I encountered Ms. McIlroy and, shortly thereafter, met Mr. Skinner and Kitten for the second time. Ms. McIlroy volunteered to stay with Kitten while Mr. Skinner showed me to Agent Sawyer's cabin, and then assisted me in relocating my own quarters.
It was while I was fussing over a sick basil plant (an activity for which I am not accustomed to having an audience, but I did tell Mr. Skinner he was welcome to remain and so he did) that I made the unhappy discovery that the invisible man is, in fact, unable to read. I was quite distressed, as I think I embarrassed him, and to make it up I offered to teach him. I admit I was startled when he agreed, but we started at once and he is coming along fairly well.
We took a tea break, during which Ms. McIlroy brought Kitten to my room. From what Mr. Skinner told me, the poor child has had a very traumatic life, and it is only since she was "adopted" by the League that she has begun to recover; still, she is afraid to sleep alone, so she is presently napping on my bed. Mr. Skinner has taken his leave of us, saying he had an errand to run in town. He behaved in a most gentlemanly manner prior to his departure, which I must admit I found endearing. To be perfectly honest, I think I like him the most out of everyone I have met thus far, with the possible exception of Kitten.
Kitten, I should add, is not pleased with the fact that Mr. Skinner is without a romantic attachment -- she does not want him to be alone -- and has therefore been, in her own little way, encouraging the possibility of "Skinner Beth." (That is what she calls me.) I am more than a trifle flustered by this, not least by the fact that he is not discouraging her. Agent Sawyer felt it necessary to warn me about Mr. Skinner; it would seem that my earlier assessment of him as being something of a rake was very close to the mark. So while I am contending with the other League members possibly only being interested in my parentage, I must also deal with the prospect that the person who might be my first real friend on this vessel is probably only interested in my status as a single female.
Still...hope springs eternal. I can but try to earn their respect.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #2 on Aug 15, 2004, 1:19am » | |
Who ever would have thought that my life would become so busy, I would neglect this diary? Indeed, I really don't have time to be writing now, but I feel like I have to update. Besides, I have been working for quite a long time and could use the change of thought process.
Well, to begin with, my first day aboard this vessel saw Yumiko Sakai, sometime after our first and only meeting, disappear without a trace. Mycroft Holmes is searching for her back in England, but we've had no choice but to come to Egypt without her in the meantime. I feel sadly for Tom and also for Noriko.
We reached Egypt yesterday shortly before dusk -- I say yesterday because I am quite certain it is well past midnight now -- and immediately broke into pairs to do some reconnaissance work here in the city of Alexandria. I was partnered with Dorian Gray, and I soon discovered that he is rather indestructible as well as immortal. We were set upon by a trio of brigands in a dark alley, and after they exhausted the rounds in their pistol chambers by firing directly into Mr. Gray, he proceeded to bring about their demise with the sword he conceals inside his walking stick. I must say he did an admirable job of defending me, and I was grateful.
This event was scarcely over when a trio of flares burst into the sky, which Mr. Gray identified as coming from Captain Nemo's signal gun. We hastened back to the docks to discover that Sidney Sawyer, Tom's younger brother, was set upon by the vampire and nearly drained of blood. He lies in the infirmary now, somewhere between life and death, and it is on his account that I have been working throughout the night. I have been asked to devise an herbal remedy for him to assist his body in the regeneration of its lost blood and speed his recovery. It has been tedious research, but I am pleased to have this chance to prove myself somewhat.
I am especially grateful to be doing something constructive after my behaviour of earlier. I was much distressed by the recent events and was regrettably a bit rude to Mr. Skinner, in order to come back here and vent a little of my emotions before bed. Fortunately for me, it would appear that I do have at least one real friend aboard this ship after all, for he came after me to ensure that I was all right, and we ended up spending an hour or two in conversation about other tragedies which have befallen the League. (He also, upon seeing me with my hair down, made the comment that I have pretty hair. I find myself blushing a lot around this gentleman.)
He is, at present, asleep on my bed, which is not as lurid as it sounds. As I was bidding him goodnight and thanking him for looking in on me, we heard a scream from the child Kitten, who apparently had been awakened by terrible nightmares. I brought her here to sleep in my room, so I could look after her, but was then summoned to the infirmary regarding the herbs, so he volunteered to stay with her. When I returned, they were both sound asleep. He is holding her rather tightly -- I suspect she may have whimpered in her sleep -- and to wake him would mean disturbing her, so I left them where they are and made the room as dark as possible for their comfort.
Hmmm. He just woke. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"My bed is a bit occupied just now."
"Ah, there's room." From someone else this might have offended me, but I found it amusing in the present context.
"I have work to do. Go back to sleep."
"I'd rather keep my eyes open."
I do not know if that meant what it sounded like, but it's another example of how he makes me blush. I think I like him a little better than was my intent. I need to put such dangerous contemplations out of my mind, however, and resume my task.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #3 on Aug 23, 2004, 10:18pm » | |
If it were not for certain events of this morning, when I know I am awake and thinking clearly, I might have thought all of the past two days had been some sort of peculiar dream.
Firstly, I was successful in my efforts to find a useful infusion of herbs for Mr. Sidney Sawyer to take while recovering from his vampire bite. I stayed awake most, if not all, of the night working on this endeavour. Unfortunately, I was so tired when I returned from delivering it to the infirmary that I literally passed out on the floor of my bedroom. The noise awoke Kitten, who was frightened at the sight of my unconscious self, and she in turn woke Mr. Skinner, who picked me up and took me back to the infirmary. Dr. Jekyll assured everyone involved -- including myself, when I was brought round -- that it was merely the combination of exhaustion and having missed dinner, and that once I was properly rested and fed I would be fine.
Some time later, after I'd had a fair amount of sleep, I was sent out with Tom and Mr. Agropos to a distant mission, where we acquired certain provisions for the prevention of vampire attack -- crosses, holy water, and the like. On our return trip, however, we were set upon by none other than Marishka, the vampire herself, who came to us not once but twice. Her second visit resulted in a ferocious battle between vampire and werewolf, as Mr. Agropos changed form and fought her. She disappeared after he gave her a rather nasty gash in the side, and we were left stunned. Indeed, I confess I was so badly rattled by everything I had witnessed that I could barely move, nor could I stand on my own, and after we had reported the incident to Mrs. Harker and Captain Nemo (the other League members having all come running in time to catch the very end of the fight), I had to be escorted back here by Mr. Skinner.
I fell asleep again, quite exhausted by everything, and found myself in the grips of a new twist on my old nightmare. This time it was Marishka calling me the last and least of the Quatermains, and said she would make me watch while she killed everyone else ahead of me. Fortunately, Mr. Skinner had remained in the room while I slept, presumably for this very purpose, and he shook me awake. He was gentleman enough to allow me to vent my fears and frustration, and I thanked him for his courtesy and friendship. He has been a very good friend to me, probably my best friend in fact. And, just in case I had not experienced enough shocks, I was then told why this is.
For some reason, he seemed unable to keep this to himself any longer, and so he chose this peculiar moment to confess that he -- I almost don't dare to write it, lest it come untrue somehow. No, that won't happen. Very well; in the handful of short days that he has known me, Rodney Skinner (for reasons passing my personal understanding) has fallen in love with me. I could but stare at him while he said all of this. For a few minutes, I thought perhaps I was still dreaming.
At one point, he said something that I think I will remember every day of my life. "Everyone needs someone...and I'd like to be your someone." And so he is. I think I had already realized that after Marishka's first appearance; I felt utterly alone, despite the presence of the two gentlemen, and for some reason I kept thinking that if he had been with us, I would not have felt alone.
Considering what I have previously written in this diary about him, this shock was of the welcome sort. But then, again considering the things I have previously recorded concerning him, it was not completely a shock. I admit I did not expect to hear him say he loved me -- certainly not at that moment, nor so soon -- but then, it did somehow seem an appropriate moment. He ended up, and I admit this a bit reluctantly and with more than a trace of embarrassment, staying in here all night; at one point I found myself asleep in his embrace. Nothing unseemly happened, of course! But even after I sent him to bed, and went to sleep on my own, he apparently sneaked back in here to guard me in the night. He seems to harbour some sort of inner terror that something is going to happen to me, which I find alternately endearing and exasperating.
We've elected not to tell anyone yet, owing to the still-difficult situation surrounding our lives at the moment, although we weren't given much choice this morning when Kitten arrived. The poor little thing had the misfortune to be on the conning tower when Agropos and Marishka battled, and witnessed it all. So she had a rough night herself. When she discovered that her long-predicted "Skinner Beth" has become a reality, however, she brightened at once, and was still smiling when Rodney (as I have taken to calling him now) took her back to her own room. He, for his part, was wearing what might have been the biggest smile I have ever seen.
I must get myself ready for the day, and do some work before breakfast; Dr. Jekyll will be needing more of the herbal remedy for Tom's brother, as my initial batch will be about used up by this time. Still, it is rather pleasant to sit here, and contemplate...just for a few minutes.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #4 on Aug 28, 2004, 8:22pm » | |
I've brought the diary with me to the infirmary, where I am keeping watch over none other than Rodney. He's dozed off for the moment, so I feel safe taking my attention from him for a time.
Where to begin? We are presently travelling from Egypt to Romania, following the trail of the vampire Marishka. Unfortunately, we are having problems on board, for on the same night that she bit Sidney Sawyer, Marishka also placed Tom under what is known as the thrall. He is her servant. Sometime after that she bit him, and made him drink of her, and he is blindly loyal.
Mrs. Harker was able, through means of hypnosis, to remove the thrall for a time and learn something of Marishka's plans. When she reaches Romania, she plans to use a talisman known as the Ankh of Set to resurrect Dracula, the vampire lord who made Mrs. Harker what she is. Then vampires will hold sway over the earth, and humanity is doomed. Naturally, the League is determined to stop her at all costs.
The thrall returned after a period of time, however, and Tom had to be confined. He attacked Mrs. Harker and had to be restrained. Worse, they somehow neglected to take away his Colt pistols, and he was able to shoot his way out of his holding cell and attack us just as we sat down to dinner. He shot Mrs. Harker and Mr. Agropos, but as they are immortal it did no lasting harm. The last bullet, however, lodged itself in Rodney's shoulder. My own first thought, when Tom appeared, was to shield the children, and Rodney's was to force the three of us down to the floor. He then invisibly fought with Tom, trying to get him to drop the weapons; I don't know exactly what transpired, as I could not see it for myself, but the final bullet was his.
As Mina was busy attending to her own wounds, Dr. Jekyll requested my assistance with him. I left the children with Sidney Sawyer and Miss McIlroy and helped to bring him back here, where -- with more than a little difficulty -- the doctor removed the bullet and patched the wound. I gave him an herbal remedy to help relieve the pain, and he's now resting. Dr. Jekyll requested that I remain with him while he went to see if anyone else needed assistance.
Part of me wants to be very angry with him for putting himself in danger like that. He could very easily have been killed, and then where would I be? I love him, idiot though he sometimes is. I do want to be angry with him, and I would...if I weren't so terribly proud of him.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #5 on Sept 11, 2004, 6:36pm » | |
Things are very much out of sorts just now.
Tom made a second escape from the room where he was being held after the incident with the guns. He didn't get very far the second time, and was then removed to the brig, where steel doors were undoubtedly beyond his ability to break. This held him admirably...for a while.
Yesterday, we reached the Romanian coastal city of Constanta, and the majority of the League departed the Nautilus to travel to Castle Dracula, there to confront Marishka. I have been asked to remain, to look after the children and also the vessel in Captain Nemo's absence; I suspect this is merely to placate me, that I have been left more for my own safety than for any other reason. I would feel more irritated about it, except that Rodney has also been left behind owing to his recent gunshot wound. So at least I am in good company.
To pass the time pleasantly on the afternoon of their departure, and to distract the children (particularly Kitten, who is quite despondent over her separation from Tom, and has now also had to say goodbye to Sidney), I showed the three of them how to make Scottish peppermint cream candies. It was really quite enjoyable, and for a time I think we were able to all forget the truth of our situation; after dinner, however, we were violently reminded of it once again.
Marishka had the audacity to board the submarine. She came and freed Tom from his confinement, and took him back to Castle Dracula with her; I can only imagine the shock our friends will experience when they find him there. Before leaving, they paid the four of us a visit in the kitchen, which was horribly terrifying for everyone.
Nemo gave orders to his men that I am to be obeyed in his absence, so after the pair left (without harming any of us, thank God), I directed the crew to move the vessel farther out into the Black Sea. We are currently submerged, so that only the conning tower remains above sea level; the doorway there has been surrounded by the wild garlic which vampires abhor, and hopefully this will help keep her from returning, should she have a mind to do so. A few of the crewmen apparently attempted to fight her when she boarded, and were injured but not seriously; we all spent the night in the infirmary, so that I could keep an eye on them and the children and, I suspect, so Rodney could keep an eye on me. He was rather insistent that I get some sleep, and I ultimately gave in. Considering how I alarmed him the last time I stayed up all night, I suppose I can't blame him for being concerned.
And it was much more comfortable for all four of us to stay together, after such a bad fright.
Mrs. Harker advised me that, if the League has shown no sign of returning within two weeks' time, I am to order the ship to return to London. I am terrified of this becoming reality. Rodney and I are searching for ways to keep the girls preoccupied until the others return -- and I pray that they all do, Tom included. Noriko is not hard to entertain; I began teaching her to play chess a few days ago, and I can think of a few other things I learned to do around her age which I could teach her. Kitten will be more difficult to amuse, not least because her grasp of the English language is still rather poor.
But...such is the task which has been set to me. It might not be particularly glorious, or heroic, but it is at least useful. Indeed, I must admit that I am probably far more useful here than I would be in the castle onslaught.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #6 on Oct 5, 2004, 2:08pm » | |
They are back.
Thank heaven, they have all returned safely -- yes, Tom too. And not a moment too soon, for my mind, because Kitten has been dangerously ill for some days now. She was, essentially, pining for her brothers, and Tom in particular. Now she has them back, and the change was immediately apparent. She will soon be well again, praise be.
Marishka and her minions are dead. There were some injuries, most notably to one of Nemo's men and to Sidney Sawyer, but they are relatively minor and will heal. The battle has been won.
And the League has grown yet again.
The returning heroes were met in the harbour by two new recruits, sent by Mycroft Holmes to assist with Marishka. One is a beautiful Spanish-looking woman called Adriana Ramirez Covas; she is, I am told, a bounty hunter of sorts, who specializes in killing supernatural beings. (I can only imagine what she must think of being part of this group.) The other is Peter Stowells, a native of London who was recruited for his scholarship. He is something of an expert on demons and the like, and even speaks demon languages. He was here in my quarters some time ago, seeming a bit lost; he had many questions about the League, and I hope I was able to help him somewhat.
Shortly after Mr. Stowells left, Sid (as I have been asked to call him) came in with a request for aid. Dr. Jekyll sent him to me for medical assistance instead of handling the injury himself; he apparently made a remark about Quatermains having better luck with stubborn Sawyers, which made me laugh. In any case, Sid's gash on his chest is quite nasty, and required stitching, which I performed. I numbed it up as best I could with an herbal cream Aunt Adelaide taught me to make, and he seemed better. We had a nice little conversation while I was attending to his wounds, and he is every bit as likeable as his brother. He is a news reporter, and therefore quite observant, so it has not taken him long at all to realize that there is "something" between myself and Rodney, who made a brief appearance while I stitched him up.
No matter. The immediate threat is gone; they may all know now. I'm not going to make any formal announcements, obviously, but I'm not going to try to keep it a secret either.
I'm a little concerned for Noriko. While the others were off on their mission, I think the situation at hand distracted her from her mother's absence. But now they have all returned, and Yumi is still missing, and there is nothing to keep her from dwelling on that fact. She's an intelligent child and I enjoy her company; I've grown quite fond of her, really. So I'll do my best to keep her spirits up until we get Yumi back.
We are bound for London now, I assume to make our report to Mycroft Holmes. It will be nice to see the city again. If time permits, I should like to go home for a day or so -- close up the garden for winter, get some of my warmer garments, that sort of thing. I also mean to pay a visit to my attorney at the soonest possible opportunity, as there are some legal matters concerning the Quatermain estate I should like to settle.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
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| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #7 on Nov 6, 2004, 4:39pm » | |
Well, trust me to ruin the best thing that's happened to me in a very long....ever, actually.
Tonight I went to visit Tom, who has not been eating since his return to the ship. He did eat a bit of the food I took him, and we had a very nice conversation for quite a while. I couldn't say everything we talked about -- Marishka, of course, was part of it, as were Yumi and my father -- but for the most part it was a very enjoyable conversation.
He was like a second son to my father. In some strange way, that sort of makes him like my brother. That's a very comfortable notion.
But one thing came up when he was speaking to me about my relationship with Rodney. It turns out there's a very good reason Mrs. Harker inquired whether or not Rodney has ever pinched me -- he apparently has a history of doing exactly that to the women in the League. Tom said (it was an accidental blurt, he didn't mean to tell me this) that he has definitely pinched Mrs. Harker and Yumi on their posteriors, and he believes he may have done it to Miss McIlroy and Miss Mason as well. Needless to say, this disturbed me greatly, as it was so incongruent with the gentlemanly character I've come to know and love.
But could I leave well enough alone? Of course not. I had to bring it up to him when we came back here. He promised vehemently that he stopped doing that, and I believe him, but he was at a loss to explain why he's stopped, or why he ever did it in the first place. And then he left, so abruptly that it took me a few seconds to realize he was really gone.
What have I done? I finally find what I've wanted, and at the first indication he's not perfect, I manage to push him away. He must be embarrassed, for one thing; but for another, he must think I'm heartless and unforgiving. I tried to be understanding, but I admit that it is beyond my scope of comprehension how a gentleman could do that to a lady. Perhaps he thinks now that I don't think he's worthy of me. Or perhaps he feels it was a mistake to ever enter into this relationship, coming as we do from such different walks of life; maybe it's not going to be as easy to work around our differences as we'd hoped.
I want to try, though. If he'll give me another chance.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #8 on Nov 11, 2004, 4:41pm » | |
Well, that seems more or less settled.
After I wrote that last entry, I went out on the tower for some air, where Rodney found me. He apologized, and we have agreed to put the matter of the pinching behind us.
Instead, there is another quandary.
He had the audacity to refer to me as "the future mother of his children," which -- needless to say -- threw me for a tremendous loop. Hastily, he assured me it was only a joke, that he doesn't really think about such things. We discussed the matter for a few minutes, then let that drop.
So now I understand, or believe I understand, that he doesn't really have serious intentions about this relationship. That he loves me, I don't doubt; but given the dangerous nature of our work, I suppose I can't blame him for not wanting to commit to anything serious. And I can't ask it of him. There are more important things, much more important, than my or his personal happiness -- the safety of the world, for instance. All I can do is enjoy what we share for as long as it lasts, and make no demands of him that he is unable or unwilling to fulfill.
What happiness we can find together, have found together, is a gift. I should not be so greedy as to want more than that.
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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Elizabeth Quatermain
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My weakness is that I care too much.
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Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #9 on Jan 13, 2005, 9:06pm » | |
So much for things being all right between us. It's been perhaps eighteen hours since Rodney and I straightened out our last disagreement, and now things are difficult again.
Something has happened, and I do not claim to understand exactly what it is. Apparently, Aineen -- Sid Sawyer's enamorata -- has accused Tom of coming into her room and kissing her. It makes no sense, and while I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it (and that Tom did no such thing), Sid very nearly attempted to rip his brother to pieces before being subdued by Drusilla Mason.
Tom came to my room and told me all of this. I would like to point out he did nothing remotely untoward during the entirety of his visit. He came here, I believe, because he thought it was a relatively safe haven; there aren't many places on the ship where he can go without danger of being found by either his brother or Aineen, but my room was a plausible choice.
Except that he was found here. By Sid...and Rodney.
As far as I'm able to guess, Sid explained everything to Rodney, who immediately came to warn me. But when he neared my room, he heard Tom's voice inside, and instead of knocking like a proper gentleman, he all but broke down my door. And then, without provocation, he proceeded to hit Tom! Tom's jaw was already bruised from an earlier punch from Sid, and now I imagine he's in a lot more pain.
Sid then looked like he was planning to hit Tom a second time as well, so I stood between him and them and wouldn't allow them to come any closer. They refused to leave until he himself left, a point with which I was prepared to argue, but Tom conceded. He went to speak with Mina Harker, on my suggestion; she once hypnotised him to gain information, so I had thought perhaps she could do it again and possibly prove his innocence. I then ordered Sid and Rodney from my sight, and they departed.
Lest any reader think that this was where the difficulty ended, allow me to correct that misapprehension. Moments later, I found my room being entered again -- this time by Kitten, who by some unhappy chance had overheard the entire scene! She was visibly distressed, and I cannot say I blame her. After the Sawyers, whom she regards as her own brothers, I daresay she loves Skinner best, and to find all three of them involved in a fight must have upset her deeply. I soothed her as best I could, and the dear creature is presently asleep on my bed.
I am now, because of her pain, angered more than I already was with both Sid and Rodney. When I last saw Rodney, he was in her room, sitting with her while she napped, and so I think what must have happened was that Sid came to her room and told Rodney what Tom allegedly did. They probably felt they could speak somewhat freely since she was sleeping, but she must have awakened and followed them here. How else could she have witnessed the whole matter?
They had all best hope that Noriko does not find out what Tom is accused of having done, or there will be a furious little telekinetic on the warpath. Hopefully, Mina will agree to perform the hypnotism, and all will soon be set right for the League.
For Rodney and myself, however, I do not know what will happen. I would never have guessed he could do such a thing -- to Tom, of all people, whom I know he considers a good friend! And coming so soon after what happened last night, I am really starting to wonder whether this relationship was a good idea at all. First I learn that he has a history of inappropriately pinching the women in the League, and now he almost breaks both my door and Tom's jaw. Not to mention Kitten's heart, though that was unintentional.
I love him, of course I do, but love and wisdom have little to do with one another. How can we ever reconcile this matter so that we may be as we once were?
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Elizabeth Quatermain
Herbalist
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen |
|
Elizabeth Quatermain
League Member
Herbalist
member is offline
My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #10 on Jun 12, 2005, 7:53pm » | |
I am pleased to report, today, that things have improved slightly around here, at least in my personal scope of the situtation. Regrettably, the hypnotism plan did not go as one might have hoped, and we remain at an impasse. I brought Tom back here to my quarters after breakfast, for we have agreed that he must be with either a member of the League or a crewman at all times, in order to be certain that his alibi is unimpeachable should anything further go amiss. He told me what happened last night, and was so evidently distressed that I put him to work helping me with my herbs, to give him something to do. While we worked, I told him one of Father's stories from his African adventures, which had the effect of cheering up my poor friend immensely. I'm very fond of Tom, in truth.
Rodney came in soon afterward, and he and Tom seem to have patched things up between them. I'm glad. I was not here for the actual apology; I thought it might be best to give them privacy, so I slipped off to the infirmary to speak with Dr. Jekyll, who looked so weary and unwell that I insisted he go and take some breakfast. Later I went back and had a nice long discussion with him about supplies for the infirmary and a few other things; I was amused to discover that I am one of the few League members around whom Mr. Hyde will behave himself. With most of our comrades, it seems, he makes sarcastic remarks in the doctor's head whenever they are around; but with me, he is quiet. Dr. Jekyll says that Father is probably the only man Mr. Hyde ever respected, and the respect carries over to me as well. That is most heartening.
Not long after I returned here to my room, the gentlemen (having patched their difficulty) departed, leaving me to my work. Tom has gone to spend some time with Kitten, whom he seems to feel he has been neglecting, and I presume Rodney went with him. I was engaged in preparing a fresh batch of herbal cream (so useful for cuts and other wounds) when my knife slipped, and nicked my finger. My cry of "Ouch!" was, unexpectedly, overheard, and of all people, Dorian Gray stood in my doorway a moment later, inquiring if I was all right.
He is one I really cannot figure out, for he's quite inscrutable, this immortal. He seems to care very little for the League and its members. But to me, at least usually, he is polite -- never what one might call friendly, but almost always polite. I assured him that I was well and he went on his way, but it was a little puzzling all the same.
We shall soon reach London, and I am extending a blanket invitation to the League to come with me as I go home to the manor for an afternoon. I need to get more supplies for the herbarium, so I may continue to keep providing whatever is needed by the infirmary, and I think we could all do with a bit of rest in a neutral atmosphere. I already have Dr. Jekyll's assurance that he means to go; they are all welcome, if they wish it.
|
Elizabeth Quatermain
Herbalist
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen |
|
Elizabeth Quatermain
League Member
Herbalist
member is offline
My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #11 on Sept 25, 2005, 4:30pm » | |
All continues to be wretchedly puzzling.
Gabriel Monroe, the beloved of Drusilla Mason, is presently in the brig. And why? For attacking Tom! Why, he very nearly killed him -- the fight culminated with him picking Tom up and throwing him into a mirror. Thank heavens that Captain Nemo arrived in time to prevent any further damage, or we might have lost the poor boy.
I sit with him in the infirmary now, having determined that I will stay with him until Dr. Jekyll releases him. He's really in quite a bad way, a lot of pain and injury. I'm deeply fond of Tom, and not only for my father's sake, though I suppose that's a large part of it; I know that he was like a surrogate son to Father, and with Harry gone, that makes him the closest thing I have to a living brother -- and the only family I've got. The captain has ordered that no one may enter the infirmary to see him save himself, the doctor, Mrs. Harker, and me, unless Tom himself specifically requests someone. There are armed crewmen guarding the door to ensure that this remains the case.
As if all this weren't puzzling enough, something else happened which has me a little confused. I have written before about the inscrutable Mr. Gray, and his offhanded politeness to myself. There was another example of this just a short time ago, when the good doctor insisted that I leave the infirmary and take a little time for myself. I have been quite thoroughly angered by the repeated attacks on Tom, this latest one most of all as we have no understanding of why it took place, and was not in much of a mood for socializing. When I ran into Mr. Gray -- literally, as I was paying no heed to where I was going -- I made the bitter remark that I might get Father's gun from Tom's room and go do some shooting off of the tower. Instead, he took me to the practice room, where I proceeded to attack him with a wooden sword! Not only is he immortal, but he is also indestructible, and my blows caused him virtually no pain. In essence, he allowed me to use him as a sort of living punching bag, and I must say that it was very cleansing to deal with my frustrations in such a fashion.
That he would extend such unprovoked kindness to me is surprising enough, but the bigger surprise is what came afterward. While I was getting my breath, I observed that though using the practice sword had gotten a little easier with, well, practice, I am still not a fighter. I then remarked that I sometimes wish I were, for I long to be of real use to the League. Mr. Gray's reply was tremendously startling; he assured me that I am of greater use to the League than I imagine, for in his opinion, I am what keeps the League together!
To say that I was surprised by this would be a great understatement. He says that before I joined the League, there was a loose bond between its members, but nothing more. Now they are more unified than ever, and why? Because they love me.
I kept waiting for him to say or do something which would indicate that he was joking or, at the very least, being sarcastic. But it seems that he genuinely meant everything he said. As I have said, he seems to care very little for the League and its members, and certainly he does not seem to consider himself part of the group; he refers to the League as 'they,' rather than 'we.' It seems very strange to me, therefore, that he would make such an observation. "I've seen it," he said. "They love you."
I think I shall cease writing, and turn my attention back to Tom, who certainly needs it more. If there is anything new to write, I shall do it when next he falls asleep.
|
Elizabeth Quatermain
Herbalist
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen |
|
Elizabeth Quatermain
League Member
Herbalist
member is offline
My weakness is that I care too much.
Joined: Jul 2004
Gender: Female
Posts: 441
| | Re: Log: Elizabeth Quatermain
« Reply #12 on Jan 31, 2006, 4:42pm » | |
I am terribly confused by very nearly everything.
Tom has recovered well, and Dr. Jekyll has discharged him, but I insisted on keeping him from doing anything particularly strenuous. We passed a very pleasant morning in the library together, actually, where we quickly abandoned a barely-played chess game in favor of his telling me more stories about his childhood in the American Midwest. More than ever I can see why my father became so fond of him in such a short space of time -- Tom must have reminded Father of himself, when he was young.
When a lull came in the storytelling, I ventured to ask what I have wanted to ask for a week, which is whether Tom knew what had provoked Gabriel's attack. To my profound astonishment, he told me that Drusilla had come into his room and...I can hardly bring myself to write this...made very strong advances toward him. Gabriel arrived in time to witness this, and Tom said he himself was too stunned to react to her advances. Dru promptly ran off, and...well, I have already stated what followed between the men.
Scarcely had he imparted all of this to me when the lady herself put in an appearance. Tom, evidently feeling that they needed to talk, asked her to go for a walk with him; is it very wrong that I felt somewhat put out? I deeply questioned the wisdom of the two of them being left alone together, but also, I just felt a bit...left behind, somehow. I know that makes no sense.
Well, I cleared away the chess set and packed up the tea things which one of the crewmen brought to us, and had a short conversation with Mr. Gray, who walked into the library while I was cleaning up; he seemed to be slightly out of sorts himself, but I think I managed to cheer him a bit. He seemed happier, in any case. Once I returned the articles to the kitchen level, I decided to go in search of Noriko; I have been entertaining the idea, lately, of perhaps making her my apprentice of sorts, and teaching her the herbalist's trade. She is an intelligent child and might find it amusing. I passed the practice room in my wanderings, and as I know she occasionally likes to sit in there and watch people train, I thought perhaps I would find her inside, so I opened the door.
What I found instead, much to my surprise, was Tom and Dru embracing. I think on it now and I imagine that they must have simply reconciled at that moment; but at the time, with what he had told me so fresh in my mind, I was rather shocked. And I'm afraid I did something that was not altogether polite; I informed them of my presence by declaring that "I don't even want to know," and walked away.
Dru gave chase, and I immediately regretted my comment, for she begged me with tears in her eyes to believe in her innocence. Her pain was palpable; I could not deny her. And indeed, I very much desire to believe in her innocence, for I quite like Dru. But I wonder, all the same, what it is that is happening to all of us. Will I be next to suffer some strange consequence from behaviour which was not my own?
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Elizabeth Quatermain
Herbalist
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen |
| |
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