Come Take These Eyes [open]

[Blind Mag]

A thousand fingers adorned her at once, grooming, pulling, tugging. She watched through the reflection in the mirror, a thousand GeneCo employees tugging her visage to perfection. She supposed it would gain her a bit of dignity, to die looking like perfection. They curled her hair and even still it hung to her lower back. Not a scar blemished her skin, not a mark tainted her flesh. They fawned and showered her in compliments and when they were satisfied that she was entirely flawless, they left her alone. She hung her head, the mechanical machinery in her eyes, unable to express the sadness she felt. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She was beautiful, gorgeous in fact. She had enough gold to sell her soul if she so choose it, every woman, man and child knew her name... but she was a prisoner, so what did any of that matter? Money, wealth, fame... she served Rotti Largo and he was the devil incarnate.

Tonight would be her final performance, her lyrical chords of Chromaggia would be belted out live in front of a million or more viewers world wide, and she would take her own eyes. The Repo Man would not have her this day. It seemed she could not free herself from her chains of destiny, but she would be the keeper of her own death. Rotti, at least, would not have that, but first... the carnival. She was expected to unveil the new opera house. She rose from her seated position the long grey gown dipping low in the front and trailing behind her in an elegant stream. She was expected. She stepped out of the tent and suddenly...everything went black.

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Mag jumped awake, the mechanics in her eyes swiveling and expanding as she frantically looked around her. The trickling of water drew her attention and she pushed herself off the ground. Heavy cobblestones beneath her feet, a gorgeous fountain to her right... where was she? Her eyes sought the skies, now dark and filled with glittering stars. No billboards with her own visage starred back at her, everything was...empty. She pushed herself to her feet, spinning frantically. The houses would constructed of such little building material, they were so small, no towering sky scrapers, no opera houses, and was that a castle?

"Where am I?" Her voice was soft, futile, weak, as she glanced about this strange world. Just where was she?

[belle]

Things were not going well as planned for Belle. Storybrooke was no longer and this new place looked exactly like the Enchanted Forest. Home for Belle at least. A sigh escaped her and she looked around frantically. "Rumplestiltskin?!" she called hoping to hear his voice somewhere but sadly there was no sound. "Gods, what is this place?" she whispered to herself as she wondered around the streets. Belle placed a hand to her stomach for a moment and closed her eyes. "Belle, control yourself. Your fine.. your not dead" she said reminding herself for sometime.

Inside she was scared and on the out she tried to remain calm as possible. As she wondered about her surroundings she heard a distant voice. And she followed it and she came to a courtyard and looked upon the woman that was standing there. Her eyes widened for a moment and she said nothing. Hearing her question she dared not speak and she tried to keep herself silent. "Miss?" she began to say for sometime and she walked over to her.

Belle smiled some and she stared at her. "A-Are you alright?" she asked in her Australian accent and she stared upon her. Standing where she was she didn't know what to do and she kept staring at her for sometime. Then she closed her eyes and she shook her head trying not to stare something was interesting about this woman and she looked upon her again waiting for her answer.

[Blind Mag]

She was lost in this rural place, her home was full of intimidating buildings covered and caked in layers of graffiti, clippings from the newspaper, articles of magazines and so much more. The streets were littered with dead bodies and refuse. Decay and death lingered in every corner, this place it held no air of foreboding or fear... and yet... the emotions gripped her heart. Rotti Largo, he was here, he had to be, he never would have let her slip from his grasp, but this was unfamiliar to her and she had been needed to open the new Opera House, she was supposed to perform tonight!

A voice behind her drew her from her thoughts and she turned to face the timid creature that had called to her. She was dressed so strangely, almost in old garb... from the medieval era? Was this some kind of reenactment? Why had Rotti not come for her? Surely she would be punished severely for this. She focused her gaze, her eyes lighting up as the tiny mechanics worked to reshape themselves into an expanded cornea, allowing her to see more clearly. She tilted her head to the side slightly. The woman looked afraid, timid, Mag's heart went out to the woman. Her eyes glistened once and then twice, glowing as electricity sparked to life within them.

"I am fine... can you tell me where I am? I woke up here, I am needed at the Opera House." She realized quickly that the woman was nervous and she glided forward. "Do not be afraid, I do not wish to hurt anyone, my name is Blind Mag." The title slipped from her mouth out of habit, her stage name, the only name that mattered anymore. Perhaps this woman could help her. If she could figure out where she was she could return, albeit late to her show. She had a date with death this eve, she no longer wished to prolong her imprisonment.

[belle]

Standing across from the woman Belle said nothing for sometime. Hearing the woman's questions she eyed her for a moment, studying he features and her eyes. They were like nothing she had ever seen before. Belle shook her head for a moment. "Sadly I'm not even sure what this place is." she said frowning a moment later. "I'm very sorry that I am not much of help. I just arrived here not to long ago" she explained to her.

"Blind Mag" she repeated as she stood there and stared at her. Remaining where she was she looked at her. "Pleasure is mine, Blind Mag" she said with a small smile upon her face. "My name is Belle" she said smiling a bit more. "Seems we are both on the same boat then" she said tucking a stray hair out of her face and she tucked it behind her ear. "Both new in a different land and far from our homes" she said nodding her head.

Belle said nothing and she looked down then back up at her again. "Where is it you are from Blind Mag?" she asked looking at her. She said nothing and she stared at her still. She didn't know what to do and she felt a little uncomfortable but it would soon pass she reminded herself. A sigh escaped her and she looked around then back at her.

[Blind Mag]

She listened as the woman spoke, tilting her head gently as if afraid she might miss a vital piece of information that might slip from her lips, of course, she was little help in aiding her. The woman seemed to be just as lost as she, although her style of dress seemed a bit less inconspicuous. Her gaze shifted, to glance around the city. The mechanics in her eyes shrunk and enlarged the size of her false pupils, spinning and rotating, adjusting for her as she focused on different things and finally her attention returned to the young woman.

"You cannot be blamed for what you do not know. Do not shy away child, I won't harm you, I've never harmed anyone." She glided forward, her voice gentle, soft, warm. She meant what she said. She smiled gently as the woman spoke her full title and shook her head gently. "Please, just Mag, if Rotti Largo is not here to chain me, I shall be Mag and nothing more." She mumbled the last part more to herself. Had she broken her chains? Had she died was this heaven? Somehow she doubted such things.

She offered her hand to the woman, her arms were adorned with leathers gauntlets, embedded with studs that gleamed in the moons light. "It tis a pleasure to meet you Belle, it seems time stands still for both of us, until we discover just where we are."Her next question startled her slightly and she wondered just how much she should tell her new companion.

"My world is over run by disease, organ failure. Ninety percent of the world population, destroyed in a short span of a few years. Out of the chaos, a man named Rotti Largo found a way to replace useless organs with genetically engineered replacements. I was born blind, Rotti Largo bestowed upon me, my sight." As if to emphasize her point lights swirled about her iris, thin pieces of blue machinery that laid a top one another. "They also allow me to project my memories should I ever have need too."

[belle]

Standing there Belle said nothing and she watched the woman for sometime. Hesitating she wasn't sure on what to do. Belle wanted to help this woman more than anything in the world and she looked upon the woman known as Blind Mag. Belle looked upon her again as she spoke to her. Relaxing a bit more.

A small smile appeared upon Belle's face as she spoke still. She seemed like a kind woman. Belle looked at her and she said nothing for a moment. "You don't look like your a person who can hurt people" she explained in a small voice. Belle looked upon her and nodded. "Very well then....Mag it is..." she said smiling. The princess went silent again and she looked around then down at the ground then back up at Mag. Who had her hand out towards her.

Taking Mag's hand she smiled a little more. Nodding her head she looked at her again. "The pleasure is mine, Mag" she said in a small voice. Then she sighed a bit and took her hand out of hers and looked down at the ground for a moment. Then she looked back at her as she spoke about where she lived.

"I'm sorry to hear about that..." she said in looking over at Mag after hearing her tale. "You were born blind?" she said in a curious voice. "I don't think I have ever met anyone....anyone in this kind of state" she said in a soft voice looking at her again. Belle studied her eyes and everything she had. "This person sounds like a horrible person" she said in a quiet voice. "Really? Does it ...I mean this isn't my place to speak but.....does it hurt when you, you know.. do this. This.. projecting memories thing.." she asked looking upon Mag again in curiosity.

[Blind Mag]

Blind Mag was the definition of her misbegotten name. She had been Rotti Largo's pet for so long, a puppet on a string, that despite the pseudo-eyes he had given her, she remained blind to the world. Rotti kept he locked in a cage, granted it was gilded, lined with gorgeous trinkets and stunning dresses, but at the end of the day, no matter which way she turned, she was still met with steel bars willing to cage her and hold her captive. A slave to the whims of a man, nothing more and nothing less. When he said sing, her vocals rang loud and clear, when he said jump she asked how high, when he said come she merely asked where.

She had been about to end her life, her final opera, Chromaggia... she had written the lyrics, a languid script, a song of the fateful bird, attempting to outrun the hunters arrow, it flew unwaveringly for days only to find, in tragedy that the arrow had pierced him long ago. Come take these eyes! I would rather be, blind! She had intended to gauge out her own false vision... but now she was free. Suddenly, her chains were broken, her heart unchained... how could such a thing be? It was impossible, and yet here she stood. She smiled gently as the woman before her accepted her name.

"Yes... I was born without the use of my vision. I was twenty the first time I was able to see from these artificial eyes. It was a humbling experience, I do miss the naivety of being blind though." Her voice carried an almost whimsical tone. A gentle, soft pitch... if she had stayed blind, Rotti Largo never would have infected her. Her lips would curl into a smile at her gentle inquiries and she shook her head, hair falling absently over her shoulders. "Not at all, my eyes don't bring me the slightest of discomfort, they were crafted to fit me, modeled from the most intricate of work, it took a bit of getting used to them in the beginning but I've had them now for several years. What about you m'dear? What brings such loneliness to your eyes?"

[belle]

Belle remained where she was and she listened to Mag's voice. She hanged on every word she was saying to her and she studied her while she stood there. Belle said nothing for a moment and kept silent. "I'm sorry to hear that" she said moments later after hearing she was born like that. It must have been difficult not to be able to see and Belle felt sorry for her, she wanted to help her and she didn't know how really. A sigh escaped her and she looked up at her again.

Her eyes widened when she asked her about her own loneliness. "Hm? Me?" she asked surprised a moment later. "Oh, Uhm, Nothing. Really I guess it would just because I'm in a new town. Most of my friends aren't here yet" she said sighing. "And I'm just trying to get my feel of the town and be able to help as much as I can towards the others, even though I don't know much of them" she explained.

It was strange that Belle was intrigued by her eyes and she tilted her head for sometime. "Oh! Well at least that's a good thing, we wouldn't want any one to be uncomfortable with anything they didn't like" she muttered to her giving a small smile. Inside, Belle was nervous and scared and wanted to return home. But she would have to be her new home for now..until a few familiar faces showed up.