The Glass Scientists micro-fanfictions

Unrest (songfic)

Ever since Frankenstein had made her presence known and her beliefs even more so, the Lodgers had been even more antsy than they had been before, and for at least a few of them that was certainly something. Edward Hyde was not the sort to let any sort of unrest slip by before he could take full advantage of it, and this was most certainly not an exception to this rule.
Moonlight spilled in through the grandiose windows, filling the near excessively large room with a light that was a mockery of daylight. This was, however, somewhat obstructed in one of the windows by the diminutive silhouette of the wild eyed blond who had taken it upon himself to watch over the others.

"We scratch on the plains, up town they fluff the feathers. Coachmen walk with canes, and every collar is creased. A Gentleman prefers to break from airs and fetters, to roll off his sleeves, and liberate the Beast!"

Not everyone had heard him, caught up in whatsoever it happened to be that they were doing at that moment, but those who did looked up to where Hyde stood. There was hesitation in his tone, as if he had not planned on speaking aloud until after he had began, but he had started and it was too late to simply backtrack. Life was too short to not make mistakes, and too short to take the time to regret them in turn.

"Let us piss from the vine! Let us claw in the mud! Let us swing with both fists as we writhe in the blood! Let us walk on stained glass! Sinners one, sinners all! It's always prettiest after the Fall."

Those who had not noticed Edward's declaration before did notice that the attention of their fellows had drifted upwards and fixed on one particular point. His words seemed uncertain, as if he were only just familiarising himself with them as he spoke them, despite them carrying a particular weight to them that seemed as old as time itself and as heavy as the earth upon his shoulders. The speaker was a madman, he, himself, was among the first to make this claim, but that did not mean he was not capable of a clarity on occasion.

"We gnaw on the bone, up town they sprinkle sweetener, nectar for the cups, and napkins for the chins. A Gentleman prefers to dig in with his fingers, suck in through his teeth, and bare a hungry grin!"

The strength was building in his words, a certainty of what he was saying ringing clear as day in his voice. He dared a pointed, jabbing gesture out the window in the general direction of the more affluent parts of the city, emphasising the difference between the two, the other hand playing in an oddly distracted yet purposeful way across his face, sickly pale fingers tracing gentle red marks across his face. Had there been anyone close enough to see him, they would see something unidentifiable yet frightening swirling wildly within the unnatural green of his eyes.

"Let us piss from the vine! Let us claw in the mud! Let us swing with both fists as we writhe in the blood! Let us walk on stained glass! Sinners one, sinners all! It's always prettiest after the Fall."

By this point, all eyes were on the odd, tiny little man on the windowsill. Not everyone was necessarily on board with what he was saying, but the way he was saying it was demanding a crowd and it would have been simply wrong to deny him this. He stood, arms stretched wide as if a preacher addressing the masses, speaking with such conviction it was impossible to ignore him even if it would have been far easier to simply walk away rather than listen to the ramblings of a madman, and yet it seemed that none of them could bring themselves to tear their eyes away and get back to what they were doing.

"We board up the shed, up town they gild Cathedrals, choir boys for Hymns, and candles for the Mass. A Gentleman prefers to differ with his Steeple," he paused for just a beat to let out a laugh, more bitter than genuinely amused,  "Salt his scripture well, and show a little class!"

He was fully aware of the affect his speech was having on his audience, and it was precisely what he was hoping for. Any uncertainties he might have had previously had wholly dissolved, leaving nothing but an unwavering confidence that would have shook even the most height and mighty out there. A mania raced though his body, each nerve shocked as if by electricity, each heartbeat racing a mile ahead of how it should, blood racing in his ears at such an intensity that he would have missed the sounds of a waterfall while standing underneath it.

"Let us piss from the vine! Let us claw in the mud! Let us swing with both fists as we writhe in the blood! Let us walk on stained glass! Sinners one, sinners all!"

With this, he made it clear that it was a call to arms. The animated gestures that accompanied called for the others, the Lodgers who had suffered for their knowledge in  much the same way he had, treated as dangerous criminals who intended to destroy the good and righteous society. Well, if that was what they thought of them, Hyde's speech seemed to imply, then why not give them exactly what they want so they can be proven right as their last breath slipped away unheard.

"Let us piss from the vine! Let us claw in the mud! Let us swing with both fists as we writhe in the blood! Let us walk on stained glass! Sinners one, sinners all! It's always prettiest after the Fall."

Hyde's voice was not alone in this final wild declaration. The voices of all those in the room, previously skeptical and those who shared his view together, calling out a wild battle cry out into the night with all the fury and need for vengeance as a crowd could muster.

(Song used for Hyde's dialogue: 'After The Fall' - Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival)