Away Down South In Dixie [Gage]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 415px; padding: 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; background-color: #494949; border-top: 3px solid #333333; border-bottom: 3px solid #333333, bTable][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important]i walked across an empty land,[/style] [STYLE=padding: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; opacity: 0.8; width: 415px;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; color: #cacaca; text-align: justify; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px;] TAGGED SC/Gage - WORDS 565 - NOTES None Where had he gone wrong? He'd had the perfect opportunity, and she slipped right through his fingers. He could only imagine the sorts of demands he'd be able to make if he had the capital of the Union in his possession. He did have her, for a short period of time, before she ran off. He had to admit that he'd underestimated her. No matter. Where one door closes another door opens. He might not have Danii in his grasp any more, but this was the longest time Lee had control of the body that he now shared with Alfred. And he was planning to make the best of it. Lee knew that he was operating on limited time, which meant that he moved fast. He tried to cover as much ground as he could in as little time as possible. It was a challenge, there was no doubt about that - Lee still nursed the injuries from his fight with Alfred. It was by far an improvement over a few days before, but his nose was still broken, and the area surrounding one of his eyes was still discolored from the bruise that was healing. One of the first things he did was get a change of clothes. He was determined to make himself stand out from Alfred as much as possible. He also made sure to smooth down that incorrigible strand of hair that never behaved for Alfred. Given that the hair represented Nantucket, and Nantucket was a part of the Union and not the Confederacy, Lee met this task with success. Looking at his reflection, he smiled, especially as he saw the somewhat panicked face that greeted him in return. "Uh, just how long do you plan on messing around in my body?" "Just as much my body as it is yours, North." Lee adjusted his tie, smiling in a way that almost taunted Alfred. Alfred scowled in return. "You know, you won't be able to keep this up for long." A frown came across Lee's face at this point. "Then I 'spose I gotta make the best out of the time I do have, don't I?" "...you suck." It was clear that Alfred wanted to respond with more, but there was relatively little that he could do at this point other than vie for control. He'd win it at some point, and they both knew it, but that didn't mean that Lee was going to act like he'd lost already. No, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he got some affairs in order first! Smoothing out his outfit, Lee proceeded to step away from the window, nearly backing into a woman in process. "Ma'am," He tilted his hat toward her with a smile, ignoring the dumbfounded look she had on her face from watching this man talk to himself. He merely chuckled and continued on his way as if it had no bearing - since it really didn't. After a bit more traveling, Lee finally reached his destination. He quickly approached the door, knocking to the tune of "Dixie" and standing back. He ran a hand through his hair, making sure that pesky cowlick hadn't popped up again. That was the last thing he needed.[/style][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; width: 415px;]i knew the pathway like the back of my hand[/style]

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Gage was proud of himself. Honest and truly, he felt pretty damn accomplished. He'd freed the South from the North and their ideals. He he did it so that they could keep their slave rights. He felt himself a sort of hero in his own right. Of course, this was always how Gage worked. He didn't like something? He was going to do something about it, not sit by idle. And he really didn't like that the North thought they could tell everyone else what to do.

A second necklace had joined his first around his neck. It was identical to his first necklace, except that the chain was longer so that the pendent rested against the middle of his sternum, and it wasn't nearly as tarnished or dinged up as the old adornment. They were his personal symbols, reminders of his accomplishments. Regardless of what the South was doing now, Gage was still pretty proud of himself for his work with the Revolutionary war. This war was just more important to him.

Gage had plans. He welcomed everyone that joined the Confederacy, praised them for it. He discussed with officials and fought side by side with the Confederate troops. He really couldn't remember the last time he was out of uniform, aside from sleep clothes. He didn't feel any need for his day to day clothes when this uniform expressed every damn thing he believed in.

He was glad to be at home for the day, however. He was a soldier, sure, but he was a soldier used to the comfort of his home and having things done for him. His precious Dixieland would last a day without Gage.

Today was actually rather quiet. No meetings, states to welcome. Gage was enjoying it, sitting comfortably in an armchair with a book in his lap. He wasn't a big reader, no, but spending the day running about outside would defeat the purpose of rest. So a book it was, a couple of his hounds stretched out on the rug, a cat curled up on the back of his chair. The scent of cooking drifted from the kitchen, warm and inviting, and he could hear singing. Yes, today was comfortable.

When there was a knocking to the tune of Dixie that set the hounds to baying, leaping off the rug to run to the door. “Hush, hush, ah knows someone's thar.” Gage sighed fondly, setting his book aside and standing.“Don't bother yo'seff, I'll git it.” He called to the woman cooking in the kitchen, walking to the door and nudging the hounds aside with a booted foot. He opened the door and near instantly narrowed his eyes. He sure as hell didn't know this guy, but it looked awful much like Alfred. “Kin ah help you?” He asked with an arched eyebrow, leaning on the doorjamb and folding his hands across his chest. He found it more than suspicious that some guy he didn't know was just casually on his doorstep, although knocking to 'Dixie' played in this guy's favor.


words -- 510
tags -- Lee, Alfred (I guess)
notes-- I hope Lee's accent is understandable, if it's not just let me know.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 415px; padding: 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; background-color: #494949; border-top: 3px solid #333333; border-bottom: 3px solid #333333, bTable][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important]i walked across an empty land,[/style] [STYLE=padding: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; opacity: 0.8; width: 415px;] [STYLE=font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; color: #cacaca; text-align: justify; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px;] TAGGED SC/Gage - WORDS 417 - NOTES None The blond stood back, eying Gage as he opened the door. "Howdy." The greeting was friendly enough, though Lee couldn't help but take in Gage's mannerisms before saying anything more. Just as he expected, Gage didn't look too pleased to see him. Lee knew that it more than likely had something to do with the fact that he had Alfred's face - and, well, Alfred's everything else as well. "First off, I ain't Alfred," he ran a hand through his hair once more as if to emphasize the point - and also to make sure that damned hair was still staying down! Fortunately, it remained slicked down, emphasizing the small but noticeable differences between what Alfred normally looked like and how Lee fixed himself up now that he had control. "Second off - Gage Chandler, right?" He looked Gage up and down, nodding as he deemed Gage's appearance as satisfactory. In fact, it was a little more than satisfactory, if he had to be honest, but first things first. "South Carolina?" He murmured in a quieter voice, still in his characteristic Southern drawl. It was one of the main things that gave him away every time, that accent. Even in the midst of that, if one listened close enough, they could mark out the similarities to Alfred's voice. It was Alfred's voice, only with different intonations (and, of course, the accent). "I should probably introduce myself before we get acquainted. I go by a few names. Y'all can call me Lee in front of regular folks, but when we're alone I prefer somethin' like Dixie." The nickname of Dixie would hopefully make it clear to Gage just who he was talking to, and he wouldn't even have to share the rest of the names he went by because they were all pretty damn clear with the revelation of that particular nickname. "May I come in? I'm fixin' to get off my feet and wash up." Lee added as an afterthought, knowing that his face still wasn't healed from his battle with Alfred earlier. Lee would have to be careful. One look at the wrong scars and Gage might start piecing together the fact that Alfred and Lee weren't as separate as Lee wanted to claim. That wasn't something that Lee wanted to deal with just yet. He had business he wanted to take care of while he was in control. [/style][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; width: 415px;]i knew the pathway like the back of my hand[/style]

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Gage's eyebrow remained arched and his expression skeptic. Wasn't Alfred? Fine, let's say he did believe that. It was still awful suspicious, and Gage wasn't a moron. He knew damn well suspicion was probably best in this instance. Save his hide if his gut was right in saying not to openly trust anyone right now.

He opened his mouth to ask how exactly this man had found that out, how he knew that Gage was South Carolina, before visibly stiffening and blanching. This... this was a surprise. Gage had expected it to happen, he knew the South would gain a representative. But this was still a bit startling. His Dixieland coming right to him, seeking him out. His Dixieland looking like Alfred.

Gage took a slow breath, composing himself. The blond straightened and stepped back, holding the door open and shooting the dogs a nasty look when they moved to sniff at this representative of the South. They whined and slunk off, probably to sulk in the study. “Come in, then. Anna'll haf dinner on th' table soon. Wasn't specktin' you, so ah can't say whut she's servin'.” Gage generally left it up to his cook to decide what to serve for meals. She always made enough for guests, for Gage had unexpected ones often enough, but she was cooking was unpredictable, although the smell made a good guess.

This... this was awkward. Gage had had a feeling that this would happen, but he hadn't expected it. Hadn't thought out anything to say, anything he'd do. The blond's entire life revolved around the South, the Confederacy, but now that he was physically here, Gage was just a mite bit dumbstruck. It didn't help that Lee- damn him for stealing one of Gage's names- was pretty handsome. Granted, the guy could have been Alfred's twin, but something set him apart. Made him more appealing. It was odd.

“Warshroom's down th' left hall, second dore on th' right, eff'n yo' need it .” He said dully, so slow his drawl had a drawl. “Otherwise, th' parlor's down th' right hall, last dore. ” With that Gage walked down said right hall, without checking that Lee was following. His house was large, but the layout was simple, and there were enough slaves about for Lee to ask where he was going, should he get lost, not that Gage expected him to.

words -- 399
tags -- Lee, Alfred (I guess)
notes-- Yeah, dinner as in a heavy meal at noon, like lunch as a main meal. Gage'll probably have leftovers later as supper. Uhm, parlor's kind of like a living room, but very formal, often kept tidy and used only for receiving guests. Gage probably has a Drawing room off of it, most affluent Southerner's did, so that men could talk in the parlor while women talked in the drawing room.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 415px; padding: 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; background-color: #494949; border-top: 3px solid #333333; border-bottom: 3px solid #333333, bTable][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important]i walked across an empty land,[/style] [STYLE=padding: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; opacity: 0.8; width: 415px;] [STYLE=font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; color: #cacaca; text-align: justify; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px;] TAGGED SC/Gage - WORDS 392 - NOTES None In this case, Gage's suspicions were warranted. Lee was both telling him the truth and lying out of his teeth at the same time. Mentally, Lee was as separate from Alfred as could be. The formation of the Confederate States of America resulted in the formation of Lee within Alfred. Physically, the two were one in the same. Why bring that up to Gage at this point though? The blond could not help his amusement at Gage's reaction. Clearly, the man wasn't expecting Lee to turn up. He chuckled lightly at this. "Surprised? I'm sorry for droppin' in without much warnin', but I was passin' through the area on short notice and thought I'd take a gander at how y'all are doing." He really didn't have much of a choice. This was the first opportunity he'd had control of the body he shared with Alfred for as long as he did. On such a short notice, there was no way of telling whether a letter of warning would have arrived before Lee did anyway. So what was the point? "Thanks," Lee responded when Gage told him where the washrooms were located. He would follow Gage to the parlor first, however. Lee did need to get washed up, but he wasn't going to turn down the man's invitation to the parlor. He had the entire night to wash up (possibly longer, depending on how long Gage would allow him to stay). For now, though, he wanted to get more acquainted with Gage. As soon as they arrived in the parlor, Lee scanned the room briefly before taking a seat. He settled into the seat, rolling his shoulders a little to get the stiffness out of them. Finally off of his feet, Lee realized just how sore his body was. He knew this was leftovers from his fight with Alfred as well as the effects of the war. Turning to face Gage, Lee offered a smile. "Y'know, you're the first one I've visited," He stated conversationally, knowing that the statement would most likely flatter Gage. It wasn't as though South Carolina was the first state one would meet going southward. There was a reason Lee picked Gage first, and he hoped that Gage would pick up on that.[/style][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; width: 415px;]i knew the pathway like the back of my hand[/style]

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“Surprised ain't the word for it.” Gage called over his shoulder almost idly. This was the Confederacy he was having a conversation with, the sole focus of all his efforts for what felt like ages. Good ages, but ages none the less. That the man was here was still a bit of something to get his head around and plain out accept.

Gage wasn't showing it though. Composure was something he needed a firm handle on, dissolving into a puddle of reverence and praising babble wasn't exactly flattering for him, nor did it fit anywhere into having proper manners. But he sat down only after Lee did, at ease mostly for the fact that this was his home. If there was anywhere in the world Gage had complete control, composure, and feeling of safety, it was in his home. Had this meeting occurred somewhere else, Gage might not have been so composed.

“Really now? Didn't go to North first, or Georgia?” He wasn't exactly edging the Northern states or the southernmost coasts, he was an in between state. There were other states that would have been closer to wherever Lee had come from, because Gage highly doubted the man had come from here. Still, the phrase was enough for his ego to make him straighten up and preen, just a bit. After all, he was being called important, acknowledged. He was getting respect, and Gage Chandler was firm in the belief that that's what he deserved.

Something in his mind whispered that it was because he was the first to leave the Union. First like he always was. “Come to me first 'cause I was the first to get tired of those Yank's and leave 'em?”

Absently, he played with the longer, newer chain around his neck. “You need anything? A drink?” Gage himself wanted a glass of whiskey in the worst way. This was all a heck of a lot to take in, as pleasing as it was. He certainly hadn't expected his day to end up with a personification of his precious Dixie, a personification that looked almost eerily like that Northern dolt Alfred, showing up at his door all casual-like, as though this were something normal.

words -- 371
tags -- Lee, Alfred (I guess)
notes-- North being North Carolina

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 415px; padding: 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; background-color: #494949; border-top: 3px solid #333333; border-bottom: 3px solid #333333, bTable][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important]i walked across an empty land,[/style] [STYLE=padding: 10px; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; opacity: 0.8; width: 415px;] [STYLE=font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; color: #cacaca; text-align: justify; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px;] TAGGED SC/Gage - WORDS 384 - NOTES None "Then what word are ya lookin' for?" Lee questioned Gage with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. The features were all Alfred's, but the mannerisms were something else entirely. Lee shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching a little at the word 'North'. Lee knew full well who Gage was actually referring to by that statement, but the man Lee normally referred to as North was different from the person Gage was referring to as North. It was a reminder to Lee that no matter where he went, he always had that shadow looming over his head. He was never alone, and Alfred could seize control at any point. Though Alfred had to deal with the exact same issue when he had control. That offered some solace to Lee. "Nah, though I plan on payin' them a visit soon enough." He planned on paying every single one of them a visit if he could, though he doubted that he would have the chance to all at one time. It would be foolish to think that he would maintain control for that long. The travel time for this trip alone had taken far longer than Lee would have liked. Gage did not know just how limited Lee's time was. At least, though, he realized why Lee had chosen him to visit first. "Yup, that's exactly why I came to you first. You got good leadership qualities, I can tell that already." He chuckled. Yes, he'd already decided that he quite liked this boy. When Gage offered him a drink, he could not refuse. "That'd be nice," He admitted. A glass of whiskey would hit the spot for him as well. Maybe it would loosen up his muscles and joints a bit. "Sorry I didn't stop by sooner," Lee stated, feeling as though he at least owed some sort of explanation as to why he hadn't been around. Not the full explanation, of course, but something to satisfy Gage. "I got caught up in some business and couldn't make it down here 'till now." He would leave exactly what that business was up in the air - He didn't need Gage to know that he was merely an offshoot of Alfred, not yet at least.[/style][STYLE=font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: 25px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center; letter-spacing: -1px; color: #cacaca; font-weight: 100!important; border-top: 1px solid #cacaca; width: 415px;]i knew the pathway like the back of my hand[/style]

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