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Post by Kaya on Apr 9, 2017 22:32:36 GMT
The structure Kaya had picked just over a year ago was in a questionable part of town at the time. Most of the buildings were a wreck, forgotten about to the reasonable part of society. Druggies, strays, and filth that hid away in the cracks and corners of Boston would lie away behind the boarded windows and rat infested hallways. It wasn’t the depressing atmosphere that made the little vampire pick the building, but the history that the city seemed to have forgotten when she did her digging. The building had lost its integrity, the floors falling in, the brick walls crumbling under the decaying weight. But it was beautiful. Research shown it was once a lavish hotel in the age of probation, and was easy to learn that it once held a hidden cellar to fight against the absurd laws of the time. When she had found a picture of it back in its prime, Kaya knew this was the first part of the city she would work her charm.
Months of fights, pleads, and flirts with contractors and construction went into making the start of this street something worthwhile again. Contracts were bargained with, deals were struck with local breweries for supply, and endless interviews for potential employees. It was long, expensive, and exhausting to reach her goal. But the vampire was patient and intent to recreate something Boston had once been proud of. Like any longterm goal, there was the occasional hiccup that she had to deal with, such as water lines accidentally being discovered or haunted relics in the upper levels of the once beautiful little hotel. But nothing she couldn’t handle. It just needed some love, and it was exactly the kind of love Kaya was willing to give.
It had only been open for nearly four months but already the talk of a club run by magical species, for magical species, had spread. Due to the part of town it was in, humans had less of an inclination to venture towards it. For the werewolves, fae, and rare but occasional vampire, it was a safe haven. As it was invite only, every creature was safe to show themselves. All they needed was a business card with the letters 'BR' and the address and one could pass through the noisy doors. It had done something to the creatures here that Kaya prayed for. It brought upon a new kind of hope for their futures.
Surrounding buildings had been slowly bought out at the increased interest in the street, and everything was starting to transform in front of her. What was once depressed and ignored, was slowly being revitalized and reimagined. She couldn’t wait to see what would become of the little historical street she first stepped into only months ago.
It was time for her to come in and handle some business for a while on this muggy August night. She may have been the owner and had enough revenue at this point to hire full time managers so she could sit back and enjoy what she made, she still loved to serve and mingle with the crowds. Red eyes glanced to the building. Red and gold brick outlined the 3 story building. She had kept most of the original idea of what the hotel had once been, except for the metal sign with a gleaming red light to show the name ‘Black Rose’ over the door. The vampire greeted the wolf bouncer at the front with a dashing smile and peck at his cheek before making her way inside.
The lower level, which had originally been the reception and dining hall, was now for the most part an open floor with support beams to give way to the size of the building. The floors were a rich red colored wood, walls were cream with ebony frames. The dance floor was the center of attention, but she did keep the original dining room wall separating the space so people may escape the noise of the thunderous music to enjoy a meal and chat at petite tables and lush couches. There was a stage near the bar in the back. It was empty tonight to let the speakers play. She made her way through the diverse crowd, welcoming the greeting touches of strangers as they recognized the vampire.
In her office in the back, she removed the light cream coat and hanged it at the back of the office door. She looked at the mirror on the wall and fluffed out the black and violet hair that waved in tangles and curls around her pale face. Her eyes sparkled in glitter lavender eyeshadow and her lips were painted in deep crimson. She smoothed out the strapless black skintight dress that ended at her knees, and straightened the violet pendant choker around her neck. Her heeled feet tapped the floor to ensure they were on secure. The only thing that detracted from her natural vampiric beauty were the endless supply of scars that littered her skin from the neck down, but she had lost the consciousness of her brutal history quite a while ago. In werewolf territory, no one questioned a marked body.
Red eyes flashed as she grinned, pleased, and exited her office to make way towards the bar. She tapped at the wolfess managing orders and purred into her ear, and the lady departed for the evening. Then, Kaya began to work her magic, smiling down at the customers with every intention of enjoying her night in her club.
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Stone
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Post by Stone on May 1, 2017 0:01:25 GMT
Things had been looking up for Erakin over the course of the last few years. He had a pack these days. A decent job too. And really just those two things alone were a pretty big improvement from before. He couldn't complain about not having to worry about his meals so much anymore. Nor could he complain about having clothes that weren't a thread's breadth from being threadbare rags. He did however have his own unvoiced complaints about all that it had taken him to get here. All the scars he’d gathered. All the pain and work he had put forward. All that had left him so guarded and closed off. Perhaps, if he really questioned himself, he could find the answers.
But why in the hell would he want to do something like that?
He didn’t want to dig that deep. Instead, a few drinks usually silenced that faint flicker of curiosity. But a few drinks also happened to be the remedy to quite a few of his ‘problems.’ And with the long work day, a few drinks had entered his mind before his shift was over. That usually consisted of him making a stop by the minimart on his way home, picking up a six pack and heading home to enjoy the rest of a quiet, boring evening. Social outings weren’t exactly his strong point, though his people skills had definitely seen an improvement throughout the years. It still wasn’t his favorite thing.
There was the occasional exception, of course. And when a co-worker invited him out that evening, Erakin decided tonight might not be a bad night to make an exception and venture from his lonely norm.
“Does this place serve food?” Was honestly his first question, his tone already rather skeptical. “If it doesn’t have decent food, Scott, we might have a problem. I’m starving.”
“Good food, good drinks, good music, good service. C’mon, man. You gotta go out, sometime. And there isn’t a better place on this end of town for people like us.”
Well. That had certainly gotten his attention and his curiosity as well. There weren’t very many places he knew of that were… supernatural friendly. But the more his co-worker had told him, the more interesting it sounded at least. And it probably did at least have decent food. Or perhaps that was a more hopeful thought on his part as he finished getting himself cleaned up at home.
Admittedly, he was glad he had at least gone home to change his clothes, as he and Scott walked up to the door of this place the other man had been speaking so well of. Erakin had learned it hadn’t been open terribly long, but it was doing well, and the dark haired man could see why. Even on the doorstep he was sure if he hadn’t changed clothes beforehand, he would have been underdressed. A lot of work had been done in renovating the place; it wasn’t just some rundown mark on the street. Someone had put a lot of work and care into restoring this place, and by the looks of it the buildings beside it as well… That spoke silent volumes at least, and as Scott produced a card from nowhere, they were let inside, and Erakin’s earlier impression of the place improved tenfold. Inside, no shortcuts had been made. Details were given keen attention, and the atmosphere of the place was… Even Erakin had to admit it was pleasant.
“See? Not so bad, is it, old man?” Scott’s words were tinged with a hint of laughter that made Erakin scoff a little, in noticeably good humor.
“I’m not gonna say anything until I try some of these drinks you’ve been rambling on about.”
“Fine, I’ll find us a table. Just bring me back something.”
“You keep bein’ a smartass, and I’m not comin’ back with anything.”
Turning his back on Scott and his laughter, Erakin gave a roll of his pale blue eyes towards the ceiling. It honestly did sometimes make him feel like an old man. But Scott was one of the few people he’d be willing to tolerate it from, in all honesty. He was still considering not coming back with anything for the other man though, as we made his way up to the bar. It was fairly busy, but not overly crowded, which Erakin silently appreciated. Was never a fan of crowded places; too much going on. And with this many supernatural folk in the area, a crowd could often be a bit too much. This… This was all right, however, and he was fine with waiting at the edge of the thin ring of people surrounding the bar area, blue eyes slowly scanning over the interior of the Black Rose.
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Post by Kaya on May 1, 2017 0:26:25 GMT
Things started off as usual once the vampire took her place and started on orders. In her youth when she used to work for a bar under Hiran’s care, Kaya was a flirtatious, devious little scoundrel as it resulted in good tips and a promise to irritate her maker. But here, in her own bar, rules came with the establishment that offered a sense of protection for those who couldn’t be themselves in the human driven world. Kaya demanded respect and subtlety. There was of course the occasional troublemaker who attempted to break the peace that the bar prided itself on, but a vampire’s strength and anger was nothing compared to the many young pups that were the usually the ones attempting to cause a raucous. It always resulted in good tips too. Offering these people freedom was a good incentive. In a way it was still like a probation bar, the secrets inside still breaking the rules from the norm of what people wanted.
But like many good things in Kaya’s life, the safety net was doomed to unravel. A scent suddenly flared through her nose, and she perked to look through the crowds. The vampire frowned slightly. It was familiar, but her body wasn’t tensing in danger. Perhaps an acquaintance from the old pack that Rye used to run with? She could see nothing from out of the ordinary so she shrugged her shoulders to get back to serving a round for some young fae girls having a fun night out, laughing with them.
Then the smell got closer, and Kaya paused, looking over at the bar. It was at the other end. She finished the round of shots she gave to the ladies, and left before taking payment. She ignored the complaints from the other customers who had been waiting their turn, curiosity getting the best of her as always. There was a certain desire to understand why this smell was picking at an box at the back of her mind. This was past her days with Rye. The scent was old. But why would she recognize something old in Boston?
She found her way towards the other side of the bar, and bright red eyes landed on what was diverting all her attention away, and they widened. For a moment the vampire could do nothing as memories suddenly broke out of that damn box and took over. It certainly did have something to do with Boston, the first time she was here. The scuffle she had landed herself in with a rowdy pack of wolves before she had really learned to figure out their ways, and there was someone who helped her… a man with a sharp attitude, scowling face, but with old fashioned values of helping others which had probably saved her life. Her whole body went rigid as a cold shiver ran up her spine, and her lips parted in shock. He had aged since they last met, but it was unmistakably the same man that helped her, and who she had abandoned in the cruelest way.
“Um.” What an excellent introduction that was, bravo, you stupid vampire. Her eyes blinked and she reflexively took a step back. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go down, and it was making her hesitate. A shakey smile finally appeared on her lips, and she took in a breath.
“Well, this is quite… unexpected. How have you been, Erakin?” She hoped the sass wasn’t going to result in a sucker punch.
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Stone
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Post by Stone on May 1, 2017 1:44:38 GMT
From crossing the threshold of the building, stepping inside to really view the decor and atmosphere, to the very name of the place, there was something dancing just at the edge of familiar to him. For as plain as his life was now, he had his fair share of interesting stories to tell, and there was something flickering in the back of his mind. Erakin couldn't put a finger on it. That involved thinking, and that was precisely what he wanted to avoid doing. He preferred not to think. It just made things easier, once you learned how to ignore things properly. Maybe not the healthiest way to deal with things by today's standards, but it worked well enough for someone like him.
As Erakin made his way towards the bar, that sense of familiarity had spread a little heavier over his senses, enough that it began to creep into his more foremost thoughts. His drink list was momentarily disrupted with an almost... deja vu sensation, despite the man knowing without a doubt that he had never been in this building before. But it wasn't the building... Through all the other combinations of perfumes, colognes, foodsmells wafting through the air, there was something, one thing behind all of it. This was why he didn't like crowds. He always struggled with singling one thing out, in busy places, enhanced sense of smell or not. He was a werewolf, not a damn blood hound.
Nothing seemed glaringly obvious however, as his pale gaze traveled across the building and its patrons. In fact, he didn't even see Scott, the other man having already disappeared further off into the building to try and find themselves somewhere to sit. It was... a little unsettling, but Erakin did his best to shake it off and wait his turn at the bar.
That voice. Blue eyes snapped immediately to the bar as soon as the woman's voice spoke up in its apparent uncertainty. And as soon as he laid eyes on her, he knew the reason for that uncertainty.
For a moment, the tall man was hit with a strange combination of emotions; a brief flicker of relief, a rush of outrage and a brush of disbelief. It was the outrage that won and lingered, his blue eyes sharpening distinctly as they narrowed on the red-eyed woman standing on the opposite side of the bar across from him. Scarred fists were struggling to keep from clenching at his sides, but all the restraint Erakin had couldn't keep a hurt and bitter sneer from crossing his scarred face instead, his entire large frame tensing visibly the moment he had laid eyes on Kaya.
"Tch," the sound was a strained, disdainful scoff, his expression undeniably less than friendly, or pleased to see her, despite that tiny shard of relief he had felt before, "...Like you actually give a fuck how I've been. Surprised you even remember my fucking name, Kaya."
Well. She was alive. Finally figured that one out at least. Only about ten years too late.
He really should have seen this coming though. And now that it had all been pieced together, it was almost painfully obvious to the man. How the hell had he not connected the dots? He was a goddamn idiot. And now he was just an angry idiot.
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Post by Kaya on May 1, 2017 2:16:25 GMT
A lot of things stilled in the vampire when those bright blue eyes settled on her, and hardened. A wall was set in place to steady herself for the endless possibilities that were sure to come. Kaya was quite grateful at that point for the bar counter separating the two of them, though with how much the man tensed upon her question, considered how possible at that point if his anger would make him dash over it to get at the woman. It wasn't unjustified by any means. She knew how nasty her departure was, but she would deny any hint of regret towards doing it. She never did get the time to fully explain the dangers of understanding her story, so the idea of her leaving being practical was only one sided.
And he made that known with his response back towards her. Kaya felt her smile falter at the poison in his voice, but her eyes steeled in the accusation. The feeling was brief, but he probably saw the flit of anger anyway. She wasn't in the position to be directing any hint of negative emotions towards him. He had all the right to express his anger, and for now she would be grateful it was only in the form of words, not violence. She probably would deserve a good slap from him, but majority who attended the club were regulars, and even now many could sense the rising tension that settled between the vampire and werewolf. Her bright eyes flickered towards a couple of regulars who had scowled towards the scarred man, and she offered a calming smile to try and dissuade any coming violence.
"I suppose that's fair." Was her response finally, forcing her body to calm in more efforts to settle the tension that had gotten others to stiffen around them. She then decided to step forward, taking her chances. Their time was not very long together, but he did protect her then, and she hoped that sense of chivalry would keep him from actually wanting harm to go her way.
"I..." She paused, and considered the situation. This wasn't the place to have this conversation. It was likely to become loud and as much as she wanted to let him yell, her patrons would not be as obliging. She flickered her eyes again towards the crowd watching them, and she closed her eyes. Deep breath. Calm.
"Erakin, let's go into my office and do this privately. I have some very aged scotch back there you can have, and no one will bother us." She opened her eyes and looked at him. There was no smile, only concern. And perhaps a sense of longing towards wanting to hear from him again. It wasn't often people from her past came back to her, alive.
"Please."
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Stone
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Post by Stone on May 1, 2017 3:41:42 GMT
Erakin did not, in fact, miss the flicker of anger that glimmered briefly in Kaya's rich red eyes. He hadn't looked away from her the moment she had spoken. But she didn't react, beyond that tiny fleeting glimpse of her anger, and that in and of itself seemed only to stoke Erakin's own growing outrage. Of course she didn't react. There was no remorse. Nothing.
That hurt a little more than Erakin would ever be willing to admit.
The scarred line of his jaw clenched a little as Kaya spoke so calmly. Saying it was fair, like he had taken some terribly low blow to her character and she was taking the high road. As far as he was concerned, it was truth. And frankly, he didn't give two shits who had heard him say it. He wasn't a complete idiot. The tension was thick and palpable all around them, and he could sense more than one set of eyes on their interaction, watching closely, protectively. Fucking idiots. He had felt that same way, once. Protective, of her... But it had gotten him nowhere, and gotten him nothing but pain. And yet she still had the audacity to ask him how he had been.
With Kaya's following request though, delivered in her calm and even tone, his already unfriendly face shifted into a distinct scowl. Distrust and hurt were briefly seen in his blue eyes, before being replaced by a glacial wall in his gaze. His heart beat had picked up without him realizing, the anger stirring adrenaline into his body as he wrestled with his anger. The realization only seemed to piss him off that much more, his frame still standing stiff and frozen at the bar.
Conversations had seemed to dim in a small area around them, still continuing but at a lower volume and slower pace, people warily watching and keeping half an ear on the words that were passed between the vampire and the werewolf. He could hear his own heart beating in his ears, and he knew there were others present that could probably do the same. He was putting himself in a vulnerable position and he forced himself to take a deep breath, attempting to release the tension in his jaw, and the rest of his body. Something that was much easier said than done, as he wrestled with his own internal swirl of emotions.
The offer she gave him... A part of him, so quiet in the very back of his thoughts, wanted to accept. She was standing before him, talking to him... Just like she had about a decade ago. Before she had disappeared without a trace, leaving him behind to fend for himself. And that had not gone terribly well for him. He was still alive, of course, but it was no thanks to her. After he had tried to protect her, tried to help her. It clearly hadn't been enough. There was the other voice, the much louder, much more prominent voice, fueled by betrayal and hurt and... fuck if he knew what all these damn emotions were, having a fucking party in his head.
Her simple 'please' however, froze his thoughts for a moment. Blue eyes shifted then, to quickly study over her expression. He read the concern there. But he still just... couldn't trust any of this. He couldn't bring himself to trust her, and he had drinks to get.
The drinks didn't particularly matter though, when Erakin realized he wasn't even willing to so much as look away from Kaya. One glance away, and she would be gone again. He knew it. And he would still have no answers, only anger. The indecision warring in his head was likely very clear to Kaya's keen eyes, and he struggled with that knowledge, just as much as he was struggling with what to do.
It boiled down to the man knowing with such certainty that if he so much as turned his back for a moment, Kaya would be gone. Again.
"...Jesus," he hissed out in frustration, running a scarred hand through his ashy brown hair to keep his fist from clenching and dropping his hand back down to his side exasperatedly, "...Fine. Yeah, sure, let's just go back to your office and have ourselves a nice happy little chat, Kaya."
There was a bitter sarcasm that took control of his voice. But his shoulders lowered slightly from their tensed position as he spoke. He may have been sarcastic, but he did mean the agreement to her offer. It was pretty indisputable now that he was a terrible guest to invite out for drinks. This was also a fair indication as to why he had so few friends... But shit, Scott would either forget it, or get pissed. Either way, Erakin would deal with it later.
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Post by Kaya on May 1, 2017 4:14:01 GMT
Kaya didn’t dare move as the whirlwind of expressions went over the man’s features. She was afraid any sense of movement on her end would damage her chance to talk to him as she watched him dealt with his internal dilemmas. The scowl made her want to shrink away, and she knew her eyes were looking tired towards him. Still, there was no regret towards her decision, and she had a feeling her lack of remorse was probably not helping. He just couldn’t understand. Her lack of empathy back then is why he was still here. She could never feel ashamed for choosing to cut him out of her life to save him. But in order to make him understand her strange attitude towards his anger, he needed to accept her want to talk.
Which she started to doubt once the rapid beats of his heart made it to her ears. Her fingers shook slightly, pondering if he was going to flee from her. It would be worse than yelling in public. The complete rejection. She accepted the hate he was feeling, but she could not deny the ache she was feeling at the fear that he would turn his back on her like she had done so many years ago. Breathing was not necessary for vampire, but she always did it as a habit hard to break. But right now, her breath was still as she waited for him to reply.
She breathed out as he finally answered. The snark and malice was not lost on her, but she was grateful for the small opportunity. She offered a small smile as she backed away towards the exit from behind the counter.
“Come on then.” The words were soothing, meant to calm the atmosphere so no one would consider the idea of following them to ensure her safety. She grabbed two glasses as she made her out, and looked back to see he would follow as she headed through the back door. She then thought that he hadn’t once looked away since he looked at her. Not much of a surprise really. Even she wasn’t sure if it was a ghost looking at her.
She opened the door to the office and headed in, letting him follow. The walls were a soft coffee cream and floors the same red wood that was in the rest of her club. There was a small leather couch snugged between shelves full of binders and books and a coffee table in front of it which had the scotch she promised on top of it. A desk was across from it with a simple chair and computer. There was no window. She spent a lot of time here during the day and felt no inclination to burn to a crisp. Beyond that there was nothing personal in the space. She liked the basic structure. It didn’t remind her of anything.
Kaya closed the door cautiously and leaned against it. She wasn’t sure if it was wise to stray too far from the exit. She did take the time to look him over, and a sneaky smirk strayed on her lips without her realizing. He looked… better. Cleaner, well dressed, hair looked after even with the new hints of graying. And like her, new scars on his skin. Between that and the purple pendant choker that was a permanent part of her look, nothing else in comparison has changed for the vampire. A reminder of her tormented immortality which made her a little depressed.
“Is it safe to say you clean up well?” She asked, trying to disperse some of the negative energy. Though once it left her mouth, again she mentally smacked herself as the sass was probably not what the man needed to hear. Damn her need to be sly.
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Stone
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Post by Stone on May 1, 2017 7:35:53 GMT
Erakin couldn't tell precisely how many sets of eyes were on them, if he kept Kaya within his sight. But with the tension thick and heavy in the air, and Kaya clearly doing her best to diffuse the situation, he knew there had to easily more than just a few eyes on them by this point. Clearly their interaction was of interest, or perhaps Kaya wouldn’t have been trying so damn hard. She was clearly doing well for herself. This was her place, in the middle of wolf territory… And there was a faint sense of loyalty brewing on the edges of their tension. There always was.
But if she was doing so well for herself, why the hell was she wasting her time talking to someone like him? He supposed that being an immortal probably got boring... Perhaps this was just another passing entertainment for her. More likely though, in Erakin’s opinion, it was just the universe’s way of proving once again to him how cruel and cold it truly could be…
The way Kaya spoke was calm and measured, and Erakin couldn’t help but loathe the way that she could stay so calm and poised, while he was barely maintaining anything even close to an even composure, after the way she had utterly and completely left him. But she had accepted his soured agreement to her offer, seemingly unfazed this time, and he watched her as she made her way to leave the bar, gathering up the glasses in her departure. She cast one glance his way, to be sure that he was following, before she began her walk towards the back doors.
In that moment, the man was glad that no one made a move to stop him from following after the dark haired vampire. It was already a struggle to force the tension from his shoulders and limbs to keep the aggravated stiffness from his movements, interference would have absolutely tried what little patience he had left. And what remained was under a steady strain as it was. He was allowed to follow behind Kaya, and he was at least wise enough to trail behind her far enough that his movements would no longer be perceived as threatening. Despite his anger, his hurt, the sense of betrayal, he didn’t actually wish to cause her any harm. Yelling however, was not an impossibility, and if this was his way of escaping having an audience, then so be it. He knew getting thrown out was a possibility, but he’d really prefer to keep all his teeth in the process if at all possible.
Blue eyes watched as she reached the door to her office, glasses still held gracefully in her slender scarred hands as she carefully held the door open for him. The fact that she let him pass her by at all was something, if that uneasy edge to her body language meant anything. But Erakin made no abrupt movements, he simply strode past her into her office, the sound of the door shutting behind them seeming to mute out the rest of the world. The room smelled of her… All of it. And while it may have held nothing for Kaya to remember, it hit the man squarely and soundly in the chest with the force of a sack of bricks. She was really standing right in front of him again.
With the door closing them off from the rest of the establishment, watchful eyes no longer boring down on them from multiple angles, Erakin finally turned around to face her. He didn’t move to approach her, instead eyeing her from halfway across the room, where she stood poised… by the only exit. She had hardly changed at all. Not that he had expected her to; she would never age. Not in his lifetime, would he ever see a change in her ageless face… She looked just the same as she did all those years ago, only a few small differences here and there. And she still spoke the way she had back then, her words jarring him from his thoughts and pulling out the faintest of disgruntled grunts.
“And you haven’t aged a day since I saw you last. What was that, eight years ago? Nine?” The effort it took to force his voice into an overly conversational tone was painful, and it certainly seemed to accent the steadily growing bitterness that had begun to seep through the hairline fractures in his voice the more that he used it. But his next words came out rather flat, and disbelieving, the tall man shaking his graying head with a distinct frown in her direction, his blue eyes both angry and tired. “It was safe for you to say that shit a decade ago, but right now that’s the last thing I wanna hear from you. …Is this… just a joke to you, a game or something?”
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Post by Kaya on May 1, 2017 8:10:47 GMT
There was a slight silence after her little tease, and the only sound heard was the dull thumps of the music from the club out beyond the door. In most situations, Kaya welcomed the sound. In the past, a silent club meant Hiran was there to meet with her, and it had resulted in an anxiety for quiet atmospheres while she was in her establishment. Right now though, the beat made her think of Erakin’s loud heart, and mixed with the tension that he dragged into the small space with him, she was feeling uneasy despite the smile on her lips. She tried to not let it show. The vampire was still determined that trying to keep a calm demeanor was what would result in the least amount of violence between them.
His reminder of her unaging abilities brought up a sadder smile for a moment, and her eyes flicked down to judge herself. The reminder had been brought up more since she started living here. And it pained her sometimes as she knew it meant she would lose people close to her, especially Rye. Werewolves had longer lifespans than humans, but it was still small blips compared to her.
But she was brought out of the reverie as his rough voice judged her for her joke, and she looked back up towards him. She could see the aging in those bright blue eyes as he spoke towards her bitterly, and for a moment the vampire could feel the regret for her comment. It was unintentional to make him hurt. She had done enough of that towards him in the past. This wasn’t the time to dig that knife in deeper. She paused for a while, considering her approach to this situation. She also was trying to figure out what she was feeling about it all. Even though they had met in Boston, Kaya honestly had never expected to meet this man again. It was so long ago… before all the events that happened that made her come back.
Her eyes closed at the thought, hiding the darkness that suddenly bubbled to her red eyes. She released a sigh as she forced it back down and looked towards her desk as she walked towards it. She figured with the tired tone, despite the anger, that he wasn’t going to do anything beyond talk. Or yell. It was still safer than the somewhat expected physical fight. Her hand released the glasses on her desk and she kept her eyes down at the wood, the smile having disappeared for a while now.
“My life had always been a bit of a joke.” She finally spoke, her words cool and collected, but she kept that cheeriness out of it this time. She didn’t want him to think she found any of this funny. She knew what she did was terrible. “Playing along is just part of my survival.”
She finally dared to look up at him, the rich blood red eyes studying him as she tried to figure where she needed to start. “What I did to you was cruel, Erakin, and I am sorry for how it happened. But… it was necessary. I did it to keep you alive.” She looked away then as she fought to keep some of the emotion down. Violent images surfaced as she didn’t want to reveal the ache that started in her chest. What she did with Erakin, she neglected to do for him, and because of it she was alone again. Permanently.
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Stone
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Post by Stone on May 1, 2017 8:50:00 GMT
That time, admittedly, he had taken a low blow of a shot at the woman, and her reaction didn't make him feel any better. Instead it made him feel like an ass. There were shadows in her bright red eyes that hadn't been there before, and however fleeting and brief they were, Erakin still saw them. And a voice suddenly whispered in his head, reminding him that even for an immortal, a lot could happen in just ten years.. As if a part of him was looking for an excuse to drop all of this anger and hatred, when he had spent the better part of ten years building it up. He just wanted to be angry at her, and instead old memories and feelings kept springing up as if to distract him.
Her following words though, preceded by that unmistakably sad smile on her crimson lips, shut the man up rather effectively. For the moment. It all sounded like half-baked excuses... To keep him alive? If that were truly the case, her plan was extremely poorly thought out.
"...Leaving me in the midst of a wolf pack isn't generally good for survival rates." The man grunted out, almost... sullenly. But he felt like she'd taken all the raging wind straight out of his sails, and he heaved a rather heavy sigh, his broad shoulders going slack in an almost defeated air before he scratched his jaw and ran a hand through his hair in frustration yet again. "Damn it, Kaya, I spent the last ten years being mad at you, and now you're even taking that away from me..."
Erakin growled and shook his head, which was even more of a silent mess of conflicting emotions, and his expression looked even more tired. He was still angry, without question. But ten years of anger, without answers was a heavy weight to bear. And with a proper outlet slowly being stolen from him, the werewolf just felt... tired, more than anything. Blue eyes glanced from the glasses she had set down to the bottle on the coffee table, before he finally moved. His scarred hand grabbed the Scotch from the table, his booted feet carrying him a few steps short from Kaya, where he silently and stiffly held the bottle out toward her.
"...This would all make a hell of a lot more sense to me if you hadn't been impossible to find... I didn't know if you had made it, if you'd been killed... You just suddenly didn't exist. Was that part of your plan in keeping me alive?"
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Post by Kaya on May 1, 2017 9:23:26 GMT
Kaya was expecting the accusation. She remembered their situation very well when she left him. They had a pack of very angry wolves on their tail when she managed her sneaky escape, forcing Erakin to deal with the brunt of it all on his own. She kept her eyes down as she thought over their last encounter together. They had been fighting, as she was injured yet refused help from the man, which pissed him off thoroughly of course. She had always been a bit stubborn, though admittedly she tended to not get into as much scrapes anymore. She had learned how to blend in and be around others that weren’t her kind. It was the best protection which she had learned too late.
She blinked at the growl after his words, looking over to watch him process his inner turmoil. Her own swarm buzzed of the mixture of feelings. This conversation was already unintentionally bringing up the years that stood between their first encounter and now. It was resulting in a more depressing state than she wanted to show, but she supposed it was bound to happen. Her conversation with Rye about last month was still fresh in her mind and it was seeping through as Erakin poked at the past. Funny. She came to Boston to run from her past and start fresh. Why was it all of a sudden descending back on her?
She watched as he reached for the bottle and came back to hand to her. She hesitated at the closeness before a hand gingerly wrapped around the neck of the bottle and took it from his grasp. She twisted off the cap, listening as he spoke up again. She smirked bitterly as she started to pour out the contents into the glasses graciously. She doubted the bottle would have anything left once they were done with their conversation so why bother trying to slow them down now.
“Yes.” She stated flatly, not beating around the bush. She was going to have to talk about the thing she never talked about in wolf territory, until Rye’s conversation anyway. Her family. She handed a glass out to him.
She grabbed her own and jumped up onto her desk after scooting the bottle out of the way. She would have sat on the couch, but it was probably going to be Erakin’s place for her little tale and she didn’t think he would appreciate the close proximity.
“Erakin, I don’t know how much you know about vampires, but I come from a… powerful bloodline. My last name is De’Crolie, and Hiran is my maker.” She paused for a moment, watching his face for any sign of recognition to the names she just said. Hiran was a big name in the states now, and was the head of the lines in the New York territory. Surely even some of the wolves knew about it. “My family is very old, and their influence means a lot in the vampiric community.” Which is why she was living here now. That, and she didn’t want the constant reminder of what she was once married to. Though she swallowed that ache for now. He still needed to understand the basics.
She looked down and took a sip of the burning substance. “I didn’t say much then as I thought it would be safe if you stayed ignorant, but… a maker and their fledglings have a mental connection that just can’t be broken. He started to sense the attachment I had, however small. It frightened me, so I did what I thought was the best alternate. I fled, ensuring you kept no connection so he wouldn’t come after you.”
She laughed to herself. “It sounds completely ridiculous, I know. But please trust me, a pack of wolves is nothing compared to something that’s been alive for over two thousand years. You wouldn’t have stood a chance.” Just like he didn’t stand a chance against the one that was older. Her fingers gripped at the glass.
“I don’t regret my choice for a second.”
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Stone
New Member
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Post by Stone on May 2, 2017 7:07:34 GMT
The midnight color of her curls blocked her face from his view, his blue eyes instead following the shift where black blended into violet. Her flat toned answer stilled his traveling gaze though, putting a slow heavy weight back onto his shoulders. Was it really that simple to her? Nothing in this secret life looming behind humanity was ever that black and white.
After watching her pour generous amounts into each glass, Erakin held his silence though he did take the glass offered out to him. He was angry, but he wasn't about to turn down Scotch. Not with the night he was going to have. He took the glass and remained standing at least until Kaya took a seat upon her desk. Only then did he shift to take the only remaining seat, claiming a space upon the couch and letting his light gaze travel back to Kaya from across the coffee table as she started speaking again.
The names she spoke, Hiran and De'Crolie, he had heard them before. Enough for them both to be familiar, and understand there was something heavy behind those names, but not enough to really understand the gravity of Kaya's words. He didn't stick his nose too far out of his own business. And he had never made the connection that those names were connected to Kaya...
Had he simply just missed any tied, or was she just a master of omission?
With his own thoughts slowly ambling off into questions, he still listened to Kaya's voice as she continued speaking, finally giving him some answers after all these years. He lifted the glass he held, taking his own generous gulp from the generous drink, keen ears still tuned in to the woman's voice as the alcohol burned sharp and pleasant on its way down his throat. It was an explanation, to a degree. But as she continued, her words brought a displeased twitch of his lips, the scarred man frowning into his glass before taking yet another large drink of its contents. He knew very little about vampires, to be perfectly honest, and the connection was news to him. Being able to sense another’s emotions that clearly was… interesting. It was the ‘however small’ bit that burned just as sharply as the scotch he had just tossed down his throat.
The anger he had felt before began to bubble up again past the warm burning in his stomach from the alcohol, perhaps fueled by it, or just given a new foundation, but whatever the case, the werewolf couldn’t stop himself from scowling down at his glass, no longer looking at Kaya. The vampire continued her explanations, her laughter alien and hollow against his ears. She didn’t think this was a joke, no story with a two thousand year old vampire was a laughing matter. But Erakin’s anger found little deterrence against all this new information. It may have made perfect sense to her, and she may have not regretted it, but it didn’t change the fucking fact that she had just… abandoned him. He cared very little about nearly everything. And the one time he had dared to let himself even try… Needless to say, her departure had drastically shaped his character in how he dealt with most people now.
”Yeah, no, I get it. An ancient...” His voice had actually taken on a listless tone, his blue eyes staring down into his glass as he swirled its contents, the line of his jaw setting briefly as he watched it spin. His anger finally bled back into his voice as he eventually brought himself to speak, his listless tone gone with a sudden shift as the words snapped out. ”But one wolf against a whole pack isn’t exactly great odds either, Kaya. I could’ve died there too. But yeah. You wanted to keep me alive.”
Shaking his head, almost as if he wished he wasn’t opening his fool mouth in the first place, Erakin grunted roughly to poorly mask that he was actually feeling something. And there was another hefty drink pulled from his glass. Why bother sipping at it, when this was already dredging up lovely topics and feelings for the both of them?
”You could have sent a letter or… fucking something Kaya. Tell me you’re alive, explain that we can’t talk, no return address. I mean, c’mon. It’d still piss me off but for fuck’s sake, at least it would have been something. I wouldn’t have wasted years searching for you, worrying about you. I could’ve moved along a hell of a lot easier if you had just flat out told me to fuck off. Even that would have been better than what you did, damn it! I don’t care how justified you think your reasons are!”
Erakin hated losing control of his own emotions. For the most part, his approach to the world was laid back, bordering on care-free. But this. This one hurt. It still hurt. And he didn’t deal well with this kind of hurt. Physical wounds could heal easily, you could tend to it and see it heal. This kind of injury though, only seemed to get worse the more you tended to it, reopening it. It was something better left to be ignored, as far as Erakin was concerned, let it turn into an ugly sealed up scar. But as he spoke, he could feel his voice raising, whether he wanted it to or not, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop it.
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Post by Kaya on May 2, 2017 7:56:10 GMT
Everything went dark very quickly. She could feel the hatred rising as she talked, and she knew Erakin was not the least bit satisfied with her answer. She already had a pretty good feeling that this wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the man, but there was something boiling inside him that she hadn’t been quite prepared her. It had made so much sense to her then that leaving for his safety was beyond logical, and hadn’t really stopped to consider what happened after she did. Being upset, sure… but there was a lot more going on than she anticipated.
The first thing Erakin said was so toneless compared to the atmosphere that the wolf had been building that Kaya was actually scared. A mixture of a heated atmosphere with a dead voice usually resulted in additional scars on her skin. She had expected the anger, but she was sensing violence that was oozing out of the man at that moment, and she didn’t dare look up, having learned long ago that avoiding eye contact gave her a better chance of leaving unscathed. She knew she had prepared herself for yelling, and it was definitely coming. The woman however was a victim of violence, and regardless of any situation, knew the warning signs whether Erakin had meant to show them or not.
She still didn’t move as he spoke again. He was right of course. She had taken a deadly chance by leaving him to those wolves, but in her mind, she knew that Erakin had a better odds of escaping the wolves than a tyrant’s wrath. Hiran would have hunted him down if she had stayed. Despite the cruelty he had endured fending himself off from the pack, it was the better scenario the vampire felt. But he wasn’t done. The anger was bubbling over and breathing its danger towards her, and she stiffened. She would have closed her eyes but she felt better keeping a gaze at the floor. In case he made an attempt to move towards her.
Every word got louder, and while she was eternally grateful that she convinced him to move to the back room with her, the fear still saturated the air. She had already became the lifeless statue that was one of her usual traits when confronting her maker’s anger. The response was automatic to anger. But the words still came through, and despite herself, she became angry in her own way. Why couldn’t he just understand that it was hell for her too? She wanted to reach out so much, but she couldn’t. But he was acting made her wonder why he would seem to think she didn't dwell at what happened. Like only he was affected by the outcome.
The vampire finally braced herself with a sucked breath and looked towards the werewolf. Her eyes were mixed with the dread of the action of facing the man who was so clearly meaning danger towards her, and the desire to shout back. Her glass had been barely touched when she put it down. The lack of drinking was a mixture of fear of moving when he yelled, and the need to have some control over her mind. She wasn't willing to tell him everything. Not yet.
“Erakin, fucking look at me.” She hissed out, trying hard to keep the temper in check which resulted in her words being quiet in its whisper. “Didn’t you ever find it strange to see a vampire with scars? His obsession with trying make me his resulted in this masterpiece. I hated it, but I had to disappear. I can't let others experience any of what he offers. There is a reason why I… I’m alone.” It was hard to say that out loud, and she swallowed to push down the ache. It wasn’t working and she looked down again to hide the red brimming in her eyes.
“I couldn’t let myself think of you. I couldn’t give him the chance to see it. I forgot once about how dangerous it really was…” Something red hit her hand. She tried to lower her head to let her hair hide the bloody tear. “I’m sorry I did this to you, Erakin, but please... don’t think I didn’t care."
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Stone
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by Stone on May 4, 2017 3:59:22 GMT
Erakin didn’t know what to do with the fact that Kaya was standing so still. It both frustrated and shamed him a little in its own way, but he couldn’t let go of the anger that had built up. Ten years was a long time to go without properly dealing with something on such a scale. And like the idiot he was, he shoved it under the rug and hoped it would simply fade away as more time went on. Perhaps it would have, if their paths had never crossed again. But fate was cruel and here he was, with a half-emptied glass of scotch clutched tightly in his scarred fist, and a heavy heated ache of anger and betrayal in his chest.
Blue eyes met sharply with her red gaze as it lifted towards him, the dread not going unnoticed by the wolf, despite his raising voice. She asked him to look at her and he did, his keen ears focused on the quiet whisper of her voice. Of course he had wondered about her scars, but the fact of it had been that he didn’t give a damn about her scars. All he had really cared about was her. If she didn’t want to share all of her story, that was fine… But he would have done anything to keep her from adding any more scars to her collection. Then, even with all of that, she had just up and disappeared. Gone. Like she truly hadn’t cared about him…
This time, he got more of an explanation though, and it made the man pause. Despite his anger, he couldn’t find the words to argue with her, to tell her she was wrong. He already had more than his fair share of scars, and he was not an immortal being, and certainly nothing close to an Ancient. He was an idiot, but not a complete fool. However, despite better understanding her logic behind it, Erakin still couldn’t bury his hurt and rage. Despite her hopes and her intentions, it still hurt. It hurt more than he really wanted to admit.
The smell of blood whispered through the air however, as Kaya continued speaking, instantly putting the wolf on edge. Smelling blood in the air triggered a deep sense of dread just instinctually in the wolf, but it was also the knowledge of vampire tears that made him uneasy; he could barely handle his own emotions, how could he be any use where other peoples’ emotions were concerned?
“Then tell me that you did care!” The words barked harshly from his throat before he could stop them, and his expression briefly hinted at the disappointment in himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. “I get it, you had your reasons. But you could stop acting like it was nothing to you! You couldn’t think of me, but think about the fact that I thought about you every fucking day, until I just… fucking gave up.”
The glass in his hand was in danger of being shattered in his grip, and with a rough grunt, Erakin moved to set it on the coffee table before him before he actually did crush it. Shaking his head in disbelief, trying to keep the anger from completely stiffening his frame, Erakin stared at his scarred hands and the floor, blue eyes glaring down as he did his best to level off his voice.
“Only just got to a point where I didn’t think of you all the fucking time… And now, here we are.”
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Post by Kaya on May 4, 2017 5:20:48 GMT
The barking response made Kaya flinch, and her eyes burned at the feeling of the rage and betrayal that was still stroking Erakin’s emotions. Her eyes had snapped open though, realizing how much she had been screwing up. His next yell confirmed her fears. Hiding her emotions, bottling them tight and storing them into the back of her brain… it was how she was able to survive until now. Even Rye didn’t know that the year after Van’s death, Kaya became a lifeless creature. She didn’t even remember a good chunk of it. It was easier than to deal with the trauma that she had been left alone with. It broke something inside her, and it was what Erakin was now responding to. But was she able to break past it to give the man what he needed?
The vampire fought through the instinctual fear and slowly lifted her head as she heard the man grunt. Shaking eyes watched him as he placed his glass down and stiffened as he tried to control the rage swirling inside. It was the next statement that hurt the most. The tears that kept threatening to come through finally found their escape, and she didn’t bother to hide it. Usually when it started, it wouldn’t stop, so what’s the point. Her lips quivered as she looked to the side. It was the story of her life.
“People are usually better off not knowing me.” It was a blanketed statement in a quiet calm voice, and the way she said it was more from memories. Her eyes glazed over as she built up the courage she needed. Then closed the red teary gaze with a deep breath. It was a common tactic in more recent years. It became a way to deal with the anxiety attacks that often came with the memories that tried to attack her.
She opened her eyes to watch him cautiously and finally willed herself to move. Heels tapped at the wooden floor as she slid off, daring herself to move towards the angry bristling man. Her voice was still calm and quiet. She wouldn’t let herself give in to her emotions. There were too many, and she had already scared Rye with the roller coaster that resided inside her. No need to dump the insanity on this man too.
“Of course I care, Erakin. Everything you tried to offer me meant so much. It’s just… been so long since I’ve met someone that I gave a shit about, that it’s hard to remember. I’m sorry I made you feel otherwise.” She almost reached out, the desire to feel the heat of his skin to prove his realness, but thought otherwise. She didn’t know if he would ever want to feel her touch again.
“I missed you.” She swallowed hard. “But, if it’s better that I leave… I’ll do it for you.” She didn’t want him to hurt anymore. She wasn’t trying to be self deprecating, but she was tired of hurting people that she cared about. Even if it meant starting over somewhere else so he could get on with his life.
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