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Realistic or Modern A Night Bleeds (Closed)

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Clementine Holt​
Clementine murmured and relaxed into the comforting smells and feelings around her. The surrounding environment felt safe and homely, but at the same time foreign. Her mind questioned the presence of the weight and the lavender; however, Clementine’s body refused to quickly acknowledge it. It was far too comfortable and her body leaned into it. The singing and her grumbling stomach however made her come to her senses.

Clementine opened her eyes slowly as to not ruin the comforting feeling. She quietly took in all that was around it as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. The walls of old stone reached overhead as she cranes her neck to take it all in. Another dream? She thought carefully. Maybe Lew is hiding somewhere. Maybe it’s another test.

Clementine turned her attention towards the singing and the smell of food being prepared. Anxiety quickly sparked within her as she noticed the man. Her hands clutched the blankets she was wrapped in. It’s just a dream. This has to be a dream. When the man turned around Clementine all but jumped under the comforter. His voice helped calm her nerves, but his teeth sparked another wave of panic. She forced a brave face and scowled at the man. At that same moment her empty stomach growled in protest against her own efforts.

Cautiously, she watched the man as he strode over to the bed and sat closer to her than her liking. Clementine eyed the soup suspiciously and rubbed her stomach. The mention of Lew quickly perked up her attitude. However, she quickly doubled back on the mention of others.

“Others?” Clementine questioned. “And how do you know Lew? Is this in the same place? Is she testing me again? Lew!” Clementine shouted at the stone walls and looked around expecting the winged girl to jump out in surprise. As the moments pass Clementine was disappointed to find only Dusk in the room with her. Realizing she was wrong Clementine leaned back into the bed and frowned. “I guess this isn’t a test,” she murmured halfheartedly to Dusk. “Why am I here and how did you find me? I’m assuming you already know my name, right? Just like the others.” She quickly looked away from Dusk and to the soup. “I don’t know anything that’s what I told them too.“ Her stomach grumbles again.
“But maybe I’ll know something for some soup?”
 
Evelyn Harper



If it was any other occasion, Evelyn would've returned formal greeting with her own, "Bear?" She asked. Edwin Blut talked in third person as if he's sharing the body. Don't druids smoke mushrooms? Was he high? She couldn't tell. But she thought better than to call him out on it, "Can he afford to be distracted right now, Bear?"

She has seen stranger things, felt stranger things. Damn that dream. A druid with multiple personalities ranked low on her scale of weird.
location: ??? • tags • mood • Outfit: Hospital Gown• interactions
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Razial Hale

Tags: Maylee Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees | Location: Coven HQ​


Cillian's eyes and grown wide, those dark black orbs soaking in the sight of Maylee at the same time he was fearful of her reaction. They hadn't exactly seen each other on the best of terms last time. He stood on the precipice of indecision, but the choice was taken from him when Maylee doubled over. There was only one choice then, despite everything.

Cillian moved to her side, hands almost touched her, but they hovered, hesitant and unsure. "M'Lee!" He had crouched down, trying to see her face, to make sure she was okay, but he couldn't bring himself to touch her. He wasn't worthy anymore to touch her, not even a hand on the shoulder.

Razial moved to take a seat, same chair as before. He crossed his legs at the knees, and picked up some of the food to nibble on. It was sort of like watching a theater show. His head tilted to one side, he tried to make sure he had a view of Maylee and Cillian's expressions as much as possible.

"Huh, what is your magic reacting to, Miss Song? I thought you would have been.... thrilled to see one of your friends. You did name him as a friend, did you not?" Cillian looked over to Razial with a bit of a surprised look, but it was brief. His attention returned to Maylee.
coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Out Of Words

Tags Edwin Thropian Thropian Evelyn Maeteris Maeteris | Location: Waiting Room ​


The something in the corner felt like it knew Edwin was watching it. There was a low, quiet hiss, something only Edwin could hear at the time. "Druid.... you are far from your home landssss." There was a slight shifting of the shadows, but a form could not be seen. Instead it seemed to tug on Edwin's instincts. "Tell me... what do you believe in, Druid?"

"What do I believe in?" Edwin repeated. "Until recently, very little, then a whole lot, and now very little again." He tried to peer through the darkness at the speaker, but the bear in his body was distracted by Evelyn, and his vision shifted away. "It is nice to have my druid status confirmed, feels good to have some basis for what was real."

"Do you believe in the deitiessss'?" There was the faintest hiss drawn out, mostly when the 's' sound came into play.

"Deity-s?" Edwin questioned, emphasizing the plurality. "I was raised on one, but it didn't come up in the wilds." He thought for a moment. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised right now to learn they walk among us."

There was a pleased hiss from the shadows, and a glimpse of feathers. "Yesssss, young Druid. I sssensssed your ssspirit, in thisss place of all placessss. Did you come ssseeking me?"

"I did not." Edwin answered honestly, "I do not know who, or really what, you are. I'm just hear to support the bear." He gestured to his body, the bear spirit looking more comfortable in the skin now. "That, and I think we were kidnapped. It's a bit unclear at the moment."

There was some writhing of the shadows, smaller than Edwin when standing upright. "Dessstiny it isss! Do you dare to hold our your hand towardsss me, Druid?"

"Hold out- What? No. Creepy voices lying in darkness is no way to gain trust like that." He crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his shoulders. "You could at least make it some sort of offer, like suffer for power or something. Not just 'Hey, give me your hand for a second.'"

Something rustled this time as it writhed. "WHAT?!" It shrieked. "You have been chosssen, Druid, and you would sssay no?" There was a brief glimpse of brightly colored feathers before the shadows obscured it again. Only the feathers were almost translucent, spirit like.

"Ah, right, chosen. I missed that part. Chosen by destiny was it?" Edwin glanced towards the bear, hoping for some help, or some clue as to what this thing was. "I mean, if it's destiny that is guiding me, then maybe my refusal is part of it. Unless you want to, I don't know, give me any info on what you want? Even cryptic is better than your nothing."

More writhing and rustling, oh and hissing. Eyes glowed then, a light blue with serpentine eyes. When it spoke to Edwin again, it was with its best attempt at a growl, which sounded a little amplified, as if one growled into a glass to make it sound louder. "I. AM. QUETZALCOATL!"

"Quetzalcoatl? That lizard with the frilly spike ears?" Edwin cocked his head slightly. "But you have feathers. Is that the bird that ate you?”

The thing shrieked in outrage, and stuck its head closer where Edwin could see a small translucent image of a flying snake with feathers instead of scales, save for its underbelly. "FRILLY SPIKE EARS? HEATHEN! THESE ARE FEATHERS! THE BEST FEATHERS! THE SOFTEST FEATHERS! THE PRETTIEST FEATHERS!"

"Huh, you don't look like any quetzalcoatl I've ever seen. You look more like a snake bird." Edwin scratched his beard. "Are you like an ancestor of quetzalcoatls? How long have you been a spirit?"

It writhed in great irritation. "Time meansss nothing to a ssspirit." The hiss was back now that it wasn't screeching. "How many have you ssseen? Huh? Huh? Huh? I am the Quetzalcoatl! Yep, yep, yep!"

"Uh, how many? I don't really have a count. My parents took me to an exotic pet store once, and they had a tank of 'em." As he spoke, Edwin slowly backed away from the irritated spirit, aware that he was only making it worse. "But, others aside, did you want something from me?"

The eyes blinked and blinked. Body writhing in the air as it hovered half in, half out of the shadows. Then it let out an angry hiss before it began to spin in a circle, almost as if chasing its tail. It had a very long body, with feathers in all colors of the rainbow. Faster and faster it spun on itself before with a small 'pop' of sound, the presence of the spirit couldn't be felt in the corner any longer.

coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Griffin Banks

Tags: Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees | Location: Winnie's New Room ​


Banks gave Winnie a smile, not letting go of her hand. A nod of his head, and he turned to nod at Key as well. However, he kept a very close eye on Winnie, letting her hand go only once they were out of the cell. Even then, he stayed close, growling if he thought someone else was too close to her.

However, Key and the others had no desire to get too close. Key led the way, with two guards between Key and Winnie, and two guards behind Banks bringing up the rear. Key turned down a couple of corridors, eventually stopping at a stone door in the wall. "This is yours. However.." He turned to regard them both, mostly Winnie, but eyeing Banks at the same time. "You are required to stay inside until we can finalize other arrangements with restoring your position in the Coven."

He pressed a hand to the wall, and the door slid up. It was a decent bedroom, with a large bed, bathroom, wardrobe of the magic kind, as well as a table with a couple of chairs. "If you require food, you will need to ask. Though I suspect you're currently well fed." A small arching of an eyebrow, and he waved them both to enter the room.

Once they were inside, Key would address them one more time. "Do you need anything at this time?" Banks was watching Winnie, but seemed aware of where Key and the other members were.

coded by natasha.
 


Maylee's fingers dug painfully into her sides as she squeezed her midsection, trying to blot out the pain with pressure. With a flash of panic, she wondered whether she was going to pass out; when this had happened before, happened for real, she had slipped into a darkness she had thought would be final, but that had more to do with the blood loss than pain alone, right? Shivering wildly, Maylee looked down at her stomach through lids barely slit open and tried to confirm that she was not, in this moment, bleeding, that it was magic alone that was hemorrhaging from within her. Scratching her fingers against her skin hard enough to break it, she fought to stay conscious, to not lose sight of Cillian.

There was a brief moment of lightheaded confusion, and she struggled to discern whether this was not simply another dream, and then Cillian burst out with the nickname he had given her—the nickname she had objected to, without really meaning it, as too cutesy, too embarrassing—and tears flushed down her cheeks anew. Trembling like a mad, feral creature, Maylee stared up at Cillian with wide, hungry eyes: confusion, grief, desire. He was crouching beneath her, so close she could touch him if she wanted to, and God, how she wanted to—but she noted the careful distance he kept, his hands drawn in to himself. Surely, driven by mistrust if not outright disgust, he would not touch her.

And why should he? she thought bitterly. Why should he want to touch a murderer?

When Razial spoke, Maylee turned her head sharply, her eyes branding him with a loathing glower. Are we giving you a good show? she wondered, caustic and angry. Are we entertaining enough?

"Don't play dumb," she spat at him, more literally than not—her throat was so tremulous from pain and confusion that a spray of spittle erupted from it like venom. "You know everything about me. About my mother... things I never knew about either of us. I don't believe for a second that—"

A fresh wave of pain shuddered through her abdomen, and with a breathless hiss, Maylee clenched her arms around herself tighter and dipped her chin to her chest.

"—that you don't know what happened—what I did—"

Yes. Of course Cillian had been her friend. A friend and a rock, a comfort, a fount of belonging she had never felt before or since. But such things were never meant to last for her. She could remember vividly the suspicions buzzing around her mind like flies around carrion, how she had batted them away again and again until it was undeniable, how he had changed, how he had strayed down a darker path and she had let him, had missed the signs until it was too late. She could remember the excuses she entombed her reason and morals within: how, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, she refused to view the dark-eyed wraith who cheerfully haunted her kitchen, her bed, her mind as someone who could be dangerous.

How many had died? How many beyond the ones she had had no choice but to learn about—

Mr. Baker.

—because the ugly truth was that she wanted to be ignorant of them, all out of her selfish, childish need to feel loved?

She squeezed her eyes shut, and a voice rippled through her mind: you must know, surely, that there's only one way to free that creature from his torment.

And that was what she thought she had been doing. In burying that iron-hewn knife in Cillian's chest as she had so many times buried herself there, taking in his warmth, she had thought she would be severing him from the strings that forcibly tugged his hands to sin. She had thought she would, if nothing else, achieve a sort of secondhand closure for those who had died, those she had breached her morals by failing to protect.

But Cillian was here, and so she knew now that she had done nothing more than what she always did: failed. She had failed Cillian, failed his victims, failed herself.

Maylee gritted her teeth as she forced herself to a more upright position, lifting her head to allow for a better view of Cillian. Tears streamed down her cheeks, clouding her vision and his image so that he did, indeed, appear to be more spectral than real.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely, shaking her head in disbelief and confusion. A thousand questions lashed at her tongue—what had happened? Why was he here?—but it was all she could manage. "I'm sorry."

She lifted a trembling hand and pressed it against his cheek, murdering skin meeting murdering skin.

( Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 
Last edited:


Winnie clung close to Banks's side for the entire (mercifully short) journey to their new quarters, drawing from his presence comfort to temper the distress brought on by Key and the other guards. She took long, clumsy strides, painfully aware of how much shorter her legs were than everyone else's around her and not wanting to be an irritant by slowing them down. Her stump chafed unpleasantly in its place nestled in her prosthesis; the socks she wore had long ago soaked through with sweat, and she could feel the prickle of a lumpy rash beginning to form on the skin. How wonderful it would feel to detach the limb and allow her skin to breathe for a while—

She stopped up short at the stone door Key halted the procession at and then stared up at it, curious and apprehensive. A rough, heavy slab of stone in place of a door didn't look all that inviting, and she wondered whether she had spoken too soon in promising Banks nicer living conditions.

It'll be all right, she reassured herself wanly. Anything would be better than that cell—

Much to her relief, though, the door groaned open to reveal a pleasant, nicely-furnished bedroom—nicer than that little holding room she had languished in for untold months before these last few days, and miles preferable to that decrepit, despondent cell. The only thing that gave her pause was the presence of a single, large bed instead of two smaller ones, and a shiver of unease ran through her at the thought of having to share a sleeping space with anyone, even Banks.

Another body's warmth while she slept had long ago been perverted into a nightmare rather than comfort.

Key made a pointed remark, then, about how she likely didn't need food, and Winnie shot him a skittish glance. A ripple of shame went through her: she did feel full, indeed, more comfortably nourished than she had in months, but the life that now tingled within her had come unquestionably at the cost of another's. Key, it seemed, was keen not to let her forget, but his efforts weren't really necessary: Winnie knew her own consciousness would torment her about it for as long as her mind was still intact.

She shuffled inside the room, glancing over her shoulder to ensure Banks was close behind, and then turned to face Key, clasping her hands behind her back as she pondered his final question. Did she need anything? Well, strictly, no—she was well-fed, and Banks did not seem to be hungry, either; the room was well-equipped with the facilities they required to survive in relative comfort, even if they would not be permitted to leave it. There was only that one issue, but—

No, she thought. No way. Impossible—it was clear that Key was stretching his patience by merely allowing her the privilege of a place in the coven rather than in its dungeon. Asking for another bed would be unforgivably demanding, an ungrateful spurning of the opportunity she had been provided. She ought to be grateful to be alive at all.

Winnie glanced uneasily up at Banks before turning to Key and shaking her head. "No. That's okay. Thank you. I think we have everything we need," she murmured, resolving in the back of her mind that she would figure something out to make the bed as least distressing an inhabitant of the room as possible. Then she clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head, her tousled hair spilling over her shoulders and face.

"Thank you, sir, for giving me a second chance."

( Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words )​

winnie sawyer.

psychic vampire

 
Edwin Blut
Location: Near an axolotl.
Tags: Maeteris Maeteris ​
"Is his focus needed?” he responded to Evelyn's question. "We are simply waiting upon a Sage, and he is communing with other spirits."

He turned then to watch Edwin. "It is strange, to be blind and deaf to my kind. Hopefully he knows well enough to not trust a lost spirit."

Satisfied with Edwin's handling of the spirit, and with little else going on, the bear curled up upon the floor to relax and wait.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Chase Moon

Tags Leif KodakWolf KodakWolf | Location: Cotville​


With a wuffle, Chase rubbed at the side of his head. It was a bit difficult to think, as he felt weightless and a bit light headed, but he wasn't complaining. He did a mock pout at the notion of no doggy treats, but did take a gander at the meat. "Probably eat a little later."

At the question of what he's tried so far on his legs, Chase allowed himself to rest more fully against the wall, back of his head, too. "Well.. not a lot, honestly. Been in here, I think only a couple of days? Or.. I don't know. Can't really keep track of time in here." Wuffle wuffle.

One hand moved to rub at the top of one leg. "I've worked on keeping my toes moving. Trying to stretch them out, and just.. move them. Thinking maybe it was a strength thing. Sage thought.." Wuffle wuffle. Chase frowned a little. "Sage thought it was something they're doing to those who are asleep. Like, I was asleep too long, or I'm just... susceptible more, but it caused physical damage."

Blue eyes glanced to his toes, making sure he could still move them, then back to Leif. "Like, my strengths were pretty heavy around running, so that's what was.. siphoned first? Not sure I really understand."

coded by natasha.
 
SILVER BLACKWOOD | tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words | location: Magic Corner
​
Silver’s ears swiveled in a bit of irritation at Foster’s excited cry, a defeated sigh seeming to leave her as she listened to him shuffle around behind her. Being excited was better than being enveloped in fear but it didn’t help that his heart was racing the same way as before just with a different emotional attachment. Thankfully, Rhevens remained dumbfounded by the entire situation alone, having not moved even after she’d grabbed a few articles of clothing from the crate for them both. Perhaps he was still drained from having been asleep? Speaking of which--how long had Foster even been awake? She looked back at the man as he essentially absorbed the rest of that pear he’d used as cover before without a second thought. He seemed awfully comfortable around strangers he didn’t know all that well.

Her interest was piqued when Foster offered to speak to Sage, looking over her shoulder with one ear facing him and the other towards the rock in front of her. There was no commotion coming from behind it just yet so perhaps they could afford to wait for the Minotaur to return? She huffed quietly, taking a moment to lay down and rest her head on her paws to comb over their options. Foster would probably be their best bet aside from Sage himself, it seemed, if they were to attempt to get out of here along with the others.

Others. Distrust brewed in her chest enough for her to release a slow, drawling breath in an effort to release the suspicions threatening to cross her mind. They couldn’t know for sure whether the other captured people would be as kind and colorful as their new mouse-gone-man friend nor did he himself appear to know whether or not they were a safe bet. By how he’d described them, they all sounded like threats if not ticking time bombs but then again they couldn’t afford to rush an entire entity consisting of unknown numbers with only three people should they try to escape wherever they were. Everything hummed with some sort of energy that poured from any and every surface which offered no relief as it only confirmed that whomever was at head of this supernatural farming operation was experienced. Leaving would be no easy task. They’d need all their strength.

At this thought, she stood to shake out her fur, taking a spot close to Rhevens as she lapped up water from the bowl Sage had prepared for her. Her legs were splayed a bit, shoulder blades jutting from beneath her coat as she settled into a defensive posture; readied for any unexpected developments to come through the walls.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Dusk

Tags Clementine AsherMasher AsherMasher | Location: Secret Hideout ​


Dusk gave a bit of a toothy grin and a chuckle. "Here, this bowl's yours. Do you feel like you can manage it on your own? You've been asleep, but I suspect Lew's training has helped you regain some strength." He waited until he was certain she was okay with the bowl of soup before sitting back in his chair.

"Now, for your questions." One hand rubbed at his beard. "Lew is my friend, she's helped me and I help her. Like now, we're trying to save as many as we can. You're Clementine, and you and others are being held by a group called the Coven. I've been working with a few others, been tracking these guys for a couple of years."

Dusk started to eat his own food, taking his time, so talking was sporadic, but steady. "Lew said you have your mother's magic, and hoped you'd be able to wield it enough to help us get the others out." He eyed her reaction, "Ideally, we'd wait for everyone to regain their strength, but then we'd have more to save and it's a circle. Vicious, vicious circle."

"I don't know when or how they took you, or most of the others. But.. if we don't get you out, you'll die here. Same with the others, so.. eat up. Got more if you can hold that down, but.. don't push it. You get full, then you're full. Got it?" He pointed at her with his spoon before dipping it back into his soup.

coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Sage

Tags Edwin Thropian Thropian Evelyn Maeteris Maeteris Location: Labyrinth Chute ​


It wasn't long after the spirit disappeared when stone could be heard grinding on stone. The very wall moved, reshaped really, and an opening appeared. A minotaur with stubs for horns stuck his head in first, already trying to give a warning. "Sage friend! Light orb thing say she have two down the slide? Hi!" Ears twirled merrily, but he was wary in case they thought to attack the big bad minotaur.

"Sage is me. Light orb is friend. You need safe, yes? Come. Hurry. Sage hide you!" He moved out of the way and gestured to the opening. "Wait for Sage, you could get lost. It is a maze, it is Sage's home here. Just wait outside door."

Sure enough, as soon as they left the waiting room, they would see a maze of rock walls and confusing twists and turns. Sage followed them out, taking a moment to mold the wall back, so there wasn't an opening left behind. "Okay, follow Sage. Stay close. No get lost."

He started to lead the way through the maze, checking nearly every turn to make sure they were both behind him. "Sage have other room where you can rest, eat, drink, get clothes. Friend help. He answer questions then, too. Sage no good at questions. Get confused."

coded by natasha.
 
Evelyn Harper



Bothered by this ‘Bear’s easiness, she exhaled sharply. He had the right mind to stay calm, though she was currently undecided on who to trust. Bear said Edwin was distracted by something in the spirit world. She quirked her lips.

She shifted when the wall seemed to move, revealing an opening and then a grey head as big as two plates stuck out from the opening, a menacing countenance set in a permanent scowl. Her eyes widened. Her scream cut short when the creature introduced himself as the one they were waiting on.

Evelyn swallowed down the embarrassment, eyes rolling as she got up. “Well met, Sage.” She padded a conservative distance between them, retaining some semblance of caution as she tried not to make her scrutiny too obvious.

Her first impression of Sage was he was obviously simple. No, her first impression had been a beast. A beast that could end her with a flick of his wrist so she followed at a fair distance, at least away from the bulging arms that could swipe her off the face of the planet. The image of her chimera father flashed in her mind, she gritted her teeth.
location: ??? • tags • mood • Outfit: Hospital Gown• interactions
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Alyce Wright

Tags: Coda Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees Hayley Britt-21 Britt-21 (via Discord) | Location: Touring Special ​


It was about lunch time when there was a vibration at Coda's rock door. Alyce didn't knock, she made it hum. At least she didn't just open the door herself. Instead, like a rock pager, it buzzed, buzzed, and buzzed once more.

Coda wasn’t as careful as he could have been as he finished cleaning up the glass he had spilled, and by the time he had finished funneling the last bits of it into the trash can, his fingers were stinging with a fresh round of tiny cuts. Whatever. ‘Careful’ had never been his strong suit, anyway.

He lifted himself from the floor and gazed resentfully at the now-empty pane where the mirror had one been. There, he thought, that’s a more accurate picture.

Nothing. There was nothing inside him.

He started as a strange sound began to issue near the door, and for a moment, Coda’s mind raced with the possibility of some unwanted visitor—then, dryly, he recalled that Alyce had intended to stop by after stirring from her nap. Who else in the world would want to visit a half demon freak?

He ran a tired, aching hand over his face and then left the bathroom, glancing at Roje as he went. He tried not to look for too long—a whirlwind of embarrassment, shame, frustration, and above all, desire still roiled within him, and he didn’t trust his eyes not to give them all away with a single glance.

The door, indeed, was vibrating strangely, and Coda narrowed his eyes suspiciously at it before pressing his hand into a panel beside the door, allowing it to groan open. Alyce, as he had thought, stood there expectantly, seemingly fresh-faced and vivacious after her nap.

That makes one of us.

Coda glanced at her from head to toe and then nodded silently, acknowledging her arrival. As usual, he wasn’t one to speak when he didn’t feel it was needed. The less he heard his own voice, the better.

Roje didn't say much after the whole ordeal. He didn't want to listen, he made that pretty clear. In a way, she felt bad for stopping him, but she knew if she even let him that close, he'd disappear like the rest. It happened every. Single. Time. They were set up in a situation where death was probably inevitable at this rate. Was it worth getting attached and then losing for the 500th time in her life? (Overexaggerating duh)

Her eyes shifted over to the bathroom when she began smell the blood he possessed. The blood that he warned her not to drink because it...well... was basically like acid. The door vibrating did get her attention as she glanced over, watching the door for a moment and then looking right back to Coda, who seemingly met her eyes for just a brief second before looking away and approaching the door. 'Yeah I fucked up' she thought, shaking her head as she rose from the bed while the door opened. She was hit with a scent she never smelled before. What the hell smell was that?

Never had she picked up anything like it... She tilted her head slightly and walked over, peeking her head out from behind Coda, her hands on his arm as she peered over at the female looking at Coda 'Who the fuck is this?'

Alyce tilted her head with a small smile, one hand moving to rest on Coda's forearm in some type of a greeting, only it didn't move away. "Are you ready?" Then she noticed the woman peering behind him. "Oh, hello." Her eyes widened slightly, and her head tilted the other way as she asked Coda, still watching the woman. "Who's your guest?"

Her other hand held onto a leash, and she gave it a small tug. The clouded leopard's collar jingled softly as it moved to stand beside her on cue. Snort.

Alyce’s hand rested on one of his arms; Roje’s, on the other. It was a disorienting sensation—he remembered, in high school, how his sister’s friends stole furtive, nervous glances at him and kept a pointed distance.

What, Mae’s brother? No way—I thought you were Miss Honor Roll!

What? He’s kind of cute! I mean, like, in a backstreet alley kind of way...

Oh, hell, no, he’s a total creep—trust me, a pretty face can’t fix that personality...

What did they mean, these two women’s touches? Roje had just rejected him outright, but still she retained her grip, and Alyce—well, to be fair, everything she did was bewildering.

The confusion only made the frustration within him simmer all the more. He glanced down at Alyce’s pet, that little leopard, as he tried to figure out an answer to her question. Who, indeed, was Roje to him, exactly?

“Roje. Another guard. Relieved of duty for now, though.” His tone was low and brooding, and he glanced briefly at Roje, unsure what else to say about that. Key had had Morgan sent somewhere else, but there was little indication as to whether that had been permanent.

He left it at that. As neutral as possible. Roje hadn’t seemed to like the idea of him sharing details about their strange psychic connection with his charge, so he kept his mouth shut about that.

“Alyce. My charge,” he said, nodding stiffly in Alyce’s direction to introduce her to Roje. This, too, he left at that. If Alyce and Roje wanted to get better acquainted, let them.

He looked down again at the little leopard, looking as if it were trying to resist pulling on its leash.

You and me both.

Roje's eyes shifted to the hand that was resting on Coda's opposite arm. Something within her starting to slowly stir, but she pushed it down to avoid an outburst of anger. 'No need to go on and flip the anger switch this time.' she thought, glancing down at the pet Leopard before looking up at Coda who introduced her, then introduced Alyce to her as well. Hazel eyes landing on Alyce, her hands tightened slightly "We're closer than he likes to admit sometimes." she said with a laugh, but it wasn't the laughs Coda had heard before. In fact it was almost forced and awkward.

'Why am I getting funny with another woman? This is fucking stupid. He isn't mine, but yet, here I am. My hands on his arm and taking a good look at someone who could be an issue.' more thinking going on in her mind. Glancing up at Coda, she spoke "Isnt that right, Coda?"

Coda felt a jolt run through him at Roje's comment, and before he could stop himself, he had turned to gaze skeptically at her. Here she went again with the mixed signals—what the hell kind of game was she playing? Did she want him or not?

So it's 'live in the moment,' then it's 'stop and think about it.'

Then you push me away, and now we're supposed to be close?

He hated being jerked around like that. It brought back memories of his mother, how she had loved him one moment and ran from him the next...

He could not trust love because love had proven itself untrustworthy.

The frustrated heat in his cheeks was rising, and he clenched his fists at his sides in an effort to steady himself. At this point, it was hopeless; he was certain she could see the frustration, shame, and confusion battling in his eyes, but fuck it—she had already seen him bare his heart like a fool; how much more could he lower himself?

"If you say so," he said, low and suspicious.

Alyce seemed oblivious to the tension between them, or she was choosing to ignore it for now. Her eyes lit up when it was mentioned Roje was a guard. Her hand moved from Coda's forearm to reach out and touch the woman's hand where it held onto Coda. "Oh! Does this mean I have two guards instead of one? Oh! How lovely!"

She seemed genuinely pleased, even gave Roje a smile with a scrunching of her nose. "Well, are you two.." She placed a strong emphasis on the word 'two'. "..Ready for a tour?"

Her hand finally fell away slowly, fingers brushing over Roje's hand in the process.

Roje caught onto his tone of voice very quickly, knowing he was probably still pissed about what happened moments ago. 'Sometimes I wish you could read my mind dammit.' looking at Alyce, she almost flinched when her hand had touched her own 'Mmmmm Yeah, no, don't like that too much.' it took a lot of her willpower not to make a face from the touch. Her feelings, however, were all kinds of mixed. "A tour? I mean, I guess." *she looked back up to Coda, wondering if it was even a good idea to stay in the room or not. If she stayed, it was like being a sitting duck. If she moved, then she'd get a general layout of the place and ways to get the fuck out. "I'd just have to grab my-" she stopped briefly when Alyce's fingers brushed over her hand and added "Jacket." the one thing she never went without.

Alyce seemed pretty thrilled to be meeting Roje—indeed, it seemed most things excited her, as if she relished the opportunity even the most mundane things could offer—though the feeling didn't appear to be mutual. It was strange, he thought bitterly, that Roje seemed so opposed to a stranger touching her when she had done the very same thing to him during their first meeting.

What's the matter, loverboy? Got your feelings hurt?

Your own two hands will never leave you, you know.

As if anyone could love a freak like you, anyway.

He gritted his teeth, frustrated with Roje, with the voices, but most of all with himself. Alyce's offer of the promised tour registered in his brain, as did Roje's comment about her jacket, and, seizing the opportunity, he swiftly turned to retrieve it from where she had left it. The electricity in his bloodstream was too much; he couldn't stand to stay still, the women's twin touches burning a fever into his skin, for a moment longer.

"Here," he said, returning and handing off the jacket to Roje. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he caught himself and turned his focus to his charge, to the upcoming task.

"Like I said," he muttered, "been ready all my life."

Alyce did a little grin, with her shoulders rising and her hands pressing palms together in front of herself. "Excellent! Oh!" Which reminded her she had the end of a leash in one hand. She held this out to Roje, clearly expecting her to take care of it on the tour. "It's name is Levy, or Levi, or.. Than? I just call it kitty half the time. Tug on the leash if you need it to do something."

There was a sharp tilt of her head to one side, a sugary sweet smile, and a little giggle with a brief widening of her eyes. "Well, let's go!" She turned and began to head down a corridor, her dress flowing around her, more so when she did a little spin every so often.

Roje went to go on ahead to get the jacket, but Coda beat her to it, heading over to the chair and snatching it before coming back to hand it to her. Looking up at him, she noticed the silence when he stared at her, only making her want to frown. Knowing she fucked things up for probably both of them. Why the fuck was she so worried? There was no damn point to worry about it. "Thanks." she said before he spoke to Alyce, the vampire sliding on her jacket, pulling her hair out from underneath and coming back to the door where she was handed the leash to the cat and Alyce herself began to head off 'I'm not some kind of butler or some shit...' her expression changed to one a little annoyed but she took the cat, looking down at him. "Levi, Than?" she muttered, only to think the name over and over, eyebrows furrowing in confusion 'It sounds like a play on words if that's his name...Wouldnt that make a whole other name?'

Crouching down, she began to pet the cat, looking at him with curiosity. "Guess we'll be walking... Since you're like, one of those cats that climb..." she took her other hand and patted her shoulder "Hop on?"

The leopard had flattened his ears when she crouched and initially reached for him, but he didn't growl or move away. He did relax slightly when it was a petting, but muscles seemed to remain coiled slightly, like waiting for something to react to.

The cat glanced toward Alyce's back, before moving to climb up and drape itself partially on Roje's shoulder. He wasn't small enough to fit on one shoulder though, so he had to hang over. It felt like he tried to keep his claws sheathed, and use the pads of his hind feet to keep him balanced.

Coda glanced at the leopard—Levy? Levi?—and watched as it jumped onto Roje's shoulder, perching there like an overgrown housecat. For a wild animal, the thing seemed to be tamed enough, and trained as well—had Alyce raised it? If an animal grew up in the wild, no amount of training could overwrite its feral instincts. He knew from experience. Then again, the coven had plenty of means of coercion at their disposal.

Scowling, he turned to follow Alyce down the hall, unsure whether he should keep pace with Roje or not.

Why bother? Hasn't she made it clear she doesn't want you around?

No—that was the problem. She hadn't made anything clear.

Coda let out a breath through his teeth and tried to clear his head. His thoughts were racing around his skull, ricocheting this way and that into one hell of a headache, and he was glad to at least be getting out of that room. Finding out some more information on just what the hell this place was ought to cool his head, if only temporarily.

Alyce hummed now and then, a mish mash of somewhat recognizable melodies. Nursery rhymes, like the itsy bitsy spider meets rain, rain, go away. She giggled when she caught a glimpse of the cat on Roje's shoulder during one of her little spin arounds.

"Now, this won't be a full tour, just a little one, important rooms for my bodyguards to know about." They took a turn to the left, and continued past a couple of doors before she came to a stop.

"Now, you can't get access without my permission, but if I send you here, well, that would of course be with my permission." She laughed and gave Coda a wink before holding up one hand and wriggling her fingers. "See, rooms are accessed by a ring." She had seven rings in total across four fingers.

"Those with the right access, well, you'll learn so very much with my help." A little shoulder lift, a scrunch of a nose, and then she spun to quickly press her hand against the wall next to the door. "Ta-daaaaa!"

"This is our main library. You won't be able to take a book out of this room, without well.. the right key. But.." She did a circle spin, holding onto the hem of her dress to make it flow around her like a little girl might enjoy doing. "If you like books, I can bring you two here as a treat sometimes!"

Roje was glad the cat had some trust as she tried to use her arms to hold it up behind her. Almost as if a child was on her back before she rose from the ground and looked at Coda. He was quiet, but it was understandable "Let's go, Coda." she gave him a half smile and began to walk, following Alyce as she began the tour. According to her, doors were opened with specific rings 'Oh great, that means I cant pull some spy bullshit then'. Gotta get rings of her own then. When they came up to the Library, she peered inside, her eyes widened before whipping her head in Coda's direction. Looking at him with that 'are you thinking what I'm thinking' look. They needed this library for their bond thing. "I like books. Pretty fun to read on my down time." her gaze shifted back to Alyce "Do you like books?" she quipped back.

Coda was silent, focused, as he listened to Alyce's voice and peered closely at the stone corridors around them. It was stupid, perhaps, but a resentful prickle undeniably shot through him at Alyce's declaration of them as her 'bodyguards'—plural. He gritted his teeth, frustrated. I've been working my way up at this shithole for a year. What the hell did she do to earn the position? A wave of bitter disappointment, so familiar to him by now, steeped his insides. What he had thought would be a hard-earned, long-awaited turning point, something he had been chosen for, had turned out to be something just anyone could get a shot at by being in the right place at the right time.

Figures. You were a dumbass for expecting anything else.

An anguished anger roiled inside him, blurring his vision. Always, always, he was less than, nothing more than half.

Coda glanced at Roje and told himself to cut it the fuck out—at least for now. The space she occupied in his brain was disorienting, confusing, but it was undeniable, at least, that she was the closest thing he had to a friend here—and throwing that away for some petulant jealousy seemed short-sighted and stupid.

You're just saying that because you want to fuck her, loverboy, one of the voices snarled, and Coda gritted his teeth.

They had come up on a rather extravagant library, now, and Coda stiffened at the sight of the seemingly-endless rows of shelves packed to surfeit. Fucking hell, how long had it taken to get all of these books? A thread of determination pulled taut within him. With this ridiculous array, there was bound to be something with information on whatever the fuck he had done to Roje. Glancing at her and meeting her eyes, Coda saw that she seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Yeah," he said, in vague agreement with Roje's comment about liking books. "I hate not knowing things. And it looks like there's plenty to know in here."

Alyce spun around, clapping her hands in glee. "Wonderful! Remind me, Coda dear, when you'd like to come visit in your free time, yes?" A little tilt of her head, and a skip in her step as she headed down the center of the library to the door on the other side.

"It is really quite the font of information. And such lovely stories here, too." She didn't really give them time now though to stop and ponder it. Soon as they reached the other end, she was opening the door with her hand, and skipping along through it.

"Next up, ooooh, Coda. You'll like this." She wriggled her eyebrows at him and nearly giggled with childish glee. They headed to the left and another turn in a corridor. "Course, maybe your playmate will as well." She gave a little scrunch of a nose to Roje, before she opened up the door.

There was obvious illusionary magic going on, but it was nearly flawless. "This is one of the training rooms we have. It is an obstacle course of sorts. Not a normal one, this would kill mortals." She laughed in glee at the idea of it. "You have to really use your wits, and physical strengths here."

Currently it had stone archways on either side of a sand pit. Other stones seemed to shift and glide across the surface of the sand. "The scenario will be setup when you step on that little mark there." She gestured to a circle on runes. "It's like the wardrobes in your room. You stand there, think about what you want, and then... viola! It simply is!"

She laughed again. "Only it's not simple. It will test everything you have, and then some. It won't actually kill you, but it can definitely render you unconscious if you muck it up."

Coda stared in bewilderment around the training course. It was an eerie, ancient-looking place reminiscent of a Roman arena, strangely frozen in time. There really did seem to be no consistency to in this place—the rough-hewn stone corridors near the dungeon could transform without warning into Alyce’s verdant forest; the modern amenities of the living quarters contrasted sharply with the aged-looking sandpit they now stood before. The constant shifting made him wary, as if the place were a living creature wearing many faces, and he had yet to see its real one.

The coven, indeed, seemed to be able to shape reality to their will: by standing on a formation of runes and merely thinking of something, he could make it appear. His first thought was one of distrust: if he were to stand there now, shut his eyes, what would he see when he opened them? His mind was not wont to think kind thoughts.

Never has been.

Contemptuously, Coda remembered a little boy who struggled to separate nightmare from reality as the two endlessly melted together in front of him. How many times had that little boy wished he could shut his eyes and then open them, and everything would be okay? What would he have thought if he knew of the furtive magicians who could shape reality to their whims?

Magicians, he had recently learned, had been watching him all along.

Coda’s jaw was clenched as he stared at the runes and turned over Alyce’s description in his mind. It was a course designed to test his strength, his skill, his resilience, and apparently it was capable of getting quite ruthless.

If that pitiful little boy stood here, in this same spot, he may have wished to conjure up a house with a warm hearth and a fragrant kitchen and a smiling mother. But that little boy was long gone, and the creature that now stood in his place wanted nothing less than the most brutal challenges the course could offer.

“Can’t wait to try it out,” he said, and he meant it.

Roje was brushed off, and instantly she knew where she stood. 'I see how it is. Just ignore me as if I'm nothing but a servant that should be seen, not heard.' she thought, glancing at the cat over her shoulder and gently tapping her head against his own as they walked through the library. Hazel eyes scanning over the thousands of books that they passed. Her head moving from the animal and continuing to follow behind both Coda and Alyce. The more she stayed around, the more annoyed she grew, her emotions beginning to simmer in the process.

The training area was something the girl made it abundantly clear that it was for Coda and then lazily added the Vampire into the mix. Roje's jaw clenched, making the muscles twitch on either side. It didn't take long for her expression to grow annoyed, irritable even. That resting bitch face of hers coming out to play now 'I'm done playing games.' her eyes glanced over the runes, staring at them for a little while 'Stand there and think what I want.' the first thing she wanted was to get the fuck out of this place. But she wasn't willing to live in a fantasy land by standing on some fancy drawings. Not to mention one that was considered a training area.

Alyce scrunched up her nose and grinned, before waving Roje closer. The clouded leopard's ears flattened when Alyce moved to pet him, but that's all he did. "Good kitty kitty. No bitey witey the widdle vampy wampy!" Then she addressed Roje, "You're so good with him. Maybe we can get you a little pet, too!"

She then turned and lead the way back out of the training room, leaving the leopard still on Roje's shoulder. "Let's go take a look now." She spun three times in a row with a giggle, before heading down another corridor. This one had a bit of a slope to it as it circled around and down a level, or was it two?

"Have either of you had pets before?"

A pet—Coda scowled at the word. Having a pet hadn't been an option when he lived with his mother—not after what he did to that cat. Adrien, apparently, had had a cat called Ingrid—Coda had seen pictures of her in the albums from before he had arrived (back when the family was what it was supposed to be)—but she had been dead for a while by the time he was living there.

There was that one time, though. When he had been a rabbit's keeper for one night.

He had turned thirteen that fall, and Maylee had bought him a guitar for his birthday. It was ridiculous—to think she had been spending all that time working around the neighborhood to save up for something for him—and he had felt ashamed, even as she beamed with pride at her accomplishment. Then he decided he would have to get her something just as good when her birthday came by in the summer.

It hadn't taken long to settle on a rabbit. There was that big stuffed bunny she always snuggled with at night, for one thing, and she seemed to have a certain fondness for the wild rabbits that passed in and out of their yard, always leaving greens out for them. And so he had spent the next half year reading up on rabbits and stashing away cash for everything he would need—food, a cage, litter, a water bottle that hung on a piece of wire—and, the night before, had picked up the rabbit and hidden it, cage and all, under the bed. It was a good thing, he had thought at the time, that rabbits were quiet.

In the morning, when he showed her the furry little thing, he remembered his heart pounding in excitement. It was an unfamiliar feeling, to put in so much effort just to make someone else happy, but it was sort of exhilarating, too. Maylee had frozen at the sight of the rabbit, and she had smiled, but then her face twisted strangely, as if she were trying not to sneeze.

She was mumbling, and he thought she was trying to say 'thank you,' but then all at once she began to cry, horrible, trembling fits of sobs that made her whole body shake. He could hear her trying to wheeze for breath between them, and she was rubbing her hands on her t-shirt, rubbing and rubbing and rubbing as it grew soaked with fat tears. In the end, Adrien took care of the rabbit, shipping it off to a friend.

Coda had felt stupid, and ever since then, he had hated rabbits.

"No," he said flatly. "No pets."

Roje almost dropped the cat to strangle the woman who stood close to her ’The one should be worried about being bit, is you, bitch.’ a thought she wanted to make into a reality but doing that may result in being trapped in a prison again. Her jaw was so clenched she could feel the bones starting to ache as she followed the pair, her blood boiling within her body. After being asked about pets, the vampire almost laughed bitterly. What did she need to do with pets for nine fucking years? Nothing.

“My cousin did. That’s it. I don’t care for pets. I have no time for pets. I have things I need to do.” She said bitterly, her tone filled with annoyance “You can show us your pets but it’s obvious coda and I will not be taking one or two today.” She briefly glanced at Coda but then looked toward Alyce once again.

Coda glared resentfully at Roje as her attitude began to rather transparently climb. He might have had more sympathy (or not—suspicion came far more easily to him than sympathy) if she hadn’t spent most of their interactions thus far mercilessly making fun of him, but no—she had been having quite the time when she was the one jeering at someone else. Didn’t feel so nice when she was on the receiving end, huh?

Can dish it out, but can’t take it?

Still, he took no satisfaction from it, only a low, simmering resentment. He was still pissed—why deny it?—that he had made a fool of himself, had handed her his heart on a silver plate to be stabbed, but watching her squirm didn’t soothe the sting so much as fan the flames within him, making him all the more irritated with her. God, how he despised being mocked, reduced, ridiculed, no matter where he went—but he might have some begrudging respect, if nothing else, if she was able to take it in her own right. Not so. She was proving herself to be every bit a coward as Key, taking gleeful advantage when the scales were tipped in her favor and having a fit when they weren’t.

You’re being unfair, a little voice within him whispered, again, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it. The jeering and the ridicule stung, but even they paled compared to the lash of having love dangled before him on a string and then snatched away. Long ago, his mother had taught him to expect it—in the warmth of that moment with Roje, he had stupidly forgotten.

When Roje glanced at him, he shot her a vicious glare and said nothing. Indeed, he didn’t plan on taking a pet—he had new duties, now, duties he took very seriously—but he didn’t need her to speak for him.

Alyce did a little spin upon a spin, giggling as she didn't stop or alter where she was going. "Pity! They're such wonderful things to have. Especially when they're not just an animal." Alyce gave a little mock growl at Levi in one of her twirls. "Just plain old animals are so boring."

They had reached another door, and she held up the other hand, with more rings on her fingers. This one apparently required a different key ring. She had her head turned partially to the side, glancing to Coda, then a sly look to Roje and Levi, in that order. "So much more entertaining when they're supernatural creatures themselves, don't you agree?"

And with that the door opened. "This is one of our sleeping rooms." Circles upon circles of beds, with the center of them being some type of active device. Like a round tower of computer servers, only it wasn't anything electrical, but magical. It pulsed with it, thrummed with it.

Each bed had a sphere with a tube disappearing into the floor. Those with someone sleeping on top, pulsed every now and then, and something flowed down the tube with each small surge of the spheres. "Now, I believe we had some more animals in here, let's go looking."

There were too many people 'sleeping' to count, some were empty, but most were not. Alyce didn't head toward the beds though, she danced her way toward one section along a wall with crates and cages of varying sizes. Most were empty, but there were a couple of animals laying down, sleeping like those on the bed with a similar looking sphere outside the crate.

"We have.." She stopped and looked what were present. "I thought we had some wolves here." There were no wolves, even as she moved down the line of crates, tapping the top absently as she went. She stopped at a smaller sized crate, still just as empty, and snapped her fingers.

An attendant came over quickly, another coven member, eyes a bit wide with fear. "Yes, ma'am?"

Alyce tapped the small crate. "They were bringing a new one, one that could change into all sorts of little tiny animals. I know. He called me on their flight over." Alyce turned her very non amused face toward the coven member. "Where is he?"

"Uh.." The member seemed to realize his vast error in taking the initiative to be the one to answer Alyce's call. "I'll go ask!" He gave a little head bow, and rushed off to a group of others who had most decidedly not drawn the short straw. However, it seemed Alyce felt they were taking too long.

"Ma'am. He called me ma'am. Hrumph. I'm a goddamn dragon! Plus! Plus! He should know at any given moment, those who are here, or are supposed to be here." Alyce stomped a foot, her eyes taking on a glow. "He's an idiot!" She lifted her right hand, and unlucky member found himself suddenly alone as everyone else scattered. He turned around, only to be engulfed in flame from head to toe. It was so swift he didn't even have time to move or scream.

He simply was one moment, and then a pile of ash the next. "SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE IS MY SHIFTER OF TINY FORMS?"
coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Razial Hale

Tags: Maylee Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees | Location: Coven HQ​


When Maylee touched his cheek, Cillian covered it with one of his own. The other hand quickly moved to curl around her waist and tug her closer. "It wasn't your fault, I didn't give you much choice." He hadn't had much choice either, but he didn't say that much.

Razial watched, lazily munching on some of the food, until they started to get all weepy meepy, then it was boring. Sappy emotions were boring to him. "Okay. Chip chop." He slapped one palm against the top of his leg. "You can reminisce over food. Take a seat. Cillian you'll have to sit on the floor, only two chairs."

Razial was happy again once they started moving apart. "Now.. I'll find out more about your other... friends." Little flippy hand wave wrist turn inserted here. "But you must eat. Have to keep the body strong to wield strong magic. And to become the mountain, you will most definitely.. have to be stronger."

He waited until they were settled before Razial offered more information. "Did you know.. Cillian's shadowy wraithy bond thing whatchamacallit, is something I just bought?" He looked absolutely pleased with himself. "I figured, you'd be happier knowing where your dear friend was going to be. He'll be with me!" He grinned wide before taking a bite of a carrot stick.

coded by natasha.
 
Leif Hjalkarssen & Chase Moon
Location: Secret Room
Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words (Via Discord)​


Leif remained standing, though he leaned against the rock wall while attentively listening, eyes following Chase’s when he glanced down at his toes then back up.

“Siphoned?” He frowned. That was new information. He stretched a hand forward, holding it in front of his face as he examined it. It shouldn’t have taken the amount of concentration it took for dark smoke to start erupting from the skin, though there were no other signs of any burning as the edges of his hand started to blend with the smoke, as if carried away by it. The smoke managed to engulf both his forearm and hand, though before their contours mingled with it, it started to die out and vanished in a matter of seconds. Had he not fed, he probably wouldn’t have managed even that.

“Think they’re keeping people here to siphon energy out of them?” He had to chuckle at the thought as he looked away at the opposite stone wall; he’d sure seen a lot of stuff, but how the fuck did he get caught up in that? Seemed to be the most obvious guess, and if it happened to be that, energy should replenish itself with time. Physical damage though? Maybe not, being a vampire helped for sure.

“Vampire blood has healing properties. It would hurt to try, but if it’s physical damage that's causing that…” he gave a small shrug and eyed Chase again. ”It’s an option.”


Chase wuffled a bit more. "It's what I gathered, piece meal, maybe I have it wrong. I know I woke up weaker than a newborn cub." He gave a small chuckle.

"I was having a lot of pain in.. that dream world? Guess something went wrong, maybe." And then Leif talked about vampire blood and healing, and he let his head roll to the side to study him a bit more.

"Is that all it does? Heal?" Of course there are an abundance of stories, in movies, and in the supernatural community, about the vices of vampire blood and all that. It wasn't something Chase had experienced. Yet.


"Yeah, I remember..." he mumbled with a nod as Chase mentioned the pain he'd been feeling in the dream, pain that seemed to strike him exclusively, or at least to a more debilitating extent than anyone else. Hard to say what's worse, as not being able to move had to be distressing, at least until one got used to it, but that pain was no small thing either.

"Maybe you've been asleep the longest?" Kind of a random guess, but it was all they had for now. Being a vampire made it hard to assess any physical damage done to him, and all he felt was some considerable lack of energy that'd been partially countered by the feeding.

"Unless you're dead, yeah, just heals. Hurts one hell of a lot too, my blood is a bit more cursed than the average vampire." Leif tried to speak as neutrally as possible, as Chase should make the decision himself. It worked for normal wounds, confirmed, but they couldn't be sure what'd been done to him, and if it didn't work... he'd have one free torture session to serve absolutely no point. "I've performed a fair share of 'miracles' in the past," small mocking smirk at the word 'miracles' "but we don't know what they did to you, so it might or might not work. If you wanna give it some thought I'll be... here, I guess." Ha, where else? Rock room number two?


Wuffle wuffle. "Well, until we can muffle any cries of pain.." He grinned a bit with a tuck of his chin, how weird it felt to say that. "Maybe we need to ask Sage how much we could be heard through the rock walls?"

It wasn't like he was in pain at the moment. And he wasn't running a marathon, not in that room. It wasn't the end of the world, but very few things were for Chase. Wuffle wuffle.

"I might nap a bit, but if he comes back, let's ask." He did feel a bit drained, the mental pun had him chuckling and wuflfing with that same smile he usually wore.


"That's a point." he quickly nodded, eyebrows raised. The lack of any real doors or windows in the room made it feel so isolated the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but it was definitely a point, and he gave a late chuckle until he remembered something else.

"Was there any water here? Like a fountain, or rain...? How far are we from the surface?" he spoke quickly; he'd pushed away from the wall and was now scanning the walls again with a frown. "I heard water noises when I was waking up, and now it's... gone, I think?" he started to walk along the wall, one hand running over the rock in the search for any vibrations or cues in general, listening attentively. It made no sense. All his senses were sharpened again, but he couldn't hear the water anymore? If it stopped running, maybe it was rain, and they weren't that far from the surface after all.


Chase tilted his head a bit. "Sage has like this.. garden room with some fountain in the middle. But.. he also can move stone, or .. asks it to move for him or.. something." Wuffle wuffle.

"Best guess I have, is maybe it wasn't as thick or dense before he came and left? It's pretty cool if you ever watch him do it. He made this room when he figured someone might come looking in his garden for all he's been taking out of the sleeping rooms." Wuffle.


"He did a pretty good job." Leif picked up the muffled sounds of water shortly after and pressed an ear against the rock, letting out a small sigh of disappointment. It'd be pretty uplifting to find out they were close to the surface, but the sound came from a fountain, not rain. Solid job on that rock.

“Sorry, I’ll let you nap.” he turned his back to the wall and slid down till he was sitting on the floor next to the pile of blankets, legs stretched forward and ankles crossed.

“I’ll be… existing, I guess. And processing all this.” He briefly gestured to the surroundings, rock basically, but there was much more than just rock to process. His body felt drained, but his mind couldn’t even consider napping with so much going on. Even if it wanted to, he wouldn’t dare. “Can’t risk waking up in five years or another freaky dream." His tone was kind of mocking, but he meant it. "I'll make sure you wake up before the six months mark again."


Chase gave a grin, it was leaning into the loopy side of things, as the blood draining did leave him, well, drained. Wuffle wuffle. "Thanks, appreciate it." Blue eyes were half closed, slowly moving to fully closed when he mumbled, "D'you think everyone in the dream.. was real?"


Leif's eyes moved from the opposite rock wall up to the rock ceiling, taking in the streaks of black that permeated the rock and formed all sorts of patterns. Perhaps a trick of the imagination, but either way, it'd keep him entertained for some time.

"Who knows..." He wasn't entirely sure he'd actually woken up to be honest; things sure seemed even crazier than the supposed dream, the Wranch one at least. The other dreams... were above in the insanity meter. Sage had supposedly found some of the people, which indicated they were real, though he hadn't found Devlin or Shia, the ones that seemed to know the most. Perhaps they weren't prisoners? Maylee should be ok, and real. She should be with some higher rank, being trained... but did that even make sense? He'd seen all of those people before, and it turned out to be just a dream, so who's to say this wasn't just another one? Perhaps nothing about Maylee had been real, even Adrien, all figments of his imagination.

"When did that dream even start anyway? Are we actually awake?" A glance at Chase said he probably wasn't. "Right now... you're real." Might not be in half an hour, Leif might as well wake up again somewhere else entirely, but right now was all that mattered in those volatile times. His head leaned back on the rock wall, and his gaze moved back up to the strange ceiling.
 


Maylee stiffened in surprise at Cillian's touch. After what she had done—after the twisted, violent end to the fleeting dream of their relationship—she would have expected him to recoil from her in disgust, but instead he pressed that once-familiar warmth into her, sending a shiver through her body. The pain in her gut began to soften, waning to a distant ache, and she threw her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut, convulsing with a fresh round of sobs.

Was this a dream, too? If she drew back and opened her eyes, would he disappear as if he were nothing more than dust? It couldn't be right. For her to have killed the one she loved, only for him to return intact... she had not earned such a reconciliation. The fact alone that he was here, with this mysterious coven, beneath Razial's thumb, portended something awful.

And yet she clung to it as if it were the only source of light in a deep, dark cavern. Right now, it was.

"They didn't give you a choice, either," she murmured into his shoulder, shaking her head in grief and anger at the thought of the selfish line of masters who had manipulated Cillian throughout his undeath.

Razial then made his impatience clear, and Maylee stiffened again, her blood turning to ice-water. On one hand, she never wanted to let go of Cillian again, and Razial's presence was an irreconcilable thorn; on the other, the feeling of Razial's eyes on her back like a crosshair, a voyeur to her reunion with Cillian, filled her with a shuddering dread. Fleetingly, her fingers tightened in their grip around Cillian, and then she drew back, meeting his eyes with what she hoped was a look of reassuring determination.

I'll get you out of here, whatever it takes. I promise.

She bristled at Razial's dismissal of Cillian, instructing him to sit on the floor as if he were a dog, and so Maylee pointedly sat near him on the floor, though she did at least oblige Razial's request to take some food. Whether she liked it or not, he was right: malnourishment wasn't a stone on the path to becoming stronger.

For a moment, Maylee stared suspiciously at a strip of fried potato she gripped between her thumb and forefinger, as if she expected it to be poisoned after all—Razial had been eating them, sure, but if he could ward himself against physical attacks, surely he could protect against poison, too—? Ultimately, though, she forced the salty thing into her mouth and crunched it between her teeth, suddenly and sharply aware of how thirsty she was. It was a struggle to force the food down her starchy, dry throat—

And then Razial spoke again, and all thoughts of eating, of surviving, even of growing stronger fled her mind abruptly to make room for an all-consuming pit of dread and panic.

Razial—Razial was now the one in charge of Cillian's bond? Maylee turned sharply to look at Cillian, searching his face in vain for any sign that Razial was bluffing, but the wraith's grim countenance said more than any words could. Her heart leapt into her throat and began to choke her.

Cillian had not had kind masters in the past. She grew taut with fury when she remembered the way they had made him suffer—but, if nothing else, they had had their selfish reasons. They had been greedy, power-hungry crooks who hadn't wanted to dirty their own hands and so had enlisted a wraith who could not resist their demands. Razial, though—he seemed like the type to make Cillian suffer for no other reason than for entertainment.

Maylee rose stiffly to her feet and gripped the chair Razial had told her to sit in, though her system was far too abuzz to sit. She could feel the blood draining from her face, her hands trembling as she clenched the back of the chair with blanched knuckles. All of the tortures Razial had thrown at her—painfully unlocking her magic, watching her squirm, taunting her about her mother and her weakness and her endless string of failures—none of them seemed even remotely significant compared to the thought of Cillian suffering similar tortures.

"Don't hurt him. Please," she said, her eyes fixed wildly on Razial, her voice a shaking, dry rasp. "You can do whatever you want to me. Just don't hurt him."

And then she extended an arm out at her side, covering Cillian, as if something as fragile as flesh could do a single thing to protect him.

( Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 

Roje.png
1599841967499.png
Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees | Location: Camp Coven

Roje's body seemed to tense up when Alyce mentioned that the pets weren't just an animal. What? What the fuck? the Vampire wasn't sure what to think as she kept her distance. The next set of words only made her stomach do flips, her heart practically stop for a brief moment, and her eyes to widen. Glancing at the cat that was on her shoulder.... He's...He's a fucking supernatural too? Why cant I even tell?! her mind instantly went back to that Underground. Supernaturals and other things locked up in cages, being prepared to fight to the death and no doubt were treated almost like slaves till it was their time to die. Looking ahead, she did everything she could to avoid her jaw to chatter, her cheeks being the only things moving from the occasional clench from fighting. This was wrong, it was so wrong. Roje was only one person, Coda was in charge of her, and the cat on her back was a pet, who knew if he was actually allowed to do anything? There's nothing I can do in this situation. Coda...Coda seems pretty much on my side, but how true could that be? He's forced to protect this crazy bitch. Maybe he's just playing me like a fiddle for I know. This cat? Hell, he reacts almost like how I do when it comes to her coming close.

She kept following with the pair, walking into a room that was claimed as a "Sleeping Room" Upon looking around, she noticed odd contraptions that were used to...suck...energy? The tower in the middle of all the beds didn't seem promising to her at all. Alyce clearly didn't get the hint when both Roje and Coda said they didn't want pets. In one ear out the other. They eventually moved from the beds and were now going towards a place with cages. People were in these cages...the supernatural. Who were somehow just...Still animals? Looking at this made her blood boil. They were people too. But they were forced to be pets for some fucking... Crazy Coven. When she mentioned wolves, clearly there were none. Looks like you're short stocked lady. Maybe you should learn to manage your own shit if you're gonna expect to sell your goods. she thought bitterly while Alyce spoke with a coven member who was clearly worried, scared even. Poor guy's heart was going. He ran off to a group while Alyce began to speak as if she was some entitled rich woman.

However, what stood out was her yelling out that she was a Dragon. Hazel eyes widened as she stared at the blonde, no wonder she couldn't pick up the scent properly. It was one she never ever smelled before. After throwing a verbal tantrum, the coven member was eaten by flames. No scream, no movement, no nothing. He just turned into ash. What. The. FUCK. was the only thing she could muster in her mind before her body was trying to force her to run. Speed off somewhere where this woman wasn't. No. No I need to get out. Now. There's no way I'm staying. You're gonna have to kill me first. I don't care about this...connection...bond...thing with Coda anymore. Let it make me see shit, or see through his eyes. I just want 100% out. Everywhere she turned seemed to be chaos, damn. Roje loved chaos, but not like this. Not when supernaturals were used as animals, people used as....whatever they were being used for in those beds. Turning her attention to the cat, she knew very well that he could probably guess what was going through her mind as she took a step back. As if it was going to do anything good for her. Something was settling in her boiling blood... And it was a mix of very chaotic emotions.

You've done fucked up once again, Roje. Put yourself in a situation you cant dig yourself out of. Just like back then. It's fine. Fuck it. Just don't lose your cool. It's fine. We're fine. Right?​
 


So much more entertaining when they're supernatural creatures. Coda fired an alarmed glance at the little leopard that Alyce had handed off to Roje to watch. He thought of the first time he had seen it, when he had been visiting Alyce's quarters with Phoenix, and how he had wondered whether the little thing was a shifter. His suspicions, now, seemed to be confirmed—the leopard and all of the other animals the coven kept seemed to be shifters, forced into one form for the sake of playing pet. Was that why Indy and Foster had been snatched up? He couldn't imagine Indy being much of a pleasant pet—not unless she was de-clawed first.

The revelation added another round of questions onto the ever-growing pile festering in his brain, and Coda was getting less and less comfortable with all of the questions by the minute. Why exactly were they stockpiling shifters? Surely they had a better reason than a petty desire for fancy pets. And how exactly were they forcing them to stay in one form? The coven's capabilities seemed to be growing by the second, and Coda couldn't stand the way the unknown made his skin crawl.

The questions, of course, were only destined to grow. When Alyce led them to what she called a 'sleeping room,' Coda glanced wildly around in reflexive panic before he forced himself to focus, slowly taking in the bizarre sight. It was a nightmarish vision, the sort of thing he would have dismissed as a hallucination, but as he blinked and blinked, the image stayed: sinister spirals of beds splayed out around the room, dozens of inert bodies within them, strange, floating spheres flanking each.

What the fuck are those? Why are they pulsing like that?

He gritted his teeth as he watched Alyce lead the way away from the beds as if she had not just strolled straight into a portrait of surrealistic horror. Dammit, he didn't care about these animals or shifters or whatever they were—the questions were threatening to burn through his tongue, now—

He froze, though, at Alyce's next comment: they had wolves here. All at once, Coda's mind flashed with those photos Key had shared: a scraggly, underfed black wolf stalking the streets, head low, ears flattened. The creature that, Key had informed him, his sister had turned into.

The panic swelled. Do they have her? Is she someone's fucking pet—?

But before he could lose his senses, before he could grab Alyce by the shoulders and demand an answer, something else captured his attention: Alyce erupted into what could only be called a mighty tantrum as she berated the employees around her for losing sight of an apparent 'shifter of tiny forms.' A bell rang in his mind—Foster. Who else could it be?—but before he could process it much further, the eruption of Alyce's tantrum became quite literal as she engulfed a nearby employee in a shock of ravenous flames, scorching him to nothing more than ashes in a split second.

Coda felt sweat dripping down his rib cage, felt his lungs shudder, and he realized he had been holding his breath in a sort of rapt exhilaration. So that was what dragon fire could do? Vaporize an entire human body in the blink of an eye? To think of how much power must be in that magic—

Would he ever hold anything close to that amount of power?

Coda fixed his gaze almost hungrily on Alyce as he pondered the sheer amount of destruction within her. Then, glancing aside at Roje, he was stricken by how afraid she seemed to be.

Good, he thought, but he couldn’t muster the conviction to mean it. Again, frustratingly, he found himself wanting to take her fear away.

With a breath through his teeth, Coda stepped pointedly in front of Roje, hoping his stance communicated some sort of variation of I’ve got this. Then he addressed Alyce firmly: “Hey. I saw a shifter like that. Could change into different things. He was on the same flight I took to get here. I don’t know much more than that, though—wasn’t assigned to guard him.”

He stared intently at Alyce, making sure he had her attention, before he continued: “Last I heard, he had slipped away, but I’m not sure. I was at the Minotaur’s labyrinth by that point. If you want to know what happened, Key is probably the one to ask. He was the one in charge of the whole operation.”

It was Key’s turn to catch some heat.


coda.

half-demon

 
Indy
Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words​

"So defensive, so quickly." Indy raised her hands in mock surrender. She had figured there was some catch to the clothes when she put them on; that was a quick lesson on magic she had been hammered with over and over again, no magic was born untainted and no spell was cast without a catch. Indy tugged lightly at the smooth fabric of her sleeve, feeling the slight magnetic tension that raised the hairs on her arms. It would not come off. "Suppose I won't be able to do any show and tell of my own, then."

Freedom, or the deathless eternal rest. Those were the choices presented to her. More importantly, however, was that loose-lipped Wendy had just revealed the source of the Coven's power. Sleeping batteries, some Matrix bullshittery. Somewhere in the compound, there were a collection of bodies lost in nightmares as their energy, chi, magic--whatever the hell--was sucked away through hypothetical straws right down Key's throat. Indy just needed to find them.

"Work for, work with?" Indy laughed. "So my choices are between slavery and indentured servitude. Don't sugar-coat it." She had seen Roje and Coda at work, Winnie's fear of her own employers--a slave working with the organization. Seemed the only difference was shackles made of steel and chains made of ink on parchment.

What was happening to them now, locked in those cells? Were they being dragged away to be batteries, or something darker? Would Key keep Roje around if Indy signed the contract--would Indy have any chance at saving her if she didn't sign?

And Coda. The half-demon that had nearly killed her, being forced to work beside her. Despite herself, the thought made her lips twitch with the start of a bemused smirk.

The choice had been made before she had ever stepped foot in the room.

"What a great salesgirl you make. You ever sell cars? You have that same sort of greasy, pissy pretentious attitude I see there all the time. Sort of smell the same, too. Cat nose, you know?" Indy clapped her hands. A bright, fake smile plastered smile was spread across her face as she stepped forward and dropped into the chair, slapping her hands on the desk. "I guess you're looking at your newest partner. Got a pen?"

She raised her hand to Wendy, still smiling as she leaned forward. "I am so excited to work with someone as powerful as the great Wendy."
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Foster Croft

Tags:Silver Silver- Silver- | Location: In the Wall ​


Foster's focus shifted around the room, he looked for anything other than his own thoughts to keep him occupied. And his gaze fell upon the white wolf. "So uh, what's whitey's deal?" He made a gesture to the wolf, and Rhevens gave a bit of a shrug.

He was having a bit more of a problem getting back into the grove of it all, but he had managed to get dressed, and was now finding something more to eat. "She was talking a lot before she changed. Though can't really talk when in wolf form I think. Midnight never talked, just made a lot of sounds. I can't ever get to wolf form like he can. Just the in between."

Foster frowned, "Who the fuck is Midnight?" Even looked around but didn't see anyone other than the three of them.

Rhevens chuckled. "Eh-heh. Yeah, he's the uh.. wolf? It's a whole pelt thing, he gets pissy, he takes over and he likes the wolf form best." He gave a shrug, not really great at explaining things. He did move to see if Silver would let him scratch behind one of her ears.

"Sooo uh.. what happens to you?"

Rhevens shrugged, "Eh-heh. I'm sort of just a passenger then, along for the ride. I can see, hear, taste, smell... I feel what Midnight is doing and the like, I just don't have any control over it." Rhevens leaned back, settling into a comfortable position where he could still pet Silver if the white wolf was allowing such. "It's called a Skinwalker? Had no clue what was going on at first, but found someone, another Skinwalker, and he helped give me a basic crash course."

Foster frowned, but found something else to munch on. "Well, that sounds like shit."

"Says the mouse." Rhevens grinned.

Foster puffed up all indignant. "Hey! I'm more than a mouse. I have a lot of forms I can change into. Mouse was one of the quickest and smallest to get away. Shit. We gotta try to help the others. I hope bull boy comes back soon." And they both sort of looked in the direction the door had been.
coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Out Of Words

Tags Hayley Britt-21 Britt-21 | Location: Nightmare ​


Hayley found herself running down a tunnel, carrying a baby sea lion in her arms. It looked like it was made of stone and rock, maybe even something inside the coven headquarters. There was a figure chasing her, too far down to see the features, couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman. Their voice didn't give anything away, screaming, "GET THEM!"

Passing by a little alcove, she stopped to put the sea lion inside, "Stay, I'll come back for you. Hide!" And the then waddled deeper into the dark recesses of the alcove, while Hayley took off running in the opposite direction from the hiding spot.

There were several tunnels, corridors Hayley could pick. In the spur of the moment, she darted down the one on the right, swallowed by the darkness. It only took a moment for the light to return, but Hayley wasn't inside the caverns, or it was a very well done illusion.

It looked like some type of a cemetery, with Gothic tombstones looming over smaller slabs on the moss covered ground. There were names etched across them, but they didn't start out with names. As Hayley focused on a tombstone, the name slowly appeared, as if engraving itself upon the rock. "Devlin, Shia, Bug." One by one they were written upon the memorial of their life. As she read one out loud, whispers swirled around her.

"Help them." Over and over, joined by another voice when she read the next name. And the next. A small personal chorus, following her wherever she went. Then Hayley looked upon a smaller stone, "Rune." And a sliver of panic lanced through her. Spinning around, she bolted back down the tunnel she came, passing into and out of the darkness. When she emerged upon the other side, she saw a trail of blood, and at the end of it, the body of the sea lion.

Someone else was standing there, cloaked, face and gender hidden in shadow. "Oh, you're here. Finally, you can help us. We need to find the others and deal with them. Let's go." They turned and started to head down the left tunnel, gesturing for her to follow, as if she was one of them. Indeed, when Hayley looked down, she was wearing the same cloak and hood.

Hayley followed, leaving the broken and bent body of the sea lion behind. There were others in the next room, more cloaked individuals. Some had animals in collars and leashes, leading them to a raised altar in the middle of the room, an altar covered in blood and fur. But what drew her attention then, was a small ball of light.

It was tiny, fluttering in and around the cloaked figures, as if looking for something, someone. Then it seemed to spot Hayley, and zoomed over with a high pitched shriek. Halfway there, it shifted into a winged girl, the one she made a deal with so long ago. The one who had her reclaim something lost as part of their bargain.

Now, she held a knife and was charging toward Hayley, screaming, "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM! THEY'RE KILLING US ALL!" And the winged creature lunged toward Hayley, but she was fighting back. In the ensuing fight, Hayley found herself holding the knife, and she plunged it again and again into the winged little girl.

Blood coated Hayley's hands before she knew what she had done. The fae gasped for breath, bleeding out, blood flowed on the stone floor underneath her body. Her last words were raspy, her dying eyes accusing. "You're.. one.. of them..."

Hayley woke up with the haunting memory of the other cloaked members clapping for her victory.

coded by natasha.
 

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​




Razial Hale

Tags: Maylee Vinegar Bees Vinegar Bees | Location: Coven HQ​


Razial gave his very best charming grin. "Why would I want to hurt him?" He leaned forward then, as if to whisper, and while he lowered his voice, it wasn't a whisper by any stretch of the imagination. "Is he a bad wraithy boy? Does he need to be punished for something?" He glanced to Cillian and gave a little no-no shaking of a finger on his right hand. "Tsk tsk!"

Before he could continue though, there was a buzzing from a vest pocket. "Oh! One moment!" He fished out a phone and tapped away at it, while sitting back in the chair. It only took a moment for him to sit back up. "Oh, oh dear. Well then. Huh." He glanced up to Maylee and grinned slow and wide. "Let's put some of your training to more pratical use, hmm?"

Razial stood up, "Quickly, eat something so you aren't working on an empty stomach." A glance to Cillian. "You will return to my room, and.. clean up a bit. I'll have more for you later." Cillian stood up and looked to Maylee, but Razial cut off any goodbye or touching or the like. "Ah, ah. Time for that later. Go go." And he waved a hand dismissively until he realized he needed to open the door.

Razial stood and quickly opened the door for Cillian to leave, but he didn't close it behind. Instead he waved Maylee over. "Ready to go on a hunt?" When Maylee moved to go through the door, Razial blocked her with an arm across the threshold. "Remember, you're not the mountain yet, you're not even a hill. Don't make me destroy you this early, hmm? Don't fuck up this opportunity."

His arm lowered, and he led the way down a corridor, checking to make sure she followed. "Apparently, we have to find someone missing before they get into some real trouble." Razial clicked his tongue, and straightened his vest. "Hopefully we can find them alive. So much paperwork otherwise." Another turn, and he walked a little briskly. "So, if you were a little mouse.. where would you go?"
coded by natasha.
 

Hayley.png
original.gif

Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words | Location: Nightmare -> Bedroom

The heart in her chest was pounding like a drum, the air in her lungs quickly leaving and entering. The one thing on her mind was to run. Protect the small shifter within her arms. Fear filled her body like the plague and the adrenaline in her body was the only thing keeping her going. That was before she passed by an Alcove, to which she went and put her little one into before rushing off to try to get the enemy off them. Splitting would help, surely right? She ran and ran, only to finally choose a corridor that was dark as anything, but before she knew it, there was suddenly light. Her hazel eyes glancing around to see where the hell she was at now. I don't understand. What is going on? she asked herself.

Standing in some kind of Cemetery, the magic user slowly began to move towards some tombstones. Upon further inspection, she seen names written on the slabs. "Devlin..." she murmured, beginning to hear whispers around her. The fear rising even further, but it seemed those whispers weren't bothering, nor threatening her. Looking back at the other two tombstones, she spoke "Shia...Bug?" she said with furrowed eyebrows, never hearing these names before. There was one thing standing out to her within all of the whispering Help Them Help them how? "How can I help them if I don-" looking at the next stone, it was smaller and panic filled her soul before she whipped around and dashed back. Where is he. Where is Rune!? Backtracking like this was killing her, she wanted to know if her small friend was okay, hiding as he was told. But when she saw the trail of blood, her eyes widen as she slowed her pace, following it.

Only to see at the end was her little Rune dead on the ground. No. No no. They found him. How did they find him!? her blood was boiling, her hands were shaking. But her powers wouldn't come to the surface, she couldn't absolutely destroy the person in front of her. Why weren't her abilities working? When the person spoke up, those same eyes stayed wide Find the others and...They're killing them. Hunting them down like dogs! upon looking down, she noticed that she was wearing the same cloak and hood as the rest of them. Nothing made sense, she couldn't wrap her mind around it. Unfortunately for her, she was practically forced to walk over the body of her beloved companion Rune I'm so sorry... I'm not going to let them keep doing this... I wont let your death be in vain. tearing her gaze away from her small partner in crime, she followed. Only to be lead into a room with various other animals being held by other members.

The alter in the middle was the icing on the cake, her attention being brought to a small ball of light that flew at incredible speeds, only to come up to her with a shriek, claiming that Hayley was one of them and killing... That was before she shifted into a partial human, a knife in her hands, charging at her and as soon as the fight started. Hayley found herself holding the knife not long after before jabbing it over and over into the fairy till the life faded from her. Blood covering her trembling hands, her heart pounding in her ears while everyone in the damn room was clapping....

Hayley jumped awake, a loud gasp leaving her lips while her irises were glowing their firey-orange color. Her blood hot, body sweating, heart racing, and her hands shaky. Turning her head to look at where Rune had been just a few hours ago...He was missing. Panic began to rise in her body again as she quickly got off her bed "Rune. Rune where are you?" she called, starting to move around her room, looking in every possible spot she could look in. Where he could reach. Anywhere. "Rune!" she called, her voice filled with worry, fear even. If anyone came into her room and took him away, she was going to burn this place to the ground with every fiber of her being. Hayley then moved to the bathroom where she flipped the light on. Her irises still glowing as if she was ready to unleash hell in this place.​
 


Razial may have been teasing, yes, but the mere thought of him deciding Cillian worthy of punishment was terrifying enough to freeze every cell in her body. She stood trembling and silent before Razial, afraid letting any more words slip through her tongue would create more trouble for Cillian, more danger for him...

When Razial fished his phone out of his pocket (so wherever they were, she thought distantly, there was cell service) and then announced it was time for her to put her training to use, she stared dumbly, uncomprehendingly. The twisted thought flashed in her mind that perhaps Razial meant for her to use her powers on Cillian, for some horrible reason, and she tremulously locked eyes with the wraith—

A moment later, though, Razial dismissed Cillian from the room with a rather careless wave, though any relief Maylee might have gleaned from not having to harm Cillian was quashed by the realization that he would be out of her sight. Her mind began to race in desperate panic: Where is Razial's room? When will I see him again? How do I know they're going to let me see him again—?

No, she had lost Cillian for the last time, she decided fiercely, and she lurched toward him with a desperate cry of his name: "Cillian, wait, please—"

Cillian, of course, obeyed the sinister magician, and it swiftly registered that he had to: Razial possessed Cillian's bond, now, and so once again, Cillian had no choice.

The thought sent a current of fear gnawing through her. If she thought she was protecting him by trying to keep him near her, she was wrong; any of her attempts to interfere with Razial's orders would do nothing but imperil Cillian further.

Maylee felt her heart sink. I'm as useless as ever, she thought bitterly. What can I do for him? What can I do—?

When Razial motioned her to the door, she moved quickly, drawn perhaps by the hope that she might catch another glimpse of Cillian on her way out, but the magician swiftly interposed himself as if reading her thoughts and denying her the opportunity.

Maylee stood stiffly, her heart racing, eyes straining for a sign of what lay beyond the door; his words, at first, only half-registered in her mind until their deathly venom sank in. She looked sharply into Razial's eyes, startled and bristling at how swiftly he devalued her—was he wrong, though? As she now stood, unable to protect Cillian, unable to protect anyone, was she anything more than a pebble?—but the defiance and anger within her had constricted to a heart-shrinking dread. He was rubbing salt in the wound, delighting in her helplessness, and no matter how she burned, the message was clear: If you fuck this up, Cillian will answer to your mistakes. How else, really, could he destroy her? What was the fear of pain beside the terrifying memory of watching someone she loved torn from her grasp?

She had, in stretching out the muscles of her magic, pushed that Sisyphean stone higher up the mountain than she had ever before managed, but again it broke off and sent her, bruised and battered, to the ground.

Wanly, she nodded at Razial's threat.

As she followed him outside, Maylee swiftly and anxiously scanned her surroundings—this was the first time she had seen the outside of her room, after all—but the rocky outcropping of the walls provided few clues. Were they in some sort of cave system, perhaps, far underground? There were no windows to be seen, giving the place an atmosphere truly befitting a dungeon.

She suppressed a shudder.

Razial instructed her, then, that she would be searching for a mouse, and she cast him an apprehensive glance. A mouse—did he mean that literally? Given his many dehumanizing nicknames for her—Bambi, daisy, flower petal—she wouldn't be at all surprised if 'mouse' was a similarly degrading moniker for a person—but when she shut her eyes and took in the scent of the area around her, she was surprised to catch the distinctive stink of rodent. What in the world did Razial want with a mouse? Unless, of course, it wasn't just a mouse...

A shudder of conscience ran through her as she pondered whether this mouse really deserved to be hunted, but she quickly realized, crestfallen, what a bind she was in. Doing what Razial asked was the best chance she had of keeping Cillian out of harm's way. And so, swallowing her compunctions and allowing them to sear her from the inside, she turned to Razial.

"I've got a scent, but it'll be much easier to track if I'm in wolf form. Can I—?"

When Razial approved her request, she took a deep breath and lowered herself to a crouch, shutting her eyes and willing her body to transform. The snapping of bones was louder than usual, as were the dizzying vibrations of pain through her skull, and Maylee felt the distinct impression that she had not fully shifted in a long while. She thought of what Sage had said before, when she awoke strapped to a table: that she had been asleep for a long time. How long, exactly—?

The muscles and joints of her wolf body felt stiff, too, but she did her best to contain the impulse to limp as she began to stalk after the mouse's scent, halting every few paces to ensure she was not giving Razial the impression that she wanted to escape. Indeed, she very well might have used this opportunity knowing only what she knew before lunch, but now that she knew Cillian was here and in the precarious position of serving Razial, she would not dare to risk such a reckless move.

She tracked the scent all the way to a heavy stone door, beyond which she could detect the aroma of greenery mingling with the smell of mouse. A memory of another garden—a lush, sublime wonderland tended by a gentle ogre and his loving partner—entered her mind, and she felt a pang of worry.

Wherever they are... I hope they're far away from this nightmare.

Shifting back to her human form was not quite as difficult as the shift to canine form, but it was still far from the near-seamless transition she had practiced, and it occurred to Maylee that she would need to regain her proficiency in that skill. She straightened and turned to face Razial—thankfully, that training bodysuit was both skin-tight and supple, so it conformed to her changing shape as she shifted, sparing her the humiliation of appearing naked in front of the magician's leering eyes—and then spoke in a grave, serious tone.

"This is as far as I can track the scent," she said, motioning towards the sealed door. "I can smell some kind of plants in there... the mouse was probably drawn to a place that felt more like its natural habitat."

She couldn't begrudge the mouse the decision it had made, given the uncertain fear that enclosed them. If she were in its place, she would likely have done the same thing, a fly drawn to the sweetness of nectar with little regard for how deadly the flower enclosing it may be.

( Tags: Out Of Words Out Of Words )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 
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