The Souls of Salem [WoD]

[Xistund]

Vance smiled a bit hearing the guards talk about there group, putty meet hand, hand mold putty. He looked at the guards as the spoke, gave nods and even chuckled about the sexy leader part. "Oh yea, and who is this oh so sexy leader, she just might be my type?" He said fishing for a tad more info, he really didn't find the idea of the group appealing in its own form but he might be able to use them for his own goals. Technology advancements are all well and good but, if they really wanted to make things better you have to make people work hard for it. Strife in of itself is not a bad thing, it makes the weak strong and turns a mob into a trained fighting force. These men don't know how to suffer for there work.

 

[NovaPheonix]

"I'm just here to get information, that's all. I know you and your 'superior' are doing experiments here, and I'm determined to figure out what it is." He had a closed stab wound, sewn by magic, the right side of his neck. There was still a bullet hole in his shirt from when he was shot in the chest that had blood stains on it now since his blood flow restarted. That wound was closed too, but it still hurt badly and impeded him. On top of that, one of his fingers was broken like Danielle had noticed and Klab was still debating if breaking another one to open a second gate was worth the risk. He planned to escape that way, but with Eric and Mariah both able to impede him, he was close to giving up hope. Part of his mind was begging for death, but he knew Eric would counter his attempts at suicide or bind him to the office like his girlfriend was. "When I sent you into Twilight, that was a mistake. If you don't tell me what I want to know, there are much worse things that I could do to you. Your soul is a toy for me to play around with, and I could kill you right here if I wanted." His voice took on a sort of a demented quality as he glared thoughtlessly into the distance, down at the statue, not looking at her. "All your strength, all your weapons, all your armour...all of it means nothing if you're a ghost. All you are is dead. My body is wounded, but my soul is awakened, and it is stronger than you will ever be able to understand." He chuckled evilly, doing his best to try to scare her. The worst she could do is retaliate, but that's exactly what he wanted.


Zarred's body started to morph into a zombie-like state. His skin became pale and decayed, his arms bleached and torn, parts of his face wearing away. Where the hole in his shirt was, Danielle could see his heart poking out through the fabric between the torn skin. It beat with a slow and methodical rhythm as he showed her his true self. "This is what I am, my body means nothing to me."

 

[Mistress Iris]

Aurora frowned when the man closed the door on her face, but she was pretty peeved when Danielle just walked right by her into the room, also closing the door. She had heard Zarred's voice and when Danielle had passed seen him through the crack. 'Well I found him, now how to get them to let me in?' She clenched her fist, filling herself determination. 'No matter what I am getting answers!' She took a breath, lifting her hand to knock again when the door opened. She took a step back, slightly surprised to see the man who had been interrogating Zarred step out.


"Oh I'm-" She began, but then was cut off by his comment about getting food. "Wait- no I-" She began, but he was already making his way towards what she assumed was a meal hall. Looking between the door and the man, she sighed with a shake of her head, rushing after the man. 'Maybe if I can get him to warm up to me, he will let me chat with Zarred.'


After she caught up, walking side by side to the man, she waited for him to speak, when he didn't Aurora figured the ball was in her court. "So, I never did catch your name." She paused a second before adding. "And because we are going it's going to come up and it will bug me until then, what are you? I mean your part of this....group," She was going to say 'cult', but she was worried it would offend the man. "and you somehow got me out of the ghost realm, which again thank you VERY much for. All in all, that all doesn't sound very human to me." She gave a sincere smile. "It doesn't matter all too much, I guess, but it still nice to know. According to Danielle I'm like a wizard or something, not sure how that work but, whatever right?" She gave a small laugh, she was in her work mode, the one that everyone liked. The one that got customers; the one the kept her in business. It wasn't all that hard to do anymore, the facade just came natural after so long of practice.

 

[Zayuz]

"F-Fuck!" She exclaims, her eyes widening as he threatens her. Danielle lunges forwards, reflexively attempting to strike him across the jaw with her fist. It was a rather awkward position to hit him from, and she more or less had to get onto her knees to do it effectively. Not that it was something she thought about. He leaned back away from the swipe, her fist only grazing his cheek. After she missed, the girl gets to her feet, looking down to him with a horrified expression. She said nothing for several seconds, just staring at him and studying his body. Her expression gradually became calmer, until she finally responded. "..I'd take off those jade colored glasses if I were you; as if Eric has actually left you alone with me. I'm sure if you could kill him then you would have done so the instant you saw him.." A sigh emerges from her lips, though her breath faltered, revealing her nervousness. Another second passed. And another. And another. They felt like an eternity to her, fighting in internal battle to remain composed...


..One she only barely won.


Suddenly, Danielle smiled. "I don't know much about magic.. But there's one that that even I know. See your girlfriend there? All ghostly and shit? ..Seems like she lost her body too.. And I'm sure if her soul was able to leave, she'd have done so ages ago. If you die, you'll have the same fate." She pauses, tilting her head thoughtfully. "..Now that I think about it, is that why you're here? For her?" She steps closer to him again, the girl regaining her confidence at an impressive rate. "If it's not medical help you require, maybe we can do something for her.. But cast one god damn spell on me and I promise you she'll be the first thing I ask Mariah to experiment on."


"I don't need a sword to hurt you, Zarred. You'd be wise to remember who's in control here."

 

[NovaPheonix]

"Nobody's in control of me! Don't you threaten her!" Zarred clenched his fist, having to fight his own mental battle to avoid punching her across the face. In his mind, he lost, but his body was the one that begged him not to do it. Instead, he smashed his hand along the office desk, looking like he had to restrain his Mana just to avoid breaking the thing as it started to splinter just from his touch. "That guy is much stronger than me, and I'm still just trying to figure out just HOW strong he is." His breathing accelerated, but his hand rested on the desk, his with pale and undead fingers twitching mechanically. "He'd kill me without even blinking if Mariah wasn't paying him not to. From what I heard, he kills people like me like it's his job." He raised his voice, glaring at Danielle and now no longer examining the statue, his grey eyes like daggers aimed at her heart. "I saved her from 'going away' and I'm going to make sure she never has to! I'm going to bring her back!!" He smashed his hand against the table again, causing another bit of it to splinter out into the air. Pieces of wood chipping away from the desk. "I don't need YOUR help, or this fucking group to help me! I'm doing it on my own! Fuck off!" He pointed at Danielle, tears starting to form in his eyes as he broke down. He slumped down, his back falling until it rested against the desk. She would hear him start to cry as he curled up, his heartbeat still audibly pounding slowly. "Hell, it's too much...I didn't want to be stuck here..." tears streamed down the side of his cheek, "I just want to be dead...and now I can't even do that without being trapped!"


Cece hovered over him and gave him a ghostly hug that he could almost feel because she was manifested physically.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

• Secured Room
• Mariah's Office
• Cafeteria
• Flora's room

• 
  
  
  "Ah. her name's Mariah. Pretty sexy all things considered... and smart, and pretty, and I hear she's pretty deadly too." One of the guards said, and there was a general mutter of agreement. It seemed these people were fans of some sort, though they didn't seem to be giving much more info on the subject, but they seemed to be more or less happy with their situation. "Well i'm sure you'll meet her sooner or later, just show her the proper respect... she's not kind to those that aren't."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Well, this was a pretty statue. Definitely old, really old. though you can't exactly date back to what era precisely. It's made of copper gold, and a substance you can't recognize, either because you've never seen it before or it's simply a very old/rare type. You're sure that if you had more time you could find out more but alas, interrogation things are happening.
  
  
  As CeCe hugs him, she gives a soft smile. "Zar, maybe they really can help us." she insists. "Just think, it's not like you were really loyal to them anyway... maybe we can actually be together again." She says with a soft sigh,
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Arriving at the meal hall, he goes up, thinking. "Mac n' cheese and a burger." He orders, the people nodding to go make the food. He looks at the girl that began pestering. "You're pretty talkative, aren't you?" He asked. "Haven't seem someone talk so rapid fire since my daughter... girl couldn't stop asking questions or making comments about everything under the sun." He says with a slight laugh, motioning for her to sit down. "Order whatever you want and they'll get it to you. I suggest eating up." He says
  
  
  Taking a bite of his burger once it was delivered to him, he smile." Yum. Burgers are always good, no matter who makes them." He says, sipping a soda as well. "As for what i did, pulling you out of twilight is a fairly simple procedure once you grasp the concepts. Once you understand the doors of death, the weft and weave of fate, the currents of time, the pulse of life, the world just makes a little more sense."
  
  
  "I don't know how she would know you were a mage, but I suppose you might be one who has yet to awaken to the mysteries of the world... it'll be interesting to see if she proves correct. Mages are humans essentially, just one's that slowly begin to understand more and as such can o more.... take that however you will."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "That's right, you're free to tend to him, just make sure you question him. Someone appearing randomly the SECOND we out a spy? Something is fishy. You're to assume this man is armed and dangerous at all times." Mariah says, turning to Elisa. "You will protect her. Should this guy deem himself a threat, kill him immediately."
  
  
  "Yes, Lady." elisa says, resting her now folded umbrella on her shoulder, looking to the nurse. "Let's get going then. Theres a lot of crap going around. The sooner we deal with this kin, the better." She says
  
  
  

@DARK7 @Xistund @Mistress Iris @Zayuz

 

[Morgy]

“I understand, I’ll see what i can do.” Flora said nodding to mariah, before turning her attention to Elisa smiling and giving her a small wave. “Hey there Elisa, lets get going shall we?” Flora said beginning to make her way out of the the room toward the infirmary. Elisa... another person Flora was a little skeptical about, well not skeptical just curious about her. Like Flora knew that Elisa wasn’t human like Mariah but Flora had no idea what exactly they were. She decided it was best not to poke or ask questions, not wanting to upset them. “So pretty busy morning huh? I’ll tell ya i didn’t expect to be up and treating someone so soon but hey its apart of the job right? Speaking of which I’m a bit interested i what going on with this guy." Flora said trying to strike up a conversation with he girl, wouldn’t hurt to try and make friends here now that the fear of being hunted down was off her shoulders. As they enter the infirmary Flora waves to her patients still in there beds recovering. “Hey there guys hope you slept well, i just came to pick up some supplies looks like someone got hurt again, ill come back to check on you guys later~” Flora said flashing a warm smile before picking up a medical kit and making her way out of the room.

 

[NovaPheonix]

Thoughts dipped through Zarred's mind. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Part of him cared about CeCe, part of him wanted to be with Mariah, and part of him just wanted it all to end. In moments like this he would probably get himself drunk until he could stop overthinking everything. The depression sunk through his mind until he was reduced to crying on the floor of the room. He didn't care what Danielle heard, he was over her at this point. At one time he respected her, and the way she elegantly danced around his interrogation and fear tactics made him honestly feel like she was better than him. He was so utterly crushed by the idea that he failed that he sunk down into tears. His girlfriend was still around him and he nodded slowly, "Yeah, I mean, Mariah would be willing to help...she is pretty nice..." Zarred cleaned some `tears off his face with his sleeve and decided that he would wait here, figuring she'd return to check on him at some point. "Hey, Danielle?" he spoke from below her, talking up towards her from below the desk. "Do you know anything about that statue?" he motioned over to the broken bits of copper and gold. He knew she'd remain tight-lipped, but he figured he had nothing better to do besides ask.

 

[Mistress Iris]

Aurora inwardly frowned. 'I ask him a simple question, and he can't even tell me his name? Is that really so hard?' Aurora didn't bother ordering anything, instead she picked out a pear from one of the fruit baskets near where you ordered. She followed him to a table, and smiled sheepishly with a small chuckle. "Sorry I'm just kind of nervous being here. I mean I have been kidnapped, and I'm not stupid enough to think I have a choice in staying here." Her smile at that point tightened at the edges. She wasn't lying, this whole situation was stressful. Any sane person would be pretty scarred from what she had been put through within the past 24 hours. Then again, some would argue that she wasn't sane at all.


"Which leads me back to why I want to talk to Zarred. Although I can't do much about this situation, at the very least I want to let the jerk know how much he has screwed me over, before he kicks the bucket that is. I have that right at least, don't I?" She asked pleading with him to understand where she was coming from. She needed to know if she could rely on Zarred to get her out, or if she was truly alone in all of this. She just had to bide her time, stay patient and determined. "I mean is what I'm asking for really such a big deal?" She soften her expression, frowning slightly.

 

[ValkyrieRose]

• Mariah's Office
• Cafeteria
• Infirmary

• 
  
  
  When Mariah entered her office, she was expecting many things. She was expecting a fierce battle of wits, shooting, and mayhem. She half expected to see Zarred death or in a very painful chokehold. What she DIDN'T expect was to see Zarred crying like a baby. "Oh... well this is a surprise." She says, looking to Danielle. "Do i want to know how you got the super suicidal spy to weep like a child?" She asked.
  
  
  She slowly approached the man. "You poor thing. Alone, abandoned. No one is coming for you... the world seems a bit bleak, does't it? You must feel the weight of despair crushing on you now." She says. Biting her arm, she held it to him. "There there... i can make it stop. This sadness, this hurt... wondering if tomorrow is going to bring anything but sadness. Drink you poor thing... Drink, and understand that whatever it is you seek, i can grant it to you... you only need to help me out. That's fair isn't it?" She asked
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "You're lucky it's me your're talking too. Listen, I'm glad you understand that you've been kidnapped, but aroun other people, you need to actually act like that. Constantly asking questions is a way to mindless city around here... i don't fault Mariah for it, especially for what she's up to. I'd hate to have someone like you fall prey to that. Psychic's are rare. It's a useful trait to have." He adds
  
  
  Taking another bite. "I get your pissed off at Zarred... he's far too stuck up and too favoring of rules and group, but you're going to have to wait. He's in interrogation right now. I'd wait until it's finished to talk to him. Right now, if you keep trying to press, suspicious ties will turn to you as well, understand?
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "I don't know what he wants, but hes both an idiot and not one. He was smart enough to reconvize that resisting meant death, but he actually surrendered. he might be up to something... if anything happens stay behind me." She says walking with her to the infirimary.
  
  
  Once inside, one of the patients gave a thumbs up. "Thank ya miss, we're feeling lots better. We both you one, Flo."
  
  
  

[tab= Infirmary][/tab]

 

[Zayuz]

Danielle watched him break down, her expression curling into one of sympathy rather than command. She had hit the nail on the head. His motive, discovered. But somehow she didn't feel entirely 'good' by it. Even if this man was.. Something else, he was still very able to feel emotions, and it dawned upon her that he probably didn't even have malicious intent when he came. She almost felt guilty. Almost. Danielle glanced at the statue.. It was a statue. It meant nothing to her. "..No, I'm afraid I do not. Apologies." The girl says, following his gaze to her heart. ..It unsettled her slightly, but she didn't think she would try anything with the ghost girl hugging him. "..That's the thing, right?" She says quietly, not quite looking directly at him. "I don't know if you're here just to investigate.. To test the waters.. To steal an experiment.. To.. Kill Mariah.. I have someone I care about to protec-"


And then she entered the room, and her head quickly turned to her. "Mistress..!" She says in surprise. Wasn't she supposed to be seeing the other intruder or.. Something? She almost spewed out the results from the entire interrogation then and there, only stopping when she recalled Zarred was still in the room. "I found what he cares about.. Most likely why he's here at all.." Wait, was Mariah feeding her his blood? Was she making him a ghoul? Danielle didn't really know what to think, only that she would allow Mariah to continue regardless of her thoughts. Unless she was pressed further, she would save the details for later.

 

[NovaPheonix]

Zarred honestly didn't feel like speaking, but when he saw the blood flowing from her arm he let out an audible gasp. His body moved almost automatically to lap it up from her wound like a dog. "Hmm~" he murmured with pleasured sounds as his demeanor and mood shifted once he took his second dose of his new regent's beautiful blood. "I'd be happy to serve you, Mariah. I feel much better now." His will was bent towards her, even further away from his own, though he still retained his humanity. Doing some quick math, it was possible to estimate that Klab was technically about one-fifth of a vampire at this point. He smiled a bit and wiped the tears from his face. "I'm sorry that I tried to spy on you for the Free Council. Those guys are smart, but they could never have prepared me for...you." He said it as a compliment, ensnared by her awe. "Now I can serve you and you'll help me be with Cece forever...It'll be wonderful." He sighed in a state of bliss and laid back against the desk. The way his mind shifted was almost uncomfortable to watch, but the blood was nothing if not strong.

 

[Mistress Iris]

Aurora took a quick glance around the room, noting that the few people in the lunch hall weren't too close. She paused, rolling the pear between her hands, focusing on that rather than the man in front of her. "Thanks for the warning, but I think I can handle myself." She said murmured under her breath. She looked back up at her lunch partner a look of frustration on her face "And for your information I have effectively asked you two questions. You didn't even have the decency to tell me your name. I get not letting me talk to the jack-wad that started all of this, but if even names are top secret here then I don't get the point of letting talk with anyone." She huffed, the frustrated look turning to straight annoyance. "When your human, it's customary to give and take information when meeting a new person. It creates a bonding experiance" She added spitefully. At this point she was being petty, but she also didn't care. She felt very out of the loop on everything, and not even being allowed basic info mad her feel more ostracized and confined. I was not a feeling she liked at all. Sighing, she went back to rolling the pear, not expecting anything from this the man.

 

[Morgy]

Flora gave the two patients one last smile and wave before making her way down the hall with Elisa. "Hmm an idiot and not one? Well that pretty interesting hehe." Flora said with a laugh, now a bit curious to who the injured person was but now Elisa caught her eye a bit. The younger looking girl was pretty but looked a little to young for Flora, probably a teenager. She didn't know too much about Elisa, only hearing about her and catching a glance at her once in a while. "So i'm guessing the wounds are self inflicted? Since it doesn't sound like you roughed them up this time." Flora said playfully trying to keep a conversation going with Elisa. "So.... what do you do for fun around here?" Flora said the med kit she carried swinging slightly as she she walked along. She knew Elisa wasn't human, but that didn't necessarily mean Flora was afraid to make friends, she just knew she had to be a bit careful around her and Mariah, and whoever this Eric person that arrived recently that she had heard about over the intercom last night. She didn't really have any plans to stir up trouble but thought it might be best to be a little cautious around those 3 so far.


To Flora Mariah was like a rose, Beautiful but if Flora wasn't to careful she might get pricked and after how Vera had treated her in there relationship before it went south Flora had to put up some walls. Not to thick but enough not to blindly trust someone like that again, but it hadn't been all that bad.


Flora couldn't help but smile thinking about Vera a bit, the 2 had had quite a lot of fun together when they were in a relationship Experimenting a bit and such, Sometimes even after they broke up. She was reluctant at those times, but she had her needs and so did Vera. It had been a while since she had felt the touch of another woman or a man but Flora got by one way or another. Its not like she needed another person for self pleasure but she had to admit it did get a bit lonely...

 

[Xistund]

Vance nodded a bit, so the woman was not only apparently good looking but dangerous and maybe a bit of a tyrant. Even if the people here loved her that did not change the that fact. Hell even some of the most evil people had loyal followers. "Well then I'll be sure to show my proper respects." Well as long as it suits his needs that is. "So, anything else been going on around these parts? I mean I'm sure I'm not the only psychopath running around these parts."

 

[ValkyrieRose]

• Mariah's Office
• In transit/secure room
• Cafeteria

• 
  
  
  Mariah clapped. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked with a smile, ruffling his head like one would pet a dog. "you've made me very happy by admitting that too me, andI reward those that make me happy. Of course, your reward will have to wait a day." She says, licking her arm to stop the bleeding, the bite mark disappearing. "I want you to write down everything you know about your mission here so i can have a record... and then I need to make preparations. An act of war- and this was exactly that- will not go unpunished."
  
  
  She goes over to Danielle, petting he. "You've done well too, pet. You crushed all hope easily, as expected of my knight. Continue to serve your queen well, and a reward will be awaiting you as well." She promises. "Make sure he behaves for a while. Be sure to invoke my name if he gets out of hand. IT should be fine. Now, I'll begin planning... nad then i'll see to this intruder once he's done being treated. Let's see how useful Flora is."
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "I was going to grind his bones into dust if he actually hit me... the guy is a lousy shot." She says, not really aware that the gun had backfired. She twirls her umbrella as they walk at a decent pace.
  
  
  "I don't do anything." Elisa says, her voice showing no signs of emotion as it usually did. "I train, i stand guard, I spar with people occasionally. Not really 'doing' anything. Lady uses me as a shield slash early warning system, so that's what I do. "
  
  
  Reaching the room, she looks at the guards. "Beat it." She says. The guards scurry out. Elisa leans against the wall protectively, allowing Flora to begin her work.
• 
  
  
  "I don't think you CAN handle yourself, if that's how you talk to a person that can kill you in... six hundred and five ways." He says after a moment of looking at her. "Around here, people call me Eric. Not my real name but it's good as any. That make you happy, princess?" He asked with a bit of a laugh.
  
  
  Sitting up he yawned, finishing his meal. "I hope you actually eat that pear. You'll need a lot of energy when it's time for you to go to work.... you're going to be important, so if you mistreat yourself you'll insight MAriah's wrath... that's not something i recommend doing." He says, standing up, dusting himself off. "Good talk. See ya, kido." He says
  
  
  

 

[Xistund]

Vance saw that bonding time was over and that his buds had to leave, he gave a mock of a salute. "See you gentlemen another time." He said before sitting down on the table looking like he was having the grandest of times. "So this is the doc right, should I get undressed now or should we have dinner first? I'll gladly turn my head and cough for you." He said with a bit of a chuckle, though it was very clear to just see from his face that he was bleeding all over, his pierced face had a few more unintended holes and seeing the stains on his clothes that he was bleeding. He looked at Elisa, "Hey love, mind if I have that liquor back? My last buzz is starting to fade and I'm aching like a son of a bitch."

 

[Morgy]

“Hmm interesting..” Flora said after hearing Elisa answer. So it seemed that this girl was just a tool Mariah was using. The thought saddened her a bit really Elisa seemed like a doll. Only to be used as a meat shield for Mariah and a security system. It was a bit disgusting but Flora didn’t say anything, her suspicions becoming a bit more clearer now. She tried to shake the ideas out of her head, but if they weren’t human that means they were something to be treated with caution, it didn’t look like Flora would catch a break...


Flora walked in to see the injured intruder, he looked pretty beat up from her stand point, pretty bloody but still in high spirits it seemed. “Well it looks like your still up in spirit, thats always an attractive trait~” Flora giggled as she put her med kit on the nearby table opening it up. “Oh, already hitting on the nurse? Why don’t you slow down there tiger your still bleeding out and i would hate for you to die before desert~” Flora said giving the man a flirtatious wink, if he wanted to flirt this was Floras game to play. She began organized her supplies, bandages, anesthetic, a pain killer, something to clean the wounds, ect. Hearing the mans complaint of pain and asking for alcohol, Flora sighed a bit, alcohol in this condition? Was the man trying to kill himself? Flora uncapped the pain killer and emptied 2 pills into the palm of her hand before offering them to him. “Take these it’ll ease the pain for a bit while i treat you. You have a name hun? I’m Flora, but people mostly just refer to me as the nurse.” Flora said giving the the man a warm smile.

 

[Mistress Iris]

"Right." Aurora replied blandly while staring at her pear. "By the way I would appreciate it if you would stop-" She looked up noticing he wasn't there anymore. She looked towards one of the exists just in time to see his back pass through, "....calling me kiddo...." She mumbled the last part, then sighed. She sat there for a few minutes rolling her pear, contemplating what her options. He had flat out threatened her, and it worried her that she was taking it too easily. 'He wouldn't kill me, they need me. He admitted that.....I should still take his advice and be more cautious. Wonder what would make me so bold.' It was an odd thought, but it was something to think about later. 'At the very least I know I can potentially push my limits just a bit further, I just need to find out these limits first....which could be bad in the long run.' This was information she stored in her mind, something to possibly test in the near future.


'Which leads me to wonder how much I should believe this guy. He acts concerned, but it could easily be just that, an act. That is pretty likely. I bet this lunch date was just to distract me.' She inwardly scoffed, looking at the pear again. She got up fists clench, fully intending to to just walk away from the table with the fruit still there. As she pushed in the chair, she looked back at the pear with thin lined lips. After a moment she sighed, grabbing the offending piece of fruit as well as a second one from the front as she headed out of the dining hall.

 

[NovaPheonix]

Zarred lost himself in his old memories. A mage from the Assembly of the Free Council named Festmus, who he never met with, sent him a hidden notice that he had been chosen by a secret vote for a mission to infiltrate the cult that he had proposed to the Assembly. That was a few months ago.


He also heard that he would have a partner named Flora that he didn't get the chance to meet until they both arrived at the cult. When he said that he knew her before that, it was all a lie. He remembered the single conversation he had with her, thinking she was strange. He introduced himself, and told her what needed to be done in case he was compromised. He warned her about the possibility of kindred being involved, but in the end she refused to speak to him after he suggested that she might need to kill him. The two of them didn't talk much after that.


Zarred did his own research on vampires, as nothing was provided for him by the Assembly as per their rules. He had no officer or anyone to report to, and Festmus was the only one left in the world who had any concrete knowledge of the mission as far as he knew. Even then he just had to forward the information to the man when he received anything. The people in the Assembly knew he was an Agent, but his mission was top secret. He was now openly sharing classified information to the woman that now controlled his life.


As he wrote mindlessly under his new mistress's orders, he checked his phone to see if the man who organized the mission was even left on his burner. He had texted him before asking for backup, and that was...he didn't even remember if it was yesterday or if it was last week at this point. He wrote down everything else he remembered about the mission details and painfully stared at the hidden number on his phone. The part of him that was loyal to the Free Council was mostly gone, but he realized if he could contact them, he could make a more complete report for Mariah. The part of his free-will that was left over also considered that if it had any control over Zarred, it could make a distress call, but the idea was quickly drowned inside a sea of Blood that flooded his mind.


Zarred slowly and quietly picked out the phone from his pocket and pushed the call button. He waited a few agonizing seconds while the tone rang out beside his ear, hoping desperately for someone on the other line who could help him.

 

[Zayuz]

"An act of war..?" She says slowly, as if to confirm it. Danielle had the faintest sign of a smile, and her back got straighter by the mention of it. Her mind was flooded with images potential battles and such.. None of which involved nearly as many guns as would be appropriate for an actual battle. It excited her. Stabbing people was fun. "Does this mean we get to go raid some people..?" Her faint smile had broken into a much larger one, the knight eager to prove herself in battle. "I haven't had a chance to test my new armor against real bullets yet.." She followed Zarred's movements, seeing him reach for his phone.


"Ah.." Aside from a bit of daydreaming, Danielle had watched Zarred write for most of his note. "I don't think calling someone has much to do with writing a letter." She steps forwards and looks back to Mariah, only to realize she wasn't there. ..Had she been talking to herself throughout all this? Damn. ..But if she wasn't here, she didn't need permission to act on it. "Zarred. Write the letter. No calls." She commanded, looking again to Cece. "Can you explain to him that calling someone might be bad for his health? I wouldn't want him to get in trouble with Mistress.." 'Or me.' she thought, but elected not to include that part.

 

[Xistund]

Vance looked at the pills that were handed to him. "No thanks, I've been forced feed enough PSA's to know about strangers offering candy. And don't worry I have no plans on dying yet, I've got a few more sins to commit." He had felt the phone buzzing and his pants and put his finger in the hold up a moment way. Seeing the number and after hours of tracking it he knew who it must be.


"Hello mother fucker, guess who's back in town. Look, I know you're being a winy little emo prick but your parents are worried about you and sent me to pick you up and bring you home. So don't slit your wrists or whatever you do in your spare time, hold on I just got this thing to take care of and then I'll be there in a few. Keep your phone on you just, my car is 'literally' above you just in case you can't wait."


He said trying to give what info he could to Zarred without tipping off the would be doctor. "Sorry for missing your birthday, I tried to get you some presents but they got lost in the mail, so to make up for it I got a shit ton of booze, maybe we can get drunk off our asses. We could get a slice of pizza and hell maybe make up and bring the band back together, we have a lot of catching up to do apparently."

 

[Morgy]

Flora took back the pills giving them a look before shrugging and dropping them back into the bottle. "I understand, well you seem like a tough guy so in sure you'll be fine." Flora sighed as the man got in the phone, going around to inspect the mans wounds taking a cloth from the kit to wipe some of the blood away so she could get a better look at the injuries. "So would you care to explain how you got here? Or more importantly how you got so beat up? In this condition you wouldn't last 2 minutes tops" Flora said joking around a bit. Mariah had wanted her to question him but flora was a nurse not an inerrogationist. Sure she ciuld be a bit fkirty but the mans condition was beginning to look a bit serious. She didn't really undesmrstand but now she was curious, if this wasn't done by the cult members his the hell did he get this beat up? "Your body lokns like its been through a trash compactor..." Flora said frowning a bit as she finally cleared away a good amount of the blood away getting a bit concerned as she looked at the wounds. "Ok this is a lot more serious than I thought... The med kits not going to be enough." Flora said reaching for the bandages, no longer joking around. She was honestly worried for the mans life if he didn't get the proper treatment and rest it wouldn't end well...

 

[NovaPheonix]

Zarred wasn't quite sure how to react. With a flick of his finger he hung up the phone and put it on the ground. That was not who he expected to hear when he dialed the number. He finished up the letter and handed it up to Danielle so she could take it. "There." He said quickly and started to crawl over to another corner of the room on his hands as if to sit by himself further from Danielle. He grasped the phone close to his chest and hid it back in his pocket. "Was that...Vance?" He spoke to himself, gritting his teeth and remembering the moments he shared with the man three years ago.


Thoughts of rage and confusion rushed through his mind as he sat in contemplation.


'What the fuck is he doing here?!'


'How did he know I was here?!'


'Why does he have that phone?!'


'Is he with the Free Council?!'


'Does that mean he Awakened? What the fuck! Why him of all people?!'


'Doesn't he know my parents are dead?'


'He said he has a car...and alcohol...'


'Maybe I'm just hallucinating, but I swear that was him...'


"Danielle." Zarred got up, "One of my old friends..." he gulped a bit, "...came to visit me, can I go see him? You can escort me if you like, but I need to talk to him. Please!" He walked over to her with a pleading face and spoke as if he was begging her.


He wondered what happened to Vance since last time they met. Last he knew, the guy was a crazy anarchist fuck who kicked him out of the band. Maybe, Zarred hoped, he changed or reformed himself and just wanted to find him so they could patch things up. He didn't even see the guy at Cece's funeral though, so he wasn't sure if he even knew that his girlfriend died.


Regardless, he hated the man, but he was willing to give him a chance. He was still a bit high off blood, so it calmed him significantly and curbed his tension. Maybe now, Zarred thought, he could turn his life around. He was happy here...with Mariah and Cece at his side. Even though there were people like Eric and Trent he felt hostile towards, and Danielle who he wasn't sure about...he felt like his life was turning around. The memories of the last few years tumbled in his mind, and he wondered how much of his past was going to come back to bite him. Was the drummer with him too? Zarred had no idea where that dude went.


@Zayuz @Xistund

 

[Zayuz]

"A friend of yours..? Also with the intention of spying on our cult I assume.. Or bailing you." She thought about it for a moment, considering his state.. Even if he did get out, he was addicted to Mariah's blood.. And he had been starved, injured, broken.. Yes. She decided she would bring him. Normally she might laugh at his request, but leaving him alone while he had allies in the building just seemed like a poor idea. Plus, it would serve as an excellent warning to his 'friend' to see him in this state.. The thought amused her. "Tell me about him on the way." Danielle gestured for him to get up. Assuming he was able to. She pulls some handcuffs off the wall, advancing towards him and starting to put them on. "Maybe if you can get him to like the cult I'll bring you some food too.. Can you do that for me? Just tell him how great it is here.. How much you love it.. That kind of thing." She leads him out of the room once she finishes putting on his handcuffs, leading him to her extravagant room where she grabs her sword just inside the door. It was the same one as before, though this time she had no sheathe for it. With that beung done, she pushes Zarred further down the hall, is if he shouldn't have stopped to wait for her. "Keep moving. Just two floors up from here."