Bloody Masquerade [private]

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Alice seemed to be mumbling to herself, and Tuskin heard every word that came from her lips. He allowed her to talk it out with herself before he decided to bud in. All of the information he spewed was probably swimming in her head, which he could understand why. He just laid out a few things that would get anyone's head to spin. "War" was always an unpleasant word to hear, especially in this day of age. No one thought of war since there hadn't been one in a long while. It was time for everyone to get out of that peace.

"He didn't tell you because he didn't want to scare you," Tuskin answered, shrugging his shoulders. She deserved to know everything that was happening. If Kamijo wasn't entranced with her at the ball, he wouldn't have let any of this happen. Now they were bringing in a woman that those young vampires could use as a possible hostage if they were able to catch her. They wouldn't have any luck if she was always surrounded by her protectors.

A sigh came from his lips, running his hand through his hair. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut. Kamijo was going to find out he told her about everything, and the vampire would be mad at him. Tuskin hated keeping things from people since it stayed on his conscious if he did hide things. That was his downfall at times.

"Just stick with us, we are trying to figure out this whole situation," he told her, "And I assure you that everything will be figured out by tonight."
 
Even if he didn't want to scare her, it wasn't like she could get much more scared than she had already been after the attack. Sure, hearing the word war did bring it up a notch, but with some explaining it would probably not seem as scary. Just throwing out the word war and actually explaining the situation were two different things. Alice still felt as if she were in the dark. For someone being involved in a war, she knew ridiculously little about it.

"Can I borrow some of your confidence? I think I might need it more than you right now." She said teasingly, trying to bring her own mood up a bit, but it seemed like that wouldn't happen just yet. Well, at the very least she weren't back into the same shock like state she had been in the previous day.

"How come you can be so sure you're going to figure out everything by tonight?" Alice then asked him slightly worried he might be promising too much. "That's quite a lot to do in just a single day... Or night." She also mentioned. These kind of things usually had to be discussed for weeks or months in the human world before everything was figured out, solved or planned. It wasn't like vampires spoke faster than humans, so how come they could do the same stuff so much faster?

Once again she had forgotten the cultural differences between humans and vampires, and that there were less people in the council than humans discussing war or terrorist situations. An agreement was easier to come to if less people had to agree with each other. Cultural shock and deadly danger shock, what a great combination.
 
With a shake of his head, Tuskin replied with, "I am not entirely sure if we can figure things out tonight. We are probably going to discuss any further actions we must take." He was certain they would talk, and then arguments will ensue between the vampires. Kamijo would want to protect Alice at all cost since he was the one who allowed her to come to the council meeting in the first place, and probably the others would just tell him that he made the situation worst. Well, it was actually Elena's fault, to be fair. She was the one who suggested the idea of the young girl to sit in.

He looked down at his watch, seeing that it was the afternoon. They have been talking for awhile, and he was starting to get hungry. "Let's try to get our minds off of this, okay? Let's go back inside, I am going to make something to eat and I can make you something if you are hungry as well," he suggested. It would be good to get their minds off of the whole subject for now. There wasn't much that they could do anyway, he was just telling her what he knew about the whole matter. It was a tough situation, but it was going to get fixed. All they needed to do was to take down the young vampires who wished to over throw the council, no big deal.

"Besides, I think Kamijo is probably awake right now, he usually doesn't sleep much," he told her.
 
Alice looked down on her wristwatch as he mentioned food. Was the clock that much already? She had completely lost track of time as she had spoken with Tuskin. Not because she had anything important to do either way. "Some lunch would be nice." She replied with a smile.

Maybe she should take some time and call her mother while he cooked. She should be working at this time of the day, so the answer machine would be on. Alice had hoped to do that before Kamijo woke up though. She had thought she had the whole day. But he would probably be busy with other matters, so the chances of him spending time with her like he had on the ball was probably pretty slim.

"You two should learn the importance of a full nights, or days, sleep." She scolded him as she jumped off the rock she had used as a chair. She did still remember that Tuskin had said that he had gotten a little sleep that night when she had been worried that he might not have slept at all. "That is if you don't wish to get wrinkles before you're forty." She warned as she started to walk. That was definitely an useless argument for a vampire. Kamijo probably wouldn't change at all no matter how long he lived or how little sleep he got.

"So, what will our gourmet chef make us today?" She asked as she heard her stomach growl. Apparently she was hungrier than she first had thought. Or maybe it just decided to act up every time someone mentioned food.
 
"Wrinkles? We don't worry about wrinkles, my dear Alice," Tuskin replied, and then let out a small laugh. Wrinkles were something that they graciously didn't get, no matter how stressed they got in different situations. Vampires would never change their appearance, the way they were turned was how they would look forever. Shapeshifters were different, their appearance slowly changed and they aged slower than an average human. Average life expectancy was about 300 years on average. He fully lived to 100, so he had about 200 to go. Lucky him.

He led her away from the lake, going to where they came from. It was still quiet in the area, besides the few birds and the rustle of the bushes when the small critters ran by through the bushes to avoid them. At her question about food, he thought of the different things that he could make. Now he had to think about the vegetarian options he knew how to make. "Maybe pasta?" he suggested, glancing back at her for a moment before looking ahead of himself. That seemed like an easy thing to make for now.

"Though we will have to see what I have stocked the fridge with," he mentioned. He made sure to stock the fridge with a few items because of the human members of the council, they had to eat too when they came to meetings since they usually happened when it was dinner time. "I don't know what they left, but I am pretty sure that they didn't eat all of the food I decided to buy."
 
Alice had expected so much from vampires. No aging, no wrinkles. But Tuskin? Didn't shapeshifters get wrinkles? Or was it just that he didn't care? Well, most men in general didn't seem to care much about such things, so she shouldn't be too surprised about that. It wasn't something that seemed perplexing enough for her to get curious about it, so she let it go.

The food matter made her a bit more thoughtful though. Didn't he say that vampires didn't eat food? So who was he getting food for if not himself? Clearly he knew something he had forgotten she hadn't been told. "Are you feeding the ghosts in the mansion or something?" She asked, obviously having gotten over the ghost thing already. Well, she would be over it until the night came. At that point she would probably turn on every lamp she could find in any room she happened to walk into just to feel safer. Poor vampires. Maybe she should stick to her own room during the night.

"I was certain you said no one ate over here." She reminded him. Though then she remembered that he had said that vampires didn't eat there. On the other hand, except for Tuskin and the humans of the council coming over a bit now and then, no one else as far as she knew were there. She had just figured people ate before they came or after they left.
 
Tuskin rolled his eyes at her questions, but then chuckled as he brought her back up to the mansion. "I told you that vampires don't eat, but they can if they truly want to if they are bored," he responded, shrugging his shoulders. Maybe he just didn't have a good explanation when he was talking about their eating habits. "I usually make sure the fridge has a few things when the human members of the council come over, and for when I come over as well. Mostly for when I come over since I am always there, even way before you came along. I still have my room, but I hardly use it since I do have my own place to stay."

Bringing her up the hill, and leading her back around to the front of the mansion, he looked around for a brief moment to check his surroundings. No one was around, no one ever was around. It was just a safety thing for him, he always had to check what was around him before he entered the mansion or his own home. Giving her a grin, he opened the door for her and allowed her to walk inside before he did. That was the proper thing to do anyway, and at least he knew how to be proper. Even if he was a dog, he didn't have to be like one.

"So, whenever you want something to snack on, I usually keep fruits in the fridge, as well as junk food in the cabinets," he gave her a grin as he closed the door behind them as they got into the mansion. When they entered, the sound of the piano could be heard being played from down the hall. "Well, it seems like Kamijo is actually awake. If you wish to talk to him, you can, I will be in the kitchen and I will get you when the food is ready." He was just suggesting, that was all. Maybe she had questions for the vampire that he couldn't answer. There had to be. It could also wait if she wanted to.
 
It did seem like a waste of food if one ate even though they didn't need to. But on the other hand, he had mentioned that it helped them to stay more human, or being less tempted, so for the sake of humanity, it was probably a good thing that vampires ate.

Walking inside, a piano could be heard playing from somewhere close by. Tuskin was fast to mention that it probably were Kamijo. Alice would have been way too scared to wake someone up to even be able to make the smallest of noise. But maybe vampires weren't too bothered with sounds. Or maybe they simply had really good isolation in the walls to the bedrooms.

"Junk food will be the death of humanity." Alice pointed out. She didn't mention her obsession with fried french fries though. Fried food was way too unhealthy, but oh so yummy. And it wasn't like she kept away from junk food like she did meat. She ate it occasionally, especially when she were stressed. "I'll go greet him good morning. I'm a disaster in the kitchen anyway. My mom doesn't even allow me in there anymore." She told him and waved goodbye while backing a few steps, then she turned around and walked towards the music.

Soon she were able to locate Kamijo and the piano. Not wanting to disturb him while he were in the middle of playing she tried not to make too much noise as she took a seat and waited for him to finish. Of course she knew that some people could keep going around on the same piece for hours without stopping. But it wasn't like she minded. She usually listened to classical music while doing homework, or just to relax. Relaxing was definitely something she needed at the moment.
 
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Kamijo played a soft tune on the piano, a song that had been completely mesmerizing to listen to. His fingers gracefully went against the keys, and his eyes remained closed as he played. As Alice came near, he didn't stop his song, but he was fully aware of her presence. She was aware of it when she walked back into the mansion with Tuskin. He wasn't worried that she wasn't in her room when he woke up, he knew that she had been in good hands since the shapeshifter has been loyal to him for years now.

"Good afternoon, Alice," he greeted in a calm matter, not even looking at her as he opened his eyes and looked down at the keys for a brief moment. "Did you enjoy your time with Tuskin?" His voice sounded silky, velvety even. Compared to most times she has spoken to him, this had been the most relaxed he has been. For this moment he didn't have to worry about young vampires trying to kill his entire council, nor did he have to worry about attempting to drink her blood. He was at a strange peace with himself at the moment.

His hands stopped, and he reached over to take the wine glass that was set on top of the piano. Thick red liquid swished around on the inside, which he drank. For now it curbed his cravings, and it did it well. Setting the glass back down, he turned to face her and slightly tilted his head to the side to look at her curiously. "Did you rest well?" Kamijo questioned, giving her a kind smile.
 
Alice closed her eyes and listened to the mesmerizing melody. It was so beautiful she fast got lost in it. That was until Kamijo started to speak. He spoke so softly and relaxed it could as well have been part of the music. She opened her eyes. It took her some moment to even realize that the words were meant for her, even though he had said her name.

"I did." She nodded, even though he didn't look at her yet. "He explained a lot of things, and were very nice." Alice continued, not telling him exactly what Tuskin had explained to her, but it were so many things she could barely remember. There were probably things Tuskin shouldn't have told her, like how she had gotten into a war between vampires. So if he asked she might just only mentioned the first few things Tuskin had told her about. How ghosts, shapeshifters, witches, vampires and werewolves worked.

To his second question she had to think for a moment. While she had slept deeply, she weren't sure if it had felt like a particular good sleep. As she thought she watched the red liquid, fairly certain of what it was. "I at least slept a lot. And I felt better than I thought I would when I woke." She eventually said. Not a lie, and that was the closest she could get to a truth since she weren't completely sure herself. Sometimes it was just hard to know how you felt. Even if it was for something as easy as a simple rest.

"You're really good with the piano. Have you played long?" Alice then asked him. She guessed he at the very least had played for ten years, but she doubted he had played for all his vampire years. It was a bit hard to see a vampire feasting on humans while also enjoying themselves with Mozart. She might be wrong though. Kamijo hadn't always been good, and she did accept that. Just like humans, vampires could change and become better people.
 
Well, at least she did have a general good amount of sleep. Kamijo had only slept for a couple of hours, but he was still energized. Sleeping long was something that he wasn't used to, and he only slept for longer periods of time if he was injured. That didn't happen often, the last bad injury he had was before the council came about. That was a story that he would save for another time. He had enemies, and he still did. At least now they weren't as big as they were in the past.

Speaking about his talent at the piano, he just gave a smile as he looked back at the keys. "I have been playing for over a century, it's something that I picked up when I locked myself in the mansion," he told her. There was nothing else to do that would occupy his time. He chose to keep himself hidden from the world until recently, for many reasons. Now he thought that he should have just kept himself in secret, but there was no turning back at this point.

"I closed myself off from the world because I was forbidding myself to go out to kill," he said, glancing over at her. "I was putting myself in a detox, and it wasn't easy. At least Tuskin had been around to help when he could. He has the patience that most don't have. Just having him there made me keep my humanity, I suppose it's the bond that him and I share."
 
It took her a few moments to grasp what he was telling her. He had been playing for a century. Tuskin had been around to help him. For how long exactly. It couldn't have been possible for him to have been around for all that time. Tuskin seemed to maximum be in his late thirties, and that was stretching it. But it sounded on Kamijo as if they had known each other for longer. Maybe she was wrong. But considering he had helped Kamijo keep his humanity, as he put it, shouldn't he have been needed early on? What or who helped him before Tuskin was born?

"Wait a sec... If you locked yourself up a century ago and he didn't come into the picture for...What could it be?.. Seventy years? How did you manage before that?" Alice could just have asked a simpler question without having to put in beliefs that could be misconceptions, like, when did you meet Tuskin? But the simplest questions didn't seem to want to emerge in her mind at that very moment.

"If you're not saying he's been around for longer... I mean, he can't be that old. He's not even in his middle ages yet." A wave of uncertainty showered over her. "Right?"
 
Kamijo let a small chuckle escape from his lips at her questions. She seemed confused, and she was confused. Vampires and shapeshifters looked young, no matter what age they were. Though Tuskin was able to age, but very slowly. As a vampire, Kamijo stayed the same because of his immortality. The curse of being a vampire, but he grown used to it over the ages.

"Tuskin is over a century years old," Kamijo told her, not knowing the exact age of the shapeshifter. They never asked each other how old they were, it was never important to them. Living with immortality was almost depressing because they had to witness other people die around them. Oh well, that was how the world turned.

"The first few years had been hard, I couldn't keep myself contained in my dungeon," he said, explaining the struggle that he had in his century of keeping to himself. "Since Zayn is older than I, he had to keep me in check. He knows how to turn on and off his blood lust when he wishes."
 
"A century?" Alice almost fell off the chair when she heard it. She had believed that all creatures except for vampires and ghosts lived a human long life. Apparently she was wrong.

"Dungeon?" Now it was more out of concern than surprise that she reacted. "That's a figure of speech right? You weren't really locked up in a dungeon.. Were you?" While it was hard to believe that anyone would go that far to keep themselves from loosing control, it wasn't unusual to see those things on TV with werewolves. At least they only had to do it once a month. If the blood lust became that bad for Kamijo, it might be completely random and unpredictable.

"Sorry.. I shouldn't be asking such sensitive questions." She fast apologized. People should talk about their past because they feel ready for it, and they trust the person they are talking to. Maybe he would feel pressured into talking about something he didn't want to speak about if she kept asking him. "There's something else I wanted to ask you about. Tuskin mentioned it earlier today." It wasn't like she tried to lay the guilt on Tuskin, but even if she hadn't mentioned his name, it wasn't like anyone else would have told it to her.

"He told me that you've been expecting a war for some time.. And that I got dragged into it yesterday, with the attack. I understand that you didn't have time to talk to me about it yesterday, nor were I in a state to listen. But there's time now. I want to know what's going on. For how long have you waited for them to make their move?" She weren't particularly angry on anyone, even though some part of her did blame the two whom let her come to the meeting, even though they knew that a war was on its way. But now when she were involved, she needed to know what it was she had gotten into. Before she knew exactly what was going on, she couldn't completely put the blame on anyone, nor take it away from those that might be part of the problem.
 
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