The Darkness In The Void

[Amberlin]

"Come..."

Emily tensed, then turned slowly toward the direction of the velvety voice. The woman motioned with a finger for Emily to join her in a roped off section of the house. "Come here, child... What are you doing here? Are you lost?"

Emily tried to smile as she approached, but the muscles in her face didn't seem to want to respond. The woman in the elegant Victorian chair was...intimidating, to say the least. Though, her movements were natural, there was something about the way she looked when she was still that caught Emily's eye. It was almost as if the woman was a living doll. Perfect. Poreless. Porcelain.

Coming to a stop before Lylith and the bearded man, far enough away to be polite but close enough to join the conversation, Emily finally regained control of her face and put on a small smile, clasping her hands together before her to keep her palms from view. "I'm here for the party," she replied to the first question, which wasn't really a lie. Emily hated bold-face lying and tried to avoid it when she could, opting to instead give only bits of truth. Technically, it could still be considered lying, but it made her conscious feel better about it. "I was lost," she continued, answering the last question, "but I found my way."

She swiveled her head around on her shoulders, glancing at the tall ceiling, the walls, the various decor; then, she turned back to the woman. "You have quite an impressive house here. You own all of this?" She looked around again, saying in a half-whisper, "It's beautiful..."

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

Lylith watched as the young woman approached. She monitored every motion, every twitch, and even litened to hear heart accelerate as she entered the naturally lit room... The windows glowed softly with the dimming light of the evening...

"I'm here for the party," "I was lost," she continued, "but I found my way."

"You have quite an impressive house here. You own all of this? ... It's beautiful..."

Lylith frowned at first, knowing she was lying 'A perk of being an immortal with certain powers...' she thought to herself... But as the young woman finished she smiled and clapped her hands together softly...

"Yes, this is my LOVELY home, and you ARE found now, aren't you? Ahh... Alas, but found in the presence of strangers..." She stood slowly, pressing her dress back into place as she greeted the young woman...

"Who are you, and what should I call you?" she asked, still feigning a polite happiness that could possibly seen as "over the top" by anyone who had the presence of mind to notice...

 

[Alexa Ray]

"Wait!"

Ivana's breath had been stolen, let loose because she hadn't decided to travel quickly to fall right in step with him after a few moments. She leaned against the crumbled but sturdy wall near her. After inhaling and exhaling, she straightened her back, staring straight at her father with a level gaze. Ivana had followed him after he'd suddenly rounded the corner without waiting for her response to his volatile statement. She'd followed him, rounding the corners about five feet behind him, turning left, then around a sharp corner towards the right.

He hadn't planned on leaving the castle right then and there, just leading her on further into excavation. They passed doors Ivana didn't know were there, she chased him down the crumbling hallway filled with dust and dirt. This man was driving her crazy, making her do all this walking. She had strength and endurance, they just didn't come naturally in this state of mind. Ivana found herself stopping in her tracks as he began to descend a fleet of spiral stairs. Was that even safe considering how old the castle was?

She gave a small huff then followed up after him, finally reaching the top, eyes pinned on the moonlight, dazzling above both her father and herself. She took a breather, allowing her shoulders to relax as she glanced up towards the moonlight, as well. Bright but serene and breathtaking. Her eyes darted back to her father, a small awkward smile gracing her lips. She didn't even care if he choosed to look at her or not. "Wait... please?"

 

[Sammael9216]

John noticed the heavy breathing by his side. His daughter had decided to join him after all. John allowed himself a smile, pleased by her choice. He realized how difficult it must be for her, following a man whom she only just met. John felt a moment of apathy for her, he would have to keep her in the dark for just a little while longer. There was no need for her to know his true intentions or that of her mothers. Not even John knew Avalene's end game or her motives. John would use his guile to keep his daughter ignorant to what was coming for now, but eventually he would have to tell her everything. He had been alone for so long he wasn't sure how he was going to cope with companionship. All he knew was darkness, perhaps she will be the light that guides him?

"I have waited for long enough, the time for complacency has ended," John stated defiantly. John continued to admire the moon not bothering to speak to his daughter directly. "I'm going to need your help Ivana, this world is still very new to me. You and I are alone, we need to remedy that. The way I see it we need friends, others we can trust. We either curry favor with an existing coven, or we create our own. What is your opinion on the subject?" He asked quizzically.

John did not just sleep and silently wait in his tomb. He spent days and months in silent meditation. Reflecting upon himself and the abilities he started to develop over time. The single most challenging aspect of his imprisonment was the thirst. A vampire can go mad if denied blood for too long, some even resort to eating their own flesh, like fox in a trap. Perhaps this is what Avalene had planned, for him to go mad for thirst unleashing him to sow chaos among the mortals? John had long for this moment, to no longer be held by walls and a low ceiling. He knelt on one knee for a moment clinching his hand in a tight fist. The air began to circulate around him. Slowly spinning in a circle, and increasing in speed each moment. The wind howled and spun violently around him like a small tornado. His coat and hair fluttered wildly with the wind. He could feel himself being picked up by the air current almost hovering. John straightened his body allowing the air to bring him aloft.

"Ha! Even the wind bends to my will! tell me, can you fly Little Dove?" John's vanity knew no limit.

 

[Alexa Ray]

Complacency? Ivana wondered why he'd think of that. He'd just gotten out and he was her father. When had complacency come into hand? She felt perturbed by his words and how bold he was when stating that the time for complacency has ended. Ivana listened to her father regardless, stepping forward a few steps in order to try and come face to face with him, to try and hold a decent, respectful conversation. He wanted to remedy on them being alone. He wanted friends, others he could trust. She immediately thought of her own mother. Their coven was reliable, was it not? Ivana thought so, although in reality, it must've been the complete opposite, but that was partial to her knowledge.

Ivana had lived within the Petrescu Coven her entire life and she still did, even now. She was still welcomed, still treated as her mother's child with a more mature light, now that she'd grown and developed into a fine young woman while her father rested his head in the casket for quite some time. She gave a small smile her father's way, pride filling her up. "I think we should go back home," she answered sincerely. Ivana didn't care about establishing anything with an existing coven or creating their own. She thought they should go home without having to worry about anything else and just be happy they finally got to see each other again.

The woman who looked young but was truly much older than that blinked at her father's sudden actions. He just did anything without the acknowledgment of others around him. She'd answered his question so what was he doing? Her eyes began to squint slightly and she placed a hand on her stomach to keep her dress shirt down and from flowing upwards. Ivana had to firmly plant herself on the ground to keep from being knocked over by the strong gusts of wind that suddenly levitated her father off the ground. She could barely hear him over the sound of air crashing into her ears. She approached him closer, yelling over the wind to try and get his attention. "What did you say?!"

 

[Amberlin]

Emily sighed. She knew she'd been caught now just from the way Lylith's expression and demeanor, as well as her tone.

"I'm Emily," she said, her smile taking on a rueful depth. "I came out of curiosity. A boy I go to college with tried to help me get in, but..." Emily trailed off with a smirk as she looked behind her toward the entrance to the house. "Let's just say that you are one step ahead of everything."

Emily probably should have kept silent after that, but she could not help herself.

"I overheard part of your announcement. From what I've seen, as well as pieced together from what you said, you are buying out all of the local business owners that have come to you for help over the years." Emily wasn't sure whether to call the woman "ma'am" or "miss", so she settled for using her first name. "Lylith, you seem to have everything. This house, the land... I can't even imagine how much money you have. Why would you want more?" Emily bit her lower lip, sensing she had probably gone too far with the questions. "Forgive me for asking. You don't even have to answer. I'll, uh... I'll show myself out now," she ended, laughing nervously.

 

[Lylith]

"I'm Emily,"

Lylith smiled as she waved the girls remark about leaving away as nonsense...

"On, no my dear... Your questions are perfectly relevant... Please stay and do allow me to explain... "

Lylith paused, waiting to see whether or not the young womans admitted curiosity would win out, and as soon as she had the chance, Lylith began weaving her tale, with her silken tongue, capturing her young audience with the tangled threads...

"This town is small... It was even smaller than it is now when I came to residency... It reminded me very much of my oldest home, back in Europe, and I fell in love with the little town. You see, I just couldn't bear to watch it rot away under it's own financial deprivation, and so I decided to invest HEAVILY in it... "

She paused, making sure the young woman was taking in every drop of her story...

"In fact, I've invested over two-hundred million into the little grocery stores, shops, and malls you visit on a day to day basis... I recently began to realize just how long it would take to see my investments grow, and I decided to accelerate the process. It's something my family has done for... Well... Centuries... "

Lylith smiled, naming a true fact that would be misinterpreted by the young, oblivious, human...

"All I'm doing, is securing the FUTURE of this town, and setting the financial security of my family up, for years and years to come... It's a good thing, all the way around, wouldn't you say?"

She grinned as she stood, taking a smell step towards her young guest as she finished her shortened explanation of ONE reason why she was eliminating the business leaders and financial gurus from the Table Rock area... She thought to herself and felt a shiver of anticipation as she toyed with the OTHER reasons... Just as Simon walked past, recognizing the young woman he had turned away at the door...

"Hey! You're not suppos- "

"It's quite alright, Simon... I was just explaining to young Emily here the purpose of my investment into her lovely home-town... "

Lylith waved Simon off, though she could clearly tell he was reluctant to be told away from his duties... And he was most CERTAINLY frustrated at not being able to keep the house secure against a teenage girl!

Simon frowned even as he nodded and walked away, a scowl adorning his young face...

"Don't mind him... " Lylith assured Emily as she took her arm in hers and escorted her into the emptying guess hall once more...

The guests had been leaving ever since the speech ended... Some had accepted their checks, and Lylith could tell that some would not be leaving until they had had their say in the matter. Those guests were talking loudly among their selves, some in quite an uproar over the financial implications of buying out a town, and some were even talking about legal matters...

Lylith could hear everything, and she had already made plans for the ones that resisted her takeover... If they would not allow her to proceed with business peacefully, then a hostile takeover was her only other option.

"Perhaps... It is time that you leave... " Lylith suggested to Emily as she led her between pillars and under arches to a door near where a kitchen would normally be...

She drew a small, simple, key from her pocket and unlocked the door silently...

"Don't come back... " She said as she nudged the young girl out the door gently, but firmly... She had a smile on her face even as she closed the door and locked it once more, sealing the house completely.

No one else would be leaving tonight...

 

[Amberlin]

The air was quite a bit chillier than it had been before, and it was now completely dark outside, save for the light of the crescent moon. Emily inhaled, feeling her skin tighten and become gooseflesh. The little shrug over her shoulders did little to help keep her warm.

She heard the door lock behind her, but thought little of it as she started forward, hugging herself against random gusts of wind. It was a long walk back to her car, but she needed the time to think.

Emily was upset, to say the least. Not only had she failed to get inside with the original plan, but she had to go all secret-agent and sneak inside, only to get caught within minutes. Not only was her pride hurt, but her wallet, as well. The dress appeared to be fine, but she knew she would probably find a tear, a stain, or a hole in it somewhere once she got back to her apartment.

Then there was Lylith... For some reason, Emily could not get her out of her head. Emily wasn't gay by any means, but the woman had simply enchanted her. Every time she blinked, she could see her soft, curvy figure, the long, deep-red hair pulled back, and especially her face; a defined, European bone structure, pouty lips, and high-arching, perfectly sculpted brows above intense eyes that seemed to pierce right through Emily's core. There had been a bearded man near her side, but so enraptured with Lylith Emily had been, she could barely recall him at all now.

When Lylith explained the reasoning behind the guests there and her plan, Emily watched her front-page story die before her very eyes. What the hell was she going to do now? She was lucky Lylith didn't call the police on Emily for trespassing. There was no way she could go back, even if there was a story waiting to be told hiding somewhere in that house. Emily was still convinced there was. For all of Lylith's smooth talking and reasonable explanations, something was just not quite right about her.

She is hiding something... I just know it, Emily thought.

Centuries. Europe. The two words hit Emily so hard she stopped in her tracks. Lylith had said her old home was in Europe, and hinted that her family has had influence for centuries. Perhaps she could do a little at-home investigating into the von Black family? Emily wasn't sure if there would be anything to find, but it seemed like a good idea, regardless. If anything, it would be nice to know more about this mysterious woman.

 

[Lylith]

Lylith von Black
Table Rock: von Black Estate

She watched as the sun finally disappeared behind the peak opposite the canyon that held the little town of Table Rock. It was now dark, but the hard work had already been done... Not a few years ago, she and her family would only just be beginning their night lives, secreted away from the rest of intelligent beings out of the need for secrecy.. But things have changed...

She turned from the tinted window pane and watched as her lovely family members still dressed in their finest, disposed of the bodies of the chess pieces that didn't want to play. They were light, being drained of fluids, and as pale as Lylith was... But that wasn't quite a fair comparison... The dead white of a corpse to her porcelain white... Her mind danced over the differences until she refocused once more on the matter at hand...

"Make sure you... the door after this last... " she heard, in muffled tones, despite her unmatched hearing...

"and don't let me... sorting through the ladies und-... "

She turned her head, ignoring that last part for the sake of her own dignity...

"My Lady... "

Alexander had, once more, managed to sneak up on her completely silently despite his size... He held a phone with a display apparently sporting some sort of news announcement. It wasn't Canadian... In fact it was German.

Lylith peered at the news only to find herself rather excited by it. Alexander held the phone steady while she flipped through the announcement of the excavation of the site of ancient Regenstein and the bloody carnage that was found in one of the unearthed chambers not long afterwards...

"Poor soul... I wonder who it could be... " Lylith muttered, somewhat sarcastically as she imagined the horror of being locked away for all those years. The confusion as he realized just how much things have changed, or the anger at realizing just how much time was lost.

Lylith quickly noted the locations mentioned and dates within the article pertaining to the events... She smiled as she realized just how lucky they were to have caught it before the South American Clan. She mentally frowned as she remembered the last incident... They don't recruit new members anymore...

"Arrange transportation for the family? I think it's time to go on a little vacation... Don't you think?" She smiled, allowing Alexander to tuck his phone away before taking his arm once more, allowing him to escort her away from the gory scene in the 'would be' master bedroom... Just as she exited, the false bookcase was slid shut, hiding the meat freezer, chock full of fresh kill hanging from hooks, fully clothed, and in an eternal...

Frosty...

Sleep...

 

[Sammael9216]

John was laughing hysterically by the time his daughter answered his question. He could see her lips moving but the only sound he could hear was the high pitch squeal of the wind. John was ready to fly. Something man during his time only thought impossible. John stepped closer to the ledge of the cliff his castle was built on. Below him a sheer drop to the valley. Off in the distance a feint flicker of light could be seen. It was not the sun but instead a city. The same city he ravaged during its infancy. John took note of how drastic the scenery had changed. The once endless forest and mountains had dwarfed since last he saw them. The forest itself had been stripped of valuable lumber and erosion had taken its tole on the mountain. John, still clung to the fear that flying was a fools dream. Yet he quickly decided that a fall from this height would not kill. After all, what is to be immortal and fear death? John waved out his hand for his daughter to step closer. He then twirled his finger in a circle, and a cyclone of wind began to spiral around his daughter.

Mastery of the elements was an ideal gift he could not have expected to be more valuable. In truth John would have ignorantly demanded more physical strength and speed. But there is nothing faster then the wind itself. Perhaps it was divine justice that he gained these powers and abilities, after all he was due some revenge. John certainly hoped that the higher powers were on his side for a change. Even though, a deeper part of himself knew that was only foolish thinking. John took one step off the ledge. He dipped slightly as if he stumbled and tried to regain his balance. Walking on air was a bit like you would think. John motioned for his daughter to join him. "What good is a Little Dove that cannot fly?" John said mockingly. He turned slightly trying not to follow the spiral of the wind. The wind itself pushed him upwards and kept him hovering in place bouncing softly as he steadied himself. The city was large and no doubt a buzz of life and human excitement. John longed for it! The thrill of a crowed, the busy people going about their night. John then turned to his daughter and made a motion with his finger telling her to follow him. With that he set off towards the city and the lights. As he leaned forward the wind acted on impulse without his guidance and propelled him forward. It was almost like swimming, except without the flailing of arms and legs. The wind was stronger high up in the mountains and every so often he was pushed off course by a gust of air.

John kicked with his feet and the wind pushed him even faster. John pushed himself up and in a soft arch began to rise even higher. Pushing and pushing he kept going till the clouds themselves were in arms length. John busted through a large raincloud. John was surprised that he didn't even get wet. The wind around me must act like some sort of barrier as well? He thought to himself. John waved a outstretched arm and a cloud followed its movements. Soon John was molding the clouds themselves using his hands. He clumped them together, moved them left and right, and then he dispersed them altogether. Below him the city looked liked a small village, and the land itself looked like patchwork in a quilt. He enjoyed himself he forgot all about his daughter. Had she jumped and followed him? The wind would work for her too so long as John kept his active. "Little Dove! Where have you flown off too?" John called out to her with hands cupped around his mouth.