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Post by Vivian Nazarova on Oct 24, 2009 9:33:56 GMT 1
Post assisted with the equivalent of 2.5 shots of vodka. You’re welcome.
[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/H2/Viv12.png,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/Viv1_02.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] Yeah, the forest was still scary. Apparently vampirism hadn’t changed that fact in the slightest. Vivian was possibly one of the most dangerous creatures to be found lurking around tonight, and yet, she was the one that was jumping at every creak and shadow. Old habits died hard.
Oh well. If she wanted to hike up to the school to find some thestrals, this was the best time to do it. The weather was mild and pleasant, the night was young and the moon was large enough to give plenty of light without running the risk of a werewolf encounter. Vivian couldn’t get a better opportunity even if she prayed for it, but, eh, something just wasn’t right, you know? Call it a too much nerves, a bad feeling or a gut instinct, but... yeah, she didn’t like this.
The trees started to thin as she got closer to the school. Vivian pushed her hands into her jacket pockets out of habit and looked in the direction of the castle nostalgically as she walked. Oh well, if she couldn’t find a thestral she could still go check on the other animals near the Care Of Magical Creatures classes. It’s just, she couldn’t find documentation on if dying yourself let you see thestrals, so it’d be fun to check, no?
If only the damn uncomfortable feeling would fade away.
This was Sam’s fault, she decided. The other vampire had been appearing in the darnest places to try and talk to her lately and now he had her all paranoid about being stalked. Maybe he was doing it on purpose? She couldn’t even tell. He’d better not be following her again now. She might actually have to just outright tell him to leave her alone again and confrontation was not her strong point.
Gah, okay, no. Something was definitely up. Vivian stopped walking and frowned, trying to peer around to see if anything was visible between the masses of black trunks. There was nothing, but, argh. She’d put money on the fact there was something following her, and when she turned to look Vivian could almost swear something had just moved in a manner consistent with no waving tree branch.
Bah, Sam!
“I know you’re zhere,” she pouted, feeling a little bit irritated her trip was going to be ruined by more refusing to follow him off to some magical vampire school. “So zhere’s no point hiding.”
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Oct 28, 2009 18:59:54 GMT 1
[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/daci.png][bg=000000][atrb=style,background-position: top; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 220px 65px 65px 65px;]Despite the physical and emotional pain associated with this place, it was almost a relief to be back in familiar territory. The forest itself was not an ideal hunting ground, but Silas had never once set foot in it as far as he knew, and that was a comfort that cancelled out the fact he had to spend his days in a damp cave. Samuel had insisted he’d be safe enough in the village, but Dacian wasn’t taking any chances that he’d be seen by those he wanted to stay hidden from. Silas of course was on the top of that list, but a certain blond came in a near second.
The only person he did want to see – and his whole reason for being here – was Vivian. Samuel had apparently tried his best to convince her to leave Hogsmeade, but short of dragging her, there was nothing that would tear her away. Dacian could at least now feel smug that even the mellowest of vampires couldn’t convince Vivian to leave. And to think for a while he believed it was his tactics that failed him the first time round.
He’d had time to think about Vivian over the last month whilst he recovered from the incident. Mostly because he refused to think about anybody else. Should any other face associated with Hogsmeade, friend or foes, come to mind, he blocked it and resolutely ignored it. Thinking too hard about his mistakes hurt his pride, and he couldn’t have that. His ego was practically all he had left until he gained his physical strength back.
Aside from the new scar on his face, made starkly visible by his newly cropped hair, he showed no other outward signs of damage. Inwardly, however, his chest ached and he had the relative strength of a vampire half his age. He was slowly improving, but this little stint in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by a severe lack of A+ women.
This was his last chance to get Vivian into the coven. While he himself was no longer a member, Vivian would benefit greatly from a century or two in their presence. If she didn’t take the offer now, it wouldn’t come around again. Of course there were other covens that might accept her, but none as prestigious and powerful as the one that offered her this opportunity. Most importantly, he trusted this coven more than any other to take care of her, as he himself had been a part of it for his younger days. As much as he’d rather raise her himself, the coven could offer her a level of safety that he could not.
So Vivian was the reason he was back skulking in the Forbidden Forest. He hadn’t expected to find her right under his nose, however. He’d figured he’d settle back into his forest hidey-hole, and Samuel would organise to meet her in a few days. Dacian was hesitant to step one foot outside the forest, but if his nose was telling the truth, he wouldn’t have to.
Samuel had suggested he stay close to the cave, but Dacian ignored that in favour of following the faint trail of his vampire progeny. He started out with a briskness that betrayed his anticipation until the natural suspicion set in that it might be a trap. Had Silas discovered he was here? Had he captured Vivian to use as a lure? Dacian’s pace slowed, sucking in deep (painful) drags of air through his nose to test for scent. There was no hint of Silas, or anyone but Vivian, but Dacian had come to the grudging realisation that he couldn’t put anything past wizards.
Following the trail between the ancient trunks was second nature, and at a slight jog he caught up, the sound of footfalls coming crisp over the still night air. He slowed, working his way closer to catch a glimpse. She was alone as his senses had told him, and the fact she seemed generally calm suggested there was no trap. He followed for a while, keeping his distance out of habit. To his surprise, he raised her suspicion much earlier than he thought he would. Vivian had not been the most attentive of students but since his disappearance, she had become more alert. He watched her for signs that she would take action, and sure enough she eventually stopped to take a look around.
He ducked behind the nearest tree at the sight of her quarter profile. A smile turned the corners of his mouth at her exasperated tone, and he wondered who she thought he was. She assumed he was dead, and Samuel had not told her otherwise. Perhaps that boy from the school? He waited what would have been a handful of heartbeats if he had one before he spoke aloud. “I thought you might be a little more pleased to see me than that.”
His better judgement should have held him back from choosing now to do the reintroduction, but nobody had ever accused Dacian of being patient. He stepped out from behind the gnarled trunk, standing beside it and acting nonchalant. With shorter hair and significantly smarter clothing, he looked more out of place in the dark wilds of the forest than his former self but despite the striking new scar, there was a softness to his expression when he met her eyes that was mirrored in his voice. “Hello, Vivian.”
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Post by Vivian Nazarova on Oct 29, 2009 14:56:07 GMT 1
[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/H2/Viv12.png,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/Viv1_02.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] No answer. That’s weird. Sam always acknowledged her when she caught him out. There was no heartbeat, so she couldn’t have made a mistake: it was definitely a vampire and Lenny never stalked her even once so that ruled out everything but one. Hmm. If Sam was following her out in the forest now he must be getting really desper—
The reply made Vivian stiffen, a look of surprise dashing across her face.
Wait. What?
That wasn’t Sam’s voice.
That wasn’t anything even vaugely like Sam’s voice.
It sounded like—But no. It couldn’t be. She wasn’t even going to humor that idea because it was so impossible it wasn’t even—
When Dacian stepped out from behind the tree Vivian honestly though her knees were about to give.
Holy shit! Vivian wasn’t a swearer but HOLY. SHIT.
He was dead! He couldn’t be standing there next to the tree because he was dead and—He was meant to be dead! Ed and Cassie had seen the body with their own eyes and--... He was meant to be DEAD!
He was still standing there. Vivian wasn’t foolish enough to think he might vanish if she blinked hard enough but the fact he was still there was making this even more impossible to ignore already than she wanted it to be.
He was meant to be dead!
Words should be coming out of her mouth, but they weren’t. Her mouth was far too busy hanging open in shock to be forming sounds and her brain was far too broken to enunciate anything legible anyway.
He was meant to be...
Oh Holy GOD!
Her mouth opened and shut a few times, but it was obvious she was incapable of saying anything. What the heck WAS there to say? This didn’t even feel real, like she was a third person bystander trapped in her own head and like tomorrow this wouldn’t have happened and holy crap...
He was meant to be dead!
Yet, there he was and this wasn’t possible but it was happening anyway and he looked a bit different but it was definitely him and....
Dacian. The name went through her head as though she was saying it. She wanted to say it, but it wouldn’t leave her throat.
This... just.... ARGH.
Dacian!
Good lord she was about to cry again.
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Oct 29, 2009 16:07:22 GMT 1
[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/daci.png][bg=000000][atrb=style,background-position: top; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 220px 65px 65px 65px;]This was one of those rare moments that Dacian might have cracked a grin had this been a normal reunion. For him, he’d known it was coming. He’d waited more than a month to see Vivian again. She’d had more than a month to mourn (assuming his overbearing relationship with her hadn’t had her rejoicing at his apparent death). Seeing him alive couldn’t be easy to process, so he gave her a moment to stare.
In his human years, he’d had children but he’d died before they even reached their teens. He’d sired vampires before, but Vivian was physically the youngest. She was the closest thing to a daughter he’d had in centuries. His affection toward her was purely platonic, and seeing her he felt a flush of pride. The fact that she’d sensed him following her was something to be proud of, even if it was accompanied by the guilt of not being here to help her.
He shouldn’t have fallen for Silas and Cain’s trap. Nobody should be more important to him than Vivian right now. If he really had died, she’d be all alone. Lenny was a temporary measure; she wouldn’t be able to raise Vivian properly. And it was pot luck that the coven had intervened when they had, else Samuel wouldn’t have been in the area to really protect her while he was incapacitated.
Looking so fragile, it was a wonder she hadn’t become a target. She looked as if her knees might buckle, and he broke the silence with crisp steps on forest floor debris to come to her aid. He put an arm around her back, voice soft and low. “Hush, it’s alright. I’m sorry.” He rubbed a hand reassuringly over her upper arm, aware that this was perhaps the most overt affection he had ever shown her.
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Post by Vivian Nazarova on Nov 3, 2009 11:17:08 GMT 1
[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/H2/Viv12.png,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/Viv1_02.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] He wasn’t saying anything. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why wasn’t she saying anything? What was there to say? Heck, Vivian had no idea what was even supposed to happen now. What was there to do now? This was too much. It couldn’t be real yet at the same time the back of her mind was informing her that no, this was definitely no hallucination.
Any lingering notions that this might be some sort of dream were shattered when Dacian walked towards her. His feet were making audible sound against the leaves, and when he put his arm around her shoulders there was a distinct weight to them. She could hear him. She could feel him. He was here. He was definitely here and—
That was it. Vivian cracked.
It wasn’t like dissolving into tears was all that usual for Vivian lately, but this—this was... She didn’t even know what this was. She didn’t know what to feel. Didn’t know what to think. All she knew for certain was two things: That she was relieved beyond words that he was back to take care of her again, and that she never, ever wanted him to leave her like that again.
And, as though to prove that point, she gripped Dacian into a tight hug, crying quietly into his shoulder.
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Nov 6, 2009 14:53:39 GMT 1
[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/daci.png][bg=000000][atrb=style,background-position: top; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 220px 65px 65px 65px;]Even after centuries of existance, Dacian could probably count on one hand the number of times someone had used his shoulder to cry on. He wasn't usually seen as the sympathetic sort. But he could forgive Vivian. She'd had a shock and while she was still young, there were a lot of things in the world that would surprise her. Her sire coming back from the dead now being off the list. The gesture was stiff and unsure, but he put his arms around her and let her spend her tears.
It occured to him that he hadn't expected her to welcome him back so openly. He'd disappointed her, scared her, and had not as of yet explained anything. Yet she seemed not to car as she actually hugged him like she'd missed him. It was a novel feeling, but he was relieved to see her too.
Absently he stroked her hair, murmering calming words. When the forest noises came creeping back around them, he gently took her shoulders and drew her back. "That's enough tears at my expense, Vivian." He said with a slight smile. "I suppose you might have a question or two, but first: What are you doing out in the forest? Alone?" The question was almost his usual stern tone, but the scowl that usually accompanied it was absent.
Samuel was supposed to be watching her. And he hadn't sensed him nearby. That crout better have a good reason as to why he'd even let Vivian out of his sight.
Ah, that was better. The familiar feeling of ire tugging at his mood. He didn't feel so completely out of place any longer. |
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Post by Vivian Nazarova on Nov 14, 2009 10:12:57 GMT 1
[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/H2/Viv12.png,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/Viv1_02.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] At long last Dacian pulled her off his shoulder. God she should do something, but what was there to do? Dacian was back, and, he was back, and, he was really back, and that was all that she could think of and that was really all that mattered.
“I suppose you might have a question or two—”
Oh you could say that one again. “Vhere haff you—” Vivian started, only to be cut off. Apparently that hadn’t been an invitation to talk.
“ —But first: What are you doing out in the forest? Alone?"
Oh God the answer was so pathetic and she knew it. Vivian squirmed lightly, at once feeling like she was all the way back to before Dacian had ever vanished, back to how it had been before. Well, almost. Whereas before she might have called Dacian a paranoid buzzkill, she recognised now at least that he acted that way for a reason. Sorta. But hey, she could put up with a little interrogation seeing as oh my gosh he was alive! Dacian had earned himself some time before his behaviour started becoming annoying again.
“I vos going to see seh Thestrals,” she admitted, avoiding Dacian’s gaze out of habit. If Vivian was a betting kind of person she’d put money on what her sire was going to say next: “I know it vos stupid. Next time I’ll invite Scotty.”
... Erk. Whoops.
Oh well, her sire’s (presumably negative) opinion of her boyfriend could come later. First and foremost:
“How long haff you been here?” she asked loudly, eyes wide. Her brain had finally caught up to the fact that yes, Dacian was here, and now it wanted explanations. “Does Cassie know?” OH MY GOD HE WAS BACK!
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Nov 14, 2009 10:32:52 GMT 1
[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/daci.png][bg=000000][atrb=style,background-position: top; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 220px 65px 65px 65px;]Thestrals? Of all the stupid things... Wait, who? “Scotty?” The inflection in his tone could have been a growl. At least his scowl wasn’t too fierce. The mortal boy – the one who had tried to save her life, the one she continued to be friends with. Two sides of him warred. Detachment vs. Loneliness. Detachment usually won with Dacian, except for the occasional hiccup. He had been avoiding even thinking of her name since the incident, and he wouldn’t dwell on her now. Vivian must have needed the company while he was gone – God knew Edward was hardly good company.
The vampire sighed, looking up at the tree’s canopy as if the answers were there. He needed to take her away from this place, but ripping her away would be leaving a part of her behind. Samuel would say she might never recover – Dacian would counter that she would over time. He didn’t have much time to ponder it when the inevitable questions started.
He spared her a half-smile. “Here, not long.” He could elaborate, but the next question made him visibly flinch. If his heart was beating, it would beat hard. That name he’d been trying to avoid, given voice. It was like a slap to the face. His voice turned hard, “No. She does not. And she will not. You will. Not. Tell her. I’m here only for you, Vivian.” He took her shoulder in one hand and stopped to put their eyes level. “You understand, don’t you, that I want to keep you safe?” He needed Samuel. He was going to say something that would only convince her to stay, when it was something neither of the vampires wanted.
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Post by Vivian Nazarova on Nov 14, 2009 11:59:03 GMT 1
[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/H2/Viv12.png,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/1300666/Characters/Vivian/Viv1_02.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] Oh dear. After asking about Cassie, Dacian’s expression turned back to a shade of grouchy she recognised and Vivian looked admonished. What did she say this time? She’d only met him again for a few minutes and she’d already done something wrong. What was going—
Hang on.
Vivan frowned at what Dacian was saying. Wait what? Cassie wasn’t to know? Why? “She has a right!” Vivian interjected quickly, taking a step back away from her sire and giving him a look as though she couldn’t believe what he was saying. How could he hide here after all that had happened? It wasn’t fair. “She could haff been killed for you! Vhen you died—” No, wrong word choice. “Vhen ve thought you vere dead she vos crushed! Ed tried to help, ve all did, but... I thought you cared!”
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Nov 14, 2009 17:49:25 GMT 1
He straightened, face darkening. “I do care!” He lashed back, much louder and more forceful than he intended. “I almost died for her!” The words echoed back in the now silent forest, and he realised what he’d said. Dacian turned away from her with a frustrated grunt. He leaned against a tree, trying to calm himself. Bottling everything to do with her away was obviously coming back to haunt him.
In trying to think of anything else but her, he couldn’t think of anything else. She’d cared that he’d supposedly died? He clenched his fist and pushed the knuckles against the tree trunk. This was exactly why he did not want to have anything to do with her – she clouded his vision. He resisted the urge to punch the tree hard enough to break his hand. Physical pain was preferable to what he felt ripping through his insides right now. No, he’d scared Vivian enough tonight. A tantrum would push any lingering happiness she felt at seeing him alive away.
His voice level, but by no means regular, he spoke without turning to face her. “I’m here for you – nobody else needs to know I’m here.” He released his fist, resting his palm on the tree and turned his face to give her a quarter profile. “You can’t tell anybody – especially not… not her.”
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