Las Palabras De Amor {Cassie}

[Dacian]

[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;]He’d known it would be a bad idea: following the advice of a teenager. In the frosty night, the full moon bathing the world in silver light, Dacian had stood on the opposite pavement and stared up at the golden glow from one of the windows above the Hog’s Head. He’d gone there with the intention of going in, but at the sight of the familiar building, he’d changed his mind. If Vivian couldn’t hold her tongue, then so be it, but he was not going to disgrace himself further by entertaining notions of affection toward a mortal. He’d gotten in enough trouble over that particular human already. Dacian sat now in the Three Broomsticks, trying to make his mind wander anywhere but towards her. He’d started off in one of the wing back chairs around the fire until his skin was warmed by the friendly heat of the flame. Samuel was taking his sweet time – not that they had an appointment but it was inconvenient of the man to choose this evening to have something to do. With the intention of hanging around until the older vampire made an appearance, he thought he may as well entertain himself and switched to sitting at the bench in front of the upright piano stashed forgotten in a corner. There were a few mutterings from the other patrons and curious glances were shot his way. On lifting the lid, his fingers left marks in the layer of dust that sat on it. A few tests of the keys however proved magic was useful for some things at least. The instrument was still in tune and once he was comfortable, he began to play. The melodies were soft, perfect background music to the bustling pub. He felt no need to draw attention to himself with anything loud and dramatic, being as he played more to himself than for anybody in the room. Unfortunately, the muscle memory was so ingrained in him that playing was hardly a distraction and his mind could wander back to other things. Primarily a certain blond. So distracted thinking about her, he didn’t notice she was in the room until her scent tickled the highly sensitive receptors in his nose. His keystrokes faltered, and there was a brief second of silence before he continued the song. It was a conscious effort now to play and try and discern any information he could about her location from his scent and hearing. It was all he could do not to turn around and seek her out visually. He couldn’t risk her seeing him. If she reacted anything like Vivian had, that sort of scene in public would ruin any hopes he had left of staying under the radar.

[Cassie Vimes]

She knew she was being stupid, selfish and immature, but Cassie couldn’t really help it. She couldn’t stay in the Hog’s Head any longer, couldn’t stand the looks Ed kept shooting her way and the fact that when she was in the smoky pub she couldn’t seem to escape the oppressive knowledge hanging over her head. Hell, she couldn’t even bring herself to think the word, and yet in complete contradiction it was the only thing on her mind every second of the day.

It was the little things really, that drove her crazy to the point of distraction. All the questions she didn’t have the answer to that bounced around in her head. Should she risk sitting in the pub with all that second hand smoke around her? Did the drink she’d had a few nights before she found out make a difference? Was it normal to pee this often so early in the pregnancy? Why did her vomit always have peas in it? Was it really that weird to crave golden syrup and pickles? Cassie knew visiting a doctor could answer most of these questions for her, but she was still resisting, like the longer she put it off the longer she could remain in denial. She wasn’t even showing yet, although she knew she’d put on a bit of weight that had fleshed out her slender frame. She’d cried when she realised how tight her favourite jeans were, which had been fairly embarrassing when Edward had walked in and thought something was seriously wrong.

So, selfish as it might be, just for one evening she had to get away from the pub. Escape Edward, even though she knew he was only trying to be supportive and was freaking out just as much as she was, and Viv and even Rowdy who recently seemed to smell even more of wet dog than usual when he came back from a walk in the winter rain. Cassie went the only other place in Hogsmeade she knew, bar work, which was hardly somewhere she wanted to spend time either, the Three Broomsticks.

It was warm and cheerful in the far more family orientated pub, and completely at odds with her gloomy mood. However she sat dutifully at the bar, refusing to be drawn into conversation with the bartender and staring balefully at the butterbeer even as she ordered an ice-cold pumpkin juice. Cassie really wanted to sneak over to the fireplace, curl up in one of the chairs and stare into the flames until she could forget everything, but there was a young family there and she didn’t want to be rude. Couldn’t stand to be near them and witness how happy they were, the couple doting on each other and their children and making it look so easy. Why couldn’t she and Ed have that? Why did it have to be so difficult?

For a brief moment the soft sound of the piano distracted her from her brooding, gave her something to concentrate on other than self pity. Cassie had to wonder how the Three Broomsticks had ever managed to afford somebody so competent or anybody at all. She’d certainly never heard anybody playing there before and she might know next to nothing about music (except for a strange attraction to the drummer in the band Gillyweed), but she could tell he was talented whoever he was. She stared curiously at the back of the pianist for a second, taking in his short-cropped dark hair and the way his hands moved gracefully over the keys. Then a roll of nausea brought all her troubles back to her, something that happened with irritating frequency and not just in the early hours. Morning sickness her ass.

[Dacian]

[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;]He cursed the hustle and bustle of the pub. He could not even distinguish one heartbeat from the other with so many bodies surrounding him. Her scent teased him, coming from all directions with no air movement to help him guess a general position. She could be gone already for all he knew, her scent just lingering in the room. With a stiff sigh, he tried to concentrate on what his fingers were doing, moving through a slow Chopin number (the name of which he’d forgotten with time). To the layman’s ear, the music was probably seamless but he could catch every note that was out of time, and by the time he’d reached the crescendo to the end, he was all but growling in frustration. Fingers now resting still on the ivory keys, he stared at the black and white pegs as if they would tell him what to do. She had been a significant figure before the incident, and he’d spent the last month since then trying to repress any memory of her so he could continue his not-life without her shadowing his every thought. Apparently the cosmic fates had other ideas, and he could not avoid her if he tried. Well, he obviously was not trying hard enough. He stood, picking his jacket from the stool beside him and weaving between the crowd toward the door. With his head down, he just had to hope she wouldn’t spot him and if she did, she wouldn’t recognise him. Without mirrors to see for himself, he had to rely on Vivian’s testament that he didn’t look his usual self. Now with a day’s growth of stubble darkening his jaw, perhaps the extra camouflage would be the last touch. He made it to the door unheeded, and as he opened the door, an involuntary glance to the bar saw the back of a blond head. He stepped out quickly, taking deep drags of air through his nostrils to purge the cloying scents from them. The deep breathing made his ribs twinge, and so grumbling to himself, he retreated to a dark alleyway to recover. It was embarrassing to be affected so strongly by a mere mortal. All she’d done was show him a little kindness, and drive him into wild fits of jealousy by entertaining her sporadic lust for that boy. Jealousy that was still fresh enough to spark to life at the thought of them together. He caught the rumble in his throat before it growled out between his gritted teeth. He forcefully slowed his breathing, though there was still the occasional pull of breath as if he still subconsciously wanted to catch that scent. The alleyway was dark and quiet, and his dark maroon shirt and black trousers and jacket blended well with the gloom. His pale face was still illuminated by the lantern light coming from the end of the alley, but it was unlikely anybody would look down it anyway. Once he’d suppressed those risen memories again, he’d move on. The pub door opened and closed repeatedly with the heavy traffic, and he glanced up each time with the guilty hope of seeing her. Repressing her was going to take longer than he thought.

[Cassie Vimes]

Cassie gave a soft sigh as the song finished, completely missing the indiscernible errors in the performance and instead finding tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She frowned, rubbing at her eyes quickly with her fingertips and hunching her shoulders against the unwanted swell of emotion. She wasn’t going to cry over some stupid piano music, it just wasn’t going to happen. In truth she was getting tired of being on edge all the time and ending up close to tears over the stupidest things. Like that cute puppy face Rowdy made when he wanted something or accidentally washing a red sock in with the whites and turning all of the sheets an off pink.

To distract herself she pushed the straw around in her juice a bit, stirring up the pulp that had started to settle and taking a sip. It was only after a good few minutes, when the music she was subconsciously listening out for didn’t start back up again, that Cassie glanced over at the piano. The pianist was gone; perhaps he didn’t work there after all. If it had been back before her life was consumed with vampires and high school sweethearts and unwanted pregnancies she’d have been over there to talk to him like a shot and she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of loss for the time that had been so much more carefree.

There was no point in staying now, Cassie could just as easily mope back at the Hog and Ed would probably be wondering where she was. She pushed her unfinished drink away from her and pulled on her heavy winter coat, wrapping it tightly around her body. Cassie was fairly convinced she would never get used to the cold and now that the snow had been replaced with miserable drizzle somehow she found the biting chill even more oppressive. Or maybe that was just the hormones talking again.

She stepped out into the evening breeze, hesitating only long enough to navigate around a puddle that had collected in a dip in the cobblestones and her eyes darting towards the gloom of the alley before passing swiftly on to the next safely lit storefront. There was no reason to be afraid, Cain was dead. Nobody was following her and getting paranoid about it was just going to stop her from ever moving on. How could she criticise Ed for trying to protect her when she was a nervous wreck who jumped at shadows. Even as she berated herself, Cassie picked up the pace, her heart hammering just a little faster in her chest.

[Dacian]

[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;]He had just about collected himself when the door opened again. He glanced up, and stared. Even wrapped up so warmly, he had to appreciate her. It was an automatic response – he couldn’t help it – he told himself. She was female, he was male. She was food, he was hungry. He’d feel just as attracted to any woman. Now he was outright lying to himself. Before he realised it, he was following her. He stopped himself with a muttered curse as his foot splashed in the puddle she had so painstakingly avoided. He could have turned and walked away, but he was just so hungry, and her heart was thrumming like she was running a race. It was fear, she was scared, and he was simultaneously motivated to chase and protect. Dacian followed her as closely as he dared, taking special care to place his feet down in no more puddles. She was just half way through a dark alley connecting streets when the narrow corridor funnelled her scent towards him. It his him with a slap, and he all but tripped onto his face. He froze, framed by the alley’s entrance and backlit to a silhouette by the streetlamps behind him. He muttered a curse, praying she hadn’t heard that scuff of boot on cobble, praying she would run and not turn.

[Cassie Vimes]

Cassie heard the sound of something disturbing the puddle behind her and she had to force herself not to turn around. It would just be somebody else making their way home from The Broomsticks. She wasn’t even that far from the pub yet and it wasn’t that late, of course people were still around. Her internal rationalising didn’t seem to slow her heart at all, however, and she could feel it fluttering frantically in her chest. Maybe she should have used the floo network to get Edward to come and get her... She always felt safer when he was around. But how was she ever going to feel independent again if she couldn’t even walk home on her own?

The alleyway she was walking down was dark though, and narrow; only making her more nervous. Cassie knew Ed wouldn’t be impressed if he found out she’d taken that particular shortcut back home. She’d discovered from experience that alleys were the perfect spot to be kidnapped from; quiet, secluded and dark. She should have stuck to the main streets, but that added a good five minutes to her journey and she was cold. Considering that the point of this trip out had been to get away from the pub for a while Cassie was suddenly quite eager to get home.

The scuff of feet on cobbles behind her was unmistakeable and she froze, fear tensing her muscles and sending her heart fluttering with renewed urgency. There was somebody behind her in the dark. Cassie squeezed her eyes shut; offering up a desperate prayer to whoever might be listening that it would turn out to be nothing. ”Hello?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper and she steeled herself before speaking again. ”Who’s there?” She hated the way her voice still quavered and forced herself to turn around and face whoever it was. The light from a streetlight behind him threw his face into shadow and she squinted into the gloom, barely able to suppress the growing panic that this was going to end badly.

He didn't answer, but didn't turn to leave either and Cassie felt her discomfort growing with every moment of silence that ticked by. Who was he? Why was he following her? She fished her wand from her pocket with a trembling hand. It would probably be more sensible to turn and run, but there was no way she was turning her back on the unknown stranger. "Lumos." She muttered quietly and the alley flooded with a sudden light, making her blink owlishly as her eyes adjusted. As soon as she could see again her jaw practically dropped with surprise. It had to be some kind of sick joke. It couldn't be... "Dacian?!" Cassie practically yelped his name, her voice high-pitched with surprise.

[Dacian]

[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;]She had to turn and look. She always had to turn and look. She just couldn’t run, it was if she was magnetically attracted to trouble. He felt a familiar flush of ire at the woman; couldn’t she keep out of trouble for one night? Her heartbeat was racing, and its sound all but echoed from the walls to his sensitive ears. For all the mental scolding he did toward her, he was not running wither. He should. She didn’t have to know that he was here, her trembling voice, that uncertainty; if he ran now, she would never know. But his feet were rooted, and all he could do was stare. He managed a sudden step back as she reached for her pocket, knowing what she kept there. It was a growing instinct to avoid wands, and he flinched when it was raised. Light suddenly flooded the alley, and it was a semblance of misplaced trust that he did not make like a promise and break. The spell was a simple light charm, where with anyone else he knew, it might have been a sunlight simulation. He didn’t think she had it in her to light her wand with a spell that she knew would hurt certain individuals, and for that he was glad. Almost. Teeth gritted in a grimace, he shut his eyes tightly and turned his face so her view would now be the unscarred profile. The second wince came at her voice speaking his name. Damn. He cracked an eye open, glaring through the split between his lids. He had to lift a hand to shield himself from the strength of it. “Lower that.” He grumbled, the unmistakable irritability lacing his voice. When she had, he figured he didn’t have much else left to lose by turning to face her fully. Still squinting, though less fiercely, he regarded her critically in the light from her own wand. Aside from her utter shock, she looked fairly healthy. She needed less clothes for him to be sure – a vision that was definitely not unpleasant – but there seemed to be no lasting damage from Cain. His own appearance was not so flawless. The scar that now bisected his right eyebrow, mercifully missed his eye and continued down on his cheek was puckered with his furrowed brow, and stood out in stark relief from the pure bright light of the wand. His hair had been cut short and it looked tussled and unkempt from his habit to run his hand through it. But it was the same mane nonetheless, and he looked significantly less dead than he should have been.

[Cassie Vimes]

Cassie found herself complying with his demand without even really thinking about it, she still trusted him and now that she knew exactly who was following her she could almost feel the tension easing out of her shoulders. Her wand hand had lowered, but she didn’t dim the glow, feeling safer with the pool of light around her. It also made it easier for her to study him, to scrutinise what had changed, but also recognise the features that had remained the same. His hair was cropped short and uncharacteristically tousled without its previous length to allow it to fall back into place, but the frown that furrowed his brows was familiar.

With his head turned away from the light she hadn’t been able to see the fresh, pinkish scar that ran down the length of his face, but when he turned towards her she gasped, her hand instinctively going up to cover her mouth. It shouldn’t have surprised her, she’d thought he was dead, she’d seen the damage done to his body, but somehow now that he was there, in person and very much alive, the proof of his injuries seemed much worse.

Apart from the first request he hadn’t spoken and Cassie narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted an explanation. How was he still alive? Why hadn’t he come to see her sooner? She thought of the past month of mourning, the strain it had put on her and Ed, the way Vivian had been distraught and felt a sudden flare of anger. How could he be so selfish? ”You wanker!” She hissed, throwing her wand at him instinctively and plunging them both into sudden darkness. She couldn’t tell if it hit, but she saw the shower of red sparks that shot from the tip as it clattered to the floor. ”How the hell are you alive? Why didn’t you say something? I thought you were dead!”

[Dacian]

[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;]Staring aghast at his face, he assumed she'd spotted the scar. He grumbled. As if he didn't have enough trouble avoiding people without a distinctive mark. This was a repeat of the previous evening all over again. Staring and gasping, disbelief and confusion. He'd seen Vivian go through it all last night. Cassie readied her arm to throw, and Dacian had barely enough time to flinch. Rather than casting a spell with her wand, he was hit with the insubstantial piece of wood itself. It didn't hurt, and now the light was out, he felt significantly less exposed, but now he was confused. Cassie wasn't usually violent, but at least it was preferable to the quarter-hour of tears Vivian had subjected him to. Violence and anger was something he was much more comfortable with. He reacted in kind, squaring up and taking a few determined steps forward. He imagined Vivian had predicted a more 'romantic' situation than this, but really, what did she know? Dacian himself might have preferred something with a little less scowling, but old habits died hard. It seemed things might be back to normal after all as the bickering recommenced. "Dead?! Woman, I was never alive! How exactly did you determine I was dead, hmm?" Oh dear, this was going to go downhill fast. Dacian took another strong step forward, and the two were on a perfect level in their sensible winter boots. He wasn't intending to be menacing, but the combination of frown and the rising irritation in his voice was making a good start towards it. "How the hell else do you think I'm walking around now? I'm a vampire. I healed!" He was started to gesticulate with his arms, and after the next step forward, they were almost touching. "I wasn't going to say anything to you, I was better off being dead in your world. It seems the longer I spend anywhere near you, the closer to permanently dead I get!" He should have felt sorry, but he didn't. Cassie had the ability to inspire one of two emotions in Dacian. Pleasure, and outright frustration. "The only reason I bothered to come here was to keep Vivian happy. She insisted I had to let you know. Do you know, I wouldn't have bothered if I knew this was the welcome I was going to get!" Not entirely true. Vivian had suggested it, Dacian had vehemently refused, and come anyway. He still had no idea why. Sitting in the bar when she came in hadn't been a coincidence. He could have retreated the the forest before he'd run into her, but he'd chosen a public place on the off chance he might see her. He couldn't make up the resolve to meet her on his terms, but no chance of seeing her had been less preferable than a slight one. Even then, he'd intended to follow her home, make sure she arrived safely, but instead tripped over his own feet in what must have been a subconscious effort to draw her attention. Right now, he was angry - not at Cassie, but at the situation he found himself in. Directing it towards the young woman was cruel, but she was partly to blame, and the confusion of seeing her had to be compensated some how. Perhaps if he poked enough wounds in her already fragile guilt, he would be free of having the endure this again. Seeing her lovely pale eyes and golden hair, witnessing the concern she felt for him expressed in ever stressed word. Nobody but Cassie had cried over his corpse, and as much as he pretended he didn't need nor want to see her, standing in front of her now had loosened a knot in his chest he hadn't knew had formed.

[Cassie Vimes]

Because the light at the tip of her wand had flickered out so suddenly her eyes hadn’t had time to adjust and now the shadows seemed even darker than before. Cassie couldn’t even see Dacian anymore and she flinched as his harsh, angry voice reached her ears, much closer than he had been before. He was right of course; she’d made the mistake of treating him like a human and it had almost cost him his life. But in spite of the guilt eating away at her, or perhaps because of it, she found herself rising to the bait and growing angry herself.

”You were so still,” She shot back, knowing she was in the wrong, but fighting her corner anyway. Squaring off against an irate vampire (more like not backing down, but she wasn’t going to argue semantics) wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done, but then Cassie never had been very good at knowing what was smart. ”I’d never seen you that way. Not even after the crucifix.” She’d been doing so well, but her voice cracked on the last word as the memory of yet another night she’d believed he was on the brink of death resurfaced.

Cassie was overwhelmed with emotion, a mixture of relief that Dacian was alive, guilt that she had left him for dead and anger that he had allowed her to think he was dead for over a month. She allowed that anger to take the forefront as his words cut deep, feeling like a punch to the gut. He didn’t even want to see her, she’d been a fool to believe he’d ever cared. ”If that’s how you feel perhaps you’d be better off dead to me after all!” She snapped, the waver in her voice betraying the hurt.

She needed to get away from him, his body might not give off heat, but she could tell he was there, inches away from her, an indistinct shape in the gloom of the alley. Cassie backed up a step, not even caring that she’d be leaving her wand behind. She couldn’t let him see her cry and with the rather brutal reminder he’d just given her she couldn’t forget that with his enhanced sense he could no doubt see her quite clearly in the dark. But in her hurry to get away her foot slipped on the wet cobblestones and she tumbled over, palms scraping on the rough ground as she tried to break her fall. Another dramatic exit ruined.

((OOC: Ararar, if you want Dacian to be all suave and manly and catch her before she falls on her butt I'll happily modify.))