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American Vampire- On Hiatus Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next   (currently a favorite of )    Storygames Home -> -> The Vault View previous topic :: View next topic   Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:20 pm    Post subject: American Vampire- On Hiatus Okay, I was going to wait until April...but if I don't post this now the research will kill me. So here you are, a little early, something to ponder. Enjoy! ---------------------------- American Vampire Prologue: A Clean Deal The iconic tones of Glenn Miller's 'In the Mood' filled the air of the neat studio causing the toes of it's occupant to tap gently as his body began to sway with the rhythem. Pulling out a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels he began to clean his windows, polishing them to a streak free shine. He made sure the frames were restored to pristine condition, not a speck of grime remaining, and their panes were as clear as well...glass. Then he turned his attention to the dust covered surfaces that seemed to be everywhere exchanging Windex for Pledge. His counters and coffee table, his mantel, his knick-knacks and brickabrack. Exchanging his towels and spray for one of those all in one broom/mop/scrubber thingys, he tooled around the floor of his home, making sure everything gleamed to the point where a person could walk across in white socks and have them stay white. Satisfied that all was in order in the living room he headed for the one remaining room he'd yet to clean...the kitchen. Jars were wiped down and placed in order, the sink scrubbed until it looked like one from a dish soap commercial, sparkling. Cupboards were wiped and all his stainless steel gadgets and gizmos were polished until sparkling. There wasn't even a single smudged fingerprint to marr their surfaces which were so clean he could have seen his reflection in them...if he'd had a reflection to see. Setting down his cleaning impliments and gazing back over his now show-room quality clean home, Travis smiled to himself. "Perfect." His dryer buzzed, reminding him he still had a load of laundry to put away. "Well, not quite." He grabbed the laundry basket from it's nook under the hall shelves and opened a pair of accordian style slat doors to reveal a stacked washer/dryer unit. He pulled out the still warm clothes, taking a moment to inhale the scent of Bounce, Downy, and Tide that imbued them. "Heaven." What could compare to this simple pleasure? He walked the basket into his bedroom, taking a moment to deposit some extremely fluffy pristine white towels in the small bathroom closet, before sorting out what went into his dresser and what hung in his closet. The job was done in moments and he sauntered back into the hall, dropping the basket and tucking it away with some snazzy footwork as he let himself go with the flow. Ah but he loved swing music, and jazz, and blues. Today's music didn't have the same simple elegance even if it was more complex. Of course in his day, classical had been contemporary. Long dead composers had been 'edgy' and 'new'. He smiled again, settling himself into the corner of his curved couch and staring out his windows at the city that spread out at his feet. The building who's top floor he lived on was old, cheap and dingy on the outside, built onto the side of a high mountain over-looking the wrong side of the town. Staring directly across he could look at multi-million dollar mansions, his lips curling slightly at the thought of the people that existed within them. Amazing the difference of incomes on the neighboring mountain sides. Over there, the rich and wealthy idled their days away while over here men and women rushed off to jobs that barley covered the food they ate and the rent of the homes they lived in. Travis was the sole exception. Independantly wealthy he was not but he was comfortable. His art was highly sought after by the well-heeled crowd and his 'special skills' were discreetly sought after by discreet persons. Travis was unique, even amid the crowd of unique people he belonged to. Some rare fluke, a reaction of his genes to the onset of his current condition, had given him something greatly desired in certain low circles. Unlike most of those who shared his affliction, Travis was a night owl by choice and inclination, not by necessity. If he felt like taking a mid-afternoon stroll, he slathered on the sunblock, popped on the RayBan's, and went for the walk. A warm weight landed on his lap and his fingers idly scratched the ears of a cat with medium long black fur. Travis chuckled a bit as his only companion butted his chin, demanding more attention. "Evening Odysseus." He said mildly as he lightly scratched the cat's chin with a single finger. "And how are we tonight?" A resounding purr met his query as the cat kneeded his lap gently with it's claws before curling into a contented ball. He gently stroked it, listening to it purr even as it dozed off. "Easy to please, as usual." The clock on the wall chimed the hour softly and Travis nodded. "Any minute now..." As if on cue the doors leading to the roof opened and a woman in red sashayed down them as if she owned the place. Her deep mahogany locks were curled into bunches of ringlets and neatly pinned up close to her head, her paraffin skin contrasting neatly to both locks and outfit. Travis nodded to her as she stepped onto his newly cleaned wooden floors, striding across them with her high heels clicking softly. "Travis, I see you still have that damned cat." She sniffed depricitatingly and glanced around with all the interest of a hawk seeking out it's dinner. "Well, are we going to get on with this?" "First things first Olivia. Where is it?" Travis wasn't about to give up Essence to this woman without compensation in hand. Olivia was firstly not his type in looks or personality and secondly a known liar. If the offer hadn't been so spectacular he wouldn't have even delt with her. But this was once an a lifetime, and when your lifetime was limitless that really was saying something. The woman wrinkled her pert nose at him, reaching into the red silk purse that hung from a slender chain over her shoulder. With a quick look around she reached in and withdrew a sliver mirror of obvious antiquity. The elegant workmanship on the back was stamped with runes left by a people that no longer existed, forgotten by both man and those more than man. The surface was flawless, glimmering softly in the lights of the studio. Gently Travis displaced Odysseus, who opened one green eye and stretched before curling up in the recently vacated couch spot. Travis took the mirror from Olivia and turned it over in his hands, smiling as he caught sight of himself in the polished glass. A mirror that could provide him a reflection, fools didn't know the worth of something like this. He gently set it down on his coffee table, resolving to probe its other uses later."Well?" He looked up from the mirror to where Olivia stood, ruby lips pursed and eyebrows so raised they were lost in her hairline. Travis sighed and pulled up his sleeve, offering her a wrist. "Knock yourself out doll. Cutoff limit's a pint, more than that and you won't like the results." He stared out the window, not caring to watch as Olivia readied herself for a strike. He didn't even flinch as she bit down, standing coolly as she gave a small sigh of contentment at the flavor. He'd been told it was exceptional but it wasn't as if he could tell. He just smiled politely and took the compliment while wishing they'd just leave him be. Olivia pulled back after the designated pint had been withdrawn, a single swipe of her tounge closing the wound. Travis sighed and pulled his sleeve back down, rubbing his numb hand to restore circulation to the stiffened digits. He looked at Olivia, slightly disgusted at the blood that still shimmered in the corners of her mouth and along her lips. Ugh, messy eater. She mistook his look for something else, smiling and batting her eyes a little bit. "You really are good enough to eat Travis. One of these days somebody's going to ignore that limit of yours and take it all." She moved closer and he smiled at her, playing the moment right until the last when his fingers wrapped around that slim neck of hers and let her feel the strength in them. Fear flashed through her eyes as she realized that, despite just having imbued herself with his Essence, she had no power over him. "It's not like some havn't tried. But it's easier said than done." He quietly hefted her off the floor and walked back up the stairs to the roof. The night wind ruffled his roan hair as he walked casually across, ignoring Olivia's slight struggles and utterings. Extending his arm he dangled her over the edge where a cliff dropped four hundred feet down to the rooftops of the houses in the valley below. "Goodnight Olivia." He said, releasing his grip and letting her fall. Without looking back he returned to his home, shutting and locking the door to the roof behind him. Picking the mirror up from the coffee table he sat back down on the couch, smiling when Odysseus climbed back into his lap moments later. "Mirror mirror..." He uttered with a smile as he trailed a light finger across it's quicksilver surface. His reflection smiled back at him, human qualities lost as his non-human ones were emphasized. It told only the truth, glamours aside, but it also told more. "Now where's the owners manual when you need it?" -------------------------------- The first chappy will be along soon, I just leave you this to ponder...for now. Hope you liked! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Last edited by Kalanna Rai on Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:47 pm; edited 34 times in total Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:49 pm    Post subject: Delicious Rai.. absolutely... and I got it early *grins* Now I know I'm spoiled. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Masterweaver Honored Citizen Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 1463 Location: Look around Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:07 am    Post subject: I'll stay. Just cause I'm bored. Remember, though I have no blood, so... Back to top Author Novelest_Ninjagirl Respected Citizen Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 700 Location: The inn. Probably. Come check! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:06 am    Post subject: Brava! Brava! I must admit that it was mere bordum that brought me here, and the need to kill time. The title made it sound like it wouldn't be something I'd enjoy, since I don't normmally seem to like Vampie tales. Reading this though, is making me wonder what's going to happen, leaving me on the edge, waiting to see what problem will arise, and how he will fix. WAiting to see if he makes any allies in his journey, or what. sorry, trailed off there. Anyway, I say keep going with this girl. If it can hook a picky reader like me, from the very first sentence, then I say you've got yourself a keeper! *claps* _________________ My latest SG! (Image courtesy of the lovely Lebrenth) Back to top Author Syranore Citizen Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 153 Location: The Inn Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:17 pm    Post subject: Glad you decided to post this. Looking forward to the rest of the story. _________________ Directive Chapter 2 -Complete Back to top Author Gallant Citizen Joined: 02 Mar 2008 Posts: 266 Location: There... No, There! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:45 pm    Post subject: Ha ha Lilith, your not so spoiled. I got it early too. Well I've already told you my opinions of it Rai. Hope to see more, don't be discouraged. _________________ Bold as brass. Back to top Author CunningFox Citizen Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 210 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:53 pm    Post subject: well okay. Im not a fan of vampire stories really, but this was written okay. However Kalanna, I've followed some of your stories before, of and on, and may I just say I think you need to try something differetn. It seems to me all your characters are very similar, very 'cool' and 'uber'. I don't know, somehow it fails to grab my interest. What about doing a 'hero' who's crippled or ugly or something? I'm reading Avarice, and the hero there is hardly handsome or gifted. D-Lotus's new one too. Though the hero has great powers, he can't use them well, and is relatively easily bound and full of flaws. Also take a look at the chapter above. It's filled with long paragraphs that are all the same size. Doesn't make it any easier to read. Try breaking them up a bit or something. There are some silly spelling mistakes, but only a few I saw. The grammar looks fine and the chapter is well enough written, but I think it's lacking in some undefinable area. Hope you don't take this the wrong way, just giving some honest feedback. Keep writing, I know you will. _________________ Just browsing, thank-you. Back to top Author NeverNeverGirl Honored Citizen Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 1216 Location: dreaming away of tomorrows to come Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:54 am    Post subject: Heya Rai. Just wanted to let you know that i have read this. I wonder where it will go and if you will be able to take it to another level - twist it out to somewhere where the usual daywalking-vampire-remorsful-at-their-bloodsucking story doesn't go. I wait and see and hope. I find your style has evolved and your phrasing has improved dramatically. (see all that nitpicking pays off lol) Some things i thought didnt quite hit the mark but i will wait it out and see how the next chapter progresses . keep it up. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:17 pm    Post subject: Okay, enough with the prologue...now for something you can sink you teeth into...no pun intended. Enjoy! -------------------------------- Chapter One: Package Greg looked from the little scrap of newspaper to the shopfront and back, shaking his head. "I should have known..." he muttered, staring back down at the text of the want-ad. "Wanted: Easy going person with a willingness to work odd hours and open mind. Must be able to multi-task and deal with stress. Call 490-7286 or inquire in person at 66 Viriden Way." He looked back at the little brass numbers on the building's front, wishing they would change. But they didn't and Greg continued to stare at the shop that occupied that address. The windows were veiled by black curtains, the front made from dark bricks, and on the frosted glass of the door, scripted in black cursive, was the name 'Raven Rants'. Just benieth that in the same black font were the hours 'Dusk-Dawn'. He shook his head. "Just my luck...a goth shop." he said for the umpteenth time. He'd called earlier today and, when nobody answered, he'd stopped by. Then, reading the hours labled on the door, he'd gone away to do some soul searching. Did he really want to work in a place like this? After falling asleep on his friend's couch by accident and waking up around midnight, Greg took it as a sign. No he didn't want to work in a shop like that but work was work and beggars couldn't be choosers. Once he had a steady job, he could actually find a real place to live instead of the myraid couches he was bouncing from. So he steeled his nerves to climb the three steps infront of the door. With sweating palms he pushed it open, expecting some tolling bell sound effect to announce his entry or maybe some horrific shrieks. Instead there was the gentle tinkling of a silver bell. Looking around he was surprised, this wasn't nearly as bad as he expected. The interior was constructed mostly of dark wood, mahogany maybe or something varnished darker, with a few black accents. Part of the floor was black tile with some tables and chairs where trendy 'goths' sat drinking their lattes and clicking away on their laptops. The rest was covered in a thick maroon carpet that simply begged a person to kick off their shoes and sit in one of the lumpy, comfortable looking black chairs and enjoy a book. A trendily dressed couple was doing just that, chuckling over something one of them had just read. The shelves stretched in a haphazard manner, obviously custom constructed to look like an old english study. They were lined with books from A to Z on topics as wide rangeing as werewolves and wicca, to several text books that were on Greg's reading list for several of his college classes. On the wall, posters for movies like 'The Crow' and 'Interview with a Vampire' were sitting alongside those for 'Shaun of the Dead' and the three 'Pirates of the Carribean' movies. The air smelled like warm banana bread and some soft music played in the background...Evanescence maybe? This was not at all what he expected. Where was the doom? Where was the gloom? Where were the real goths? Just when Greg was beginning to wonder if he'd completely judged the book by the cover, the sounds of a beaded curtain moving drew his attention to the shop's front counter. The clerk who had just come on duty fit his idea of 'gothic' to a T. Her hair was pulled up in foot long liberty spikes and dyed a shocking mix of ice white and near black purple. Her make-up screamed skeletal from the eyeshadow that would have attracted a love-sick racoon, to the ebony lipstick that made her skin seem even paler. She was wearing a mini-mini skirt and the only material covering her arms and legs were fishnets that had seen better days. Her black halter top had a small purple vampire bat and the words 'Bite Me' on the inch of material that covered the upper part of her torso, leaving everything from an inch below her navel to an inch below her breasts bare. He was almost scared to approach her, with her cameo choaker on it's black silk ribbon and her three silver chains with their crosses of varying sizes. She even had mismatched dangling cross earrings in her ears and plenty of silver hoops. A diamond stud gleamed from her nose and she chewed on something that proved to be black bubble gum. Blowing a large black bubble, she popped it with an inky black nail that had been filed to a point, drawing the gum back into her mouth so that she could begin the process again. Then she noticed Greg, her eyes made totally black by contacts staring at him with all the emotion of a Great White shark. "What?" She demanded between chews, blowing another bubble. Slowly Greg walked forward, fishing out the want ad again and holding it up for her. She squinted to read the print before shrugging her shoulders and glaring at him. "So?" His paitence wearing slightly thin, Greg looked at her with raised eyebrows. "So are you hiring or not?" There was tense silence for a moment before the goth girl walked away from the mahogany and glass counter and stuck her head through the beaded curtain. "VICK! I'M HIRING THIS GUY! GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE AND LOOK HIM OVER!" Greg jumped and noticed several of the customers stopped what they were doing and left the shop, several shooting sympathetic smiles his way. Rats from a sinking ship, his brain told him. "HANG ON!" Came the roared reply followed by the sound of several heavy objects falling and mild cursing. A few moments later a man who looked like he could play Lucifer decently walked out, rubbing a wrist and scowling at the goth girl. "Alright, where is he?" His voice was lightly accented and his eyes seemed to bore right through you. "That guy." She said with another popped bubble, pointing one laquered nail at Greg. Vick's attention swung to him and Greg swallowed hard under the scrutiny, like a rabbit staring down a wolf. Then Vick smiled, a gleaming white grin, and folded his arms. "He'll do. I'm putting him with you Paulina, show him the ropes and make sure he can run things well enough to take third shift." Paulina, as the goth girl turned out to be named, gaped at Vick. "Do I look like a freaking people person Vick! Why not put him with Emerald when she gets on in a few?" Vick smiled at the girl as he turned back toward the beaded curtain. "Because, Lina, I can trust you not to sleep with him or try to bespell him." And ignoring the girl's obvious frustration he swept back through the curtain and into the back room. For a moment Greg just stood there, hands tucked inside the kangaroo pocket of his Quicksilver hoodie. Then he walked up to where there was a gap between counter and wall and slipped behind it, putting himself on the employee side. A weight lifted off his shoulders. "Finally...employment. So...Paulina..." "IT'S LINA!" She snapped, her mouth opening to unleash further horrors upon him. Then the tinkling of the silver bell announced a customer. Greg watched in awe as Lina turned to the newcomer, a handsome man who crossed the distance between door and counter with an easy grace, and her pissed expression melted into something far sweeter. "Well hello Travis? Cutting it close arn't you? It's almost dawn." The handsome man fluidly walked over to them and smiled a bit, leaning casually on the counter, the open jacket of his dark suit wrinkling a bit as he did so. "I got a call earlier that my book was in. But I've been rather busy this evening. I just switched from my old agent to a Gallery and they insisted on a showing...it finished up a few minutes ago." His voice was smooth, a little low, and Greg's finely tuned ears picked out the faintest trace of accent...although what accent he couldn't tell. Lina was nodded polietly, hanging on his every word, and Greg had to wonder what the man's secret was. He was of average height, around six foot or six one, and of average build...certainly not going to stand out in the crowd or at least not seeming so. But his face was male model quality and the way he kept flicking his shaggy roan hair out of his hazel eyes made him seem mysterious. Suddenly he seemed to notice Greg's attention, turning toward him with a smile. "This must be the newest employee, Veronica's replacement." Lina's near-trance seemed to break, a slight scowel twitching the corners of her mouth. "Oh yeah...that's George..." "Greg," he corrected with rolled eyes stretching out his hand to take hold of the man's in a firm handshake. "Greg Coby and you must be...Travis?" He got a smile filled with genuine warmth as the man pulled his hand back and gave a slight affermative nod. Lina flipped an abscent gesture at him as she bent down under the counter, searching amid the stacks of books there. "George, Greg...whatever. Ah, here it is." She straightened back up holding a massive leatherbound volume with a yellow sticky note reading 'Travis' in neat handwriting. She looked from the handsome man to the book and back, raising a black stenciled eyebrow. "Scrying? Since when does Scrying fall into your realm of expertise Travis?" "A man can be curious. Besides, my muse has taken vacation it seems and neglected to find me a replacement. Not a good situation to be in when your livelyhood depends on your inspiration." Greg nodded. "Oh I hear that. I'm a musician myself. You?" Travis's gaze swung to him, making him shiver. It was worse than Vick, almost like this guy knew everything about you just by looking at you. "Artist. I mostly work in acrylic and oils although I've been known to use charcoal to good effect. What instruments do you play?" "Piano and violin," he said with a defiant tilt of his chin, fully expecting some snide remark. It wasn't easy to be classically inclined in a world full of heavy metal guitarists and rock and roll drummers. And let's face it...Greg was no Billy Joel. But Travis only smiled a gleaming smile and paid Lina cash for his book. "Ambitious. Don't give up on your music though." A horn honked outside, impaitent, and Travis hefted his book with a shrug. "Well, that's my ride. And I've got to get started on my inspiration searching...now that I'm gallery fodder I've got deadlines to keep. If I want to keep Odysseus fed and myself in canvas I'd better get back to work." Lina smirked. "What about you? A fellow's got to get a bite every now and then doesn't he?" From the way she was leaning toward him Greg figured Lina desperately wanted to be that bite. Or have him for a meal, one of the two. Travis, however, snorted and looked over at Greg. "I always get a bite but it's not always something I can really sink my teeth into." The horn honked again and Travis winked at Greg on his way out. "Good luck around here. Don't let the ladies eat you alive...believe me they'll try." And with that Travis seemed to go from the counter to the door in one liquid motion, graceful to the extreme. As the door opened, Greg caught sight of a newer black SUV with a highly attractive blonde at the wheel. Then the frosted glass blocked his view and he was left only with a glaring Lina who went from wistfully staring after Travis, to attacking Greg like he'd just come between a pitbull and it's steak. Fisting both hands in the front of his hoodie, she slammed him up against the wall with a surprising strength. For a moment Greg was profoundly greatful that there were no customers left in the building, for his ego's sake. She pulled his face so close their eyelashes were nearly tangling, her words so filled with malice he was surprised the few flecks of spit that flew from her lips were not burning acid. "Stay the hell away from Travis, I've been working him two years now. He's my ticket to immortality...mine." The rattle of beads and a light noise made her drop him like a hot stone as Vick entered the room. "Nice to see you're both getting along so well...Lina was Travis just here?" "Yeah." She said in this board 'what's it to you' tone. "Why didn't you call me?" "Because he was in a bit of a hurry Vick...had some floosey waiting for him in a car outside." Vick raised an eyebrow at Lina's description of the blonde woman. "Travis plus floosey doesn't add up...but oh well. I don't care who he's with but I did have something to give him." "He already got his book Vick, I'm not an idiot." The look Vick gave her made Greg chuckle. It was this sort of 'oh really?' expression that people wear when somebody they're talking to just did or said something so extremely stupid they don't feel the need to verbally point it out. With an exaggerated sigh, Vick gave a theatrical shrug. "Why do I put up with you Lina? I had something ELSE for Travis, something rather important." His eyes suddenly landed on Greg. "You, would you take it to him if I gave you some directions?" "Well...I...um..." Greg felt suddenly uncomfortable. He barely knew the guy and Travis had been a little off-putting, smiles and politeness aside. "Perfect!" Vick said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them briskly. "Hang on." He returned a moment later with a package wrapped in brown waxed paper and tied with thick white twine. A sheet of notebook paper had hastily scribbled directions telling a person how to get from Raven Rants to what was obviously Travis's address. "Okay, all you need to do is go to his building and knock on the door. If he doesn't open it, tell him I sent you." Greg looked from the outstretched package and directions, to Vick's face, and back again. "Shit, I'll do it Vick." Lina said, almost shoving Greg out of the way, grabbing for the package. Vick moved it out of range of her grasping hands, shaking his head. "No Lina. Travis doesn't really care that much for you after that 'incident'...remember?" From the flush on her face it was obvious she did. "So it's either Emerald or Greg here...and since Emerald isn't handy that leaves you Greg. So take it." Vick shoved the package into Greg's unwilling grip. "Now it's got to get to him before tonight, so you can either go now or go get some rest and drop it off before you come in tonight. And don't worry...you'll get overtime for this." At the mention of extra pay, something he desperately needed, Greg made up his mind. "Sure, okay, I'll take it to him on my way in tonight." "Cool." Vick said. "I'm counting on you. Now go home and get some rest. I'll see you later." As he walked out of the shop, package under his arm, Greg couldn't help but feel things were looking up. He had no idea that in a few short hours, shit would hit the fan. --------------------------------- He had just hopped off the bus a block or so away from the building Vick had indicated was Travis's. Dusk was rapidly falling and he'd already called and told Vick he'd be a little late since he was dropping off the package. Vick had been cool about it, telling him that the delivering the package was 'working' so Greg didn't have to sweat it. Now, as he walked up the steep incline toward the building, the package seemed to grow heavier and heavier in his arms. But he struggled on until he came to a dingey structure that had seen better days. It was art-deco in style, built sometime in the roaring twenties when this neighborhood had been 'up and coming'. Now it's stucco was peeling and faded, mold and grime creeping up on the exterior. Curtains of all kinds blinding the windows and there were cracks in more than a few panes of glass. It was the kind of place that screamed 'I have an elderly maintenence man and the tenents are too kind to kick him out'. Still there was no buzzer on the door, Greg simply pushed it open and began to drag himself up the stairs. Damn the people who lived here, obviously all of them fond of public transport, had to be in excellent cardiovascular condition. This was a freaking workout and wouldn't you know it, Travis lived on the damned top floor? Reaching the landing with a panted curse, Greg stopped to regain his breath before reaching out and rapping the door to Travis's home. "It's Greg from Raven Rants, Vick sent me," he panted a moment later when nobody opened the door. Sides heaving, the cool walls of the stairwell sucking the heat right out of his flushed and sweating forehead, he felt the package slipping from his sweat-slicked grip. Cursing, he fumbled to tighten his grip on it, pulling it back up securely against him. Not for the first time today, Greg wondered what was in it, what was so damned important? He held it out infront of him as another wave of curiosity swamped him. This time his will crumbled under the need to know as his mind came up with a thousand fanciful notions, some illeagal and some bizarre, some down right lewd. Almost before he knew it his fingers were working the knot and the string came loose, the ends drifting apart as the tightly wrapped paper began to unfurl. Then, without any sort of coaxing or help on his part, it all fell away leaving that which it contained bare for the world to see. It rested on it's waxed brown paper bed in both his flat palms and Greg couldn't believe his eyes. ------------------------------------- What is this mysterious object Greg has just unwrapped? ---------------------------------- Alrighty then. Let your minds work. The vauge discription on the package itself was to give you more to work with, didn't want to limit the creative ideas. Hope you enjoyed! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Masterweaver Honored Citizen Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 1463 Location: Look around Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:37 am    Post subject: A talking spider One of the recent Bionicle models (And yes, some look like vampires) A head, but not human The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy A book titled, "Blood: Necessity or Indulgence?" by R. A. Dracula So I'm a little loopy. So what? I did catch some periods at the end of questions, though. Not sure where. All in all, an impressive tale. Back to top Author Cyberworm Respected Citizen Joined: 19 Aug 2007 Posts: 652 Location: Spatially found, temporal lockdown. Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:16 am    Post subject: a runed knife or a brooch? Good read there Rai, I love the descriptions of the goths. _________________ Slit and Slide One man's journey through the possibilities of solving what he says is a murder. What was it? Try not to forget. Beyond Good and Evil Could it be that being good is not good at all? Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:46 am    Post subject: ... I got nothing for ya Rai.. Sorry... mind decided to crap out on me. I did enjoy this though.. And I am personally sick and tired of hearing people bitch and moan and groan about vampire stories being overdone.. who gives a flying shit? As long as it's written well it's good enough for me... Vampire stories are cool .. and for there to be so many of them, someone must have done something right.... So, you'll have a loyal reader of this tale here. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:31 pm    Post subject: I'm putting the poll up tomorrow so if you've got suggestions, best hurry to get them posted! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Masterweaver Honored Citizen Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 1463 Location: Look around Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:33 am    Post subject: I posted all of my suggestions already. Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:00 pm    Post subject: A pamphlet on how to deal with addiction. A "learn to play classical jazz- beginners from A to Z" book with Snoopy on the cover. Another note that says something about Greg. An incredibly high bar-tab, resting on a little black plastic credit-card platter. Ew. Uncomfortable! He has to get money from the dude he just met? Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:25 pm    Post subject: I like where this is headed Rai. I dig the story so far and the character, i think, are great. I can't wait to read more. What's the package? I say it's an old wooden box of Tarot Cards, with unidentifiable crystals. I have a slew of suggestions, take what you want, discard what you don't: Prologue: Loved it, good introduction to the character and certain rules and items that are going to play into the game. Good stuff. I don't know what your other stuff is like, so i can't fully agree with CunningFox. Your vampire obviously has flaws; being an artist in the semi-public eye and wanting to see his own reflection in a mirror represent one thing that a long living vampires cannot have; a wish to be seen. So while i don't fully agree with CunningFox, i do agree that sometimes Travis comes across a little too obvious. Chapter One: I love how you started this chapter. Introducing a new one into the fold while also showing the world that is most stereotypically associated with vamps, a fish out of water. There were some spelling mistakes that are easy fixes, they broke me out of the world a couple times. First one was 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence; the word 'benieth' should be spelled 'beneath'. Then, not a mistake until i felt i hit a storm... Now, you know these characters better than i do. So let me reiterate that these are just suggestions of how i saw it as a reader: I had the most problems when Travis entered the scene. First there is a repetition in the writing, i feel, when he enters. It seems as though he comes through the door and floats over to the counter twice. First this sentence which i loved: Kalanna Rai wrote: Greg watched in awe as Lina turned to the newcomer, a handsome man who crossed the distance between door and counter with an easy grace, and her pissed expression melted into something far sweeter. "Well hello Travis? Cutting it close arn't you? It's almost dawn." then again here in the paragraph immediately after... Kalanna Rai wrote: The handsome man fluidly walked over to them and smiled a bit, leaning casually on the counter, ---------------------------------- "Roan", you used this to describe his hair in the Prologue so, imho, i think it should be a different descriptive word. ---------------------------------- A small one that bugged me was the handshake between Greg and Travis. Kalanna Rai wrote: "Greg," he corrected with rolled eyes stretching out his hand to take hold of the man's in a firm handshake. It seems to me it would be better if written like this sir wax wrote: "Greg," he corrected with rolled eyes stretching out his hand to take hold of Travis's palm in a firm handshake. or something else, since Travis should definitely not be referred to as "the man". He's far from it. ----------------------------------- Kalanna Rai wrote: Lina flipped an abscent gesture at him as she bent down under the...[/quote] ------------------------------------- Scrying. I may be alone on this one, but i only know a few people who know what scrying is. You and I would be one of these few. How about when Lina remarks "Scrying?" and Travis retorts, Greg then like the typical person who doesn't know, asks what it is? That way, an average reader can identify with someone in the room. They don't have to answer him with the correct answer, Travis could answer being charmingly vague, or not answer him at all. The point is that Greg keeps with his character. OR after Travis retorts, Greg could simply mouth the words to himself. Something to let the readers know that they are not alone if they do not know what scrying is. E.G. "Scrying? Since when does Scrying fall into your realm of expertise Travis?" "...um... what's scrying?" Greg asked earnestly. Travis smiled, "It's something you do when you're feeling sad... or something you do when your muse leaves for vacation and neglects to find a replacement." etc. -------------------------------------- When Greg said to Travis "I know what thats about". Why compare Travis to Vick in terms of looking. It feels as though Travis's look should be non-threatening and should not be compared to Vicks. But it's still fine, i feel, to put in the gaze that knows everything about you in a single glance. I like that part, i just wish it was from a non-uppity place as it felt in the game. -------------------------------------- Lina and Travis when they talk about eating, biting etc. If you want to stay away from cliché it might be better not to do this, you're a clever dragon, you can find some unexplored thing in the realm of vampires eating. The "sink my teeth into" line has been done, let us vampire story specialists never use it again. -------------------------------------- Travis leaves like 'liquid'. I felt like this was redundant. We know from above that he moves fluidly... what else does he move like? a rain cloud? a shadow? even quickly would have done here. in my opinion, it's detrimental to over describe certain actions, especially if these actions are described in a couple paragraphs above -------------------------------------- the pitbull bit. "Lina who went from wistfully staring after Travis, to attacking Greg like he'd just come between a pitbull and it's steak. " ok, i know why you used it and it might make sense and be good for a lot of people. however, i raise pitbulls and my pits would NEVER LOOK at me aggressively if were to eat out of their dog dish on the floor in front of them. A common misconception is that most pitbulls are aggressive with man, when in actuality they are aggressive toward other dogs, that's how they were bred for generations. News and media commonly mislabel this when reporting many a dog bite, they are usually not pitbulls but they still get blamed, because of this even PETA want to kill all pitbulls (PETA's a horrible organization anyway). Only the few untrained pits that have been abused are aggressive with man, but its extremely rare. Pitbulls are usually known for being in dog fighting rings, because of this humans have to have control over the pitbulls at all times, this breeding it is in their genes to not attack humans. I'm not saying you should change it, i just wanted you to get more informed of pitbull behavior. A more accurate but maybe more descriptive and less funny examples are: two pits in a fighting ring, a dog and it's steak, a lion and her kill, etc. -------------------------------------- loved the burning with acid bit! ------------------------------------- This might be viewed as nitpicking. But when Lina releases Greg from against the wall, maybe theres a better descriptive word or phrase than "hot-stone". Hot-stone implies that she's getting burned, when in fact she was the one on fire! Do you see what i mean? Here are some examples i think you could and can use instead: garbage, tossed away like a bone without meat, left Greg like a flattened house that had just been plowed by a hurricane, disheveled etc. ------------------------------------- Kalanna Rai wrote: The look Vick gave her made Greg chuckle. It was this sort of 'oh really?' expression that people wear when somebody they're talking to just did or said something so extremely stupid they don't feel the need to verbally point it out. With an exaggerated sigh, Vick gave a theatrical shrug. "Why do I put up with you Lina? I had something ELSE for Travis, something rather important." His eyes suddenly landed on Greg. "You, would you take it to him if I gave you some directions?" This broke me out of the world again. First the long description of Vick's look. I have done this before so many times, because you see the character with a certain face and you wish other would understand... but sometimes we can't. So my suggestion is to maybe to rephrase it where he looks down on her with condescending eyes for being so ignorant. His reply, for how you described him above, i don't quite believe his response. Speaking in dog terms again, he's the alpha-dog of this store, so it would make sense that after Lina flexed her dominance on Greg, and snipped at Vick, Vick would flex his muscle to show who the leader of the pack is. E.G. sir wax wrote: Vick looked at her with a condescending gaze. "Obviously, you gave him the book, Paulina. Do you think i would keep you around if you were completely incompetent? Did you ever think, maybe, i had something ELSE for Travis? Something that is in fact, rather important?" To me, Vick will put up with Lina's shit for so long before he eventually snaps. Then Lina for a while will build up this pile of shit again for him to snap again and repeat the cycle, i've seen this in so many places i have worked. And, especially because she is talking down to Vick in front of the new guy, Vick would have to show his dominance somewhere or Greg wouldn't have been threatened by him when he came out of the back. --------------------------------- Kalanna Rai wrote: "Well...I...um..." Greg felt suddenly uncomfortable. He barely knew the guy and Travis had been a little off-putting, smiles and politeness aside. I think the second sentence here isn't needed, not only do we know this, it also takes away from the punch-line delivered from Vick when he says "Perfect!" ---------------------------------- Kalanna Rai wrote: "Now it's got to get to him before tonight, so you can either go now or go get some rest and drop it off before you come in tonight. And don't worry...you'll get overtime for this." At the mention of extra pay, something he desperately needed, Greg made up his mind. "Sure, okay, I'll take it to him on my way in tonight." "Cool." Vick said. "I'm counting on you. Now go home and get some rest. I'll see you later." This Vick doesn't seem like he's a bad guy, he actually seems like a nice guy, if he is then disregard my previous suggestion and this one, i think this would have made it a bit funny. sir wax wrote: "Now it's got to get to him before tonight, so you can either go now or go get some rest and drop it off before you come in tonight. And don't worry, you won't get overtime... but i'll throw in a couple extra dollars for the day. At the mention of extra pay, something he desperately needed, Greg made up his mind. "Sure, okay, I'll take it to him on my way in tonight." "Cool.... I can count on that fact you won't fuck this up." Looking a Lina who sheepishly hid by the counter. Vick patted Greg on the back. "Now go home and get some rest. I'll see you later." ----------------------------- I loved the last paragraph in this section. ------------------------------ In the next section i found two small errors that made be re-read them. This one: Kalanna Rai wrote: Now, as he walked up the steep incline toward the building, the package seemed to grow heavier and heavier in his arms. "Now" is present, "walked" "seemed" are past tense. So discard the "now" and maybe "as" OR start the sentence with the word "Walking" and this one: Kalanna Rai wrote: It was the kind of place that screamed 'I have an elderly [color=red]maintenence man and the tenents are too kind to kick him out'. The spelling errors didn't bother me as much as the construction. Maybe this would work better sir wax wrote: It was the kind of place that screamed of having an elderly maintenance man that the super was too kind to have kicked out or fired. Just a little change but it makes it have a better flow, i think. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF CRIT -------------------------------------------------------- So all in all, these things i have pointed out don't detract from your story any bit. I think your story is great, you've set up some nice characters to work with. Not to mention plots and devices one can use for better story twisting. And remember, these are my opinions, take all of them to heart, but only use what you feel you want or need... if any. As i said before i look forward to you upcoming chapters to see where this goes. And i'll say again, i think the package is an old antique tarot card set with unknown crystals. Sincerely, SirWaxaLot Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:02 pm    Post subject: Okay, the poll is up. Vote! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:56 pm    Post subject: Well, the poll closed on a tie...a five way tie. Luckily, I was able to solicit another opinon as to which option I should pick and spare myself the agoney of the choice. Enjoy! ------------------------------------- Chapter Two: Bloody Rose A knife sat on his open palms, the beautiful inlay on it's sheath gleaming in the dim hallway lights. It wasn't like any knife he'd ever seen, a strange and alien design and surprisingly heavy. He could easily see where the sheath met the handle and, using that as a starting point, estimate the blade to be an easy six inches, closer to seven and oddly curved. He'd just worked up the nerve to try unsheathing the blade when a discreet cough turned his attention to the doorway behind him. "Isn't it some kind of offense to open a package meant for someone else?" Travis's mild voice was distorted by the toothbrush that hung from his mouth. His hair had that 'I just rolled out of bed' thing going on and he was clad only in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms that hung loosely on his hips. He leaned in his doorway sleepily and was eyeing Greg with something close to amusement. "Or is that no longer true?" "S..sorry!" Greg stammered, thrusting the knife toward Travis like he was handing it to him on a silver platter. "It just sorta came open in my hands!" He realized how lame that sounded, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously as he swallowed hard. He felt uncomfortable under Travis's gaze, which suddenly ceased to be amused as he beheld the knife Greg proffered him. With a speed that seemed positively inhuman, Travis took the knife and pulled it clear of it's sheath. The blade was indeed strangely curved, a glowing blue razor etched with a flowing script. There was a loud snap, the sound of Travis biting his toothbrush in half as the muscles of his jaw clenched. Almost absently, the artist caught the handle as it fell toward the floor. He turned and walked back into his home, leaving the door open behind him. For a moment, Greg debated if that was an invitation or not. He was about to turn around and head for the shop when something caught his eye...well two somethings really. He softly closed the door behind him and walked across the beautiful hardwood flooring to the objects of his interest. They hung illuminated by the last light of the dying sun. Huge and exquisite, one a picture of a white rose speckled with what must have been blood, the other the shadow of a woman viewed through a panel of blue silk. Every step closer he took revealed even more minute details until he gasped suddenly. These were not photographs at all but paintings, their brushstrokes so precise and neat that they blended into a glossy whole. Paintings so realistic he'd mistaken them for photographs. "You like my work?" Greg spun around, blinking rapidly as his pulse raced before beginning to return to normal. "Shit, you scared the crap outta me...and these are yours?" Travis, now dressed reasonably in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt nodded. "My favorites actually. I never could bring myself to sell them." He stood for a moment, gazing at them in silence, before turning back to Greg. "Now, do you have the faintest idea what you just did...never mind, I can tell you don't." "Okay, you lost me. What?" "The khukuri." "The knife?" Greg shook his head. "Vick just shoved the package in my hands and told me to make sure you got it before sundown." Greg fought down the sudden urge to jump back as Travis swore and ran a hand through his still messy hair. "Sundown..." They both turned in time to watch the last sliver of the sun slip below the horizon. It was then that all hell broke loose. In the blink of an eye, Greg found himself roughly grasped from behind and shoved to his knees, arms twisted painfully behind him. There was a brief scream, a female scream, and something warm and red obscured his vision. Blood. He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to clear his stinging eyes. When he finally could see again, he didn't quite believe what his eyes were telling him. A strange stalemate was taking place before him, something straight out of a horror movie. A small pile of ash lay in the middle of the floor, the khukuri laying half buried in it. A second pile of ash sat not more than a foot from Greg, a trail of red droplets clearly denoting that this was where the blood soaking him had come from. Travis was facing off against a delicate blond woman dressed in a black catsuit, an Asian sword of some kind in his hand leveled at her throat. Blood stained the edge of the elegant blade, gleaming wetly. For a moment nobody moved, nobody spoke, and neither Travis or the woman appeared to breath. Indeed a strange feeling, a tingling electricity filled the air, mingling with the arctic chill that was now the room temperature. "This one's human." The voice was female and came from the person holding him. He saw the eyes of blond narrow as a smile twisted her fine features and...oh god were those fangs? What the hell was going on here?! "Travis, tisk tisk. I thought you were against servitude. Or have your high words always been an act?" Travis did not smile though there was mirth in his words. "Isabelle you are a fool. Greg is neither Servant nor Source." "Well then, oh great one. What is he?" The blond, Isabelle's words were dripping with envenomed sarcasm. And now Travis smiled. "Collateral. And I deny you kill privileges. Perhaps next time you shall ask before invading my demesne...or was your intent to kill me?" Isabelle muttered something Greg could not understand, her gaze flicking from the khukuri to Travis's unwavering blade and back. "Mai Lien warned you did she? Maxis will hear of this." "Let him, Maxis has no control over Mai and never will. Frankly, I think it pisses him off...don't you?" Travis paused a moment to allow Isabelle to consider his words before speaking again. "Now, there still is this little problem you have created. You've exposed us to a human and I will not allow either you or your lackey to harm him Isabelle. Recompense is required." A silent signal must have been communicated because Greg suddenly felt cold breath on his neck, a pair of sharp points pressing against his carotid artery. "I could simply have Alexandra change him, Travis." Isabelle's voice was smooth, silken, the voice of a woman who knows she's won. Travis chuckled. "There is death involved in the Kiss Isabelle. We do not live. And if you did come here to kill me tonight, do you honestly expect me to bestow feeding rights upon you or your minion? I am not so generous. I will, however, make you a tempting offer. Leave now and you'll live to try this another day." The fangs retreated from Greg's neck and the grip upon him loosened as the other woman, Alexandra, moved away at Isabelle's signal. She grinned at him, a predator's smile with full long fangs. Her blue eyes were positively hypnotic, her black hair falling down her back like a waterfall. Something, the equivalent of a mental slap, tore his attention off of her. "None of that either." Travis said mildly. "I despise such low methods." Isabelle laughed. "Low methods. You are one to talk Bloody Rose. But your offer is indeed generous, we shall take our leave of you now." She bowed low, turning towards Alexandra. But as the black haired woman bowed, a streak of silver split the room like lightning, blood limning a graceful arc behind it. Before her head had even hit the floor, Alexandra was nothing but ashes. "I said you Isabelle. I did not say your minion. Such is the price of trespass." Isabelle was furious, Greg didn't need to be a vampire to tell that. Bright red patches appeared on her pale skin and she hissed at Travis. "This is not over! Maxis will not stand for this insult." And like an ill wind, she was gone leaving Greg alone with Travis and three piles of ash that had formerly been creatures of the night. With a sigh, Travis finally allowed his sword to fall from it's ready position. He walked into the kitchen and rummaged around under the sink a moment. A rag appeared and he ran it lightly over the edge of the blade, removing the blood and restoring it's brilliant shine. Then, rag still in hand, he gathered up a broom and dustpan and proceeded to sweep up the ashes, which were as fine as sand. These he dumped without ceremony into his trashcan, washing his hands to clear the last traces. A plaintive meow sounded and Greg watched a black cat slink out from down the hallway, Travis stooping to scratch it's ears and give it a dish of food. Then, suddenly, Travis was staring at him. "I suppose you want an explanation?" "Well, you can skip the whole 'vampire' part of things. I've seen enough movies to know that's what you are." Travis smiled. "Shock is a wonderful thing. Humanity thinks so clearly before the hysteria sets in. And Greg, we're nothing like the films, or the books for that matter." He watched Travis wander over to the phone and pick it up. "I should probably call and tell your boss we're both still alive..." "Wait a second. Vick knows doesn't he?" Travis laughed even as he dialed the number. "Oh yes, Vick's known all about vampirism for about...twenty years now. Or at least I think that's what he said. You'll have to ask him, I'm terrible with things like that." Greg nearly choked. "Vick is a..." "Vampire, yes. Or did you think the hours of his shop were simply a gimmick?" Travis made a shushing gesture as someone obviously picked up on the other end of the line. "Emerald, this is Travis....yes I would....Vick? Well naturally....yes it helped...yes he's here....yes...yes...About an hour....alright then." Travis turned and fixed him with a light stare which did nothing to blunt the sheer intensity of the gaze. "Let me get my coat." "We're headed back to the shop?" Greg blurted out. "Well I'm certainly not staying here tonight. Maxis is nothing if not persistent...although I wonder what the hell I could have done to piss him off now." Greg followed Travis as the vampire walked down the hall, watching his every move to make sure that Travis didn't suddenly go all 'Dracula' on him and become a throat seeking missile. "I have no intention of it." "You can read my mind?" "Not like you think I can but I can get suggestions of what your thoughts might be. Oh, and here." He said, tossing Greg a washcloth on their way past his stacked linens. "Bathroom's in there, you might want to scrub the blood off of yourself. You look more like a vampire than I do." Greg mutely nodded his thanks, shutting the bathroom door as he turned on the tap. He ran the cloth under the water and began to scrub at himself, horrified by his own bloody reflection. His stomach suddenly couldn't handle it and he ended up doubled over the toilet bowl, heaving his socks off. Staring into the whirling water, a million questions went through his mind but all of them only to one end. He was now under Travis's 'protection' he supposed...and that meant he needed to know more about Travis. And fast. ---------------------------------- Alright, Greg's just been introduced to the 'after hours' community. He needs to learn more about Travis. If this were you, what would be the first thing you did? ---------------------------------- A _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: Maybe it's just me, but I detect a hint of homosexuality underlying this 'protectorate' thing. Anyway, if I were Greg, I'd want to know who is likely to attack me, and whether there are any rules which protect me from being devoured. On a side note, Greg seems a bit contradictory; on the one hand, he impulsively opens up someone's package, walks into their home uninvited, and then vomits due to the sight of blood, but on the other hand, he cool-headedly accepts the existence of supernatural beings. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:57 pm    Post subject: Definetly you D. And Greg's currently in shock, just going through the movements. Wait until he starts coming out of it and trying to be logical... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:36 pm    Post subject: Quote: Definetly you D. Well, this is what gave me that impression, among other things: Quote: She pulled his face so close their eyelashes were nearly tangling, her words so filled with malice he was surprised the few flecks of spit that flew from her lips were not burning acid. "Stay the hell away from Travis, I've been working him two years now. He's my ticket to immortality...mine." Lina is obviously trying to seduce Travis, but why does she feel threatened by Greg? In this scene, it's somewhat ambiguous as to what Lina thinks Greg's intentions are. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:14 pm    Post subject: Well, now that Travis has- as DLotus pointed out- opened, intruded, and puked... perhaps he can pony up some information on himself to even out the deal. I think I would be less than in love with the idea of being "protected" by some vampire dude i really just met.. so I would want to address that. For instance, why would Travis now become someone who needed protection? Wasn't he just "collateral" in the whole vampy fight scene? If not, why would he be an integral part of this thing? And, indeed, why is Lina seemingly threatened by Travis? I think Travis should offer us some information explaining why the idea of vampires doesn't freak him out, why the whole glowy knife thing was something he seemed to easily accept, and why he doesn't mind breaking basic property laws. (hate to say it, but this DP is a little unclear, at least to me. We're left at a VERY loose end here, instead of a more directed choice. I think if you keep leaving so many open ends, you're going to end up with a story that may feel a little directionless and messy in the plot department. Just my opinion, mind you.) Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:32 pm    Post subject: Okay Kitty, you've got one thing confused. Travis is the Vampire, Greg is the guy that opened, intruded, and puked. This Dp is open because I'm giving you an oppertunity to explore the character of Travis from Greg's point of view. And the knife isn't glowing, just reflecting light from the surface of the blade...it's a normal knife. Sorry if everything is confusing, will sort itself out soon. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Gallant Citizen Joined: 02 Mar 2008 Posts: 266 Location: There... No, There! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:53 am    Post subject: Get Greg to ask him the usual questions. How long has he been a vampire, what's it like, do you ever feel guilty and all that blah blah. _________________ Bold as brass. Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:30 am    Post subject: Ah ha! You're absolutely right, i totally reversed the names. Sorry about that! Sort of negates the validity of my comments when I can't even keep the character names straight, eh? Ah. And a NORMAL knife. That I didn't initially get, particularly due to it's vamp-killing abilities. Okay. I see what you mean with the DP. I like the idea of letting us explore the situation, I can see how that leads us in many different directions. All I'm saying is that I hope every DP isn't as open ended, or it's going to make it quite difficult for you to keep a cohesive plot. Some of us like to take things waaay out there! So I guess what I suggest is: I think Greg should offer us some information explaining why the idea of vampires doesn't freak him out, why the whole knife which kills vamps thing was something he seemed to easily accept, and why he doesn't mind breaking basic property laws. I would also be great if, as you say, he can prise more personal information and backstory out of Travis. [/b] Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:34 pm    Post subject: Kitty, the knife isn't special in any way. The person weilding the knife however... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:43 pm    Post subject: *steals Travis for her own personal use* A new delicious character for me to paw, why thank-you Rai, you shouldn't have! Any man, immortal or not, who can wield a sword like that... all male... *whistles* *done drooling now* Okay.. anyways.. It had just the tiniest bit of a rushed feel to it, but as we said in chat, it may be the action scene in it that's making it feel that way.. DP: Who the hell is Maxis and why the fuck does he want you dead? Er.. well, dusted? _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:04 pm    Post subject: Alrighty folks. I'm putting up the poll around this time tomorrow. So if you please, a few more suggestions? _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:57 pm    Post subject: I can't believe you guys! Was i reading the same chapter as you all? Ok Rai, here's the things that slipped me up on this chappy: Rai wrote: His hair had that 'I just rolled out of bed' thing going on I would have just used the words 'bed-matted' or 'bed head' or something like that. Use the change if you want, but its not necessary. --------------------------------------------- small one here that made me re-read Kalanna Rai wrote: For a moment nobody moved, nobody spoke, and neither Travis or the woman appeared to breath. i think it's supposed to be 'nor' ----------------------------------------------- K-Rizzle wrote: And now Travis smiled. This kind of broke me out of it as i thought it could have been fine without 'And now' ------------------------------------------------ Kalanna Rai wrote: Greg followed Travis as the vampire walked down the hall This seems like there is a third person or thing in this sentence or that Travis has a different 'vampire' form. And is a tad redundant. we know he's a vampire, but if you wanted to reiterate it, it might be better rephrased. imho. ------------------------------------ end of crit ---------------------------------- all in all, i thought this chapter was not only easier to read but better with action, mystery and set-ups for pay offs. I do see that you are using a Greg point of view with this story. This is a smart move, one time i kept writing this story about an assassin, it never worked because if you are trying to tell a story about a bad-ass, it needs to be told through someone elses POV. Plus it makes it better for a reader to attach to someone in the story. I didn't think Travis was gay, just followed a different set of ethics. Everybody who doesn't know, when you're in shock, you'd be surprised at your reactions. I got hit by a car once. I tried to get right back up thinking i was ok, it felt like a bruise. I fell back down. I saw a trickle of blood on my pants quickly grow bigger, lifted the pant up to see my leg was split wide open, when i moved my toes i could see the tendons move. My reaction? "Hmmm, i thought it was a bruise. All over my new white pants, fu**!" To me Greg is acting just about right. As for the other stuff, obviously it will come as it develops. This is probably one of the best concepts for a vamp story i've read except for NightWatch, DayWatch and TwilightWatch. As for what he will do, i think Travis will answer all the question floating around in Greg's mind about what just happened, and what is the world without Greg having to ask, really. The introduction into the new world so to speak. I do agree a little bit with Kitty about the DP's, they seem too vague, which is fine right now, i just hope that there will be more consequences in the next DP and all of the ones after. Something that will make us think hard about making. I think it will be a great SG then. Good chapter Rai, keep your snout up, you're doing a good job. Sincerely, SirWaxaLot Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:31 pm    Post subject: Okay, a new poll. Have at it. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:44 am    Post subject: I know we've established that Travis can read Greg's mind.. sort of anyway. I just like the idea of them having an actual conversation as opposed to a one-sided mind-answering blitz. Although that's a talent that could come in handy later. Wouldn't it be interesting if Greg had some kind of latent psychic ability? Back to top Author Santoshguru Guest Items Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:08 am    Post subject: hey man, Rai.this Santo.Seeing your story the first time ahhhhhh dude.Its Great dude! Sweating Horror story dude.Okay then See ya some time while chatting. Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:57 am    Post subject: What are 'the usual questions'? _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:41 pm    Post subject: The usual questions.... How old are you? How did you become a vampire? How many more are there? Are other creatures of the night also real? All those questions that heroes in vampire stories always seem to end up asking. *grins* _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:36 pm    Post subject: So what kind of questions are then going to floating around in TGreg's brain? Just the "usual" stuff? Or, since we don't know that much about Greg.. what to HIM would be "usual"? I think he'd definately be curious as to how one stabs a vampire and kills it with a knife, as opposed to the regular stake (or porterhouse.. nyuk nyuk). Also, what's the deal with the Coffee House of the Undead? Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:28 pm    Post subject: Excellent observation Kitty. You've no idea what questions will be floating in Greg's brain but look at it this way. You'll learn more about Greg through the types of questions floating around in there...hehehe... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:05 am    Post subject: Ah ha! Good answer! Now I'm stoked to find out what happens! This story is really starting to suck me in! (vampire pun obviously intended. mwahhh.) Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:29 am    Post subject: Alrighty then. It's time for a few questions to be answered and a few things to come to light. And D...right idea, wrong character. Enjoy! ----------------------- Chapter Three: Travis As soon as his stomach stopped doing flip-flops, Greg got to his feet and resumed scrubbing off the now dried blood. His sweatshirt was soaked with it, bringing a momentairy flash of fury. He'd really liked this shirt, it was from his senior year at Valdins High. And now it was ruined. He peeled it off disgustedly, swearing as he realized the white T-shirt under it was also stained with blood. Walking out into the hallway, bloody washcloth in one hand, ruined sweatshirt in the other, he looked around for the vampire. "I'm in here." Travis's voice floated from further down the hall, prompting Greg to follow it. Sticking his head in the only open doorway to be seen, he was treated to the sight of Travis rummaging through a trunk at the end of a king-size bed. Greg's eyes took in the sight of the vampire, the first slivers of doubt worming their way into his skull. Travis had an average frame, build like an althlete, a swimmer most likely. His streamlined legs were currently incased in a pair of heavy leather pants, tailored to fit semi-snugly, reinforced with steel plates at the knee. His upper body, currently bare, was decently defined though not overly so, with an emphasis on shoulders and arms. A few scars smatterd his tanned skin but didn't detract from the overall effect. Greg abscently wondered why he couldn't look like that, it would certainly make him more appealing socially. "You could if you were born in my circumstances, were apprenticed in the same feild I was. Or if you'd just visit the gym, I hear you can get similar results. And I really could care less about who appriciates it, I stopped caring what others thought long, long ago." Greg shivered. No, the guy hadn't really read his thoughts...had he? Travis looked up from where he was snapping some thick steel buckles on one heavy duty boot. "I told you, I can't actually read your thoughts, just get the gist of what you're thinking. Like if a man's stomach rumbled, you'd think he was hungry. If he stared at your steak wistfully, you'd think he wanted your steak. I get the general idea, but not the actual thought." "Still creepy. Please stay out of my head." "I'm not in it. My mental powers are severly limited compared to most. I can hypnotize you or break you out of hypnosis, as I did earlier with Alexandra. I can calm you, make you feel at peace. And I can 'feel' the direction of your thoughts. That's it, that's all." So he couldn't sheild himself from mental attack? "Oh, that too." Travis said with a smile, snapping the buckles on the left book. "That's just a natural thing. I'm better protecting myself than anything else." No kidding. Greg watched Travis's supple movements as the vampire extracted a dark shirt out of the open trunk at the foot of the bed. He pulled it on with a deft movement, smoothing the wrinkles and shaking the arms to make sure it was lined up correctly. It was slightly fitted, showing Travis's form to good advantage, and like the pants had curved steel plates at the elbows and straight ones along the forearms. Who wore those kind of clothes? "Somebody interested in staying alive. Body armor of the modern age Greg. I started wearing this when your great, great, great, great, great grandfather was in diapers most likely. Sometime in the 18th century I believe. Although it was a different style, less mobility inclined." Shit! How old was this bastard? "I was born in 1755, early July although I'm not sure of the exact day. Record keeping then wasn't as up to snuff as it is now, especially when you're parents are not literate. I was twenty-two when I was Kissed, that was 1777...which means I'm turning 252." Travis's mouth quirked in a quick smile. "Not all that old as vampires go." Greg leaned against the wall for support, his mind scrambling. This guy had to be bullshitting him. Two hundred and fifty-two Greg's ass. And wait, he'd seen the guy in sunlight! Weren't vampires supposed to fry in sunlight. Travis sighed. "Vampirism is a disease. It's symptoms are well known for the most part, but they afflict each person differently. I know some vampires who cannot breath if you happen to be holding a clove of garlic, yet I know others that like it mixed with olive oil and slathered on toast. And speaking of toast, I know some vampires who can eat just like a normal human while the vast majority are damned to drink only blood for the rest of their time on Earth. Thus, I know many vampiers who cannot even waken during daylight...but I regularly run errands when the sun is up." "Likely story." What. Did this guy expect Greg to believe he was a Daywalker? "I hate that term. That's so overblown, a figment of some human's imagination. I get sunburns like you wouldn't believe and they hurt far worse than the ones I got when I was alive. I also get sea-sick, which never used to happen before the turn either. Running water and I get along for the most part. But the swifter it gets and the deeper it gets, the more it disagrees with me." Travis had just strapped on a pair of fingerless gloves, the knuckles capped with studs. He now turned back into the chest and pulled out a duster that looked like an escapee from a gothic's version of a western. Again, reinforced with steel along the forearms and elbows, a little bit stiffening the collar, and weighing down the hem. Massive buckles like those on his boots snapped it shut from collarbones to crotch. The vampire raised a strange silver mirror, ruffling his hair and wrinkling his nose. What? Was he trying to look sexier? Travis suddenly glanced down at himself. "This is hardly my idea of a sexy outfit, it's not exactly easy on or off. I'm just trying to get my hair to lie flat." Giving said hair a few more pats, he reached back into the trunk and pulled out a battered fedora that would have been right at home on the head of Indiana Jones. He sat it on his head lightly, then pulled the brim down over his eyes. Definetly sexier. Greg had a thing for fedoras and this guy wore that hat like he'd modeled for the style. Hell, Travis wore the whole outfit with an air of confidence and style that most goths couldn't have pulled off in their dreams. "I'm not a goth. These clothes may be what they wear, but they wear them for the wrong reasons. They wear them to show their disdain for normal life. I wear them to preserve mine. If somebody comes at me with a sword, I can use the plates on my arm to block. My boots are reinforced to protect my shins and my achilles. I can go down on my knees and not damage them. I can land on my elbows and not hit my funny bone, which still hurts just as badly as it did when I was human." "So you're some kind of warrior?" Or hit man. Travis favored him with a very chill smile, one eerily inhuman despite the abscence of fangs. Come to think of it, he'd never seen Travis's fangs. "And if you're lucky you never will. I'm not some newly Kissed idiot to go about flashing fang at every little thing. That's rather crass where I come from. Besides," Travis said, standing gracefully "a true predator doesn't unsheath it's claws until it's time to kill." That said he withdrew two bundles, one large and long, one small and squre, from the trunk. He bumped the lid with his hand, causing it to bang shut, before undoing the string that held the packages together. The large and long one unrolled to reveal several slender daggers of antiquated design. These he slid through the little loops on the legs of his leather pants, making sure the daggers were snug yet easily withdrawn. The second package, revealed a necklace of some sort. The chain was slender, delicate, and silver looking. It ended in a pendant featuring massive milky-white moonstone, diamond shaped and large as an egg. Travis held it in the flat of his palm for a moment, picking up the strange mirror and holding it over the top of the gem. A cone of light circled up from the jewel and when Travis took his hand away from the mirror, it hung in that cone of light for a moment. Then the cone vanished and the mirror with it. Greg didn't even know what to make of it. He just stood there and watched numbly as Travis slipped the necklace over his head and made sure it hung hidden under his clothes. Then, suddenly, the vampire fixed Greg with a searing gaze. "You look like an appitizer at one of the Gatherings." A moment later, a shirt was being pressed into his hands. "Here, put this on. It should fit you." Travis brushed past Greg and down the hall, leaving the shaking human alone in the bedroom. Slowly, he stripped off his bloody shirt and pulled on the one Travis gave him. The smell of Downy, Tide, and Bounce filled Greg's nostrils, along with the sharp smell of sandalwood. The shirt, which would probably have fit Travis flatteringly, was too loose on Greg. Emphasizing that he was a freaking bean pole without a muscle to his name. He walked back down the hallway, nearly tripping over Travis's cat. The large, black animal glared at him for a moment, sitting aloofly just out of Greg's reach. Why did the vampire keep it? "Because we get along well. I feed him, scratch his belly, and stroak his ears. In return, he curls up with me, purrs loudly, and does amusing cat antics. Don't you Odysseus?" The black cat walked over and rubbed it's head affectionately against Travis's fingers. From Greg's vantage, he could see the hilts of the asian swords from where they were clipped to Travis's belt. "Man, you really are armed to the teeth arn't you." Travis gave him a droll look. "That was a terrible pun Greg." Thinking about it for a moment, Greg realized that he had indeed made a rather lame joke. "Sorry," he said weakly. "I'm not used to dealing with vampires." He looked away, realizing no matter what he said he was going to sound like an idiot. "So...you were around in 1777. Saw the Revolution and all that eh?" "Fought in it as a matter of fact. I was dying on a battlefield when my Maker found me. I was one of the men defending the guns at the Battle of Brandywine." Travis's jaw twitched. "The Redcoats hit us like a hammer against the forge. And trust me, being a former ferriers apprentice, I know exactly the kind of force involved in something like that. We kept falling back, hoping for help, but..." Travis shook his head. "What's done is done." Aw hell, just when I was getting somewhere... Travis chuckled, looking around as if making sure nothing was forgotten. "You've gotten more out of me than anyone in about ten years." "Well, it only makes sense to know more about the...vampire who's protecting you." Greg backed up a step as Travis hissed lightly. "Let's get one thing straight. You are not under my protection. You are collateral, a human who knows about our world. Potententially you are the greatest trigger for distruction vampires have ever known. I denied them the right to kill you, to feed from you, to Kiss you, because it made them uncomfortable. And I was rather enjoying watching Isabelle be uncomfortable. You mean nothing to me Greg, let's get that straight, here and now." Following at a slight distance, Greg didn't know why Travis's words stung just a bit more than usual. Could he be...no. Absolutely not. He wasn't going to do that again. Besides, if everything about vampires was a lie, their link between sex and feeding had to be as well. "Actually that's generally true. We like our blood one of two ways, hot and cold. Cold means the vampire likes their blood tinged with fear, with those icey chills that run down your spine. Hot blood...well that explains itself. Also, we are what we eat. All blood holds memories, all the memories a person has ever experianced. When we draw their blood into us, we draw those memories in as well. Some vampires don't mind, taking it as it comes. I, myself, am a picky eater. There are certain...qualities I look for in a meal." Greg snorted. Yeah, must be attractive, young, and virgin. "Actually no, although I take the last one when I can get it. Mostly I like artists. Their creativity often gets me through my own moments of Block, helps me see things in new ways I might never have. I dislike going to galleries and museums to see art, I'd much rather just have someone over for dinner." Greg chuckled. "Now who's making the bad puns." Artists eh? Well did musicians count? What was he thinking! Travis didn't strike him as one of those 'cold blooded' eaters but there was always a chance... "Lukewarm. I'll take my meals without any garnish. Emotional stress only leads to situations I've grown weary of dealing with. I've found just hypnotizing a pliant person will get me my food with minimal involvement." Before Greg could even discern the train of his own thoughts, Travis pinned him with a single hand by the throat. "Let me make something abundantly clear. I'm not looking for anyone and even if I were, I've been sure of my orientation since I realized there was a difference between men and women. Now, let's get out of here before anyone else shows up." Opening the door, Travis waited for Greg to go through before closing it and locking it behind him. Walking down the stairs, Greg was feeling as though he still didn't have all the answers he wanted. The vampire, though, didn't seem inclined to talk any more and Greg wondered if he'd blown his shot. It was dark outside the building, and as soon as they stepped beyond the dim glow of the building's lights, Travis seemed to come alive. His step had more bounce, his eyes were unnaturally bright, and he seemed overly alert to the slightest sound. It was probably this that saved their life as, without warning, Travis stopped dead in his tracks, a smile on his amazing features. "Come out, come out, whoever you are..." --------------------------------- Who is waiting in the shadows for them? Friend? Foe? Or just somebody in the wrong place at the wrong time? ------------------------- Okay, a little more about Travis and a little more about Greg. Still tenative though, more is likely to unfold as time goes by. Now, for the DP, what could possibly be in the shadows? _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Last edited by Kalanna Rai on Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:30 pm; edited 1 time in total Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:20 am    Post subject: Somebody is in the wrong place at the wrong time and it happens to be someone we haven't met from the shop yet, Emerald. :O hehehe _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:14 am    Post subject: I think it's Lina, the girl from the cafe who has the hots for Travis. She's still pissed about Greg making the delivery, and now that he's incredibly late for his first shift, she's come under the guise of "caring" to gloat about him getting canned, and also to make sure he didn't get what she's been after. Back to top Author Hak Citizen Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Hell's Basement Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:15 pm    Post subject: it's the great dragon, Kallanna Rai emerging from the shadows to devour the filthy human and his night friend... hee, sorry..... umm.... Is it Maxis? or Angello Steel? Saul should come out! CROSSOVER EXTRAVAGANZA!!! _________________ Fear is only overanxiety over the future Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:18 pm    Post subject: Good job with this chapter! I tried to look for as many things as i could and could only come up with two spelling mistakes and the voice of the book. That and a little bit too many questions being answered maybe. I see now the POV is strictly Gregs. the way you are doing it is great, stick with it. though it is a bit different because it switches from here to there, it still holds up really well. It does confuse me why Travis is pushing Greg around so much, it seems to me he'd be bigger than that, but maybe that was just my impression of him. Travis being 252 years old and whatnot, may have a better understanding of how to not wear his mood on his sleeve. My suggestion for the DP would be a bad-ass messenger from Maxis who is also warrior like. Maybe there just to say a few words to Travis before the shitz hits the fan. My suggestion for the overall story, a gay romantic, action, comedy. Travis and Greg fall in love. Now that would be breaking new ground! Sincerely, SirWaxaLot Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 4:21 pm    Post subject: Oooh Waxy, Rai's gonna burn you .. and burn you good. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:31 pm    Post subject: Well, that was gonna happen sooner or later. I only mention it because it would be really cool. I mean, all kidding aside, how many times can you say you've seen or heard of a story like that? ........ I'll answer for you, never. No, you have not. Why? Because it simply does not exist..... yet. Sincerely, SirWaxaLot Last edited by sir wax on Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:27 pm; edited 1 time in total Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:44 pm    Post subject: POLL! And it's still not. There isn't going to be any 'action' in American Vampire. Just action. And Wax, when people are sent to kill you, you get stressed. Doesn't matter how old you are. Travis is mostly human afterall... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:37 pm    Post subject: Kalanna Rai wrote: POLL! And it's still not. There isn't going to be any 'action' in American Vampire. Just action. And Wax, when people are sent to kill you, you get stressed. Doesn't matter how old you are. Travis is mostly human afterall... Exactly, endorphins release and next thing you know you've fallen in love with a guy. Seems to make sense to me, but whatev. I'm still pulling for the gay romantic, action, vampire dramedy of the year. If done tastefully, it would be a sight to behold, imho. Sincerely, SirWaxaLot Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:59 am    Post subject: I don't know, Wax. Too much rompy dramedy, and Greg and Travis will end up opening a quasi evil tea and candle shop in Wrath. hee hee. Although that does have possibilties! Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:56 am    Post subject: Alrighty, bad ass messenger dude wins. Enjoy! Warning: Language and Older Themes. Reader Discretion is Advised. --------------------------- Chapter Four: Forging a Bond Greg looked around wildly, trying desperately to see whomever Travis sensed in the darkness that pressed close about them. But he couldn't see a damned thing and the vampire wasn't looking in any particular direction. Instead Travis seemed to have found something very interesting about the tops of his shoes, casually standing there with his gaze on the ground and that sizzling smile on his features. Then, without warning, a massive form ambled out of the darkness. Greg took an involuntary step backwards as his eyes locked on the massive bear of a man that seemed to spring from nowhere...another vampire obviously. The man had to have been close to seven feet, an easy 6'6" and almost as broad. He had biceps like oaken kegs and a face like a granite crag, a long blond beard done in beaded braids hanging down his powerful chest. He wore a ratty tan trench that was nothing like Travis's elegant duster, heavy hob-nail boots, and a massive guitar case on his back. His blue-green eyes glittered with complex emotions and, suddenly, he smiled to reveal a mouth full of broken and yellowing teeth. "Travis," he said in a voice rough with a heavy Nordic accent. "It has been a long time old friend." Now Travis's head came up, smile changing into something less mocking and far warmer. "Gunner, you look well." There was a long pause before Travis spoke again. "I suppose Maxis sent you?" Greg watched the big man's face fall and grow stony. "Da. He told me to tell you that to kill the serpent the head must be crushed. And that he will not allow some whelp to take what is rightfully his." Gunner sighed. "He...he told me to kill you Travis. To bring him back your fangs." Travis tapped a finger against his lips. "Well it seems we have a problem then Gunner." He spread his hands with a smile towards Gunner. "You see, I have no intention of dying and yet Maxis has no intention of letting you live if you fail to complete your mission. Am I right?" Gunner shifted his weight uncomfortably, leather coat creaking alarmingly as the muscles in his back strained the material. "Da." He said flatly. "It's a no win situation for me. Either way, I loose." Greg suddenly noticed that, while he'd been concentrating on the words spoken, the pair had shifted stances until they were both aggressively facing each other. Between one heartbeat and the next, Travis had his blades free of their sheaths. He'd moved so fast Greg's eyes had literally failed to catch the motion, so fast that crimson sweat beaded Gunner's forehead as his eyes widened. "By Thor!" The words fell in a hushed manner from the big man's lips. "Are you more demon than the rest of us Travis? Is your haste hell born?" Suddenly Travis was next to Greg, a massive battle axe embedded in the sidewalk where he'd stood moments before. Without even a grunt of effort, Gunner hefted it clear with one hand and shook his head again. "Too damn fast by half. Why don't you just stand still and I'll make it quick and painless." There was a ringing sound as Travis cut at Gunner, the big man getting a block that was more luck than skill and deflecting the deadly blade. With all the grace of a ballet dancer, Gunner pivoted and brought the axe around in a deadly swing that would have cloven Travis in two. If Travis had been there. Instead Greg saw him rising up behind Gunner, a single sword gripped double-handed. With a swift motion he brought it crashing down against the back of the big man's skull, a hollow thud echoing in the still night. Gunner's knees went weak, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head as he lost his grip on the waking world. He thudded to the ground, Goliath to Travis's David. Travis stood there for a few moments, his breath coming in short pants. "I haven't had to move that fast in a long time." He slowly slid his sword into it's sheath and stood contemplatively over the prone form of the messenger. Greg nervously swallowed although he had not even a drop of saliva to quench his dry throat. "Uh, shouldn't we be getting out of here before he wakes up?" Travis looked up at him with bright, angry eyes. "This is cruel of Maxis indeed, low even for him. He knows Gunner's chances were almost none against me." "I don't know, he looked like he was giving you a pretty damn good run for your money there at the end." Greg said quietly. Travis snorted. "Had any one of those blows hit, I'd have been finished. Gunner has more power in him than I ever will...and it's not just a question of size. I told you before, vampirism affects different people differently. I was giving speed, not power. If I don't strike first and strike hard, I'm going to spend the whole fight evading and looking for that lucky shot." Now that he explained it, Greg could see it. He looked from Gunner, who'd given a soft groan and begun to rouse, to where Travis was pacing. "So why aren't we leaving again?" "Quiet human." Travis snapped, a small psychic slap accompanying his words. He looked at his hand suddenly, then back to the stirring Gunner, and back at his hand again. "Fuck him." He said suddenly, crouching down next to Gunner. Greg had a feeling of what was going to happen an instant before it did and turned his face away. Then, morbid curiosity and the niggling doubts in his benumbed brain forced him to look back. Travis had clamped down on Gunner's neck, the big man moaning softly as his blood was drained away. Suddenly, the gorgeous vampire pulled back, laying open his own left wrist and pressing it to Gunner's mouth. "Drink damn you. Fight Gunner!" There was a sudden crunch as Gunner's yellowed fangs bit down hard enough to snap the cartilage in Travis's wrist, causing the latter to wince in pain. "Take the Essence, leave the hand." Gunner mumbled something, blood running in rivulets as he tried to drink too much too fast. Then, he let Travis go and sat for a moment with the most bemused expression on his face. Travis, meanwhile, lapped gently at his own wrist and watched as intently as a hawk while the flesh knitted back together and the tendons reconnected over re-fusing bones. A few moments later, he flexed it experimentally before bending down to retrieve his hat from the pavement. Dusting it off, he'd just situated it on his head when he wobbled. He would have fallen if Gunner hadn't put out a massive hand, like a fleshy baseball mitt, and steadied the smaller man. Travis smiled at him woozily. "Well if that's not a kick in the balls." He suddenly looked at Greg. "Take it easy Master." "Don't call me Master, Gunner." Travis muttered, still standing shakily. "It makes me uncomfortable." "Sir then?" "What's wrong with just calling me Travis?" Gunner shifted. "Well," he said softly. "It just wouldn't be right. I mean, we're not equals...you're my Master now..." Travis pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, call me boss if you have to. I didn't realize that a headache of epic proportions came with the deal though." Gunner grinned broadly. "Maxis always said I caused him a headache. Speaking of Maxis...I don't think he'll be taking this too well....boss..." "He'll rape me for this if he ever gets a hold of me." Gunner cracked his knuckles savagely before picking up his battle axe and returning it into the guitar case. Greg was suddenly reminded of old time gangsters. Only instead of Tommy guns in violin cases, Gunner was carrying a double-headed battle axe with a shaft almost longer than Greg was tall. "Yes Greg...he can and will break medieval on your ass." Travis took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Now before I completely fail on us all, lets meet up with Vick before he sends a search party. Gunner chuckled. "Da boss. I can't wait to see what he says when you tell him you stole me." ------------------------------------- "You did WHAT?!" Greg had sank gratefully into the cushy chair in Vick's private quarters below the shop. He now hid an amused snort as his boss stared in slack-jawed shock at an utterly exhausted Travis and a smirking Gunner. He placed a hand on his hip, the other holding his forehead. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me see if I have this straight. Maxis sends out one of his Personal Guard to deal with you and rather than dust the asshole when you have a shot you go and freaking STEAL him?! You break a Master/Turn bond and STEAL a thousand year old viking warrior from a Prince who's already very pissed off at you. And just because you're old friends?!" Vick collapsed in a chair next to Greg, vigorously rubbing his temples. "On top of that, we've got a Collateral situation on our hands and trust me. Word on the web is he's under your 'Protection'." "Actually, Greg belongs to you in all technicalities Vick. You hired him, his under your employee. I couldn't very well have him harmed without seeming rather gauche now could I?" "Travis. This is your demesne. You can do whatever the fuck you want and there isn't shit I can do about it." Travis leveled a smoldering gaze at Vick, restraining Gunner with a flick of a hand. "I am not the type to pull the old 'lord of the manor' shit Greg. Never have, never will. I wasn't born noble, wasn't bred noble, and still can't be bothered to give a flying shit about nobility. Greg is yours, yours alone. You decide what to do with him." Greg felt a chill in the room as three vampires stared at him, shivering despite himself. Now he knew how an entree felt. Travis chuckled. "I don't think anyone here has the intention of feeding off you." Gunner cleared his throat. "Boss, maybe you should consider eating something." Vick nodded. "You've expended a lot of energy tonight Travis. In your current condition, a week old Turn could walk in and dust you." Gunner growled and Vick hastily added, "or maybe not. But you've still got to eat." "Vick I'm not..." "Look, you can't afford to be fussy right now. I've got three warm bodies on the premises and so what if they're not your usual top-shelf stuff. They're blood Travis, something you're rather short of right now. Hell, you could have Lina, Emerald, and Greg if that's what it took to get you tanked back up." Travis snorted. "Some choices. Emerald sleeps around too much, Lina expects me to hand her a pair of fangs, and your new boy here is as gay as a San Francisco street parade." "Really?" Greg flushed as he felt Vick staring at him again, not quite liking the appraising tone in his boss's voice. "Still, it's what's at hand." As silence fell, Greg felt his heart speeding up and icy fingers stroking his spine. Obviously Travis saw the necessity of the situation. The only question was...who was he going to choose? ------------------------------------------ Alright. Somebody's getting bit in the next chapter and whoever he bites Travis is going to end up with their memories. So I guess the question is...who's head do you want inside of? ------------------------------------- I hope you all liked this! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Hak Citizen Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Hell's Basement Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:28 am    Post subject: Greg! bite Greg..... just to make more tension between them!!! _________________ Fear is only overanxiety over the future Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:58 am    Post subject: Hmm. I want it to be Greg so we learn more about him, but he seems like such an obvious choice! Also, with Travis' comment about Greg being "as gay as a San Francisco street parade.", it seems like Travis has a little aversion to biting him. Maybe Travis does have some weird aversion to biting Greg, but not due to sexual preference.. maybe there's something else about Greg that makes Travis uneasy? Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:24 pm    Post subject: Nice. I like this Vamp story. Except the fight scene; it had too much of a movie/anime/Matrix component for my taste. Quote: I couldn't very well have him harmed without seeming rather gauche now could I?" gauche? left in French? I would have chosen Emerald. And so, is Greg gay or not? Travis clearly isn't. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:36 pm    Post subject: Gauche also means lacking social experiance or grace. Or awkward. It's not just left in French. *winks* _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Smee Revered IFian Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 5215 Location: UK Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 2:18 am    Post subject: I'm no vampire story aficionado, but I do enjoy the more interesting ones occasionally. And so far this one is keeping my interest. I've already mentioned it to you in chat, but now I've read it, I want to draw your attention again to Waxy's comments. They are correct from my point of view too. Apart from the gay tomantic, action comedy, I'll leave that to you. The chatty tone in some of the lengthier descriptions, and various little unneccessary typos are distracting, and can be caught with a more careful edit, rather than being in a hurry to post. Your story would be the better for it. One quickie... I really hate the following device in a story : Quote: He had no idea that in a few short hours, shit would hit the fan. Almost nothing could be more tacky, immersion breaking or inappropriate to a story in my eyes. Please try to avoid it. We'll know the shit has hit the fan, when it happens. Not half a chapter earlier. ~ The questions were interesting, and I feel the style of mind-reading and answering was inspired. You did some truly lovely dialogue scenes. The only thing I think went too far was his detailing the limitiations of his powers so matter-of-fact-ly. This seems wrong, however much I enjoy reading descriptions of powers myself. ~ There's a lot of things right with this story Kalanna, work hard to continue them and try to drop your bad habits of old. As for the DP. Tough one. I'd like to Greg bitten, but it's not a decision point from my point of view, but Travis's. He seems highly against all except Tina, whom he seems only to be against because of her excessive desire to be turned. Simply feed from her and don't give her fangs (if that works). As he already has fangs of his own, the imbuing of such desires from his feeding won't effect him much, and othersides of her personality will be interesting to see. Happy Writing _________________ The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the Devil's own Satanic Herd! Back to top Author Novelest_Ninjagirl Respected Citizen Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 700 Location: The inn. Probably. Come check! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:56 am    Post subject: Okay, sorry I'm late, back to helping out on this. I noticed something in one of the chappies, not sure which one, but I'm sure you can find it if nessacary. If soemone else alreadyu ppointed this out, sorry. Quote: Thus, I know many vampiers Is he adding slang to it, or is that suposed to be vampires? Now, as for the dp, I say none of them. Add a nwe character. Maybe an old pal of Travis's, that, or like a sibling of gregs. I could see a little sister walking in a yelling. "Oh Greg! Where are you! I found something of your's at my place!" Of somethign along those lines. Anyway, I'll sum it up, add someone new, I'd like it to be female , but that isn't required in the poll. Hope I helped add a possible twist! _________________ My latest SG! (Image courtesy of the lovely Lebrenth) Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:09 am    Post subject: Oo! I really like NoNi's idea! A new character could be a lot of fun. Someone from Greg's past, so we get an outside look at his story, since Travis will get the memories. A sibling, a friend, an ex (or current!) lover... hmm. Greg could even offer this other person up, perhaps. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:14 am    Post subject: Shit, just bite Lina and leave her for dead. She'll stop annoying him. Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:09 pm    Post subject: @ Smee, I rather enjoyed the shit about to hit the fan line, see to me, this story has to have a smidge of humor or else it gets to dull. Throwing in a line like that reminds the viewership or readership to remember the style in which it is presented. IMO. However the only thing wrong with the way it was presented, is the POV. Because as i've said before, Rai is doing something different than i've seen POV used. When she wrote that part, i could easily see Greg walking home happy in slow-motion with a glow on his face thinking how great the future will be... then the narrator chimes in telling the exact opposite would be happening soon. To me that is perfect. @ Ninka, "Vampiers" is another way to say 'vampires', i don't know if Rai meant it though. "Vampiers" is a more old way to say it, like the old Nosferatu and Dracula. However it still existed widely during the beginning of America, which is when i believe Travis was kissed. @Rai, I wish the fight scene was a bit more, it seemed it was too easy for Travis. Though i get why it was done, i wanted a badder-ass messenger. One that gave Travis a run for his fangys. I do dig Gunner though, a shout out to Little John from Robin Hood. When Travis broke the bond, i believe it could have been handled more delicately. The 'Master' thing happens too quickly i think, i think if you maybe give it a bit more time for it to sink into Gunner, then it would be nice. To me Gunner would still help him. Maybe something like this: sir wrote: .... Travis smiled at him woozily. "Well if that's not a kick in the balls." He suddenly looked at Greg. "Travis... You didn't." Gunner's rough leathered face slowly turned into something that resembled more of Travis; as wrinkles and dead grey started to fade. Greg could only look in awe as he saw the slight shift in the behemoth. Gunner lifted his other arm to look at this hand, only to see his mummified palm turn into something more alive. He turned gradually toward Travis as his old eyes struggled to find words. "M- Ma- M a s t e r." "Don't call me Master, Gunner." Travis muttered, still standing shakily. "It makes me uncomfortable." "Sir then?" Gunner lifted Travis up so he could stand more steadily. Imho, i believe this is needed to see the shift of the bond between masters. While show this a little bit, it needed to be a bit more to show the gravity of the situation that just transpired, which later on is discussed. But with something right here, it is shown. Now, it doesn't need to be shown that way, it was just an example. Also, the POV is getting a bit claustrophobic. Maybe it's just me, but if i were you i would find a way to switch the narration style in an important upcoming event. Not necessarily next chapter but soon. I want to see what Maxis castle looks like, the creatures who live there. With this POV, you are not able to do so quickly. It would need to be a reason for this switch. Such as a person on the other side that Greg knows or Travis knows, showing us the world of Maxis, immersing us in that world for a bit through someone elses eyes, then taking it away by coming back to Greg telling a wide eyed Travis of his dream; Travis knowing that it's not a dream at all. Or something like that. I don't know, all i know is that its starting to feel a bit constrained in this world and you need to open it up a bit soon, preferably during a very pivotal point of the storygame. That's all i got for ya. Keep up the good work, you've got a great thing going here! Sincerely, SirWaxaLot _________________ "Everything you can Imagine is Real." - Pablo Picasso Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:51 pm    Post subject: Okay dokay, poll is up for three days. Vote away! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:50 am    Post subject: I just noticed something was wrong with the poll. It doubled the first three options and completely deleted the fourth. I also cannot fix it. Will PM CF about a solution. If you want one of the three listed options, then vote. If you want option four 'New Female character' please say so. Thanks and sorry. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Crunchyfrog Honorable IFian Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 3998 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:13 am    Post subject: Have brought it to Key's attention - Thanks Rai. Voters - Please vote as Rai has indicated - and if you see any strangeness when you vote, please mention it here. Cheers CF Back to top Author Novelest_Ninjagirl Respected Citizen Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 700 Location: The inn. Probably. Come check! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:07 am    Post subject: New female character! _________________ My latest SG! (Image courtesy of the lovely Lebrenth) Back to top Author sir wax Citizen Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 269 Location: i come from outer space, to save the human race Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:51 am    Post subject: voted for Emerald since we do not know her enough and Paulina is a friggin joke, wanna-be. And if he sucks from Paulina, he's gonna absorb some of that wanna-be essence. Sincerely, SirWaxaLot _________________ "Everything you can Imagine is Real." - Pablo Picasso Back to top Author Adalia Citizen Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 196 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: New female character. _________________ All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost. - J.R.R. Tolkien Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: Heh, three way tie...one of which was for the invisible fourth option. Since you left it up to me, I'm going to pick.... Enjoy! -------------------------- Chapter Five: Hells Bells Greg's mouth went dry as a bone as the gazes of three vampires fixed on him. He shifted uncomfortably in the chair, brain scrambling as he tried to think up some way that would see him through to the dawn without him becoming a hot lunch. He gripped the arms of the chair to keep his hands from shaking as his thoughts collided like a novice skateboarder and the pavement. He forced himself to calm down, wiping his shaking palms on his jeans. He doesn't want to bite me, Travis doesn't want to bite me. He's going to pick someone else. "Have any suggestions, I'm open to options at this point." Greg's head jerked up as he realized the vampire had answered his unspoken thoughts once again. "Will you stop doing that! It freaks me out." He pointedly ignored Travis's weary chuckle as his thoughts turned over to possible blood donors. "So you like artists?" "Yesss..." The word was slowly spoken, a breathy hiss that held a questioning note. An image popped into Greg's brain and he instantly shoved it away. He wasn't going to serve Shelly up to a vampire on a silver platter. "What, I don't rate the good silver?" Greg glared impotently across the room. "Stop it Travis. It's not funny so quit flaunting your 'I'm so amazing' mental abilities." Gunner growled low in his throat, instantly making Greg forget he'd ever possessed courage. "Boss, are you sure you just don't want to bite this one and get it over with?" Travis gave Gunner an unreadable look that had the other vampire looking very sheepish. "I would rather run a cheese grater over my elbow or chew on a lovely piece of tinfoil." His attention suddenly swung to Greg as he sat up a little straighter. "Now, who is this Shelly?" Greg sighed. It didn't matter if he told Travis or not, the guy would probably just pick the details out of his head. Head in hands, he quietly mumbled the details out. "She's an old friend. Shelly Vengate, you might have heard of her. You're artsy after all." Travis nodded, smile on his face. "Indeed, I've actually had the pleasure of meeting her not all that long ago. She attended my opening." His gaze intensified, the scrutiny unbearable. "She would do nicely." Greg's shoulders sagged. Could he really do this? Offer Shelly up to save his skin? "You already have. Welcome to our world Greg. It's not as beautiful as people think. You have to be very selfish to survive any length of time. Now, are you going to lure her here or am I going to have to send Gunner to fetch her old world style?" Greg looked around helplessly, realizing there was nothing he could do. His self loathing was evident as he took the phone from Vick, barely noticing his boss's sympathetic smile. His fingers shook as he dialed in the number he knew by heart, biting his lip to keep his brain from going blank. Putting the phone to his ear, he was sweating, his heart hammering in his chest. Then she picked up and his nerve nearly failed him. 'Hello?' "Sh...Shelly." 'Greg? Is this you Greg?' "Yeah Shels, it's me. Hey listen, I'm in a bit of trouble and I could use your help. My new boss is a real bloodsucking bastard and, well...can you come bail me out?" He could picture her quizzical expression as he listened to her voice. 'Bail you out? How?' "You know, just walk in acting VIP and give me a glowing performance review to my boss? So he doesn't like chew me out...please Shels, I'm begging...." His hysteria had worked it's way into his words, his fear. He bit it back, damage already done. 'It sounds like he's really hitting you hard Greg. I know you need the work but...' "Please Shels..." 'I'm on my way. Gimme the address.' He couldn't have felt lower as he hung up the phone after giving her directions. He glared at Travis, who was busy staring fixedly at the ceiling. I hope you're happy you bastard. "No I'm not happy, I'm hungry. The need to sustain myself with mortal blood will, from time to time, override my better judgement. Especially when I've a very pissed Prince wanting to detach my head from my body...permanently. So forgive the lengths I'll go through to prevent that from happening." Travis reclined a little further before adding in an offhand manner. "And just for the record, my parents had a very nice church wedding long before I was born. My mother even wore white legitimately." Gunner chuckled and Greg shifted uncomfortably again as Vick's attention swung to him. "Bloodsucking bastard eh? I can't argue with either part of that statement but did you have to be so vehement about it? C'mon, I'm not that bad a guy am I?" "Present company considered, no." "And what have I done to you boy?" Gunner's massive bulk shifted as he moved the guitar case concealing his axe to a more comfortable position. "Back in my day, something like you would never have been tolerated. You should have been killed at birth." The Viking's snarled words earned him a mild rebuke from Travis in the form of some kind of mental slap if the giant's sudden shocked look was any indicator. "Sorry ma...boss..." "Apologize to him Gunner. You're opinions are about a thousand years out of date." "But Travis..." "Apologize." Travis's flat tone brooked no argument. Gunner turned stiffly to Greg and made a very stiff and formal bow. "I humbly apologize sir." Greg sat silently for a moment before Vick elbowed him lightly and hissed 'say something' in his ear. "Uh, it's alright Gunner. I...I get that a lot. Well, not the killed at birth part but there are quite a few folks out there that don't find people like me adequate company." Indeed, he was rather surprised that Travis had insisted on an apology given his own opinions. "You know nothing of my opinions Greg. Being gay is only one of many reasons I'd rather not avail myself of your Essence. To be quite honest, you don't seem that appetizing to me. Not hot, not cold, not lukewarm. Just not something I'd want to eat even when starving." He cocked his head suddenly. "Speaking of meals, would you please entice miss Vengate down here." Greg's knees were wobbling too badly for him to stand, his gut doing flip-flops as his guilt threatened to crush him. From upstairs beyond the beaded curtain, Emerald's sultry voice announced the arrival of the VIP. Vick cracked his knuckles. "Time to be menacing I suppose. What should I be pissed off at him about, any suggestions?" Travis laughed. "He opened my package." Vick grinned nastily. "Good enough for me." He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were black pits of fury. "HOW COULD YOU! I TRUSTED YOU, STUCK MY NECK OUT FOR YOU! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Greg shrank back, babbling in a way that wasn't entirely forced. Some small part of him was amazed he wasn't seeing fangs in Vick's mouth, he kept looking for them. Of course, he was still trying to believe that this was all some sadistic dream he would be waking up from any minute...then Shelly arrived. She came striding down the stairs like some vengeful angel, blond hair shimmering like a cape around her shoulders. "Excuse me, but are you the owner of this establishment?" Vick straightened up and nodded. "I am. What can I do for you?" Shelly walked over, hands on hips. "You can stop treating that man like crap. He happens to be a close, personal friend of mine and..." Her eyes suddenly fixed with Travis's. "You...what are you doing here?" Travis slowly stood. "I was watching Victor here chew the ass of an employee that opened something designated for me. But if he's a friend of yours I think that we can overlook things. But how did you know young Greg was in trouble?" Shelly looked slightly off balance but settled for this 'I don't answer to anyone look'. "I didn't. He told me he'd gotten a job here and I came in to see how things were going for him. When I was told he was down here...I forced the girl to let me come see him." She suddenly rounded on Vick, poking a slim finger in his chest. "Now listen here. Greg is a kind, wonderful, hard working, driven, talented, honest individual. You couldn't find a better person..." She broke off as Travis suddenly grabbed hold of her, staring at her with an apologetic smile. "You may want to reconsider your opinion of him in a moment miss." Before she could quite comprehend what was going on, Travis's fangs were buried up to the gum line in her neck. Greg couldn't help himself, he passed out... ---------------------------- Travis wiped the his mouth on the back of his hand, shaking his head as Shelly slid bonelessly from his grasp. He caught Vick's worried look and smiled. "She's just asleep, I told you I wasn't that bad." Vick shrugged. "You can't blame me for worrying. I don't like explaining away corpses. Especially well known ones." He looked at Shelly. "She is well known isn't she?" Travis sighed. "Yes. She's a shining star in the art world actually. She's more visible than I am and thus better known. Although I've got a bit more of an established reputation than she does." He smiled suddenly. "She's also a fan, I'd have never known." Vick rolled his eyes. "Well THAT makes everything all better doesn't it." He put his hands on his hips and stared at the two passed out humans. "Well...what am I supposed to do with them? Got any answers for that smart guy?" Travis sat down at Vick's laptop, opening his e-mail in a few easy clicks. "I don't know Vick." He said as his eyes scanned the digital messages. "Be creative." "Oh hell, easy for you to say. What are we going to tell the girl when she wakes up? Or are you planning on another Collateral situation?" Travis didn't reply, his entire attention focused on the message that opened to fill the screen. His muscles stiffened as the lines of digital text burned themselves into his retinas. "Vick, I've got bigger problems than a pair of Collaterals." He spun the computer around. "Take a a look at this." Slowly Vick and a curious Gunner leaned down to look at the glowing words, then shared an 'oh shit' glance. Vick looked over the top of the monitor to where Travis and shook his head. "I hate to say I told you so but..." "Da, Maxis is not pleased. He will send Preacher for you now." Travis looked at the pair of them, then looked at the ceiling. "Fuck. Now what the hell do I do." Vick walked over and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'd suggest it's time to start calling in favors...and backup." Travis smiled sardonically at Vick. "Any suggestions Victor?" Vick looked at him flatly. "The Cowboy, AngelMaker, or Kid Death. This is Preacher we're talking about after all." Travis shook his head. "I should never have gotten out of the business." --------------------------------------- So who does he call? ----------------------------- Okay, I realize there's not a whole lot for you to base your choice on but I can't exactly ramble on with backstories in this chapter, as much as you'd want them. There's also the issue of Greg and now Shelly. They're Collateral and major danger factors Travis has to deal with. Suggestions on what he does are welcome. Hope you enjoyed! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 5:02 am    Post subject: *shrugs* call'em all, why not? Greg and Shelly? Leave'em with Vick and keep them low profile. Shelly will be handling Greg quite well when she wakes up, I think. Back to top Author Novelest_Ninjagirl Respected Citizen Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 700 Location: The inn. Probably. Come check! Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:54 am    Post subject: Nice. I got to admit, I was on the edge of my seat he whole time. OH, and now the victory dance for my suggestion being choosen*dances* ojkkay, back to the sane person. Anyway, If there were any spelling mistakes, they didn't pop out at me. I seriously like how this story is coming along. As for the DP, I like the 'all of them' thing. I mean, come on, he needs help, get all that youcan! As for Greg and Shelly, I say Shellygonna need something explained to her, and greg. . .keep him out cold. Keep this tory coming! This thing ROCKS! _________________ My latest SG! (Image courtesy of the lovely Lebrenth) Back to top Author Head of the Guard Tourist Joined: 17 Apr 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Guardhouse Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:39 am    Post subject: I agree with NaNo. Good intro with Shelley. Call AngelMaker. He has the coolest name. Greg will come with Travis, and Shelley will attempt to leave, but be stopped by Vick who keeps her there for... explanations I suppose. Great Great Great SG. _________________ The Guard is coming. I *also* eat babies. The Gods of War: Check it. Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:54 pm    Post subject: I F5 Head AngelMaker does have the coolest name. I would also like to say that this is... *clearing throat* AWESOME I would also like to note a couple things that confused me a bit over the whole of the story. It was said before that the Kukri was just a kukri. So why did Travis need it? And why before sunset? and what was all that about, "Do you have any idea of what you've done?" Something else that seemed sorta off. Travis says that he can only get general thoughts, not specific mind reading. Yet he somehow picks out Shelly's name specifically, instead of a girl. Besides those things, this was really good. EDIT: i forgot to say this before, but "gay as a San Fransisco street parade"?!?!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!??! EDIT #2: (For some reason, I keep on pressing Submit, then thinking of something else to say immediately afterwards) About calling them all... Travis seems like the kind of person who would want to minimize the debts he owes to others. I don't think he would want to call all of them. That's just my impression though. I could be totally and completly wrong. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:09 pm    Post subject: Heh. Travis is old, not politically correct. And as to why Travis got 'Shelly' instead of 'girl'...well that's something you'll find out later. Same with the knife. It's all upcoming. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:49 pm    Post subject: Quote: He gripped the arms of the chair to keep his hands from shaking as his thoughts collided like a novice skateboarder and the pavement. I don't know what others think of this simile, but I was somewhat astonished by its extraneous nature. The only relation between the skater and Greg's thoughts is the colliding; a simile needs more connections to make it superb. And if the simile is poorly related, then you might as well not include it. The other thing that bothered me was Greg's cowardice, which was partly engendered by the last decision point vote. I lose more and more sympathy for this character as the chapters progress. Travis, on the other hand, becomes center stage; so much so, that it makes me wonder why you started out with Greg as the main character- now you don't know where to go with him, and you are asking the reader to figure it out. As for the DP... it lacks substance. This is not a good DP, as I am sure you realize. I would rather read the background to these characters than flounder on an empty DP. Call all three, I guess; this is Preacher we're talking about. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Guest Items Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:54 am    Post subject: Heck why not... Call all of them! By the way Hells bells is a songs name. lol Hope to see more chapters come. Oh Kid death sounds like someone who killed alot of people or is much like a necromancer, always cheating death. hehe... AngelMaker is a cooler name than the others, but I guess you'll have to call all of them and see what happens, some of them might not want to help... I guess Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 10:19 am    Post subject: Heh, just because I'm not really here doesn't mean you can't really vote. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 3:49 pm    Post subject: All three, duh! _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 4:36 pm    Post subject: I voted for the Cowboy, simply because of the lack of killer-goodness in the name. Why the monikers? Does Travis have a secret Super Killer Vampire Assassin Name of Doom, too? Or is he out of the club? Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:45 pm    Post subject: Okay, if this isn't spellchecked forgive me but I'm under a deadline. Still, enjoy! -------------------------- Chapter Six: Conversations For a moment the three vampires sat in silence. Vick massaged his temples, Gunner sagged wearily against a wall, and Travis brooded in deep silence. Every once in a while, Travis's hazel eyes would flick up to meet the flat stares of his companions. They always looked away swiftly. "Gunner." "Da boss?" the big Norseman replied, shifting his weight with a weary sigh. "Get some sleep. I can feel how tired you are and it's not making it any easier for me to think." Travis meant what he said. He'd never been Master of another vampire before. The bond he shared with his old friend was at once exhilarating and desturbing in it's depth. Cold comfort was the fact it was largely one way. Should he wish, Travis could reach out through Gunner's senses as if they were his own. Make the elder vampire do his bidding. Gunner could do little more than sense Travis's general mood and physical wellbeing. The big vampire hesitated once more. Travis had not commanded him to sleep. The suggestion had been made on the basis of their longtime friendship and the results the bond was producing in Travis. No doubt that with time he would learn exactly what the limits of their Bond was but no matter what, Travis had no intention of using Gunner like a slave. "Go Gunner. Nothing I can't handel is going to come after me in full sunlight." A jaw cracking yawn disrupted any protests the big man might have made. Instead he turned toward Vick. "Gotta safe place to Rest?" Vick snorted. "You think I'd be sitting here this close to Dawn if I didn't? I'd fry faster than you, my Viking cohort." He stood and stepped over the unconcious form of Greg. His eyes flicked from the two prone humans in the room to where Travis sat. "Leave them. It's better they wake up here than in your chambers Vick. They'd probably open the door and let the light in." Vick snorted and jerked his head at Gunner to follow. "See ya in the evening Travis. Don't stay up all day now." Travis grinned, teeth gleaming whitely in the dark room. "Don't mother me Vick. You're a little young for that." A few minutes later, Travis felt the burden of weariness lift from him as Gunner fell into that strange state that overcomes most vampires during the day. 'The Rest' was more like a corpse state in those vampires unable to hold their own against daylight and varied in intensity depending on how susceptable to sunlight a vampire was. His near immunity to sunlight made Travis a light sleeper, even by human standards. Vick and Gunner, by comparison, were literally dead to the world. Travis stood and chuckled about that as he took Vick's shop keys from where they lay on the tabletop. He had a few things to get from home and with the shop already locked up for the day he had no intention of leaving the door open while he ran his errand. He'd just let himself back in when he returned. Vick wouldn't mind. ---------------------------- Shelly awoke with a start as a shaft of golden sunlight lanced her eyelids. Rubbing her gummy eyes with the back of her hand, she sat up woosily. At first, she didn't remember anything, not even where she was. Then, with all the charm of a bucket of ice water to the face, it hit her. She looked around in terror for a moment before taking comfort from the slivers of sunlight that danced across the floor. Daylight. No vampires allowed. She was safe. Her roving gaze suddenly fell on Greg and she was gripped by fury. How dare he! The bastard had served her up as a hot lunch to spare his own damn neck! And after she'd stood by him all these years, helped and believed in him when nobody else would! She didn't remember getting to her feet or delivering the first of the several kicks to his ribs. She only remember when he cried out, pleading for it to stop. The name he screamed in connection with the blows wasn't Shelly's though. That name, uttered by a man just as confused upon waking as Shelly had been, froze her and wrapped her in shame and guilt. Then the anger at what he'd done to her seared through. "No Greg, you actually deserved those. Miserable bastard! How could you?!" Greg slowly recovered himself and realized where he was, what had happened, and what was still happening. Vampires. "Shelly." He muttered her name like a talisman. "Shelly. Shelly. Shelly! I'm sorry! I..." sobs broke his words. "I'm not moved Greg, so knock it off. You fed me to that thing so you could save your own skin. Didn't you." Sobs were her only answer. Kneeling and taking him by the shoulders, she shook Greg fiercely. "Didn't you!" 'Yes dammit! I did! He offered me the choice to either give up my blood or someone elses and I swear Shels that I wasn't going to give you up. But you came to mind and he picked you right out of my head and demanded you."He shoved her back, scrabbling backwards himself. "I shouldn't have done it, should have thought of someone else, but shit Shels I was scared to death! Vampires. They're real, dammit, real! I needed someone else to believe me, someone else to be just as scared shitless as I was-" "And to save your own neck you picked me. I'm flattered Greg that I get to be your shield against them. So what now? You pimp me out for blood while you-" "No." The pain in Greg's voice was surpassed only by the fury that made it shake. "No Shelly. I would never do that and before you jump it hear this. Had it been either of the other two, had it been Gunner or Vick, it would have been my neck. Despite the fact that Gunner thinks I should have been killed at birth and Vick gives me looks that I can't begin to fathom, I wouldn't have sacrificed someone else in my stead to them." "Oh and Travis Rose is different Greg?" The word was painful and took several swallows before Greg could choak out a strangled 'yes'. Shelly put her hands on her hips, glaring at him with the sheerest loathing. "How? Does his bite make you a vampire? Does it carry some kind of kinky toxins? Does it make a person addicted? How is he different?" Each accusation stung Greg, made him flinch, even as he denied them. It stoaked his anger, an anger not directed at Shelly but at himself. It pointed a sharp knife at the wounds within him and plunged it in to twist savagely. "How?!" She demanded one last time. "Because I'm attracted to him!" In the silence that followed his roared admission, anger bleed away and guilt rose up in it's place. Shelly felt dirty, used and dirty. She could understand why Greg had done it now. She couldn't condone it, she didn't like it, and it would be a long time before she would ever trust him again. But at least now she could start to forgive him. "Greg-" "Don't say it. Don't even say it. Dirk was a monster, but at least he was a human one. Shit," the curse was almost explosive, the lopsided grin that followed it bitter and sarcastic. "I've got the best taste in partners don't I?" Shelly didn't know what to say. So she took the wisest course and said nothing. She needed time to sort herself and her own feelings out. For the first time since that first day of Freshman Orientation at Valdins high, Shelly didn't have Greg as her sounding board. She couldn't talk to him. She never considered that the same was true for Greg. ---------------------------- Travis had heard every word of the conversation that had taken place in the darkened room below the shop. It had made him uncomfortable beyond belife but he didn't allow that to interfere with what he was doing at the time. His fingers clicked away on his own laptop, occasionally brushing Odysseus's tail out of his way. The cat would stretch and needle Travis's lap with his claws before drowsing back off again. Travis abscently stroaked the cat as he finished sending the last e-mail. With any luck he'd have his replies tonight. He ran a hand through his own hair as well, staring at the screen of his laptop and waiting for the connection that was soon to come. It would be night in the Jade Court soon and there were things he needed to discuss with it's Prima. Such as why Mai had sent him the khukri and what she knew of Maxis's ire. He scratched Odysseus's ears again. And what of the messages he'd sent, asking for help from old friends long forgotten? Would they find them in time and answer them? Or would Preacher find him first? Even if they saw his messages there was no garuntee they'd help him. He was marked by Maxis and that was one vampire the rest of the Blood took great pains not to cross. He'd sent messages to them all. The Cowboy with his earstwhile ways and easygoing charm. Kid Death, such a punk and a pain in the ass but such a whiz when it came to surviving. And AngelMaker, perhaps the most dangerous of the three yet the most reliable from Travis's point of view. What ever happened, AngelMaker would come. The screen crackled to life infront of him, a small buzz filling his ear through his headset. "Travis? Are you there?" "Indeed Mai." "Then my message reached you in time...but not before our opponants learned of it." Reliefe was as plain in her voice as was reproach. "Our?" Travis wished she could have seen the eyebrow raise that accompanined the statement. No doubt she knew the expression on his face even without being able to see it. "Yes. Our. Maxis overstepped his reach this time. We cannot allow him to get away with it." "We? That wasn't in the royal sense Mai. Who else is in on this." "You'll see in good time Travis. Impaitent as ever. You must learn to take life more slowly." "Strange. You've always praised my speed. But I digress. What do you know of Maxis' plot?" "I know why he wants do dead." -------------------------- So why does Maxis want Travis dead? ------------------------- Whew, with only 8 minutes to spare. Hope you liked. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 7:11 pm    Post subject: hmmmm... perhaps something to do with the Kukri? maybe some magical ritual or something. maybe he's being payed by a jealous ex-girlfriend, will com e up with some more ideas later. great chappie!!!!!!!!!! _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 2:36 am    Post subject: Hrm... This story seems to be changing a little Rai dear... not saying that it is bad, just different... You always did surprise me As for your DP, for the first time I do not have anything for ya. If I come up with something later I'll pop up again though. But I am still keeping an eye on things. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 6:12 pm    Post subject: Quote: Travis had heard every word of the conversation that had taken place in the darkened room below the shop. It had made him uncomfortable beyond belife but he didn't allow that to interfere with what he was doing at the time Other than the spelling mistake, this paragraph is weird. He is uncomfortable beyond belief, and yet cool enough to continue uninterrupted. Either belief has been belittled here, or the hyperbole is inappropriate. Anyway, for the DP- Travis is one of many who oppose Maxis' ascension to the Council of Vampires. Maxis picks on Travis because Travis is a popular man among vampires. He thinks that he can make an example of Travis. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Advarr Resident Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: In lone corner of my mind: Imagination Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:20 pm    Post subject: What if Travis unknownly fed on one of Maxis' family members/girlfriends/wife. That would make me want to kill someone pretty badly. Or Maxis is actually Travis' brother out seeking revenge when Travis tried to kill him some 200+ years ago but ended up giving him the vampire curse. Otherwise I absolutely love this SG and can' wait to see it unfold and tie together. _________________ The farther you run from your problems, the farthe solutions run from you. Make life a straight path, then all you have to do is move forward. What's 2717 like? There's a war now, check it out in 2717 War of Earth. The Future Beginning on Chapter One! Ever wonder life in squirrelly perspective? This is absolutely "nutty" is your chance to find out. Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:59 pm    Post subject: Spinning off of that idea... Travis fed on Maxis himself, a very long time ago. Maxis still feels resentment, because he feels vampirism is more of a curse than a blessing. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:09 pm    Post subject: I like Ds. Although how would that explain that Maxis is higher in rank then Travis? cuz that's what it seemed to me. or perhaps Travis fed on Maxis not long after he first became a vampire, and since then he has been something of a recluse? While Maxis has been scrabbling for power and glory. huh. I like this idea. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:10 pm    Post subject: I think Travis somehow Made Maxis, and then found a way to sever the bond. The other vampires in the Council are trying some sort of experiment to see how that was done, trying to intentionally get Travis to Turn other people, and then see how he deals with the bond. This is why it was no big deal for Travis to "steal" Gunner. Maxis is bitter, because he felt abandoned by Travis, and also jealous. The fancy knife is thought to be somehow instrumental in the "severing" process. Probably symbolically. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:43 pm    Post subject: Only one problem with the Travis making Maxis idea. Maxis is considerably older than Travis. Prince isn't just a power title afterall...*grins* Other than that...I love your twisted brains. Keep the ideas coming. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:07 pm    Post subject: Hmm.. so he can't have made Maxis. Hmmm... what if they shared someone in common? Like... Maxis made someone, who later made Travis, and then somehow Travis found a way to sever the bond between Maxis and the.. whoever it is.. and that's the cause of the bad blood? I just really like my "evil knife as symbolic severing tool" idea. Or maybe Maxis is old and crypt-y and nasty, and is just jealous of Travis and his abundant hair and good looks? Back to top Author LordoftheNight Revered IFian Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 5276 Location: Hell Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 5:55 am    Post subject: Could Maxis have made Travis then? And then throw in a bunch of the other ideas? _________________ Punishment leads to Fear. Fear leads to Obedience. Obedience leads to Freedom. Therefore, Punishment leads to Freedom. Ave Dominus Nox A Fronte Praecipitium a Tergo Lupi Blood Bowl Scraping the Barrel A Tale of Four Swords Passion Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:56 pm    Post subject: Perhaps Maxis Made Travis and Travis defied him in something? _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:04 am    Post subject: Wow.. I've heard of bad news running in threes.. but SG suggestions? hee hee :P Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:53 pm    Post subject: My but you're all enjoying this. I may have to put a poll up soon before the nefariousness overwhelms me. *evil grin* _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:45 pm    Post subject: Okay, so I put up the poll anyway...never know when I'll get back around to it... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:59 am    Post subject: I just couldn't help going for all of the above. After all, the more motive to kill him the better right? _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Tipico Resident Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 92 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:49 pm    Post subject: man i love this sg _________________ mystic jungle chapter 2 out now! would you like a little lemon and lime with that mister?? Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:28 pm    Post subject: Hehehehe.. sorry Rai, I must've started a trend with my vote. *winks and then flies off before Rai roasts her and pulls her wings off* _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:46 am    Post subject: Okay boys, girls, and things that go bump in the day...a new chappy is brewing even as we speak. I should have it done for you day after tomorrow, maybe tomorrow if I get the time to sneak down here. Til then...suffer...*grins* _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:52 pm    Post subject: Alrighty, here it is, hope it tides you over. Enjoy! ------------------------ Chapter Seven: Hate Me Today Travis was silent for a minute, listening to the tone in Mia's voice. When he finally spoke, his own voice was quiet, subdued, dangerous. "You mean you know why he wants to kill me now. He's got many, many reasons to want me dead Mia. But only now does he decide that I'm a stain that needs removing." "This has very little to do with what happened two centuries ago Travis. If you think Maxis still harbors that against you-" "Wouldn't you Mai? I made him look like a fool, took from him that which was his by blood. And then I walked out and rubbed his nose in it by signing on with a rival. Oh trust me, he hates me now more than ever. But while my continued existance galls him I've never been of great concern. We both know that in a fair fight, or even an unfair one, Maxis has me pegged. He's stronger, older, and holds more power than I'll ever amass. Yet now you tell me it's something new that's put a bee in his bonnet. Tell me Mai...what have I done?" There was a long silence that Travis was all too familiar with. The kind of silence one only got from Mai when she was weighing how much of the truth to tell. And that meant it was one of her many schemes gone wrong. "Mai...just tell me." He hissed. "The Council has been meeting for nearly three years without Maxis, trying to decide what to do about him. Surely you've heard the rumors of his...activities. If not it won't take more than a few inquiries to learn of them, I don't have time to elaborate just now. But suffice it to say that we consider him no longer welcome on the Council and have decided that he must be replaced." Suddenly Travis knew where she was going. "Not me Mai, oh hell no woman have you lost your mind! In all our long association I don't believe that I've ever believed you stupid, called you a fool. Well I'm saying it now...you fool." "Actually Travis, it wasn't I who pled your case. Jakart was most eloquent pleeding your cause, your elevation. And his points were most vaild. You have amassed quite a bit of power for one so young, you've talents none of the rest of us possess. You're skilled, you can sort memories and gain from them better than those five times your age. You see value in every memory, not just those that seem to have value. You're very popular amoung the others, look how they flock to your territory, a small parcel of land at that. You're fair, just, and-" "I don't want a Council seat Mai. I won't be able to hold it." His words were hissed between his clenched fangs, hands fisted to white knuckles. "And perhaps that is the greatest reason of all. Because you don't want the power we're choosing you. We don't want someone who's going to become another Maxis...we want someone to replace him. Someone totally opposite him. You." "Well Mai...it seems I've got to go fill out a Will. I'll be in touch soon." "Travis-" He cut the connection, not caring to hear any more of her persuasions. He powered his laptop down and shut it, sliding it across the table lest he be tempted to do something rash and foolish. Like compose and E-mail to the other Council memebers saying he'd rather not have his head mounted in a glass case while his body was placed in a chained coffin filled with salt at the bottom of the Mariana's Trench. Knowing Maxis, that was exactly how he'd end up if he continued with this mad scheme. Odysseus stretched, hopped off his lap, and curled up in the sunny spot of the shops window. Travis, having changed from his 'modern body armor' and into his favorite pair of paint spattered jeans, walked over to where a six pack of Coke was resting in a mini-mart bag. Pulling the tab on a can, he'd taken one swig when he was suddenly aware of people walking up the stairs from the back. Swirling the contents of his can, he grinned wryly as Shelly's thoughts swirled into his perception. She was in for a bit of a shock. ---------------------------- Shelly climbed the stairs ahead of Greg, not wanting to look back and desperately craving the sunlight that filtered down from above. She needed to feel clean again, if that were even possible, and she figured that finding a way out of the shop was the best idea. The master keys were nowhere in sight and Shelly figured the vampires must have them wherever they'd gone. "Dammit," She swore again. "I could kill you for this Greg." "Pick a number, get in line." He muttered sullenly, thumping up the steps behind her. "How many times can I say 'sorry'?" "Not enough." Shelly succiently replied, turning around to look at him as she reached the top of the stairs. "In fact there's not a whole lot you can do to make up with me. Right now, I want to find a way out of this shop and a nice sunny spot to sit in. Preferrably with a cross made of garlic clutched in my hands." Greg opened his mouth to say something but she didn't give him the chance, storming across the storeroom and through the beaded curtain...where she stopped dead. The vampire, Travis, the one that had bitten her, was sitting in one of the plushy chairs with a Coke in one hand and a book across his lap. Worst of all, he was bathed in golden sunlight. She jumped at Greg put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I was going to say that sunlight's not going to help you. Not sure about the crosses and garlic." "Crosses, or holy emblems in general, I've only had a problem with when they're weilded by those who actually believe in their power. Which doesn't happen a whole lot. As for garlic, I don't have many uses for it but it's hardly a deterrant." Travis's voice was low and mellow, the laughter in it easily evident. Bright red patches appeared on Shelly's cheeks as she glared at Greg. What else was he not telling her. "He doesn't exactly know that much Ms. Vengate. He only realized we existed a little less than," he glanced at his watch, "sixteen hours ago. And it will come as a relife for you to know I'm hardly the average representative of my kind." Shelly's eyes narrowed. "Did you just read my mind?" Fear forgotten she marched over to where the vampire sat and glared at him with hands on hips. "Did you just read my mind!" He looked up at her, sunlight dancing in his hazel eyes. "No. I don't 'read' minds. I cannot tell you exactly what you are thinking when you are thinking it. I cannot repeat, word for word, what is running through your minds. I can, however, get the gist of it. Like hearing music through a brick wall. You can tell what kind of music it is, but not the exact song or the words to it." "But you still read my mind." He smiled slightly, returning his gaze to his book. "If you insist on calling it that I won't disagree although you may soon meet others you can rest assured can read your mind to the fullest. That's not my talent." Shelly snorted. Reading minds wasn't his talent, bullshit. He was psychic somehow, maybe that just came with being a blood-sucking fiend. "I'm hardly a demon. Take that from somebody who's had the horrifying experience of meeting one." Greg gaped. "Demons are real too?" He looked like he was going to faint again and Shelly couldn't blame him. Demons? "Yes demons are real. As are the fair folk, the elder races, werewolves, ghosts, wights, ectoplasmic folk of all kinds and...well I don't think I need to go on." He turned the page carefully and bookmarked it. He took another swallow of Coke and smiled at her obvious puzzelment. "I'm not going to bother explaining everything now. You'd go into information overload and not process half of what I told you. If my condition has taught me anything, it would be paitence." Condition? Like and illness? A disease? Is that how he considered it? Like he wasn't some monster from...wherever but that he was just sick? Obviously being a vampire made you mental. "At the risk of reading your mind again yes, I do believe vampirisim is a disease. Like a magical STD if you will." "TMI." Shelly said almost gagging. "I don't need to know about your...habits...although I'm sure Greg does." She glared at him, unable to resist the spiteful barb. Greg flushed, slumping into a chair and pretending to ignore the world. Travis snorted. "Not what I was meaning. You catch an STD by sleeping around, not being careful with either practice or partners. Vampirisim probably resulted the same way. Somebody dabbling in magic, not taking time to make sure they were doing everything right, not heeding warnings that were obviously given. Because trust me, as much as people think we're evil, demons laugh their asses off at us every damn time. They are evil..." His voice trailed away as he reached for another Coke, tossing his empty can into the garbage. It didn't matter that the can was small, more than thirty feet away, and behind the counter. The soft thud of the aluminum hitting the plastic was audible in the silence. He smiled at Shelly's obvious shock. "That was nothing." "Some nothing." He grinned again, extending a can to both of them. "Now, there are some things we need to get straight. I've taken blood from you, not altogether willingly either. I feel extremely guilty about that, by the way, and would like to make it up to you. So ask." "Ask what." Travis smiled charmingly. "Anything." ----------------------------------- Well folks, here's a chance to really get to know your vampire and the world he lives in. As well as set a course for our unlikely band of protagonists. Any questions YOU would like to have answered, feel free to ask them. ---------------------------------- I really hope you enjoyed this. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:10 pm    Post subject: hmmmm... well... no... yeah, I have no idea what to ask. But i do think this is awesome. Keep up the good work. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Advarr Resident Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: In lone corner of my mind: Imagination Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:45 pm    Post subject: I don't think it ever explained quite how Travis bacame a vampire....did it? Anyway, that would be my first question, then in order: 2.) What was his childhood like? 3.) What are you going to do?? 4.) Why the hell was I involved? Loved the chapter, the ideas all fit into place and everything. X.x Your Faithful Reader, Varr _________________ The farther you run from your problems, the farthe solutions run from you. Make life a straight path, then all you have to do is move forward. What's 2717 like? There's a war now, check it out in 2717 War of Earth. The Future Beginning on Chapter One! Ever wonder life in squirrelly perspective? This is absolutely "nutty" is your chance to find out. Back to top Author Tipico Resident Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 92 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:12 am    Post subject: um to me the immediate response would be "will i become a vamp" cot a lot of people think that its i bite and bobs yer uncle yer a dirty great thing of the night, but that is kinda obvious, hey! they met before haven't they? what about something to do with the art or why Greg did not get et? absolutely lovin it _________________ mystic jungle chapter 2 out now! would you like a little lemon and lime with that mister?? Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:47 pm    Post subject: Travis said that he's "hardly a representative of his kind" or whatever.. so maybe Shelley could ask WHAT a "representative" would be like then, and how does Travis differ? And why? and then ask for a beer or something to calm her nerves. Perhaps something kinky, like alcohol dulling the mind in a way that Travis CAN'T pick up thoughts could be discovered... Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:04 pm    Post subject: But... Rai.... this DP is a repeat.... ... Travis did this to Greg earlier.. You're slipping. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author D-Lotus Venerable IFian Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4123 Location: Hollywood, USA Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:26 am    Post subject: Quote: pleeding your cause Pleeding? There were a few other typos as well. Quote: His voice trailed away as he reached for another Coke, tossing his empty can into the garbage. It didn't matter that the can was small, more than thirty feet away, and behind the counter. Here, it seems as though the Coke can is what is thirty feet away, when in reality you are talking about the garbage can. Make that clear. As for the DP, Shelly should find out what the hell is going to happen to her, whether she is going to become a vampire or not, etc... And why is Travis drinking coke? I thought he only drank blood. Maybe they should ask him that, too. _________________ Chapter 5: The Rendezvous Back to top Author Tipico Resident Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 92 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:00 pm    Post subject: criky oh rilly lith is correct this dp is a repeat! i demand a refund! _________________ mystic jungle chapter 2 out now! would you like a little lemon and lime with that mister?? Back to top Author ashkent Citizen Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 114 Location: Conversing with the Backside Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:40 pm    Post subject: OK, I've read this one from start to finish in one go. I can see the defects that sir wax has pointed out, and the other comments about some parts of the writing not being as clear as it could be, but hey, it happens. The main thing is the story, and so far this one is pretty damn decent. I missed the poll, but I would just say that all of those reasons together seem somewhat excessive...it's a bit like in medical dramas where someone falls from a ladder, lands on a gas heater which topples over and rolls down the road only to come to rest outside a firework factory as it explodes and the falling debris of the gas canister lands back on the head of the bloke who fell off the ladder a few hundred yards away. You get the idea. Anyway, looking forward to more. _________________ Grim Reaping Follow Grim's travels on Twitter - A Christmas Carol Retold – Available now. Become a fan of the author and keep up to date with the blog at Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:45 pm    Post subject: Actually the DP is not a repeat. That DP had you asking the questions limited by the fact they had to be from Greg's point of view. This time I wanted YOU to ask the questions. Things you really wanted to know, things that had been bugging you. Because honestly...Travis has most of the answers. Those he doesn't cannot be revealed at this time. And we needed just one more conversation before more action happened or else you'd get all tired of the fight scenes. Glad you're liking it guys, I'm having fun writing it. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:21 pm    Post subject: Okay the poll's up and I'll probably run it short...unless you want to wait another week for chapter eight? _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Phantomfan Citizen Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 309 Location: Deep within the music of the night Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:27 pm    Post subject: Rai, this is flippin awesome!!!! Just caught up with this finally, and I just wanted to say that it's fantastic! If the request for questions is still open, I have to agree with Advarr. The background of Travis becoming a vampire would be pretty interesting. (I apoligize if it has been explained already) Thanks for writing a fantastic story!!! _________________ I've been pulled back from oblivion to lurk about the City once more. Though the music of the night always beckons... Here's some stuff I started writing a long time ago. Orb. Nexus. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:33 pm    Post subject: Wanted: A tie breaking vote. If any readers out there happen to possess one I'd appriciate their assistance greatly. Without it the story cannot move forward. Sincerely, A very sick dragon...*sniffle/snort/wheeze* _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author algu95 Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 265 Location: Trudging around in Allwhere Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:25 pm    Post subject: Granted. Want somethin' else? Or can I go back to indulge in the Sin of Sloth now, in my Dark and Twisted Lair? _________________ Yes, no, what, hello? Falcon Lord, a linear story by algu! Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:03 pm    Post subject: Alrighty then, it's time to pry into the mystery of who is Travis. Enjoy! --------------------------- Chapter Eight: A Bloody Tale Shelly shook her head. "Melodromatic arn't we? I mean what if I asked you something stupid..." "You mean like how many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" Travis asked with ill contained mirth. "I thought you weren't going to read my mind anymore." "It's not something I can turn off." He said with a shrug. "Still, my offer stands." Shelly swirled her half full can of Coke. "I don't suppose you..." she broke off as Travis reached into the bag by his legs and pulled out a brown paper bag. Inside the bag was a brand new bottle of Jack and he tipped a generous portion into her can. "I've got a friend coming who can't live without his whisky." His chuckle was warm as he returned the bottle to it's resting place and reclaimed his own soft drink. "Before you ask no, I don't drink. I also don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I'm clean." Greg snorted. "As if a blood test would find anything out of the ordinary with you." Travis smiled. "Oh it would. I've no wish for anybody to run labwork on me. Then everybody would want me dead...or yes Shelly they might discover my secrets." With the warm blood of liquor in her belly, Shelly didn't even bother getting angery at him. She swirled her drink again, staring musingly into the can, her thoughts swirling just as gently. "So Travis, what made you what you are?" The sudden tension in the room was as tight as a guitar string and Shelly looked up into suddenly cold hazel eyes. There was something in them that suggested shock, she hadn't known what she was going to ask, or hadn't been thinking about it, but now the question was out in the open. And Shelly had no doubts that Travis knew exactly what she meant by it. He scowled. "I was born on a farm in upstate New York, don't ask where I don't know. It was early July, midsummer, the hottest months of the year. I was the third child, second son, of my father and mother. I worked the farm, just like my elder brother Edmund, and grieved just like the rest of my family when my elder sister Paitence died at the age of five. I was four. My mother had four more children in the next five years but only my younger brother Joseph survived beyond childhood. It took a toll on my mother. She tired quickly, had less energy, and relations between her and my father grew strained. Then, one winter when I was ten, my father sickened and passed before spring. My brothers and I couldn't work the farm alone so my mother pressed the preacher into sending word to her sister in Phildelphia, who was a widow and had expressed concern before. We sold the farm and moved to live with her. By the time we arrived my mother was heavily pregnant with her seventh and final child. She died giving birth to my sister Hope, who didn't last four months. My brothers and I, at our aunts insistance we were apprenticed to learn various trades. Edmund became a cooper, Joseph a wheelwright, and I was to become a ferrier." "A what?" Shelly interrupted. "I worked with horses. I forged their shoes and shod them." He smiled slightly. "Growing up in Phildelphia was far easier than life on the farm. It was a city and things were always going on. My master was harsh but fair and I really do enjoy working with equines, well animals period. I had my eye on the baker's daughter, Anna, and could drink my share of ale and hold my own in a fight. I went hunting when I could and, shock and surprise, owned my own rifle. Then things started happening. Riots. Speeches. I was young and foolish so I joined the Continental army and marched off to war. It ended badly as you might imagine. It was the eleventh of September, seventeen seventy-seven. I was twenty-two years old and had buried my elder brother and more friends than I cared to count. The Battle of the Brandywine, as it's known. I was by the guns when a British shot took out my left knee. They mistook my inability to run as an unwillingness and as a result, bayonetted me on their way past. Their aim was off and instead of a quick end they left me to bleed to death." His smile was bitter as he stared out the window at the sun. "I don't know how many hours I was there. I couldn't move, there were a couple bodies on top of me, and I was face down in ground that had long ago become mud. It took everything I had just to keep breathing. I didn't have any illusions about surviving but when I heard people speaking French, I'd heard Frechmen before, I had to call out." He paused for a moment before looking back at them, his gaze inhumanly intense. "I never wanted to live forever. I just didn't want to die face down in the mud. But in calling out to those voice I made an error. I thought they were men...they were not. My head was suddenly yanked out of the mud, a fist in my hair, and a man was staring at me. He was gorgeous, Raphelite in his beauty, a Renassance sculpture with Satan's own smile. I would learn later that his name was Renault and at that moment all he wanted to do was kill me. But the older man stopped him, lifted the bodies off of me, and pulled my head into his lap. He told me 'Your beauty is exquisit. Even now, at it's end, covered in filth and the fluids of failed lives, it calls to me. You are a work of art and you shall be preserved.' His idea of preservation was to infect me with his disease, to make me a vampire." Travis closed his eyes for a moment, quelling the slight trembling of his hands, and when he opened them again it was as if he was not there. His words were a monotone, his eyes sightless. "For thirty years did I serve Henri DeCirque. He owned me, his blood allowing him to command me to his every whim. And I, as his Child, was forced to do everything my Maker, my Master, demanded of me. When your body is not always your own, you have to hold tightly to your soul, your spirit, your mind. My Maker broke me early and one night I could take no more. As dawn approached, as all bedded down, I left the safety of the deep underground and walked out into the garden. There I stood and watched the sunrise...and I did not die. That happening, that strange and mind-altering experience, was enough to reforge my will. I vowed to become the weapon that would kill my Maker. It took me years, years of silent practice. Of sacrifices and more beatings than ever. Of horrible deeds done by me and to me. Until I saw my oppertunity and was able to seize the moment. Henri had fallen out of favor with the Black Court and it's Prince some years before and was using the Seventh Year Ball to repair apperances. He planned on giving the Prince a gift that would show both his loyalty and his value." Travis's blank look broke and he gave a nasty grin. "He planned on giving him me. I was taken to the Prince's private chambers and instructed to wait. I was not alone long, the Prima arrived to see me. Her name was Lily and she was as cold as ice, she had to be to survive in that court, to be consort to that Prince. If I was to become the latest courtier then I must be evaluated. She meant to bite me, to take my Essence and gain power over me. I took hers instead. It was the first time I had any idea how fast I was, could be, taking her throat before she could take mine. Her power was glorious and amazing, far beyond anything I'd ever dealt with before. It gave me the strength I needed for when my Maker arrived. He was shocked for a moment, to see the Prima fading and I growing stronger..." "So you killed him too." Greg said, looking more than faintly sick. "Oh no. Lily I left alive, nearly drained of blood but alive. Henri I drained to the last drop. This did not endear me to the Prince. I was forced to flee, hiding amongst the retinue of another vampire Prima from the far east. Her name was Mai Lien and she held the Jade Throne, the only female vampire to hold a whole Council territory without a male to support her. And I was a fifty-two year old Master Vampire...not unheard of but certainly not what you see everyday I served her for fifty years, gaining much in the way of knowledge and power. Most of my swordsmanship and fighting abilities I learned from the blood of her enemies, was taught by her hand. But I knew, we both knew, I had to go. She couldn't break me and I wanted no part of her politics. I traveled west again, taking jobs for anyone who could afford my services. There were times, places, people, I helped simply because it was right. Because it needed doing. I charged only those who were glutted with wealth or soaked in blood and power. And once my reputation was secure. Once people looked at me and looked away, hoping I hadn't seen them. I put all my weapons down and walked away from that life. For nearly one-hundred years I have been honing a different craft. My art. I fought hard and shed so much blood, just to by myself peace. To make all the others realize I wanted no part in their games, their cherades, their webs of lies and tangled plots. I live here quietly, I talk to a few friends every now and then. Vampires like Victor, who would otherwise become a puppet or dogsbody for someone else, can come and live in my territory without fear of persuit. My reputation protects the weak...it protects me." "And just who are you Travis?" Shelly asked with a lifted brow and no slight amount of sarcasm. "Who are you you amazing, all powerful, all mighty, vampire Lord?" Greg answered for him, a light of comprehension in his eyes. "Bloody Rose! That's what that lady called you! The picture on your wall!" Travis nodded. "Among other things yes. But generally I'm just called The American. As for being all mighty and such. No where near it. I'm not one of those psychopaths who claim godhood or anything of the like. I'm a vampire, I've been lucky, and now I'm going to get some rest." He abruptly stood, tossing his empty can into the distant wastebin. With a polite smile he walked back through the beaded curtain and vanished into the dimness beyond. Shelly smiled boozily at Greg and blinked owlishly. "Well alright then." Greg sighed, shaking his head, and looked at the cat in the window. Under his gaze, Odysseus uncurled with a stretch and then ambled off in the direction Travis had gone. As he smiled to himself and turned to face Shelly, something caught his eye. Travis's laptop was still sitting on the table. ----------------------------------------- So does Greg mess around with the laptop or does he leave it alone. If he does chose to be nosey, what kind of information might he find? ------------------------------------ Woohoo, three minutes to spare. Hope you liked. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:34 pm    Post subject: Ooo! Nice chappie! Okay, I think both Travis AND Shelly are drawn towards the laptop, and I think Travis intentionally left it open, feeling a little guilty about his ability to read their intentions, and wanting to create a passive way for Travis and Shelly to intrude into HIS thoughts- without the pain of him having to rehash even more history. I think they are drawn both to a current email file from... someone interesting, and towards an online catalogue, a la ebay, where several interesting but obscure items are being watched- perhaps something akin to the knife. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:07 pm    Post subject: Nicely done Rai... And of course Greg is gonna wanna check out the laptop, but maybe Shelly will argue with him about it? I mean, come on. This guy did just bite her, does she really want to give him another reason to? Let a scuffle break out between Shelly and Greg and attract some.. "unwanted" attention... *evil smile* _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:26 pm    Post subject: Last call for sugggestions. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:31 pm    Post subject: Okay, we're polling. Do some voting. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Syranore Citizen Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 153 Location: The Inn Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:13 pm    Post subject: I find myself compelled to dislike Travis. _________________ Directive Chapter 2 -Complete Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:48 pm    Post subject: Humm, I wonder why Syre. As for the vote, letting it go a few more hours for a tie-breaker. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:25 pm    Post subject: Alright, some of you suggested Greg should have a talent. I took it under consideration and decided you were right. Enjoy! ------------------------- Chapter Nine: Letters From Hell Greg studied the outside of the laptop, a shiney silver case with a central etching. It was an exquisite rendering of a rose, obviously more of Travis's handiwork. The laptop itself was a Toughbook, one of those expensive 'go anywhere, take anything' laptops that cost an arm and a leg. Before he could really think about what he was doing, Greg turned it toward himself and opened it. Powering it up, listening to it whirr to life, he shot a glance at Shelly. She scooted over to him, taking up a position at his elbow, and he turned the laptop so that they could both clearly see the screen. Then the User Log On screen popped up and Greg groaned. He'd almost been counting on Travis's age to make him technologically impaired, for him to have forgotten to log off before shutting down. Instead the cursor blinked in the password box, mocking them. "Oh hell." Shelly muttered. "Well, does he have a hint?" "I don't know, let's see." He typed in a bit of nonsense and was rewarded with a hint message reading 'HINT: Atomic Fireballs song/Series of LA Riots'. They stared at each other, perplexed. "Atomic Fireballs?" Shelly said dubiously. Greg nodded. "They're a band...they play swing I think." "And how many songs do they have?" Greg gave her one of those looks. "How should I know, I'm not a fan." He looked back at the screen, concentrating on the second half of the hint while Shelly stood up and walked over to the counter. "I'm going to put on a little music, it always helps me think." "I know." He chewed his lip, staring at the screen. "Hey, see if Vick has any Atomic Fireballs over there. Might as well just start typing in titles. I mean maybe they've got a song called Rodney King or something." Shelly laughed, rustling softly as she turned massive cases full of Cd's. One caught her eye, a Grammy CD from some years back, and she pushed it into the player and continued to fumble through the huge music collection that the shop owner had amassed. "God you think this guy's got a bunch of vinyl somewhere?" "Maybe." Greg wasn't really paying attention. He was wracking his brain for any kind of knowledge about the riots of Los Angles. Travis couldn't be talking about any of the recent riots, nor the 1992 riots. He hummed along with the music, trying to wonder what the vampire had been getting at when he'd entered the quote. The title of the song and the riots were obviously either the same thing or close...was the song about the riots? Wait, the Atomic Fireballs did swing and the era of swing was the 20's-40's...the Jazz age. So maybe this was something old, something that happened back when swing was king and the big bands ruled. Something Travis knew about personally? Or had heard about? A swing song came on over the stereo, causing him to start as Shelly skipped it. "Wait, what song was that?" "Zoot Suit Riot, why?" But Greg suddenly knew the answer, muttering it to himself. "The Zoot Suit riots, swing music.." But Zoot Suit Riots wasn't the password. He tried just Zoot Suit and suddenly the computer chimed as it opened. "Yes!" Shelly was next to him in an instant, peering at the background which was a photograph of the blue picture that hung in Travis's house. "Pretty." She murmured as Greg puttered around, searching for a nonexistent email. "Let's see if our vampire has a Yahoo! account, hum?" Not only did Travis have a Yahoo!, he'd clicked the 'remember my password' button. In moments Greg and Shelly were staring at thousands of e-mails. "Sheesh, you'd think this guy would delete his boxes after a while." Greg smiled. "Be grateful he doesn't." A reply glared at him, unopened, but he ignored it. He didn't want the vampire to know he'd been poking around in his computer, no telling how Travis might take it. Instead he opened the oldest messages, knowing that he needed the history before he could simply jump right into the vampires life. It was like reading the script for some gothic soap opera, no...better. Dark Shadows had nothing on what was in those e-mail files. Shelly, reading over her shoulders offered some sage advice from time to time, quirky comments. But for the most part she was silent, letting Greg do his thing. Slowly, out of the crammed full inbox and outbox, the players in Travis's life emerged. There were messages to Vick and a woman named Dorothy, who was called Dot, vampires living in the city under Travis's protection who constantly e-mailed him with news of what went on in the 'after-hours' community and traded just daily stories. Their communications were strange, both friendly and clearly subservient. Travis's replies were just as full of humor, the friendship returned, but weary of the deference Vick and Dot showed him. There were messages from random people who helped with Travis's every-day life, humans and perhaps those that were more than human...but not vampire. These Greg ignored, they were not important. There were messages from Mai Lien, the Asian Prima Travis had mentioned and Greg couldn't even begin to read those. They were in a foreign language. Then there were messages from friends. Gunner was obvious but there was a man name Jim and somebody who called himself different things in different letters but always answered to Kid. But what really caught, and held, Greg's interest were the letters from three women. One was Violet. In her letters she was always passionate, alternating between sweetness and venom. She virtually all her e-mails opened with the line 'Ivy said I needed to talk to you'. The second was, no surprise, Ivy. Ivy was level headed and calm. The last was Lily, the Prima Lily. The Lily that Travis had nearly drained of blood then left for dead. --------------------- Shelly sat and watched Greg as he read, watching him do his thing. They'd discovered this 'talent' of his back in high-school. They'd often find letters in the hallway, under the desks in class, on the bus. Most were unsigned, or signed with a pet name, sometimes initials. They would read them and try to figure out who wrote them. Eight times out of ten, Greg had been right. Stranger than that, Greg would read those notes and be able to tell Shelly things about the author that were not common knowledge. Tell her exactly how the people writing the letter felt about the subject and the person they were writing it to. In short, Greg read letters like some people read palms. It was a gift. And right now he was using it on the vampire that had invaded their lives. He finally sat back from the computer, rubbing his eyes. "Shit." He tapped the email on the screen, one Travis had sent to Violet. "I could learn a lot from this guy." Shelly, reading over his shoulder, snorted. "Like what? How to manage two girl-friends and their homicidal sister? I don't think you'll ever need to worry about that." Greg shifted at her pointed reference to his choice of partners. "Travis is very comfortable in his own skin, with his past, with everything. He may not like some of the things he's done, but he accepts that he's done them and moves on. He's so damn sure of who he is, what he wants, and he doesn't hesitate. He doesn't give a rats ass what other people think of him, his reputation is just a tool for him." Then he added in a softer voice. "And he doesn't let anyone tell him he's worthless. He knows exactly how much value to place on himself." Shelly was moved to grip his shoulders, rub them a little. She was far from forgiving him, no he still owed her for that, but their friendship was rebounding. Where would she be without him? Where would he be without her? He smiled at her without taking his eyes off the screen, opening a different e-mail. "This guy is a real piece of work." He tapped one of the communications from the mysterious, multi-named persona known most often as 'Kid'. "He only calls Travis up to brag about shit, to rub it in his face that he's done this and that. And yet, he's scared. Travis could knock the shit out of him and he knows it. He's not happy about it, that's why he's always boasting. But he doesn't want to drive Travis off either...I don't know. It's almost like a big brother/little brother situation but Travis didn't mention any of his siblings becoming vampires as well." "So maybe he's another of Travis's Maker's..." she searched for the right word "creations?" Greg shook his head. "No. I think he's just someone that Travis picked up over the years." He flipped e-mail again. "See, here's Gunner. Now he and Travis are tight. These guys have some serious shit behind them and you can see it in the way they talk to each other. That's why Travis isn't really comfortable being Gunner's master, it changes things." "Lovers?" Shelly said with a nasty eye-brow wiggle. Greg snorted, recalling Gunner's fury at his orientation. "Not on your life and it wouldn't be healthy to suggest that to their faces...but Travis does have a lover," He tabbed the browser, pulling up multiple e-mails. "three to be precise. Lily, Ivy, and Violet. The sisters of sin themselves." Shelly stared at the letters for a moment before laughing. "Now why doesn't it surprise me that Mr. Rose has a harem? Busy boy isn't he?" "Well, to be fair they're all after him for different reasons. Lily's still trying to figure out if it's just lust that drives her passion for him. Ivy's just in it for the kicks. And Violet..." he trailed off tapping the screen. "Her I cannot figure out. I know she does hate him, but that most of that venom she spews isn't hate but fear." "So why does she sleep with him?" "She can't help herself," he said softly. "Oh bullshit!" Shelly laughed. "If I hated someone I wouldn't be sleeping with them. I mean that's just sick. It's like sleeping with your boyfriend's brother just for the hell of it or-" "Sticking with an abusive bastard because he's convinced you that's all your good for?" Greg's quiet words stopped Shelly's tirade mid sentence. For a minute neither of them said anything, only the soft music and the sound of Greg clicking the keys kept silence at bay. Shelly opened her mouth to say something and shut it again. She didn't have the words to articulate her feelings at that moment. Greg finally broke the spell. "This guy, he's the last interesting one. Jim." Greg chuckled. "If he talks like he types he's got to have one hell of a Texas drawl. He's a good sort, easy-going, has a great sense of humor. Salt of the earth type guy, ya know?" "Another of Travis's buddies?" Greg nodded. "I'd say so but also sort of like an apprentice. I get the sense he's both older and younger than Travis, that he's following in Travis's footsteps and carving out a name for himself. He's always asking Travis questions on strategy, should he take this job for this person or not. Yet at the same time he gives Travis real world advice. Good friends, not best friends. Easy company." Shelly nodded, considering what he'd said. Silence fell again, the CD changer whirring softly. The clock on the wall chimed and both of them jumped, realizing the sun was rapidly fading. They scrambled, Greg shutting the laptop down again and putting it back exactly as he found it. Shelly put all the Cd's back in their holders, putting it all back on the shelf. ------------------------- They were both sitting, very innocently, with books as Vick wandered out of the back room yawning. He blinked at both of them, nodding politely. "Evening." "Hey Vick." Greg nodded. "Oh hey, you didn't really meet Shelly last night did you?" Vick raised an eyebrow with an almost comical smile on his face. "Ah, no. She was a little preoccupied." He looked at her seriously. "Hey, I am sorry about that but Travis is...well...Travis. I hope he didn't hurt you." Shelly rubbed her neck. "To tell the truth I'm fine. A little wobbly, but fine." "You eaten yet?" Vick inquired. When she shook her head he rubbed his hands together briskly. "Well then how's about the three of us go grab something. I know this great little diner and...what?" "Well I don't think I can 'donate' again for one of you." Shelly said, shivering slightly. "Well I wasn't going to ask you." Greg suddenly found himself fixed by a very pointed stare. "Oh shit." ---------------------------------- Okay so does Greg get bit? If so, how does he feel about it? Or does something happen to save his neck...litterally? It's up to you. ----------------------- Ha I saved it! Hope you enjoyed! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Phantomfan Citizen Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 309 Location: Deep within the music of the night Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:42 pm    Post subject: Another great chapter Rai! Only thing- Quote: "Well then how's about the three of us go grab something. I know this great little diner and...what?" "Well I don't think I can 'donate' again for one of you." Shelly said, shivering slightly. "Well I wasn't going to ask you." Maybe it's just me, but it seems like there are too many "well"s in too short a time. DP-wise...Personally, I think he should get bitten. He's avoided it thus far, seems time enough now. As far as how he feels about it? In all truthfulness, I have no idea. Angry, I suppose. _________________ I've been pulled back from oblivion to lurk about the City once more. Though the music of the night always beckons... Here's some stuff I started writing a long time ago. Orb. Nexus. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:36 pm    Post subject: Oh.... hmmm Vick likes the little queer boys huh? Strange taste in meals. But I think, Greg should do some fast talking, Shelly as well. Maybe grab an old enemy of theirs to replace themselves with as "dinner". Perhaps .. hmm.. I dunno, Dirk? *evil smile* _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Syranore Citizen Joined: 18 Nov 2007 Posts: 153 Location: The Inn Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:58 pm    Post subject: I say he gets bitten. The benefits outweigh the negatives here, and he might get some handy abilities. _________________ Directive Chapter 2 -Complete Back to top Author Guest Items Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:19 pm    Post subject: Kallana you put up the polls to fast. Making it easier... lets say. Lol the chapter reminds me of buckingham palace - it's a book, a guy is called 'zoot' becuase of his suit. ^_^ That reminds me I should delete all those city emails, then email my pals. Ok I don't care Greg gets saved! Or wait a better Idea, I agree he'd get better abilities when bitten, like he can hack into harder places, but he'll probably be the enemy to shelly then, (is she a vampire?) well, I think that when he is turned someone would try and kill him in his sleep, but then the sun sinks behind the mountains and he's awake (does vampires even awake after the sun had set, I don't think so... maybe at seven 30 that'll work) But he can be killed aswell when bitten... Or wait he leaves before he (the guy that walked in) notices any changes in his cd's or anything... Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:14 am    Post subject: Okay, there's a poll running folks. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Dean Resident Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 77 Location: Seoul Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:55 am    Post subject: I voted the second option. More interesting to keep Greg unbitten for a while. Nice story so far, by the way. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:18 am    Post subject: Any last votes? _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:25 am    Post subject: I'm sensing a soft-spot in this crowd for Greg, we'll see how that works out. Oh and I suppose it's time to introduce some of the 'help' that Travis sent for. Enjoy! ------------------------ Chapter 10: The Cowboy Greg backed away from his boss, eyes wide, hands upraised as if that would ward the vampire off. He backed straight into a chair, toppling into it as he lost his balance. Suddenly Shelly was between him and Vick. Strangely enough Vick hadn't moved a muscle, his expression slightly confused. Like a man offering someone a chocolate and not knowing the person had allergies. "Oh no you don't mister." Shelly waved a finger at the vampire. "You just leave Greg alone. He might have served me up as a hot meal but that doesn't mean I'm going to return the favor...yet." This last part she added with a slant-wize gaze at Greg. Greg missed this as he was attempting to be one with the chair, you don't see me I'm not here type thing. Vick opened his mouth to say something but Shelly didn't give him the oppertunity. In full 'pissed off bitch' mode, she continued on so quickly Vick wouldn't have been able to his word in edgewise had he used a can of Crisco and a shoe-horn. Hands on hips, elbows akimbo, she delivered a lip-blistering tirade. "You know what? I'm getting pretty damn sick of vampires as a whole. You're all assholes, you know? You run around biting people who, as general members of society, don't need the emotional bullcrap! Why don't you do humanity a favor and pick off the scumbags, the bastards. Ya know, pedophiles and crap!" Greg didn't miss the look that crossed Vick's face at Shelly's suggestion. He looked like a man that had just been served manure on a silver platter. About to vomit. "Uh, Shelly..." he gave up the moment the words were out of his mouth. The look in her eyes was all to familiar. Sorta like a really angry wolverine. "Hey, I've got an idea. I know the name of a bastard who really could deserve to have someone munch on his neck and give him nightmares for the rest of his life. His name is Dirk and he-" Nobody in the room could have guessed that Greg could move that fast, not even Greg himself, as he came out of the chair and tackled Shelly to the ground. He clamped a hand over her mouth as he pinned her hands benieth their bodies. Then, suddenly, he was back in the chair with Shelly in the chair next to him. Hurled lightly with incredible force. Vick looked at both of them and was obviously hurt. "All you needed to say was no." He pulled out a cellphone and hit a speed dial number. He wandered away from them, toward the door of the shop, talking in low tones into the phone. Then he snapped it shut with an audible click and pulled the door open. He paused and stared at them. "Well? Are you coming?" "Where?" Greg asked, perplexed and slightly ashamed. Vick gave a long suffering sigh. "Dinner, breakfast, whatever meal you want to call it. I just ordered mine and I know of an excellent place for you and Shelly." His face tightened again. "Or am I too big an asshole to be seen in public with?" Shelly had the grace to flush bright red as she stood and Greg shook his head. "I guess I'm sorry doesn't cover it huh? But...you'll have to give me some time to get used to the whole 'undead creatures of the night' thing. Maybe in the future I wouldn't be opposed to it but-" "Let's just drop it and pretend it never happened?" Vick said quietly as they exited the shop. "Now, I think you'll love the 'Caboose'. I hear Dot has a way with biscuts that drive men wild." ----------------------------------- Gunner woke knowing Travis was still asleep. He yawned until his jaw cracked and stretched expansively before shuffling into the other room. He scratched his scalp as he went, then his back, banishing the itches he always had on waking. His sharp eyes noted the figure stretched out on the lumpy couch and he stifled the instant urge to pick Travis up and find him a more comfortable bed. Instead Gunner loomed over him, standing at his side and staring down at Travis as he rested. He realized suddenly that this was the first time he'd stood like this, over his sleeping Master, and not felt the hastily throttled urge to kill him. Gunner could feel the memories that had come with Travis' blood pounding against his skull but he wasn't sure he wanted to experiance them. Gunner and Henri had never gotten along for obvious reasons. Clashes of personality, world view, and taste in just about everything under the sun. Gunner hadn't expected to like Travis when he'd first met him, indeed he'd disliked him the moment he'd first set eyes on him. Henri's latest little toy as pretty as the first two, prettier even. Then he'd taken a good long look into those mysterious hazel eyes and the first quiver of doubt had taken root. There'd been steel in that gaze. Steel that Travis had proved many times over later. The big Viking rubbed his crag-like chin, scratching the skin through his thick beard. He felt...different since Travis had taken over the Bond. The bond was there, proof plain in the way Gunner knew Travis was resting and the fact he didn't need any of his senses to tell him how far away from his Master he was. But it didn't press into his soul with barbed venom. It didn't choke off his thoughts, his feelings. It was like the thinnest of tethers, there but ignorable. No doubt the only reason he felt it so acutely now was the fact it was new and a startling contrast to the Bond that had ruled his life for one thousand years. Slowly he shuffled across the room and retrieved his guitar case, opening it to pull free his massive axe. Then he slowly crossed back and knelt beside Travis, the axe standing sentinal between them. His voice was deep, the language rough and gutteral as he spoke words long dead. "Minn handleggr eða minn øx fúss. Minn krellr gráðr. Minn lysta, til mega þjóna minn þengill. Minn eiðr þessi." As the words of Old Norse vanished in the air, Gunner realized Travis was no longer asleep. He stood up quickly and backed away, bowing his head as the small man sat up. "I'm sorry to wake you M-boss..." "You called me your king Gunner." His hazel eyes were intense upon the Viking causing Gunner to nod slowly. "Já." he said, purposfully using the old, harsh version of his usual affermative. "Compared to Maxis, you are a king. A just man." He shifted his weight, bringing his axe into a better position. "And you have my oath." Travis stared at him for a moment then, with closed eyes, slowly inclined his head. "Ykkarr eiðr játa." he said, his the harsh cadences of the Viking speech rolling off his tongue. Gunners mouth dropped open in shock as Travis smiled at him. "I take it Maxis never bothered to use the language?" Gunner swallowed and grinned savagely. "I never gave Maxis my oath." Travis nodded slowly, then turned, lips twitching in a smile. The shrilling ring of a phone broke the silence and Travis fished it out of the pocket of his duster, flipping it open. The smile stretched wider as the person on the other end spoke to him and Travis snorted softly, repeating directions to the shop into the receiver before snapping it shut. Reaching up he tweaked the pendant around his neck. Light flashed in the room, blinding Gunner for a moment. When the big Viking could see again, he found Travis pulling the duster on over his 'combat armor'. "So that's what it's for. A powerful magic you possess." Travis made a negligent gesture. "I didn't make it. I was just lucky enough to earn it." He turned, heading for the stairs. "And anyway now is not the time to discuss where I keep my things. Now is time to prepare. Jim's nearly here and the time has come for the talk to turn to war." Gunner waited for Travis to ascend the stairs before he returned his axe to it's resting place, shouldering the guitar case. "Dreyri vili renna." he said softly then repeated in english for emphasis. "Blood will run." ----------------------------------- Greg and Shelly returned with Vick much later in the evening, relaxed and feeling good. The debacle of earlier had been forgotten as they'd shared a meal. With the exception of Vick who'd left for a few minutes then returned looking much more...alive. The 'Caboose Cafe' was an amazing little diner and, for a vampire who was limited to a strict blood only diet, Dot cooked some surprisingly tasty food. They were laughing a bit and in general good spirits as they rounded the corner onto the shops street. Then Vick stopped dead, causing Shelly and Greg to both stop and look at him. "What? You forget something?" Greg asked then looked closer. "And is it normal for you to suddenly be so white?" Vick pointed to the Harley panhead parked outside the shop. "The Cowboy is here." A shiver ran over him. "I knew Travis had sent for him, even suggested Travis send for him but..." his words trailed away and he shook his head. Shelly laughed and moved back to link an arm with Vick. "Oh don't worry. Travis can handle him if he gets out of line." Then she bit her lip and looked worriedly at Vick. "He can...can't he?" Vick nodded. "The Cowboy is powerful but Travis he is not. Otherwise it would be his territory I resided in instead of living in the shadow of Bloody Rose." He started forward again. "Come. They have sensed us by now and it would be rude to turn away or linger." Exchanging one more 'oh shit' glance, Greg and Shelly followed behind as Vick walked purposefully toward the shop, wondering what they might find within. Each step forward they took allowed their brains to conjure more and more horrible images, terrible plots, and sinister goings on that they might be walking into innocently. Even if nothing was wrong it was still one more pair of fangs to contend with and who knew how hungry this 'Cowboy' might be. The jingle of the shops bell might as well have been the iron bell of doom tolling and both humans winced as the light conversation stopped. Their eyes were drawn to the corner where Travis, once more dressed to kill, sat with Odysseus on his lap and Gunner leaning against the wall near his shoulder. But it was the third man that drew their gazes. He had light brown hair, liberally mixed with grey, and one of those deeply weather worn faces that only the oldest of salts had in this day and age. His Stetson hat was sitting on the table next to the open bottle of Jack. A long tan trenchcoat, the kind cattle ranchers and horseback hunters still used in torrential rains, hung over the back of his chair. His Levi's were well worn and mostly covered with leather riding chaps, his boots western with their coffin toes and raised heels. His blue denim shirt was open two buttons to expose a few curling chest hairs and the sleeves were rolled up to the elbow to expose brawny forearms. A massive mustache, straight out of a Henry Ford western, covered his upper lip and thick stubble graced his chin, cheeks, and throat. Blue eyes twinkled at them from a nest of laugh lines and the mustache twitched in what must have been a smile. "Well don't you all look scared to death. Why don't you come take a load off, I promise I won't bite." His voice was deep and, as Greg had predicted, had a drawl that would have impressed Sam Elliot. But he seemed a rather likable fellow, all things considerd, his easy manner instantly relaxing all of them. It wasn't until they were almost to the table that Greg noticed the belts of bullets hanging under the coat, the two ivory handled hand-guns of obvious western design hanging off the man's hips. His mouth went dry as he instantly pictured an old west style shootout. Hell he could practically smell the Old West exuding off this man. Then a massive, roughly calloused hand was being thrust toward him. "I'm Jim partner. What's yer name?" Greg managed to stammer out his name as his own hand was swallowed by Jim's massive grip. Pulling it back with a wince as Jim repeated the action for Vick and inclined his head with a very poilte 'Ma'am' to Shelly. Then he turned back to Travis, Greg and the others forgotten. "An it's Preacher, you're sure?" "I've got the e-mail to prove it Jim. Maxis wants my fangs to adorn his chamber pot with and he's not going to stop until he gets them." Jim scratched his chin and that action drew Greg's attention to the five o'clock shadow that now decorated Travis' own jaw. He shifted in his seat, knowing that Travis already knew exactly what he thought of that. Normally he wasn't a fan of facial hair but... Travis let a hand hit the table with a bang, startling Greg out of his thoughts and making him flush guiltily. Yet when he spoke, he wasn't adressing his admirer. "We already know that Preacher could be here tonight, he's close enough. He's probably hoping to make me sweat by waiting and he's damn well doing a good job of it. Taking out Prophet was one of those sheer 'idot luck' moments Jim. I know that on my own I've got the slimmest of shots against Preach. That's why I called you and the others." Jim nodded. "Sensible and you know there's no love lost between the Precher and myself. And we've got Gunner here. Speaking of Gunner, a toast my friend, to trading in a bad Master for a better one." He slammed down a shot as Travis raised his own Coke with an amused look in his eyes. Jim wiped his lips and kicked back. "Well then I suppose we've only got two options. Wait for him to come to us, and hope the others you called show, or go looking for him and hope the three of us are enough." ---------------------------------- Well folks what's the plan of action. Go? Stay? Or do you have something else up your brains for me? -------------------------------------- Sorry it took so long, hope it was worth it! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:44 am    Post subject: Hmmmm.... go looking for trouble right now, wait for back-up and pray trouble doesn't come to you... Very tough decisions... I'd have to favor lurking as quietly as possible, stay in haunts that are lesser known and putting ears to the ground But, *evil grin* while we wait, Maybe we could call in another favor from a spy that's in Maxis's midst? Someone Maxis wouldn't suspect either.... and maybe even a surprise to Travis as well... _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:55 am    Post subject: wait for reinforcements. cuz reinforcements are always good. Plus the fact that they consider the NEED for reinforcements when it's already three-on-one, means that they probably need them. good chappie as usual rai. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author scissorkitty Respected Citizen Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 789 Location: Escaping the Hair Lair Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:24 pm    Post subject: What about another option? I always like three choices. If the reinforcements don't come.... what about a makeshift crew? What about Dot? OR what about baiting a trap? Instead of waiting, and instead of fetching. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 8:20 am    Post subject: *screams* HELLO?! RAI? GET A CHAPTER UP SOON MISSY OR I'LL BE GOING ASSASSIN HUNTING! _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:58 am    Post subject: Oh whine and complain. *Grins* Here's your poll. Might even be a short one depending... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:00 am    Post subject: Aw, it's a tie. Looks like we gotta wait for another vote... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:47 pm    Post subject: Well the tie remained so now Rai must be creative...excellent! Enjoy. Warning: Adult Themes. Reader discretion is advised. ------------------------- Chapter Eleven: The Preacher-Man Cometh Gunner growled. "I say we take the fight to-" he broke off as Travis flicked a finger. "That's what he'll expect me to do. I'm not the most patient vampire in the world and I've never yet run when the battle lines are drawn. He'll be waiting for me to track him down and when I find him, I'll be fighting the battle on the ground of his choice." He cut them both a very dirty look. "I don't think so." "Well then what are you going to do about it my friend?" Jim asked, swishing his moustache a little. "You know damn well he'll come looking for you eventually." Travis nodded. "And I know that even when he finds me he won't attack until he's sure the conditions favor him. It'll be someplace I'm hampered, a crowd or closed space where my speed isn't going to be worth a damn." Greg cleared his throat and was instantly uncomfortable as three pairs of over-intense eyes locked on him. "What about luring him out? Setting a trap for him on ground of your choosing in conditions that favor you?" He stood a little straighter as their heads began nodding. "All you need is something he can't resist, other than Travis, we already know he's going to be wary around you." He said pointing a finger absently at the vampire. Jim slapped his knee. "Whoo, boy's got a point. I can see why you favor him Travis." Travis opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, putting a hand on Gunner's chest to restrain both physical and verbal defense. "Humm, yes. Gunner, do you think that Preacher might want to 'play' with Greg a little?" The big Viking eased back, chuckling in a dark fashion that made Greg wish he were wearing a turtle neck with an iron collar. "Da Boss, I can see where Preacher would be interested." Greg stood slowly, backing toward Vick and Shelly, who were both looking as worried and uncomfortable as he was. Then Travis was there, heart-stoppingly near, resting one of his hands on Greg's shoulder. "I've been a very decent person toward you up till now, you owe me Greg." Travis smiled and, hard as he looked, Greg could see no trace of fang. He relaxed just a smidgen until the vampire chuckled. "Oh I don't want to bite you, although admittedly I could use the energy. I'm going to use you as bait." ------------------------------ They were all in position around the park. It wasn't really a park, more a small splotch of green surrounded by high walls and condemned buildings. Forgotten and left to rot. It was the kind of place where deals for drugs and more 'pleasurable' things went down. It was just the kind of hunting ground one might find Preacher stalking, looking for his favorite meal. Greg was sitting on the half rotten bench, head between his knees like any other man a little too drunk, or high, to carry on. His clothing, however, screamed something else. He wore heavy boots similar to the ones on Travis feet save that they were much more battered with no metal, generally less impressive looking. His pants were tight leather, contributed by Emerald who, for reasons she would not explain, seemed to keep quite the selection of Menswear. By far the oddest thing he wore was the bright pink shirt, skin tight, that was emblazoned with the message 'Pinch Me I Squeal' in rainbow letters. His hair had been snipped and hastily gelled and looked quite decent, actually attractive. But that was the whole point, he was supposed to look attractive to just the wrong person. Preacher. Jim had taken up a post in the only vacant doorway, hidden well back in the shadows, revolvers in hand and clear lines of sight all across the park. Travis had sighed at the sight of the guns and the look that had passed between them clearly bespoke an age old argument. But neither of them had brought it up. Now, with the brim of his hat pulled low on his squinted eyes, he looked like a modern day desperado ready to go out with a hail of gunfire. Gunner was in the back corner of the park itself, wedged against the crumbling brickwork of two old buildings. His axe was free of its case and its massive double-bladed head rested on the ground at his feet. His hands gripped the hilt easily, fingers laced around the shaft. His head was bowed, almost in prayer, yet he stared fixedly at Greg through the scraggly shag of his hair. Travis was by far the best hidden. He sat on the ledge of a nearby roof, crouched in mimicry of the two gargoyles that brushed his shoulders. His keen eyes could see the two deserted streets that passed the park and the rooftops that surrounded it. Once hand clutched the ledge between his feet, the other rested easily atop his left knee. His fedora was tipped just so, shading his eyes and looking like an oddly domed crest. All three were nervous, none more so than Greg. He couldn't see this ending happily for him and he felt like a moron in these clothes. He wasn't flagrant about himself, he certainly didn't advertise in the classifieds, and he was repulsed that he was now acting like a 'flaming faggot'. A drunk one at that. And he was waiting like an oddly wrapped bon-bon for some vampire old enough, powerful enough, and flat out scary enough to have made all the vampires he'd met so far jumpy. Oh yes, things were just peachy. Worse, the most powerful of the three was perched several stories up with no quick way down except jumping. And when Greg had asked, Travis had assured him wholeheartedly that jumping from such a height would shatter his body below the waist, and probably parts above it. Then he'd smiled and said that he had no intention of jumping. Which left what? Climbing down like some sort of spider? Or did he plan on using his speed to attempt some sort of Matrix-esque wall run? Greg sighed and decided it didn't matter any more. He was just about to reach up and scratch the itch that had been building at the base of his neck when it got very, very cold. The itchy sensation intensified as every hair on the back of his neck stood up and his skin decided it wanted to be in Tahiti and attempted to crawl off of him. He suddenly realized that someone was standing in front of him, wearing a long garment of some kind, and he slowly looked up. The man wasn't tall, he was shorter than Greg, and had a decidedly Spanish flair to his features. He was slim, trim, and neatly groomed. He had that moustache, goatee combo you see in all those old movies about 18th century Spain, and was wearing a long, black...Greg couldn't describe it. It was a robe of some kind, with a high collar and shiny black buttons down the front, long sleeves, and a hem that swept the ground. The man smiled, revealing pearly white teeth, and cocked his head to the side. A large wooden crucifix hung on a hempen cord around his neck, gleaming softly in the light of the single streetlamp. "Are you lonely my Son?" Greg's mouth must have fallen open because now his throat was dry and he licked his lips, swallowing convulsively. The Spanish man held out a hand with an elegant gesture, fingering the button on Greg's collar. "You seem to have gone out of your way to make yourself known. Discretion should not be forsaken simply for personal indulgence." Suddenly he was on his feet, the smaller man pressed against him uncomfortably, his intentions very plain in such close quarters. And they had nothing to do with biting Greg. Suddenly he was flung away, the gunshot echoing almost instantaneously with the movement as the man dodged Jim's first bullet. "Cowboy." he hissed flatly as Jim stepped out of the doorway, both barrels sighted. "Preacher. Still up to your old tricks." Preacher gave a sour smile. "Ah, I suppose this is the Americans new plaything then? It must be eating him alive to have his tastes exposed. But then who did he think he was fooling? His Maker was Henri after all..." He whirled quickly, bringing up a hand and gripping the shaft of Gunners axe as the big man brought it to bear in a massive, double-handed sweep and stopping it cold. "Ah Gunner, I was wondering where you were lurking. I could smell your unwashed body a block away." He frowned and stepped back a pace as the big Viking ripped his axe free with a grunt. "Where's your Master?" "He didn't feel he needed to deal with filth like you. He's busy with other things." Gunner said with a dark laugh, whirling his axe about again and causing Preacher to dodge to the side. Suddenly the big Viking was choking, a bullet hole in his neck, and Preacher was laughing sadistically. "Ah I believe you now Gunner. Travis has many faults but an attack so poorly executed as THAT one would not have been one of them." Greg looked to where Jim was shaking his head, as if blaming Gunner that the big man hadn't evaded the shot when it had missed Preacher. Gunner stood, spitting out something silver, and wiped the blood away from his neck, licking some off of his fingers and smearing the rest on his axe. The metal came awake with a roar and the Viking smiled grimly, raising it above his head and roaring his own challenge. Preacher stepped forward, aiming a blow at Gunner, and then nimbly dodged aside as the big man charged. Gunner's blows had no rhythm or reason. He was gone, berserk and frothing at the mouth. His fangs were fully extended and he actually snapped at Preacher when his violent swings brought him close enough. Greg, meanwhile, had gotten the hell out of combat and pressed himself against the wall. He looked upward, toward Travis's perch, and nearly screamed. Travis was gone, only two grinning gargoyles remained. Jim charged into combat, yelling something and wielding a civil war era cavalry sabre of all things. And now came the true horrors. Preacher would dodge deep inside Gunners reach and leave himself open to Jim's strikes. It didn't take long for the two allies to injure each other, for their blood to mix with Preachers on the pavement. And all Greg could think of was where in the hell was Travis. A raven spiraled above the combat, odd since they were not nocturnal birds by nature, and drew Greg's eyes. It circled lower and lower, weak light glinting off something at its throat. Just as Greg's brain made the connection between the winking object on the raven and Travis necklace, the bird was gone and Travis was dropping onto the combat, swords in hands. "HOLY SHIT!" Greg yelled before he clapped his hands over his mouth. He should have guessed, there were myths about vampires turning into animals, but he was sure it was just bats. He'd never heard of a vampire that turned into a raven before. Travis struck downwards, parrying both Gunner and Jim, and connecting a double boot kick to Preachers face. Then he was flying backward as the Spaniard struck him and he barely managed to turn himself in the air. Instead of landing on his back he skidded away on the flat of one foot and a knee, swords out to his sides. He paused for a moment, looking like he was going to leap up off the ground and kick some ass. But it didn't quite work out that way. He jumped up, or must have judging by the move Preacher executed, but instead he ended up smashing against the wall next to Greg. Preacher had dodged his strike, caught his ankle, and hurled him there. And suddenly Preacher had him by the throat, whirling him around and hurling him at both Jim and Gunner. The big Viking, sensing his Master, dropped his axe and caught Travis, turning and blocking Preachers next blow with a slab-like shoulder while Jim made a stab. Preacher ducked away, laughing. "You three are pathetic. You cannot beat me! Maxis has made me more powerful than you could dream." Travis pushed away from Gunner, glaring at the older vampire. "Maxis has done nothing for you Preacher. It's the blood of all those he's had you hunt down." he smiled. "Trust me, I know. I've got Prophet right here with me." He tapped the center of his chest, smile taking on a grim cast. "And you'll never get him back." His words touched a nerve and Preacher screamed something in Latin...or was it Spanish? Greg didn't know and his human eyes couldn't follow the fight except in fits and slashes when the action would slow or come to a halt. Gunner went flying at one point, massive form crushing the rotten bench, and Jim was impaled on the wall with his own sabre. One of the silver blades Travis wielded landed, quivering, in the concrete between Greg's feet. And then it was just the two of them. Travis was ripped and bloody, not just his clothing. His face was marred by three jagged slashes that were rapidly welding themselves together, one hand hung uselessly by his side, that arm nearly severed at the elbow. His feet were wide, his stance weary, and he was gasping for breath. Preacher looked almost unruffled. His hair a little disheveled, his robes a little torn and bloodied and a deep cut on his neck. Travis had nearly beheaded him at one point. He chuckled and inclined his head to his battered foe. "Any last words Travis Rose?" Now it was Travis' turn to chuckle, a smile curving his lips. And now Greg saw them for the first time, glittering slightly. Travis fangs. "Yes Armand, there I've a little something for you." He wobbled a bit as he straightened up. "It's going to rain." The other vampire opened his mouth to say something and instead turned a horrified gaze to the clouds above as the first drops spattered him. A sizzling sound was heard, small twists of smoke rising from his flesh where the water struck it. Gunner stirred, groaning, and Jim desperately tried to pull himself off of the wall. Travis, meanwhile, grinned wider and stalked forward. He swept his sword upward and it made a hissing noise as it drug across the pavement, throwing sparks. Preacher turned, tried to run, and stumbled. The rain began to pound down now and Travis laughed, catching the older vampire by the hair and yanking his head back. For a moment they were eye to eye. "H..how? All of Maxis line are the foe of water?" "Ah but Armand, you forget. I spent some years in Mai Lien's court. I picked up a thicker skin." Preacher's lips peeled back off of his fangs in a weak snarl. "Bastard. I'll see you in hell." "You'll join Prophet first." Travis said before he ruthlessly sank his fangs into Preachers throat. Greg looked away, he couldn't watch Travis feed. It churned his stomach and yet, it also pulled him in. Turned off and on all at once, it was total confusion. A few minutes later, as Gunner and Jim huddled in the doorway, Travis stalked over to Greg. The arm seemed fine as he pulled his sword out of the pavement, his eyes intense when he met Greg's gaze. "Good job out there." he said before walking over to the others. Greg looked after him then scanned his eyes across the battlefield. Nothing remained except Travis fedora, turned upward and gathering rainwater. He dashed over and grabbed it, shaking it to clear as much water off of it as he could. He reached the others in time to hear Travis saying "...and that's what he told Preacher." Gunner snarled. "If that's the case then you need to get in touch with Mai Lien as soon as you can Boss. Maxis will kill us all if he's allowed to succeed." "What?" Greg asked. "How?" Travis looked at him angrily. "He's going to go public." -------------------------- Well, that's certainly not going to fly. But how are our hero's going to stop Maxis? And what dangers can they expect along the way? -------------------------------- A bit of a plot twist there but I hope you liked! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:37 pm    Post subject: HOLY SHIT!!!! did not expect that. no idea for a DP tho. good job _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Hak Citizen Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Hell's Basement Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:24 am    Post subject: ....K-rai..... Still Greg's lonely..... You should fix that soon. again, you should do a crossover! Charming bounds randomly into the scene... Naw, I think they should fight two more goons, then go on an epic journey in which Greggy-poop "accedentally" gets this magical STD, on their way to a weapon to kill Maxis. or they could all just die and Greg and his match (youknowwho) run off all sweeney todd-like. OH!!! One of em should sing that "joannah" song as well!!!!!! "I'll steal you, Greggy-poo. Do they think that walls can hide you? Even now I'm at your window. I am in the dark beside you, buried sweetly in your yellow hair!"~CrazyStalkerFromSweeneyTodd _________________ Fear is only overanxiety over the future Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:21 pm    Post subject: .... *smiles* Let him go public. No one is going to believe the man, he'll just be carted off to the white room with bouncy walls or hunted down by scientists or the FBI... Let him. Enjoy my suggestion, Kalanna dear... *wanders off* _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:11 pm    Post subject: I don't think that's the whole story Lils. He probably has some kind of proof. or nobody would really take him seriously right? _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:57 am    Post subject: He is the proof. Most people who claim they're vampires use lifestyle and blood drinking as their proof. Maxis can do significantly more than that. Plus, he's got minions who HAVE to do as he says. They can back it up too... In short, bad bad news... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:01 pm    Post subject: I stand by my DP suggestion, let him. He's bluffing. Seriously. To throw himself against the will of ALL the other vampire courts in the world? How stupid can he be? Honestly.. the numbers don't favor Maxis... unless he truly has gone mad in his little vendetta against Travis and now someone else is pulling his strings to get him killed on purpose to take his place.... a new seat of power opening?... I'll be watching you with this dragoness... think wisely.... _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:21 pm    Post subject: HA! I forgot to tell you the poll is open. The poll is open.... _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:29 am    Post subject: So you voted, now I shall show you the outcome. Enjoy! --------------------- Chapter Twelve: Three Beautiful Flowers Things were hopping at the shop in the following days and Travis' ability to survive sunlight showed an unexpected boon. He was able to contact the other ruling vampires in a surprisingly short amount of time, starting with Mai Lien. Obviously she sent her own messages as Travis didn't seem to spend much time repeating himself, his fingers flying across keyboards, his tones dulcet into the receiver of the phone. And every day he'd scowl at some new, ominous message from Maxis. He and Gunner would share some unreadable glance and Travis would snort, returning to his work. Somehow, Vick managed to run the place as if the whole vampiric world wasn't falling down around his ears. As if correspondence with the highest of high vampires wasn't taking place at all hours from the darkened corners and sunlit front room of his shop. And Travis seemed galvanized, his hazel eyes sharply focused as his mind went into high gear to prevent the exposure of his kind to humanity. And through out it all Shelly and Greg wondered where their fate lay. Greg eventually left the shop, staying with Shelly at her place even as Travis returned to his own home, safe for now. With all the other masters turning their eyes to Maxis, he didn't appear to have the resources to direct into his private feud with Travis. And that suited Bloody Rose just fine, allowing him to spin his own web of thorns to combat the traps Maxis might already have laid down. Two weeks after the battle with Preacher, just as things were beginning to settle down again, a new upheaval walked into their lives. Three gorgeous flowers arrived at Vick's shop... ------------------------ Greg looked up from where he was polishing the mahogany counter-top as the chimes above the shop door tinkled and his eyebrows promptly vanished into his hairline. In the doorway there stood three women of such unsurpassed beauty they made even a guy like Greg look twice with some interest. The unmistakable stamp of kinship shone from their looks, the similarities only serving to enhance the striking differences in each. The one on the left had long honey-blond hair that hung in long, loose ripples to the backs of her thighs. It was held back from her sculpted face by a beaded headband, her clear emerald eyes taking in everything over the top of her John Lennon sunglasses. A silver and blue swirl print peasant blouse with long trailing sleeves, a fitted waist, and a webbed front covered her shapely upper body. A pair of patched blue denim flairs accentuated her long legs, the tops resting on the floor and allowing only the toes of black suede boots to peek out from under the fall of material. The one on the right was a hard core biker chick in tight leather pants, heavy black and steel motorcycle boots, and a fitted leather jacket that showed off her extremely trim lines and slim waist. Fingerless gloves with steel studs on the knuckles covered much of her aristocratic hands, accentuating her long, dexterous fingers. Her strawberry blond hair was streaked with vivid metallic scarlet in trendy chunks, bound back by a black bandanna so that the ponytail flowed behind her and a single twisted tendril framed her gorgeous face, setting off her cold amethyst eyes. The one in the middle was the obvious leader of the trio and by far the most elegant. In an extremely expensive dove grey Armani two-piece business suit that was tailored to show her lithe form in the best possible light, she cut quite the figure. Her long, long legs were shown off by the skirt that ended mid-thigh, encased in silk stockings that were the color 'nude'. A pair of expensive grey eel-skin boots with elegant wedge heels matched the suit perfectly and came up halfway on well toned calves. Her platinum blond hair was pulled back in a neat chignon at the nape of her neck, a three errant locks allowed to escape and provide her face an accent. Sapphire eyes sparkled as they swept the shop, sending a chill through Greg as they fixed on him. As one the three of them advanced, each moving with a sweeping, inhuman elegance that screamed vampire and made Greg's stomach clench with fear. "Can I help you?" he asked softly, hoping his fear didn't bleed through too much. The blue-eyed business woman looked at him, the pearl studs in her ear matching the single rope around her neck, luminescent in the light of the shop. "I don't know. Perhaps. Tell me...do you know one called Travis Rose?" Greg suppressed another stab of fear, eyes sliding across each of these women. They seemed familiar to him somehow but he couldn't place them. "I...might." A leather covered, steel studded fist landed on the counter with a heavy thud. Enough to frighten but not enough to do anything to the wood. The biker stared at him with single minded ferocity, lip curling enough to expose the point of one fang. "Listen here queer, don't play games with me or..." she was cut off by a restraining hand from the groovy sister, shooting her a dark glare. The blue-eyed woman took over again smoothly, as if nothing had happened. "It is very important that we speak with Mr. Rose. We have tried contacting him through normal channels but he is either avoiding us or we are simply unable to contact him. Can you help?" There was something about her voice that made him nod and reach for the shop phone, dialing Travis number before he even thought about it. It wasn't until the sleepy voice at the other end filled his ear that he even wondered what the hell he was doing. "Travis?" "It sure as hell ain't the Easter Bunny. What's wrong Greg?" "Well I have three lovely uh, ladies who are just dying to speak with you." He said quietly, edging back from the three too bright jeweled gazes. He could almost hear the snap as Travis attention focused on to him from the other end of the line. "Three blonds of varying shades. One looking like a flower child, one like a Hell's Angel, and the third like she just stepped out of a power lunch?" "Bingo." Greg flinched at the muffled curse that followed his confirmation. "I'll be right there. Be very careful Greg." Greg set the phone down and began polishing the bar again, trying to hide his nerves with busy work. He felt every second tick by as though a sword were being pressed into his neck, it's weight bearing down more firmly with each flick of the slim gold clock hand. Impossibly soon, had Travis been human, the shop bell tinkled and he stepped inside looking like a page torn from the GQ. Greg's mouth all but watered. The attention of the three females instantly snapped to him, markedly different responses flitting across their features. The emerald eyed neo-hippy brightened like her favorite brother had just shown up unexpectedly. The businesswoman appraised him a little less than coolly. The biker was a blur of motion as she reached out and slapped him hard across the face, too swiftly to block. The snap of the blow rang through the shop and raised a red welt on Travis cheek, splitting his bottom lip. While Greg was busy wondering why Travis hadn't simply dodged, she hadn't been THAT fast, the vampiress was staring at the single drop of ruby blood that decorated the tip of one finger. "Don't do it Violet." Travis voice was soft, his hazel eyes locked on the blood as he licked his healed lip clean. "Don't." "Don't Violet." The business woman's voice was all business, her tone all command. Yet even as she and the flower power woman reached out for the biker chick, she lunged forward with inhuman speed. Shoving Travis sleeve up, one hand locking around his wrist, the other his bicep just above the elbow, she sank her fangs into his forearm. Instantly Travis eyes screwed shut as a grimace fleeted across his face, a wince as she started to draw from him. The biker, Violet, meanwhile seemed conflicted. Ecstasy and pure malice collided in her eyes as her pale throat worked, taking Travis Essence by the mouthful. After a few moments he placed his other hand against her forehead and pushed. "Violet, no more. You know what happens." She paused for a moment, a whimper quickly turning to a feral snarl as she pulled back, swiping her tongue across the wounds to seal them. She glared at him, afterglow fading as pure fury flashed in her amethyst eyes. "You bastard! How could you!" The other vampiresses restrained her as she sought to lunge forward and Travis features settled into a look of cool disdain. The newly arrived Gunner reached out a massive hand just in time to steady his master as Travis swayed like a drunken man. He made a polite gesture to his bodyguard, turning hard eyes on Violet. "You think I like being your fix Violet? I just get my feet back under me after the past week and you show up and drain me again." Violet opened her mouth to say something and was promptly silenced by the hippy administering a sharp slap that turned her head. She blinked dazedly, shaking her strawberry blond head as Travis turned his gaze to the sophisticated woman. "Lily...why are you here?" At his words Greg could no longer keep silent. "Wait. Lily, as in the Prima Lily? As in Maxis other half? As in the chick that started the whole feud in the first place?" She chuckled, a sound like crystal bells. "My reputation proceeds me. You must be the human under the protection of the Bloody Rose." Greg was sharp enough not to miss Travis slight twitch as the name was spoken by that honey soft voice. "What are you doing here Lily?" Travis voice was calm and controlled. "I know why Violet is here, I asked her to come. But why you...and why did you drag Ivy along?" At the sound of her name the hippy chick looked up, shoving honey blond hair out of her emerald eyes. "Travis, you called on AngelMaker. You and Violet are sheer trouble together. Sure, a lot of that is trouble for whoever happens to be on your shitlist at the time, but more of it is trouble between the two of you. I mean look at what just happened. Now you two are both in sorry shape. Face it, you need me." The vampire gave a long suffering sigh, closing his hazel eyes for a moment before opening them and fixing a gimlet stare on Lily again. "And you? Why, what is your excuse for open warfare?" She sighed, looking around for a likely chair and taking possession of it, claiming it as if it were a throne. "Maxis has gone mad Travis. I don't need to tell you all the details, I don't know all the details. The man is frightfully good at keeping secrets from everyone. I do know he has an army. Servants, sources, slaves, fledglings, and his Bound. All of them unable to disobey him." Her sapphire stare flicked to Gunner and she smiled at the big Viking. "You were lucky to get out my friend. He had plans for you, unable to trust you wholly though he was. The loss of Armand will also slow him. Now he has only Jerel, Ahmed, and Isabelle to marshall his troops. And without me there is no one to oversee things at home. No, I have no wish to betray our world to the humans Travis. I have no wish to be bound to such a fool as Maxis any longer. I have known for some time that the Council would have you become a Prince. I will stand behind you, beside you, and with you in battle." Greg's mouth fell open. "Wait...you're backing him?" She smiled, a condescending, patronizing look. "Yes human. I will back Bloody Rose. As Mai Lien of the Jade Throne and Jakart and Lythssa of the Ivory Kingdom back him. As things stand, Maxis will lose the Black Court soon and that will put three of the five squarely behind him. A Majority." She smirked as she spoke, as if it was forgone. Travis hissed, eyes flashing. "And I say yet again, I cannot hold a Title. I cannot defend a seat on the Council. It will be an excuse to cut me down. I am scarce old enough to..." She was suddenly on her feet, delicate fingers tracing his jaw. "You're scarcely old enough to be on your own Travis Rose. Yet here you are, feared by many, loved by few, but respected by all. You draw and command loyalty like no other I have ever met. Even your staunchest of foes shakes his head in wonder from time to time. Bloody Rose, admit it. With the right help, you could easily hold a Title. The question is, will you even make the attempt?" ----------------------------- Alright it's in the open. Lily, Maxis 'love' has defected to Travis camp and brought her two powerful sisters with her. But the real story is a major choice Travis has to make which will have a major impact on the plot. Will Travis go along with the Council and strive for a Title, or will he continue to turn them down? Choose wisely. -------------------------------------- I know it took a long time, I had some technical difficulties getting this one up. And RL issues. But here it is, hope you liked! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:57 am    Post subject: He doesn't seem to have much of a choice does he? Go for the title. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Hak Citizen Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 264 Location: Hell's Basement Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:11 am    Post subject: I'm sayin go for the title..... but when is Greggy-poo gonna be sweeney-todd like? and where is that guy I drew? _________________ Fear is only overanxiety over the future Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:44 pm    Post subject: He doesn't have to strive for it.... he has it already in everything but name... but something just isn't right here.... why are these other courts sooooo solicitous of someone whom they fear getting a seat of power? I think the three sisters are having their chains pulled by Mai Lein and Mai Lein wants Maxis out of the picture. Then with Travis on her good side, she can basically have even more control over another court, can she not? Even the tiniest bit of influence... Travis should PRETEND to play the sisters' game. Claim a seat but put another in his place when it comes down to it. Travis plays the evasion game well.. it should be no trouble for him. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:12 pm    Post subject: *pokes snout in, sets up poll, pulls snout out* Vote. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:27 pm    Post subject: YAY first vote _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:38 pm    Post subject: Votes? Last call. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Guest Items Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:19 am    Post subject: oops poll tie. I don't really mean to do ties on your stories Rai. Why not drag in a few readers... I'm sure one of my friends might like it. She liked a scene of a story (book) about a girl that went to sleep on a bench outside then suddenly this punk-beggar began to fight about the bench, saying its his. She really likes funny ones, but she likes uber characters aswell. I'll ask her if she would want to read your story. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:25 pm    Post subject: Tie broken Rai. Get to workage _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:44 pm    Post subject: At long last after soliciting a tie-breaker I am able to write this chapter for you. Enjoy! ------------------------ Chapter Thirteen: The Young and the Ruthless Travis pose was almost classic, right arm wrapping around his torso, fist under his left elbow while his head bowed, closed mouth resting on his left fist. His eyes were intently staring at nothing, fixed on some point inside his own mind until his lids slid over them. The three vampiresses watched him intently, three unreadable expressions, three very different postures as they awaited his answer. Finally Travis raised his head, staring at Lily in the manner of a condemned man with a bad case of gallows humor. The light that danced in his hazel eyes was defiant, the ghost of a sardonic smile on his elegant features. "Accept your offer and spend the rest of my immortality wondering when someone will rip my throat out...or decline and spend the rest of my eternity in hiding, waiting to be discovered and destroyed. Tough choice." "It's not like that at all Travis-" Lily's smoothly rehearsed speech was cut off as Travis raised one artistic hand and shook his head. "Yes it is Lily. But don't worry...I'd much rather be smiling when they cut my throat than become little more than an animal. I will accept the Council's 'gracious' offer." Before anyone could even react to his words he was standing a heartbeat away from Lily, a small knife pressed against the pale white skin of her neck. "But I want you to take a message back to the Old Bastards Club for me. Tell them that if they think I'm grateful, if they think I feel a sense of obligation to them, they're a little far off the mark. The first threat I see, I'll be sending back the enforcers fangs on a silver tray." Violet burst out into laughter, wiping a tear from her eye before grinning at both Lily and Travis. "What did I tell you? You may have convinced him but you won't use him. All your grand schemes down the drain my dear sister, all your grand plans ashes." Greg could feel the tension building in the air and he edged away from the counter, getting ready to duck before someone snapped. Gunner hovered protectively behind Travis, the buckles on his guitar case loose and ready for action while Violet made a great show of stepping across an imaginary line to stand next to the big viking. For a moment Ivy looked between the two groups before walking over and hopping up to sit on the counter top not far from where Greg stood, clearly removing herself from the situation. Wherever Vick was he wasn't in the room, wisely keeping himself scarce. And that left Lily all alone on her 'side'. Just when Greg thought that all hell was going to break loose the bell above the shop door chimed and everyone turned their head in time to see Jim come sailing through the air, barely managing to twist and land on his feet instead of his back. There was a sudden flurry of movement, over in the blink of Greg's eyes, leaving him scratching his head at the odd drama that was taking place in front of him. Jim was standing next to Gunner and Violet, Lily had a hand over her mouth to contain the polite laughter that was twinkling in her icy eyes. And Travis was kneeling on the floor, one hand around the throat of a scrawny youth with ash brown hair, the other hand holding the small dagger pulled back in a fist with the sharp blade protruding from between the knuckles of his middle and ring finger. Yet everyone, save the youth on the floor was smiling. "Hello again Kid, long time no see." "Bastard. Get off me Travis. Every time I see you you get faster...damn." His voice squeaked a little as he spoke, breaking slightly over the word and making 'Kid' grimace while the others snickered. "It's not funny...I'd like to see you go through puberty forever...lets see how you like it." Greg finally understood as Travis stood, putting away the blade and helping the youth, who couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen, off the floor. This was the third person Vick had mentioned, the one called Kid Death. He didn't look like much, a slim and muscular youth, slightly feminine, with his flyaway ash brown hair dressed in a punk emo style that was all the rage but didn't seem to suit him. While he might look young he carried himself like a much older person, enough to make a person look twice, maybe three times. He pulled the hood up on his skeleton hoodie, stuffing his hands into the kangaroo pocket and instantly looking like a thug, glaring with golden eyes from the shadowed depths. "So what did I miss besides the power lunch from hell...oh by the way Gunner, congrats on the shift of alliance. I think you'll do a whole lot better with Travis than Maxis...even if Travis is a bastard." It was a laughable sight to watch the big man and the young punk pound fists, yet it made sense as Kid took up his position on Travis opposite side, across from Violet. Lily gave him a cool glance before dismissing him, returning her cold gaze to Travis. "It matters not. You will soon be brought to heel within the workings of the Council Bloody Rose. All come to the table with dreams of defying alliance, breaking the mold. All are brought to their knees. It is simply the way of things, no offence." He shrugged lightly. "None taken. And no offense Lily but I believe you know the way to the door...feel free to use that knowledge." The Prima bristled, back going ramrod straight as she gave a curt nod, brushing past the crowd like an angry cat. She paused and gave Ivy a slight glance. Ivy replied with an even slighter shake of her head and Lily continued to storm gracefully out of the door, the chimes ringing cheerfully as she vanished. After waiting what seemed like forever, Greg finally relaxed. "Ding dong, the witch is dead..." he muttered under his breath, grinning as Ivy laughed at him. Picking up his rag, he went back to polishing the counter leaving the vampires to discuss undead politics. Since learning that the 'children of the night' were real, they'd lost a lot of their appeal for Greg. Sure he'd admit it, there was a point in time where curling up in bed with a good vampire novel was an attractive way to spend an evening. Now...well he couldn't even hear the word vampire without thinking of the few he knew. Of his boss, Vick, who treated him no differently than a human boss would treat an employee, albeit Vick was a friendly boss. Or worse of Travis. He polished the bar a little faster, trying to remember how many coats of polish he'd already applied rather than look up and find himself caught by that disapproving gaze. Travis didn't like being the object of anybody's affection as Greg had learned. --------------------------- It took everyone some time to get settled in, kicking back in basement under the shop. For a while there was a lot of catching up, what had everyone been doing since they'd last seen each other. Kid almost choked on his own spit when he heard that Travis was soon to join the ranks of the elite, to become a member of the Council. "But what will they call you? I mean, no offense Travis, but you just don't rate the title of Prince. You're not even three hundred years old! I don't care how damn fast you are, they've got tricks up their sleeves that have worked since...shit since Rome I bet." Travis shook his head at Kid's assessment of the situation. "Rome was a long time ago Kid. I don't think there are many, if any, left around from then. What about you Gunner, you've got a longer memory." The big Viking looked up from where he was happily humming as he sharpened his axe and scratched his head a moment. "Longer memory sure...but I don't keep as many of those memories as you do. But no, I can't remember a vampire that might have seen Rome. Mai Lien and Maxis are both very, very old...perhaps old enough to have seen the fall of the Empire. But I very much doubt either of them was around during it's height." Violet and Ivy both shook their heads, spreading empty hands and Jim didn't even bother to respond. Instead a strange silence settled over the vampires as they brooded on the realization that, while some of them were exceedingly old, none of them were truly ancient. It was a stark reminder of the sheer brutality of their existence. A horrible, terrible form of population control. A master vampire could make as many new vampires as they wanted...but he could keep only as many as they could protect. "So Travis...now that you're a big shot...what are you going to do with all that power?" Vick's question shattered the silence like a baseball through a plate glass window and a few chuckles rippled through the room as Travis rolled his eyes. "Well I can tell you what I'm not going to do with it...and that's start an open feud with Maxis." Turning his fedora over in his hands a few times, the roan haired vampire sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's up to me." "Da Boss. When Maxis finds out that he's out and you're in...his reaction will not be favorable." ---------------------------------- So we have two old rivals who's fortunes have changed. One is rising to power while the other is falling from grace. How will Maxis react, what will his first move be? ----------------------- Heh, let those devious minds work. Lets see some action! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Last edited by Kalanna Rai on Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:34 am; edited 2 times in total Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:06 pm    Post subject: Well... Going through Maxis's generally unsubtle moves so far, i'd say go for a full on war. However, two other options are also attractive, at least to my mind. 1. Get some supporters into Travis's camp. It's always a horrible thing to find that your allies aren't quite as devoted as you think they are. 2. If Maxis is going to spread the word that vampires are real, why not tap into that hidden human urge to have a good and a bad side of every bloodsuckingly evil race? Set himself up as the kind and good kinda vampire, and say the others are hellspawn. What with the current Twilight craze, he should get plenty of human support. Plus, that'd aid him in the war. Even if a vampire can beat a whole bunch of humans, there are limits. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:42 pm    Post subject: The number one thing that ALL vampire legends and tales.. I don't care which book you've read or what movies you've watched.... the number one thing is that the vampires ALL agree that the mortal world is not to know that they exist. It is in every story and as such, Maxis is commiting the worst crime in vampire history. So, he's going to have to turn the tables around in his favor. Lily's flounced off now that Travis has snubbed her. Pull her back in the coeterie. Voliet and Ivy?? They're acting as of right now. Lily's not the mastermind here; Maxis is. Lily's disgraceful exit was actually an act. Maxis's plans so far have been very blunt and risky.. making him seem rather stupid or else nutty... so suddenly make it smooth, very smooth and hidden, the hidden workings of his plan. A total 180 of what he was doing might give Maxis the advantage. _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author BlackAmaranth Tourist Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 28 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:07 pm    Post subject: Whew, finally caught up. I've always been a sucker for vampire stories, it's just hard to write one nowadays without it seeming cliche. But I think you pulled it off quite nicely There were a few grammar things (most of which I've forgotten by now), but other than that I'm really enjoying it. As for the DP, I have a question: are we sure Lily and/or the other ladies can be trusted? Maybe it's just me, but there's something kinda funny about what she's saying... _________________ "Well, here I am...in the towers of an insane asylum...wearing a straitjacket...talking to myself..." Back to top Author BlackAmaranth Tourist Joined: 19 Sep 2008 Posts: 28 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:15 pm    Post subject: Oops, I didn't see that last chapter. Ah...forget about that last part then _________________ "Well, here I am...in the towers of an insane asylum...wearing a straitjacket...talking to myself..." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:11 pm    Post subject: Welcome Ama! Sit down and enjoy! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:03 am    Post subject: Okay, the poll is up and I'd like to make it a quick one so get those votes in guys! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:32 am    Post subject: And so it begins. Enjoy ------------------------------- Chapter Fourteen: The Ultimate Betrayal He had spent centuries preparing for this moment, his program, his plan only finally coming together in these past few decades, these last few years. In every major government across the globe his Servents were waiting. They were rarely in positions of power themselves, instead they held the puppet strings of the figureheads. In some cases they were wives, in others they were the lover that the press could never hear about. They were obscure politicians that sat in overlooked offices and knew a great deal about the skeletons in everyone's closet. And thanks to their Master every single one of them had protection the average human could not comprehend. They were untouchable. The news of the selection of that...thing...that playtoy of Henri's had come over breakfast. He'd been sitting, reading the morning papers, enjoying his usual goblet of fresh blood when a Carrier had arrived, striding into his Court as if walking across a field of landmines. On a silver tray he'd bourn a letter, written on parchment with a goose quill and sealed with wax. Imprinted with the crests of his fellow courts...as well as his own. That alone was enough to bring the monster to the surface. So Lily had finally tipped her hand...it had taken her long enough. He'd always known he hadn't been able to trust her, not after tainted fangs had touched her. Just like her sisters, she panted after the playtoy, the...thing. He couldn't forgive that, could anyone blame him? It was only made worse that the thing was of his own blood, the final Creation of one of his Seven Sins. Over the years he had, once or twice, been forced to give the thing grudging credit. It had elevated itself beyond it's humble origins. It did have...abilities that not even he, Maxis, posessed. And that made the thing very dangerous indeed. If left alone long enough it might become a formidable adversary. And so he'd long ago made the decision to crush it when the time came. But doing so without jepordizing the greater plans had never been a reality, always been just beyond reach. Now though, now it was a possibility. Yet he was plauged by failure. First Isabelle had failed to kill the thing in it's hole. The thing had spared him the necessity of disciplening her though by killing her Creations, rocking the core of her power and breaking her fledgling Mastery...bringing her back into the arms of Maxis own power. And that suited him just fine...he was running short on loyal bodyguards these days. And of course that was the second failure...Gunwulf...Gunner as he now liked to be called. The loss of his first Creation stung Maxis more than the betrayals Lily had visited upon him. But there had been signs that Gunner could no longer be trusted. He had grown fond of the thing...expressed that opinion on several occasions. Had harbored a trust of the thing in his very blood. Maxis had thought his power would be sufficient to deal with the problem. Had thought that by making Gunner kill the thing he would also harden the soft spot the Viking seemed to have developed. Instead the thing had stolen him away, shattered a Bond that had withstood a millenia. Impossible. Apparently not. And finally the third failure. Armand. His Preacher...his last remaining Priest had fallen. While it was true that Armand had never been as effective as he had before the loss of his other half, he'd still been loyal. And loyalty was something Maxis seemed to be running out of. The courts he'd thought allied to him had obviously turned against him, there were traitors in his ranks. All because of the thing. And so he made the decision. Tonight was the night. Tonight he would allow himself to reap the fruits of centuries of labor. By dawn the entire human world would know the cold and bloody truth. That vampires did exist... --------------------------- Travis was painting when his phone rang. Sitting in clothes that had more paint on them than the six foot canvas he'd chosen for this particular work, his russet hair pulled back by a rubber band at the nape of his neck, he'd almost been startled. One lithe hand reached out shockingly fast as the soft tones of Motzart's 'Requiem for a Dream' chimed from the Nokia, he flipped it open and securly pinned the device between his ear and shoulder. "Yes?" Greg's panicked voice echoed over the other end of the reciever, breath coming in shallow huffs. "You'd better turn on the television, or the radio, or tune into the brains of the people around you. He's done it...he's told the world..." Travis didn't bother to ask what Greg was talking about. He had a good idea already as he walked across the living room and flipped on the TV set that he rarely, if ever, used. Sure enough the breaking news made him peel his lips back from sharpened fangs as he made a dark noise, hazel eyes narrowing in a cold preditory stare. "Is Shelly watching this with you?" "I'm here Travis," the prompt reply of her voice made the vampire realize he was most likely on speaker and he hoped that no other mortals were in the room as Shelly's voice continued. "What are we going to do?" That was a very good question. As he watched the gruesome footage that was no doubt making vampires in certain parts of the world lick their chops, he knew there was no damage control that could be done. While vampires themselves could not be photographed, would show up on no film, the clothes they wore, the damage they did were all too visible...as was the stolen blood they shed. It sizzled and smoked and eventually turned to dust...right infront of the camera. While some may have dismissed it as high quality special effects...it couldn't be. Not with the way the eyewitnesses, the poor mortals caught in the frenzy were being torn apart. No doubt stunned relatives were recognizing their loved ones and swooning in shock, screaming in terror...and spreading the truth. Vampires were real. Vampires lived. Vampires were running wild in the streets of Europe. Suddenly something happened. The distruction, the sheer horror...it just stopped. Well not stopped it was stopped by some greater force. Reporters that had been describing the horrors they were witnessing now spoke incredoulously of vampires fighting vampires. Of saviours coming to their aid. And the voice Travis had known all the long he was going to hear finally rang out. As the smoke settled, as the reporters began to say that it was over, a booming voice echoed. "Humanity, despair not. Though we devils may walk amoung you, not all of our number are monsters. There are those of us in the shadows that will stand against our brethren in your name! For centuries we have warded you. For centuries we have guarded you. And now that our worlds have overlapped, we shall aid you openly! We shall not leave you defenseless but shall redouble our efforts. Humanity, arm yourselves! War is upon us all now and there is no time for unbelievers. They will be struck down and cast aside by their foes! I am Maxis, Prince of the Black Court, and though I may now be called Traitor by all brethren I shall embrace that title. For it is better to betray my own blood than to watch Genocide unfold." Travis could only snort at the speech as the studio switched over with the broadcasters saying that it was a clip from just moments ago before they cut to break. He vaugely realized that Greg was babbling in his ear and snapped the phone shut without another comment. Slowly he walked back to where the canvas sat and stared at it longingly, brushing reverent fingertips over the surface before reaching down to select a brush. Dipping it in the blackest paint he owned, he drug it across the taut material, back and forth rythmically until the whole of the blank expanse was a black void. Cleaning up his mess, leaving the canvas to dry, he knelt and summoned Odysseus with a simple outstretched hand. There was nothing supernatural behind the gesture, it was something a million cat owners did daily with their feline pets...although not always with the success Travis enjoyed. Now as the soft black head rubbed itself against the calloused tips of the vampires fingers, he sighed. "Odyessus old friend the time has come again to put down the brush and take up the sword. And that means you're going to be skipping mealtimes..." Standing, he tweaked the pendant around his throat, replacing the paint stained comfort clothes for the outfit that had so awed Greg...his 'modern armor'. Ensuring that everything was as he had left it, right down to the littlest knife, he walked down the hall and picked up the cat carrier. "Alright old friend, you know the drill. I've got to leave you with someone for a little while." Odysseus did as his owner asked, climbing into the carrier, but not before pausing and rubbing his head against Travis one last time. Not without giving a plaintive little meow, a strange sound to be coming from that particular animal. Travis scratched his chin gently through the mesh as he left his apartment, locking the door behind him. "Odyssues...I'm not going to forget you. Don't look at me like that old friend..." his words trailed off. Who would have thought that Travis Rose, now a member of the Council itself, would be nearly moved to tears by the actions of a simple feline? Slowly he set out for his destination, using the stolen memories in his very blood as a guide. Though he'd never been to Shelly Vengate's home, he knew it intimately. Right down to the color of sheets that were on her bed. Everywhere, panicked thoughts pressed at his shields as humanity blew it's collective top over the reality of vampires. He'd have to warn Vick that the shop was in danger, no doubt the backlash was going to be severe. Especially with Maxis playing saviour. He laughed mirthlessly at that thought. "Maxis a saviour? Ah well...Lucifer himself was once an angel, eh Odysseus?" Maxis was no saviour, he was an enslaver. He would have every mortal in chains before they knew what hit them. No, there was no retracting his actions, no way they could ever repair the breach and go back into hiding. They were exposed, perminantly, and the only thing Travis could think of now was damage control. The Council would have to step forward and soon. Would have to jump into this mess and take control of it before Maxis managed to complete whatever it was he'd actually planned. Or was it really as simple as taking over the world? No doubt he was already painting Travis as a sinister bastard, telling whoever would listen that Travis was the Antichrist. And after his little specticle no doubt they'd believe him. He briefly rubbed his temple as a woman ran past screaming. No doubt ticket sales to Alaska would be going through the roof as people flocked there for the safety six solid months of daylight promised. Speaking of daylight he winced, realizing he hadn't put on nearly enough sunblock before leaving. Though it wasn't hot, it was clear enough that the direct rays were stabbing at his dead flesh and making it itch though no visible burn was detectable. His eyes, spared blinding by a pair of blue lensed sunglasses, swept the world around him and took in the stunned silence. Aside from the occasional soul who grasped the reality instantly, many humans were still praying this was some horrible joke. It didn't take long to find the wrought iron stairs that led to Shelly's small home in a quiet little neighborhood. He didn't bother knocking, the door wouldn't be locked at this hour. Sure enough the knob turned easily and he entered to find Shelly curled up on the couch, knees drawn to her chest as she hugged an overstuffed pillow. One corner had been sized in her teeth as naked fear gleamed in her eyes, one hand gently touching the spot where he'd bitten her. Greg was staring at the phone, trying to call Travis back, fingers savagely punching the buttons. He cleared his throat, taking no amusement from their frightened reactions, setting the carrier down and letting Odysseus loose. He watched the feline shake off the effects of travel before sniffing the air. "Yes she has a cat...play nice." Two yellow eyes regarded him solemnly for a moment before, tail in the air, Odysseus padded off. "Now for you two, settle down. This news shouldn't be new to either of you." Shelly stared at him looking much like a fragile doe caught in the lights of a semi. "Travis...you may be able to take all this in stride but...but...you people have existed in secrecy for so long. Don't tell me how many of your laws revolve around keeping your existence hidden from humanity. Most, if not all of them. So now that you don't need to be kept a secret anymore...what's to keep the average vampire from slaughtering us." He chuckled coldly. "Well the rest of us. There's not a vampire in this town that's going to do you any harm Shelly. Well...none of them that actually live here. But I don't think Maxis has any minions in my neck of the woods...not after the losses he's already suffered. It's not his style. What needs to happen is the Council needs to get a night session with the UN. There is no way in Hell I'm going to take on running interference with the whole of humanity myself. Sunlight or no, I'm not a politician. I'm an artist. I'm a killer. That's what I'm good at." He noted their flinches at his words and settled himself on the couch. "Once again, this is nothing new to either of you." Greg sighed. "So Travis, what are you going to do...what is the next move of anyone?" "First, I'm going to make a few phone calls. I can reach most of the Council right now...well, some of them. Then I'm going to get myself on the news." Shelly's brows wrinkled. "The news...no offense Travis but unless you take a better photo than the average vampire you're not going to do much good." He smiled at them, a charming human smile, fangs hidden away. "I don't take a good picture Shelly, I'm just like the rest of them in that department. But what I do intend to do is let everyone know where I stand before Maxis totally ruins my reputation." Greg looked up suddenly. "Reputation...that's it. Travis, there's one thing that Maxis hasn't counted on...your fame." Travis looked up at him and chuckled. "Why Greg...I do believe you might be right." -------------------------------- So, how big a part does Travis fame as an artist play in how people believe him? Does it gain him human support or do people just blow him off? ---------------------------- Whew, that's the longest one I've written in a while. Will spellcheck later as it's currently 1:30am. Hope you liked. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:15 pm    Post subject: At first glance i'd say that the fame would help a lot. A famous artist is one of those soulless evils? ridiculous. It gives the vampires a human face, labeling them people instead of monsters. But with some good PR, Maxis could counter it. Just talk about hidden skeletons in the closet, and how easily you can get rid of bodies these days. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:59 pm    Post subject: Yes, this is a poll. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Lady of the Shadows Resident Joined: 06 Mar 2009 Posts: 67 Location: In the Valley of Shadows...Not such a bad place to be. Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:04 pm    Post subject: Yayzies! Just letting you know I voted! Good work, Rai! _________________ Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. - John Betjeman If you look long and hard into the deep of the abyss, you will find me. In the last rays of the lingering sun, you will find me. But I will not return to you yet. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:58 pm    Post subject: I'd like to thank my readers at this point. Without you guys coming back chapter after chapter Travis and his companions would never reach the end of the story. So Enjoy! ------------------------- Chapter Fifteen: Smile Like the Devil It took everyone working in sudden concert to get things set up. Shelly had her contacts with media and public relations that called in the right reporters and shows that would have an interest in hearing one of the world's most reclusive artists speak, as well as those who just didn't want to miss the oppertunity. Ryan and Travis convinced the gallery owner to allow them to hold the interview in the gallery itself, because Travis wasn't about to let film crews trapse through his home. His revelations had limits. With all the preparations falling into place, Travis spent most of the rest of the day making phone calls to parts of the world where night still held sway, talking fast to get his point across to the other Council members. They swayed backward and forward, held their ground just to prove that they were powerful, and then quickly caved with the stipulation that if it backfired it was all his fault. Travis could live with that, it had been all his fault for centuries. Now the time was nearly at hand, the paintings had been arranged just so, his picture of the bloody rose moved from his studio to the gallery and place prominantly behind him. He sat on the same paint splattered barstool that he always sat on while creating his works. His 'armor' was gone, replaced again with the pair of paint splattered shirt, it's long sleeves hiding his fingers to the first knuckle, its neckline a little frayed. The faded and frayed jeans that covered his legs bore the drips and dribbles of his attempts to recreate his memories on canvas, his popular brand sneakers showing more than their fair share of hard use. Greg had fussed over his apperance, normal hesitation to make suggestions or touch the vampire forgotten in haste and he'd shoved Travis' hair this and that way until finally giving up and standing back when Travis had laughed at him. "Just leave it loose Greg, I normally do unless I'm working. Less hassle that way." Hazel eyes sparkled as he shooed the human away. "Quit trying to act like my mother, so help me if you try to lick your finger and wipe the dirt off my face I will do something quite painful to you." Greg had opened his mouth when Travis picked up a Coke and then pointed toward the door. "They're almost here, make yourself scarce or be labled a 'vamp lover'." Without glancing again at the human, he popped the top on the can and took a long swallow, savoring the too sweet syrup that mixed with the carbonated water. He was still holding the can, swirling it's contents, when the first of the reporters shuffled in. She was a younger woman, age in the mid twenties, and from her thoughts Travis managed to discern that this was the first interview of any importance she'd been allowed to conduct. She'd been talking to one of the camera men and now she turned, facing him, and froze. She'd been expecting someone older. That thought was very common as they filed in, the soft Gallery light filling the room save where the skylights in the roof allowed wells of sunlight to pour in. He watched them set up, sipping his Coke slowly, savoringly, hazel eyes fixing on each of them as their thoughts pressed at him. Like a room full of people whispering half said words, so hard to make heads or tails of. Finally the pcking order seemed to be sorted out and the reporters settled into some semblance of order. Many were wondering why he'd called them here, why he'd chosen to speak now when vampires were running around in the world. That was the big story...not some artist who thought he was a big shot suddenly deciding to give an interview. Then the first of the cameras obviously started rolling and the man nearly screamed. Travis smiled...pointedly. "And that would by why I've suddenly decided to give you all an interview. And why I havn't in the past. Please, wait, before you all go stampeading out the door uselessly you'll note I havn't attacked anyone yet. Nor do I have any intention of doing so." He sipped the Coke again before pouring a small amount into the palm of his head. "And no Mr. Rugger...I'm not drinking blood out of a can. It really is Coke." Mr. Rugger was a man in an expensive Brooks Brothers suit and all the blood drained from his face, making him look eerily corpse-like. Others flicked their eyes to him, then the vampire, and back again until finally, one veteren reporter who'd done combat coverage stepped forward. "You don't show up on our cameras, but your clothing does, you have fangs, and yet here you sit in the middle of the day sipping a Coke. Just what are you?" "A person. An artist. But yes, also a vampire." He drained the last few drops of his can and, moving at that impossible speed of his, dropped it in a distant trash can and was back on his stool before they could react. "I'm faster, stronger, and have better senses than the average human. Do I drink blood? Yes, I'm afraid that is true, but I havn't killed anyone to get it since the 1940's." He took in their glassy eyes and smiled reassuringly without a hint of fang. "Most vampires you meet will not be able to hold daylight conversations with you. To date I believe I am the only one known that has sunlight resistance of this level. There are those who can brave indirect light though, heavily cloudy days or the middle of storms, just no direct sunlight." "What about the Coke? Do all vampires drink Coke?" It was the young reporter who had first come in, trying to find her courage. He smiled easily at her, shaking his head. "No. Most vampires drink blood however, very few vampires survive on blood alone. They are one extreme end of the scale with vampires that don't actually need blood at all on the other. Those lucky fellows can get everything they need from large quantities of normal food. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. I can't digest anything that cannot be sipped through a straw for instance." A few more questions were traded, the answers urbane and human, delivered with smiles and some startled laughter. Soon the reporters were relaxing, asking questions less about vampires and more about Travis himself. What had been his favorite era so far? How did he choose what memories to paint? What were his views on global warming and the energy crisis? With the exception of a few die-hard art magazine reporters, most people even ignored the setting and specialty Travis had surrounded them with. They were more interested in tapping him for how vampires saw human culture, did he like movies? Which ones? Did he read books? What were his feelings about the portrayal of vampires in popular culture. He had to laugh hard at that one, shaking his head. "Humans have quite a bit of imagination when it comes to us. I've never met vampires that do half the things you think we do, although maybe they'll turn up. Afterall, we're not supposed to be out in the middle of the day either. And I hate to inform you all...not every vampire is drop dead handsom nor can they make you think they are. There are many individuals out there that are ugly and proud of it." He relaxed on his stool, staring thoughtfully toward the skylight. "When you get right down too it, vampires are as varied as the humans we once were. Talents one person might have, another does not. Immunities and resistances one has, another might not. While things can be learned and immunities boosted, there remains just as big a degree of difference in us as their is in you. Is there good cause to fear us and hate us. Yes, I'm afraid there is. That attack in Europe is one example and probably the worst one. That is an example of what could happen if vampires are allowed to do whatever they want. Luckily, most of us have better sense than to go around making a general monster of ourselves." And then came the question he'd been dreading. "Travis, speaking of the European incident, you obviously seem for humanity...are you and Maxis part of the same group?" For a moment he debated something before sighing and closing his eyes, two long fingers rubbing his temples. "No. No we're very much not. Vampires are goverened by on global Council, the majority of books have that right. Until two days ago Maxis was a member of some standing...now he's not. Not because he sided with you or because he revealed his existance in such a manner. But because he orchestrated the whole thing. All of those vampires you saw...they all pledged their loyalty to him." He held his hands up as instant clamor broke out, hushing them lightly. "Also, I don't blame you if you choose not to believe me. Maxis and I have personal issues that make us about as far from friends as can be. I am very young to hold a Council seat, very very young, and I have been less than kind to him in the past. The fact of the matter is simply this, most people will choose to disbelieve my words because he showed up as a saviour and because he will no doubt tell you all that I am allied with those who ran rampent. I can tell you that while many vampires will stand by me, only one is bound to me. And he's safely asleep at the moment so you've nothing to fear from my bodyguard." He stood, shrugging his shoulders. "So, believe me or not, I'll give you this warning. Don't put too much trust in Maxis, the Council doesn't and if we don't, Humanity certainly should not. For untold years the Council has governed vampire society and, before you believe anything otherwise, think on this. If the Council had wanted humanity dead or enslaved, had wanted to cause blood to run through the streets...what was stopping us before? Why did we wait until now? There is no possible way that the will of the most powerful vampires on Earth could have been thwarted on every previous attempt. Fact of the matter is, if you want to see vampires as nothing more than the preditors of humanity, then consider the Council the shepards of the flock." For a long time the humans stared at him, trying to gauge what he'd said, how much of it was true. Finally the combat reporter cleared his throat and smiled. "I don't know about the rest of these people, or yourself, but it's getting too hot in here for me. Would you mind if I borrowed a Coke?" ---------------------------------- So, Travis has said his piece and at least one reporter has made a gesture of trust. But how will this turn out for him in the long run. What reprecussions will his interview have for him? The Council may have sanctioned his giving the interview, but they also made clear any bad that came from it was squarely on his shoulders. So...good, bad, otherwise...what results does Travis reap? ---------------------------- There you are guys, even a complex DP! I thank you all for your continued presence and hope you liked! _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author DeadManWalking Duke of the Mostly Dead Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1005 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:39 pm    Post subject: Well normally i'd say that Travis would of course take quick action to organize human society on his side. He is obviously the best suited to be the "Daylight Face" of the Vampires, and so he could give talks before the UN, and before other large institutions. However, there is still the problem of people believing Maxis over him. What we need is an assassination attempt. Maxis is probably not short-sighted enough to try it himself, since that would simply make more people inclined to believe Travis, but it would really help Travis's verisimilitude if someone tried to kill him, preferably someone invisible to camera and faster than normal humans (i.e. all the evidence of vampires). Also, there may be some human extremist groups that could try regardless of any vampire action; that could also be spun out to help Travis's image, or at least gain him public sympathy. _________________ When the dead walk, the living run. Back to top Author Lady of the Shadows Resident Joined: 06 Mar 2009 Posts: 67 Location: In the Valley of Shadows...Not such a bad place to be. Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:18 pm    Post subject: well, with a talk like that I would be sure to believe him. BUt maybe there is a perfect division. Half trust Travis, half trust Maxis. Perfect division , maybe a few are torn. BUT, that might start a bit of a fire for Travis and Maxis and the rest of them. Lovely new chapter, Rai! _________________ Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. - John Betjeman If you look long and hard into the deep of the abyss, you will find me. In the last rays of the lingering sun, you will find me. But I will not return to you yet. Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 9:09 pm    Post subject: Any other suggestions? Poll goes up tomorrow. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Guest Items Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:46 am    Post subject: I'll reread the story again, I usually get lost, so hope you don't mind. I have an idea a converstation with a human would turn badly. I want to see an outcast. *hold on* Ok I'm going to read this tonight offline. And I'll give my ideas on how I see vampire stories. Back to top Author Fenris Resident Joined: 29 Jun 2009 Posts: 60 Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:47 pm    Post subject: I'm sorry that I can't give out a well thought out suggestion. My brain doesn't function to well on Tuesdays. Or any day before three o clock. Bust wonderful chapter , funny too. Back to top Author Lilith Honored Citizen Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1597 Location: Happily curled up in a Daemon's lap Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 4:58 am    Post subject: Well this is interesting, Kalanna... Maxis came out with it and stands on one side with his supporters.. and then Travis retaliated in kind..... so you are really leaving us with the choice to decide what the HUMANS do in a Vampire story..... And that's what hangs the story in balance... Are we going to have Travis and Maxis in a political debate (pissing contest) next? Besides the utter confusion and shock coming from most humans, I am guessing many will go to the near insane level of trying to.. well, kill vampires. Getting together large groups and sending them out at Travis and Maxis alike..... Which is an unfavorable reaction for the vampire community at large. And what if one of them happens to be an obscure relative/old friend of Shelly and Greg... and finds the mark on Shelly where she's been bitten? Oh goody.... _________________ © 2007-2019 Lilith Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:29 pm    Post subject: Okay, the poll is FINALLY up. Can I get some votes from the folks who might still be out there? _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." Back to top Author Kalanna Rai Assassin for Hire Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 3102 Location: The Frozen North Items Legends Fables Strata-gems Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:30 pm    Post subject: *leaves present under tree* Enjoy! ------------------------------ Chapter Sixteen: The Sword and the Gun "Travis, a word with you?" Slowly the vampire turned, flicking roan hair from piercing eyes, hands tucked nonchalantly in his pockets as gaze came to rest on the young woman who clutched her clipboard tightly and bit at her lips nervously. He debated smiling for a moment and decided he'd better not bother. Like so many these days she'd 'accepted' the vampires but she didn't exactly like it. Jumpy, nervous, the stress shadowing her eyes as fear gave her perfume a sharp and bitter air. "Miss Laroche, how may I be of assistance?" She flinched at his words, as if there were some physical impact. From the corner of the room Greg cleared his throat, tapping his watch as if to remind Travis of something pressing. In actuality it was for the timid Miss Laroche, reminding her that Travis was important, busy, and that his time came at a premium. Somewhere inside he chuckled at the almost overprotectiveness of it. As if he were Greg's own private vampire. The boy and his silly, annoying, uncomfortable crush. "Ah, yes. I just wanted to make sure that you are availible for that luncheon with the President and the Secretary of State on the 15th. Your assistant was less than helpful on-" He held up a hand to cut her off, smiling to distract her as she flinched even harder. "Miss Laroche, Greg is less than helpful because I plan my own itenerary. It's a quirk of mine." Hand reached into the pocket of his suit, pulling forth a little black book, fingertip flicking through the crisp pages until he reached the desired one and nodded. "Ah yes, I can just make a late lunch with them and please, will you ensure we don't have a repeat of last month's bloody fiasco? A nice bisque would be sumptous. Perhaps a pudding?" Humans were very slow to change their minds on some things. The last dinner he'd attended had featured a 'Bleeder' a human so desiring of vampires that they were willing to spill blood into cups and pitchers so that the vampire might drink. Indeed there were several new 'catagories' of humans that revolved around vampires. The terms were insulting, much in the way of racial or sexual slurs, but that hadn't stopped them from sticking. Or from causing no end of problems. In the new termonology someone like Greg, who willingly served and aided vampires without any coercion, was called by the unimaginative title of 'vamp lover'. Those who actually had intimate relations with vampires were called something far more lewd and vulgar. Those who cut themselves so that a vampire might drink were 'Bleeders' and those who let the vampire actually bite them to draw the blood were called 'Pets' as they were usually kept as such. Violence broke out regularly, discrimination was practiced against anyone even remotely connected to the vampires. And heaven forbid you were spotted sporting a pair of fang marks in the wrong area. Vampire security and self control could only do so much, there were of course a few incidents. Deaths where the body was found punctured and drained did nothing to help relations. Humans pouncing on younger vampires, grown cocky now that they no longer needed to hide, and driving stakes through their hearts or downing them in a hail of automatic gunfire. Travis himself had recived more than his fair share of death threats. Nasty and insulting e-mails had turned up on his computers. The threatening phone calls had stopped when he replied to them with laughter and polite conversation, he truly feared those individuals very little. Still, in the past three months humans had attempted to take his life. Once they'd nearly succeded. He might heal quickly but there was only so much healing one could do when they were missing their head. Luckily the would-be sniper had not counted on Travis' speed. Once he had heard the bullet, dodging it had been sheer simplicity. He was brought out of his recollections by the soft tap of Greg's finger on his shoulder. "Travis, I hate to interrupt your thoughts but we really should be going. I'd rather not get caught in another patrol sweep tonight." He nodded, hand reaching up to tap the gem that rested against his chest, fiddling with the pendant until it flashed as he desired. Left hand brushed against the sleeves of the armored shirt, straightening a few wrinkles, before lifting to readjust the fedora on his head. Hazel eyes flicked to Greg's worried face and he nodded. "Alright, let's collect Gunner from next door and be on our way." -------------------------------------- Greg sighed as he followed Travis broad back out into the night. He kept his head down, thinking about the usual things. About scheduals, destinations, travel times, meetings, arrangements...his life had become so busy. But Travis had needed an assistant and Shelly could not fill the position. It was hard enough for her, her pro-vampire veiws barely tolorated in the art world, almost not tolorated outside of it. There wasn't much room in society yet for vampires and the people who accepted them. It was easier for him in a lot of ways, he had nothing to lose. He was already gay, already in love with a vampire or well better to put it he was attracted to the vampire, love was a bit strong a word. He jerked his thoughts away, flicking his eyes out into the darkness, catching sight of something. "Travis is there-" The staccto sounds of gunfire ripped through the night before Greg could finish his sentance. The dreadful sounds of bullets impacting flesh echoing from ahead of him as the automatic rounds pummeled into Travis. A spray of something warm and wet misted across Greg's face and it didn't take a genious to realize it was blood. Travis blood. The vampire dropped to one knee as the clicking noise of empty guns mixed with the laughter of their weilders. Slowly five men, humans, dressed in leather and camoflauge moved out of the shadows of the nearby overpass. "Lookie lookie boys! Looks like the great Travis Rose isn't so damn great afterall...a few pounds of lead certainly slowed him down didn't it?" There were chuckles and nods to greet the words of the bald man, surly their de facto leader. Travis was making a horrible gagging noise, a wet hacking sound. And as Greg looked on in horror the vampire heaved a wad of something meaty and blood covered into one upturned hand. The other was still braced against pavement that now gleamed wetly, damp with the blood that dripped and trickled from the hunched form. For a moment Greg didn't know what to do, knowing that the moment Travis was gone so was he. But a new sound rose, stifling the laughter of the would be assassins. The men in their leather and camo, shirts proudly reading the 'HUMANITY LEAUGE' going deathly silent as a new laughter rose. It rattled and wetly wheezed, sputtering in a liquid manner. But it was growing clearer by the moment, growing in volume. And it was coming from Travis. The vampire began to stir, to move, standing unsteadily as the horrified members of the miliatant 'Humanity Leauge' remaind frozen. The hand that had braced against the pavement now rose, two long fingers stirring the gorey wad that filled the palm of Travis's other hand. "Pitiful dogs. Didn't your masters teach you anything before they let you loose? Guns are a woefully poor weapong for killing a vampire." The two long fingers fished around in the pulpy mound a moment more before pulling away, holding something up in the dim illumination of the streetlights...a bullet casing. Travis flicked it away negligently, tipping his gore filled palm to the side as he did so. The meaty mound broke apart as it fell, hitting the ground with a wet squish and a series of plinks. More bullet casings. And then a sweet sound Greg recognized filled the air, the musical hiss of swords being drawn. The blades rose, glimmering and glittering, their steel pure and unsullied for the moment. And Travis spoke again in mild, almost amused tones. "No, for killing a vampire the weapon of choice has, for centuries, been the sword." By the time those words had finished registering in Greg's ears the blades were no longer pure, no longer clean, the gleam along them reflecting blackly off shed blood. Eight mounds lay where four men had stood, their forms neatly bisected by blades swung with inhuman speed and precision. The bald man was gone, his throat laid open so savagely the bones of the spine could be seen. It was not the wound of a sword and Greg didn't need to dwell on the cause more than a moment. "He angered me, so I ripped it out." Such a mild tone of voice for such horrifying words. Instead he surveyed the devistation of Travis clothes, blinking in startled surprise. The front of the long duster, the front of the shirt were gone. Shot so many times they'd been obliterated. Instead only the pale gleam of the vampire's torso was revealed and Greg looked up quickly. His face was clean, a spot of blood at the corner of his mouth the only sign that Travis's lips had recently been in contact with the substance. Abruptly the vampire turned and, with a hacking noise like a cat with a hairball, heaved up another handful of casings. This time though, mercifully, they were shimmering and clean of debris. He scattered these on the pavement as well, heedless of the drawing crowd. "I dislike firearms. I'll be coughing up shells for a week at this rate." "Travis...you're alright?" He couldn't believe it. Just simply couldn't believe that the vampire could take this much damage and yet...the shells he spit out and discarded were the only evidence of it. He was a- "Monster? Of course Greg. I've not lied, not hidden it from you, nor dissuaded you from that idea. I am a monster. I draw my existance from the lifesblood of others...and a few other food substances. This," he gestured to his healed torso "is but one aspect of my monsterous physiology." True, Greg knew all this. It's just it had never really hit home before. He'd always seen Travis display his abilities in situations that were beyond the mundane. But any human mind could grasp the horrible reality of having guns open fire on someone. Which is what put the abilities in a sharper focus for Greg. "But...couldn't you have dodged them?" Travis moved, moved faster than the eye could see. Couldn't he have just stepped aside and let the bullets fly? "I could have Greg. But where would that have left you?" For a moment he stared into hazel eyes, caught like a rabbit in the stare of a hawk. It was true. Had Travis stepped aside from those bullets then Greg, who'd been following behind, would have been obliterated in a rain of hot metal. Had Travis been wearing normal clothing, not the reinforced duster, it was likely the bullets would have gone all the way through his flesh and beyond anyway. Luck, and the vampire, had kept Greg alive for another day. "Wait...you mean to tell me you deliberately allowed yourself to be injured...instead of a human?" Both of them turned to face the speaker, an older woman in a creme buisnessuit heading a growing throng of news cameras. There was a flit of emotion across her face as she recognized them, or perhaps just Greg as Travis was not photogenic. "Travis Rose I presume. Well well, your tolorance is quickly becoming legendary. Was this another lesson in 'co-existance'?" Travis shook his head, smiling tiredly. "This was a lesson in humanity. Those calling themselves the 'Human League' want to protect humanity from vampires. I am a vampire wanting to protect humanity from vampires. The difference between our methods...mine do not usually put the innocent in the path of danger ma'am." There were authorities on the scene, all human, scratching their heads as to what proceedure should be followed. There was a crowd of well dressed, wealthy humans pressing against the barriers of law, order, and common sense. Perhaps it was a sign of trouble to come that the Humanity League had chosen an upscale buisness district to unleash their destruction in. Perhaps it was a sign of desperation. Greg didn't know. He didn't care to know. As Gunner arrived, looking like a cross between a Secret Service agent and a German mafia kingpin, to usher them away and snarl 'no comment' into the horde of microphones pressed his way, only one thought dominated Greg's mind. Why had Travis done it? Was there more to the vampire's decision than he'd admitted? Or was Greg just holding out foolish and childish hope once again? ---------------------------------- Alright folks, an interesting dp for all of you to chew on. What reasons could Travis have had for saving Greg's life again? Are they the rosey thoughts that Greg is having, of love and feelings deeper than friendship? Or is it friendship indeed? Could Travis actually be plotting something, fooling the world with charm and smile? Only you know. ----------------------------- Happy Holidays and a Merry IFmas everyone! Hope you liked. _________________ "It's not just about living forever...the trick is living with yourself forever..." "Music makes you braver." 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