A Vampire Masquerade

[Erebus]

She looked at Torren with renewed interest and a glimmer of respect in her eyes. He was far more intelligent than she had given him credit for. The man had pointed out something that would have come to her eventually, but he’d reached the conclusion much faster than she had. This also made her aware that he would have to be watched carefully, by both herself and her servants.
 
“Alright,” she agreed. “I have a kind heart, then. So much that it is my new goal in life to find others like myself and aid them by offering both shelter and the research I have gathered over the years. Medicines and the like.”
 
She then laughed, and the sound even surprised her, for she covered her mouth as soon as the joyful little giggle parted her lips. “A travel chest? I hope it’s a large one.” Not only did it make her sound human, but it gave the previously haughty woman a softness that made her appear, at least for the moment, female. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “Would you like to pack your things now and leave whenever Clara decides to wander back to us?”
 
===
 
“Oh dear.” He shook his head and moved to sit beside Clara, his long legs folding as he gracefully situated himself on the bench. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. Really.”
 
Garrick reached over the other vampire’s head to tug at a branch until a few petals separated from the bundle of flowers and rained down to settle upon Clara’s hair. “Hmmn. See, you’re far too beautiful for me to remain upset with.” He grinned rakishly. “If I could have found it within myself to harbor such an emotion in the first place.”
 
Releasing his hold on the tree, his next action was quite natural. He rested his arm on the bench’s back and curled his wrist so his fingers brushed her shoulder. “That was forward of me, wasn’t it?” His grin hadn’t faded yet, so it was very obvious that he didn’t give a rat’s ass one way or the other and made his apology sound very hollow. "I am sorry, but I find it hard to halt the waggling of my tongue in your presence."

[EarlyMorninStar]

Clara watched him for a moment, highly hesitant to be sitting so close to the man. Especially when her thoughts were directed towards what had happened earlier on that night. She could not get her mind off of the argument, or Torren, and she found it rather frustrating.

But all thoughts and frustration had quickly melted into the uneasy sensation of having this man next to her. She did not even recall gathering his name, either. And yet, he was sitting there with a grin to his face -- one that had made her stomach curl in the slightest.

She had only given a nervous smile in return to his initial comment, finding herself to wish to get up and leave. She was uneasy enough, to hardly accept his invitation to walk off with him, and now he was sitting in rather close promixities, his arm moving easily aorund her shoulder.

Clara raised a brow slightly, turning her head to look at him with a look that was laced with shock. He was being much more forward than she had originally thought, and it was enough to make her pull herself to a stand, her arms crossed about her chest.

"Excuse me?" She asked quickly in a retaliation towards his last comment. "I hardly know you, and you hardly know me, let alone, we don\'t even know each other\'s names. I hardly think any of your comments are appropriate..." She commented, looking away for a moment. Perhaps she should flee now, and run back to Torren and Rebecca. At least she\'d be a little more comfortable in the middle of their death stares than being subject to the looks from Garrick.

[Trillian]

Torren looked at her carefully, as though the female vampire was merely fooling him and leading him to believe that she was warming to him only to let his guard down.  After realising she was serious, he allowed himself a smile and nodded in response to her question.  "I will pack," he said.  It would be busywork for him while waiting for Clara to return.
 
*
 
The blonde vampire was looking for his fledgling who often disappeared for walks in the park.  He was not only frustrated with the newly-made vampire\'s desire to wander off without him, but pissed off whenever he found Garrick with someone else.  It seemed his latest fledge was more interested in keeping the company of strangers than his own sire.
 
Lazarus was storming through the park with a purposeful step.  When he spied the couple he\'d almost dismissed them for a woman was a part of said couple.  Something about the male caught his eye however, and caused him to do a double take.
 
"Garrick," he whispered, seething.  He missed the rejection Clara was making - and should he have caught it Lazarus would\'ve not continued forward, watching instead as the extremely vain young man was pushed away.  It would\'ve given him something to laugh at.
 
He was not laughing now however, for he was too worked up at the couple\'s close proximity to realise the body language of one was not mirroring the other.  All he could see as he fumed and strode towards them was that Garrick displayed the fact he wanted her.
 
A woman.  A damned woman!
 
Lazarus snatched Clara\'s arm, and with ancient strength that neither of them could match (for what was a few hundred years to a vampire that was over a thousand?) pulled her away from Garrick so he could sneer at the fledge.
 
"She\'s not someone you can drink from," he said, already realising that what he held by the upper arm was a female -vampire- and not a mortal.  "So what act is it you wish to perform upon her?"

[Erebus]

Rebecca remained seated, ignoring the desire to venture out while Torren gathered his belongings. Clara might return while she was out and though she trusted the other vampire enough to allow him in her home, she didn\'t expect they\'d wait for her to return before scribbling a quick note instructing her to not follow them to whatever country they decided they would be safest in.
 
===
 
It was a proven fact that Garrick was shallow, vain, and highly egotistical. Along with those bad traits, however, was the intelligence to observe someone until he knew exactly what do to anger them. Granted, this time it had taken more effort than he would have liked to achieve the results he wanted, but the beginner\'s tricks of wandering off when Lazarus was in the middle of talking to him or simply ignoring his sire no longer caused explosive displays of rage as they\'d used to.
 
He\'d needed to go above and beyond his old methods and it\'d required the assistance of Clara. There was a tiny smile, a very smug thing, hovering on his lips as Lazarus snarled at him and picked the girl off the bench with very little effort.
 
"Does it really require an explanation?" He asked insolently. "Mmn, though, if you insist..." Garrick stretched the arm that had been curled around Clara\'s shoulder and then settled both his hands in his lap.
 
"I planned on bedding her. I\'d take her from the front, the back, on the floor, every way and everywhere imaginable. We\'d spend the night exploring and pleasing one another." He sniffed. "You are cruel to prevent me from finding someone that would let me take control of the situation. Unless you\'ve had a change of heart?"

[EarlyMorninStar]

Clara had been ready to continue her rant (god only knew she needed to vent), and would have, had it not been for the sudden grip upon her arm. For the second time that night, she had cursed at herself for being so blind to her surroundings. In an instinct, she had squirmed to try and yank free, her anger instantly coming back.

Though, this man knew Garrick, it seemed. For a moment, Clara had chosen to stay quiet, her narrowed green eyes resting upon Garrick for a moment, even as Lazarus had spoken. God, wouldn\'t she love to simply wring his arrogant little neck for only a few moments...

She continued to attempt to pull her arm back, but Lazarus was far stronger than she was. She might as well give it up until he had chosen to let her go. And perhaps Clara would have stayed quiet and submissive... Until that tiny little smile curled upon Garrick\'s lips and he gave his explination.

Her formed bristled quickly, and again, she made the attempts to pull her arm away, a bit more forcefully this time.

"Why, you arrogant little bastard!" She hissed, glaring at Garrick. Though, she could not ignore the slight temptation. Afterall, centuries of solitude can do that to a person... she would much rather go back to the apartment than to let this man do anything of the sort to her.

And her bristled form and green eyes blazing with the fire she had felt within her, it was clear she wanted to rid herself of such problems.

[Trillian]

He was furious that Garrick would treat him so badly, to not only desire a body such as Clara\'s but also to describe his plans with it.  As the fledge spoke Lazarus could only imagine all too well the exploits Garrick was able to have without his presence.  The beautiful young man usually had people falling to their knees around him - and not just for worship.  Garrick enjoyed taking advantage, which was why Lazarus had liked him enough to make him of his own kind.
 
Lazarus glanced over at Clara as she spoke, looking at her with distaste, not caring that such a thing would never happen between her and Garrick, hearing only the fact that Garrick had said such things about her.  Jealousy sprung immediately.
 
Without a word, he spun on his heel (still holding Clara firmly by the arm) and marched through the park, dragging her with him.  Any struggles she made would hinder him here and there for she did possess strength enough to make its presence felt, but it wouldn\'t be enough to halt him completely.
 
He was fairly sure Garrick would follow, but for what he was about to do to the woman, it didn\'t matter if his fledge came along or not.

[EarlyMorninStar]

She had been ready to rip him to peices. To pull his cocky little smile right off of his face with complete satisfaction. She had tugged and pulled trying to at least get to Garrick, though Lazarus held firmly onto her. Speaking of Lazarus, the man had been simply a bother to her ever since he had shown up. It seemed the two had much in common, and she would like nothing other than to leave the both of them.

A small growl came from the back of her throat as she tugged futilly at her arm once more, bent on getting loose and going back home. Clara had had enough of their annoyances, and she knew solidly that she would much rather be listening to the shouts of Rebecca and Torren.

But, as Lazarus roughly pulled her along with him... Well, Clara was in the least bit pleased.

"Let go of me!" She snapped, her voice even more forceful than it had been with Garrick. She was tired of it; Tired of these two; Tired of all of the stress she had recieved within the night.

Though, as Lazarus proceeded to drag her along, she had only allowed her thoughts to further on his intentions. Just what, exactly was he going to do with her? All she wanted to do was leave, goddamnit! She didn\'t ask for any of this at all!

And with that thought in mind, she continued to struggle with the stronger man, trying to release herself as best she could -- though it proved no help at all. Now, she had only wondered why she had left the saftey of Torren\'s home...

[Erebus]

Garrick did follow, but it was at his own pace, and that was meandering. He had grabbed another bunch of flowers off the tree above them and strolled after Lazarus while picking off petals and allowing them to fall behind him.
 
Even when he figured out Lazarus\' destination had been an old well with moss growing on eroded gray stone, his look was one of disinterest. "If you\'re planning on drowning her, knowing that it\'s empty of water - and has been for years - might change your mind," he said, peering into its depths.  
 
He was tempted to search for a stone so he could drop it into the well and see how deep it was, but he imagined that the vital seconds he spent searching for a pebble would mean he\'d miss whatever extravagant example of the girl Lazarus planned to make.

[Trillian]

Lazarus didn\'t even hesitate to tell her of his plan.  He merely swung Clara around with one large roundabout motion which had her upon the edge and likely teetering.  It was at this point in time that many things could happen.
 
He reached a hand out to push her the rest of the way, so that she would fall (and of course survive, even her broken bones would heal quickly, for she was vampire), and sit at the bottom until the sun came.
 
Half of his intention was to throw Garrick down after her, but he was undecided about this part.

[EarlyMorninStar]

Clara had no knowledge of what he was to do, nor did she want to know. All she wanted, was an escape. Perhaps an amount of mercy shown.

Afterall, she had done nothing wrong that night. One moment of distress; one wrong decision was enough to condemn her to this man\'s rage. And he was hell bent on getting rid of her.

She had given a hiss as she was suddenly whipped around, her thoughts consumed by the mere struggle to get away. She hardly noticed her vulnerable state, wavering atop the edge of that old well. It was until her weight had shifted; until she had watched his hand move towards her, that her heart would have stopped if it had been previously beating.

In an instinct, she reached out to grab his arm; anything that would keep her safe from falling into the well and becoming trapped. For, who would be able to find her by morning? There were a mere couple of hours left until the sun would rise, and Rebecca and Torren were far too off in their arguments to realize she was in trouble.

So as her damned heels had caused her fall, she could only curse and fall towards the neverending bottom, waiting for the impact that was sure to cause damage.

[Trillian]

Except the impact didn\'t come - not right away, in any case. As Clara fell and grabbed Lazarus\' arm, he was not prepared for it and so he too lunged towards the round opening that was sure to precede his sunshiney death. He managed to wrap his free arm around the short rock wall even as he went over, and so he was hooked there, unwillingly holding Clara, anchored to the wall, his face pressed against the cold slimy side.
 
"Garrick!" he cried after attempting to pull himself back up and finding no real purchase. He had the strength, just not the grip. "Garrick, love, help me up." The order was requested kindly, and there was no desperation in his voice, though there was a fine note of frustration that he needed his fledge\'s help.

[Erebus]

With his usual detachment, Garrick watched Lazarus disappear into the well with the awful girl vampire and lifted his eyebrows when his sire appealed to him for assistance.  He brought the few flowers still attached to the stem to his nose, breathed deeply, and tossed them into the well.  The vampire then leaned over to grasp Lazarus\' hand with one of his own.  With the other, he gripped firmly at his forearm.  

He would have been able to lift the weight of one person easily, even his formidably tall sire, but with the girl still clinging to him, Garrick wasn\'t of much use.  "Can\'t you shake her loose?"

If Lazarus chose, however, he would be able to use Garrick as the purchase he so desperately needed.

[EarlyMorninStar]

Clara had futilly continued holding on, even more-so when Garrick made mention of attempting to shake her off of Lazarus. She was feeling desperate, left suspended over a seemingly endless well, clinging onto a man who tried to leave her for dead. Surely, if anything happened, she would spitefully bring him with her.

"Damnit! I did absolutely nothing to either of you!" Yes, perhaps she could ismply yell and explain herself. Even though she doubted it would do a thing at all. It was the only thing she could think of, however. "That persistant man up there took me from simply wanting to go home! I have no idea why the hell you\'re so angry, but all I want to do is get the hell out of this well, and leave the both of you!" She hissed loudly.

[Trillian]

Lazarus hadn\'t wanted to try shaking her loose in the event he shook his own grip loose on the brick wall of the well.  With Garrick near now, he reached up and grabbed onto his fledge\'s arm.  No matter what Garrick thought of his own ability, he would easily be able to pull the pair of them up due to his own formidably enhanced strength.  He was a vampire, and should Lazarus not struggle against him, he would be able to pull him up.
 
"Garrick, love... pull."  Lazarus\' impatience was creeping into his voice.  He didn\'t care about the woman now, who was squalling her distaste of both of them.  He didn\'t care whether she was an innocent bystander or part of the plan.  Lazarus wasn\'t much to care about women in any respect.
 
Should the fledge pull them both up, Lazarus wouldn\'t pay any attention to the woman that clung to him, he would simply hold onto Garrick in conflict.  Angry at the taunt from earlier, grateful for the saving of his undead life.

[Erebus]

"But I did!  And I can\'t!  You\'re too heavy!" He whined in a too-loud voice.  It was as his sire had observed, however.  He was strong enough to lift two full grown men when he remembered he was no longer a mortal.  
 
Before Lazarus could yell at him for being a lack-wit when under pressure, Garrick tugged at Lazarus\' arm, planting his feet against the ground and taking slow, tedious, step after the other until he could see his sire\'s head and shoulders.  The fledgling continued until both ancient and fellow fledgling were pulled from the well.  
 
Mentally, he insisted it would have been easier if Lazarus had dropped the girl as he\'d suggested, but the man was no longer dangling above a death trap.  It wouldn\'t be wise to push the issue now.