In a Rush

[Saiketsu]

continued from Hollow

Chained like a monster to a stone floor. All around them, cold, gray stone and people packed to the brim in the circular room, with impatient eyes. Go faster, time, go faster; they were all thinking it. And it went.

How did this happen? He struggled against the humans, against the palpable urgency of time, against the chains which bound him to the Medieval torture chamber. He snarled with inhuman fury, yet all he could focus on was the leader of them all, chained, motionless to the center of the floor with tangible rage instead of fear. Everyone else felt fear; not her.

The blonde locks were sullied and entangled, falling down off of her barren shoulders. Her dress was torn and tattered, splattered with the efforts of battle and death. They had bound her with metal and ropes when they had caught the two vampires, but there was something they couldn\'t contain within their bars and wires; those hazel eyes with the soul overflowing. She never could be caged. Those eyes found his through the crowds of people, making him struggle harder against the stone and steel. They held each other for long moments, until a man in a black robe grabbed onto her face and made her stare into his eyes; the priest.

She didn\'t protest, only allowed her eyes to bore into the man\'s. The crowd hushed and Latin chants rang out from the priest as he poured water onto her body and pressed that symbol to her forehead. She lashed out, sinking her teeth into his shoulder, unable to allow such disrespect. The priest, however, slipped out of her grip, slapping her repeatedly. The younger vampires behind him, the Young Ones, cried in pain, but he fought more savagely to free himself. What good was he shackled to a wall?

"These sinners shall be turned over to the Lord for justification. He shall not allow these monsters to stroll unpunished around us. This morning, we will aid the heavenly Father in sending these demons to their rightful places: THE DEVIL!" Cheers rang out from the humans and he felt the press of the people around him. He pressed back, managing to yank one of the chains a few inches from the wall.

The priest began again. "Tonight, my children, we shall free our own children from sin and destruction! We shall cleanse this world of evil and this land will be free of demons and blood-drinkers, starting with this one!" More cheers and a finger pointing at the leader who returned to immobility on the floor. The chains slipped a little bit more from the wall. One hand free.

The roar dimmed suddenly as the sound of stone-on-stone resounded. Everyone, even the Young Ones, looked up at the ceiling. His heart sank. A slip of golden light struck the floor five feet from the leader of the vampires; she flinched away from it instinctively.

He felt himself yell her name, felt her look at him as the other chain broke from the wall, felt all the anger and fear he had ever known flood into his being, possess him. He heard the words she said to him as he gazed at her. "Run," she said, "be there. Get away and look for me. GO!" He saw the sun begin to peel back her flesh, eat away at her beautiful face, her golden hair. He smelled her death and watched her die.

"Shit!" Damien awoke with a gasp, sitting up and supporting his head with his hands. A cold sweat had broken over his cold, hard skin and his heart stuck in his throat as he tried to calm the rage and hate he always felt with the dream. Breathe, he thought. It hurt too much.

After a moment Damien sighed. "Where the fuck am I?" A broken down apartment. The Brazilian Quarter of the city. Nine hundred and forty-four years after death. Seven o\'clock, P.M. he assumed by the feel of the moonlight in the shady windows.

Nine hundred and forty-four years after death. "Oh, shit!" He couldn\'t stay in this shithole of an apartment any longer. He had someone to meet at the Lighthouse half-way across this god-forsaken city. It had been about four nights and he had drank enough blood for the wounds to heal, but there was still a noticeable limp to his usually graceful walk. Fuck.

Damien stood, gathered the little things he had in his pocket: a cheap cell phone, a leather wallet, a few addresses on a crumpled piece of paper. Out the door and down the stairs in the middle of the worst place in the city to get caught unprepared. Good thing I drank yesterday.

[Wrakune]

Writmo waited outside for the vampire the Akari had spoken of before the fight. Damien, she called him. She lingered in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs, in her human form and waited for him to come out. She was panting heavily from the run and her back ached and blood stained her clothes. She willed it to stop with no luck.

She smelled him before she saw him. A vampire for sure, she thought, this must be the one. Her heightened senses also revealed a strong scent of something else. Fear or even angst, she mused.

She stood with her shoulder against one wall, the tattoo on her forehead shone brightly, like a beacon for Angels. She thought nothing of it. She was proud to carry that mark.

What she did think, however, was how best to persuade this boy to stay and talk with her. The Akari had given her a fair bit of pain for her lurking, but she wasn\'t finished torturing her in return. This vampire might be a resource, or a recruit, for that matter and the longer she could keep him from the Akari, the better. She laughed as she looked at his face and his hair damp with sweat. No, not fear that she smelled. It was anger.

As he neared her, she whispered, "Going somewhere?"

[Saiketsu]

To his dismay, his body went rigid at the sound of another voice and his almost rhythmic stride faultered even more. He inhaled slowly, getting a "feel" of the air and this girl\'s aura. Anyone dressed like she was down here was simply asking for trouble-- or there to dish it out. Sure enough, he smelled wolf\'s blood, fresh, coming off of her; it almost sickened him.

Damien eyed her for a moment, darkly. Something about her irked him, pulled him the wrong way. "I can hardly see how that\'s one\'s business but my own," he replied gaining his quick stride, opening his senses wider now in an attempt to analyze who she was. Blonde, powerful, no doubt. She smells... like Storm...like Storm\'s blood. His blue eyes narrowed on her, his pace stopping completely, his body becoming rigid.

"Who the fuck are you?" The vampire opened his mind, pulling forth a veil-like sense of calm and focus even through the rising anger he felt. Read her, he demanded of himself.

His wirey fingers reached through the hair, blood, bone and tissue, penetrating into this wolf\'s mind, searching for intent. What he grasped he didn\'t like at all; a battle, a blur, but the taste of Storm\'s blood in his mouth, in her mouth, that odd demon that Storm bacame, bleeding himself... A hiss began to form in the back of Damien\'s throat, some animalistic instinct beginning to take hold of him, turning slowly savage.

[Wrakune]

Writmo laughed softly, almost giggled. "I am Writmo de Lobo Oscuro, Rhythm of the Dark Wolf. Storm was looking for you." She smirked devilishly. She felt his conscious penatrating her own and fortified her mind, allowing him only to see what had transpired between she and the Akari. Then, she pushed him out fiercely, a growl escaping her elegant mouth.

"I am not here to fight with you, Damien. I just want to...talk," she sighed and pushed away from the wall. She placed a hard hand on her hip, blocking his escape. "The Akari beckons, but I fear you musn\'t go to her. There is a matter which we must discuss." Before that beast comes after you on account of me, she added in her thoughts. She held the iron curtain-like barrier up around her mind and refused to let him in again. Her mind was her safe place and it must remain so.

[Saiketsu]

Damien blinked as he reached the impasse of her mind, being shoved out: even less of a reason to like her. Everything about her came as a challenge, her scent, her nature, her tone, her blood... Defensiveness over Isabella, over Storm, prickled in the back of his consciousness. There were other ways to read her without hacking into her mind.

"So tell me," he seethed with savageness written in the lines of his face. She was young, younger than he, no doubt, and bold with an air of arrogance. Damien assumed, with enough preternatural force, he could press right by her without much concern or resistance; she was only a wolf. "What could possibly be stopping me from tearing out your throat this very instant? All the eyes watching, or could it be that it\'ll be daylight soon? Because either don\'t seem possible to me. No one lives around here, no one to see me drain the blood from your body, no sun to scare me away...

"So tell me some good reason to spare your life as we stand here in this dark alley with the blood staining your clothes," he demanded furiously with his teeth grit together.

[Wrakune]

Writmo stared at the vampire. She laughed again, but it came out as more of a growl. Why she didn\'t know, but she attempted to stifle it.

"I have no reason to fear or to fight you, dear Damien. I am here simply to...persuade you, if you will. Storm\'s rage was purely incidental. I said too much at the wrong time. I ended it, however, and suffered for it. The Akari is very strong, but I haven\'t any reason or need to tear you apart, as well. So, what do you make of that?" She spoke in a soft, almost seductive, tone. She lowered her head a bit, suggesting her submission to his authority, but only slightly. She didn\'t take her eyes from his as she furrowed her brow. "Scorpid," she howled suddenly, "come to me."

[Saiketsu]

A very mild case of anxiety began to take over; he hated being late and being delayed. Even more so he hated any part of him being threatened, and Isabella\'s new lackey, Storm, was part of him. No part of Damien relaxed, her presence far too invading; her words only provoked his bitterness. The vampire scoffed.

"I\'ve got no desire to deal with the likes of you," he spat vehemently. "Now, if you don\'t mind, I have somewhere to be. Stat."

The smell of her blood was giving him the weirdest sensation-- stinging to the smell, dizzying even, but awakening the murderous part of him nonetheless. The combination of the two feels was on the verge of making him gag. Damien wanted out. Immediately.

He ignored her wolfish howl, picking up his pace again, though it threw chills down his spine-- it had been a long time since he dealt with anything but humans and vampires and it would still take some getting used to if he were to continue hanging around this section of town.

[Wrakune]

"I don\'t think you have a choice," Scorpid growled, blocking Damien\'s exit as he entered upon his mate\'s call. He stared the boy down, brilliant amber eyes boring into him. In his human form, he barred the door with an arm and leaned cooly against it. "Hey, baby," he laughed to Writmo, "what you want with this trash?"

"Please, Scorpid. I am trying to form an alliance with this \'trash\' and I\'d appreciate it if you didn\'t insult him." She scowled at him, but could not remain angry upon seeing the hurt on his face. Sorry, love, I\'m in a bit of pain, she cooed to his consciousness. He nodded and she turned back to the vampire, blood seeping from her wounds as she did so. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke.

"Oh, I mind," she growled and moved closer to him. She stood only a few inches shorter than he and the same distance away. She placed a sultry hand on his chest and laughed. She felt Scorpid grow uncomfortable behind her, but hushed him with her mind, I\'m working, love, fear not. She pushed the boy gently, "Not trash," she whispered, "just a little hard to handle."

[Saiketsu]

The desparation in her voice angered him even more so than the slight pressure she applied to his chest, which was nothing for him; he didn\'t budge, too filled with chagrin and preternatural age to fall victim to any sort of mindless effect.

Damien grabbed at her wrist faster than any human could possibly see or react to, his supernatural powers giving him an upper hand in any given situation. Holding on to it eaily with one hand, he dropped his voice low so only the other two would be able to hear. "Listen to me well, children. Neither one of you have any idea of what you\'re about to get into. Right now I have somewhere to be and I hate being delayed. So if there\'s a point to all this fuss and all this foolish talk of alliance, spit it out now or you\'ll have one angry undead, century-old vampire on your hands. And I doubt either of you could keep up."

The vampire released her wrist, almost shoving her away. He then proceeded to regain his humanesque composure and straighten his clothing; his eyes never ceased their fiery gaze.

[Wrakune]

Fire jumped in Scorpid\'s eyes when Damien pushed Writmo, but he held his tongue and position. His body shook with impatience and anger at the damned vampire\'s nerve. He glanced at Writmo who seemed unaffected by the force and frowned. Looking back at his feet, he was  ashamed that he was so very afraid for her well-being when he knew she could fend perfectly well for herslef and needed him not.

Writmo growled within, a low inaudible rumble. "Fine. Damn it, you\'re impatient," she growled. "We are members of an elite group of were shifters and werewolves bent on killing angels. We are called the Dark Wolves Clan, as you may already know for we are quite famous, if you will, in these parts. We need yours and the Akari\'s support. You both are strong and wise. We fear our leader has become weak, though he knows not that we feel this way. We wish no harm to you or your dear Akari friend. My only request is that you, and she, will join us. I didn\'t mean to hurt her, but a wolf doesn\'t take well to attack. So, what say you, Damien?"

[Saiketsu]

Without ever turning, Damien could feel the anger well up inside Scorpid. And he liked it. But his attention shifted rather quickly from the boy to the girl. The tension was high and a new wave of anxiety about the time washed over him. They waited on his answer yet he had no time to give one. He sighed to himself.

"And what if I refuse? What are you going to try to kill me or something?" Damien laughed more than was necessary. He didn\'t feel eighteen any longer; he felt like an old man, his age perhaps. Bitterness he refused to let either of them even wonder about rose within his chest, his core. Kids, he thought, the age taking ahold of him and the ticking clock in the back of his mind beginning to tick that much slower. It was times like this which caused him to do something reckless.

This girl, this Writmo, had an idea though, of that he was sure. And even though she had threatened and even injured Storm, there was no denying that there was bound to be some tension if he didn\'t agree. And with Storm and the plans set into motion, perhaps all he could do was gather all the allies he could. Maybe.

[Wrakune]

"Kill you? Ha!" she scoffed and shook her head. "No, darling, you\'re not worth the effort that might take." Suddenly, Writmo a thought resounded loudly within the walls of the girl\'s mind, Kids, itsaid. It wasn\'t her own thought and she knew it wasn\'t Scorpid\'s because all that he was thinking was how much he\'d like to tear into this foul creature. It was the vampire\'s. "Kids?!" she question forcefully. "You think we are merely children? You have got a thing or two to learn about the DW before you go spouting off nasty little thoughts in your head. Never, ever leave your mind unprotected! And if you ever feel it necessary to insult me again, I better hear it from your mouth and not your mind." Writmo\'s face blushed in hot anger. She was no child. Her hands clenched in tight fist as she felt faint. SHe shook her head and stared straight into the eyes of this, Damien. "You know what I can offer you and you know that we can help each other. Speak now, vampire," she spat, more like a cat than the wolf she was. She was restless now and her wound was beginning to close. She felt the pain less now and felt Scorpid growing antsy behind her.

He growled softly, deep in his throat, much like a cornered dog, and held his ground. He felt a conscience brush his own and recoiled, but relaxed at a glance from his mate. Knowing it was her, he let her in for a brief moment, then pushed her away and resumed his growling a bit louder this time.

[Saiketsu]

His eyes narrowed. "While I appreciate the advice, you\'re in no position to threaten me, let alone give me advice." He dug into his pockets to find the pack of cigarettes he wanted, and pulled up one of the better ones, and lit it up. "I mean, how old do you think I am? I\'m old enough to be your ancestor. Probably older than any you have." Damien took a drag. "So, yeah, I do have every right to call you guys kids." He blew the smoke in her face purposely, the look of age returning to him, though the feeling of staying eighteen forever did as well.

"So this alliance. What do I get out of it? I mean, besides the obvious good nature of you too and the fake advances from you?" He stared straight into her eyes void of emotion. The vampire was hoping for some kind of reaction from the young man behind them. Part of him wanted to get them off his back, while part of him wanted nothing more than a childish brawl, to feel alive again. Yet the alliance actually was something to think about, holding him back from being the one to strike first. If his plan were to gain momentum, how much of a burden would these wolves prove to be?

[Wrakune]

Writmo stood perfectly still, eyes narrowed and eyebrows scrunched in a devilish scowl. She refused to let the smoke faze her though she felt as if it might just kill her. Her heightened senses made the stench almost unbearable. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could answer the vampire\'s qustion, Scorpid decided he had had enough.


"Listen here, you God-forsaken blood sucking bitch, and listen well. You may be older than dirt, but you are certainly no better than either of us. The things we\'ve seen and done, would make any other person plead for death. If you\'d be so kind, we need an answer and we need it fast," he growled. The hair on the back of his neck bristled as he dropped into his wolf form and breathed heavily. Regaining energy quickly, he began his growling routine again and stood in the doorway, ready.

"Damn it, Scorpid! Please, for the love of Keynigh, hush!" she barked fiercely, eyes gleeming with impatience. She turned back to Damien and returned her voice to a steady, less violent one, "What\'s in it for you? Oh, dear vampire. What do you want to be in it for you!? You will have the undying loyalty of the pack, rule of the night, blood of angels, and your dear Akari will be gifted an apology worthy of Dios del Noche!" Feeling confident, she moved closer to him and cooed softly in his ear, "What say you, Damien?"





(OOC: this is taking place before Scorpid\'s "death" ok? I think it will work in quite nicely. I have a plan.)

[Saiketsu]

The young man\'s comments never went unnoticed to Damien, though he feigned deafness towards them. And while he still found Writmo to be offensive, her breath near his claimed shoulder and her body getting closer, forcing him to absorb the smell of the disgusting blood wolves had, he played along just to create some kind of childish friction, leaning in towards her, alowing his lips to hover over the skin on her shoulder. Damien\'s eyes looked passed the girl and remained on Scorpid\'s, a taunting look in his.

"I don\'t want Angel blood. That\'s not a way to entice a vampire, dear. And I already have rule of the night..." He laughed maliciously, his stomach lurching at her scent. "But I think you two have yourselves a deal.

"I just hope you both know what you\'re getting yourselves into, in said alliance." He leaned away, his eyes still on Scorpid as a final act of defiance. "Now that you have yourselves an answer, you gonna let me pass?" He directed at Scorpid. "I\'m in a bit of a rush."