A Mercenary Among Merchants

[Aveilthé]

OOC: PAGE PWNAGE. Haw. Hmm. Poor Fortuné. Hee. He's such a... err... you insert your own word here. So uhm. Yeah. Go read, fool.

The vampire would carefully make sure that December
wouldn't see his pale face. Though his heart was
troubled, there was no doubt that the seraph girl's heart
was even more troubled - or perhaps disturbed... or
maybe afraid?

"Like myself..."

He swallowed hard as he took a silver spoon from
a drawer. With it, he stirred a cup from December until
the mix became fine.

"She's human, December," he began softly; "however...
there is something about that girl that isn't
human, or I would have attacked her. I don't do so well
with humans."

There was a ton more explaining Fortuné could have
said to December. More facts and things that would
have made everything make sense, but he found that
he didn't know how to string those words together
yet. Perhaps he'd just let December reply back, whether
it was another question of his well being, or a
statement. Fortuné at this point felt weary. It has been
a long night, and morning would soon approach.
This vampire was no day person, and drinking that
disgusting hot cocoa made him feel even more sleepy.

"Odd, how we've just met today. Now it feels like
a hundred years. That's how it is with me. I've seen
so many moons, and just meeting you is like a turning
point in my wretched life."

[Relairah]

Jolene had been looking around, rather curious as to
why this room was here, what it could have been used
for, and maybe even what sorts of books where on the
shelves. She had begun to move towards the large
bookshelf, when Imi's cat form would land upon the
ground. She stiffened, whirling around, yet to her relief
it was only Imi in cat form. "Don't do that!" she
exclaimed, more so as an instant reaction. It might've
been foolish for her to think anyone else could've been
in there besides herself and Imi, but still one never
knew in a place like this.

Imi transformed to an elephant, and Jolene watched in
amusement, "You'll break through this old floor," she
said with a chuckle, especially when the elephant-Imi
started bouncing, yet as it seemed that Imi was trying
to tell her something, she'd move toward her and bend
down slightly. "Hmm, what have you found here?" she
asked, yet not as a question that was supposed to be
answered. She looked at it for a moment, before her
eyes fell upon a latch in the floor. She looked up at Imi
and grinned, "A trap-door, eh? I wonder where it leads
to..." she reached for the latch, pulling up on it. Dust
rose into the air when she opened it, and she blinked
slightly, yet peered downward.

She rose to her feet, bent slightly, and laid the door
down against the floor. Leading downwards was a long
stairway, seemingly not in use for a while, o so it
appeared. She glanced at Imi, "Shall I go first?" she
questioned, placing a foot on the first step. She
preceded to go downwards, placing a foot on the next
step, and the next. It seemed even darker down here
than it was in the room above, which perhaps was
expected.

[Felypsa]

oOc| Fortuné...needs a hug. ):

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December listlessly handed the mugs over to Fortuné, not really paying attention to the task at hand. At length she broke the silence. “Yes, I got a feeling about that too…so she’s human enough to provoke you, but not human so you could restrain yourself…” She trailed off, staring into space. His next words surprised her a little. “A hundred years, Fortuné? I haven’t even been alive for that long…or do I look that old?” She smiled to show she was teasing. “But me, a turning point? Maybe so…but for better, or for worse?” It was a rhetorical question. She sighed. “I guess we’ll find out.”

She watched as he continued to make the cocoa before speaking again. “Fortuné, I don’t understand. You live in a city, immersed among thousands of humans every day. They can’t all possibly set you off, or you wouldn’t be here now. How is that you ‘don’t do so well with humans,’ yet you live among them as if you were one of them?”[/color]

Owl-Imi hooted in apology for startling Jolene, then fluttered her snowy-white wings eagerly as the girl opened the trap-door. She flew back as the dust streamed into the air, making little eddies and whirlwinds in midair as Imi flapped her wings. As Jolene began to descend the ladder, Imi dove into the area after her, her owl-eyes adjusting to the complete absence of light. What would they find? A cache, a crypt? It certainly seemed like a storage place - but storage for what? Imi flew around, trying to discern the items in this mysterious underground room.[/color][/center]

[Aveilthé]

He knew she'd ask this question, which is why he
tried avoiding it if it before. "They are my prey.
Night by night, I watch them, those with family or those
that are lonely. Mostly I stalk the lonely. And you...
you saw me earlier, how I had to leave..."

Fortuné grasped three of the mugs in his strong hands,
each of which were filled with hot steaming cocoa, his
expression forlorn and tired.

[Relairah]

Jolene glanced behind her as owl-Imi followed. She bit
her lip, pausing a moment, then shrugged and
continued downward. Her hand was pressed against
the wall beside her, and she followed it until she felt
her hand give way to air. She grinned, her feet making
a soft thud as she stepped upon the floor of this...
cellar of sorts. She stood there a moment, watching as
the bird flew about examining the place for a moment,
before looking about it herself in examination. "What is
this place?" she questioned softly, more to herself than
to the bird.

She stepped foward, running her finger across the top
of a large box, bringing it to face her and then rubbed
off the dust. "Wow, no one's been down here in
years..." she murmered. She began walking about the
small place, or so it seemed small. There were quite a
lot of boxes and barrels. She was rather curious as to
what was in these storage items, yet at the same time,
she almost didn't want to know at all. She stopped in
mid-step, flinching slightly and glancing downward at
the edge of something that was beneath a large box,
that had caught her leg. She looked at it in slight relief,
'Oh, there's no one else down here! Why am I so
jumpy?' she scolded herself.

She bent down, and with some effort pushed the box
aside. What she discovered was a seemingly large
portrait, perhaps similar to the many ones that were
above and all around the house. The glass that was set
in the large, wooden frame was cracked all through,
and it was thickly laden in dust. She gazed at it a
moment, then sighed and shrugged. "I hope we aren't
sprung by any surprises... but, it seems like there's not
much down here," she said at last, turning her
gaze toward Imi. "You find anything at all?" she
questioned the bird.

[Felypsa]

December, silently horrified, had nothing to say to that. She looked at Fortuné and observed his anguish. She was suddenly overcome by a wave of compassion for him—compassion bordering on pity. Immediately she rebuked herself for feeling that way; she shouldn’t feel sorry for anyone. But she couldn’t help it. Fortuné didn’t deserve this terrible fate, which he plainly despised and despaired of. But December wasn’t very good at comforting someone who needs it; her policy was usually to give them space and leave them to recover on their own. Still, with Fortuné, she felt like she had to do something…so she touched his shoulder, feeling awkward. “Fortuné…I can’t promise anything…but I will stay by your side and do all I can to help you get through this. I’m not sure what I can do, but whatever it is, I will apply it to improve your…” she fumbled for a suitable word, “situation. And that’s all I can say for now.” She managed a shaky smile to back up her vow of loyalty to him. Inwardly, though, she thought, I hope I don’t regret this later…

[/color]

Imi, meanwhile, had turned bat so she could detect objects in the room better. Echolocation worked better than even owlsight. She sent pinging sounds all around, seeing the sketch of each object in her mind. She saw the painting that Jolene had unfurled, which could have been interesting, if she hadn’t also picked up echoes from another area of the room. She flew over to inspect it more closely; it was a long, human-sized rectangular box, made of some kind of wood…was it mahogany? Imi couldn’t tell beneath the layers of dust. There was something of intrigue inside. Imi turned into a golden eagle with an unusually small body and unusually large wings. She grabbed the lid of the box with her talons, digging in tight so she had a good grip. Then she flapped her wings, straining her small muscles just to lift it a little. After several minutes of this hard labor, she managed to lift the lid—just enough to catch a glimpse of what was inside. It was a dusty, grimy skeleton of a human, but that wasn’t all. The skeleton’s arms seemed to be wrapped around something that would have glinted metalically had there been light in the room. But a moment later and Imi was forced to drop the heavy weight, then she turned cat and collapsed on the floor, curling up and meowing pitifully. She was worn out after the strenuous effort to lift the lid of the tomb—for it was clearly a tomb.[/color]
[/center]

[Relairah]

Jolene caught site of now bat-Imi and looked at her
curiously. She noticed her newly acquired friend
perhaps go over to a certain place in the room and
frowned slightly. She looked down at the portrait once
more, "I'll worry about it later..." she murmured to
herself and began making her way around boxes and
items to get to the other. There was a bit of clattering
as she'd stumble on something or push something else
aside. "Damnit, it'd be easier if I had wings," she
grumbled. She at last reached Imi, the creature in the
form of a cat. She sighed, falling to her knees and
gently scooped Imi into her arms. She looked her over a
moment, yet the cat didn't seem as though she were
injured in any sort of way.

Her bright orange gaze fell upon the tomb that Imi had
discovered. Sweeping her hands over it a few times to
remove as much dust as she could, it seemed that
indeed, this coffin was mahogany. Such fine wood, she
thought, running her finger across the smooth surface a
moment. She sneezed lightly from the dust that had
gathered in her nose and then shook her head and
moved to open the box which had fallen shut once
more since Imi's attempt. She raised the lid, it making a
light creek. "I wonder how old this is..." she murmured.
She gazed at the opened lid a moment, before letting
her gaze fall. Her stomach rolled slightly, yet she
refused to vomit. She had seen skeletons before, it was
just awkward, and perhaps scary to find it like this
down here.

She sighed, and took note to the, seemingly metallic
figure. She gazed at it a moment, trying to decipher
what it was. She glanced at Imi, and she didn't notice
her fingers were shaking slightly. She reached down,
taking a hold on what seemed to be the top of the
metallic object. Her other hand gently began to pry the
bony fingers from the object. "At least it doesn't smell,"
she said with a scowl. "But why the heck is a skeleton
like this down here and not buried?" 'Twas a question
she told herself she'd think about later. At last, the
object she was trying to grab was loose and she picked
it up. "C'mon... let's get better light and find out what
this is." She glanced at Imi once more, "Want me to
carry you?" she asked after a moment.

[Felypsa]

Imi stirred a little as Jolene gently picked her up. She was an orange-and-yellow cat, with big green eyes that gazed at Jolene gratefully. At the girl’s offer, Imi purred as an affirmative answer. She had not attempted to lift such a heavy object in a long time; her curiosity had now begun to get the better of her. Ironically, she was a cat, currently. Thankfully, she was not yet dead. Imi opened her eyes a little and studied the item that Jolene had salvaged from the skeleton’s bony grip. It was hard to discern in such obscure darkness, but Imi thought the object resembled a very intricate and ornate dagger. If Imi was right, then most likely it was both extremely valuable and dangerous. Was that a glint of gold on the hilt that Imi saw in the dimness? Then again, perhaps her imagination was making it all up; she was rather tired after exerting herself so. She closed her eyes again and allowed herself to be carried by the thoughtful Jolene.

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[/center]

[Aveilthé]

"D-December!" Fortuné's face became lit up by the few
light sources in the kitchen as genuine surprise crossed
his features. His vampiric heart fluttered fast like a
drum, and a bit of blood rushed to his face, adding
color to the paleness of his skin.

Hearing her speak those kind words; oh
they sounded so gentle and understanding... Fortuné
wanted to burst out crying and glomp December with
hugs, but he restrained himself. He nearly dropped
the cups from his hands, but he quickly yet with ease
placed them on the counter. A broad, toothy smile
can be seen as he tried taking December's
hands into his own - that is, if she allowed it - and would
look her straight in the eye. His bright green eyes
glittered gleefully.

"I don't want to be a burden to such a sweet angel
such as you. But I do appreciate your kindness and
friendship to me. I promise that if anything goes wrong,
I'll always be there with you to help you." He paused,
his expression suddenly serious. "But I must say this...
if ever I become strange once more to that human
girl, find a way to restrain me if you can... my instincts
become powerful, and it would be harder to kill a
vampire. But as long as she's half of whatever she
is, I may not kill her immediately. And I hope not to..."

It felt a bit strange to be saying that, and Fortuné
hardly understood what he was saying anyway.

For over one hundred years, the vampire sought ways
to end the curse. He tried killing himself, but at the
same time he was always saving himself. It was like
the other part of him did not want him to die. Either
way, he was immortal, and will remain immortal until
Doomsday.

O, How t'would be wonderful to join thy brother who
art in Heaven...

[Felypsa]

December couldn’t help but feel surprised when he reacted so joyfully at her words. When he took her hands in his, it was only due to shock that she didn’t slap him away. She, immobile, could only listen as he professed his gratitude and likewise swore loyalty to her. Inwardly, though, her mind was reeling from the strangeness of her situation. He’s a creature of darkness, and I’m a creature of light. Yet here we are, on this mortal and earthly plane, making oaths of friendship and faithfulness to one another. What am I getting myself into? As Fortuné grew more somber, however, she recovered from her initial startledness and gently but firmly removed her hands from his. Such physical closeness made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. “I will protect her from you, and you from yourself, to the best of my ability,” she promised. “But…Fortuné, I must know…if I must kill you, and I am able to, have I your permission to do so?” This was awkward. After having just made a vow of fidelity to him, she was asking permission to kill him if it came to that. She added quickly, “It might be the only way to save both her and you, if that situation arises. I honestly hope it never comes to that, but I just want to know you yourself are…okay with that.” She averted her gaze from his shining green eyes, feeling lowly and despicable, though logic told her she was right.

[/color][/center]

[Aveilthé]

OOC: Damn. o.0 You know how awkward that was for me to type? Hmmn, now I feel like singing that one part from Phantom of the Opera... "Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you knooown..., God give me courage to show youuu, you are nooot aloooone" Yeah. Murr. *Giggles and starts rolling around on the floor.*

Bright green eyes glittered somewhat as he simply
looked at December with a kind of forlorn expression.
"If... you can, December." He gulped hard and tried not
to shed any tears. "If you could, then it would be
absolutely wonderful... to at last be free. You could try...
but I won't guarantee that you will be immediately
victorious. I will live as long as I could to keep you away
from harm. As for me... anything would do well enough
to end my life at last. All I really would rather have from
you is friendship. And... though I keep living... I must
continue feeding from the mortal humans."

[Felypsa]

December’s eyes softened as Fortuné replied, his voice morose. She felt herself moved to compassion for him, for she could not herself imagine what it would be like to wish for death. To her, life was always the better option. But life for Fortuné meant the deaths of many other mortals…still, it was a sign of altruism, of selflessness, that the vampire would be willing to die to save those humans’ lives. And he asked was her friendship. Well, that shouldn’t be hard, should it? December winced inwardly. So far, her only “friend” was a shape-changing bird. As a mercenary, she gave neither her friendship or love to anybody. She wasn’t quite sure how to be a friend, or how to have one. It was very awkward for her. She lowered her eyes from Fortuné, wondering if there was any way she could explain this. “I…will do my best, Fortuné. I-I hope it does not come to that. I hope there is a better way. As for my friendship, well…” She attempted a weak laugh. “I hardly know where to begin with that. But if I have it in me, I am sure you can have it.” At least for now, she added silently. She shivered suddenly, then said, “Well. That cocoa’s getting cold, and if I know Imi, I know she’ll be getting impatient. So unless we want a tiny dragon up here breathing fire at us, we’d better get back to her and that girl, Jolene. But if you want to stay here, away from the human, you can,” December amended quickly.

[/color][/center]

[Relairah]

Jolene cradled Imi in one arm, holding the object she
had obtained in the other. She stood, turning and
looking around the room a moment, as if expecting to
see something. She didn't much pay attention to the
object in her hand, and she began making her way
toward the stairs that would lead to the room above,
where she and Imi had first discovered this cellar. She
didn't stumble over objects as much as she made her
way toward the stairs, and at last she was walking up
them. 'I wonder what else was down there...' she
thought when she reached the top. 'Oh well, I guess
there's later for that. Now, what's this that Imi
found...'

She glanced at the door to the cellar, then bending
down to her knees once more, she gently set Imi upon
the floor and closed the cellar door, it creaking and
making a soft thud when she shut it. Her orange eyes
now were easier able to make out the form she held in
her hand. She gazed at it for the longest while. It
indeed was a dagger. The hilt's top held a red crystal,
its base seemingly secured to the hilt by a thin layer of
gold. The base of the hilt was trimmed in gold, and a
blue crystal was set into the hilt upon either side of it.
She carefully pulled it from its small sheath, gazing at
the silvery blade. It had curious markings on it, that
Jolene couldn't quite make out. She was sure that even
if she could, she would have no idea what the meant.

Her brows furrowed slightly in thought and curiosity. "I
suppose you don't have any clue about this either?"
she murmured questioningly, glancing down at Imi
briefly, then letting her gaze fall upon the dagger once
more. She definitely wanted to keep this, but it was
Imi's find. What could a shape-shifting creature want
with a dagger, she wondered. She sighed and made a
move to take Imi into her arms once more. "Still need
me to carry you?" she questioned her. She wondered
what else was in this house. If this dagger had been in
that cellar, what else laid in further rooms?

[Felypsa]

Imi snoozed a little while Jolene helpfully carried her out of the basement, dozing off for a while on the ground where the girl had set her, while Jolene examined their find. A few moments later, a revitalized cat-Imi mewed and sniffed the dagger herself, impressed more by its shine than its material. There was something special about it, something Imi liked. She meowed again to show her appreciation for her own discovery. At Jolene’s inquiry, however, she shook her head and rubbed against the girl’s leg. She purred, looking from the ornate knife to Jolene, wanting her to have it. Then the cat padded towards the room where they had originated, expecting to find both December and Fortuné there. As much as she liked Jolene, Imi found she missed the half-seraph girl, and besides, she wanted more cocoa. She had enough exploring and exertion for one night.

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[Relairah]

Jolene smiled and gently stoked her hand along the
cats back, before scratching behind her ears a
moment. "Suit yourself then," she said simply. Turning
her gaze to the dagger once more, she placed it back in
its sheath. She deffinately could feel something special
about this dagger, yet what it was, she had yet to
discover. Rising to her feet and moving out into the long
hallway that she and Imi had entered at first, she
gazed down at the many other doors. She personally
wanted to go down the hallway, and do more
exploring, but it seemed Imi had different plans.

At last, she pulled her gaze back toward the room
where they had left when December had gone to the
kitchen in order to help Fortuné. Glancing back down
the hallway she gave a soft, wistful sigh. "Well, I guess
I can always come back later, right?" she asked, more
to herself. She gripped the hilt of her new dagger
tighter and began walking back toward the original
room. Closing the door to the hallway behind her, she
began to walk around the room, facing the wall. She
pretended to be observing the pictures that hung along
the wall, placing the arm, carrying her new dagger,
across her stomach and resting her elbow on that arm,
her chin propped on her palm. Perhaps she could
observe the dagger further once she got back to where
she slept for the night.