Another Mercenary Among Merchants

[Aveilthé]

The night was cool and felt fresh to Fortuné. His dark hair fluttered
about his virile face as he peaked around a corner of a white stucco
house that was a few blocks away from the haunted opera house.
Green eyes were briefly lifted to the sky, but there was no moon
in the heavens. A few stars peaked down upon him, and twinkled
mysteriously, otherwise it was a typical night with a few cloud
coverage. The perfect night for any vampire to stalk about.

However, this particular vampire had different intentions for
tonight. A great aspiration motivated him to waltz out into
the darkness to pursue something that was of greater impor-
tance than blood from a human. At least, it was more important
to him right now, and quite frankly, he lost his appetite.

Fortuné leaped catlike onto the roof above him, and landed
smoothly on the tiles. It was done so delicately, that the
sleeping inhabitants was completely ignorant of a trespasser.
Thus, stepping with utmost delicacy, the quiet vampire ran and
jumped from roof to roof. There were a few lamp-posts in the
streets that gave off a mild flicker of fire for light, which was
not needed as he could very well see in the dark just as good
as Zayn could. Each of these lamp-posts still contained the
wanted signs for a particular vampire. As he turned his head,
he noticed them, and felt his heart drop like stone.

It felt terrible to be hated. "I can't help who I am," he said
softly, reminiscent of his brother's philosophy.

Eyes raked through the darkness as he tried vainly in search of
Rosaline. He understood that she would not be out, but herhaps
Father Hyde took her home. If Fortuné could find out where
the daft girl lived, he could somehow sneak in and perhaps talk
her into telling him where the money is, if she knew it at all.

But would she speak to him after what happened yesterday?
Perhaps she would run in terror at the mere sight of him. Or
perhaps she would continue to be naive and... well, Fortuné
would have to find out.

Or, perhaps he could simply find it himself, if the money was
in the house at all. Or it could be in a bank somewhere. It was
going to be a difficult process, but Fortuné would obtain that
gold even if it killed him.

Thus, he continued, these thoughts rolling over and over again
in his head, and realized how utterly difficult it was going to be.
Upon attempting to battle his own wits, he made a jump from
another roof--

Crack!

Fortuné issued a scream as he missed the landing. His fingers
attempted to grope for the edge of the overlapping tiles on the
house, but instead, as he grabbed hold of them, they broke off
from the roof and he fell with the shingles. The fall was twenty
feet. The fool landed upon a bunch of rose bushes below.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," he moaned, as he picked off thorns from his
pale skin. His shirt, already covered in blood and what have you,
was torn and threadbare. Supposedly, it was time to buy a new
one.

"Well, that gold will be put into use," he muttered darkly, flicking
off a green rose leaf from his shoulder. Suddenly, a window inside
the house shone bright with light as a person stood silhouetted
before it. A scream was issued as an old lady shouted for her
husband to grab his musket because there was a robber outside
the window.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Fortuné fled before anything
worse could happen. By the time the couple ran outside with
a lantern, there was nobody there except a ruined rosebush.

[Mama Z]

Reaching up he made sure his mask was aligned properly, it always was but from that one day he always made sure no one could see his true features. 'I will be back shortly.' He said confidently, knowing the hunt would be short and his belly will be full by the end of the hour. 'If you need to get anything you had better do it now.' He was about to leave the entire room then paused, green eyes looking back at December, 'Do you need help finding a way out?' He questioned almost forgetting she couldnt see as well as the rest of them. (Arg, Im losing me muse for this character..)

[/color][/size]

[Felypsa]

oOc| like I said...Zayn needs a girl...so he can be all Phantom-of-the-Opera-y. x3




“You’re very kind,” December said graciously to Zayn. “But I will be fine.” Clutching Taro’s money tightly, she walked out of the room. When she was sure that neither vampire was in sight, she brought out her trusty sword Seraphim. It cast enough light so that she could find her way. But to her surprise, she had a companion; Imi had left Zayn’s shoulder and returned to her first comrade, hooting away as a snowy owl. December could not suppress a smile. “Lead on, then, friend,” she invited, putting Seraphim back.

Imi showed her a way out into the night, and December walked to the marketplace, hoping against hope that there would be some food merchant there. If not, she would continue onward to a late-night restaurant, where she could secure a good meal and perhaps even get some food for the road too.

Father Hyde had indeed returned Rosaline to her home, where she slept away like a baby. The priest informed her grandmother than the vampire had been killed by the mercenary she had hired, but that the mercenary himself had perished on the job. It would not have worked, Father Hyde claimed, without his own incense, which had confused the vampire enough so that the mercenary could deliver the final blow. The grandmother then gave half of the reward as a donation to the Church, but said she would keep the rest in case the merc did show up after all. The priest, mostly appeased, left the house, leaving the grandmother to fret over the sleeping Rosaline.

By this time at night, however, the grandmother had retired to bed, and Rosaline had finally awoken on her own. Dizzy, shocked, hurt, and confused, the girl wandered outside to the garden of her house, to sit amongst the flowers and watch the tides wash up on the shore. In her mind, she went over the events at the mansion as she remembered them, and came to a final realization: Th exorcism didn’t work. She let out a long, mournful sigh. If only I knew what had happened to him…if only I could see him one more time…I would be content.

[Aveilthé]

OOC: In case you don't know, and to help your imagination more, an escarpment looks like this:

www.ncsu.edu/coast/pjournal/ncnorth/fortmacon/escarpment2.jpg

"If only I was a bloodhound," Fortuné uttered to himself, "I could
find them quicker." Grumbling to himself about various difficulties,
he rounded a corner of a house, and to his surprise, found a small
escarpment that made a ten-foot drop to a sandy shore that
led to the beach where a vast ocean extended for thousands
of miles. The Escavans simply called it the Coast of Escavas.

It didn't look like a long walk, thus he decided to visit the
steep cliff. He felt drawn to it. A certain majesty revolved around
that beach. Years ago, as a sailor, he visited that area many times
and used to throw pebbles into the ocean. Back then, he was
still a vampire, so he was careful to help with night shift duties.
Fun times.

Not long after, he found himself standing on top of that eroded
small cliff. Only for a moment, he had forgotten his true intentions
of finding Rosaline's grandmother's money. Perhaps now was a
good time now to just look into the ocean and think, at least times
like this that was all it was good for.

With some difficulty, he slid down that precipice. The sand that he
stood upon sunk deep as he stepped into the bank. The ocean
waves slid easily over the smooth, wet sand. Grinning in spite
of himself, Fortuné slid off his boots and let his feet sink
into the wet sand. Tossing his boots aside, he began striding along
the bank, enjoying himself thoroughly as the small waves crashed
against his legs, dampening his pants.

Looking down at his front, he realized that his shirt was not
necessary wearable any longer. And who would be around to stare
at his half-nakedness? He easily took off his once dignified stately
shirt and threw it into the water, where the waves carried it off
out into the sea. Once he would take Grandmother Vaux's money,
he would go off to a store and buy one. It was better than wearing
a bloodied, torn shirt where people would ask questions like
they were always prone to doing. Once done, his whole front
was exposed with pale skin yet such rigid masculinity. His whole
arms and abdomen was etched with fine muscle. He was quite
a burly fellow.

Thus he walked, very much pleased with the feeling of bliss.
The smell of the salty air calmed him. After a while, Fortuné found
a small modest house coming into view. Ignorant as of now that
it was Rosaline's house, he disregarded it for a second. The house
was not entirely exposed, especially with Rosaline sitting; the
escarpment above hid most of it and the young girl. As he
almost passed it, however, the escarpment disappeared,
revealing the entire house. The view was where Rosaline
was perhaps watching the waves on the ocean. If she was
still paying attention, she would perhaps see Fortuné, almost
like a ghost striding mysteriously in the banks of the sea.

He had not turned his head.

[Mama Z]

(Go ahad Ive got nothing to say..)

[Felypsa]

Just one more time…

While Rosaline reflected upon the events that had occurred, she also watched the waves crash onto the beach. A deep feeling of regret and sadness filled her heart. She’d had suitors before, but none like him…why did he have to be a vampire? Why did he have to die? Why—her heart squeezed—was she denied the chance to say goodbye?

I would do anything to see him again, she thought with the same single-minded passion that had gotten her into this mess. And then, as she was staring at the coast, a miracle occurred, and her wish came true.

A pale figure was walking in the sea, like a phantom gliding along the ocean’s surface. Hope rekindled in her breast, Rosaline lifted her head. The figure was so distant, yet she felt sure—so sure…it had to be him.

With the conviction of a fool, she stood up and raced down past the escarpment to the beach. The ocean breeze whipped through her clothes and hair as she ran. Despite all other characteristics, Rosaline was beautiful; and this picture of her running towards the sea, with the expression of a lover on her face, would be one that a painter would want to capture forever.

“Fortuné?” she called, more of a question than an exclamation. She blushed, for his entire front torso was exposed, reminding her of how truly handsome he was, despite his evil vampiric tendencies. “Fortuné…have you returned to me?” She stopped before the sea, the tide barely lapping her toes, staring out at him. Hoping against hope for a miracle…

[Relairah]

((Ah, geesh... I need to stop falling behind! XD I swear... this plot is like non-stop action! O: WEWT!))




During all that had happened, no one really seemed to notice, or
even care anything about the fact that there was still a strange cat
running around. This actually didn't bother the little cat all that
much... the thing that really was bothering her, was the fact that
she was a cat. Once the others had fallen asleep, she hadn't. In
fact, she had watched them for a while, silently, waiting until they'd
awake... she was rather tired herself, but then she suddenly began
to jump about rather frantically. Because they were all asleep, no
one noticed... but she seemed to be searching for something. She
looked all over the room and at last she had found what she had
been looking for. In all the commotion, they'd been lost: a small pile
of clothes.

They had been removed from the room in all the moving about
before and they were now lying a few steps down from where
everyone had entered previously. The cat however didn't seem
quite pleased. She meowed softly, touching her clothes, nudging
them, getting under them, after she'd moved them back into the
main room so as to make her job easier. Except for the fact they'd
been a bit difficult to move. At last, she had sat back and stared at
them for a while, staring until she'd fallen asleep. And when she'd
awoken... well, she found herself putting a hand over her mouth to
keep from screaming in surprise.

She jumped up from her position of having been lying on the floor,
though she instantly regretted it, her muscles cramped and sore
from having been lying in an awkward position the past couple
hours and thus she had to move around to help them loosen up. But
that wasn't what really concerned her. She was... back to normal!
'What the hell... was all of that?' She stared down at her hands
in bewilderment, not bothering at all to toss her thick brown locks
behind her shoulders. Her bright orange eyes gazed briefly around
the room. Everyone else was still asleep... she was surprised they
hadn't woken up with her moving around so much. And then she felt
a bit of a breeze hit her... bare skin.

'Awe dangit... first I have no idea what the heck is going on and
then I end up naked!' she scrambled to put her clothes back on,
glad she hadn't brought her boots along... they were back at her
little hut in the main part of the city. But at the same time, she
wished she had them. It would make traveling easier. However, she
felt a bit more relieved once she had her daggers once again pinned
around her waist and the third dagger, the mysterious one that had
caught December's attention a couple days before in her hand once
again. But she was still bothered...

'How the heck... was I... a... cat?! I was... a cat. A CAT!" Her
thoughts screamed with questions that raced around and around in
circles in her mind, she having no idea how to even begin to answer
them. She was suddenly so lost and confused... but she didn't have
a whole lot of time to think about it because suddenly the others
began to stir. She bit her lip, shrinking into the shadows against the
wall for a moment. Why... she didn't know. She watched calmly as
December got up and tended to... who was that? Oh yea... the
mercenary... that had... what was he doing here? Oh... he'd stabbed
Fortuné. Why? She put a hand to her head. She had a slight
headache that was fading away. Suddenly everything that had
happened while she was a cat came rushing to her.

Once everyone was awake again... they began to talk of leaving
and all. She could've expected that. She had been just about to
step forward and speak when everyone suddenly announced their
own ideas and walked off, leaving her well... semi-alone. 'Agh...
once again...' she muttered to herself in her thoughts. 'Geez,
and I could've been of help. I'm not that bad of aim with my
daggers.' She scowled, she could hunt perfectly fine. It just
depended on whether or not the others would agree on letting her
tag along or not. Afterall... why should they let a measly child tag
along? A thief... a street urchin. She could be of great use to them,
she told herself stubbornly. Her home was sort of here... but...
these past few days had in a way been the best she'd had.... ever.
She had curiosity that raged within her of how all of this would turn
out.

Now came the decision of... who should she follow?

At last, she came to her conclusion. No way was she staying with
the mercenary lying on the old floor. Hell, no. So she chased after
December, for the millionth time. It didn't take all too long to catch
up to her... the mercenary was going a bit slower than she would be
if she were in daylight and Seraphim's light wasn't hard to see in the
dark... besides she had night vision anyway. She noticed this as she
ran along... more so than she ever had before. Was that why? Did
she have some... unknown secret that she hadn't discovered about
herself? Agh, she didn't think of these questions then. They
bothered her.

"December, wait!" she called, slowing her pace a bit as she came to
the mercenary's side. She was hardly panting, she noted that too.
She didn't feel like bringing up anything strange... especially about
herself so she simply kept her little questions silent for then. "Uhm,
about what you guys were talking about earlier? I could hunt!" She
grinned as she whisked out her daggers momentarily to spin them
between her fingers before slipping them back where they
belonged. "Or did you forget my whole life is for survival here? I
could help you guys a lot you know. What do you think?" Her bright
orange eyes shone both mischief and honesty. She wanted to tag
along... and she did want to help.

[Aveilthé]

Fortuné would have yelped in fright upon hearing his name.
Luckily, he turned his yelp to a cough, then turned swiftly and
came face to face with none other than Rosaline... of all people.

"R-R-R... R-R-R-R... Rosaline...!" stuttered he, backing away some,
his feet splashing on the waves. "Am I dreaming?" If he were
any more distressed, he'd pinch himself. Dithering, he found
his bearing on the waves and strode forward to get a better
view.

"This is unexpected," he called dryly to her, but he was grinning
in spite of himself. Perhaps the expression could have confused
Rosaline into thinking that Fortuné was ecstatic to see her.
However, he had to look away from her, only due to guilt for
the way he treated the young lass.

[Felypsa]

December was not long into the city when she heard her name being called. She rolled her eyes, recognizing the voice; Jolene, the urchin whom, last time December had seen her, had been a cat. Perhaps the mercenary was less surprised by the odd transformation than Jolene herself was. There had been something curious about the urchin’s eyes…Imi got along well with her…and December was no stranger to half-breeds, being one herself. She wasn’t expecting the turn of events, but she was not shocked either. It made sense.

Imi fluffed out her feathers on December’s shoulders, a key for the half-seraph to wait. December did so, waiting (not-so-)patiently while Jolene caught up with them and explained her willingness and ability to hunt. When the girl finished, December replied calmly, “I appreciate your help, Jolene. And believe you me, I’d be the last person to deny your skills to survive here. Whether by thievery or mischief…” She shrugged. “You’ve obviously been able to survive well here. But I am not looking to be a thief. And have you ever lived outside of the city to be so confident of your hunting skills?”

December said all this without pausing in her stride. “I won’t refuse your help at all, Jolene. I just don’t want to rely entirely on it.”

Oh, the darling gentleman—the stuttering fool, grinning so adoringly—this was the man Rosaline had fallen in love with, the man she wanted to preserve forever. Excited by his encouraging response, she let out a joyous cry and attempted to throw herself into his arms, if he permitted it. “Fortuné! I have missed you so!” Never mind that she had just seen him hardly a day ago. Happy tears fell from her eyes. “You feel so real! Are you alive?” A stupid question, maybe, but one of vital importance to her.

[Aveilthé]

The vampire immediately felt the young girl's warmth against his
cold body. "Err," Fortuné replied stupidly himself, not exactly
used to girls hugging or glomping him. His heart leaped, but he
ignored it. Oh, he liked the poor girl. But Fortuné also had a big
heart. He didn't want to take advantage of a young human girl.
It was obvious, and he can rightfully tell, that Rosaline was
infatuated with him... still. It was his fault for letting his
instincts take over that night, and make Rosaline believe that
he was likewise infatuated with her. Well... he was, at that point.
Now... now he does not feel the same way he felt towards her
like he currently does toward December. Rosaline was young,
naïve, and he did not want to take away the girl's innocence.

"Rosaline," he said softly, trying to pull her gently from him.
Could he tell her? For some reason, Fortuné could not bare to
break the girl's heart. He'd open his mouth, and find no words
come out, so he'd close it shut again.

"I'm alive," he ended up saying. "You... you live around here?"

Should he go with the plan? His thoughts earlier of deceiving
Rosaline about the money made him droop his head in utter guilt.
Should he tell her the truth?

[Felypsa]

What fools are those who trust and believe so blindingly. Rosaline rejoiced in the very words “I’m alive”; at the moment, they meant the world to her. It was as though the entire dreadful exorcism night—something Rosaline would never try again—had never happened. It was just like their first night together, dancing at the pub, exulting in one another’s company and closeness. And once again, Rosie felt like she was living in a dream come true.

“Oh, yes,” she agreed happily; she would’ve agreed to anything he said, whether it was “Marry me now, Rosaline!” or “Why, the sky is awfully yellow tonight, isn’t it?” “Yes, that is my house, there.” She pointed. “I live with my grandmother.” She briefly thought of her deceased grandfather, killed by the man she stood with now. But she was just so overjoyed that she did not dwell long on the tragic irony.

“Oh, but do let’s stay out here,” she pleaded. “I do not want to risk waking Granma. I fear she still quite wants to kill you, even though she thinks you already dead. But let us not talk of such tedious things. Fortuné! You’re alive, and you have come to me. Oh, this is a perfect heaven!” Excited, she flung her arms about him again—only if he allowed—and gazed up adoringly in his eyes. It would be so easy for him to kiss her in that position…if he at all desired to. (It might send her into hysterics, however. She might be able to handle that much excitement.)

[Aveilthé]

Utterly speechless at gaining such a vast amount of attention
from Rosaline, Fortuné allowed himself to be hugged. He looked
impassively down at her.

"You mustn't," he said quietly. "You know what I am. We can
never be together. You would always be in danger around me,
and I never want you to be what I am. It is living a horrible life,
Rosaline. It was my fault to ask you to dance that night."

[Felypsa]

Rosaline had her eyes closed, the very picture of sweet bliss; but when Fortuné spoke, it was not what she had expected. Her eyes flew open and she stared at him as if she were looking at him for the first time.

“It is not fair,” she said poutingly. “Why cannot our lives be spent like this moment? Why must my one love be so cursed? Is there nothing I can do to save you, Fortuné? Nothing I can do to allow us to be together forever?” This onslaught of rhetorical questions seemed to indicate that Rosaline would never realize that the whole affair was hopeless.

However, for the first time it seemed, she saw his indifferent look and stepped back from him, staring down at the sand. “It is not just the fact that you’re a vampire, Fortuné. I am not the one you love, am I?” Her voice quavered as she said those words. They had seemed impossible not long ago; she had been so convinced…“It is that, that frightful woman who was chasing us…that pale woman with the sword. She has captured your heart, hasn’t she?” Rosaline choked back a sob; she was utterly miserable now.

“She will never love you like I do!” The outburst was torn from the young, naïve girl. Rosaline seemed to be suffering from the wildest of mood swings. From overjoyed to distressed to forlorn to self-righteously angry. “If it’s true love you want, Fortuné, you won’t get it from her. She’s not capable of love—not the love that I feel for you…oh, Fortuné, can’t you see that?” Rosaline was crying freely now, upset by the injustice of it all. She had no idea how crazy and demented she appeared.

[Aveilthé]

Fortuné was incapable of speech. He watched her helplessly
as she began to sob. On top of it all, he was not expecting this.
He should have realized how sensitive she was. Wasn't he
supposed to be the sensitive one? Then again... two of the same
kind make a pair.

And yet he continued to watch her pitiful, yet pretty frame,
thinking hard of how he should treat this situation. He was
never the kind to simply drop someone like they're hot potato.
Fortuné was a deeply caring individual, and it did pain him
to cause Rosaline grief.

Her words also hurt him inside. As men always do, he would not
instantly admit it.

"One cannot force another to love, Rosaline," he said gently.
"I've been a vampire for so long... but... I am still not used to
the instincts that take over spontaneously... and those instincts...
well..." Fortuné issued a sigh. "Rosaline, please stop crying.
Please... you are a beautiful young lady, but I am not for you.
You deserve a life away from eternal darkness. And I guarantee
you, that if you spent an eternity with me, that would be all
you'll see. If you wanted to be with me... it will begin in darkness."

Fortuné understood these words to be true. The same would hold
true for December as well if she were ever his. Thus, he was
cursed all the way around. Yeah, it sucks.

[Felypsa]

If Rosaline had but one ounce of reason in her pretty little head, she would have known Fortuné’s words to be true. But at the moment, she was too distraught to consider the weight of what he was saying. A life spent in eternal darkness? It was impossible, with a heart as big as hers.

“It would not truly be darkness if we loved each other!” Rosaline shot back, and for all her foolish notions, she might have been right on that one. For if Fortuné where to consider a life with December, he would not feel so cursed if she loved him. “As long as we have true love, nothing else matters…” Oh, the naïveté of youth. There was nothing quite as charming—or as ridiculous—as the innocence of the pure of heart.

But Rosaline could see, in her near-inconsolable grief, that Fortuné cared for her, even if he did not love her. And though she might not stop pining after him until long after he had gone from her life, she thought she might be able to survive knowing that he cared for her. “I see words won’t move you,” she burbled. “V-very well. I will return home, where I belong—don’t follow me! Granma will kill you if she knew.” Never mind that Grandmother Vaux was just an old lady, and that Fortuné had survived a sword thrust from a very buff, experienced mercenary. As mentioned before, Rosaline was not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

“Goodbye, Fortuné,” she said sadly. “I wish you would let me make your life of darkness a little more tolerable. I wish I could save you. That’s all I ever wanted.” With that, she turned away from the great love of her life, walking forlornly across the beach to her house.