Insula De Virsta

Somewhere Only We Don't Know, the morning after the Hnakra crash

2011-12-13T21:42:04Z

Who: Oscar Newlin and Joan Wolfram
What: Oscar makes it onto the beach of the island safely. Joan spots and approaches him and the two talk.
When: The morning after the crash

Sitting in the cold sand, Oscar stared out at the ocean as the sun rose on the horizon. The surprisingly calm, salty waters now illuminated, an ignorant person to last night's events wouldn't be able to tell that, just hours before, the ocean swallowed an entire cruise ship.

Oscar had been on one of the first life rafts to part ways from the sinking Hnakra and the first raft to hit the beach of a nearby island. He had been sitting in the same spot of the beach all night watching more rafts desparately wash up onto the island's shore. It had been a couple hours since the last group of people on a liferaft made it to shore and it, like all the rest, did not contain his father.

All night he waited on that beach with a sick feeling that the last time he would have seen his father alive was the dinner they shared together before the explosion. Oscar said some things to his father, Craig Newlin, at dinner that his mother would have harshly punished him for had she been there. Now Oscar sat on the beach wishing they had ended the evening on better terms because, even though he never got the chance to tell his father, Oscar was starting to come around to the idea of his father being a part of his life again.

"All alone?" a woman's voice sounded to Oscar's right. He looked over and up to her, as she stood next to him, and nodded his head briefly. He recognized her from a few nights ago, Mrs. Wolfram; Oscar and his father sat next to her and her husband a few nights ago at an event on the Hnakra. "Me too," she replied as she turned to look out at the ocean. "I'm sorry about your father," she offered.

He turned his gaze back on the ocean, it now perfectly visible due to the suns rays. There wasn't a single raft, piece of wreckage, or (living) body in the water. Oscar knew without question that his father did not make it off of that ship. It also meant Mr. Wolfram hadn't either, "I'm sorry about your husband," he replied in a low voice.

Mrs. Wolfram let out a deep sigh and lowered herself down into the sand, sitting close to the boy. "What about the girl? Your little friend that you ran off with that night," she asked. "Have you seen her?"

Oscar shrugged his shoulders, "Idunno," he replied under his breath. The girl she referred to, Elisabeth, the strange girl that he befriended aboard the Hnakra was the reason Oscar had gotten onto a life raft so quickly. She rushed him off the Hnakra but then didn't board the raft with him. It was all a sort of a blur, she mentioning something about finding her family. "She helped me," he mumbled, "I think she saved my life."

Mrs. Wolfram put her arm over the boy's shoulders and pulled his head close to her as he began to sob. She held him as he cried until, having been awake all night, he fell asleep on her.

When Oscar awoke he hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. He awoke on a bed, in an unfamiliar place and for a fraction of a moment he thought it had all been some bad dream until he saw Mrs. Wolfram sitting next to the bed. "A man carried you for me to their village," she explained, "I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Oscar sat up in the bed and looked around. They were in a small cabin, it appeared, and there were a few other surviving passengers from the Hnakra with them. He nodded to Mrs. Wolfram, "thank you," he said unsure of what else to say.

"I don't wish to upset you," she went on, "but you deserve to know." Oscar looked at her as she seemingly grew uncomfortable. "While you were asleep the people here have been pulling the deceased from the water up onto the beach." She paused as she gave him a look, a look he recognized. His mother had given him the same look when he got off of the school bus one afternoon and his dog had been put to sleep while he was at school. "Your father was found," she told him, "I'm so sorry Oscar."

Oscar looked away from her and stared at the wall in silence. I didn't want to be right, he thought to himself, but I knew I was. "Can I see him?"

"Oh honey," Mrs. Wolfram began, "I am not so sure if that is a good idea."

Oscar let out a breath, "but you're sure it is him? I mean, you know that..." his words trailed off. He didn't mean to question her but he couldn't help himself.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she nodded to him, "but I recognized him; I... I saw him myself."

"Oh," he replied lamely. Again silence fell over them as they sat there with their thoughts. Oscar couldn't help but wonder why Mrs. Wolfram said he couldn't see his father. He wondered if he was disfigured or not in one piece. He shook his head as if to get rid of the thought. "What about Elisabeth?" he asked.

Mrs. Wolfram shrugged a shoulder, "I haven't seen her at all, alive or... otherwise."

Oscar couldn't help but feel a little less sad despite his desire to want to feel mournful about his father, "so she could still be alive?" She shook her head in response but he could tell by the look on Mrs. Wolfram's face that she didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise. "Oh, and what about Mr. Wolfram?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't asked sooner.

"He wasn't found either," she said looking down now. He watched as she put a hand to her stomach, her face turning a shade of red.

He watched her and felt a bit of hope twitch inside of himself, "that means he could be alive too," he told her, "and that is nothing to be sad about, Mrs. Wolfram."

She choked out a small laugh as she looked back up to the young boy, "yes, Oscar, I think you're right about that much."

Oscar smiled at her. "When the government finds us maybe they will find Mr. Wolfram too."

Mrs. Wolfram let out a laugh, "the government? I don't know about that. I am sure the government of the country here will..." she paused for a moment as she got caught up in her own thoughts. "Where is here exactly?" she wondered aloud.

Oscar shrugged his shoulders. "I am not very good at geography, Mrs. Wolfram, but I don't remember us being near any islands until... well, until we came to this one."

Interlopers

2011-04-14T01:05:00Z

He approached the interloper from behind in wolf form, shifting quickly to his human body. "You don't belong here," he said quietly, waiting for her to start at the sound of another's voice.

She didn't start however; she had sensed him following her some time ago. "How do you mean?" she asked cordially, turning and raising an eyebrow at the fully naked man standing behind her.

"You've been tramping through my territory."

"If it was your territory to claim then that would be true. I walked on this island long before you were born."

Strider didn't like this woman. Even if she preceded him these had been his stomping grounds since before his fangs grew in. "Your perfume stinks."

"I don't wear perfume," she replied patiently. "Perhaps you don't like the smell of my heritage."

"I don't know what the fuck you mean lady. I'm just letting you know I don't like you walking through my territory."

She offered him a tiny half smirk. "I mean you're not a fan of the Enkeli."

His hackles raised, teeth bared, a low growl starting humming up his body. "You're one of them?"

"Only part," she replied honestly. It was best to be open with the Mondfarkas. They were a boldly honest people, even to their own detriment. One of the few things Dahlia had learned since her arrival was how to communicate with this newer tribe. "I mean you no disrespect."

"Then get the fuck off my land."

Her smirk deepened into a frown. "It's not your land."

He moved forward as if to strike her with teeth or claws. Just as his fangs would have closed on her neck he stopped and sniffed. He moved back slowly as if his tail was held between his legs though he was still in human form. "You're one of them too."

"Part, yes."

Strider leaned back to examine her better. "I still don't like you tramping through my paths."

She offered him a genuine smile. "I think we can come to an understanding."

He seemed doubtful, but he felt his hands bound. The Mondfarkas didn't fuck with the Kantele. It was one of the few laws their tribe abided. Even that fuck-up, Falk. "We'll see," he said quietly.

insuladevirsta @ 2011-03-08T21:17:00

2011-03-09T04:00:45Z

"I remember you," Broderick said quietly.

Dahlia started at the voice and turned to see the Kantele staring at her as if she were looking at a ghost. "I don't know how you'd remember me," she answered quietly. "We've never met."

"I've seen you before. Around." It wasn't a total lie. Broderick had seen Dahlia moving through the woods whispering to trees. It was as if something was knocked loose in her memory and she couldn't help the words rushing forward. "You were on the boat, yes?"

Dahlia nodded solemnly. Broderick might not know or guess Dahlia's lineage, but it was hard to say with the kantele. They had hidden talents, many of which Dahlia only partially understood. "You live in the big empty village," she replied.

Broderick noticed it wasn't a question. Dahlia was an apt young woman. Broderick felt herself a little disarmed. "I do."

"Which makes you a kantele."

A little hitch kinked up her tentative smile. "You seem to know a lot about the island."

"You remember me," Dahlia offered as a quiet reply. "How do you remember me?"

"You probably just look like someone I know."

"Or maybe you actually remember me."

Broderick frowned openly now. "Not possible," she said with a little wave of her hand. But still, that feeling of remembrance was growing in her mind. It wasn't the face she recognized. It was the gesture, the way Dahlia ran her hand along the bark of the tree as she whispered to it. It was a memory just out of reach, a memory of someone Broderick had known in a former life.

"Or entirely possible," Dahlia said airily. "It was nice to meet you," she added before heading off deeper in the woods.

"Wait," Broderick called behind her. She moved to follow the woman and lined up her stride. "I don't know if I can really explain it. I think... You just reminded me of someone I knew in another life." There it was. Simple and strange and about as complicated to explain as anything else on the island.

It was entirely possible. It would have been many lifetimes ago. She couldn't place Broderick just on that one bit of information, or even her ability. Other kantele had the tendency to change entirely from lifetime to lifetime. So much of that individual changed, their gender, abilities, appearance, personality. Who Broderick was in this life might not resemble her former selves at all.

Dahlia stopped walking and turned just enough to offer Broderick a smile. "It's been long enough that it's probably just an echo. You can't even remember your former self. It's like a phantom limb. You can feel it, but you can't make sense of it or ground it in reality."

Broderick looked at Dahlia with a queer light in her eyes. Understanding dawned. "You're one of ours?"

"Not entirely," Dahlia answered honestly. If she spent much more time on the island Broderick would find out eventually. There was no point dancing around it out of some sense of secrecy. "It's been a good many years since I've been home. A few lifetimes."

Broderick's breath hitched. Why didn't the others know about this homecoming? Had Dahlia been afraid to rejoin them? "You should come meet the others in the village."

Dahlia shook her head slowly, sadly. "The tribe's not what it used to be. It's not really my place anymore." Beside that she was settled happily into her little cabin at the witches village. She and Asher had a routine and a semblance of a life there.

"But they'll want to know you," she pushed. She didn't know Dahlia enough to know that her mind was made up.

Dahlia shook her head again, more firmly this time. "I'm not ready to meet the others." One of them might be her mother reborn. That was something she wasn't ready to face. "It was nice to meet you," she said again. She used her Enkeli skill to twist her tone into a kind of finality. It would end the conversation and Broderick would never understand why she didn't pursue it further. This time when she turned into the woods again she walked away alone.

Promises to Keep

2011-02-19T12:13:46Z

The apparition of a woman walked by the spot where Casimir and Alexis watched at the witches camp. She was a slender thing, wasted away by the last few months of her life. She turned to see the snoops and approached them slowly.

"Do you know the way?"

Casimir flicked his eyes momentarily to Lex. "We didn't take the way," he replied quietly. "You shouldn't stop here or you'll be just as stuck as us."

The woman sighed. "I won't be stuck. My life ended where it was meant to end. Can you do me one favor?"

Casimir didn't do favors and was surprised to find the usually straight forward Lex perk up. "What's the favor?" she asked vaguely with no promise to fulfill it.

"Tell my sister it's okay. She doesn't have to take the boy. They're both better off if she doesn't."

"Who's your sister?" Lex asked, but the woman had begun to fade from view with a soft, blissful smile on her face. "Son of a..."

Casimir shook his head slowly. "Do you think you might listen to me once in your after life? You can't make promises to the dead."

"But I didn't make a promise."

"You did. You didn't agree to it, but you made it just the same. Why do you think she passed on? Her message will get to her sister because you have to deliver it."

Lex sat quietly for a long time. Casimir didn't bother chastising her anymore. Some lessons had to be learned the hard way.

Consequences

2011-02-05T11:31:21Z

Setting: After this

"Do you even realize what you've done?" Rhian screamed at Eira as she paced back and forth in front of the other elf. "Do you know what is going to come of this? Do you even..." Rhian stopped and screamed out in frustration. "You stupid, selfish elf! We are not the only tribe on this island Eira! There are wars going on right now that don't involve us thank you very much and I would like to keep it that way! Think of the island, it can't take this much instability! Think of something other than your selfish vendetta against the Nos Hellyllon for two seconds!"

Eira sat in her seat, demure for the first time in her long life, staring at the floor. Her silence was enough to show her remorse but not for the larger consequences of her actions. She was struggling with the loss of Gawain, she would struggle with that for a long time. "Come now Rhian, it's not entirely selfish," she said weakily.

"This is not about you! When are you going to realize that? There is a reason this tribe never picked you to be their leader. You would have lead us into certain destruction hundreds of years ago!"

"No need to offend," she offered with that sad tone.

"Dont! Don't you offer me this sad, defeated attitude! You've been planning attacks on the Nos Hellyllon for how long behind my back? You are stripped of your title and your chair in the High Council. You will never represent our people again and if you ever attack any village without my say so I will put you to death myself!" Rhian raged, a true anger had spread it's wings in Rhian's heart as she railed against her one time friend. "Have I made myself clear Eira?" she yelled in the other elves face.

Eira looked into those burning blue eyes, seeing something she had never seen in Rhian before. A forceful power had been lying behind those cool blue pools for hundreds of years and she hadn't even known it. Stock still and speechless she only nodded to Rhian her understanding.

"Good," Rhian said shortly. "You will spend a month in confinement for going against my direct orders. You will never see a battlefield again," she said quietly.

"But you can't!" Eira protested.

"Take her away," Rhian said to the two guards who had been standing post at the doorway. Eira struggled and fought against them, she couldn't loose the battlefield, it was all she really had left anymore. Rhian ignored her protests and screams as she was dragged from the cabin though.

When Eira and the guards were gone, she walked over to the open window and took in a deep breath, hoping for some form of relief. The most fearless warrior of the light elves was dead, one of the most successful leaders of the light elf warriors was stripped of her office and power. She knew they were in trouble and it would only be a matter of time before they fell apart. "Here's to hoping," she said quietly.

The Damage is Done

2011-02-05T11:10:09Z

"Are you ready?" her voice was like silk in his ear, he couldn't help but smile at the danger behind her words. It was a challenge, an invitation for excellence on the battle field, a game they had been playing for years now.

"Of course," he said easily.

"You're not afraid?" Eira poked him teasingly. She had found over the years that the more riled up he got, the better he did in combat.

"I'm not afraid of anything," Gawain said, a pompous tone in his voice.

"Nothing?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"I fear nothing. Not even death," his reply was challenging.

"Then let us go," she rose from her crouching spot in the brush and held her left hand up, motioning her secret group of warriors. Gawain was quick to join her, fearlessly standing by her side as he always did in their attacks. They silently stalked forward, seeking out any signs of life coming from the Nos Hellyllon village. Surrounded in darkness, there were no sounds, no movements, so signs of stirring life at all.

Eira smiled over to Gawain, it would be a perfect attack, just as they had planned. He grinned back her and just as easily as he had smiled, it was taken away as a sharp pain seared into his chest. Horror grew on Eira's face as she watched an arrow lodge itself into Gawain's chest. "FIRE!" she ordered. "FIRE!"

Confusion among the elves sent them into a frenzy, firing arrows into the blackness of the village. The dark elves were not giving them an inch of knowledge as to their whereabouts or their well being. Eira was not at all perturbed by the chaos going on around her, she was completely focused on Gawain as she watched him drop to his knees, holding the stem of the lethal arrow. He choked on his attempt at words. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion.

"Shh, shh," Eira hushed him, dropping to the ground. She held his head in her lap. "Don't say anything at all, just focus on breathing. We've got to keep it in my love, otherwise you'll bleed out," she smoothed his hair. Another arrow flew past her ear, her only reaction was a slight wince. "Keep your eyes open," she demanded him as his bright blue eyes began to fade.

Sputtering, he reached up, trying to grasp at anything, anything to hold him into this life. "No," he croaked out. "Can't..." blood dripped down the sides of his mouth, a sure sign that his fire would be extinguished in a matter of minutes.

Eira closed her eyes, letting the silent tears of loss flow down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Gawain," she whispered. "I'm sorry Aaren," she lamented her lost son from years ago. Looking up, she saw that her secret forces were not doing well at all. Three elves had fallen, she watched another one of her warriors take an arrow in the leg. She looked back to her dying lover and wiped the blood from his face. "Go now Gawain, be with the elders."

He coughed out one more useless rattle before his whole body went limp. Eira stood, blood soaking her tunic, and gave the whistle of retreat. They had been here before, they had attacked the village numerous times and even in the daylight their defences had not been so well. Something had changed. Distraught, she led the others back to the village, knowing the trouble she would get in with Rhian in the morning. The most heroic warrior of the tribe was dead. And she was wholly to blame for it.

Bad News

2011-01-23T11:20:58Z

Holly traveled on foot to the Kantele village to inform Ingrid of her sister's death and the newborn child she had left behind.

She found Ingrid in her home, humming a song and preparing a pair of pointe shoes for dancing. She let Ingrid offer her something to drink and fix up the pot of tea before she said anything about her business today. She wanted to draw this out; once it was done Ingrid would never get her sister back.

A mug of tea steaming in her hands, Ingrid smiled patiently at Holly. "You said you have news?"

Holly looked down and sipped at the tea. She wanted to spit it out immediately, too hot to swallow and still burning her tongue. She put the mug back to her lips and pushed the liquid back out of her mouth.

Ingrid didn't know why she felt apologetic. She rarely bothered with such sentiment. "Sorry, it's a bit hot."

"Yes," Holly replied, trying to remember a spell that would heal her tongue. "It's all right." She lingered in the moment before it had to turn horrible, before she couldn't keep it from her any longer. "Ingrid," she said softly, consolingly. "Your sister..."

"She had the baby?" Ingrid rushed in. "I told her just last week I'd miss the birth."

Holly swallowed hard. "Yes, she did. But there was a complication."

Ingrid paled considerably. She hadn't been very excited about her sister's pregnancy, which had been hidden from her for months. She couldn't think of herself as an aunt in the way that Rachel seemed incapable of thinking of herself as a mother. But there was bad news somewhere in this sentence, bad news that Ingrid couldn't decipher. "What kind of complication?" she asked quietly.

Holly was about to crumble. "There was some bleeding. The baby's fine, a very healthy boy," she assured Ingrid. Which confirmed that the complication was solely with her sister.

"And Rachel?" Ingrid's voice was a ghost, a sliver of a thing.

She couldn't avoid it anymore. She clung to her mug to steady her hands and looked over Ingrid's shoulder. "She died."

What was left of the color in Ingrid's face fled and she slumped faintly in her chair. Holly was around the table and sitting Ingrid up carefully. She used strength and magic to transport to Ingrid to her bedroom and propped her easily on the pillows. She sat with her until Ingrid stirred again.

When Ingrid opened her eyes again she didn't speak. She let go of the little bit of control she had over her emotions and wept until her lungs ached with the effort to keep breathing. She cried until her eyes were swollen, painfully red. She let Holly fuss over her for the rest of the day.

When she felt her equilibrium return she asked about the boy.

"She named him Edward," Holly replied quietly. "Would you like to see him?"

"Not yet." Ingrid closed her eyes. The horrible truth was that if she saw the baby then it would be real. She'd have to make a decision. Care for the boy or ask someone else to look after him. Bury your sister or send her off on a funeral pyre on Circular Lake. "Not yet," she repeated to keep her conviction solid.

insuladevirsta @ 2011-01-23T05:48:00

2011-01-23T10:46:07Z

Rachel's pregnancy had been a difficult one. Her sister had been to visit regularly enough, but she was hardly a good companion when she did. Rachel had a tendency to feign exhaustion when her sister came around. Sometimes she didn't have to; she was genuinely tired most days, as if the life growing inside was sapping her energy.

When it came time to birth, Rachel was alone with one of the witches. There wasn't enough time to fetch her regular healer, one of the elves who had been assisting from the beginning. There was only Holly, a girl who looked like a novice more than a practiced healer.

The labor came fast, so fast that Rachel was pushing in minutes. The child was brought forth, a bright and healthy boy that Rachel saw for only a moment. Holly was cleaning off the babe when the blood began to gush, more blood than should ever come after a baby.

Holly set the baby on the next bed over, bellowed for help as she used every healing spell she knew to stem the flow of blood. But it wouldn't stop. Rachel's breathing became shallow, ragged. She couldn't open her eyes or move, only parted her lips long enough to name her son. "Edward."

She went limp then. There was no life left in her. Her son had taken it with him on his first breath.

insuladevirsta @ 2011-01-20T20:12:00

2011-01-21T01:36:07Z

Dimas rarely bothered with the selkies; his own tribe was enough to keep him occupied, what with their nearly constant squabbling.

But then Ianthe had slipped into Circular Lake, weeping and shaking so violently Dimas feared she might shake herself apart.

He tried talking to her, but she was entirely unresponsive. He looked around for help, but that was a futile and empty gesture. Eventually he slipped his arms around her seal body and pulled her back to the small dwelling he shared with Cat.

When she returned home he'd consult her about what to do. Hopefully she'd know how to help.

Based on a True Story

2011-01-11T00:27:49Z

The Kouzelheks tribe is and has always been big with tales of the island. Quite a few of these stories are told to spook the witch children for one reason or another. Passed down from generation to generation some stories are so old it is unsure where they originally came from... or if they are even true to begin with.

One such story told of three bastard half-Enkeli witch daughters of Levi. The mother of the daughters died when the girls were still young and Levi kept his distance. He wanted nothing to do with these daughters (no surprise there) and made sure to alter anyone's memory who could somehow link him to them.

It didn't take long before the girls realized they were different from the rest of the witches and it wasn't long after that that the tribe did too. It wasn't enough that they darkened much younger than usual but the three also darkened the same day. Their abilities were rare, intimidating and developed swiftly. One dangerously powerful with spell magic, one gifted with visions of the future, and the third able to read minds as if other's thoughts were spoken a loud for only her to hear; the three sisters were outsiders within their own tribe and, when they were fed up with it, left the Kouzelheks village with no intention of ever returning.

Since their departure it is rumoured that they live in a cabin within the Black woods that each night is in a different spot. No one has ever seen them and if anyone ever has they've never returned to tell of it... that is if these sisters, the Wick sisters, even existed at all.

Glory having been raised within the Kouzelheks village knew the many tales and had heard the tale of the wicked sisters. When she was younger the story scared her and she admittedly chose to not believe it. Now older, Glory was banking on the story to be true and was now seeking them out, something she never thought she would be desperate enough to do.

Glory needed to protect her people and she was expected to return to the Kouzelheks and ask for their help. She knew once it was asked of her that she could and would not do it. To her knowledge, she was the first to leave the tribe on bad terms (with the exception of witches turned vampires, werewolves etc.) since the notorious Wick sisters. Turning her back on the Kouzelheks was something she shared in common with the sisters that very little did.

It was almost dusk and wandering around the woods aimlessly was turning up no results. Glory was beginning to think she would have to ask the Kouzelheks for their help if she couldn't find them. Maybe the stories weren't true, she laughed to herself, go figure. The sun was starting to set when she made the decision to begin heading west to the Kouzelheks village.

There is absolutely no way I will wander around these woods at night, she thought to herself, no matter how much pride I have to swallow. Pushing through branches sneaking into her way and fussing through shrubbery at her feet, Glory caught sight of a faint light ahead of her. I've made good time, she thought to herself as she got closer to the light. When she got close enough to realize she didn't recognize the small cabin her heart jumped into her throat.

She had found them. The stories were true. Stepping up to the door she felt panicked. What if they don't help us? What if they- she took a nervous step back as the door creaked open.

"What if we try to kill you?" a voice sounded from inside. "Only one way to find out..."

Glory's eyes widened as the back of her throat went dry. For once in her life she had no words. Her chest felt like it was collapsing in and crushing her lungs.

"Come in," the same voice spoke again, "we've been expecting you sister."

Old Friends

2011-01-10T07:36:06Z

The end of Daevas' cigarette illuminated his face briefly as he inhaled smoke. "Lilaea's been a handful lately."

"Well they all are once they start getting bigger. Fine when they're little fuckers, but once they get tall enough to punch you in the belt they don't hold back their punches." His companion this evening was Strider, one of the Mondfarkas. He too had a lit cigarette which he held in his hand near eye level. At the moment he was between puffs, enjoying the night air and the company.

"Don't know what to do with her. She's old enough to get into the kind of trouble I can't just get her out of so easily. It's one thing to be her tribal leader. Another altogether to be her father."

"You don't need to tell me, friend," Strider said quietly.

Daevas knew the end of that story, heard the lone wolf howling nightly. "I don't know if she'll ever be bigger than she is. I can't tell if that's a relief or not."

"Your kin don't grow like mine. Mine only grow if they're born kin. The bitten just stay as they were."

"Some Vatnadis grow. Indra wasn't always as she is. It's hard to know, she's been around so long that no one's seen her age. Lil's bigger than she was."

Strider regarded Daevas for a long moment. "Your thinking about having another wee one." It wasn't a question; Strider could read Daevas like few other people on the island.

"Thinking about doing it the regular way this time."

"How's your witch feel about that?"

Daevas shrugged. "She's got too many other worries at the moment." And that was that. They'd discuss it when she was ready and not a minute sooner.

"Your better off leaving it as it is. One disappointment is enough."

That was terribly harsh, but Daevas didn't bother to correct him. There wasn't any use trying to heal wounds Strider didn't admit having. "Quiet tonight," he commented to change the subject.

"Creepy quiet," Strider conceded. He'd heard the howls of his tribe earlier and the echoing howl of Falk somewhere out on Hedland Beach. After that it was quiet, deadly quiet. "Doesn't bode well."

"Doesn't bode well at all," Daevas echoed quietly.

Polaroids Fade

2011-01-10T04:11:03Z

All day Heidi felt the pull of visions. All day they swept past her, blocked by some force she couldn't fight let alone identify.

She wandered out of the village and into the trees in a heavy mood, listening to the wary howls of wolves elsewhere on the island, the too still quiet of the Black Woods.

Something was amiss and none of them could piece it together. It bothered Heidi. The others didn't seem as perturbed, quietly accepting that they couldn't see.

The loss of Danae was still battering their senses. The disappearance of Serene had them quiet, taking to their own cabins as if hiding could prevent disaster from striking again.

Tragedy comes in threes.

That was a truth Heidi knew. This wasn't done yet. Someone else would suffer before long.

In such a short time Heidi's whole world had fallen apart. Her sister was now a vampire. Her grandmother was dead. Her mother was kidnapped. It was little comfort to her that her thrice tragedy was finished. She wouldn't suffer another striking blow.

But the tribe would.

She arrived at her little secret place in the deep of the forest and settled down for a good sit and think. Her little stalker had followed her once again, but it was no concern of hers if he got himself lost in the dark woods. She wouldn't address him tonight; there were too many other important issues pressing in on her.

Closing her eyes, palms pressed to the earth she sought a connection with the island. The magic was deeper here, darker. On a whim she thought she could tap into the island and supersede whatever it was that blocked her visions earlier.

It came to her slowly, unfurling into her mind like tendrils of ivy crawling up a tree. She couldn't make sense of the words; the island spoke in pictures. What she felt was the usual recognition. Little witch.

Deep in her mind she focused on her concern. I have been blinded by an outside source, blocked from vision. Help me see.

The pictures came fast and hard, slamming into her open mind and bruising her. She reeled backwards flat on her back turning her head to the side just in time to vomit.

Pain. Death. Blood. Dust. Starting small and swirling outward, further and faster until it engulfed the entire island.

War was coming, but as soon as Heidi opened her eye again she found her mind blank. The island had given her what she asked for and then ripped it from her mind before she could clear it from the foggy remnants of the vision.

Too weak to return to the village she bedded down in her secret place, watched as always by her little stalker from the trees.

Lone Wolf (open to selkies)

2011-01-10T03:34:44Z

Falk didn't usually stray this close to the caves under Hedland Beach. He kept to himself most days and didn't bother the water folk. He had no problems with them and they never seemed to pester him about his vagrant wanderings over their territory.

Some tribes weren't so forgiving. Especially not his own.

He could hear the howls of his pack even this far away. Maybe it was his hearing, attuned to the cries of the four legged. Maybe it was just his loneliness echoing his own howling back at him.

Whatever it was the howling died out. He picked up a rock and skipped it across the placid shallows of Tistrya's river. She'd probably tell him off for it tomorrow, but she wouldn't bother him tonight, not while he was in a mood.

Surprises

2011-01-10T03:28:21Z

Levi seemed distracted, like he didn't want to talk, but Sveta's news was important.

She didn't know how he'd react. He was usually so casual about their sex, as if it didn't really matter. She was having a bit of fun with him if she was being honest. It was never much of a big deal.

Until she started feeling nauseous regularly enough to worry. Until her monthlies ceased being monthly, ceased being altogether. She needed to talk to him about this even if he was more in the mood to pull her hair and slap her ass.

"Levi," she tried quietly as his lips left bruising kisses along her shoulder. "Levi, I think I'm knocked up."

The kisses stopped and the hand in her hair loosened. He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. "Really?" he asked with a smirk.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly before answering. "Really."

He leaned in and kissed her, gently at first and growing in intensity. "Then we're having a baby," he said simply before he dropped his pants to the floor and proceeded with their usual Sunday night entertainment.

Secret Weapon (Backdated a few months before the vamp war)

2011-01-10T01:13:25Z

Branwen had been having her doubts about Levi for a while, she just didn't have the proof. After watching him leave another night while leaning her doorway she sighed. She didn't trust him, she knew that much for sure, but she wanted to, she wanted to believe him and to have a family with him. It's not as if he hadn't been trying , so what was it? She didn't have her suspicions for no reason.

Aina had spent some time thinking over Oporo's instructions. She needed to make a progeny that would help tip the conflict between the vampires. If the dark elves got involved they could certainly do some damage. It was hard to say how they'd react to one of their own being turned, but that was a risk Aina was willing to take. It didn't take her long to find the perfect candidate.

Poor Branwen. In love with Levi, foolishly hopeful. It wouldn't take much to persuade Branwen that his demonstrations of love were hollow. She arrived moments after Levi left Bran's home and knocked gently on the door.

Branwen's eyebrows rose in curiosity, she wondered who would be knocking on her door at such an hour. She opened the door slowly and peaked out first to see the pale face waiting for her. "Hello Aina," she said solemnly. "What brings you here tonight?"

"There's something I think you should know." She didn't bother with niceties. She couldn't decide if she was doing Branwen a favor tonight.

Branwen tilted her head to the side. "What is it?" she asked forgetting all pretenses of etiquette.

"It is perhaps best if I show you." She offered Branwen her arm. She could hold Branwen tight to her body and fly her to Vollmond's village hidden in the Black Woods. "We will be quick. I assure you."

Branwen simply took her arm, she was not sure why she had trusted Aina, but maybe this would bring her some closure. "Ok," she said with a nod and she let the other woman lead.

She landed them near a thick patch of trees that would keep them hidden from view. Levi would have gone home just long enough to tidy up for his second visit of the evening. He didn't want to show up on this doorstep smelling like his last girlfriend. "We need only wait a few minutes," she said quietly letting go of Branwen.

Branwen nodded silently and waited by Aina's side, still curious as to what this was about.

Sure enough within a few minutes Levi arrived and made his way to Azure's cabin. Aina had only been following him for a few nights, but he had already visited this one twice. He'd been with Sveta of the Nos Hellyllon and Rhian of the Ungur All. She knew he wouldn't hit the same village twice in one night, but he had a habit of visiting Azure after Bran. She didn't comment on that, the sight of Levi embracing his other Levi on her doorstep ought to be enough to tip poor Branwen and sharpen her as a weapon.

Branwen watched, a cold rage rising in her chest as he watched Levi embrace that blue haired bitch. She sneered lowly. "What is this?" Her teeth were clenched, her fists balled up by her side. She even over heard the blue haired Vollmond giggle as she pulled him into her cabin. "He said... he said he wanted a family," the natural violence of her people was starting to take over, she wanted to do something, to hurt him.

"He does want a family," Aina answered coolly. Just that Branwen was only one small part of it. She didn't know his bigger plan; Oporo didn't tell her everything. "He has many children on the island. He seeks to increase his number." You are but one small drop in a very large bucket.

Branwen's eyes narrowed. "I will never," she said shortly. "Never, never," a dark resentment sneaking into her words. "I'll show him, I will," she shook her head angrily.

"Perhaps now is not the time," Aina said gently, so softly the danger lurking beneath those words wasn't readily apparent. "I'll bring you home," she offered.

Branwen's nature told her to barge into the cabin and wreck everything in sight but her cool demeanour returned and she looked at Aina. With a simple nod and a tightly clenched jaw she nodded yes and took hold of Aina's arm again.

She dropped Branwen on her doorstep. "Should you need anything..." she trailed away easily. It was simple enough for Branwen to finish that sentence. "Anything at all."

"Before you leave..." Branwen said the heat rising in her cheeks. "I want revenge," she said, her eyes darker than they had ever been.

Aina raised a single eyebrow. She'd been absolutely right to pick this one. "Can I help in this revenge?"

A devious grin spread across her lips. "Yes, yes I think you can," she stepped toward the other woman. "I don't want to ever give him the chance to have my family. And what's the most poignant way of showing him that?"

A smile blossomed on Aina's face. "Just what do you have in mind?"

"Make me one of you," she said simply. "He won't ever see it coming." She was serious, serious and angry enough to leave her tribe to prove a point to Levi.

"Now that I can help you with." Aina's smile became predatory as she gestured Branwen into her own house. The night was young enough that she could make her here and bring her home to the cave before sunrise.

Branwen smiled. "An excellent plan," she followed Aina with no sense of reserve or hesitation.

A Line Drawn in the Sand, Open to ALL Vampires

2011-01-09T23:28:57Z

Dusk had arrived and Ioana awoke feeling refreshed. Impending massacres always had a positive way of letting her rest easy. She rose from the bed she shared with Norton to find him already standing at the opening to their cave; it was apparent the upcoming ambush shook his nerves. She thought to ease his anxiety but he was quick to assure her that his concerns were minimal. Ioana thought it arrogant but she couldn't deny feeling the same way.

Ioana rarely experienced fear and this time was no different. The Nghrau had greater numbers, the home turf advantage, and the element of surprise all on their side. If all went well they'd still be waking up and in or close to Nataliya's cabin and the Nghrau would overtake them within an hour. She predicted it to be a mini-genocide and her mouth was salivating at the thought.

The entire tribe was ready to go the moment Ioana stepped out of her cavern. The sun's light was still glowing on the horizon when they headed southeast to Nataliya's cabin. Traveling as quickly as they could (recently turned Gisele slowing them some) it wasn't long before the entire tribe was spread out in a circle around the cabin.

The unwelcome vampires were in for a surprise and Ioana requested to capture whichever one was lucky enough to be the last one left; she needed some sort of proof of their existence so the Kouzelheks would get off their backs about all the missing persons.

A Death and a Disappearance

2011-01-09T18:20:58Z

Cries of outrage spread through the witches camp.

Only days ago their leader, Danae, was found slaughtered in her bed. The murder had been brutal, the witches senses too dulled by grief to use their sight to find the killer.

They could only mourn what was lost and try to pick their lives back up.

Except that this morning, only days after the death of her mother, Serene had gone missing. Those with sight could feel her presence on the island, but not where. They could sense her fear and the darkness pressing around her, but they didn't know why this had happened. They didn't have enough pieces of this puzzle to understand the full picture.

Their leader dead, her daughter missing, the Kouzelheks were adrift.

Leverage

2011-01-09T17:37:00Z

Levi was making messes again. Messes she didn't want to clean up.

What was that fool thinking?

It was no matter, Saturna had leverage where Levi was concerned. Abducting the little witch from the Black Woods was a bit tricky, but Saturna had gifts she could use to that end.

She'd release Serene back to her people when Levi stopped fucking up so much.

In the meantime the little witch could whine and cry, blindfolded in the basement of a little hut Saturna had hidden in the Endless Mountains. Let terror and night be her companion until Levi was back under Saturna's thumb.

Three Fiends - Ngharu Territory - West/Aina/Lucas

2011-01-09T17:15:42Z

Aina stared out the mouth of the cave with intensity in her eyes. Ioana was moving them toward war with the interloping vampires. Too many bodies had disappeared in the Black Woods. Too many survivors of the Hnakra crash had left camp never to return.

It didn't take long for the witches to decide that the Nghrau had been feeding closer to home. Despite vehement denials no one wanted to believe Ioana. So she sent her little spies out into the woods after Victor left.

They came back with a bleak picture. A cabin full of others. Vampires who had old ties to the island even though they'd never set foot on it.

Of course the witches didn't believe that either. Someone was protecting this other tribe of vampires from their second sight. Someone who moved on the island with secret plans of their own.

They couldn't leave it as it was and so the battle plan was drawn up. They'd attack the cabin and eviscerate the other vampires before they got the idea to fight on Nghrau territory.

The problem being that West hadn't made up his mind about who to side with and Aina was bound to his will. He enjoyed serving Ioana, but he enjoyed having his own power more. He wanted a tribe of his own vampires. Aina wanted to be a part of the Nghrau, but she wouldn't turn her back on him. He was still drawn to Lucas as well, and Lucas had made his allegiance clear enough.

Would they fight with other vampires or against them?

Dirty Hands

2010-12-28T15:20:30Z

Ianthe's hand shook as blood dripped from her fingertips onto the cold stone wall of the cave. She turned to her companion and whispered. "It's done. Now give me back my pelt."

A masculine arm extended, a pelt draped from the closed fist. "You did well. You might remember to find a harder hiding place for this next time."

Her fingers closed around the pelt. She didn't think to reach down into the little pool of water at her feet and rinse her hands first. It would take some washing to get the finger shaped bloodstains out of her fur. "You might stop stealing pelts for ransom." She clutched the fur even as he held on, his grip too strong to rip it from him completely.

The man, if he could even be called that, clucked his tongue. "I rarely dirty my hands, Ianthe." He ran a finger along her chin, a seductive and threatening touch. "It's so much more fun to get the whole island involved."

"I don't give a shit about your intrigues. I'm not doing this again."

He smirked at her and let the pelt go. She took a stuttering step backwards before correcting her balance. "We'll see about that."

Allegiances For Dummies

2010-09-15T01:01:27Z

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY fallofoctober)

Two days after this thread.

The hot water ran over her body bruising her dead skin a pale shade of pink. The one benefit of having a hide-away on the mainland was the shower. She could spend hours in here turning her body into a warm blooded thing again, if only for a short while. She heard the apartment door open. Recognizing the scent behind it she relaxed, concentrating more on her hair which hadn't been properly washed in weeks.

A woosh of air signaled the arrival of her guest this evening. "This was not an easy place to find," the voice on the other side of the shower curtain hummed.

Aina could hear short fingernails tapping on the lid of the toilet. The woman sitting outside the shower had made herself a seat. "Not too hard, I hope?"

"It's fine." A momentary pause before the woman spoke again. "Just hidden enough. Does he know you're here?"

"No. He thinks I'm with Lucas."

"Does Lucas think you're with West?"

"I told him that I had a little place on the mainland so I could perfect my hunting skills on my own. As to what he might really think, your guess is as good as mine."

A smile spread across the woman's face. She tossed a lock of her long, brown hair over her shoulder and enjoyed the misty warmth of the bathroom. "Things are moving faster now. West will suggest that you both make progeny. Please be sure that you find someone suitable to our goal."

Aina didn't know how she did whatever it was that she did. This alliance was a strong one, but she couldn't help feeling like a chess pawn being moved all over the board for some nefarious end game. "I'll choose wisely," she replied. She paused under the hot water and let the soap bubbles wash out of her hair. It would be shiny again when dried, back to its usual crisp red shade.

Her guest was quiet. She hadn't left yet, which meant she probably had something more to say. Aina had a bit of a shock when a hand reached into the shower with a bar of blue soap. The woman swiped the bar over Aina's shoulder. "You'll do as I ask?"

"I'll do whatever you ask so long as Casimir can be brought back to life."

"He can," she replied. "He will. If you do everything I ask I'll even bring you back to life. I'm not without my generosity."

Aina couldn't feel cold anymore, but she shivered slightly under that touch. This promise had been ringing in her ears for four years.

It was unclear if the woman noticed, but she ran her hand over Aina's chin. "Have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Aina replied feeling very small.

The woman smiled and winked. "I'll grab you something to bite." She whisked her way out of the bathroom stopping only long enough to wipe her hand dry on the towel rack. Another pawn was in place. Soon enough her plans would serve a true purpose.

Aina remained in the shower until she heard the apartment door click shut behind her guest. That tiny shiver had grown and she was compelled to wrap herself in towel after towel. Nothing was warm enough to keep the icy chill from seeping into her skin again; nothing could stop the awful feeling in her stomach that her allegiance to Oporo was more one sided than ever.

Spying, Lying, and Dying (Even Though We're Already Dead)

2010-09-15T01:01:25Z

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY thewitches)

"Why do we keep coming back here?"

Casimir frowned as he looked over to where Lex sat perched on a tree branch. "I like to keep tabs on the vampires."

"Or one particular vampire."

Alexis was quite a bit more perceptive than Casimir first thought. They were spying on the Nghrau again. It happened nightly, just after sunset. He'd feel a pull as she awoke and he'd find himself on the Midnight Cliffs or very nearby. Since he'd begun teaching Lex on the finer points of being a ghost she started traveling with him, as if they were connected by the same invisible thread.

"Kind of explains your debasement of vampires," she added offhandedly when he didn't reply. "Someone you cared about turned."

Much more perceptive than he wanted to deal with just now. He turned away from her as the vampires began to stir. He was damning himself more by not saying anything. His silence was the worst kind of implication.

He nearly panicked at the sight of Aina leaving a different vampire's cave. She wasn't with West who had already risen and was stoking the fire for the others. She emerged with the blond vampire, the one that really unnerved Casimir. He turned back to Lex, but he couldn't hide the worry in his face.

Lex wasn't clever enough to know which of the vampires he was watching. She was observant, but she couldn't read minds. "Want to check in with the witches?" she offered without pressing further. This was another of their nightly rituals. They'd wander around the edges of the village and peer into their lives momentarily. It was a way to orient themselves to time and place and to keep up with what was occurring in his old tribe and among the humans.

Casimir was relieved at this suggestion. He smiled briefly at Lex, appreciatively. He moved them to the witches village with an ease Alexis had yet to learn. She still came out of these abrupt moves a bit sick to her stomach. He stopped tonight next to a particular cabin.

It wasn't until Lex peered through the window that she drew the connection. This woman looked a lot like the one from the vampire camp. They could have been sisters, or maybe twins. If it weren't for the fact that one had aged she would have thought them identical. She turned to Casimir, but kept anything she might say trapped behind her lips.

He knew before turning that she had pieced it together. "That's Claudette," he explained. "The woman with the vampires is her sister Aina. She turned four years ago, not long after I died."

Every little piece of information she had about Casimir began to click into place. "They're both very beautiful."

Casimir frowned at her. She hadn't missed the point, but she wasn't jumping into the conversation the way he hoped. "Aina was the one I loved."

Alexis nodded and set her hand on his arm. She was surprised to find that she was corporeal to other ghosts, or at least to Casimir. The opportunity to touch anyone was nice, a simple reminder that even while she was dead she was still here. "She took your death hard."

"Hard enough to fling herself at West, the vampire who turned her." His frown turned inward. "I haven't been helping matters." He let that comment linger and then drop when Lex didn't inquire further. Sometimes she said more when she didn't respond; her character was readily visible. He didn't know how a woman like her had gotten messed up with vampires.

"Is that why you won't let Cian help you?" She could see the logic behind it; he had nothing to return to.

He looked at her a long time before answering. "It's been too long now."

Alexis was fairly certain that wasn't true. This was a safety blanket that he could cling to avoiding the real reason. Fair enough. She stood next to him as Claudette went about her evening ritual, preparing for a night of sleep.

"Do you want to see your vampires?" he asked pointedly. He didn't go with her when she went off occasionally to check in on them. It was her private time, a part of her afterlife that he didn't pry into.

She had been visiting them more scarcely since meeting up with Casimir. She didn't feel a strong urge to see them tonight. Lately they only reminded her of what she'd lost, of what couldn't be anymore. "No," she answered feeling a bit lighter for admitting it out loud.

He tapped her on the arm. "Let's get out of here then. Let me show you some place special." He wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled him with her. She'd become adept at traveling the way he did, but she didn't have enough control yet.

They landed on a part of the island that should have been dark given the time of night, but the air around them was light. It seemed to be bending around them, as if they were still physical beings who could scatter light beams.

Lex hadn't feel much physically beyond Casimir's touch. She could hold her form long enough to sit in chairs and walk firmly on the ground, but she hadn't figured out how to touch other living beings or pick up objects. Here she could feel the very air. It touched her when she was beginning to believe she would never feel something like this again. It was like an autumn breeze wrapping over and around her.

"What is this place?" she whispered feeling the reverence due to such a location.

"It's a fount. A place of power. There are several on the island. This is where magic is born."

She reached out for Casimir's hand again, wanting to feel connected to someone else. This place made her feel alive again. "Thank you."

He squeezed her hand and offered her a genuine smile. "You're welcome."

The Art of Seduction

2010-09-15T01:01:24Z

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY fallofoctober)

Levi had plans for tonight. He'd dressed with care before traveling to the Nos Hellyllon village. He charmed his way into Branwen's home with a handful of flowers and a bottle of wine he'd swiped from the mainland.

His ultimate goal was always in the back of his mind. Branwen was a part of this goal, though she didn't know it. He did enjoy her company, but there was an ulterior motive behind his romantic ministrations. It was always one thought away, pushed below the surface. He smiled at her like a man in love, slipping his hand into her hair and tucking it behind her pointed ear.

"It's been too long since I last saw you." That wasn't entirely true, but he hadn't spent time with her alone.

Shelter

2010-09-15T01:01:23Z

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY abrelosojos)

The leaders of the Jimo tribe were disappointed to learn that Nataliya had apparently stopped protecting their village. Quiana's disappearance after Glory had sent her to speak with Nataliya only confirmed their disappointment.

"She must have run off too ashamed to return back to the village," Glory decided. The other leaders had come to the same conclusion as well.

Kai sank low in a chair in their living room, "why can't we just deliver her different virgin blood? I can't see what the big difference would be."

Glory glanced over at her son momentarily before continuing with what she was doing. She was putting together a small bag of necessities for long travelling. "She would have contacted us," she said simply.

"Contact you?" he questioned. "A pissed off vampire walking into the village would really ease everyone's nerves."

"Do you really think Quiana would have run off if Nataliya just simply wanted different blood?" she patronized. "The old bat never wanted to protect us in the first place anyhow so to hell with her."

"She probably ate her," Kai mumbled to himself. "So what is the plan now?"

Glory let out a sigh as she took a moment to just sit down across from Kai. "The majority of the leaders decided it'd be best if we asked the Kouzelheks for their help."

He shrugged a shoulder at her as if to say it wasn't a bad idea. Kai knew by how she stressed the word 'majority', though, that she didn't agree with that plan of action. "Let me guess," he began with a smirk, "the majority also decided you should be the one to pay them a visit?"

"Perceptive," she replied with a wave of the hand. "I will be leaving first thing in the morning," she added.

Kai nodded his head. "Do you think this is going to work?" he asked out of his own curiosity.

"I honestly don't know," she answered quickly. All she did know was that there was no way she was actually going to travel to the Kouzelheks village. Very few Jimo knew of her original heritage and she knew the ones who did were the couple leaders that suggested she be the one to ask the witches for their help. Glory didn't feel like she was being dishonest when she said she would ask the witches for help to protect the Jimo because she was going to ask witches for help... just not any that lived in the Kouzelheks village.

Kai watched his mother for a few moments as she silently stared at nothing. "I suspect you should get to bed soon," he said breaking the silence.

"Yes," she replied, snapping back into focus. "I have to be up early and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow." She stood from her chair and headed toward the doorway into her bedroom. "I should be back tomorrow before sunset," she said looking back at Kai with a smile.

"Better be," he said with a slight twinge of concern. "Night, mother."

"Good night," she said before slipping into her room. She sat on her bed for a long while wondering if she was making the right decision before she realized she didn't have much of a choice. She had made a promise to herself a long time ago that she would never step foot in the Kouzelheks village ever again.

Crawling Back

2010-09-15T01:01:22Z

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY fallofoctober)

Occurs on the same evening as this thread

She could smell the other woman at the very entrance of the cave. She was alive and a witch, that much Aina could tell. What she was doing in the cave Aina shared with Lucas she wasn't about to find out. He'd been congenial enough since discovering he had no physical desire for her, but if he had a chance to spend some time with a woman who could fulfill this missing desire... Well, she was going to leave him to it.

Aina didn't have many other places to go and she was loathe to think of how West would receive her. Limited options and limited time found her sitting on his bed and hoping he'd be receptive.

West returned to find his former progeny waiting for him. He smirked at her, the recent coup to remove Victor as leader of their tribe had given him a renewed sense of confidence. He felt as though he had the right to give her a piece of his mind for the way she'd left him and the way she flaunted her new partnership with Lucas. But then she was just sitting so peacefully, her face open and hopeful. "What do you want?"

His voice sounded harder than she remembered. He hadn't really spoken to her since she had left him for Lucas. He had changed over the few short months apart; she couldn't tell if it was a good thing yet. "Lucas has company."

"So you want to slum it with me?"

She frowned at him and shook her head quickly. "No. I guess I'll find somewhere else to sleep." She moved to get up, but he caught her by her arm and pushed her back down.

"That's not good enough," he menaced. "Where are you going to sleep? With Ioana? She'll just fuck you to get what she wants and then ditch you. Like everyone else does." He hadn't meant to say so much on the subject. He was feeling savagely abandoned all around.

Aina reached up and cupped his cheek. He was still so young and he had no real notion of love. She didn't know if she was the one to teach him that lesson. "I never meant to ditch you, West."

"But you fucking did," he practically spat. He pushed away from her and looked out toward the entrance of his home. He didn't want her to see how much he still agonized over this. He didn't want her to see the bloody tears he cried.

She surprised him by sneaking up to his back and wrapping her arms around him. She pressed her face into the space between his shoulder blades and breathed in his scent. He still smelled not quite alive but not quite dead. He had a unique marker in his scent, one she could track by memory alone. "I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes, too confused and too weary to argue about it. "Stay," he said simply. It was neither an offer or a command, but a quiet wish.

She didn't have to answer him with words. They still had hours of darkness to sit and chat, but she wanted only to hold him for awhile. It was the other half of her apology and maybe a way to salvage what was left of their relationship.