Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Sept 17, 2005 14:04:21 GMT
Scarlett Red strode through the castle, having satisfied her slight appetite to familiarise herself with the castel once more. She knew that she would not be welcome there, even though they had once made exceptions for one Vampire, but he was the exception. Red had heard a rumour that night classes were being held, but she was more of the mind to laugh at the ignorance of the humans who had no idea of the power that the Vampires truly held.
Her knee high dragon leather boots made a rhythmic echoing noise through the hollow halls and she reached the doors that led out to the grounds, raising a velvet gloved hand to the doors and moved it in an arched movement as she neared them. The old doors swung noiselessly open and she walked out of the castle, her heeled feet now crunching on the gravelled path. Her blood red eyes glittered in the darkness, the pale moonlight reflecting off the lake in the distance. She brushed her gloved fingers over her silver snake-like buckle that held her black robe together over her black corset style dress, a ribbon matching her eyes threaded over her stomach.
She knew she ought to make her appearance at the Vampire's Lair this evening, however there was a slight desire to sit by the Lake for an hour to consider certain thoughts that had lain neglected this trip. Her Kohl smudged eyes drifted over the lakes surface and she abruptly changed her course, her boots now making no noise across the soft grass.
Once she reached the bank, she looked over the water and watched the wind created the slight ripples across the surface. She raised a gloved hand to her cheek and touched at the scar that ran the length of her cheek, the velvet leaving the trail of her fingers leaving a lingering sensation. Red had not yet met any familiar faces but she doubted that any would remember her. She had received no word from Adia in a long while and Red had changed considerably since then. Her once red hair had been replaced by a much darker black, although the red colouring had proved more resiliant than Red had imagined and left her hair with a ruddy reddy shine to it.
Deciding that her arrival in the Vampires Lair should happen before they disappeared into their quarters for the night, Red took one last look over the lake for no particular reason she could place and then moved away from the edge of the bank, deciding the best way to take to get to the Caves.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Sept 17, 2005 14:20:22 GMT
Ace strode towards the castle purposefully, his bright green eyes glittering with severe determination. All over his body, deep, jagged wounds were still oozing thin sheets of blood, soaking into his white shirt so that it was now more of a crimson colouring, a few patches of white here and there the only evidence it had ever been any other colour. He moved quickly, not knowing what horrors he might find within the castle when he reached it; by the sadistic glee on Ark's face, he gauged it would not be pleasant.
Suddenly, a familiar scent caught Ace by surprise. It was something he hadn't smelled in years, he knew that... the scent of somebody he had known, and known well. The Vampire stopped abruptly, and whirled around, his bright eyes seeking the source of the curiously familiar scent.
Then he saw her; walking along the bank, her eyes cast out searching for something, her walk slow and meandering, somebody he knew not by sight, but by blood. Something inside his body jolted with an odd mixture of pleasure and horror at the realisation of who walked along that shore - all thoughts of stopping Danawi's followers seemed to melt away as the intoxication of her familiarity drew him closer to her. He walked behind her as she traced her path, coming ever closer. Reaching out, he grabbed her by the wrist and swung her round. He suspected she already knew he was close by, she would have sensed him like he sensed her, but he attempted to catch her off guard as he swung her around and looked into the burning red eyes he hadn't seen in two years.
"Good evening, Red. Long time no see," smiled Ace, a slow, easy smile that showed every inch of his pointed fangs. His turbulant gaze moved slowly over her body, taking in her appearance. There was almost nothing familiar about her, apart from the feeling of power that had always radiated in waves from the girl, before she ever became a Vampire.
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Sept 17, 2005 14:50:07 GMT
Red knew he was there before his fingers closed around her wrist firmly and jerked her around. A small smile spread across her face slowly, the arrogance and power clear in her smile, but there was also a twinge of something else behind it. If she was surprised at the disheveled appearance of Acerbus, she hid it well. That was a handy tool she had learnt in her travels. She looked over him with almost practiced ease and lifted a gloved hand to brush a strand of her loose long hair from her eyes.
"Long time no see," She echoed his words, her robe flapping gently in the suddenly quiet wind, as though everything had simultaneously halted as the two Vampires met each other again for the first time in years. Red's hand moved from her face to his, touching his chin softly and looking at the cuts on his face in the pathetic light. The grace and newfound softness in her movements was another lesson she had been taught. To give the illusion of catlike movements and gentility in the beginning and then rapidly change to brute force gave her hunting an element of art. Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth, almost disapprovingly except for a note of something almost seductive in her smile and tone as she looked over his cuts.
"You have certainly been busy, Acerbus. What in the name of Merlin has happened to you?" She raised an eyebrow in question and her tone was silky smooth. Scarlett had always had the utmost respect for this Vampire in particular: he had taken a liking to her when he met her, but she had known who he was before he knew her. She had requested a favour and he had granted it graciously, yet nervously. Red had been the girl who had robbed him of his Siring virginity so to speak.
She had been his first. The first who had mattered.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Sept 18, 2005 11:30:44 GMT
Ace watched her movements; these were not reminiscent of the fiery girl he remembered, ruled entirely by her passions and her whims. Then, she had moved like a hurricane, demanding attention in everything she did, and her words had been forceful and curt. Now he saw, not a softness, as many might mistake it for, but a quietness in her movements. He found it odd that it seemed where most people found neverending torment in becoming one of the undead, she had finally found solace.
Ace's smile turned into a wry grin as Red commented on his appearance. "What happened to me? Your old pal happened to me, as a matter of fact... Adia."
He spoke the name with all the darkness it entailed. His green eyes shadowed as he recalled why he had been striding about the Lake at such an untimely hour. He glanced up at the school, which lay quiet and still, strangely ominous considering what Ace knew must be happening inside.
"In fact, I'm supposed to be somewhere else right now..." He looked up at the school, suddenly torn. The Vampire in him wanted to catch up with his Siree, find out how she had adjusted after he had turned her, and fill her in on everything that had happened to him since she had left; but the Professor, whose heart lay solely within the walls of Magic Horizons, urged him to make his apologies and rush off to defend the castle against Adia and the others. The two opposing sides battled angrily against each other as he turned his gaze back to Red.
"So... what's new with you?" said Ace quietly, before a small grin curled the corners of his mouth upwards. "Apart from the obvious, of course."
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Sept 19, 2005 10:05:07 GMT
A small, wryly delighted smile fell onto Red's face as Adia's name was mentioned. So Adia was still hovering around the castle. Red hadn't expected that gem of information to fall graciously into her lap so easily. She had been prepared to track down whomsoever may have the information where her girl might be and then beat it out of them. On that note, Red decided that she'd take a stroll through the forest soon enough, reaquainting herself with old hunting grounds and magical clearings that she and Blue had summoned so much chaos with.
Judging from the damage inflicted by the girl, she wasn't happy to see Acerbus. Red's thoughts swept through her mind smoothly, wondering what had happened between the two and then deciding she would make it her job to find out. She didn't know whom she would choose if she had to make a choice between the Vampire she admired most or the human she desired most. Or perhaps admired and desired weren't exactly the right words.
None of these thoughts were betrayed in her face, however, just the small arrogant smile that didn't match the darkness that clouded her eyes. She saw Acerbus's flicker of uncertainty as to where he should be - he had obviously sunk his talons into some sort of position of responsibility at the school. It was intriguing to note how much things could change so quickly. Acerbus himself had pointed out to Red that it was humans who rushed through life so quickly. Red had found her true calling and had settled back into her newfound life with unconcious ease.
"I suspect that whatever I have to tell you won't be half as exciting as what you have to tell me." She lifted her gloved hand from his face and it moved to rest on her hip.
"It seems you have a new alliance with the school." It wasn't a question. Her red eyes were as fierce and piercing as they had always been, betraying no emotion. She had learnt to control them better. There was a slight flicker of the old Red at times when she was called, but the more sensual, catlike Red was the one who ruled the mind of Scarlett.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Sept 20, 2005 11:00:30 GMT
Ace watched Red watching him, feeling a slight unease about the situation - this Vampiress may be his charge, in a manner of speaking, but she was allied to Adia, and probably more attune with the darker side of her nature than Ace would ever allow himself to be. Nevertheless, he smiled tentatively and chuckled.
"Oh, it's nothing unusual," he said, his green eyes twinkling. "Headmistress Claire was short of a Potions Master, and against her better nature enquired as to whether I might like the position, giving that it is my area of expertise. I was hesitant, naturally, but..." He sighed, and glanced once again at the impressive sight of the cold stone castle looming above them in the darkness. ".. I'd be lying if I said I thought of any other place more as my home than here. Within those walls, I was introduced to so many new things, discovered things about myself and about the world around me I would have scarcely believed possible... And besides, the noteable salary and lavish living quarters are a real bonus."
Ace laughed, and cast his mind back to when he had last seen Red - it seemed almost worlds apart, when he had embraced darkness and all the perks that came with it, and she was a lost girl, trying to find her true niche in life. It seemed as though they had both found their place - but the question was whether the pair could remain acquaintances with their places in life so far apart.
"But that's nothing, nothing compared to what you must have been through," said Ace, returning the favour and placing a cold finger upon Red's equally cold face, tracing it along the curve of her jaw. "Look at you, all grown up..." The blonde Vampire chuckled softly. "Tell me, does the life of an immortal suit you, Red?"
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Sept 20, 2005 13:53:44 GMT
"To the ground," Red allowed the physical touch, almost mirroring the caress she had given him only moments ago. She had respect and trust in this particular Vampire and knew that, but fought back the urge to hit his hand away. She was afraid for a moment that her reaction might have flickered through her eyes, but decided it was safer to deal with Acerbus' questions as they came and not ask for them when she wasn't prepared for how she might answer.
"Although, I must admit, it does have its low points. The power," She exhaled and a sly smile stretched across her face, a single fang revealed. There was a reflection of the older Red, a much more subdued one, but she was there. The power and force she had at her command was simply staggering, the manipulation she had and the part she could play over a mortal's life. She did have that once - with raw, untrained magic. But to have it controlled and under her firm grasp was a notion that pleased Red no end.
She allowed her sentence to trail off, assuming that Acerbus would know precisely what she was talking about. In a way it did not surprise her at all that he had found his love in the school: even as she remembered him he had always had some connection with the castle - good or bad. Potions didn't surprise her either. She had known for a long time that Potions was the magical art that came most naturally to a Vampire as magical ability was not a pre-requisite.
"Is the 'grown-up' Red an improvement, Acerbus?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively and laced each word with slight innuendo.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Sept 21, 2005 12:22:32 GMT
Ace did not see the flicker in her eyes that his touch had caused, but sensed her discomfort as if he had felt it himself. He noted this with interest; she did not mind his touch when it was violent or aggressive, like when he had grabbed her by the wrist - but a slow, caressing touch provoked a negative reaction. Some things never change, he thought, smiling at Red, knowing she was probably thinking the precise same thing about him. It had always been some comfort to Ace, knowing that some things would remain the same no matter how he or his situation changed.
"I don't know, cutie," said Ace, grinning steadily at the fiery-eyed Vampiress. His eyes sparkled as he looked over her, again, unable to help his eyes lingering on the low cut of her corset and the curve of her figure beneath her robes. "On the one hand, you seem to suit your new lease of life, as you say, down to the ground..." He laughed. "But on the other hand, I wonder whether you still have the same anger and passion you once had... the spark in you that flared the spark in me... it was what made you special, what set you apart from the rest of the power-hungry crowd. You were free and unbridled... and I just wonder whether those special qualities of yours have managed to cross over with you."
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Sept 26, 2005 7:48:32 GMT
Red paused for a moment, considering his words. It was true she supposed, although there were some circumstances that called for her 'unbridled spirit'. Now was simply not one of those circumstances. Red leant forward to murmur her next line to the Vampire in front of her. The way she leant forward also allowed for Acerbus to let his gaze fall over the contents of her low cut corset if he so wished.
"Perhaps then, it would be best if you re-awakened the spark in me," She smirked seductively at him and straightened herself again. Her eyes looked across the castle and her eyes narrowed a little. The place had smelt of lingering mortality, one that was only discovered once you had spent lengthy amounts of time with Vampires and other immortal beings. Although, Red had to admit, even now she could barely remember what it had smelt like. It seemed that it was easier to forget than to remember.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Oct 4, 2005 20:21:38 GMT
Ace's green gaze held steady with her bright red ones; an irreconcilable clash that belied their connection.
"Perhaps I should," he said quietly - but his tone was not soft, purring or warm, but rather sharp and indiscreet, as though he saw something in her eyes he thought he shouldn't. It was true, Red had changed, but there was still something hard, cold, and very untouchable about her that reminded him quite disturbingly of the girl he had just escaped from.
"So how does it feel, being back in the place you hated so much as a human, Red?" asked Ace, surprised to feel genuine curiosity as to her answer. When she had requested to be a Vampire, Ace had not resisted because he could sense, he knew, how much she hated her life as it had been, and he felt certain that the influence of the school had not helped. "Have you really changed so much that being here doesn't bring every single memory screaming back into very sharp focus?"
His eyes were boring into her as he spoke; any outsider could see that the Vampire was speaking from his own, painful experience, not simply trying to bristle the fiery Vampiress before him.
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Oct 14, 2005 13:13:49 GMT
Red let out a single, hollow 'Ha!' and raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his idea.
"You know as well as I the unfortunate curse this castle casts upon nearly all who step into the grounds. Even people such as us, who have...memories...here, cannot escape it." She was a trifle ruffled by his forthright manner, but even so, Red thought that she saw a flicker of longing within him, for her to understand what was he was talking about, for her to be able to relate to him.
She could, of course. There was no doubt about the fact that these two immortals conversing in the dark shadows of the night understood and related to each other very easily. The respect that Red held for Ace stemmed from his understanding of her, even when she was mortal, filled with a yearning for something more. He had allowed her to reach a potential she had never dreamed of.
She owed him.
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Ace
Professor
Vampire
Passion rules us all
Posts: 495
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Post by Ace on Oct 14, 2005 13:28:03 GMT
Ace raised a brow at Red's exact wording - it was too much of a coincidence that she expressed almost the same hatred of the curse that dragged her back as he had done months earlier.
"I do know," he said, seriously but conversationally. "When I left I was certain I would never set foot back in this place. It does things to creatures like us. It's not good." Ace's eyes were dark and heavy as he turned them from Red's bitter expression. "But then something brought me back... and now I feel I can't leave, just like before. I got quite obsessed with the idea that there might be some sort of curse on this place, and started looking it up... I didn't find anything, of course, but then one day I was in the Headmistresses Tower, and I came across a volume full of local history - and as it turns out, in the sixteenth century several witches were tried and executed here. The last of them screamed a curse just before the axe came down on her head - that once you visited this place, this land, you would never want to leave again, but live and die here, cursed always."
Ace looked to Red, wondering what she would think of the story. "Of course, they didn't believe her - she might not have even been a witch, most humans they killed back then weren't - but still, it seems odd..."
He sighed and shook his head, considering Red once more. Why were they all still here, bound by some invisible force, when they all desired nothing more than escape from Magic Horizons and all it had ever meant to them - it made no other logical sense.
"Escape is impossible, little Red - but accepting that inevitability will let you make the most of this infernal place."
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Scarlett Red
New Member
Vampire
::Pointed ears. Pointed nose. Pointed Fangs::
Posts: 24
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Post by Scarlett Red on Oct 15, 2005 9:09:08 GMT
Red tossed her hair from her eyes and looked up at Acerbus from an angle, her crimson eyes watching him carefully. Her hands linked her fingers together and she allowed herself a small smile that revealed a slight amount of her fangs.
"And yet you seem to hold no contempt for this 'infernal place' as you so wonderfully put it," She parried smoothly and wondered silently of his words.
Red could easily place her trust in the curse. She had cast too many in her time to stupidly believe that they did not exist. Adding the fact that it was Acerbus who was imparting this knowlege to her, it created a very credible source. Yet there was a small feeling of cynism that lurked in her mind.
She would have to think it over properly later.
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