The Talamasca Motherhouse

[.David Talbot.]

Singe seized his chance as quickly as he could so that Vikteren could not stop him again, his teeth driving carefully into Antha's skin, breaking the surface cleanly. Witch's blood was on a whole different level than any other human. Antha's blood in particular was a powerful little drug. He took only enough so that the infusion of umbra energy spread throughout him before he released her, pausing to let a very small bit spill down her neck. She had never in all his memory been fond of older vampires' clean work.

 

[Vikteren]

.David Talbot.

Singe seized his chance as quickly as he could so that Vikteren could not stop him again, his teeth driving carefully into Antha's skin, breaking the surface cleanly. Witch's blood was on a whole different level than any other human. Antha's blood in particular was a powerful little drug. He took only enough so that the infusion of umbra energy spread throughout him before he released her, pausing to let a very small bit spill down her neck. She had never in all his memory been fond of older vampires' clean work.

If Vikteren had perhaps been a little younger, and hadn't been drilled in etiquette since birth, or maybe had just a little less self-control, he might have rolled his eyes, or sighed. As it was, he was at Antha's side one moment, and perched on the desk the next, a good distance away from the two of them, purposefully looking away, his chin propped up on his hand. It was bad manners to watch.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

When he had finished, she only brushed the small punctures with the tips of her fingers, a touch of insanity to her features. It took her a moment to force herself to stand and even when she did she was slightly dizzy. Regardless, she kept perfect composure as she went immediately to Vikteren, hopping up on the desk to sit staring down at the floor as calmly as she could. "It's something we do often," she explained, "Singe and I. Atticus and Nicolae and Siren as well. To us, it's all merely part of the game." She thought now to watch him, curious as to what reaction he would have.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

When he had finished, she only brushed the small punctures with the tips of her fingers, a touch of insanity to her features. It took her a moment to force herself to stand and even when she did she was slightly dizzy. Regardless, she kept perfect composure as she went immediately to Vikteren, hopping up on the desk to sit staring down at the floor as calmly as she could. "It's something we do often," she explained, "Singe and I. Atticus and Nicolae and Siren as well. To us, it's all merely part of the game." She thought now to watch him, curious as to what reaction he would have.

A slight tilt of his head was the only indication he'd heard her at all. His expression was unreadable, and his voice--of course--as expressionless as usual.
"What game?"  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

A grin overtook her expression as she copied Sleet's very words and recited them to Vikteren. "The game of life. Humans play it their entire lives and, in the end, they all fail. But creatures like us, witches and vampires, we play it on an entirely different level. In the end, one will win. But even if you seem victorious, you never know what the roll of dice will bring." It was instant, her recollection of the cruel, manic creature in the crypts, and she sent it effortlessly to him, let him see the dictator spinning around in the dank dungeon, facing a different one of his followers every few seconds. Like Antha herself he put a great emphasis on body language and his motions were loose and easy. "To win the game...it's a dream that kills most that foolishly choose to pursue it."

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

A grin overtook her expression as she copied Sleet's very words and recited them to Vikteren. "The game of life. Humans play it their entire lives and, in the end, they all fail. But creatures like us, witches and vampires, we play it on an entirely different level. In the end, one will win. But even if you seem victorious, you never know what the roll of dice will bring." It was instant, her recollection of the cruel, manic creature in the crypts, and she sent it effortlessly to him, let him see the dictator spinning around in the dank dungeon, facing a different one of his followers every few seconds. Like Antha herself he put a great emphasis on body language and his motions were loose and easy. "To win the game...it's a dream that kills most that foolishly choose to pursue it."

He made a wordless sound of disinterest and stood, offering his hand to her once again. "You speak the sermon of your very captor as if he were a minister. They are good words, but even the most quotable drabble still means nothing." he informed her.
Vikteren had to wonder that she did not recall her own humanity, witch though she may be, and that all vampires were once mortal.
Perhaps, if you considered the game on these premises, they were all doomed to fail.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

She couldn't help but laugh at his words and thoughts. "Humanity? The witches and vampires who try to convince themselves that they still have some bit of humanity left within them are the ones who go completely and absolutely insane." As she finished her last words, she took his hand and hopped down from the desk again, taking a moment to brush off her skirt. The comments about Sleet she had to give a bit more thought to. He was truly cruel and Antha hated him, yet still he was a creature of a more beautiful darkness. Never had she been blinded by so strong an anger that she could not see a being for what it truly was and Sleet was indeed a brilliant beast.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

She couldn't help but laugh at his words and thoughts. "Humanity? The witches and vampires who try to convince themselves that they still have some bit of humanity left within them are the ones who go completely and absolutely insane." As she finished her last words, she took his hand and hopped down from the desk again, taking a moment to brush off her skirt. The comments about Sleet she had to give a bit more thought to. He was truly cruel and Antha hated him, yet still he was a creature of a more beautiful darkness. Never had she been blinded by so strong an anger that she could not see a being for what it truly was and Sleet was indeed a brilliant beast.

"Then," and Vikteren turned to face her. There was something undefinably terrible about his expression--lips slightly parted, one eyebrow lifted slightly, and dangerous green eyes fixed on hers. "By this logic, I am insane. Or due to become so quite shortly." The vampire stepped towards her, very deliberately. His voice was low and mocking and venomous. "You could have let me sleep in the crypts, Antha, where I would've ended my existence. You did not. I call it fitting, then, that you should be the one to put me out of my forthcoming misery. Call it a mercy killing if it pleases you; I do not care any longer. But it should be you, Princess Mayfair, whose fingers--" and he was unbuttoning his white shirt, deftly, parting it to expose his gaunt frame, perfectly white except for a small, thin scar just beneath his breastbone. The vampire's right hand closed around her left wrist, hard enough to leave a bruise, and drew it in to lay flat against that scar, "--penetrate my flesh, and...it is not difficult...push in, and upwards, and take my heart, and pull it free." In a mockery of a heartbeat, the skin of his chest throbbed, once, tauntingly, against her hand. "Go ahead. Put me out of the game, let me regain my sanity in death if I must. Kill me."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

The girl's eyes darkened, her expression became a little pout. Carefully she moved her hand, spreading her fingers out over the flesh that lay between her and his heart. "If I could ever even imagine killing something dear to me," her voice, pure venom, matched her eyes in every aspect, "I would be no better than sick, murderous Sleet himself." She took a moment to press her fingers a little more roughly against his skin, sending something nearly electric through her touch, and quite suddenly her anger seemed to transform and Antha looked merely hurt. As always, her eyes were the easiest to read and they screamed of something quite simply broken. "If you wish yourself among the buried dead, find another to do the deed for you." Finally, her entire form tensed and moving hastily, she turned her back on him and let herself again into the hallway. When the umbra followed after her like a cloud of mirrored emotions, anything small or fragile in their path stood no chance. Even the dust on the floor was swept up and rolled lazily across the old stones, waiting to settle again.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

The girl's eyes darkened, her expression became a little pout. Carefully she moved her hand, spreading her fingers out over the flesh that lay between her and his heart. "If I could ever even imagine killing something dear to me," her voice, pure venom, matched her eyes in every aspect, "I would be no better than sick, murderous Sleet himself." She took a moment to press her fingers a little more roughly against his skin, sending something nearly electric through her touch, and quite suddenly her anger seemed to transform and Antha looked merely hurt. As always, her eyes were the easiest to read and they screamed of something quite simply broken. "If you wish yourself among the buried dead, find another to do the deed for you." Finally, her entire form tensed and moving hastily, she turned her back on him and let herself again into the hallway. When the umbra followed after her like a cloud of mirrored emotions, anything small or fragile in their path stood no chance. Even the dust on the floor was swept up and rolled lazily across the old stones, waiting to settle again.

He followed her out into the hall, his shirt still open and the thin white fabric fluttering as he moved. "Why not?" he demanded. "I am merely another parasite in this godforsaken city, I mean nothing to no being! And by your own words, I am closer to insanity than any other predator in human mask! Gods and angels, Antha!" And suddenly his voice, the snarl, the shout, dropped into a low, even tone. "Who will I go after first, when I lose my mind? You? David? Nicolae? Perhaps I'll tear myself apart. Would you rather kill me then...or now?"  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"Neither! I intend to stick to my word. There are hundreds of little parasites in this city, Vikteren, but if each were to be executed separately there would be nothing." There was conviction in her voice, anger roused once more, and yet still on instinct she stepped up to him, grabbed both of his hands as if it would somehow help to persuade him. "Even if the heart does not beat and the lungs do not breathe, when the light flickers out the spirits cry. And you---how could you act as if you are nothing? If you weren't extraordinary, do you think I would tolerate your company? Do you think a witch as powerful as I am would not look into the spirit of a being before accepting its company? Had I not felt you would so easily become dear to me in due time, I would have handed you over to Khayman and been done with it the moment we emerged from the crypts."

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

"Neither! I intend to stick to my word. There are hundreds of little parasites in this city, Vikteren, but if each were to be executed separately there would be nothing." There was conviction in her voice, anger roused once more, and yet still on instinct she stepped up to him, grabbed both of his hands as if it would somehow help to persuade him. "Even if the heart does not beat and the lungs do not breathe, when the light flickers out the spirits cry. And you---how could you act as if you are nothing? If you weren't extraordinary, do you think I would tolerate your company? Do you think a witch as powerful as I am would not look into the spirit of a being before accepting its company? Had I not felt you would so easily become dear to me in due time, I would have handed you over to Khayman and been done with it the moment we emerged from the crypts."

His eyes flickered faintly, the green flame in them stirred by her words. And then it disappeared, winked out, leaving them dim and murky.
Then Vikteren withdrew his hands from hers and glanced over his shoulder. "We should probably go now. Your friend must be tired of listening to our..." A brief pause, as he deftly re-buttoned his shirt. "...theatrics."
And she still had not answered his underlying, unspoken question, but he no longer wanted to know. If the vampires, the witches who sought after their lost humanity were fated to become insane, then what was he?  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"We're all a little insane," she said softly, eyes staring hard at the dust upon the floor, "Vampires mourn for the humanity that they have lost, while the witches grieve for what they never had in the first place and yet are so hauntingly close to. That is why we act as we do. And this city was made to house creatures like us, and therefore no one even gives a second glance. But you...perhaps you are far less crazed than us." Singe had already fallen back into dreams, it seemed, and so Antha turned on her heel and continued off down the hall, hands clasped behind her back and eyes focused wholly on the worn stone floor.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

"We're all a little insane," she said softly, eyes staring hard at the dust upon the floor, "Vampires mourn for the humanity that they have lost, while the witches grieve for what they never had in the first place and yet are so hauntingly close to. That is why we act as we do. And this city was made to house creatures like us, and therefore no one even gives a second glance. But you...perhaps you are far less crazed than us." Singe had already fallen back into dreams, it seemed, and so Antha turned on her heel and continued off down the hall, hands clasped behind her back and eyes focused wholly on the worn stone floor.

He watched her back for a moment, then frowned and set off after her.
The vampire did not attempt to make conversation again. But he let his steps sound upon the stone, to let her know that he guarded her still.
And he refused to let him think about what she had said.
Or to think about what had occurred to him as he followed her.
Perhaps the reason he wanted to be by her side was more than just a simple desire for her safety.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

The top of the tower was cold, the winter air filtering in through the large gaps of windows in the walls. She paused in the door, listening to his footsteps, and when she continued on she left the door open for him. "You can see half of the city from here," she commented quite simply, stepping up into the large window and sitting quietly down with her legs dangling over the side of the tower. "David comes here to think. Singe used to use it to sneak in and out of the castle without everyone pestering him." Giving a soft sigh, she cast her gaze over her shoulder. "Singe generally wakes an hour after sunset. Another half an hour and he'll be ready to go. But I wonder, will you come with us or linger here?"