Osiris City Bar

[XCandy and LunacyX]

It seemed Antha's eyes had almost doubled in size instantly and within a split second she had come to her feet and slammed her fisted hand on the table as she stood staring at him. Her entire form was shaking with anger and after a moment the glasses, tables, chairs, and other mobile objects of the room were shivering along with her as her powers began to slip slowly out of her control. Now he had really done it. "No price? What the hell do you know about us to say we haven't paid a price? At one time you were human. Us, we never have been and never can be. Because of that, the people that we should be just like fear and despise us. All of them in this city save for a few oddities, they would kill us if ever given the chance. We share that same misfortune. Have you ever even thought of that, of how we must feel every morning when we wake up and have to worry if this is the day they decide to kill us? And furthermore, there are always the individual circumstances we must endure, the people who should love us and care for us but do everything they can to extinguish us. Do you have any idea-?!" Unable to drag another single syllable from her throat, Antha spun quickly around just as the table they had been sitting at came crashing down in a splintery heap on the floor. But she paid no mind to it, only sat herself down almost on the edge of her chair while she clutched the sides of it with her tensed fingers to keep from breaking anything else. "I know you have your own damn struggles," she said slowly, her voice trembling with remnants of rage that she was trying with all her power to keep under control, "But ours are just as bad. On either side there are the people who would be free of these chains the blood strings around every one of us, people like Malakai or Dolly Jean who are accepted regardless of the abilities they have and never punished by someone who hates their powers, or people like Sleet and Persephone who thrive in every aspect of being a vampire, of the full cruelty they're allowed. We focus on the best of the opposite sides, all of us, and we fail to see the rest who struggle and feel the full force of the curse we have. You do it, Nicolae does it, and I do it too."

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

It seemed Antha's eyes had almost doubled in size instantly and within a split second she had come to her feet and slammed her fisted hand on the table as she stood staring at him. Her entire form was shaking with anger and after a moment the glasses, tables, chairs, and other mobile objects of the room were shivering along with her as her powers began to slip slowly out of her control. Now he had really done it. "No price? What the hell do you know about us to say we haven't paid a price? At one time you were human. Us, we never have been and never can be. Because of that, the people that we should be just like fear and despise us. All of them in this city save for a few oddities, they would kill us if ever given the chance. We share that same misfortune. Have you ever even thought of that, of how we must feel every morning when we wake up and have to worry if this is the day they decide to kill us? And furthermore, there are always the individual circumstances we must endure, the people who should love us and care for us but do everything they can to extinguish us. Do you have any idea-?!" Unable to drag another single syllable from her throat, Antha spun quickly around just as the table they had been sitting at came crashing down in a splintery heap on the floor. But she paid no mind to it, only sat herself down almost on the edge of her chair while she clutched the sides of it with her tensed fingers to keep from breaking anything else. "I know you have your own damn struggles," she said slowly, her voice trembling with remnants of rage that she was trying with all her power to keep under control, "But ours are just as bad. On either side there are the people who would be free of these chains the blood strings around every one of us, people like Malakai or Dolly Jean who are accepted regardless of the abilities they have and never punished by someone who hates their powers, or people like Sleet and Persephone who thrive in every aspect of being a vampire, of the full cruelty they're allowed. We focus on the best of the opposite sides, all of us, and we fail to see the rest who struggle and feel the full force of the curse we have. You do it, Nicolae does it, and I do it too."

He intertwined his hands around each other and waited patiently for her to regain control, his face expressionless. After she sat down again, he waited a few moments, then began. "Every day, millions of humans curse their lack of power. They dream of making a difference, of wielding the infuence you do. You have never been human. You have never had their priveleges, their restrictions, and thus you cannot mourn for what you have lost--for you have never owned it." He held up his palm, facing outwards, to prevent any outburst from her. "I am not the person to lecture you at length upon such matters, as you have doubtless realized, but I...I have been upon this earth for a very long time. I do not know so very little as you might percieve." Vikteren folded his fingers in again and lowered his hand. "I shall repeat myself, and hopefully this time it shall not be so muddled. I have--" he grimaced slightly, "--the tendency to lean towards unclear explanations. Your family has been granted many gifts. There are some vampires who believe you are unworthy of these gifts, since your human heritage allows you to have options that are no longer available to those who went the--traditional routes." He paused, thoughtfully. "But just as there are humans who do not envy your powers, there are vampires who do not hate you for these options. But many of us--myself included--know that power demands a price, and it is almost always more than any of us can afford to pay. And it is thus, as you may observe, a trifling worrying to most that your family carries such power and appears to have given no payment in return, at least--" he looked up at her. "--none that is apparent."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha tilted her head forward so that again her sharp waves of hair came like a veil over her face. For a few moments she had been biting her tongue to keep from speaking and suddenly she could taste traces of blood along the skin. "Now you contradict yourself. A moment ago you seemed so absolutely certain that we never pay a price for this." She was silent for a split second before giving a vague shake of her head as if to say that particular element of the argument didn't matter anymore. "We cant mourn for what we've lost, true, but we do enough mourning for what we can't have as something other than human. We mourn that we can feel misfortune approaching like a black fog, that we know what the people around us think when they're too weak to protect their minds no matter how hard we try not to hear it, that at any moment when we turn around we may see the remnants of those who've already died in perfect form." Finally, she left out a soft little breath that resembled a sigh and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear so as to look at him, her vision cleared of the malice her eyes had carried earlier.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

Antha tilted her head forward so that again her sharp waves of hair came like a veil over her face. For a few moments she had been biting her tongue to keep from speaking and suddenly she could taste traces of blood along the skin. "Now you contradict yourself. A moment ago you seemed so absolutely certain that we never pay a price for this." She was silent for a split second before giving a vague shake of her head as if to say that particular element of the argument didn't matter anymore. "We cant mourn for what we've lost, true, but we do enough mourning for what we can't have as something other than human. We mourn that we can feel misfortune approaching like a black fog, that we know what the people around us think when they're too weak to protect their minds no matter how hard we try not to hear it, that at any moment when we turn around we may see the remnants of those who've already died in perfect form." Finally, she left out a soft little breath that resembled a sigh and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear so as to look at him, her vision cleared of the malice her eyes had carried earlier.

"I merely noted that if you do pay a price, it is not evident to many." he said evenly. "I beg pardon." He pressed his fingertips together and glanced up. "I am--not accustomed--to being in a position of anything other than certainty. Forgive me." When he looked back, he went still, surprised. "And you've finally decided to look at me. It is good to know that something worthwhile came out of the loss of this fine table." Vikteren shifted his gaze to the pile of splinters on the floor.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Her eyes diverted quickly, shifting to the pile of splinters heaped up on the floor. With a quick little movement she slipped out of her chair and onto her knees amid the stack of wood remnants. Leaning over it all, she touched her fingertips to the farthest splinters and dragged them back to where her knees wee, watching the wood shiver at her touch and eventually draw together and rise in formation to the shape the table had once been. It wasn't quite the same, of course, just something brought hastily together to it's original shape. "I shouldn't have let myself get so out of control," she said softly as she rose back up and into her chair, her movements a bit shaky perhaps for lack of energy. "I apologize. I just...don't like to think of these things. There are reasons, you see, that witches tend to avoid speaking of troubles, of the prices we pay. People like me tend to get lost in the melancholy of it for a while."

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

Her eyes diverted quickly, shifting to the pile of splinters heaped up on the floor. With a quick little movement she slipped out of her chair and onto her knees amid the stack of wood remnants. Leaning over it all, she touched her fingertips to the farthest splinters and dragged them back to where her knees wee, watching the wood shiver at her touch and eventually draw together and rise in formation to the shape the table had once been. It wasn't quite the same, of course, just something brought hastily together to it's original shape. "I shouldn't have let myself get so out of control," she said softly as she rose back up and into her chair, her movements a bit shaky perhaps for lack of energy. "I apologize. I just...don't like to think of these things. There are reasons, you see, that witches tend to avoid speaking of troubles, of the prices we pay. People like me tend to get lost in the melancholy of it for a while."

The vampire was silent for a few moments. "I did not mean to disturb you," he said finally. "I asked for answers, for all my hubris, and you gave them. For this I thank you."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha sat quietly staring at him for a moment before a little light came on in her eyes, a look of revelation almost, and the slightest blush came to her cheeks. "You remind me of Khayman," she said gently as she turned to look out of the nearby window, apparently able to see something beyond the iced 9-pane structure. "If only slightly." This addition to her statement was a bit softer than the first, mixed with some strange quality that suggested she was fading in and out of some dream world.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

Antha sat quietly staring at him for a moment before a little light came on in her eyes, a look of revelation almost, and the slightest blush came to her cheeks. "You remind me of Khayman," she said gently as she turned to look out of the nearby window, apparently able to see something beyond the iced 9-pane structure. "If only slightly." This addition to her statement was a bit softer than the first, mixed with some strange quality that suggested she was fading in and out of some dream world.

"Khayman?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. He noted the blush. "If I may presume--a friend of yours?" There was something about the way she said it that made him wonder what had happened between them, although it was no business of his.  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"Khayman is one of the three coven masters of Osiris City." Her voice seemed to be getting softer every moment, though she made sure he had no trouble hearing her. "Khayman's different; he doesn't judge us by the fact that we're witches. He tells those who follow him that this war needs to be ended, it's pointless." Another faint blush rose to her cheeks and dissipated once again. "He's truly a kind person, Khayman is." Quickly she leaned her head forward just enough so that her hair fell in her face again and her expression was hidden from the world. The only clue to her thoughts at the moment was the slight chuckle she gave after she had thought on the words she said. I sound like a fangirl...

 

[HopeInTears]

Miguel strolls leisurely into the tavern, taking a seat near the door. A young waitress approached, the vampire's eyes noticing first how short her skirt was.
"Can I get you anything, sir?" She was young, a sense of nervousness detectable in her voice.
"Well I'd like to have a drink with you, for starters," He winked, "So how about a nice brandy?"
The waitress' cheeks caught aflame with a violent blush, a surprised expression on her face as she ran off to fetch his order. Miguel couldn't help but smile at this, it was becoming far too easy. He sat back and grinned, relaxing in his chair as he waited for his drink.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

"Khayman is one of the three coven masters of Osiris City." Her voice seemed to be getting softer every moment, though she made sure he had no trouble hearing her. "Khayman's different; he doesn't judge us by the fact that we're witches. He tells those who follow him that this war needs to be ended, it's pointless." Another faint blush rose to her cheeks and dissipated once again. "He's truly a kind person, Khayman is." Quickly she leaned her head forward just enough so that her hair fell in her face again and her expression was hidden from the world. The only clue to her thoughts at the moment was the slight chuckle she gave after she had thought on the words she said. I sound like a fangirl...

He stretched out his hand and ran it over the smoothed wood of the table. "Then I suppose I should be flattered, although the idea of belonging to any coven, master or otherwise, has never appealed to me. I suppose it is merely past experiences." The vampire gave her a sidelong glance. "You admire him, then? He is...a good leader, to your mind?"  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

Antha sat silently for several moments, thinking on the question. When she finally answered, she straightened in her chair again as if to face him, though her hair cast a shadow on the upper portion of her face. "I'm not really sure he's a good leader, no. Certainly not the worst, but at the same time he's by no means the best of leaders. I meant only as a person, an individual being, do I hold him in such high regard." Her eyes quickly skimmed the floor to find the broken glass mingled with lightly tinted pink liquid scattered all over the floor, the remnants of her drink. She stared at it for a moment or two, a bit discouraged possibly, until the waitress found herself wandering over to their table by some unknown force acting on her. Quickly Antha began in a rapid stream of French to place her order, knowing this particular girl to have trouble with English, and finally sat back in her seat as the girl rushed off to fill the order.

 

[Vikteren]

+Rotting Lunacy+

Antha sat silently for several moments, thinking on the question. When she finally answered, she straightened in her chair again as if to face him, though her hair cast a shadow on the upper portion of her face. "I'm not really sure he's a good leader, no. Certainly not the worst, but at the same time he's by no means the best of leaders. I meant only as a person, an individual being, do I hold him in such high regard." Her eyes quickly skimmed the floor to find the broken glass mingled with lightly tinted pink liquid scattered all over the floor, the remnants of her drink. She stared at it for a moment or two, a bit discouraged possibly, until the waitress found herself wandering over to their table by some unknown force acting on her. Quickly Antha began in a rapid stream of French to place her order, knowing this particular girl to have trouble with English, and finally sat back in her seat as the girl rushed off to fill the order.

Vikteren interlaced his fingers and watched her until she had completed her order. His voice was as inflectionless as always. "How does he manage to hold such a position? I would imagine in a city such as this one, the other clans would take dislike to such a viewpoint."  

[XCandy and LunacyX]

"They do," she said simply, softly. There was a peculiar look in her eyes as her drink was set hastily down before her and she stood gazing at her visage. "But Khayman is old and powerful, more so than Sleet or Persephone, so they can't quite challenge him. Besides, his age alone demands a certain respect, even if they hate him." She ran her finger around the rim of her glass several times, not daring to drink it, and eventually, unable stand the look of her own face reflected in it, pressed her finger firmly to the rim and pushed it so that it balanced dangerously on the bottom edge. "Besides, they know there will always be ones like me out there, creatures that would massacre them regardless of risk or consequences if they did anything to Khayman, even something as trivial as knocking him off of his throne."

 

[HopeInTears]

His ears picking up the name Sleet, Miguel moved so he could better eavesdrop on the girl sitting only a little bit away from himself, smiling as he listened.
What's going on now, I wonder...
Pretending to look for the waitress, his gaze traveled over to the speaker, lingering on her for a moment before going back to search the bar for his brandy.