Down and Out [Invite]

[Jesse Fforde]

-The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Jesse Fforde> The tome takes me directly to the basement of the Eyrie, directly where I knew it would. I don’t know if anyone else is there. I can’t see anything but blinding blackness. A growl rips from my throat as I crawl across the hard ground until I find the wall. I fall back against it, just lying there, face twitching as the blood continues to ooze from my eyes – the knife had gone straight through the both of them, and for all intents and purposes I shouldn’t be alive. In the very least I should be braindead. Maybe the knife didn’t penetrate that far. Maybe I’m only imagining the notion that my brain is now a pulpy mess. It certainly feels like it should be – my head feels as if it could easily split in two, like a watermelon.

Something has gone wrong, anyway. I can’t gather my thoughts together long enough to decide what to do. I feel the need to find my way back to my hut. I have to think about it. Can I do that, when I can’t see anything? I want to hide from everyone. I don’t want anyone’s pity, though I doubt they’ll give it to me should they find out exactly how this happened. But to try to make my way back to the hut, surely I’ll run into someone. So instead, I begin to slowly crawl down the hallway of the basement, maybe far enough from the drop spot so that no one will see me. Just around the corner… Though of course, I forget that I’m leaving behind me a very distinct trail of blood.


<Velveteen> Velveteen tucked her phone away after receiving Phoenix’s text and headed straight to the underground in search of Jesse. It was a good bet that if the guy was actually blind he might have a bit of trouble getting himself upstairs. It would also give her a good opportunity to find out what the **** actually happened and what did she mean he was wanting her to kill him? She also mentioned Micah as well so...what the hell had happened? She took the elevator to ground and then the make shift ladder that took her beneath the ground under the Eyrie. The scent of blood assaulted her senses and she called out to him before her feet even hit the earth. “Jesse? Are you down here?” It took a moment for her eyes to adjust the darkness but within moments she was moving along the tunnel following the trail of blood. It didn’t take long before she came upon the male crawling his way along the ground and stood in front of him to block his path. “What the **** is going on now Jesse? I swear...you cannot be left alone for a single ******* minute anymore.”

As she waited for a reply or some sort of explanation she reached out with her mind to touch upon that of her husband. “Babe i think you better get down here. It’s Jesse and apparently you have something to do with it. We are in the basement. I will explain when you get here.”


<Jesse Fforde> How the ****....? I don't know how Velveteen found me so quickly. I don't know how she knew I was here. Maybe she's magic. Maybe she just knows every tiny little thing that happens in her Eyrie. Or maybe she just so happened to be watching the cameras. The ******* cameras. I forgot about them. I slump at Velveteen's feet and groan. "Nothing, nothing at all. Figment of your imagination," I mumble into the ground, head resting on my arm. I can taste my own blood. It's not at all satisfying.


<Micah> Micah had been going through a box of items that Bunny had brought with her when she had returned from the trip he had sent her on. It was full of items from his childhood, photo albums and things that had belonged to his mother. Things that he had never expected to see again but somehow, the blonde had known that he would have wanted to have them. It was quiet, almost too quiet and when his wife spoke into his mind it caught him off guard. “Lovely.” His voice sounded loud in the quiet room as he closed the box and headed for the elevator. He had a good idea what this was about, in fact he'd been waiting for it. Reaching out he pressed his thoughts into his wife's mind as he hit the button for the basement. “On my way.”


<Velveteen> The dark haired vampire snorted softly in reply to his smart *** response giving him nothing more at this point until she heard back from Micah. She was more than a little relived when his words played in her mind. ‘Good.’ She thought to herself, hoping that further explanation will help dictate what was to be done next. At this point she wasn’t sure if they were have to going to take Nix’s eyes or what, though knowing Jesse and how he had been of late, she was certain there was likely way more to this little story then she was aware. “This is really starting to get out of hand, Jesse.”


<Jesse Fforde> Another sigh, and I straighten up. I cant my head toward Velveteen's voice, but her voice echoes against the walls of the basement. I'm not quite sure where she is. I roll back so that I'm sitting. I can feel more blood oozing out of my eye sockets with the movement. No, I can't just taste the blood because it's in my mouth, but because it's saturated my whole sinus system. Of course. "It's not. It's all fine," I say. "Run in with a hunter, that's all," I say. Surely, she can't know, right?


<Micah> It was a short ride down to the basement from the top floor, not giving him much time to think about what he would find. Vel said she would explain. He trusted in that so there really was no need to guess even if he had a pretty good idea what it was about. As the doors opened he heard Jesse speaking. That was the first thing. The second was the scent of fresh blood. It wasn't Vel's, he knew that much and was grateful for that but that meant it belonged to Jesse. Spotting his wife he made his way over to where she was standing. “What's going on?”


<Velveteen> Velveteen sighed at the sight of her husband and waved her hand at the male now slumped against the wall. “I got a text from Nix saying she had stabbed his eyes out. Said something about him wanting her to kill him. She said he lied to you and now he is lying to me...well trying to, about what happened. So...at this point, your guess is as good as mine unless you know what she is on about?” She turned her gaze on Jesse once more, her expression one of confusion and possibly disappointment though he wouldn’t see it.


<Jesse Fforde> Oh, of course she would. Of course she would boast about what she had done. Though from the sound of it, Phoenix's text to Velveteen had been full of excuses - quick to try to turn Velveteen against me, and to save her own ***. "I didn't lie," voice finally reaching an indignant pitch. "And I only try now because she doesn't deserve any more ******* satisfaction," I groan. It's clear that Velveteen doesn't really know what's going on, but I'm wondering whether I have it in me to explain things linearly, or coherently. I am not a child who's going to run home crying foul. I'm not going to complain to anyone about what Phoenix has done, because I did ask for it. That's truth enough. I'm not going to point fingers and hope that somehow, Phoenix will be punished. It's not my intention at all. It would only feed her paranoia.


<Micah> When Jesse spoke again Micah knew exactly what it was about. He thought back to the night he'd met with Phoenix in the park and had point blank asked her why she hadn't taught Jesse one of the most important aspects of rituals. She insisted that she had, and had been rather pissed off that he had come at her accusing her of lying. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time which had been a mistake on his part. Of course she would have gone to Jesse and confronted him about it. She wasn't the type of woman to take something like that lying down. And now here they were in the basement of the Eyrie and Jesse was bleeding all over the floor. He didn't know what to say. “This is my fault.”


<Velveteen> The woman looked from and then the other. Obviously something had gone down that she was unaware of. Several strands of raven coloured hair fell about her pale face as she shook her head highly doubting this was Micah’s fault. “I doubt it, babe, maybe you two had better fill me in on the whole story... though that still doesn’t explain why she said you wanted her to kill you, Jesse. “ She looked around the darkened corridor and frowned. “Maybe we should take this upstairs though.” She returned her attention back to Micah. “Let’s get him up to his hut...or ours. Can get him cleaned up and sort this mess out before someone does end up dead.”


<Jesse Fforde> That's the last thing I expect to hear from Micah - because Micah is there now. I knew that, didn't I? When did Micah arrive? It's almost like he's always been there. They've both always been there. And I can feel the blood clotting in my brain. I can feel the pressure building. At least, I realise, they're not fawning over me like I'm some poor injured rabbit with a broken leg. There's no sympathy, just the desire for answers. Which is fine with me. But what? What did Micah just say? That this is his fault? How? I shake my head again. It feels like there's something sloshing around in there, bashing against the edges of my skull. "No," I say. And then forget that I am talking at all, or that I ever had any intention of trying to answer Velveteen's inquiries.


<Micah> “Ours.” It was a straight shot from the basement and more convenient. Micah took a step closer to Jesse and wound an arm around his waist to help him to his feet. The least he could do. A grim smile crossed his face and at first he didn't say anything. Why wasn't he surprised that Jesse wasn't blaming him for what had happened? He could argue with Jesse but it really wasn't going to change anything. He would explain the situation to his wife however, as she had asked. It wasn't going to be easy but she deserved and explanation as did Jesse. They might not blame him, but Micah blamed himself. Guilt wasn't something that he was accustomed to feeling, but he sure as hell felt it now.


<Velveteen> She nodded and waited to make sure that he was right carrying Jesse, which of course she knew he would be but still, she lingered anyway before turning to the lead the way to the elevator which would take them straight to where they needed to be. It was pretty clear that both Jess and Micah knew exactly what was going on and that it involved Nix but she would have to wait a little longer to find out the details. Though...in Jesse’s state she wasn’t sure how much sense she would get out of him. She held the door until both were inside and stepped in herself, hitting the button to take them to fourth. The silence hung heavily in the air for a minute or two and just as she was about to open her mouth to ask the one question she really wanted an answer to the metal doors slid open. She moved ahead and went straight for the bathroom to gather the necessary items to clean him up and better inspect the amount of damage that had been done. “Sit him at the table, babe.” She called from the bathroom. “There are blood bags in the fridge, by the look of it he has lost some.”


<Jesse Fforde> I don't do much. I am aware that I am being lifted from the ground. I am aware that I want to tell them I'm find, that I don't need help. I am also aware that it would be stupid to do so. Besides which, if there's anyone whose company I am comfortable in in my current state, it's the two people I'm currently with. I trust them, and I respect them, and these days I am disinclined to fight against them, or to deny the help they offer me. To do so would be an insult. I don't let Micah carry me completely. I am capable of walking - I was only crawling before because I didn't know where I was going. I need someone to help guide the way, and so I let him. I am aware of stepping into the enclosed space, and of the silence. But I welcome the silence. The silence is my friend. I am but a ragdoll, willing to do as they please.


<Micah> He did just that, pulled out one of the chairs sitting around the table with his foot and settled Jesse into it. Calling softly for Bunny, he waited until the girl scurried into the room before sending her off to get a few of the blood packs that they kept on hand in case of emergencies. Once she handed them over he directed her to get rid of the box and store it somewhere safe. Not that he was too worried about it being ruined, it was just sitting on the table innocently but it was in the way. When she was gone Micah pulled out another chair and sat and waited for his wife to return.


<Velveteen> Velveteen returned with a bowl of water, several cloths, some gauze, bandage and a towel. She had no idea how long he would take to heal but they couldn’t really have him walking around looking like that. It wasn’t the most pleasant sight. She set about cleaning away the blood to better see what was going on beneath it and paused to look at her husband. “So which one of you wanna go first?” She figured it was better to hear the story and get the events in perspective before she asked her own questions.


<Jesse Fforde> I am set down at a table. I can hear Micah as he calls to Bunny. I know she's gone off to get blood for me. My ears might twitch if I were an animal, listening for every nuance of sound. Otherwise I just sit there with my hands in my lap and my head bowed. Yes, I feel like I could drink a bucketload of blood, if not more, but I always feel that way. Thirst isn't the first thing on my mind. I refrain from hissing as Velveteen takes charge of cleaning up, holding my up only at her behest. I figure Micah might be able to tell the story better than me, but I have to interject before he begins. "It's not your fault," I say, though I am of course curious how he could think it was.


<Micah> He shook his head and opened one of the blood pack, reaching to place it directly into Jesse's hands. “I don't get how you can say that.” He really didn't. It made no sense to him. Micah watched Vel tend to Jesse and tried to put his thoughts into some sort of order that would make sense to not only himself, but Vel and Jesse too. “I'm the one who went to her and asked her why she didn't teach you correctly. I didn't come out and say it but I did insinuate that she was a shitty teacher. If I hadn't of done that she wouldn't have done this to you. So yeah it's my fault.”

<Velveteen> The woman narrowed her gaze a little as she searched her memory for any possibility that Micah might have mentioned something and she had forgotten, something she as prone to do it seemed, but she came up blank. Though from the little that had been said so far she could easily conclude that the ‘she’ he referred to was Phoenix and it had something to do with something she did or didn’t teach Jesse. She stopped what she was doing, putting two and two together. “Are you talking about rituals? I remember Jesse telling me a while back that he went to Nix to learn how to do them.”


<Jesse Fforde> It hadn't crossed my mind to be angry at Micah. Sure, I had told no one else about my realisation, and Micah was the only one who could have filled Phoenix in. But why shouldn't he? I'm more flattered than annoyed, that he should feel the need to go and confront Phoenix on my behalf. I hold the bag of blood in my hands but I don't do anything with it while Velveteen is cleaning. Again, I shake my head. "She's right. I'm the idiot who forgot, who didn't learn properly. She thinks I've got some trick up my sleeve, that I lied on purpose," I explain. I clear my throat. I turn to where I think Velveteen is sitting. "I failed so much because I wasn't fortifying the barrier," I explain. I turn back to where I think Micah is sitting. "You can't blame yourself for my **** ups."


<Micah> He nodded in response to Vel's question. Yeah it was about rituals. He was finding it hard to grasp that Jesse seriously didn't seem to be the slightest bit upset with him. It was baffling. Had it been him he would have destroyed half the Eyrie and everyone who crossed his path would have been subjected to scathing remarks, perhaps even a bullet or two. But Jesse wasn't him. “I admit I was pretty pissed, and yes I did feel like you lied to me. I got over it. Though I should have come and asked you about it as well. Guess I just figured I'd have a bit of time to do it and then I just got busy and forgot about it. I'm sorry.”


<Velveteen> “Ohhhh.” She nodded in response to what Jesse had said. That made perfect sense so she could now conclude further, as she listened, that Micah had discovered the reason and fixed it before confronting Nix. She frowned further. Jesse lying to Micah about it did seem a little...out of character and she wasn’t sure what the motive could possibly be for him to even want to but she did agree with one thing. It wasn’t Micah’s fault at all. The bowl of water was a dark red now and she had cleaned him up the best she could. Her fingers curled about his chin and she turned his head one way and then the other as his dark, bloody eye sockets now looked hollow and rather gruesome. She shook her head. “It isn’t your fault babe. You did what you did because you actually give a ****. No one can fault you for that but this? What the **** Jesse...why on earth would you let this happen and what the hell did she mean by you wanting her to kill you?” Her mind flashed back to the night he let himself get beat stupid at the Realm and how he had almost begged for Micah to kill him there too.

[Velveteen]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--



<Jesse Fforde> There it is. The one reason why I might actually be pissed at Micah; maybe the one thing Micah had expected me to be pissed about. It's not that he confronted Phoenix, not at all. No, it's the fact that he chose to believe her. That realisation - that even for a moment Micah would take Phoenix's side over mine - cuts deeper than the knife that had gouged out my eyes. I'm probably scowling as Velveteen assesses my face. I suppose there's no point snapping at Micah. No point, because of the question Velveteen asks. I won't lie, and they'll lose respect in me anyway. "It's not like I asked for it. I just didn't argue with her," I say. Well, I did argue with her, but only as a means to an end. I remember how I was, at the end. How I pleaded for her to finish it, just like I had wanted Micah to, once. "She wouldn't. I could have done it myself, but I didn't. I came here instead," I say, slowly, ponderously. I have to explain myself. I want them to understand. I don't want to lose their respect. That's why I came here, isn't it? "She said something... she accused me of being ungrateful. She accused me of not caring if I hurt those who..." I shake my head. "But she's wrong," I say, jaw set and chin held high.


<Micah> “She is wrong.” If there had been any doubt before it was gone. Jesse had chosen to take it upon himself to show that he did give a **** about someone other than himself, and he proved it by making the choice to use the tome. Had he let Phoenix kill him there was no doubt about it – any ounce of respect that Micah held for the other male would have been gone. Jesse proved that he wasn't ungrateful, and that he did actually appreciate everything that Micah and Vel had done for him. Instead of losing any respect, he'd gained respect just because he was honest.


<Velveteen> She couldn’t help but feel slightly conflicted as she listened. This had been going on for months now and the feeling that sooner or later he would succeed eventually in getting himself turned to a pile of ash, no matter how grateful he was or how much he cared, sat upon her shoulders like a lead weight. This was not going to go away until they found the reason and possibly some sort of answer. The only think Velveteen did know for sure was that whatever was going on, even Jesse was at a loss though his actions tonight were telling. He didn’t really want this to happen, he just couldn’t seem to help himself. Frustration saw her taking it out on the male as she stuffed his dark hollows with gauze none too gently. “This will be uncomfortable but will soak up the blood until the healing begins. Once you have stopped bleeding they will have to come out.” Her tone was all matter of fact for the moment.


<Jesse Fforde> There is no verbal beating after my revelation. Just agreement from one and rough handling from the other; the gauze feels like sandpaper against raw skin as it's stuffed none-too-merciful into my eye sockets. I can't help the way one hand flies aimlessly before landing on Velveteen's shoulder, the way my body jerks beneath the pain, which had previously flattened to a dull but persistent throb. A shout of displeasure pushes from my throat, voice cracking at the last - not out of emotion, not entirely, but because it never was a very strong voice to begin with. It's only when I'm slightly recovered from the surprise that I turn my attention back to Micah. "Is she wrong until she convinces you otherwise?" I ask. "Do I have to further convince you that I wouldn't lie to you?"


<Micah> “Does it matter?” He countered the question with one of his own though he already knew the answer. It did matter otherwise Jesse wouldn't have asked. Micah would never understand why the other male seemed to seek approval and acceptance from him of all people. He wasn't a good person, in fact he was a dick. And he enjoyed showing people that. But for some reason it seemed like that didn't matter to the handful of people he chose to align himself with. “You don't have to convince me of anything. As I said I was pissed, and I did feel as if you lied to me. But I got over it. There's nothing left that you need to convince me of.”


<Velveteen> The hand on her shoulder and the weak verbal protest was ignored. She knew what she was doing and the pain she was causing in her moment of frustration. It was probably a tad spiteful because what he did affected more than he likely realised but in a moment of guilt she softened and while the actual bandaging wasn’t likely to cause any more pain she continued a little more gently. The woman remain quiet as she worked, letting the two talk, as it seemed to be something that needed to be aired before they could move on. Once she was finished she tidied up the bloody mess and quickly disposed of it, taking a moment to instruct Scott, who had been lurking nearby quietly, to fetch clean clothes from Jesse’s hut. Once that was done she returned and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Her mind only half on the conversation as the other half tried to piece together what little information she had. Her thoughts went back to the things she had read in Jesse’s journal that one night.


<Jesse Fforde> I might have trembled at the question. Does it matter? Of course it ******* matters. The anger passes in waves - when the tide pulls it out I think I'm too tired to continue the line of questioning, too tired to take it any further. But then the tide pushes the anger back in again, billowing, to crash on the beach, foam and all. Velveteen is swift and even gentle with the remainder of her ministrations, and my hand falls back to my lap. "She still managed to convince you. That's the thing. You were pissed. You did think that I'd lied. You believed her. You got over it. What does that mean? You forgave me for lying?" I ask. Clearly, I still think there's something that I need to convince Micah of, so that next time some banshee comes spitting venom about me he won't first believe her and get angry, but will instead doubt her and come ask me, first. I shouldn't care. Any other person, and I wouldn't. People can talk **** about me all they like, they can believe what they want. I shake my head, as if to say I don't care. I push the air from my lungs and sit back - there it goes again, that tide pulling back, and exhaustion begins to settle in.


<Micah> His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and in that moment he wanted nothing more than to reach out and slap Jesse alongside the head. Smart ***. Always a smart ***. But in reality Micah knew he deserved it and just like that the faint stirrings of anger faded and he sighed heavily. “It means that I should have spoken to you to get your side. That I shouldn't have taken her words to heart and assumed that you lied to me. After all this time, after everything I've seen you go through in regards to her I should have known better.” It wasn't an apology. Micah rarely apologized for anything because that was just how he was. However, maybe this time he needed to swallow his pride. “Im sorry.” The words tasted poisonous to him. Micah hated that he had to do it but Jesse deserved an apology for his lapse in judgment.


<Velveteen> Dark brows shot up, her internal thought process completely forgotten for a hot second as she heard her husband’s apology. That was something very rare and only ever happened when Micah absolutely knew he was wrong and the person it as directed at mattered. The pair had certainly had their share of differences since Jesse joined the faction and while neither would ever admit it Velveteen always thought it was because they were so much alike in so many ways that sometimes it was just downright eerie. Her silver gaze lingered on her husband for a moment before turning on Jesse to catch his reaction. She was eager to get past this as she had some thoughts of her own to share.


<Jesse Fforde> I'm not sure what I was looking for, but when the apology comes and shift uncomfortably in my seat. No matter how Micah might have reacted at the time, he's apologising to me now. I remember - was it Velveteen? - being told that I am a lot like Micah. And if that's true, then I know the apology isn't easy. I didn't expect it. I have no idea what I expected, but hearing the apology feels almost exactly the same as if I had uttered it myself. It's a soothing balm on my frazzled nerves and I relax, slumping in that chair. I let it go. I clear my throat. "It's fine. I'll get over it," I say with the barest hint of a smirk, echoing Micah's phrase. I'm still holding the bagged blood in my hand. I don't like the bagged stuff, but I know my exhaustion is partly due to blood loss. I finally lift the thing to my lips and drink.


<Micah> A smirk touched his lips. He could almost feel the surprise coming off of the other two. The apology hadn't been easy and he knew that it had taken both of them off guard. After all he wasn't known for admitting his mistakes or when he was wrong. Micah saw a lot of himself in Jesse. At times the way Jesse acted was eerily like he had been after his mother had died when he was pissed off at the world. He hated everyone and everything and he didn't care who knew it. The things he'd gotten into could be classified as dangerous and he just couldn't bring himself to care. Seeing Jesse in this downward spiral really was like looking back on his life before he had met Vel and straightened his *** out. “I don't doubt that. You'll be just fine.”


<Velveteen> “Ok then...Now that that is sorted we have other things we need to discuss.” She couldn’t hide the smirk that danced delicately across her pale lips as she leaned back in her chair. “This just can’t continue like this Jesse. We need to work this out....somehow. And for now your *** is grounded. Get used to that...” She motioned with a nod of her head toward the blood bag at his lips. “That is your diet for the next however long. You aren’t going anywhere until we have some clue what we are dealing with at the very least.”


<Jesse Fforde> I might have rolled my eyes if I had any. In my opinion, we have nothing else to discuss. I have to figure out how the hell I'm going to get around without being able to see anything. And I have to call Grey. I'm already thinking into the future, to the things that I myself have to figure out. It's as Velveteen continues, however, that I nearly choke on the stale blood that I drink. I shake my head and, when the shock passes, I have to laugh incredulously. My face is turned toward Velveteen though I'm not sure I'm actually looking at her. I project my voice into the space between us. "No ******* way," I say. I laugh again. She can't keep me here. I shake my head in negation.


<Micah> It might be best if he sat this one out. No one knew better than him just how stubborn and persuasive his wife could be when she had her mind set on something. If she wanted Jesse to say in the Eyrie then she would find a way to make it happen. And he just happened to agree with her this time. Jesse couldn't see and that would leave him vulnerable. Was it really such a bad thing to be confined to the Eyrie while he was healing? Micah certainly didn't think so. “Are you trying to tell her no?” His tone was amused. Yeah this was gonna turn interesting.


<Velveteen> Velveteen’s head tipped forward and she gave him one of those looks that said his arguments at this point meant very little to her, though she knew he wouldn’t see it. Her husband’s reaction though amused her and she gave a simple nod. “Yes ******* way, Jesse. You can’t see **** and you have some kind of death wish, I am not going to take any more chances.” She stood and turned to face Micah. “We can keep him mindblocked if we have to. Take turns watching him and I dunno....” She looked around the place in quiet contemplation, now speaking as if the other wasn’t even there, like his opinion right now didn’t matter, which it didn’t. “The bathroom is the only room with one door.” Keeping Jesse safe from himself was the priority right now and then they could go from there.


<Jesse Fforde> She's talking about keeping me locked up in a bathroom and preventing me from using anything in my power to get out. I can feel my mouth fall open in utter incredulity. Yes, yes I'm saying no. Velveteen and Micah are the heads of this faction and in most things, there's no chance in hell I'd ever say no to them. But this, this is too much. Just because I can't see anything doesn't give her grounds to lock me up in a ******* bathroom. My mind races. I don't have any ability to get myself out of there. Sure, I can summon people to me, but I can't summon myself the **** out. How useless is that? Otherwise I'd have done it, then and there, before either of them tried to block me. Instead, I can feel myself stand. I can't see **** but there's no way I'm going to sit here and take this. I turn toward where I think the door is and stride toward it - stubborn to the last and stupidly confident that I know what I'm doing. Little do I know that I'm heading directly toward a wall.


<Micah> It was amusing to see his wife put her foot down. Even more amusing for Jesse to think the he stood a chance against either of them. He didn't. Not even a slim one. Between he and his wife they could drain every last ounce of energy in Jesse's body, leaving him tired and unable to move. Mind blocking him would effectively cut him off from his abilities so no, Jesse was going nowhere. It would be nice if the stubborn male just gave in and accepted his fate but no, he had to rebel. Micah watched as Jesse stood and tried to walk away but at the last second he had to reach out and grab him by the back of the shirt so he didn't do a spectacular face plant into the wall he couldn't see.


<Velveteen> A soft sigh could be heard as Jesse stood and Velveteen crossed her arms over her chest. She knew he wasn’t going to get far and that her husband would stop him before he did anyway but as he started towards the wall she grinned wickedly. Perhaps this was what he needed to prove how defenceless he currently was and that he had a snowball’s hope in hell of actually stopping either of them from doing as she has had suggested. Disappointed tainted her features though when Micah stopped him just short of getting up close and personal with the wall. “This would be so much easier, Jesse if you work with us to help you. Either way you are staying here. It is that simple ...so accept it and let’s move on, shall we?” She grinned at Micah and began toward the bathroom. “When they do this in hospitals or prisons it’s called suicide watch.”


<Jesse Fforde> Of course I have no idea that I'm about to faceplant into a wall, and I only interpret Micah's hold on my shirt as a means to keep me from leaving. I spin to try to dislodge Micah's grip - of course in doing so, I lose all my bearings. I don't visit these apartments often, and I don't know the lay of the land. I have no idea where I am in the room. I realise now that my vague attempt at escape probably wouldn't go so well. There are stairs, aren't there? I'd probably have fallen down them. But now that I know.... I wish I could communicate like a bat, in that moment. If I scream, maybe it'll echo back at me and I'll know where the walls are. I do scream, in a manner - I shout insofar as my cracked voice allows me to. "I'm not....!" I begin, and then I swallow. I can't finish that sentence because it would be a lie. I stop, I growl, and I continue on at a reasonable pitch. "If I were that suicidal I'd be dead," I say. "She left the knife for me to finish the job and I didn't. I didn't, see? I'm fine," I say. I'm stubborn enough to think that I'll be fine, finding my way around when I can't see. Of course, I'm only thinking about Grey. "I have people I need to see!" I hiss. Velveteen will know who I'm talking about. The irony of the statement isn't lost on me.


<Micah> He didn't miss the disappointment as it flashed across her face and he shook his head growing more amused by the second. He did have to admire Jesse's will. He was bound and determined not to stay in the bathroom. Micah didn't understand why. It was a lovely bathroom, complete with a hot tub – wait. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The tub was probably still trapped. What if Jesse decided he wanted to give it a go? He'd explode. As that thought crossed his mind the other male took that second to try and escape. Micah lost his grip and in doing that released Jesse's shirt. Stubborn jackass. “I'm sure whoever you gotta see ain't goin anywhere Jesse. Besides you're kinda fucked. You know we can keep you here.”


<Velveteen> As if to further highlight Micah’s words, Velveteen turned on her heel and narrowed her gaze as she began to sap at Jesse’s energy, not that he had a whole lot to begin with. “We are trying to ******* help you. Besides how do you think she would feel if you did end up in the fade?” The slight slip of the tongue going completely unnoticed as the woman continued. “How do you think she will react seeing you like this?” She wondered if he had even considered these thing and then decided that probably not was the appropriate answer. “If you settle down and think, Jesse...you can call her but you are not under any circumstances leaving here for the time being.”

[Micah]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Jesse Fforde> I seethe. It was only two nights ago that I had to go pick Grey up from the bank because she was too weak to come home herself. She'd been used like a hacky sack, thrown around the city as one vampire and then another decided that she would be their meal. It's our nature, I know that, but I was still furious. And I know there are those out there who wouldn't bother leaving their meal alive. They'd kill them. What passes for a heart lurches in my chest, a vile taste settling under my tongue. "You don't understand..." I say. I want to be able to touch her, to know she's with me, and safe. "I know. I know, see? I came here, and I didn't kill myself because I thought of you. And Micah, and..." I stop. I remember Velveteen not wanting me to tell her Grey's name. Her excuse? Micah. I choke on my words and fear drills into me. I tense, and I cut myself off. I don't say anymore.


<Micah> It wasn't amusing any longer. They were keeping something from him. Both of them. He turned his head to look at his wife, his eyes narrowed and gaze accusatory. There was nothing that he hated more than having things kept from him. They were to have no secrets between the two of them and it was painfully obvious that there was something that she wasn't telling him. Micah didn't like it. Not at all. The anger returned, starting off as a tiny spark that flickered and grew with each passing second. “Who is she?” While the words were pleasant in their own way the tone of them was anything but.


<Velveteen> Velveteen blinked, any further talk with Jesse cut off as her husband interjected, she knew that look all too well. Of course he didn’t know who they were talking about she hadn’t had a chance to talk to him about it. Of course she was torn on discussing the subject with him but she also knew that she would and was waiting for the right time, besides it was only something she had recently found out herself. Her glance flickered towards Jesse before returning to those angry, violet slits that her husbands eyes had become. This was just getting better. “She is Jesse’s girl. I only found out about her recently myself. I just hadn’t had a chance to tell you, babe.”


<Jesse Fforde> As if my personal life were something that the two of them should discuss in their own private time - it seems somewhat ridiculous, how this has all got entirely out of hand. The way Velveteen responds, as if she was going to tell Micah at some point, and why shouldn't she? I want to shake my head, I want to tell Micah that she is no one, that she is nothing, to not worry about it. Why should it be any of his concern? Why should it be something that Velveteen intended to tell him if it weren't more than just some fling? I'm stuck, then. Micah was going to find out, sooner or later, and it only makes me more anxious not to be locked up here. I know it's stupid to think that either of them would go hunt Grey down like some prize cow and kill her while they keep me in chains, but I can't think straight where Grey is concerned. While Micah and Velveteen are (I hope) preoccupied with each other, I take another guess as to where the exit might lie, and begin to stride in that direction, almost jogging, hands held out in front of me, fingers splayed.


<Micah> “You know I don't really care if he's got a chick tucked away somewhere that ain't my business. He could have a hundred chicks and I'd probably offer him pointers.” It was true. Jesse could be sleeping with half the city and Micah would have no fucks to give about that. Jesse's relationships weren't his business. What made this particular situation his business was Vel was hedging. Obviously there was something he wasn't supposed to know and for the life of him he couldn't figure that bit out. Light clumsy footfalls drew his attention to where Jesse was once again trying to escape but it wasn't funny anymore. Feeling vindictive he pressed his thoughts into Bunny's mind giving her instructions. The blond appeared silently and stuck her foot out right in Jesse's path all the while giving Micah that look that told him she'd be dedicating the Asshole song to him very soon.


<Velveteen> There was no escaping it and unless she told him, things were just going to get messier. Better to get it over so they could get back to what they were meant to be ding. She opened her mouth to answer him when her attention was drawn to Jesse stumbling and ending up sprawled up on the floor in an ungraceful heap. If it wasn’t for the gravity of the situation the whole thing would be beyond amusing and she may have even got a chuckle at the male’s expense but now was not the time. “I know you don’t care about that, but she isn’t....she is....she’s ....” Vel lowered her voice as if what she was about to say next was completely shocking, or perhaps she wanted to be sure that it wasn’t overheard. “She is human.” The dark haired vampire continued on quickly. “For now. Plans for turning her are in the works I believe.”


<Jesse Fforde> I don't get very far before I trip on something. Something small. Something that moves. I might be blind but my other senses still work just fine, and I feel like whatever hindered me was put there on purpose. Time seems to slow as I fall, as my knees tuck and as my hands remain outstretched. It doesn't make the fall any less graceful, and I'm sure I curse very loudly as I land. I growl as I roll over onto my back - I can hear Velveteen continuing to explain. And all I can do is lie there on my back. The pressure in my head is now worse than it was. The gauze stuck in my eyes feels unnatural and I just want to claw it out. I groan as Velveteen tells Micah that Grey is human, as if that singular groan might muffle the word, might delay the inevitable. I raise my knees so my feet are firm against the ground. Otherwise I don't move, hand lifted to my face to cover it. I don't like this. I don't like feeling so useless, so vulnerable. I don't like it one bit.


<Micah> He paid no attention to Jesse as Bunny's foot did the trick sending him tumbling to the ground like a sack of stones. Her job done, Bunny flipped him the finger and disappeared into the next room. It had been low of him to command her to trip Jesse and he knew it but he wasn't the most rational man when he was angry. He would have to apologize to her later. Human. The girl Jesse was seeing was human. For several long minutes Micah was struck silent unsure if he had heard his wife correctly. Thoughts raced through his mind wondering how much she knew and how long she'd known. Vaguely he heard Vel trying to tell him that there were plans to turn her but he wasn't concentrating on that. She'd know Jesse was with a ******* human and she hadn't said anything. While he admired her loyalty to Jesse he had never in a million years imagine she'd keep something like this from him. “You kept this from me?” He threw his words at her, ice dripping from every syllable. “You know how I feel about this. You KNOW how I dealt with AJ and Zakar over this very thing. And yet you chose not to tell me!?”


<Velveteen> For the time being Jesse was forgotten and her eyes widened at her husband’s accusations. She pulled herself up straighter and frowned, things had taken a completely unexpected turn. She shook her head before she even began to respond. “No...I did not choose not to tell you at all, with the wedding and meetings and everything else going on I just hadn’t have the chance. And secondly...If I was deliberately keeping it from you don’t you think I would have been a lot more aware and careful of what I said in front of you. I actually just completely forgot that you didn’t know. That you couldn’t. I told Jesse I would never break his confidence but I don’t consider telling you breaking any confidence. And you should know that!” She paused her for a moment. Her voice confident as she spoke. None of it was intentional. “Though I did tell him not to tell me her name just in case. That the less I knew the better and he gave me his word that he was going to turn her. And yes I do know how you dealt with it.”


<Jesse Fforde> I have no idea what they're talking about - Micah dealing with something similar, something to do with Zakar and AJ. They are arguing with each other, and maybe I should let them. Maybe Micah will forget that Grey was ever mentioned. And I haven't said her name yet, have I? Does he know what property I own? Does he know where he could find her? If I just... but no. I wail from my position on the floor, as if to remind them both that I'm still here. Regardless of how Velveteen had responded, I can't help myself. I shout at the ceiling. "Maybe that's why she didn't tell you! Because this is someone I care about and if you lay a finger on her to hurt her, I ******* swear to God..." I don't want to ask how he dealt with AJ and Zakar. I don't want to know. I know that my threat is worthless, that there's nothing that I could do. But by God, I would try.


<Micah> He opened his mouth to shoot off a nasty retort to his wife when Jesse spoke. The words that he wanted to say died and he turned, unleashing his fury on the man in a pathetic heap on the floor. “Aw. You care about her.” Micah sneered regardless if Jesse could see it or not. It made him feel better. “Aren't you just a heap of sunshine and ******* rainbows.” He started to advance on the man with every intention of kicking him right in the ******* teeth. “For a second there I thought you were smart. Apparently I was wrong. You ain't smart. You're fuckin stupid.” Pestilence was a comforting weight in the palm of his hand as he drew it, aiming at the center of Jesse's forehead. His hand didn't waver, but his thoughts did. His finger was sure on the trigger, but he was waging a war within himself. It would be sweet, so utterly sweet to finish what Phoenix had started, then scour the city for this human that Jesse seemed to care so much for and eliminate the threat that she posed. He wanted to – badly. In that moment he wanted nothing more. The rational side of him decided to rear it's ugly head, giving him enough clarity to lower the gun, turn on his heel and leave. Before he did something that he would come to regret. He stepped inside the elevator and didn't give either of them a final glance as the door closed, giving him the space he so desperately needed.


<Velveteen> Her gaze followed the same directions as her husband’s and she shook her head. She wanted to step forward as Micah held his gun steady on Jesse but the match had been lit the wrong move now would ensure a certain explosion. She waited and as he lowered it the breath she was holding was slowly exhaled. He was pissed and right now she didn’t blame him. She wanted to go after him but at the same time knew he probably needed to cool off. Besides...there was still the issue of Jesse to be dealt with. She strode over to him, her patience all but gone as she reached down to pull him up by the front of his blood stained shirt. “You ******* dumb ****. You might as well just sign her death warrant yourself if you are going to insist on pissing Micah off.”


<Jesse Fforde> That's the second time tonight that I've been called stupid. Here I was, intent on proving Phoenix wrong but maybe she was right all along. Any reassurance that I might have got from Micah has now been wiped. Of course that's what he thinks, and probably what he's always thought, and the rest is just a facade. I hear that gun ****, I feel the cold metal on my forehead and, again, I don't fight it. More out of shock than anything else I stay where I am, hands spread wide in surrender. Even now, after everything, with just a few short sentences I am plunged right back into the depths of despair and self-loathing. I knew it all along - it's stupid to care about anything. I could hear the sneer in Micah's voice. Love is a weakness. Of course he should respect me less for feeling it. I don't expect him to leave, and I lunge after him as he does. My heart in my chest. A strangled "No..." gurgles from my throat. I can hear the elevator doors shut, and then Velveteen is hauling me to my feet. I don't even hear what she says. I'm already struggling in desperation. "No! No, please... please you have to stop him...!" I plead. Of course I assume he's gone to find Grey. To kill her. If I had the eyes to do so, I'd probably be crying in my desperation - my voice breaks under the pressure. "Please, I'm sorry, I didn't... just don't let him...!"


<Velveteen> Confusion clouded her features as she listened, the look of desperation on Jesse’s face was unmistakable but was he....crying, or trying to? She stood like a rabbit caught in the crosshairs, her head turning toward the elevator before it slowly returned to Jesse. He thought Micah was going after her? Her fingers were still curled tightly in the front of his shirt and while what she was about to do was rather questionable her intentions were pure. “The only way I can stop him is if you give me your word you will stay here. If you even think about leaving Jesse, I will let him go.” She felt a tiny bit guilty then but not enough to change her story...not yet. It was for his own good and if this actually worked then even better.


<Jesse Fforde> I feel light-headed. The world is spinning out of control and all I can see is darkness. Velveteen still has a tight hold of my shirt and I lay my hands over hers; I squeeze, with all the pleading desperation that I feel. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. It hurts, that she would blackmail me like this. That she would even think to do something that will kill me, far more than a bullet to the head would. I don't like it. Anger brushes up against that desperation, pushing at it. What it comes down to, in the end, is trust. I need to let her go and stop Micah. There is no other choice. I nod. "Yes, fine, I'll stay here," I say. Where am I going to go, anyway? What am I going to do when I can't see anything? "Please just go. You have my word," I say. My mouth is dry, and I feel like every second we delay, the closer Micah is to finding Grey. I want to push Velveteen away, to make her hurry - instead I stand there with baited breath, waiting, and hoping.


<Velveteen> The sound of the elevator opening draws her attention. Finally Scott has returned and is carrying the clothes for Jesse that she asked for. “Fine.” She said to Jesse, releasing him. “Then I wont lock you in the bathroom. Just do not try and leave and all will be good. I promise.” She was glad at that moment that he couldn’t see her face or her eyes. The lie she was presenting would likely have been exposed then and there. The woman called for Bunny and turned to address her own thrall and the blonde when she appeared. “Take him to the loungeroom, keep an eye on him. In fact...” She looked back over her shoulder. “If he tries to leave, shoot him.” She lingered a moment longer to mindblock the other vampire and then checked her watch so that she would know when the next was due. A step was taken toward the elevator before she faultered, her guilt pressing at her to at least give the male something positive. “It will be fine Jesse. I promise. I will be back soon.” With that she went in search of her husband. The two of them needed to talk.


<Jesse Fforde> She's leaving me here. Leaving me, with two thralls. Two humans, when I have a thirst that never abates and an anger that is sure soon to rise and overwhelm desperation and self-pity. Is it such a good idea for her to leave me here, in their personal space? When I feel, in that moment, that my every happiness is teetering on the brink of destruction? I know that I have brought it upon myself, however. Those poor humans, told to do one simple thing and I won't let them. As the elevator signals Velveteen's exit, I crumple. I sit on the floor with my head in my hands, and there I'll stay, ignoring anything the humans might say to try to get me to move. And if they come close, if they try to move me, I gnash my teeth at them. A veritable **** off, if there ever was any. When I do move it's only to find my phone, though I hold it there in my hands at a loss. I can't work it. I can't see it. I let it fall useless in my lap, and just sit, silent and dejected.

[Velveteen]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Velveteen> Things back at the Eyrie had taken a rather unexpected twist. Velveteen really hated it when **** came up that she hadn't had the chance to discuss with Micah because then, of course, it always looked somehow deliberate and that was just never the case. Such was heir relationship. After having left Jesse with the threat of Grey dying to keep him there she went in search of her husband. She knew full well that Jesse's girl was safe but the couple still needed to talk and work out how the hell they were gonna sort this mess. It was at that moment that her phone vibrated in her pocket. There was an issue at Adrenaline though and while it wasn't a huge one it seemed that someone needed to go and resolve it. A couple of minutes and it would be sorted.
She looked down the dark street, torn between responsibility and the need to find Micah, though with a heavy sigh, she made her way towards the markets. It wouldn’t take long and it would give her husband a little longer to cool down.

<Grey> Grey did not have a watch. Not even one of those five dollar cheap, turn-your-skin-green watches from the local shop. She hated time. She hated relying on it so much when she was younger. For years on the road, she would just take in the time by the rise and set of the sun and moon. Now, time twisted her. It laughed in her face. It degraded her for taking it at such a loner's pace. Wrapped up in the freshly washed jeans that now sported a rip in the right knee, a too big sweater to combat the cold, and that half way zipped winter coat; Grey let the weather beat her. The bruise had barely faded along the right side of her face since meeting the cement a few days ago. Where was he? Where was Jesse? She looked at her phone again. It was late. Too late. Her stomach twisted with worry.
As she had just sent a text to the man, another one. Only this time, it had read 'You aren't funny, Jesse. This isn't a joke. Where are you?' Of course, it might have seemed harsh. It might have seemed a bit too nosey. But, after what they just went through a couple days ago together; Grey couldn't help think that Jesse was trying to teach her a lesson. Pouty lips pulled down into a frown, she stopped at the street corner and consulted Siri's list of local tattoo shops to double check the address. Ah, a few more buildings and she could check one more off her list.

<Velveteen> It only took a few minutes as expected, to sort the issue, a general staffing problem. Yes she knew they were short and she was working on it. Yes she understood they had lives too but until she could get the required staff they had to do what they could to keep the doors open and the clients happy. Or they could go look elsewhere. It was as simple as that. She hung around a little longer to check appointments and frowned. They really did need to get a few more bodies in here and soon but right now she had more important matters to deal with, Jesse being top of that list. She flipped the appointment book closed and began to make her way to the exit.

<Grey> Grey put her phone away. The smart contraption was certainly a Godsend in that hell of a city. It was not that Grey was directionally challenged. It was just that she liked her known paths. She liked her known places of visitation. From work, to the bank, to the corner grocery store. And this, this place was way out of her league. So when those clouded blue eyes lifted, she had already pushed open the door and there was no turning back. So much so, she almost ran into a woman that seemed hell bent on leaving. "Oh!" Startled, Grey put her hands out. And then just as quickly as she did that - as if to make sure the woman she was just about to run into didn't teeter too much one way or the other, she snatched her hands back.
The skin was scabbed and red still, the prior run in with the cement had not in any way lessened the assault upon her now healing body. Lets face it; Grey was certainly colorful. "Excuse me. I... I wasn't paying attention. Do you work here?" Grey, in all her almost five-seven point something glory blinked and looked ... almost hopeful.

<Velveteen> The electronic doorbell sounded as the door swung open and Velveteen pulled up just in time to avoid running into the woman that had just walked through it. Silver orbs meet cloudy blues. She knew straight away this woman was human and she recoiled subtly from the other’s outstretched hands. It was an instinctual reaction, despite the fact that the dark haired vampire was literally covered from head to toe, that she was as cold as death to the touch would be something very noticeable to any human who would come in contact with her. Something better just avoided all together. She tilted her head to the side as the other began to speak. Both women were similar in height and she silently appraised the other in the few seconds it took for her to ask her question.
A sharp nod was given in response. “I am one of the owners and currently on my way out. If you are here for some ink I am sure one of the artists can help you.”

<Grey> "Oh. Well, no." Grey's voice sounded a bit heavy. It sounded laden with emotions that she could barely contain. She cleared her throat as if the prior words were a bit too painful to admit. Grey had a few tattoos. She kept them covered and under wraps. They were for her eyes only and even the one who had recently seen such upon her flesh did not even comment upon the design. So, as she looked to the woman a blink was in order. She was quick. In a hurry. After all, she had blatantly admitted that she was on her way out. And Grey, though not taken aback by that bit of information forged ahead. "Is one of your artists Jesse Fforde?" Grey gave pause, as if to see what the woman would offer in answer. It was hard to not take the slightest step forward or for that matter to the side - it was as if Grey intentionally did not move. No, it was as if she were trying to block the woman's way until she had an answer to her question. That long brown hair was free - wild with a slight kink to the earlier braid that had been released after her own hours in the garage as the hint of oil seemed to mingle with laundry detergent around her person.

<Velveteen> The emotion in her voice did not go unnoticed and it was true that Velveteen’s interest was piqued when Jesse’s name was mentioned. “He is, but he works at the other shop at Riverwood. Though I can tell you he is not working tonight and likely won’t be in for the next week or so. Were you booked in with him?” Vel already knew the answer to that question. If she were booked in this woman would have been looking for him at Masterpiece, not here. “Perhaps if you give me your name I can ring over there and find out, maybe reschedule?” Was it possible that this was the human Jesse had been seeing? Wouldn’t that be an extraordinary coincidence that she would turn up here and now? Had he not warned how dangerous it was to wander this city at night? No...it couldn’t be her she resolved, the whole internal monologue happening in only seconds.

<Grey> Riverwood. Grey would take that information, digest it, and store it. After all, Jesse did not talk about his life. He didn't talk about those he knew on the other side. He didn't share with her his knowledge, his trials, or his job. And in that moment, Grey almost looked devastated. Because she had never before asked him. She hadn't pried into Jesse's personal life outside of what they had together. Even though he warned her, there stood Grey. In the middle of a tattoo shop, late at night, trying to find the man that meant so much to her. "Oh... No. I wasn't booked with him. I just had some personal business to see to with him. I don't need to reschedule." She sucked in a deep breath and her blue eyes seemed to haze over even more.
With each blink, her heart sped up faster. "Is he okay? I've been trying to get ahold of him. I'm wor-" Grey stopped, knowing she needed to be more careful. Jesse told her to be so careful and she made a promise to him after all. So looking at the woman, she shook her head and did not give the woman her name. "I was just hoping to talk to him." A week? He was going to be gone for a week?! Her heart tripped over itself as she started to take a step towards the door.

<Velveteen> A small, tight smile graced her pale lips and the more the other woman spoke the more certain Velveteen was that this was indeed Jesse’s Grey. The sound of her human heart beating in her chest was easily detectable and the way it sped up as she spoke was rather telling. Unless of course the guy had a human harem there really could be no doubt and even though she caught herself and didn’t finish the word her worry was plain to see. It filled her eyes and coloured her features. She cared, and it showed. However, Velveteen needed to be certain before she said anymore.
“Ahh...fair enough. He is fine. Just needed some...time off I think.” Her Australian accent easily heard as she spoke and she finished with a reassuring smile, the action softening her features somewhat. “But I really must be going. I need to find someone called Grey and it is rather important. Jesse insisted. I will let him know that you dropped by though.” The vampire took a step forward and grabbed the door as if to leave.

<Grey> Grey twisted her fingers briefly in front of her. She knew that it would be rude to bring her phone out and check it, so she denied herself that hope that he had returned a text let alone the half dozen missed calls. As her stomach growled in protest of the missed dinner, she twisted her face towards the front windows. From her sights set upon the designs to the taped messages to the books that were placed offering detailed art, she let out a bit of a gasp. No, it wasn't because she heard her name. It was because she was torn to announce to the woman that was exactly who she was. "I-" She stopped. She couldn't. She had promised Jesse that she wouldn't intrude. That she wouldn't put herself into any danger. That she would not impart herself upon his secret life. After all, in that moment...
She knew he was okay. She knew that he would be gone for a week or there abouts. She could live with that, right? She could manage to fill her time with work. "Thank you..." She said to the woman that was leaving, the swallow was tight in her throat and the emotion of her words almost bordered on the hint of tears. But her cheeks were dry and she had paled at the knowledge that he'd be gone that long. She could deal with it. She had to. And yet her feet were still rooted to the tattoo shop's floor. She couldn't move

<Velveteen> Velveteen stood waiting patiently for the other to exit the opened door but she didn’t move. She might have thought she was doing a fine job of hiding her emotions but she looked stricken at what Velveteen had told her. There were several things that she was certain of right now. This woman cared far more than she was letting on. That Jesse was not one to undermine the faction by making himself known to humans. That she was being far too careful now, careful with her words at least and that this was Grey. “Are you ok?” She asked. “You look like you need to sit down.” Her voice soft and filled with concern as she reached out as if to lightly touch the woman’s arm though her fingers hovered an inch or so or away from making actual contact.

<Grey> Grey looked at the opened door. She stared at it, blinking hard and knowing that she needed to move towards it. But, in that moment, it was hard to decipher the knowledge that Jesse was so okay that he would be gone for a week, if not longer. She took a much needed deep breath and gave the woman in front of her a nod. It was a nod because she could not throw her arms around the other and hug her - Christ, she probably would be booted out on her ***. Her body had taken enough of a beating that week alone with the two vampire bites, the run in with Jesse's temper (mental pain, rest assured over his distress), and now the knowledge that he was not going to be home.
Shaking it off, she wrapped her fingertips around the coat's zipper and pulled it up over her chin. "Yes, I'm so sorry. You said you have to be going. I won't keep you!" Grey gave the woman a determined nod. Yes, she thought to herself how stupid she looked standing there. And even as the woman made to attempt contact, Grey gave a stilted, fake smile. It was fake. Painfully fake. So fake that she had it plastered on her lips in seconds and stepped around the woman. "Thank you again! Give Jesse my regards. I hope to see him when he is able to come 'round." And with that, Grey escaped.
She rushed out the door and the bell faded in her ears. Her kinked hair whipped around her, the cold breeze stabbing her painfully emotional eyes. Jesus... Jesus... She hoped he was okay. Before she knew it, she was across the street and down a block or two. And she briefly leaned against a light pole to gain her balance as her gait was hindered by that throbbing right knee. The limp was temporary, the tendons still swollen. Give Jesse her regards?! How stupid that sounded! With a swallowed cry, Grey stuffed her hand over her mouth to contain herself.
<Velveteen> A wicked grin curled at the corners of her mouth and after giving a backward glance at those inside she too disappeared through the door. The shadows were called to her making invisible and she followed the woman, curious as to where she might be going. She had no intentions of hurting her but the more she knew at this point the better. It was a dangerous game Jesse was playing right now and no one that Velveteen condoned. The only thing that had stopped her putting an end to it was Jesse giving his word that he was going to turn her. The vampire moved silently and unseen, stopping only when the other did. She watched as it looked like the female might burst into tears. She didn’t just care about Jesse, she was in love with him. That right there was all the confirmation Velveteen needed and as the shadows fell away she stepped up behind the woman. “I think you and I should be a little more honest with each other.” She stated simply. “It would be the safest option at this point.”

<Grey> Grey did not have supernatural hearing. She did not have that sixth sense about her. She did not have the ability to feel when she was being watched or when someone was coming up behind her less their footsteps were heavy and they were giving smarmy remarks or issuing threats. She could deal with threats. She could drop-kick someone and steal a wallet in a heart beat. But ultimately, Grey was unprepared for the silence to be broken by the familiar voice. She was unprepared to be any more honest with a woman that she didn't know. With a sharp gasp which twisted into a cry as she whirled around, her balance was lost and the only name sake that saved her from falling on her *** was that metal pole when her knee gave out at the sudden lurch. It was the combination of pain that shot upher thigh and down to her toes twisted with Jesse's unknown whereabouts that had the tears reveal themselves.
With every blink, the wet dollops fell fatly down her cheeks and she gripped the metal pole hard. "Where is he?!" She shouted. The fear and the concern boiled up within her throat and the question burned her lips even as she sounded it in the darkened street. The wind howled that night, whipping around the store front corners and shoved at her back. Separated from him, the desolation seemed to choke her. She knew that she should just have ignore the woman and continued on her way. On her way to that shop that the woman had given her. And even as she knew it was quite rude to question that woman in such a hot-headed manner, she drew herself up, she narrowed her wet eyes and she almost braced for an attack while staring at the woman. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, it was obvious that Grey was slightly distraught.

<Velveteen> Even as cold it was, heat radiated from human and her scent assaulted Velveteen’s senses as it was caught on the wind. It had been a long time since the vampire had indulged in the warmth of the vitae taken straight from the source and temptation ticked at the back of her throat. She avoided most human contact where possible for this reason. Sure she could control it as she had done for several years now; relying on blood bags to sustain her, but sometimes just the idea of a taste was enough to distract her momentarily. She shook her head, shaking off the thoughts that could have all too easily consumed her had she allowed them to. Her cold sterling stare seemed o bore directly into the woman’s soul.
“I know where he is. And I can tell you but first you need to tell me your name. Could even let you talk to him if you tell me truthfully.” Her head canted to the side and she moved a little closer. Her face was a mask of cold, yet mild amusement and it was obvious the vampire meant business.

[Grey (DELETED 5068)]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Grey> "What is your name?" Grey asked. She recoiled slightly against that light pole. She stepped closer to it, wrapped her arm around it for the minimal support it was already giving her. Grey, perhaps a smart woman - or better yet, perhaps a stupid woman was standing there questioning a woman who she knew was dead. Her color said it. Her words said it. Her demeanor was frank and poised where as Grey's cheeks were flushed with warmth, and her lips were cracked from the lack of hydration. "Tell me what your name is and I will tell you mine." She said, her voice not breaking now with tears while she sounded determined. As if she would have the woman's name in case she lived through some attack and she'd be able to tell Jesse who wounded her. The determination sounded in her voice, the heave of her breath across her lips. Her hair teased and tickled the bruise along the right side of her face from her brow to her cheek that dissolved into scrapes along her jaw. It was as if she had been dragged - her face bounced on the pavement and scraped to oblivion just days prior. Hence, perhaps, the thoughtful bit of protection the metal could provide if Grey needed to make a sore get-a-way.

<Velveteen> “Valyrie. My name is Valyrie Brandon.” It wasn’t a lie. It was the name she was given but it wasn’t the one she used. In fact there were very few that knew her by that name in this place. Jesse might trust this human but she wasn’t so sure, at least not yet. Should anything happen and this woman went running to tell stories it was best that she did not have a name. Her eyes remained steady on the female. The way she shrank behind the pole as if it offered any protection at all. Of course Velveteen was not going to let anything happen to her. She wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing and especially not to Jesse, no unless it was necessary, but there was nothing wrong with letting the woman think it might. Fear, after all, was a wonderful motivator.
“And if I was going to hurt you I would have and could have done so by now. I still might yet....” She let the threat trail off as casually as if she was discussing the weather. Her gaze shifted as she looked around the desserted , windswept street. “Though I do think somewhere out of this wind and more private might be in order.” Her hand shot out, moving faster than the human’s eyes could follow and long fingers curled about Grey’s forearm in a tight yet not too painful grip as she started dragging her away and toward Ivy Bluff. There were several places there that she had access to that she knew would be empty. “I wouldn’t scream. Remember...I know where Jesse is.”

<Grey> Valyrie Brandon. For some reason, Grey knew that name was probably not quite what the woman used. Of course, this was coming from a woman who in truth went by her very nickname to appease her sense of anonymity. As she kept her grip upon that pole, she knew that the woman had a certain determined sense about her. "I know..." Grey seemed to barely catch her breath as the wind drove her kinky hair across her back and she was lurched out from behind that pole. "I know you could have hurt me. Bit me. Left me." She recited the words that Jesse drilled into her brain. About being careful. About not lurking around at night. And here she had thought he was trying to teach her a lesson. Not answering his phone... Not replying to her text messages... Being no where she knew he might.
"Grey." She said into the wind, grimacing as the woman's pace was fast after the warning not to scream. No, Grey didn't. Instead, she went as fast as that painful knee would take her in that woman's iron-clad grip. "My name is Grey." And she wanted honesty? Valyrie had it. The wind licked Grey's tears dry and she ground her molars together fighting against the exhaustion of working all day and walking all night. "He... I... It is complicated." She finally said, admitting what the other woman obviously knew.

<Velveteen> “Mmhmm. Isn’t it always?” Her gripped loosened a little as it became obvious Grey wasn’t going to try and run but she wasn’t going to let her go completely. The rest of the walk was done in silence and while she knew the pace was causing the human some pain it was not safe for them be out and possibly seen right now. Upon reaching their destination Velveteen shoved the other forward and followed her through the small lobby area to the elevator. Once the pair were safe inside she punched in the floor number and leaned against the wall, finally having let the woman have her arm back.
“It is a very dangerous thing you are doing. Not just for you but for Jesse as well. I don’t know how much he has told you.” She allowed her eyes to wander the small interior of the elevator for a moment before it lurched to a stop and the doors slid open. Velveteen waited for Grey to go ahead, only speaking again once the apartment was reached, a short distance down the corridor. “Here.” She said simply, opening the door and ushering the woman inside.

<Grey> "I don't know." She didn't know if it was always complicated. Jesse was essentially her first relationship. She was the first man she let herself fall for. He was a murderer. He was a vampire. He was a sweet, smiling, beautiful man who let her trace every ounce of his skin for hours as she explored his body. They shared a meal (relatively speaking) together, watched movies together, and indulged in their own likes while together. She thought of him. Of how terrified she had been when he wasn't answering his phone. And in that moment, she knew what he was feeling the several nights prior. She knew how ... helpless he was. The soft grunt came when she had been shoved forward. She swallowed hard, eyes wide as she looked around. She had gotten the name of the building. And before long, she was in an elevator and down the corridor. Breathing deeply - almost out of breath, she wanted to tell the woman to shove it. She wanted to tell her to just **** off - that she had no idea the relationship between her and Jesse.
So, once the door was opened and she was inside that new apartment, Grey forced herself to count to ten and let her face relax and her jaw unclench. "Nothing. He hasn't told me anything! Except it goes against his very person. His very creed. His ethics. He hasn't told me anything, okay? I don't even know who you are to him!" The end of that statement was a little shrill mixed with a little irritation. It had her on edge. She limped - more pronounced from all the hurried walking, towards the windows of the apartment and she looked out. No, she didn't look at Valyrie. Instead, she tried to come to terms with the fact that she better not piss this woman off or she wouldn't get any more information on the man that she was told she wouldn't see for at least a week. "I... I didn't think I would fall for him. He just kept coming around. He kept coming back. I didn't expect him to. At first, it was unnerving. But then... I looked forward to it. He was nice. He was good to me." She said that... As if she had never had good before.

<Velveteen> Velveteen hung by the door and crossed her arms over her chest, effectively blocking the only exit should Grey get in her mind to try and run. She stood quiet and watched the woman curiously, listening as she spoke but not really offering any sort of response except the occasional nod of her head. Her sterling gaze narrowed thoughtfully. Love. It certainly did make a person do things they never dreamed of doing, or make crazy irrational decisions. She knew that one all too well. She also knew how the one could change your world completely and how you just never knew when and where they might turn up. She knew this from experience. A faint smile played across her lips before she caught herself. Now was not the time to be daydreaming about her husband.
Finally she spoke. “This is only going to last so long. You know that don’t you. And there are only three ways this is gonna go, Grey. Ether he ends up being killed...or you do. You could end up some other vampire’s mindless slave or....you will end up turned.” There it was. As usual Velveteen wasted no time in beating around the bush. It was a bit naive at this point to think that Grey had no clue what they were so why pretend? “As for who I am to him....let’s just say I am close enough to know how important you are to him and that he would literally put his own life on the line for yours. I am also someone who cares enough about him that I won’t kill you here and now. Unfortunately I am also someone who cannot let things go as they are indefinitely.”
Her arms dropped o her side and she took a step forward, her fingers dragging across the table slowly. Though the apartment was sparsely furnished it was obviously used...at least occasionally. “And Jesse...? He is safe. You can be assured of that. He is somewhere where you cannot go and I cannot let him out. I don’t know how long you have known him Grey but the guy is a danger to himself right now.” She did not want to go into details, certain that Jesse would not want that either but the part of her that understood wanted Grey to know that he was no gone by choice.

<Grey> Grey was cold. She was freezing inside of that coat and she tried not to shiver. The pain was moving up into her hip, torturing her knee cap, and burning her toes. Those steel toed boots were on her feet from work. Grey hadn't been in the apartment for long. After all, Jesse was normally home when she got there. And she had waited only a couple of hours before she grabbed her satchel and headed out the door to find him after several failed attempts to make contact. Her brows knitted together. What was going to only last so long? Grey stood there, barely shifting her weight while the woman spoke. "I already told him I wasn't ready. I know... I know what he wants of me. I'm just not ready." Grey did not explain anything further. She did not bear her throat to the woman and suggest she hurry the process along, either. No. "I never asked him to put his morals on the line. I never asked him to threaten any relationships. I'm just not ready." She felt threatened by the woman, in truth. She felt threatened in the way that the woman said she could not let things go on in the manner in which they already were.
She swallowed deeply, closed her eyes and lifted her hand to the window frame. She clutched that bit for support as the other woman continued to speak. "I've known Jesse for a few months now. I... I didn't know he was a danger to himself. He never said anything to me. He did not tell me he was having an issue." Then again, if she understood him how she understands herself - it was a combination of pride and ego, of loyalty and stubborn refusal. Only then, did Grey turn her chin. She looked over to the dead woman, her bruise across that right side of her face a dark, ugly purple. "I am glad he has you, then. I'm glad that he can go to someone else for help." And in that moment, Grey's heart hurt. Her entire body quivered underneath the weight of the coat and the realization that Jesse just ... couldn't trust her. That he wouldn't break the vow he took; the ethics he had for -what- he was. And in a way, Grey understood. but that still had her furious and upset.

<Velveteen> Velveteen almost chuckled though somehow she managed to contain her amusement. It was true. Jesse had come to her for help....but what had transpired since was hardly anything he had willingly gone along with. Hell, she imagined he would be less than happy once he found that Vel had spoken with his woman though it wasn’t like she went out looking for her. This night just seemed to insist on throwing curve ball after ball and how it would end she had no clue. Not yet anyway.
“I know you aren’t ready. He told me that.” She lifted her hand from the table and inspected the dust that had gathered on the ends of her fingers. She took a moment to rub them together and gave the offending furniture a look of distaste before turning her steely gaze on the other once more. “And that is all good and well, Grey. But how long do you think it can go on? How long do you think before you are ready? I mean...let’s face it. Who is ever really ready for something like that? How can you be?” Velveteen moved around the room as she spoke looking more like an animal prey circling its next victim.
She allowed a few moments of silence to be sure that the things she said were heard and understood before moving on. “It is certainly something you are going to have to think about, probably sooner than later. But as you said yourself...there is a lot he doesn’t tell you for your own safety. You two can never truly be together while you live in separate worlds. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to force an immediate choice on you, though others might. Consider it a...warning of sorts I suppose.”

<Grey> Grey seemed to stand there, as much as her might would let her. That right leg seemed to slowly creep along, becoming jello as muscles tightened and the beginning of a Charlie Horse just might falter quickly with the next step. She swallowed hard, her throat dry and her lips so parched she could beg for a drink if she was a lesser woman. She grimaced, her face smearing with that pained look. In fact, so much so that the woman Valyrie was speaking too turned her face once again towards the window. "I never meant to put him in any danger. I never meant to hurt him. I want the best for him. I know... I know I will die. Everyone does eventually. My fate will be sooner than later. That, I do accept." And still, Grey could not tell the woman a date. A time. Or a place in which she would die.
Grey inhaled with a nervous shake of her head. Here she was being careful and she got caught up in the woman's web of safety and answering questions. Of taking her reprimand, however gentle, and her threats and letting them sink into her brain. She had work in the morning, but Grey felt like she wasn't going to make it. Bless Brock and his sick time pay. "Thank you for your warning and your kindness." After all, the other woman could of killed Grey on the spot. She had a feeling there was something holding the woman back from plunging her fangs into her skin and draining her.
"He matters. Jesse matters a lot to me too. I might not be privy to his information. To his life. To this life he leads... But, he has me. He has all of me that he can tolerate right now. He has never thrown the relationship we do have in my face." Grey confides this to the other woman, as if making her point that she truly loved Jesse. That the man just didn't boot her *** to the curb. And in that moment, Grey gives in. She takes a few steps to the side and sits down upon the nearest wooden chair while her thigh muscles finally cramp in painful protest of her shifted weight.

<Velveteen> Velveteen nodded, taking in everything. Grey’s words, the emotion in them and the pain that flickered in her eyes as she moved. She had to admit the woman called Grey showed a certain determination that she couldn’t help but respect and while she was curious about the bruises and such now was not the time to ask, nor did it really matter at this point. “I am sure he doesn’t and he won’t. You make him happy, that I can attest to but I have seen similar situations end badly. The longer you try and maintain it the more dangerous it becomes...for both of you. And unfortunately when it comes to that I won’t be able to protect you...or him.” Her tone had softened and while her words rang of honesty they were also tainted with a little regret. It never went well when one was forced into such things, but sooner or later the time always came.
She stopped and stared at the other woman. Not really looking at her but rather through her as she sent a telepathic message to Scott. Moments later her eyes cleared and she smiled a little. “You can ring him now. But I am warning you, for your own good right now. Don’t try to find him. Especially if you plan on living a little longer.” Long, ebony coloured strands fell about her pale features as she turned and strode towards the door. “I will let you make your call in private. Just...lock up when you leave. No one will bother you here.”

<Grey> The woman's words rang loud and clear in Grey's mind. She was reeling. She felt as if the world she knew was pulled out from underneath her and the view from flat on her back was so much different than being upright. Her jaw clenched again, a bad habit when Grey was deep in thought. And basically, the woman had told her that her time was limited. That she didn't have much to go on. That the thing between Jesse and herself was going to end one way or another... She felt her heart breaking. She felt those spikes the woman aimed so carefully needling into her subconscious. It was going to be over? Was that possible. Well... She did not want to think about it. No. It was too painful.
"Thank you." Grey managed to croak that out as the woman moved towards the door. Where Grey's face had that determined look upon it, her body was lurching forward into a blackness that seemed to coat her feelings she once had of love and affection into an uncertain hole. She took out that phone, she laid it on the table she was sitting next to. And she stared at it. Oh, she'd make the call. However, she'd wait until that woman left. "Thank you for telling me he is okay." She said again before the woman completely shut the door. Because... She was right. Valyrie certainly had a bit of a knack of just telling it how it was. From her experience. But things could be different. Would be. Had to be. Grey touched the screen, put in her passcode to that pretty white iPhone... And just seemed to stare at it.

[Jesse Fforde]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

* Ariadne stapped off of the elevator as quietly as she could. Normally she never came up to the top unless there was a meeting or something. She hated showing up unannounced but she had wanted to speak with Velveteen without a lot of others around. She paused on the landing and listened for a moment, unable to hear the sounds of anyone moving about. "Velve?" She questioned softly. "Velve, it's Ari. I'm really hoping you're here..."

<Jesse Fforde> The human thrall, Scott, had collected clothes for Jesse from Jesse's hut. Jesse has no idea what he's wearing - jeans, obviously, and a t-shirt. Probably one of his usual black tees. Maybe a band shirt. Maybe just random designs. He doesn't even care. It's not like anyone other than the human thralls are going to see him. Besides Micah and Velveteen, of course. The throbbing and itching in his eyes is indicative of healing, but he can't see to tell. He doesn't know how long he should keep the gauze stuck into the holes. He doesn't know whether that's preventing the eyes from growing back. What if they grow back around the gauze? He shudders. He's sitting on one of the chairs at the table. He doesn't move around much. He doesn't know where anything is, and the way this place is trapped to high heavens, he's likely to run into them if he goes too far. So he doesn't stray. He stays right where he is. His legs are sprawled out in front of him, and he's twisting his phone in his hands, though it's rather useless when he can't see to use it. He drops the device on the table to scratch at the gauze, contemplating taking it off when a voice calls through the door. "Velveteen's not available at the moment. Leave a message at the beep!" he calls back. And then, seconds later - "Beeep."

* Ariadne narrowed her eyes and glared in the direction of the voice. Jesse didn't hang around the tree much and finding him up here was odd, to say the least. Still, this wasn't her hut and it wasn't for her to judge who or what was out of place. It would be terribly rude to leave without at least saying hello and attempting some small talk. Ugh. Small talk. The very thought of it made her head hurt. Making her way tenativly up the stairs she called out again, attempting to sound cheerful but not pushy or creepy, which is amazing harder than it sounds. "Jesse? I didn't expect to see you here. I'm sorry for intruding, but do you know when Velve will be back?" She hit the top of the stairs and stopped dead in her tracks, thankful that she hadn't been in mid-sentence when she saw him. He was wounded and she hadn't heard a single thing about it. Not one. That went immediately on the list of 'things to harass Velve about'.

<Jesse Fforde> There's the sound of footsteps on the stairs. The voice like a travelling spectre, bobbing along to him on a wave, getting that tiny bit louder as she came closer, that tiny bit less distant. Jesse turns his head toward the sound of Ariadne's voice, though he's probably a little off-centre. He reluctantly drops his hands from fiddling with the bandage - wanting only to scratch but knowing it's probably not a good idea. "Have no clue," he says, honestly. He doesn't question Velveteen about her whereabouts, or how long it will be before she comes back. "Intrude all you like," he says with a hint of a smirk, though it's not as full as mirth as it could be.

<Ariadne> "I'll remind you that you said that later. Possibly after I tape oven mits to your hands." He looked a bit off, but not completely worn out, like he'd been here for day or two. Good. At least this hadn't just happened tonight. She was quite shocked that there was no music, tv, or even books on tape for Jesse to listen too. Any normally sane person could go crazy if they were left alone all day with nothing to do. Jesse's current level of sanity aside, she expected that he was fairly bored with his current set up. She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked over to the table. "I'll refrain from asking what happened and just ask this. Do you need anything?"

<Jesse Fforde> The smirk twitched and broadened just a little. Not the same kind of expression that Ariadne might have seen once before, when offering her assistance. But one of actual amusement - given that Jesse is reminded of the last time Ariadne offered her assistance, and feeling appreciative that she'd do so again, given the circumstances. Briefly, he remembered the last time he was bed-bound, and the things that AJ had offered him to keep him occupied. Rather than reply with any kind of dirty-ness, however, Jesse shrugs and shakes his head. "Something real to feed on might be nice. Blood bags taste like cardboard. Why, got something in mind?" he asks - the smirk loosens and his lips are straight. He really is ******* bored, and he never thought he'd ever think it - but company is all that he really craves.

* Ariadne had been a bit apprehensive about offering her help. The last time she'd tried with him at hadn't ended terribly well. This time he actually seemed receptive to the offer. She still wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Taking a seat she started pulling things out of her overloaded bag until she found the bottle of blood she had taken with her from her store room. "I have a bottle, though if you're tired of bagged blood it may not do. I could always summon someone for you? I also have cards, which will do you no good, a bunch of components which will do the same, and a laptop with internet access if you want some music? I'm sure I could find some little green army men if you really wanted them."

<Jesse Fforde> At the other end of the table is a sketch book and some pencils. Jesse, in a bid to chase a few hours, trying to sketch in the abstract. Sketching by feel, rather than by sight. Trying to get down on the rough paper the images he sees against his eyelids; vague shapes that aren't too coherent, but which sometimes take on aspects of memory - of the last things that he saw before being blinded. An alleyway. A woman with a knife. Glistening cheeks. He's almost certain they'll look like child's drawings when he can actually see them. He perks at the mention of bottled blood - the bottle that Ariadne had given him not long ago had been quite a drop. Not as good as the real thing, but far better than the uncultured bagged blood. "What kind?" he asks, referring to the bottle. And then: "I don't mind the silence. Thank you, though - the company is better. So unless the little green army men talk, I'm not sure they'll do the trick," he says with a grin.

<Ariadne> "They do not, but you could always hide them around the apartment for Velve and Micah to step on. I hear it's almost as bad as stepping on a lego. As for the blood..." She spun the bottle around and looked at the label to confirm that it was what she had selected for tonight. She'd make sure to pick it up again when she could spend some time in her hut with her books and paintings. "I have Innocence, which is the infant blood. Should I go hunting for glasses or would you rather share straight from the bottle?"

<Jesse Fforde> Infant blood. It sends a shiver down Jesse's spine. It feels so wrong, but at the same time... what in the world would that taste like?! Far better than bagged blood, he'd wager. He gives a shrug. "I promise I don't have cooties. It's up to you," he says. He'd laughed at Ari's suggestion at hiding the little men. Tempting. Very, very tempting. "One - I'd probably more likely run into their traps if I were to run around trying to hide traps of my own. Two - they have thralls watching my every move. I'd be dobbed on," he says, canting his head to the side as if trying to listen for the sneaky bastards, now. He wonders how much Ariadne knows, if anything. No one probably knows he's up here - which only heightens his frustration.

[Ariadne]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--


<Ariadne> "I do believe that people become immune to cooties after age 12 or 13, so we're safe either way." She fiddled with the cork a little and pulled it out in one quick motion. Placing the bottle in front of Jesse she took his hand and wrapped it around the bottle so that he wouldn't spill it when trying to reach for it. "I could always scout and guide you around. If you wanted to hide the Army men, that is. Moving around might make you a little less tense. I mean, not that you said you tense, but you feel tense, you know? No, you probably don't know... which is ok. Most people have no idea what I'm talking about most of the time anyway." Her voice trailed off quickly on the last sentence and left her feeling somewhat embarrassed. She hated it when she babbled. She also hated trying to explain herself to people. For the second time that night she was relieved that Jesse wasn't able to see her.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse chuckles as Ariadne rambles. His head is bowed, because it's no use trying to look at anything. He does tense when she touches him, only because he isn't expecting it. He doesn't like being blind. He feels vulnerable and useless. That's worse than the boredom. He lets the silence descend while he takes a good swig of the blood; sure, it's not warm and living, but that doesn't detract from the taste. It's smooth, and completely untainted. Less tainted than the virgin blood. Completely uncorrupted. He nods his appreciation, before licking his lips and holding the bottle toward thin air. "I might take you up on that offer. The scouting, I mean. But for now - I am curious. Of course you could guess that I might be a bit tense. But please - humour me. I feel tense?" he asks. He really is curious.

* Ariadne gently removes the bottle from his hand and takes a few small sips before sliding the bottle across the surface of the table and leaving it near his fingers. "It's... I guess the best way to describe it is like and enhanced empathy. I don't just sympathize with people when they feel something, I feel it too. It's a terrible super power. I used to get mad all the time because I could never understand what was going on. I'd feel anger and then I couldn't stop feeling it, which only made it worse, kind of like speaker feedback. If I'm in a room with too many people it can be quite... overwhelming. SO when I say that you feel tense, I mean that I feel your tension without touching you. It's in the air."

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse almost feels the need to recoil. Sudden apprehension fills him, and he's glad that he wasn't thinking about anything else but the discomfort of his healing wound and his boredom. Of course, he then thinks about all the things that he wouldn't want Ariadne to know that he's feeling - his fear, for Grey. His utter inconsolable misery and dark depression which the cause for his current state of being, and for his house arrest. He swallows hard, the emotions washing through him in raging waves - he reaches for the bottle of blood - does so far too quickly, the momentum causing the bottle to rock, to begin to topple. His mouth opens and he tries to catch the bottle, by instinct, but completely fails.

* Ariadne watched the bottle rock and quickly moves to intercept it as it does its best to fall over. She shouldn't have told him. She knew she shouldn't have and she still did. Apparently her work on impulse control issues wasn't going very well."You see, Jesse. This is why I don't socialize much. This is why I keep to myself in my little world of computers and codes. If you're worried, don't be. I can only tell that you're upset, but now what about, and I won't tell anyone. Just relax." She set the bottle on the table and caught sight on his phone. The least she could do for scaring him was try to offer him something that would ease his time up here. "If you'll let me, I think I can do something to make your stay a bit better. I promise it doesn't involve touching or feeling, but I will need to poke about in your phone. Just the hardware. Mostly."

<Jesse Fforde> It isn't so much that Jesse's afraid of what Ariadne might do with the information. He was just so used to keeping his emotions to himself, that he isn't sure he's too comfortable with someone else being privy to them. But to be angry at Ariadne for this could be equated to anyone being angry at a mute. It's probably not something she can help. Jesse takes a breath that he does not need and slowly curls his fingers around the righted bottle, so as not to knock it over again. "Sorry. That's fine. I'm relaxed," he said, but then laughed under his breath. Of course she'd know that he wasn't. "I don't mind touching," he smirks to try to lighten his mood, as much as the atmosphere. "But sure, go ahead. I'm intrigued," he says, bringing that bottle to his lips and taking a few very long, hard pulls of the liquid inside. Trying to change the subject, as if that would at all change the way he felt.

* Ariadne pulls a small black tool wrap out of her bag. Inside are the things she uses to mod the various technologies that she and others use. "You seem intrigued by a lot tonight." She said, trying to keep him settled as she popped the back off of his phone and went to work. The chip she planned to install was small and took very little time to place. Once she had slid it into it's new home she popped the back on again and rebooted the phone. The new icon took seconds to show up and with a few quick swiped they were in business. "There is now a new chip in your phone. It contains a program kind of like Siri, except that it only does texts and calls. All you have to do is turn the phone on, say what you would like to do, and it will either open up a talk to text program or call the person you need it to. If there are multiple people of the same name it will read of their last name and their relationship to you so that you can select the right one. When you get a text it will beep, you say 'read text' and it will read it to you before giving you the option to reply. If you get calls it will tell you who is calling. It may not be much, but I think it may help you a little. If you want those little army men you can text me with this. I'll come back if you want the company."

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse beams as Ariadne explains the purpose of the chip in his phone. It meant that he didn't have to wait for people to call him (as answering is a far cry easier than trying to navigate to make a call). And he didn't have to ask for the insufferable help of the human thralls. "Thank you, Ariadne," he says, her name lilting off his tongue. He prefers her full name. "That's an enormous help," he says. "And I do. I really do want those little green men," he adds, with perhaps a little bit too much enthusiasm. He could be very childish, when he wanted to be.

<Ariadne> "It's the least I can do." She smiled as he mentioned the army men. Finding them would be too hard, but making sure that Velve and Micah didn't walk in on the hiding of them could prove to be tricky. "I'll go and find some tomorrow. If I can I'll bring a nice big tub of them. Until tomorrow?"

<Jesse Fforde> "Yes, tomorrow, please," Jesse says, again with a little too much enthusiasm. A side of him that Ariadne had probably never been privy to. Had she ever actually seen him act up, have fun? It's not as if he was in the best of moods, still, but his anger at the world had deflated, replaced by misery and sheer boredom. He knew, deep down, that if he were to lash out he'd slowly lose all hope of entertainment. "Maybe bring some more blood, too. Please?" he says with a smile that he hopes looks coy and appealing.

<Ariadne> She smiled though he couldn't see it. There was some comfort in that she hadn’t completely scared him with the explanation of 'enhanced empathy'. Possibly even more in that he had actually asked her to come back. "Yes, I can bring more blood. I'll make sure to grab a few before I come over." She stuffed her belongings back into her bag and stood, making her way back towards the elevator. "I'll be here tomorrow, Jesse. Get some sleep in the mean time. It'll help those eyes."

[Micah]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--


<Micah> He left the Eyrie in a rage. What had started out as something pleasant had taken a turn in a direction that he didn’t think any of them had expected. A human. Jesse was involved with a ******* HUMAN. Was it his business? Micah had been speaking the truth when he said that he didn’t care who Jesse chose to spend his time with. Finding out that this female was mortal? Yeah. That made things complicated. Micah didn’t know what the **** the other male was thinking. How could it possibly work out in the end without any repercussions? Simple. There was no way in hell that it was going to.

The sewers was his destination. Intent on working off his rage on the paladins and footsoldiers that lurked within the dank depths below the city Micah kicked off the cover and dropped down into the darkness. The first paladin he came into contact was destroyed in seconds and it did nothing to calm the rage coursing through his body. What made it worse was that Vel knew. She knew and she didn’t tell him. But then he stopped in his tracks as he got to thinking. Was it really fair to blame her? She wasn’t the type of person to keep something like that from him. She never had before so why would she start now? The answer came to him instantly - she wouldn’t. Not without a damn good reason.

<Velveteen>After leaving Grey to her phone call, Velveteen paused outside the door. This was likely going to get worse before it got better. That did seem to be the way of most things recently. Thumb and forefinger were pressed to her forehead and she checked in on Jesse as she connected mentally with Scott. The vampire was sitting pretty much where she left him though it seemed no phone call had come as yet. The fact that she could even do this still amazed her but it certainly made things way easier. She took a moment to wonder if her thrall even knew when she tapped in like that. That could be kinda creepy.

Finally letting go of the door handle she moved down the hallway to the elevator as she got back to doing what she had originally set out to do - Find her husband. At a guess she suspected he would either be somewhere beneath the city killing anything in his path or running through the wilderness in wolf form. Either way both were extremely large places and she was unlikely to find him unless he wanted to be found. Frigid air whipped around her as she stepped through the main doors and out into the night causing the hem of her coat to slap against her calves. How any human could stand living in such temperatures was beyond her though it was no longer an issue for the dead that walked these streets.

She sighed, though the sound was snatched from her lips and stolen away on the wind that carried the soft sound down the street. She hoped he wasn’t angry with her but sometimes when he got like this there was really no telling how it would go. Instead of spending all night traipsing the sewers she touched lightly upon his mind. ”Where are you babe?” With shoulders hunched and hands buried deep inside her pockets she made her way to the nearest sewer exit. Even if he wasn’t down there it would be nice to get out of this wind for a time.

<Micah>It was almost like she knew that he was thinking about her. her thoughts pressed into his mind, a comforting presence. Some might not like the feeling but he wasn’t everyone else. It didn’t bother him a bit. He wasn’t all that surprised that she hadn’t taken long to contact him. When he was angry such as he was now the easiest way for her to reach him was via mindspeak. Anyone else who tried such a thing would have probably been hunted down and shot but she was, as always, the exception to any rule.

Where was he anyways? The sewers looked the same no matter where someone was but sometimes there were distinguishing marks that gave an indication as to where one was. He frowned and glanced around trying to pinpoint his location. Cherrydale was where he’d entered and had gone south, then east maybe? **** if he knew. “I...don’t ******* know. Somewhere in the sewers.”

<Velveteen>She almost laughed at his reponse. Of course he didn’t know. Everything looked the same down here. Her chin tilted upwards as she looked towards the grate overhead. Can you meet me at the ship?”. She was pretty certain she could find her way there from here, it wasn’t that far after all. Velveteen didn’t wait for a reply and her feet had already started moving. If he decided on elsewhere or whatever it didn’t really matter much. She could literally be anywhere in less time than it took for a human’s heart to beat. If she had of dwelt on that thought too long she would have literally made herself crazy. How they were what they were and did the things they did completely went against everything she ever thought she knew of both the physical and spiritual but every now and then, these thoughts would sneak up on her only to be shrugged off and forgotten once more.

Several minutes later, ten maybe? Velveteen was peeking from beneath the heavy iron that once lifted would open onto the street. It was usually a good idea to make sure there were no cars coming when came above ground. That **** would be hard to explain. The sewer exit was right in front of the Cimmerian and as she slipped through the old wooden door she looked about half expecting him to have beaten her there.

<Micah>”Aww you asked. I suppose I can.” He was already moving searching for the exit. Normally he had a pretty good sense of direction but mixing in all the anger that he was currently feeling he could easily become lost if he focused on that. Luckily he turned a corner and was rewarded with a set of iron steps that would lead him to the surface. As he climbed he wondered what Jesse was doing. Had Vel convinced him to stay behind? Micah was kind of curious if the other male thought that the human girl was in danger. She wasn’t. Yet. Luckily for her Micah didn’t know what she looked like.

His feet hit the pavement and after he kicked the cover back over the entrance he got a look at where he was. The Cimm stood in front of him. That was unexpected - he hadn’t realized that he’d traveled that far. Pulling open the door he slipped inside and spotted her just ahead of him. No surprise that she beat him there.

<Velveteen> There it was. That sarcastic tone that was usually accompanied by a sneer. It was usually a tell tale sign that he was indeed pissed at her as well but it answered her other question. He hadn’t gotten there yet and she sunk into a nearby chair. She really hated it when he was angry with her. Granted it was all good and well when she knew she deserved it, and she would be totally kidding herself if she didn’t admit that there were more than just a few times that she did, but when it was a simple matter of timing or some other valid reason, yeah...she didn’t like it. Even trying to explain or talk to him until he worked off his anger was usually futile but too much was happening and their time on this could be becoming more limited by the minute.

The sound of the door opening caused her to jump and twist towards the sound. Velveteen could be quite jumpy outside of the Eyrie and as she allowed herself to become lost in her thoughts this was no different, though she physically relaxed, well a little, when she saw who it was. A faint, uncertain smile played across her pale lips and remained seated, waiting to better gauge his current mood before she spoke.

<Micah>Her paranoia made itself known when she jumped as the door slammed shut behind him. “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you.” He forgot for a second that he was even angry to begin with as he looked at her sitting there waiting for him. It wasn’t her that he was truly pissed at. Time hadn’t exactly been something that they had had the luxury of having as of late and because of that neither of them got the opportunity to keep the other up to date with much of anything. Not that he had anything to tell. But that wasn’t the point. He couldn’t in all fairness be pissed at her over this.

Jesse on the other hand was a completely different story. He’d been around long enough to know the risk and the dangers of getting involved with a human. And if she knew what Jesse was? That just made it worse. Granted she could have figured it out on her own but it was still a huge ******* problem. One that left Jesse with two options as far as Micah was concerned. He could try to say it wasn’t Micah’s business but Jesse had made it the faction’s business. That was all on him.

<Velveteen>”Oh.” She looked a little surprised at his apology. “You didn’t scare me...I just, well, you know how I am.” At least he didn’t sound angry now so that was a bonus. She kicked a nearby chair out and leaned forward to cross her arms on the table, her smile becoming just a little more obvious. That was the effect this man had on her, one that she imagined would never fade no matter how long their eternity lasted.

The sound of water lapping at the sides of the boat were louder than usual as the waters were rougher. It was still rather soothing in it’s way and this place as deserted as it usually was tended to afford a certain amount of privacy. “Babe, I just honestly hadn’t had the chance to tell you.” Her sterling orbs roamed his face as she paused momentarily. “But...funnily enough, something happened on my way to find you.” She lowered her gaze and sat back once more, looking like a woman defeated.

<Micah>He took the last few steps that separated them and took the chair that she had kicked out for him. “I do know how you are. Paranoid. And it’s rubbed off on me.” Not that he was complaining realy. At least it kept him on his toes and he’d endure the teasing he got from everyone else if it kept his *** intact on a nightly basis. He pulled off his sunglasses and tossed them onto the table and glanced at her.

“I know. After I thought about it rationally I knew that you wouldn’t keep something this big from me on purpose.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her noting the way she seemed to deflate in front of him. It didn’t sit well with him. Not at all. And he was curious now as to what could have possibly made her look this way. “What happened?”

<Velveteen>She shook her head and closed her eyes almost reluctant to answer. “The weirdest thing. I was on my way out to find you. Jesse is still at the Eyrie by the way, Scott and Bunny are watching him. He actually thought you were going ou to hunt his woman.” She stopped then and grinned a little sheepishly. “I made him give me his word that he would stay while I came to…stop you.” She sighed a little and waved her hand absently through the air as she continued. The words almost tumbling from her lips. “Anyway there was a call from Adrenaline so I stopped by to fix that up and this woman came in…looking for Jesse.” She paused there and watched his face as a curious brow rose a little, waiting for a reaction.

“She didn’t let on who she was even though I tried to get a name so when she left I followed her. She was pretty distraught at not being able to find him. Too distraught. So...by the weirdest twist of fate...Guess who I met tonight?”


<Micah>He couldn’t help but smirk when she mentioned Bunny. That girl was like a rabid pitbull when given a task of that caliber. Eager to please as she always was, Micah would not put it past the girl to resort to violence if the situation called for. Knowing that Jesse wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon caused him to relax just a little bit. “I never had any intention of killing her.” The yet went unspoken. Vel knew exactly what went on in his head. No one knew him better than she did. “But if you had to resort to such underhanded tactics - which, by the way, warms my cold dead heart. Well done you devious woman - who am I to judge you? Do what you gotta do to get him to keep his *** where he is.” Dude couldn’t see. The Eyrie was the best place for him.

Intrigued now he brushed off what she said about Adrenaline for now. He was much more interested in finding out who she had met. “Yeah? Who did you meet?”

[Velveteen]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--


<Velveteen> Velveteen gave a small thank you by a slight dip of her head when he spoke of her deviousness. No one appreciated it more than he did and this was just one of the many reasons she loved this man so deeply. Her smile soon faded though and she gave him one of those incredulous looks of disbelief. Her head tipped to the side a little as she recounted what she had said, certain she had put enough clues in to have made the answer rather obvious. Then it occurred to her that maybe he was just ******* with her too. It was something he did seem to get a chuckle out of when the mood struck him.

She leaned forward in her seat and narrowed her gaze, keeping it levelled on him. “A human girl named Grey. Now...I agree that is a huge coincidence considering but unless Grey is a common name about these parts…” She let her words trail off, not even certain now that Micah knew the woman’s name. She, however, was way past guessing, having had the woman’s identity confirmed during their conversation. “She is the one Jesse is seeing. She was looking for him at the tattoo places and just happened to come into Adrenaline while I was there.”

<Micah> He simply smiled at her. Of course he had had a suspicion and as it turned out he had been correct. His wife had met Jesse’s delicate little human. It was one of those things that while he suspected, he needed to hear it because he liked riling her. The looks he got amused him which is why he did it to begin with. His wife knew he was far from stupid, and he knew her well enough to know that she enyoed their little mind games just as much as he did.

Grey. What an odd name. But then again uncommon names weren’t unheard of around the city. Was that even her real name? “So...what? She was just planning to wander around the city until she found him?” His fingers drummed against the surface of the table. Now that he knew he name he tried to put a face to it and was unable to. He’d never even heard of the girl until his wife mentioned who she was. “And you just let her walk away? Did you find out what she knows?”

<Velveteen> “I...think so. She seemed pretty upset at not being able to find him and by the look of her she had been in some sort of trouble recently. She was bruised and in pain, limping. I didn’t ask and I did.” She paused and her brow furrowed a little as she watch his fingers drum against the table. “What should I have done. Taken her prisoner? Dragged her back to the Eyrie to Jesse?” She shook her head and pursed her lips thoughtfully. Maybe she should have done exactly that. “I am pretty sure I would recognise her again if not there are other ways to find her but….I dunno. She obviously knows about us, well vampires but she didn’t know who I was and said that she had no idea what Jesse did or where he went. Said that he didn’t tell her anything at all about his life...as such.”

Velveteen wondered what was going on in her husband’s head at the moment. She knew exactly how he felt about these things and she shared those feelings but Jesse had said she was going to be turned. “She did confirm what Jesse said about the turning, but she said she just wasn’t ready yet. Though I did kinda tell her that she may not have much a choice anymore.”

<Micah>So the girl knew about vampires. Micah tsked and shook his head. This wasn’t good. He honestly thought that Jesse knew better but he clearly wasn’t thinking straight. Hadn’t been for a good long while now and it was becoming painfully obvious. First the **** with Nix now this. What a ******* mess it was turning out to be. He did wonder about the injuries that Vel mentioned. Did she maybe have an encounter with another vampire and that was why she was injured? If he was in Jesse’s shoes he’d insist on turning her and if she continued to put it off well...he wouldn’t give her a choice.

“No, she doesn’t have a choice. He’s already in enough **** over this and the longer he lets it go the worse its going to get for him. And you said she was injured. What the **** would he do if she managed to get herself killed?” He felt the need to bring that up. “If we think hes suicidal now can you imagine what that would do to him? He has to convince her that turning her now is the best option. For them both.”

<Velveteen>”Yeah...perhaps. But at this point as far as I know we are the only ones who know about this. And I suppose...you don’t sleep with a vampire and not know the difference.” She grinned, obviously something else was going on behind her eyes at that moment, something highly inappropriate. She pushed the thought aside and got back to the seriousness that this had become. “Well when I left her I do believe she was going to ring Jesse. I told her not to go looking for him or she would end up dead.”

Velveteen sat back in her chair and tugged at her lip as she tried to put things together. “I dare say, going on his reaction when he thought you were going to kill her that yeah...he would not want that at all. He loves her babe and from what I could gather she loves him too. I don’t think she would do anything to put at him risk. Hell..we have no idea how long it has been going on now...it could be months. I think if anything bad were going to happen it would have but...I know that is small consolation at this point.”

<Micah>He shot her a smirk knowing full well where her head was at. Pervert. This was important **** and there she was having all kinds of inappropriate thoughts. The smirk faded before long and an exasperated sigh left him. “I didn’t plan to kill her. That wasn’t my intention when I left the Eyrie and I have to say that I find it highly insulting that he would think so lowly of me. I’m a dick yeah but when I’m rational I’m more that willing to sit down and see if a agreement can be reached. He makes that rather difficult though.”

He didn’t rightly care if this fragile little human had any intention of putting Jesse or anyone else at risk. She knew that vampires existed and that was a big enough threat. What if she let something slip to the wrong person? No that wasn’t a risk that he was ever going to be willing to take, no matter who it was.

<Velveteen> A grin formed on her pale lips and she shook her head a little. It was always easier when looking in from outside. “Babe. I don’t think hat Jesse thinks lowly of you at all. He isn’t being rational. Think about it. How rational are you when it comes to me and such things?” She let the silence settle for a moment as she gave him time to think about what she had said. “I am guessing it all just happened that fast that he wasn’t really thinking at all.”

A hand came up and she dumped her chin it, leaning forward to rest her elbow on the table. “That isn’t the only issue though. We still have this whole thing with Jesse going on. What. A. Mess.” She stated flatly. From one issue to another. Which to deal with first. “I am not sure how long we can keep him under house arrest and if he does take off, he might just succeed at getting himself killed. Then what?”

<Micah>She made a very good point. When it came to her - especially her - he wasn’t rational. Not a bit. She was his greatest strength and she was his greatest weakness. The fast, most surefire way to get to him was to insult her, or raise a weapon to her. Jesse found that out for himself and all he did was push her. He’d injured her though and he was damn lucky that all he got in return was a dislocated back. It could have been much, much worse. “I suppose you’re right.” He admitted it grudgingly.

“I don’t know what to do about him. I really think that he’s acting like this because he hasn’t sired anyone in ages. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and that’s the only thing I can come up with. Look at what hes been doing, or what he spends his time doing. Creating. Maybe he’s doing this **** to try and fill the void of not having his childer around him.” Micah shrugged and sat back in his seat. “Of course I could be totally off base but in all honesty I don’t think that I am.”

<Velveteen> The tone of his voice when he was forced to admit it made her smirk a little. Her husband was not an irrational man, not in the least but he knew as well as she did that there were certain things that pushed him over that edge in less time than it took to blink an eye. He also didn’t like to admit it.

Long, darkly painted fingernails tapped lightly across her cheek as she thought about what he said. “It is not impossible and it would explain things, well...some of them. I guess….we could force him to turn someone and see? I mean...if it doesn’t work he has another childe but if it does well, we will be one step closer to knowing what the **** is going on with him.” Her shoulders came up and then fell again just as quickly. “It;s worth a shot...maybe?” Her expression was one of uncertainty though it was true one of Jesse’s issues, probably the biggest one, was directly linked to his childer and the way they seemed to have disappeared. “We should do it. He probably won’t like it but **** it. We can’t keep doing this ****.”

<Micah> Like it? Hell Jesse would probably hate that and it might bring a lot of resentment down on them both. But at this point in time did it even matter? He was already acting out and being a complete ********, doing his best to push everyone who ever gave a **** about him away. If forcing him to sire a childe would get him to yank his head out of his *** then the resentment that could possibly come at them both was worth it in the end. It’s not like Micah and Vel would be doing it out of spite. The both of them just wanted the old Jesse back, not this surly ******** that had taken his place. “Alright. But we’d have to find someone first.”

<Velveteen> It wasn’t much of a plan but it was something at this point. It would either yield results or not and if not then they were just no further ahead. That’s all. Her head bobbed slowly in agreement giving little to no thought at all about the random human whose life was about to be changed forever.It didn’t really matter anyway. Velveteen knew she would do whatever it took to help or protect one of her own and if that meant sacrificing strangers then so be it.

“Then that is what we shall do...tonight. It is almost morning and I need to check in and change his dressing. If his eyes start growing in around that gauze...it would be all sorts of fucked up.” Her head canted to the side a little. “Do you think we should tell him about this or just surprise him?”

<Micah>”I think that would should at least tell him what we’re going to do but make it clear that he had no options and no say in the matter. He’s gonna do it even if we have to use bodily force on him. It’s not much but anything that has even the slightest possibility of working well, I’ll take it.” Micah stood and pushed the chair in. “I just want this over with so things can get back to normal again. I ******* hate complications.”

<Velveteen> She couldn’t help but chuckle as she stood. What the actual **** was normal these days anyway and by what standard was it actually measured. Of course she knew exactly what he meant but the irony of it was not lost. “Well, I am pretty sure he will argue and protest but...oh well.” She shrugged and smirked before moving closer to him and slipping her hand into his. “Lets go home babe. I have missed you.”

[Jesse Fforde]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--



<Grey> Grey sat and stared at her smartphone. She felt the coldness bleeding into the room. The bitter breeze amplified everything she was feeling. Her hip was throbbing. Her stomach was eating itself. The pain her knee was giving her was nothing compared to current heartache. There had been five unanswered calls and four text messages that were staring at her unanswered. Hanging her head, Grey brought a hand up to rub her face. What was she going to do? What was it that she could have done? Valyrie was right. This situation was difficult. It was going to end one way or another. How could she push him? How could she even talk to him when he had so openly told her in the past that it went against the very being he was to have her? Hurting as she sat there with the slouching of her shoulders, Grey allowed herself to feel dejected and miserable. In that moment, she could not bring herself to call him. No, not quite yet. Tears welled up and over her eyelids. She managed to bite her lower lip before a sob broke into the silent air of the dead woman's apartment.This was doing her no good sitting here. It was doing her no good feeling sorry for herself when Valyrie's words were like ice picks to her heart. So what? They could get passed this. They had to. She picked up her smartphone, unlocked it, and scrolled to her lover's number. She pressed that call button on the touch screen and held her breath.



<Jesse Fforde> Jesse feels about as dejected as Grey does. He sat on the floor in the middle of apartments that aren't his own. He's been locked in, blackmailed to stay, blocked from using his abilities, and he had a screaming headache that's only getting worse. There's gauze stuck uncomfortably in the holes that are his eyes, and his only company are a couple of humans that he can't even eat unless he were to piss off the people trying to help him. And he has to keep reminding himself that they ARE trying to help. Although they've left him there without first trying to give him the lay off the land he knows he deserves it. And besides, if he had a heart it would be beating like a tribal drum, given his fear and helplessness regarding Grey's safety. Of course he could have asked the humans for help but he was stubborn. He didn't know how long it was that he sat there before the male thrall, Scott, tentatively approached. He said something about the phone, and that someone was going to call, and that he was to help Jesse. Assuming that it was going to be velveteen or Micah, Jesse waited. He was going to ask the human, after this expected call, to help him phone Grey. It was a while before the phone actually rang, and the human fumbled with the machine before finally handing it over. Jesse answered with a very short and clipped 'Yes?' He certainly wasn't in a very good mood. Not at all.



<Grey> As the phone rang, Grey became more and more apprehensive. Should she have called him? The woman gave her permission. And how cruel was it that Grey even needed permission to speak to her lover? She was not sure of the sarcasm that came from the dead woman. Was Grey supposed to really have this call in private? Were there cameras or listening devices? Surely there was a catch to speak with Jesse. Was it a trap? Was he going to be upset? Did the dead woman convince him that they shouldn't be together? She heard his terse voice. Relief flooded through her. So much so that the tears sprang to her eyes and a sniff was heard on the other end of the line that accompanied a quiet whisper of her strained voice. "Jesse."



<Jesse Fforde> The voice that Jesse hears is not one that he expects to hear. For too many seconds he is silent, mouth hanging open as the implications run haphazardly through his frazzled mind. The thrall, knowing to expect a call. Velveteen's thrall. Velveteen, who'd just run after Micah, to keep Micah from slaughtering Grey (or so Jesse thinks, not yet having calmed himself by realising Micah doesn't know Grey's name, let alone where she's staying). The sniff and the whisper of Grey's voice brings to mind all the movies that he's seen where the hostage is forced to call someone just before they die. The terror is a confounding force as all the breath leaves Jesse in a rush and he finds himself, for unknowable reasons, trying to stand, as if to bolt toward a door that he cannot see. They've got her.They've got her, and now they're forcing her to call him to say goodbye. Micah has convinced Velveteen that it's the best way. "Tell them no, Grey, please - if they're there just let me talk to them," he says in a rush, the clipped, terse tone replaced with fearful concern.



<Grey> When he was quiet, Grey nervously bit her lower lip. She mauled the line, bloodying her lip without intention. But in that moment, the pain was better than his silence. Had the woman filled his mind with the same things that had been said to her? Worried, she squeezed her eyes closed. "Jesse." She says again, this time it is rushed. She says his name with such a force it is as if she is commanding him to stop and calm down. She says his name in such a way that it sounds like a plea for him to listen to her. "She left. The woman left, Jesse. It is okay. I'm by myself." She waits. She waits to see if he will say anything more. She breathes into the phone, gathering the snot in another sniff as it threatens to drop from her nose. It isn't pretty. She's not pretty. Bruised and mangled, devastated and frustrated - the soft sob snuck out from between her lips. "She said you were okay! She said you weren't going to be around for a while."


Having to move, Grey pushed herself up off that chair. Her stomach was churning and she managed to walk to the window. "What happened, Jesse? What can I do? How can I help?!" There was Grey, not quite in the best shape herself and all she wanted to do was to help the man on the other end of the line. Her voice wavered. She reached out, pressing her palm to the wall in support. "Please... Please come home to me." It was selfish of her, she knew. And she couldn't help the tears that flowed now. Taking a deep breath; she tried to reign in her wet mess of a face.



<Jesse Fforde> The woman left? Just the woman? No Micah, then? Jesse is confused. Then again, Velveteen knows more about Grey than Micah does. It makes sense that she should have found Grey first. But for what reason? What has she done? Jesse trusts Velveteen more than he trusts anyone, but in that moment he can't help but feel apprehensive. Unbeknownst to him, his posture echoes Grey's - rather than find a door through which to escape, Jesse finds himself leaning against a wall, fingers splayed and palm flat as he bows his head, trying to imagine where Grey is, and what she might look like. If only he could reach through the phone to reassure her with his touch. But he can't. He has to reassure her with his words, and that's not something he's very practiced with. Not at all practiced.


He clears his throat and shakes his head disconsolately, "I can't, Grey. I promised. If I leave, it's your safety that's in the balance, and I won't have them harm you. They won't... I mean," he stops, takes a deep breath, and decides to be honest. "I'm not in the best shape. My eyes have been stabbed out, and I'm not going to be able to see for a while. I've got **** going on - I'm fine. They're keeping me here for my own good. I trust them," he says, as much to reassure himself as to reassure Grey. "Don't try to find me, Grey. You'll die," he says. And then he stops. He doesn't know what else to say. He wants to kiss her, but he can't. And so he remains still, knowing she'll have more questions. And trying to figure out how to be a little more gentle in his delivery.



<Grey> She did not know what to say. She did not know what to do. When he spoke to her, she felt that voice of his just wrap around her. She let out a soft sob, barely catching it with her free hand as her forehead came to rest upon the window. The coldness washed over her skin. Her emotions ran through her like barbed wire over flesh and she cried in earnest now. Her nails scrape against the wall she fists her hand for a moment before allowing herself to suck in a deep breath. "I will be careful, I promise. I miss you... Please, just get better, Jesse. I'll be safe... I'll be safe. I promise." She repeated those words for as much of his benefit as she said it for herself. She was trying to not flee. She was trying to swallow the fact that he was hurt and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.


“I need you to get better. I need you to come home to me when you are better. Please, Jesse... Please." She sounded so devastated. She sounded like her world had come crashing at her feet. He was, in Grey's thoughts, the only thing that kept her grounded in that moment. "She said it was going to end. She said this... Us... We weren't good for each other. I don't agree. Am I bad for you, Jesse? Is she right? Are you keeping something more from me?" So many questions. So many words fell from her tongue quickly. She sucked in a sharp breath, wiping her snot on the sleeve of her coat she had yet to take off. She was leaving that apartment the dead woman brought her to. She said to lock up when Grey was done with her phone call. And she grimaced, her knee popping as her weight shifted. "Your eyes...? Gone?" She said, almost in disbelief.



<Jesse Fforde> Jesse sighs. He shouldn't have said anything about his eyes. He should have just said he was temporarily blinded. That wasn't the kind of imagery that Grey needed right now. And so he doesn't answer the last question, choosing instead to try to be a rock for Grey, to gather his strength and force sternness into his tone. "I'm going to be fine," he says with absolute certainty. "I am fine. C'mon, Grey, you're a strong woman and you've lasted days without me before. I'm not dead, so calm down," he says, with a hint of admonition. He truly believes that Grey is a strong woman and that when she gets over the shock, she'll be just fine. "You know the answers to these questions. We uphold secrecy of vampire-kind. No human is supposed to know about us. I am one of those who help to enforce the rules. Only two others know about you, and your connection to me. The longer you are human the more likely it is someone else will find out and then neither of us will be safe. You'll be killed for what you know and I'll be punished for telling you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Grey, and don't ever think otherwise - the circumstances just aren't ideal. That's all," he says, his voice a husk but deadpan, reasonable, informative. These are the things that she needs to know. "If I keep anything from you it's for your own safety. The less you know the more mercy they'll have if anything goes wrong," he said. Only here is there a hitch in his voice, only because of his recent terror - the way he pleaded for Velveteen to stop Micah. A desperate pleading, the likes of which he has never submitted to before. "Did she find you, Grey? What else did she say?" Jesse asks, unable to contain his curiosity as to why Velveteen might have gone to Grey without Micah.



<Grey> Her mind was reeling. This certainly was a cruel lesson at his expense. She sucked down a deep breath, turning her shoulder into the wall. Slowly, her knees bent. She started to sink down to the floor as if her feet could no longer support her weight. In truth, she covered her mouth and continued to take those sharp, gasping like breaths in. She denied him that - she denied him the fact that she was upset. He was right, after all. She had been without him for days and time slots longer. She had survived without him for months, years, and a decade of unthinkable deeds. She would be just fine without him for a week, right? She could function. She would function. She nodded as if he were sitting right in front of her telling her that she was a big girl and to pull up those panties. Did she like it? No. But she would do as he said because he needed her to be strong.


"She wouldn't tell me anything until I told her my name. And I wouldn't tell her my name until she told me hers. Valyrie Brandon. That was what she said her name was. She was beautiful. But she was fast. I went looking for you. At a tattoo shop and she was there. She said she was part owner and that she could kill me at any time. But she didn't. She brought me to this apartment of hers and told me in oh so many words not to be stupid. Or that I was stupid. And that this could all end very badly. She told me it was okay to call you. And to lock up when I leave. That was it, Jesse. I... I'll take a cab home." She said to him quietly. She whispered as it the walls could hear, her voice ragged with spent emotion as she thought of him wounded.



<Jesse Fforde> The silence thickens as Grey says a name. It's not a name that Jesse recognises. Valyrie Brandon? It starts with a V. It had to have been... there was no one else. He knew no one by that name, and Grey said, well, they talked about him, specifically. It had to have been Velveteen. Jesse doesn't correct Grey. He doesn't want to do anything to piss Velveteen off any more than he already has. If she chose to give Grey a different name, than so be it. That is the name that Grey will know her by. Jesse remains exactly where he is, palm against the wall and head bowed. He knows the thralls are probably listening, keen feel them lurking somewhere (or is that just paranoia?). He doesn't care. He hasn't got anything to say that they can't hear. "You shouldn't have been out looking for me!" he says, the husk of his voice gaining in strength just for that one scolding. "I told you, didn't I?" he asks. He can't remember. He had, hadn't he? He'd told her not to go out at night, as much as possible to stay at home when the sun is down? "Please just stay safe, Grey. I can't come get you if you're fed on again, and I'll blame myself if anything happens to you," he says, words heavy. It's exactly what he'll do. And he'll no doubt kill himself for it, too.



<Grey> There was a gasp upon the other end of the phone. It was one of soft indignation and slight reprisal. She tried to stamp down the anger that was rising over the sadness, the worry, and the fatigue of the day’s events. She had already been reprimanded by Valyrie and now to be told by Jesse to be more careful; to not go out at night - well, she felt like she was a young teenager instead of the woman she had grown into. “You weren't answering my calls, Jesse! I sent you a half dozen texts. I didn't know what was going on!"


Of course, now she realized that he couldn't see the messages. She swallowed the bile that rose up in the back of her throat and wanted to lament. But she wouldn't do that to him, over the phone, and while he was injured and contained within four walls. Her head was throbbing and she bent that good knee to rest it upon as she crunched herself there against the wall. Her hair fell forward, covering her face and she squeezed the denim at her ankle while he asked her to stay safe. “I understand. I will be okay, Jesse. I promise… I’ve looked out for myself for years now. A few more nights won’t hurt, darling.”


Her voice was soft and careful. It sounded almost measured, as if she had to will herself to count to ten or include the words in that very exercise. She was going to stay safe. She would be just fine. From work to home and not much in between and that would be alright with her. She wanted to reach out, to stroke his face, to kiss his pain and to wrap her arms around him and fall asleep with him next to her. The reassurance through the telephone obviously was not an easy feat for either of them. “I’ll take a cab home, Jesse. I won’t work late. I’ll watch my back. You just get better. I need you better, Jesse. I love you…”


She whispered those words into the phone, her voice full of sweet sadness and determination. She would not let him down. Continuing to clutch the phone, Grey shifted. She rocked herself so slightly back and forth as if a child would trying to fend off bad dreams or ignore a bad situation.
Her hand gripped that iPhone so hard, her knuckles were white and her fingers had cramped. But she waited. He was worth… Everything.



<Jesse Fforde> Grey adamantly tells him that she did call. He remembers the way he reacted when she did not come home - the way he was going to go out looking for her, too. But that’s different, isn’t it? She’s human and he is not. He knew the things that could go wrong, where she was concerned. Of course, he doesn’t bring any of this up. He doesn’t argue with her - just grinds his teeth, jaw tense and fingers curling before she softly tells him that she understands. That she will do as he has asked of her. She will try to stay safe. It seems so dramatic, so unnecessary. But this city isn’t an ordinary city and any woman who is perfectly capable of looking after herself, can discover, here, that she is no match against this city’s monsters.


He turns so that his back is against the wall. he slides down so that he is leaning against it, his knees up in front of him. With a small thud his head lands against the hard wall. There he sits, casually, resigned that there is nowhere else he can be. “I love you too, Grey,” he says. He knows there are humans about who might overhear, but he’s beyond caring. Micah’s derisive tone echoes in his mind - he feels like he should be ashamed for the way he feels and the lengths that he would go to to keep Grey safe. But he can’t be ashamed. Micah has Velveteen. The things that Micah would do to defend Velveteen go far beyond what Jesse has tried for Grey, thus far. Micah can’t talk, and this emotion isn’t a weakness. He refuses to let it be a weakness.


“I know you can take care of yourself. But I want you to get up and go hail a cab now. I want to keep talking to you,” he says. It’s an excuse, really. Yes, he does want to keep Grey on the phone until she is home and safe. But he is comforted by the sound of her voice. It calms him, to know that she is safe. He is happy to just sit, so long as she is safe.


“Imagine that this is a long distance relationship, just for a little while,” he says, a small amount of humour in his voice. He needs to try to lighten the mood. “We can keep each other entertained. On the phone,” he says. “We still have our hands…” he says. He’s trying to make her laugh - trying to make her connect the dots, to think about something other than what has happened to him.


<Grey> Just the sound of his vice was enough to ground her into the realism of today. No longer was she scared of someone that was larger than her, or more mean than her; instead she was terrified of what she could not see. The supernatural moved too quickly for human eyes. It caused te hint of paranoia despite Jesse's obvious warnings. She did know better. She did know it was dangerous to step out into the streets after dark. But, she also worried about the man that hadn't been there and hadn't told her not to worry to begin with.


See, if he had left her a note that he had something to attend to, long weekend plans, or was just going to frankly be unavailable; Grey would have tolerated that. She would have certainly accepted it. She had felt, no matter how wrong she was, that he had tried to teach her a lesson. "Okay," She simply said to his request of getting up and going to hail a taxi. Over the phone, the rustle of her coat could have been heard and the effort of the pain that stole her breath and caused those tiny little gasps.


The sound of a door came as he spoke about a long distance relationship. She did not even have it in her to snort. Instead, as he continued on the ding of the elevator was next. "Jesse!" She said his name in surprise and being taken aback that he could be so suggestive. The soft laughter filled the elevator and spilled out into the small lobby. "You, Sir, are incorrigible! It is too hard for me to try to get myself into that state. It is like having vanilla ice cream when all you want is chocolate." She smiled now over the phone, thankful a taxi was rolling by vacant when she stepped out onto the curb and waived them down.



<Jesse Fforde> “..depraved, and absolutely vile, I know,” Jesse says with a little more laughter this time, not so forced, urged on by the amusement in Grey’s own tone. He had got her to laugh, and that was enough. Through the phone line he could hear her laboured breathing; his breath hitched in his throat as he hesitated to ask whether she was okay - whether she had got herself into more trouble since the few nights prior. He chose instead to hope that whatever it was that was hurting her was only leftover. They’d reached a lighter tone and had opened up a more appealing line of conversation, which Jesse prefers. He does not want to yet again sink into the of worry and despair. He has her on the other end of the phone, and although she is hurting, she is there. And that is enough.


“You were completely innocent when you met me, Grey. You’d better be prepared to have that innocent stripped from you, one incorrigible act at a time,” he says, voice dropping to a seductive purr - or what he hopes is a seductive purr. He hasn’t had much practice. His voice had never regained its full potency, and thus was now, in its calm state, comparable to a growling Harley Davidson - the sound that glorious bike makes while idling, just sitting there to be admired.


Jesse rubs his hand across his hair, only to snag on the bandages that Velveteen had wrapped around his head. His fingers idly prodded at the area over his eyes. He wants to be able to see them, wants to be able to assess the damage himself. But of course he can’t, regardless. And while he’s fiddling with his wounds, he’s imagining where Grey might be - he can hear the muffling of the wind in the mouthpiece. She’s outside.


“Go on, Grey. Talk dirty to me. The cab driver’ll love it,” he suggests. Completely inane, but so completely worth it.



<Grey> She heard that voice of his almost seamlessly transcribe from full of concern and worry to teasing and lust driven in the span of a few breaths. It nearly gave her goosebumps, distracting her from the dark threatening night until she sunk herself into the back of the taxi. It actually smelled pretty decent, like cinnamon and fresh coffee. Which, in truth was pleasant for once instead of the mixture of perfumes and colognes. Such scents were often was strong enough to kill a horse, let alone the musky undertones and the fear of sticking fingers anywhere, but on your own person. There was a soft, breathless sigh as he continued to tease her as she held the phone to her ear and gave the location of her destination to the driver - home.


“Jesse!” Her voice admonished him. Like a ripe surprise of embarrassment fluttered in her chest and heated her cheeks. She ducked her chin so the cab driver could not see her full face in the back of the vehicle while she spoke to him in muted tones.


“I will not speak dirty to you right here in this very car!” In truth, what he was doing to her was causing that heart to work a little more. The rumble of his sexy voice caused her to smile, imagining that she were right next to him and he was daring her to play with him. The corners of her mouth just lifted up, sharing that private smile with no one but the shadows. So what if her clothes suddenly felt too heavy, her coat too hot, and her jeans far too confining.


“Besides,” She began while the taxi driver took a turn and her eyes lifted to watch the scenery pass by. She tried not to be sad. She tried not to let the worry overtake the temporary enjoyment of his rowdiness. With a soft cluck of her tongue, phrases ran through her mind like that of which she read in a few of her mystery romance novels as of late. ‘I want to strip your clothes off and...’ or ‘You make me so hot I can’t wait to...’ or ‘Wrap your lips around...’ Even the thought of the words had her blushing furiously, the pain of her knee completely forgotten as she started to unbury her wallet and take out a few bills for the ride. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin or what to say. We don’t even talk dirty to each other that much, Mr. Fforde.”



<Jesse Fforde> Of course Jesse’s not going to force Grey to talk dirty to him while she’s in the back of a cab. He tries to imagine himself in her shoes - would he do it? Probably, without a doubt. The poor driver would be forced to listen and Jesse would have no cares in the world. It’s not as if she’d be doing anything wrong. It’s not as if she’d be stripping down to her underwear and touching herself - and, thinking about it, that’s something that Jesse would prefer she doesn’t do. He’d prefer that no one else get to see her skin but him. Talking, however, just the words - there’s nothing wrong with them. Nothing at all.


“No. We just play dirty, which is far preferable. But given the circumstances…” he trails off. Too close to home. Don’t let her think about the circumstances. Don’t let her try to imagine where he is and how he looks. He doesn’t even know how he looks.


“Imagine me touching myself when I have two watchdogs, watching my every move,” he says, smirking into thin air, just in case one or both of those human thralls are nearby. Oh, how they’d blush and scurry. Maybe. “And by watchdogs, they’re not dogs. If you catch my drift,” he says. He stretches his legs out in front of him. He pushes his toes against the heel of each shoe, to push the shoes off. They fall with twin ‘thuds’ to the wooden floor. He crosses one ankle over the other.


“And anyway. It’s easy. All you have to do is tell me, in precise detail, what you want me to do to you when I see you next. Anything you wish I would do, that I haven’t done yet? Imagine all the possibilities…” he suggests, coyly. He arches a brow and has to bite his tongue to keep from hissing. He has to remind himself to not try to move his eyes.