Black Thursday (Group 21)

[Mortll]

It never got this cold in the deep south , least ways not in Louisiana. There was a freak snow one year and it had been the first and last time Mortll had seen snow in her childhood. If it got to 50 degrees in Louisiana you felt cold. She missed those balmy southern night where you could hear the cicadas and frogs singing and the smell of sweet honeysuckle drifting through the air.

She pulled the fur coat up closer around her neck and was quite thankful for the warm things that Zodiac had made her. Why she was out hunting instead of curled up comfy in front of a roaring fireplace she didn't know but since she was she had decided to go from the High noon bar down to the 8th Dimension Mall to check in on Dragons lair and see how this nasty weather was effecting business.

She was about halfway there she hadn't quite made it to the airport when suddenly she felt the earth moving beneath her feet. She felt a bit disoriented but the sound of screeching tires snapped her out of it she had to dive out of the way of the oncoming car it slammed into a nearby light pole the car was wrapped around it like a ring around a new brides finger. Mortll grimaced as she could see the bloody mess on the passengers side window. The she could hear the pole cracking as the earth still shook .

Some of the places were sustaining damage she saw others just swaying but the traffic was wild and with the weather and conditions was just going to get worse Just as the power line came down slamming across the road and another car slamming into it Mortll decided to duck into a nearby building before she got slammed by a car or something worse . She spotted it, it seemed to be mostly intact and not a lot of damage at least from the earthquake She ducked into the door of the building and looked around carefully looking for a good place to bide her time .

[Keara Aithne]

It was the day of the wedding, kind of, it was the early hours on fifteenth of January and technically their one year anniversary as they were already bound to one another. Today they were sort of renewing their vows to one another and making it official by mortal standards. They were going to have a civil service, just them and their thralls, a nice quiet affair just like last year. The wedding in some ways was quite fitting, as tradition dictated it was a paper anniversary and neither could give the other a better gift than that of a marriage certificate. Keara wanted to be at home with her love but Deanna had convinced her to come out and look for a better gift for her husband than just changing her name. Though taking Enver's name was something he had asked her to do on his birthday. She had offered him one request that she could not refuse and this was what he'd chosen. It had taken months of work and planning and eventually they decided to postpone the event until they were officially wed in the eyes of the law. The main issue they had was getting her documents to look as official as possible. Keara had forged documents that were good enough to own property and survive in the world in which she lived and yet they knew that the moment their marriage was announced that there was a chance that reporters might start to investigate her, so her documents had to stand up to some serious scrutiny. Thankfully money was no object for Enver so no avenue had been left to chance, her records appeared to be as real as his were.

"See the relic you spoke of I do not," she told her sister.
"Well I don't know what to tell you Keara. It was here. I swear it was." Dea replied.

The wraith took another turn around Seigneur de l`Azur but failed to locate the item that had been there an hour or so beforehand. It never occurred to Keara to dress for the coming storm and don a warm coat of any kind. She never dressed for the seasons and didn't much care what others thought of her choice of outfits, as she had seen human females wearing very little too as they waited in line to get into clubs and things. As such she was dressed in one of her typically cyber gothic looking outfits. The short skirt was a mass of black ruffled lace and silk, she wore a red corset that laced down the back and her favourite black, leather boots that laced to the knees and were covered in buckles for the sake of fashion rather than necessity. She always wore jewellery; too much at times perhaps as she always wore the same set of rings upon her fingers and the necklaces her husband had given her were wrapped around her writs. Her neckline this night was bare and her dreads were tied back, keeping them both off her bare shoulders and under control.

She was about to leave the building and return home when she heard unfamiliar noises coming from the streets outside. Of course she'd heard accidents in the time since she'd returned but these noises were mixed with that of the extraordinary weather that they were having and so they drew and held her attention, causing her to walk towards the front door rather than toming directly home as she had planned to.

Keara being the natural shadow that she was and being blessed with additional grace from all her training could move silently so when she approached the woman it was unlikely she would have been heard. Not that most people would have heard the clumsiest of approaches over the howling winds and pelting rain that Harper Rock was currently experiencing.

Her eyes took in the scene in the darkness and it wasn't until she began to really take in the scene that she realised the lack of signals in the air. Usually Keara could tap into local networks but the night air was oddly calm. The bodies of broken people seemed to the cause for the noises she'd heard and instinct told her to go and check on the people to see if any could be saved, but first she had to pass the female standing in the doorway.

"Did you the accidents witness?" she asked her. "Do they our help require?"

[Nakia]

“My love, do be careful. You know I do not like you out this late. I will find her. Go home, please.”

Her husband’s voice cracked through the line, soft and sure. The love and devotion in his tone always managed to make her weak, and the low rumble was enough to calm the turmoil in the pit of her stomach. “I’m fine, really. You heard the weather report. I can’t leave Abigail out in this. I swear to God, if they have her, I will kill every last one.” Her voice was sure and eerily calm as she hooked her jacket and pulled the zipper up to block out the cold wind. She knew he understood, to an extent. She blamed herself for everything that went wrong in her family, she blamed herself for bringing the mayhem to their door. The second Abigail had gone missing, she had lost her grip on reality, and was instantly filled with the notion that the Government was at fault. They had made it clear they were after her - they had made a point to stop at nothing to kill her, even if it meant taking her family down with her. Her paranoia gripped her mind in its claws and wouldn't let go. “I won’t be gone long, baby. I love you.” Before he could protest, she ended the call and tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. The ache returned, like knives cutting through her brain, and she stumbled as a dull roar played in her ears.

For a brief moment she thought another episode was going to hit – until the ground threatened to split in two beneath her boots. The rumble as the plates shifted caused her calves to vibrate, before the intensity increased to the point that even her bones were rattling. Throwing her hand out, she caught herself on the nearest building, the heat from the brick pulsing beneath her palm. Another shake caused her to whimper, eyes closing as her body shifted and swayed with the pulsing earth. She’d never experienced anything like it. Her mind went into overdrive, her paranoia causing her chest to tighten as her blunt nails scraped at the brick. The world spun on its axis as the buildings around her began to crumble. Lightning struck the nearest tree, the crack like a bullet to her heart. She watched in something akin to awe as the flames engulfed the bark before the skies opened, the rain pouring down and doing its best to stifle the fire.

Abigail.
Danton.

Somewhere out there as Nature's fury warred on, two of the most important people in her life were trapped. For a second, she was tempted to continue on into the city, but a shadowed figure caught her eye. It held Abigail's willowy build as it slipped into the front door of Seigneur de l`Azur. She knew nothing of the place she was about to enter, but she hadn't a choice. With an expert touch, she freed her blade from its sheath and held it at her side as she hurried after her, the rain obscuring her vision. Kicking open the door, she ducked inside, her eyes darting left and right. She didn’t even notice the figures standing in the entrance, her blue eyes wild as she shoved her hand through her soaked hair. Lost in another place mentally, she didn't even jump when the door slammed shut behind her. The wind and rain pounded against the walls, but all she could do was frantically search for someone she thought she had seen. “Abigail?” When no answer came, she shook her head.

She wasn’t there.
She wasn’t anywhere.

What had happened to her? How could she have let her down? Without a thought for her own safety, Nakia opened the door to head back into the storm, the two lone figures still invisible to her. Reality was no longer her concern. As it swung open, the sound of screeching tires and crashing metal danced on the air and lightning illuminated the streets. For a flash of a second, it gave her enough insight to the carnage that awaited, to the destruction that her husband was outside in - because of her.

“Danton…”

[Nirmala (DELETED 5886)]

It had been just an ordinary day. The kind where she woke up to the irksome sound of an alarm clock, did a little of this, did a little of that, did some more of this, and finally sat down to do some of that other stuff. But homework got boring, especially when it consisted of writing a fifteen page semiotic study paper on a renaissance composer of her choice. As fascinating as Philippe de Monte and his publications were, it was hardly something she wanted to drone over for hours on end. Nirmala was the sort that craved excitement and adventure, and it was on this note that she shoved her books back onto the shelves of her desk and dressed for the great outdoors.

Everyone had been talking about the storm that was brewing outside, how the sky looked dark and angry. They were worried about being snowed in, or flooded out, or anything else that happened to come with freak storms. She hadn't been out to the market to check the validity of it, but some of the students on her hall were saying that all the milk and bread had already been bought. Despite all this, Nir considered her chances of being caught out too far to be unlikely. She wasn't an idiot. The woman knew better than to venture off too far. But life had this uncanny ability to take our intentions and turn them into the most crazy and unexpected events.

That was probably why even though she had only planned on going to the sports bar for a drink after her short trip up to the mall for a new dress, she ended up on a train toward Coastside with a small child in hand.The little had been found cowering in a corner, crying over a mother she hadn't been able to find. Nirmala, being the kind-hearted person she was had been unable to just let it go to the police. After a game of twenty questions, and the fantastic luck that this kid's parents kept important information for the child tucked into her backpack, Nirmala was able to pinpoint where she lived. It was worth it to see the mother's look of utter relief, tears of joy streaming down her face as that little girl umped high into her arms, hugging her as if she would never let go. The thanks was unneeded. For Nir, that's just what people were supposed to do: look out for each other. But no one was looking out for her in this storm.

She needed to get back. The only problem was...power lines everywhere were dropping, the wind was suddenly ripping around like a hurricane, making it hard to even walk a straight line, if at all. The rain whipped at her uncovered face and she was glad she had went with rain boots or her poor feet would have been soaked. And that was when the Earth started to shatter all around her. She knew what this was, and it surviving meant getting to safety. But to escape one element was to risk being victim to another. Despite all that, when she saw that building there and the woman who had entered it a few moments before, she figured it would have to do as a makeshift shelter.

Against the thrash of nature, she worked her way to the door, eventually wedging it open so that her body could slip inside. What she saw was unexpected to say the least. The place was...ruined. Of all the places to choose, she had chosen an abandoned building. But she wasn't alone. Her eyes cast over the others and she gave an oddly relieved crack of the lips. "Looks like we'll be dry in here." It was her attempt at relieving any tension the storm may have brought to everyone. "Are you all okay," she asked with dripping hair plastered across her face.

[Mortll]

Mortlls eyes adjusted to the light or lack of immediately and the strange creature that had approached her had her screaming in her head good god woman put on some clothes its freezing outside. It was unmistakable to know what she was. She was about to answer her, when the other two females burst through the door in short succession. "They probably do but it would do no good to go out there right now ...Getting hit by a bus or impaled by flying debris wouldn't do anyone any good at all ,let the earth stop shaking and hopefully the wind will die down some, before we can see how much damage is done. Maybe this place wont crumble down on us." She gave the ceiling a nervous glance.

She looked around at the other two women, One vampire one human ... damn. She was tempted to leave her own advice in the dust and flee the place. It was bad enough to be in danger but in front of a human the chances of her slipping and using a power grew especially in the circumstances. She glanced back at the two women that had just entered " Are you ok ? No one is hurt ?" She didn't know what she could get by with but she had managed discrete healing before even on humans they tended not to realize why they were feeling better. They really didn't want to believe in the supernatural and Mortll was more than inclined into letting them believe it was just them getting better on their own or a miracle from some divine intervention other than a meddling evil bad old vampire .

She went back to the door slipping by the women urging them to move inside. She looked out on the dark sky and a sudden gust of wind came through rattling the windows in the old building and she felt it come through the building hard enough to rip the door from her hand slamming it hard . She jumped back and looked back at the ladies . "We might want to find a good supported area to stick near "

[Keara Aithne]

The weather was worsening with every second that passed. At least it seemed that way to Keara. Thankfully, neither she nor Deanna seemed particularly perturbed by it. Whatever happened, happened. Nature was a law unto its self and nothing she could do would change the outcome of this evening. Of all the things there were to fear in the world, natural disasters were not among them; at least they were not something Keara herself feared. She had but two fears and both were irrational in their own ways. Of course fearing losing one's partner was natural; only the chances of Enver leaving Keara were slim to none, just as she would not and could not consider a life without him. The pair were practically inseparable for all but a few hours a night and that was just the way they liked it. Had Deanna not led her on this merry goose chase, she'd likely have been with him right now.

It was perhaps fortunate though that he was not by her side, as her senses were always heightened without him around, her thoughts clearer. It didn't escape her for example that a member of her bloodline raced past her and into the abandoned building. Instinct told her to follow, especially since Nakia had a weapon drawn but she knew there was nothing in the building that would give the childe any trouble and so rather than be rude to the woman to whom she'd spoken, she simply waited.

Mortll's answer was less than encouraging and when she confessed that the people probably did require assistance, Keara looked to Deanna and spoke directly into her sister's mind. The wraith, fortunately was not bound to the rules of the natural world and so would safely be able to check up on the occupants of the crumpled vehicles without fear of being harmed. Not that Deanna would be able to lay hands on anyone to check their vitals or be of any real assistance. The most she could do would be to look at the scene and give Keara a cursory report as to what the situation was.

As Nakia re-emerged, Keara put out her arm to block the female's path.

"Still darkling, please. No good would it do for back into the elements to run."

In truth, Keara didn't notice the fact that she too was wet through. She felt neither heat nor cold and never worried if she were soaked through, caked in mud, grime, soot, or anything really. Before she met Enver she would go days in the catacombs in the same clothing. In her first life, changing one's clothing on a daily basis just simply wasn't done, but then neither was bathing as personal hygiene back then just simply wasn't all that important.

Keara withdrew her arm, having momentarily blocked Nakia's path. Keara wasn't one for physical contact and while she was better at it if she initiated it, she wasn't the sort to break into someone else's personal space unless she were truly comfortable with them or unless it was perfectly necessary. Stopping Nakia had been necessary. Continuing to block her path was not. While Nakia was of her line and Keara did worry for her safety, she was not one to rule her blood with an iron fist. The family, as to her that was what they were, were (for the most part), free to do as they pleased, as they were all born to the line as adults and she had to trust that they could think for themselves. While she didn't interfere in their lives, she was more than happy to help them in any way that she could, they just needed to ask.

Calm and composed as ever, Keara moved to grab the door, barely managing to keep a hold of it as the wind threatened to pull it from her grasp. Once everyone was inside that was going inside, she would follow suit and close the door behind her.

"Very well I am," Keara said to the human among them. "Injured you are not, yes?"

There was no scent of blood in the air and no discernible marks upon the female that Keara could pick up on. It was possible that the wind stole the scent of the blood or that the human was injured beneath her attire but Keara would only know this as and when the woman spoke of it. It was perhaps both fortuitous and unlucky to be sheltering with one of the frail ones, as this would limit both conversation as well as their ability to act as they would wish. It also meant that Keara would have to continue to make the effort to project and control her shadow so that she did not give away what she was. This was something that she was more than equipped to do, and something she did naturally when she was outside of her home. The asylum being their sanctuary, she had no need to hide what she was there.

[Nakia]

She killed them.
She had killed them all.

The thoughts raced through her mind as she trembled, her knees threatening to give out. If it wasn’t for the familiar, musical voice that seemed to wash over her, the Shadow would have ran into the storm. She would have fought heaven and hell to find her husband – she would have risked it all to see Abigail alive once again. All she could see of her face now was blood. Pure, dark blood as her lips contorted in a scream that had shocked the woman into submission. ****, what have I done? As her memory continued to return to her, it pushed through the paranoia and gave her just a second of reprise. Her husband was out there in the storm somewhere, but as she turned her dark blue eyes towards Keara, she seemed at peace. At least for the moment.

“Keara.”

The name left her in a broken whisper, as if she hadn’t just used her vocal cords to call out up and down the streets for her handler. With a growl, she shoved her hands roughly through her hair as another shock of agony stabbed at her brain. Turning her back to the group, she crouched down and closed her eyes. She knew what she had to look like to them, some wild, unkempt woman on the verge of breaking down, but she didn’t care. Her family was somewhere, her entire reason for being was separated from her. She could feel the tentacles of doubt as they prodded at her senses. It was convient, wasn’t it, that she had ended up here with Keara. A woman that was her family, her grandsire, but someone she hardly knew. Had she orchestrated the entire event? She knew little about the powers of an elder.

No.

It wasn’t possible, and even if it were, the woman had no reason to tear apart her life. Gritting her teeth, she pulled her cellphone from her back pocket and stared at the screen. The rain had ruined it by sneaking beneath the plastic and warping the device. As she pressed the power button, it beeped mournfully before completely shutting off. It was as useless as a brick to her now. “Danton.” She repeated his name a second time as she pushed herself upright, the pain having ebbed enough for her to focus on where she was – and who she was with. Her gaze snapped immediately to the human and she dared herself not to breathe, for fear that the scent of blood would assault her senses. Without another thought, she placed herself at Keara’s back, her fingers curled into fists at her side.

If something were to happen to the human, if she were to just scent her blood – there would be nothing anyone could do. She wasn’t strong enough to withstand the delightful scent. Abigail and Rose could attest to that, the taste of their blood still dancing along her tongue. Get a grip, Nakia.
If only it were that easy.

[Mortll]

Here she was stuck in the middle of a storm with a bunch of females she did not know ... she had a clue as to who the half dressed Yoda talking woman was ... you couldn't live in Harper Rock as a Vampire as long as Mortll had without hearing of the elders and who they were ... This one in particular Keara Aithine she was one of the true ancient ones not like Chad who had literally been turned just a hour or so before his 200 year imprisonment . She was probably the type of person Mortll could sit and talk to for hours about The past and would be intrigued to do so. Fancy that fate would bring them together in the middle of a hell storm in circumstances where passing the time by talking of the past was not going to be a possibility .

Females ... This is where she was a lot like Doc except just the opposite she made friends with Males quicker than females Doc god she hoped he was somewhere that was reasonably safe . She concentrated on him and sent him a quick Telepathic message "I know you hate this ... but under the circumstances I am ok Its **** outside and im temporarily at Seigneur de l`Azur Ill find a better spot to be when the storm dies down ."

She moved inside the room surveying , it seemed to be sound she couldn't say the same about its occupants except Keara she wore a calm cool about her that was unmistakable. The other woman seemed nervous and anxiety ridden and the human , Mortll couldn't tell much about her but with the cold without any heat the woman was in danger of freezing to death . No one seemed to answer Kearas questions as to if they were harmed or not . She was tempted to walk over and slap the woman sometimes the best way to end shock was with shock ,but thought better of it . Instead she started to search the room they were going to have to have heat the human would need it and if anymore came in they would as well .

[Keara Aithne]

Back into the building they needed to go. Nakia was obviously quite sick with worry over her partner and it wasn't until noting this that Keara began to worry for her own husbands safety. He was at home, she was more than certain of it, but then she had left on an errand she could not explain to him, so there was always the chance that he had waited for her departure before running such an errand of his own. She frowned for a microsecond and then momentarily closed her eyes. Just because the power was out around them, and likely the cell towers too, didn't mean that she had to stay disconnected from him.

'Enver? My Love? Home safe I hope you are. Worry not for me. Home shortly I shall be. I think. I hope.'

"Come darkling," Keara said, moving into the abandoned building.

Having verbalised the fact that they should move she hoped that the childe would follow. Having observed her with her phone and her obvious distress over not being able to contact her partner, Keara thought it wise to check and see if Nakia's skills extended to that of the mind. She did not need to look at the woman to do this and while she could see that the childe was growing in power, there was no signs of her having the ability to touch another's mind. Knowing how she would feel in such a moment, she thought it best to give the childe the option of sending a message through her.

'Darkling? Answer not aloud, need you do only for to me to think. Noticed I did that worried for Danton you are and that you phone failed you has. Would you like me a message thusly to deliver?'

This was a power with which Keara was quite skilled and she had long ago learned to be able touch the mind of another and keep the connection open so that they might reply. She was capable of holding an entire conversation without either of them needing to speak a single word. Of course she knew they would not be able to converse long in this manner as it was rude, not to mention that she would have to break the connection in order to deliver any message Nakia might wish to convey. She could have waited for husband's reply in a similar manner but he was able to touch her mind with a power of his own, so she had no need to hold the connection with him.

As she waited for a reply from the unkempt childe, her eyes followed Mortll's progress around the room. She had no idea what it was that she was looking for but it seemed the woman had some sort of plan in mind. Keara's plan was just to excuse herself at the most convenient moment and tome home, but of course she wasn't about to do that with Nakia at her side. To leave one of her own at the mercy of the weather and in the company of strangers was unthinkable to her. Until she knew that Nakia was safe, she would be unable to leave.

Deanna, meanwhile, was searching the neighbourhood for people that might be in need. She was checking on those that had been caught up in storm and were trapped in their vehicles and was quickly finding that there was little she could do in the form she was in. She was of no use to anyone and she had to spend watching to see if the humans were still breathing or not. As such, she wasn't ready yet to return to Keara and report what she knew.

[Nakia]

The storm picked up, wind blowing through her hair as the other lead her back inside. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run into the torrential downpour to find her husband. She needed to see him, to know he was okay. She needed to feel him, to have him tell her it was all a bad dream, that the memories plaguing her mind were not real. It was just another nightmare, but she knew better. If it weren’t for the rock in the pit of her stomach, it was the taste of the succulent blood on her tongue. Sweet and smooth, the best she had had since she’d been turne—No, stop it, Kia, she mentally demanded, her blue eyes moving from the ground to her grandsire as her voice filtered in above the thoughts. She didn’t know the woman well, in fact, she hardly knew her at all. The fact she was in her mind caused her to tense and recoil, her fingers digging into her palms. She knew then, that the woman was a telepath and no secret was safe from her.

There was nothing she could do about it.

Closing her eyes, the Shadow’s mind raced as she began to connect the dots. It wasn’t a request that she could deny, even if it did mean she would be penetrating her entire thought process. Would she sense the paranoia? Would she know what she had done? Would the images play as vividly in her mind as they had in hers? The blood, the screaming, the feeling of elation and then the crashing sensation of guilt. Curling her fingers even tighter, she tried to sort through it all to focus on the one name that mattered. Danton. He needed to know she was okay, on more levels than one. She knew he would be panicked, frightened beyond belief that she was trapped somewhere she shouldn’t or worse. She couldn’t allow him to believe she were dead. But what if he was? Could Keara feel him?

Without realizing it, she had positioned herself closer to her grandsire, her fingers digging into the woman’s wrist. Her eyes were open once more, the dark blue dancing with a darkness she no longer wished to possess. She hated feeling as if there was no one she could trust, no one she could turn to. Even now, gazing into the eyes of the woman who lead her line, she didn’t know if she was family or an adversary to be dealt with. The questions danced around in the chaotic maze that was her mind, her disease surely on display for the woman. She was probably laughing at her internally – or plotting how to best kill her and receive the bounty that her agency had put on her head. “Don’t hurt him,” she whispered, her voice quivering before she dropped her hold on her arm and stepped back.

As the storm continued on outside, she realized there was nothing more she could do. She had no choice but to simply resign to her fate of being locked inside with strangers. One of which was a walking, breathing time-bomb waiting to happen. Opting to keep a close eye on her, the Shadow dug her nails into her biceps and began to sway as the panic continued to twist inside of her with a intensity that battled the very storm outside.