Cinderella [Leyla]

[Jesse Fforde]

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

<Leyla> Leyla had been dumped over cement stairs next to the lair that had belonged to the woman who had turned her. She remembered nothing and until just now she had been left battered and unconscious. When her eyes finally opened they were greeted with crippling darkness. The woman's head was spinning and her body took a moment before it could process the pain that she was in. Pain. Where was it coming from? Her eyes closed tightly as she tried to will them to see more than black. It took some time staring into the darkness but finally her eyes focused on a outline of a great house. Why was she dumped here?

<Jesse Fforde> Inside that house, there may be a few members of the Fforde family. Mainly in the basement - that's where they like to hang out. Vampires who cannot handle sunlight tend to stay as far away from it as possible. Jesse is not inside, however; he is trudging back from the morgue. For some reason, after visiting the realm, he always returns back to the morgue. He is fatigued, tired. He wants just to go home and rest. As he makes his way toward Larch 12, however, he notices a lump on the steps. The closer he gets, the more he realises it's a body. A body that is moving, if just slightly. He moves past the body to the front door; he unlocks it, and slips his hand inside to turn on the porch light.

<Leyla> When the light flickered on it would reveal Leyla sprawled out on the stairs as if she had been drunk and attempted to climb them. Instead though, she had been thrown and her body was tucked into itself to protect her body. It didn’t seem to do her much good seeing as her neck was still bleeding and she appeared to be unable to see or move a lot at once. Then just like the light- she could suddenly see clearly through the blur she had only been able to see just a moment ago. When the strange man came into her vision she jerked her weak body and she only fell back down on the hard cement with a loud THUD.

<Jesse Fforde> The blood is what Jesse focuses on. Like the predator that he is, his nostrils flare and the pupils of his eyes dilate. The constant burn at the back of his throat reminds him that he hasn't fed yet this evening. But his instincts also tell him that the girl sprawled on his steps is not food. She is not dinner, because she is a vampire. The blood she leaks is tainted, though - fresh, almost like it is still warm. Just. A very new vampire, then. The scent sticks to Jesse's tongue, as if he can taste it. And it tastes like... like Fforde. Like his blood, diluted. But he doesn't recognise this woman. A frown puckers his brows, and he takes two steps toward her, before crouching down in front of her. Non-threatening. "Who might you be, then?"

<Leyla> It came natural to move her body again. Leyla could see the man who crouched down and in her defense she weakly used her palm down on the stair to lift herself up and stare into the man’s face. Her green eyes glowed as if they had their own natural light behind them that allowed them to sparkle. The woman’s head lowered some when she realized that she didn’t know what she was doing there. It was embarrassing and that’s all she could feel besides her numbing pain. “I don’t know.” Her voice scratched as she spoke and her voice was low as if people around them were listening and what she said was a secret. “My neck..” her body rocked back and she sat up to touch her palm to the bleeding part of her neck. Shock crossed her freckled features as the liquid touched her skin.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse cants his head to the side as the woman touches her neck. A wound that won't stay that way for long. She can't have been there very long, if that bite had not healed yet. Jesse's bright blues lift and glance around, as if he might find the culprit. He gets **** from his family for siring on a whim, but at least he doesn't just dump someone on the doorstep. Anger flares, before he pushes it aside. He focuses not on who had done this, but instead on the woman whose confusion is almost infectious, it's that strong. "It'll heal," he says, gruffly. He stands and reaches out, to help the woman up. "C'mon. Come inside and I'll ... try to explain things," he says.

<Leyla> When he reached out to touch her she did not take the offered help. Her wet palm moved to the ground to help herself up although she really could have used the man’s help as she struggled to stand herself. As she stood she realized that she had lost both shoes and was instead just left in her skirt and blouse. “Explain why someone attacked me?” she asked, her eyes still wide and scared as she stared at him. She thought he would be the next person to apparently hurt her. Leyla didn’t want to go inside and instead she shook her head weakly. “No thanks..”

<Jesse Fforde> The frown that crosses Jesse's features is not really one of consternation. Instead, it speaks volumes about his current mood. He's tired. He has no idea what's happened, and this new vampire is a new member of Fforde, and that cannot be neglected. He sighs, and shakes his head. "No. I don't know why you were attacked. I don't know by who, just yet - but I can narrow that down," he says. He clears his throat - his voice continually gets stuck, cracked and broken. "I can explain to you why your heart is no longer beating," he says slowly and with an arch of the brow, waiting for the woman to focus. And to realise that she no longer has a heartbeat.

<Leyla> It was his words that made her focus on herself instead of him. No heartbeat? That was hardly possible because she was standing right here in front of this obviously tired man. One, two, three seconds passed before she could fully realize that everything was quiet. This stranger was correct and her only response was a open- mouth and a fully freaked out shaking body.

<Jesse Fforde> The front door to the house is still open. The lights are on inside. Through the open door she'll be able to see the dim warmth of the place; wooden floors and cleanliness, couches with throws over them, a TV, maybe even the bookshelf. A nondescript kind of place, but it certainly doesn't look like some place of torture. Jesse's hand is still held out, though he doesn't make a move to touch the girl. At the moment she appears to be a timid animal, her flight or fight responses ready to kick in. Jesse would prefer she come willingly, rather than him having to drag her inside kicking and screaming. "Are you going to come inside now?"

<Leyla> Was she going to go in? That was a good question. On one hand she had no idea where she was and what happened to her. This man said he would provide helpful information and while he was tattooed and it was common to mistrust someone with them - she decided that she would trust him. He hadn’t hurt her so far and she had absolutely nowhere else to go. Lifting her shaking hand she placed it into the strange man’s palm with uncertainty. “...Yes.”

<Jesse Fforde> He could have just turned around and made her follow him. The upturned palm had been more invitation to follow, rather than for her to take his hand, but so be it. She seems unsteady on her feet, so a little balance might be required to get her up the stairs and inside the house. Once inside, Jesse closes the door but he doesn't lock it. He leads Leyla over to the couches and gestures for her to take a seat. A bit of talking is on order.

<Leyla> When her skin touched his it didn’t seem to register on her face. No, instead she held onto his hand as a ways to help her stumble her way into the house. Her face didn’t change from her terror stricken shock. Once she made her way to a couch she pulled her hand from his and took a seat to stare over at the man who had been kind enough not to leave her on the stairs. Leyla didn’t speak but instead stare with wide-eyes.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse resists the groan of pleasure as he, too, sits. It feels good to sit down. He could slide back in that armchair and fall asleep, he's that exhausted. But he doesn't. Instead, he leans forward with his elbows on his knees. "I'm Jesse Fforde," he says, gesturing to himself with his fingers against his chest. "This house is the Fforde home. My guess is that one of the members of this family have turned you, and ... for whatever ******* reason have left you on the doorstep instead of taking care of you themselves," he says, quietly. "They bit you. They probably drained you. And fed you their own blood. You are a vampire, now," he says with a tone so serious that it could not be mistaken for a joke.

<Leyla> Her head hurt again and he was speaking to her. She could hear him but it was hearing him through the crackling pain her head was feeling. For a moment her eyes closed before they opened again. Why was she so tired too? Though she was sitting up perfectly still she felt like her body was swaying anyway. It wasn’t. After a few blinks as she attempted to focus in on the man her head gently shook. “No.” Not that it mattered what she said but that was all that she could come up with. Feed on her? She drank someone’s blood? Her hand slowly lifted to her forehead and she gently rubbed over the throbbing areas. “No.” she repeated as if it would transport her to where she needed to be.

[Leyla (DELETED 6554)]

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


<Jesse Fforde> Denial. It makes sense. So she had no idea who had done this to her or how. "Yes," Jesse says. And then as she says no yet again he just nods. "It's only a matter of time before you realise it," he says. She can deny it all she likes but sooner or later, the changes will overwhelm that denial. "You need blood. And you need to stay out of the sunlight," Jesse says. He stands, his strides taking him toward the kitchen and the blood packs that live in the fridge, there.

<Leyla> As she took in this information her head shook again. It was about all she could do. Her elbows moved to her knees and she buried her face into her palms for several long moments before her head lifted and she looked almost determined if it wasn't for the pain that was etched on her face. "Blood?" she asked in a uncertain tone.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse laughs, quietly, and nods even as he's ripping open a couple of blood packs to pour them into a large glass cup. The smell arouses his own thirst, but he pushes it aside. His own canines lengthen, sharpen. He shoves the glass into the microwave for twenty seconds. "Blood. The be all and end all," he murmurs. "Vampires drink blood. Just as the lore says. We can't eat or drink anything else without throwing up our guts, aside from a rare few," he says. The microwave beeps, and he takes the blood back to the new girl. He holds it out - wondering whether her newfound hunger will take over, or whether she'll resist.

<Leyla> The smell of the blood stirred something inside of her she didn’t know existed. It made her back stiffen and she sat up straight now, her arms relaxed at her side. Her tongue moved over the front of her teeth and the soft muscle found something sharp. It made her gasp but the taste of blood in her mouth was welcomed - even her own. “We can’t even have cookies?” she asked, blurting out things again. Leaning back when the man came back near her and the smell was closer. It made her green eyes darken and she took the cup without a thought of it. The smell made her stomach almost flip with hunger and she began to gulp it down as if she had never eaten in her life before. With her eyes locked on the man and a few drops of blood sliding down the sides of her mouth she gulped it down before handing the empty cup back. The copper taste was satisfying and her tongue licked over her red lips.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse watches with satisfaction as the new vampire takes the blood and drinks it without flinching. She might not be his, but she was still turned by his blood. As such, she is family; he can feel that soothing balm of familiarity just being near her. "Not even cookies," he says. "Unless you're an Allurist. Then you can have cookies," he says. One of the cupboards in the kitchen is full of Oreos for Grey, for that very reason. He takes the cup back to the sink before wandering back to the couch and taking a seat nearer to the girl. "What's your name?"

<Leyla> Leyla wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. An Allurist? What was that? The blood dulled her headache and made her skin glowy once again. Unknowingly to her, she was an Allurist. Good thing too! She loved food despite her small frame. He asked her what her name was and for a moment her mind was blank and she had no answer. Ah, there it was. “Leyla.” Once she said her name again out loud she felt a little more like herself. A validation of who she was when the last hours - or maybe even days had been stolen from her. “Yours..?” remembering her manners, it took a moment but she did.

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse arches a brow. He'd already given his name. But - she's a got a lot to deal with, and this must be all slightly overwhelming. Maybe she hadn't heard properly. "Jesse. Fforde," he repeats. "Welcome, Leyla. To your new life. It's probably best if you don't go back to your old one," he says without flinching. He might not be a part of Tytonidae at the moment - might be considering whether he would ever go back - but he still agrees that keeping Masquerade is tantamount to vampiric survival.

<Leyla> When he told her not to go back she stared the man down. “How can I go back now, anyways? I am ruined.” she closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t meant for her temper to flare but it did. Now she was some vampire now. A vampire didn’t have a home or have a family like before. Now it was a life of strangers and drinking from strangers. It wasn’t anything like a movie and she had enough sense to know this. Then she sighed out loudly and rubbed at her forehead again. “I’m sorry… you’ve been kind but this is just a lot to take in. I’m tired.”

<Jesse Fforde> Jesse isn't offended. In fact, he smiles that sly smile that he has, that familiar gleam to his eyes as he settles back. The light glints on the sharpness of his own teeth. The way she says it amuses him. Ruined, as if someone had just spilled wine on her favourite blouse. "Wait until you're settled into it, and then decide whether you're ruined or not," he says. "You might decide you like it. The power," he says. "Also - you are one of us, for better or for worse. We have beds here. You can't go back to your old life but you'll be warmly welcomed into your new one. Well - beyond being dumped on a doorstep."

<Leyla> Leyla didn’t like his smile. It made her nose crinkle and her eyes slightly narrow as if he had meant to hurt her feelings. Even with his charming looks and the glint in his eyes she didn’t find it cute. Her full lips pursed before she spoke again. “I was dumped here and you assume that an anonymous bed and a house full of strangers is going to make me feel… warm?” Now her eyes rolled at his glinted ones. Oh, please the gesture said. “Of course… I don’t know what sort of...welcome you had but mine wasn’t so homey.”

<Jesse Fforde> Now she's starting to sound like Clover. Clover is still prickly in regards to... feeling warm and cosy. But it does make sense. Jesse gets it. Someone's not going to just immediately feel at home somewhere after being turned and dumped. Of course not. That will take time. Jesse shrugs. "I don't expect you to settle in straight away. I'm just sayin', is all - you aren't going to get tossed out to the sidewalk now that you're aware of what's happened," he says. There's still plenty of things that this woman needs to know. For her own safety, and the safety of their kind.

<Leyla> Her eyes closed again and she felt rage burn inside of her stomach. She didn’t know where to go from here and it pissed her off. It made her so mad that if she had still been human her face would have turned full-blown red to show her rage. Instead, she sat there deathly still. Her nose completely wrinkled and her body was almost tensed as she stayed still. “Can you just show me where I may sleep?” Crap, what was his name again?

<Jesse Fforde> If Jesse were a different man, the attitude might have pissed him off. The notion that he was head of a bloodline--a small bloodline, but he was head of it nonetheless--might have had him trying to slap some respect into this woman. Instead, however, the attitude washed over him. The bloodline he watches over seems to be full of hot-heads, and this one will fit right in. Jesse shrugs and stands. "Sure. If you will follow me, please," he says, even bowing like some kind of concierge. Sleep. Yes, sleep sounds like a grand bloody idea. "Though... there's still a lot you need to know. We'll have to continue this conversation once you're rested. Maybe try to figure out which of my unruly group did this to you," he mumbles.

<Leyla> It wasn’t that she was trying to be disrespectful it was that she was angry. She was angry at being dumped like trash. She was angry because she lost some of her memory and she didn’t know where she was. Angry that now the life that she once held was gone in a blink of an eye. It was all gone. “I will.” Now she stood to her bare feet and she almost smiled at his little bow. The smile didn’t touch her features but she wasn’t being sassy anymore. Progress. “Sure, I will probably wander around whenever I wake.. I will keep my eyes out for you so that we may continue.”

<Jesse Fforde> "I'm not the only one who lives here. You may run into some of the others," Jesse says as he leads the way toward the basement. "I'll make sure they all know that there's a new face around. We have a ... online presence, I suppose you can call it. I'll introduce you there," he says. There are ways, he knows, they might be able to find out who it was that turned Leyla. Abilities that he himself is not capable of.

<Leyla> Her head nodded in understanding. "I see, thank you." The woman tiredly followed the man and she could feel how fatigue she was by the way her knees ached as if she wore an older woman.

<Jesse Fforde> There are bunks at the bottom of the stairs. Yeah, there are bunks upstairs, too, but there are no windows down in the basement. They are safe from the sunlight down here. "Pick a bed. Any bed," he says. No one uses them much these days. Well - Cosette and Bastion do, but the majority of the others have their own apartments that they go to. Even Jesse and Grey have an apartment they go to.

<Leyla> "Thank you." she turned toward the man and nodded her head before she made her way down into the basement to sleep. That's what she needed- sleep.