Her Halo Is Broken (Mora)

[Kaylee]

Kaylee crunched through the snow, green eyes turned skyward, camera in hand. She loved sky shots. They often spoke more of the place she was in than the people would admit. Plus, the night sky was always beautiful - even with light pollution. That was why she hadn't left - this city, Harper Rock, had a glorious history. Her SD cards were full of shots of the river, the forests at the edge, some of the people, and of course, the sky. Always the sky.

Earbuds sat nestled into her ears, the right side playing a gentle rock melody. If one looked close at the wire, they would see that electrical tape held the left wire to the main piece, rendering it incapable of playing sound. Kaylee couldn't hear from that ear, anyway - the earbuds were for looks. She didn't mind that it meant she'd have a harder time knowing if someone was following her. She liked music, but even more than that, she loved focusing on her photography.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn by a black cat jumping up onto a trash can. A simple sight, sure, but to her, the black cat was just a small panther, navigating an urban jungle. She raised her camera, snapping three photos in quick succession of the cat stretching on the can lid. Then, as the cat jumped down, Kaylee snapped another photo of it, mid-jump. "Perfect!" she murmured, lifting the camera and checking the display. I am totally editing this to make the cat look bigger.

[Mora]

She had been meaning to leave the Crypt for a while now, the idea of leaving always scared her. She knew how cruel their city could be now. Death was always in the air - she could smell it, it would stain her clothes with its stench. She was sat at the edge of the king sized bed in the bedroom with ‘Little Women’ in her hand as she read the last page, closing the book slowly and placing it down beside herself. She had to check her businesses. It had been so long since they had been checked.

Rain handled Peppermint for her. She did the paperwork but she had three other businesses that needed tending. Her employees were paid, sure. She was behind on the rent. She wished she could just wire them the bills - but she had to speak to the landlords themselves. With a reluctant sigh, she got up and began to make her way to the wardrobe where she picked out a white jumper, and a pair of dark blue denim jeans.

Seemed warm enough for the snow that was falling outside the crypt. She dressed quickly, and began to make her way towards the fadeportal. What she would find outside she was unsure, days were different in Harper Rock there was always someone playing for power. She pulled her red coat around her shoulders and firmly attached her white gloves to her hands to keep the appearance of a normal human being - the flush of cheeks giving her the natural look of a human being, someone who was alive.

Knowing she was ready, she slipped out through the fadeportal that would drop her just outside Honeymead station in a nearby alleyway. Away from prying human eyes. When she landed on the concrete of the alleyway, her eyes flew to a cat jumping away - a black one, and when she turned her head to the side moss orbs found a blonde woman with her camera out staring at the cat with wild fascination. She found herself laughing.

“Cat’s are wild creatures, are they not?” She whispered coming up behind the woman, whispering words into her ear.

[Kaylee]

Kaylee didn't hear the woman's words. Since early childhood, she'd been unable to hear from her left side. Whispering was best done on her right side, but she had music playing on that side as well. Thus, she couldn't hear the other woman.

It was only when she turned around, about to take a picture of the falling snow, that she saw the other woman. "Holy crap!" she burst out, dropping the camera, letting it land against her stomach as she caught her breath. "Jeez, I hate when people sneak up on me," she murmured, pulling her phone, in its Hogwarts crest case, from her pocket, turning off the music and tucking her modified headphones into that same pocket.

"Did you say something?"

[Mora]

Mora found herself blinking, how had she missed the woman was listening to music? She almost facepalmed herself before shaking her head and giving off a light laugh. She had merely commented on the cat. Moss green orbs rested upon the woman, the blonde locks reminded her of her own locks. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say what she had said wasn’t important, and it wasn’t to her.

“Nothing really, commenting on the black cat more than anything else.”

It was the truth as she turned her forest hues to the falling snow. It was like this alot now in Harper Rock, even if Christmas had passed it was still cold and the snow still fell. The woman ran her tongue along her upper and lower and lip. Thinking about something or another, wondering what she could say to this human. Mora was friendly to those around her. She could often come across as hostile to anyone who tried to threaten her family, but who wasn’t?

“You should wrap up warm.” She told her - noting the cold weather. Her cheeks were flushed a shade of pink, her ability that allowed her to look pink skinned like humans instead of the stereotypical pale, dead white skin of that of a corpse. She smiled keeping her fangs neatly tucked away. They quivered in anticipation of being close to a human.

She hadn’t fed tonight, something she usually did before she left the crypt. It was a mistake really, she had been too busy finishing her book to actually remember her routine. It didn’t bode well for Kaylee, if the woman happened to be still standing here in the next five minutes, Mora wasn’t very good at controlling her hunger.

[Kaylee]

Kaylee didn't like to let on that she was deaf in one ear to strangers. Still, her nervous habit of combing with a fingerless-gloved hand to cover her left ear, when they were exposed, would always attack. She knew people assumed it just meant she was nervous - in truth, she was hiding the ear somewhat consciously. When she did a fancy hairdo, she fanned her hair over her left ear stylistical. It was a constant for her, to not expose the ear from which she couldn't hear.

"Cats are beautiful creatures," she commented gently. Her own, muted green eyes studied this other woman temporarily, before she turned her eyes back to the snow beneath her booted feet. She wore a a medium black jacket, buttoned up, black jeans, and inner-fuzz boots. At the other woman's comment about her clothes, she looked down at herself. "If I'm being honest, this isn't as heavy as is needed in Alaska."

The University of Alaska had been her home for half a year now, with a pair of fraternal twins, Nadia and Maria, as her roommates. Nadia always left her makeup all over the counter - Kaylee had helped herself more than once - and Maria left her shoes and clothes piled over the couch more often than not. But honestly, Kaylee didn't care. Sure, the place was cold and the apartment the trio shared was almost always a mess, but they were friends. They shared half their classes. They ate together. Sometimes they fought together. But they always worked things out.

"How about you? You must be pretty used to the weather. I've seen people walk out in two-foot-deep snow wearing miniskirts and shorts because they thought it looked sexy." And that describes Maria to a T, Kaylee thought, crazy woman.

[Mora]

Forest hues looked at the woman with an odd kind of look. Her skin began to itch as the hunger set in. She blinked a few times before coughing to try and retract the fangs that were threatening to break free of their binds behind her upper lip. “Is it not?” She asked a moment later after calming herself down. It look a lot of restraint to calm the hunger - it was there still, but nothing more than a dull ache if she didn’t think about it.

“I’ve never been to Alaska. I originally come from Queens, New York.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it made any difference to the woman - winters there were nastily cold. Lake froze. It was horrible around christmas time, she was sure the woman hadn’t experience a winter there - here in Harper Rock. It snowed mostly. No frozen or bitter cold winds. As long as you stayed well away from the wilderness and what lurks behind the treelines well, you were safe.

“The weather isn’t too bad though. I’m used to it, considering I’m going into my fourth year living here.” She laughed a little, her own laugh like wind chimes clattering against each other on a hot summer's day. She listened to the woman talk about women walking around in mini skirts and she shook her head, she had seen the same thing - that was the youth of today, they valued looking good over their own health. Her tongue flicked in annoyance at the thought.

“Yes.” She said simply. “The youth of today.” She didn’t look old herself, she was a twenty four year old woman stuck this way for eternity. Had she not been turned, then she would be twenty eight this coming February.

The hunger came again. This time with a vengeance. As she clucked her stomach to try and somewhat control it. Didn’t help though.

[Kaylee]

"Alaska's not really that big a place. New York, however. Small space, lot of people," Kaylee said softly. Fidgeting, the young woman took a step to the side, looking down the alley again. The cat had left tracks, which were quickly being filled with falling snow. But Kaylee didn't care, as she started to walk after the stray. She was mesmerized by that cat. But she didn't move fast, in case the cat was around the corner.

It was now perched on the trunk of a car, giving itself a bath as Kaylee reached the end of the alley. She raised her camera, thoroughly distracted and unaware of the hungry vampire behind her. Prime prey.

[Mora]

She noticed the fidget and found herself chuckling at the woman's comment but yet, found herself nodding. Her comment was spot on. Small space, a lot of people. She knew the place was one of the more crowded locations in America. So there was no surprise that that comment was made, she ran her tongue along her upper and lower lip, canting her head to the side in mild understanding.

“Yes, it's not the biggest place - but one of the more touristy areas, so there is always people in sunhats and polaroid cameras trying to get every aspect of New york and all its beauties, even Queens.” She snickered and turned her moss orbs back to the woman as she had found herself staring off into the distance just a moment ago, trying to recall every detail of the place she used to call home before Harper Rock.

The woman was unfocused on the woman now, following the cat like she was a predator and it was the prey. She followed the woman, one eager step at the time the woman was hungry, the blonde woman wasn’t paying attention to Mora and that seemed more like an invitation. She sighed, Mora hated feeding in public, it was dangerous for her - they always remembered her. Most of the time she had to kill - or turn them.

Coming up behind the woman, she grabbed her shoulders. Muttered a sorry into her ears before pushing her sharp canines into the exposed flesh of her neck - drinking the woman’s blood almost dry - her heartbeat was slow, slow enough to stop on its own.

Mora sighed withdrawing her fangs from the neck, looking at the woman with sad eyes - her eyes were closed, possibly accepting death. She leaned the woman against the wall - her limp body. She believed her to be dead any moment now. Mora felt nothing but regret.

In the corner of her eye Mora caught the glimpse of the cat skittering to the human.

[Kaylee]

Kaylee didn't even hear the woman approaching. Didn't hear her murmured sorry. Only felt the woman's hands on her shoulders, the sharp miniature daggers penetrating her flesh. Yet she didn't cry out, didn't scream. She relaxed, in fact, lowering her camera. Shuddering, shaking, eyes rolling back, hands twitching at her sides.

Then she was against the wall, barely conscious. Her eyes opened slightly, and she looked at the other woman through her lashes. One word, barely more than a whisper, escaped her lips. "Why?" Though had she been more aware, she would have been able to guess. Able to see.

Fur rubbed against her left hand, as the black cat nuzzled its face into her fingers as though it were tame. And Kaylee began to drift, float, her mind conjuring a damp, thick rainforest, with lithe panthers and brilliant birds. One of the cats turned brilliant eyes on her, and padded forward. Kaylee felt no fear, only acceptance.

Only the embrace of what seemed to be the inevitable.

[Mora]

That one word. Why. It seemed to echo within the woman’s mind, bouncing off the walls. She raised an eyebrow. She was about to leave the scene of the now crime - her eyes looking to the black cat that was rubbing itself against the woman - a cat's instinct was always correct, able to tell when a human was in pain. A small laugh escaped the woman’s lips. She wasn’t laughing at the woman, but at what the woman was thinking herself.

The possibility of turning this woman, not because she was dying in the snow but because she had simply asked her why. It was enough to keep the telepath grounded, unable to move. She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the way of my kind, drink to live.” She said. “I’m sorry you happened to be here at the wrong time.” She seemed to babble now, as if her babbled apology could possibly make things easier - and better for her already guilt riddled mind.

“I usually have much more restraint.” She knelt down against the cold, hard concrete of the alleyway floor and placed a simple stroke to the woman’s cheek. She was cold to the touch, obvious that death was soon to sweep in and take the little dove from the world.

Mora acted then. Looking at this lonely girl with such sad eyes. She lifted her wrist and bit into the soft flesh there and let the dark liquid drip onto the stone. Before pushing the wrist to the woman’s mouth and simply looked at her.

“Drink.”