| I am in control | (Every)

[Leon (DELETED 12007)]

The following is a RP that is currently being writen through Discord between myself and Every's player - it will be updated as we post.

Time stood still for Leon as he stared at the people milling about outside the window of the small coffee shop he had decided to make his home for the next hour or so. He was captivated by them, yet none of them noticed him. To them, Leon was just another nameless face lost in the sea of banality that was humanity. Every twitch of their eye had Leon’s pen flying across the paper, it was fascinating, and every smile had him adding an annotation next to their designated number. He could have spent a lifetime sat there, but as always, his mind decided it no longer wished for him to be at peace.

‘Leon...Leon….Leon…’

It was a small voice, barely more than a whisper behind his left ear; but still, it pulled him from his research.

“What? I am busy.” Normally he wouldn’t have snapped at what appeared to be little more than a child, but he had been content with his people watching and this child had disturbed his chain of thought.

‘Sorry...but...I really don’t want to be here, please let me go..’

There were tears in the voice now, Leon despised when they did that. Couldn’t they see that he had no more control then they did? He didn’t want them invading his mind any more than they wanted to be trapped until the next arrived.

“Because I chose to have an annoying twat inside my head, I’m just as annoyed as you about this. Now be quiet, I am working.” It wasn’t the child’s fault that they had been dragged inside of his mind, yet right now, he didn’t care. He wanted silence. He wanted peace. If only the world would co-operate.

‘I want to move on!’

The voice became angry now. It yelled, it screamed, and if it had been able to it would have stamped its foot on the floor like the seven-year-old it was. Leon chose to ignore the petulant child. His work was more important than the crying infant locked inside the prison of his psyche.

Quietly Leon counted to ten…

| I am in control |

Over and over he repeated the mantra until eventually, the voice faded back to the whisper he was accustomed to. It wasn’t the end, but for now, it would do until his next guest arrived. As the voice began to fade he turned back to the window and slipped back into his research of the human condition, completely unaware that he had been speaking out loud to a voice only he could hear.

[Every]

Wearing: THIS

There were very few coffee shops that offered a vampiric alternative for the former caffeine addicts that had been turned. As it so happened, too, it wasn’t too far from Malevolent Machinery and the garage of Veil Towers where she worked. “I’m going out for a bit, Dante. Do you want a coffee, or?” Her younger brother’s thrall glanced in her direction, his eyebrow lifting at her words to the closest expression of duh that Every had ever seen him make. “Right, that’s pretty much all you ever drink.” She didn’t understand the relationship that he had with Jayden, but she wasn’t one to question it as she pulled her jacket on.

As much as the man had to watch over the vampire that controlled him, Every was often the one to remind Dante to eat. It was a vicious cycle that often made her question where she’d started being mindful of those things, and when she’d become more and more aware of it. In some ways, she blamed Locryn, even if her former thrall was no longer in commission. She didn’t bother telling Dante when she’d be back as there was a chance the man would forget she was gone. It was common enough, anyway, his usual order filed away in her mind where she would pull it forward when needed.

She made it into the coffee shop in record time. There had been no diversions, no shortcuts. No people screaming for help… she ran a hand through her hair and pursed her lips. The woman behind the counter smiled at her, recognizing her. “The usual, Mercy?” Every nodded, reaching for her wallet, “And a double shot vanilla latte.” Even when she’d been human, the drink hadn’t sounded appealing, and knowing Dante preferred it to be even stronger caused her to crinkle her nose in thought. Before the woman could put it in, however, Every stopped her. “On second thought, hold off on the latte for now. I’m going to sit here for a bit.”

Behind her, Every could hear the conversations going on.

None of them really interested her, some were discussing politics. Others were discussing how close the zombies were to the little quaint cafe they were so comfortably settled in. It wasn’t until her attention drifted towards the blond in the corner did she realize he was alone, even if he didn’t seem to think it. All too familiar with the concept of voices in her head, although in Every’s particular case, they were moreso just those of the one haunting her and her wraith, she studied him for a moment. She couldn’t tell how old he was, but from his gaunt appearance, she could tell necromancer with ease. She asked the barista for a second ‘special’ even if it was simply just blood and paid for both.

She added a tip to the jar, appreciative and waited for the two drinks.

It was only when Every had both in her hand, the paper cups and plastic lids concealing their contents, she made her way over and set one down in front of him. A woman nearby looked at her as if she were crazy, approaching someone talking to himself, and moved a little bit further away. “People watching, or something more?” She questioned as she took a seat close, but not too far away with her own drink resting against her thigh, waiting.

[Leon (DELETED 12007)]

The people outside of the window continued to amuse Leon. It was in the little things they did, a wrinkled brow when they were in the midst of an argument, a too bright smile as they looked at their partner. He didn’t understand, they were doomed to die, yet they seemed so at ease. In time he would see them upon his table, and perhaps a couple of them would join him in his mind, but here they were, carefree. What strange creatures these humans were.

He started to lose himself in his observations once more, and as normal, paid no mind to the people around him. He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck as he spoke to the spirit that currently had hold of him. He knew that people tended to be a little wary of him when he began to converse with the spirits, though he didn’t really understand why. So what if he is talking to people they can’t see, that doesn’t mean he is insane. And that is what they think, they think he is insane.

Eventually, Leon began to tap the end of his pen against the edge of the table. Once. Twice. Three times, he tapped and then stopped...

“People watching, or something more?”

A cup was placed before him, and someone had started to speak directly at him.

“Neither, I enjoy staring aimlessly out of windows,” there was a slight downward curl of his lips as he eyed the drink in front of him, and then he continued. “I am not in the habit of taking drinks from strangers.” He made no move to return the drink, just continued to stare.

[Every]

It was a simple response that had her lifting an eyebrow, but saying nothing more as she took a drink from the cup. On the white lid, her lip print remained, created from the contents rather than any tint of makeup. She glanced towards the individuals making their way up and down the street. Some were hustling by, eager to escape the potential run in with the zombies and the other undead creatures. Since the masquerade had fallen out, it hadn’t escaped her notice that some carried mirrors - others had their own tricks of the trade in keeping an eye out for vampires. In Every’s case, most didn’t work. Not any more.

“Who said anything about creating a habit?”

She questioned, leaning back in her chair. “Or even drinking it for that matter. It helps blend in further.” The shadow motioned towards the collective amount of humans in the area. Her hazel eyes danced with amusement before she shifted her weight only slightly. Truthfully, her death during the fight with the Voodoo Dolls had helped her maintain a further masquerade. She still had her human aura, a healthy appearance. There were some irritating circumstances - the lack of muscle build in some areas, the fact she was seemed to lose her muscle memory in others - but she would fix them overtime.

Her gaze moved along the patrons in the cafe. She’d long since learned patterns to tell the difference between her kind, the human kind, and the spirits that lingered between life and death. Every had always wondered if it was a consequence of being thrown into the shadow realm time and time again, as if the epitome of hell was stripping away a veil that allowed things to become more and more clear. In truth, it was likely just a result of becoming more attuned as a vampire. She hadn’t lost her humanity in its entire form, even if she was deadly and prone to falling into her darker traits.

She had simply adapted. “However. Aren’t most strangers until they’re known?”