When the Student Becomes the Teacher (Habren & Mircea)

[Asia Rae]

This thread is backdated to November 2019.

Asia walked the halls of the Grigori home often to make sure that everything was still in order. Leiren had severed their link from the main family but it wasn't a choice that Asia was given. Despite the drama that she had witnessed between her grandsire, Amara and her great-grands, Habren and Mircea, she still cared about the family as a whole. If it wasn't for Mircea, her life wouldn't have been possible and she respected that so she kept watch over what was the family home. She was loyal, always was loyal and should anyone question her, she would shoot them. This family had a lot of history and many of the new blood didn't have a clue about it and many of the older vampires that were turned shortly after the Elders had won their freedom had vanished. Asia admitted to being lonely but had hope that family would return.

Turning the corner of the corridor to make way for the library, she hadn't cleaned in there in a while and the dust was probably building up. Opening the door, she sighed softly as she looked around. There were many books that were basic literature but also books that contained their history. The history books were her favorites because it gave her a window to learn about the time before her. Walking over to the desk that rested near a wall of books that held the family history. Cleaning it off carefully and tidied it up so it looked as good as new before she pulled a book down off the wall and opened it. Life as a vampire was exquisite but also full of tragedy while they were forced to live for eternity, living in a repeated loop of historical events even though technology evolves, humans always thought the same. A frown set in as she realized the book she had grabbed was the book that spoke about events that lead up to the initial holocaust of their race. Chocolate brown eyes drifted to look out the window, they had hit the end of the loop and the holocaust was on the horizon. Changes needed to be made to break that historical loop but how was the question.

Asia's ears perked as she heard movement in a room at the end of the hall that belonged to her great-grandsires. Standing slowly as she furrowed her brows. No one was supposed to be in there and the cleaning crew had left for the day. Leaving the book open on the desk, she exited the library and eased slowly down the hall as she drew her gun from it's home. The corridor was long and she kept her eyes on the lookout for any other intruders. If the military was stupid to infiltrate their home, she would execute them quickly to make sure she wasn't microchipped or anyone else for that matter. They would simply be a casualty of war, simple as that. Reaching the end of the hall. She turned so that her left hand could open the door and her right could keep her gun aimed at the intruders. Entering the room carefully, her eyes went wide as she wasn't sure if her mind was playing awful tricks on her.

"Habren? Mircea?"

[Mircea]

The four had become two somewhere in the city limits; the humans turned towards the Watchtower to check in on things while the vampires moved towards Cedar Court for the same purpose. That had been the intention, at least, but after a long travel to return to the city and a cursory walk through empty halls and quiet rooms, they had retreated to their private quarters to deposit their belongings. Mircea let out a satisfied sigh as he dropped his bag near the bedroom door and eased it closed behind them.

Something had seemed different about the city as they moved through it that evening: there was a tension in the air that he couldn’t remember being there before they left, as if something was on the edge of breaking and spilling over into... He wasn’t quite sure what, but so often when places had felt similar to this it had been the signal that conflict of one kind or another was coming. It was as Mircea was considering this and trying to decide whether it was for the best that they had chosen to return to the city when they did or not that the phone in his pocket signalled a message from Michael that brought him back to the present moment.

“The Watchtower is fine, my love,” he noted with a small smile as he read the message and then set the phone to one side to focus his attention instead upon Habren. There was fun to be had in travelling, and it had been nice to get away and explore the world they had once known and had changed so drastically over the years, but there was something... different about returning to the place they had chosen to be their home. “It is good to be back,” he added, stepping towards her to press his lips against hers in a slow kiss as he kept stepping, his thoughts quickly turning away from travels and tensions and towards the wall behind her...

[Habren Ashe]

It had been a long journey home.

The break taken from the new shop had been sorely needed. While Habren sometimes lived for what she did at Moon Dark, as she had once done as a mortal witch, she was unused to the constant onslaught of human emotion and sheer need rolling from each and every supplicant who came her way. And no matter how exclusive and selective she was over how and when she helped, her head was nearly always done in in some way to the point the lingering headache was almost constant.

Mircea had almost insisted on an extended jaunt through their old European haunts and Habren, despite the slight feeling of guilt at leaving the new place’s retail operation in the capable hands of others, was more than relieved to acquiesce.

Until, that was, the night she’d woken with a chill spilling down her spine. She reached out, mental tendrils seeking everyone she held dear, peeking into memories and trying her best to figure out what on earth was going on. Ultimately, she had no answers, save the worry that refused to leave her, and she could wait no longer. In spite of Mircea’s moods when woken before he was ready, she couldn’t help herself, and had shaken him awake with a single sentence: “Something feels off, my Love.” Once he had woken, they had had a long conversation, with one rapid resolution. Though cutting the trip short felt right, Habren couldn’t help the slight sense of guilt that he was indulging her paranoia with nothing solid to really explain the tension.

The growing sense of unease had risen until they were back upon the solid ground of Harper Rock. No matter the relief at being home after several months away, she could sense the almost queasy air about them the moment she had drawn a fresh breath of it. Things were about to change, though she had no idea how, or why, and no matter their plan to send their beloved thralls out to check on the states of things while they retreated to the large family lair in Cedar Court, she was beyond restless.

Luckily, as ever, her male had every intention of working it out of her. She had barely breathed out a reply to his meanderings, had barely had time to set down her own bag and even think to unpack before he was on her, his lips pressed to hers as he pushed them back, further and further, until…

“Mircea!” she exclaimed with a soft laugh as they hit the wall hard enough to send a framed photograph hurtling to the floor, glass shattering with a quiet tinkling against the hardwood floor. “Oh dear,” she breathed against his mouth, biting down hard against his lower lip as she began working already at his shirt…

Only to have the door flung open unexpectedly, forcing the witch to halt her kiss and her wandering hands as she arched her neck to look past his shoulder.

“Oh! Hello there, Asia…" She grinned, almost sheepish. “We thought… we were… Oh bloody hell, never mind,” she added with a laugh. "Come in, come in!” She made no move to remove herself from her husband, but then, any in their bloodline were well used to the sight of the couple rarely out of reach of one another.

[Asia Rae]

The gun instantly dropped to her side as her eyes laid upon the two people that she wasn't aware had returned. Smiling at Habren as she put the gun back where it belongs so that her great-grands didn't think she was a threat. She had proven many times over the years that she hadn't shared the same feelings toward them as Leiren and Amara had. Those dramas never concerned her as that was part of a time before she had existed. Asia loved her family and tolerated the bad apples but that was normal for any family or so she assumed.

Stepping into the room as she was granted permission, she closed the door behind her as she took notice of the unpacked bags; no one knew they had returned. She would keep it to herself until they were ready to let the family know that they were back. Asia couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she noticed that she had interrupted them but grateful that she had walked in when she did or she would have received an eye-full. Picking up the bag that had rested near the door and walked over to the bed and set it down before picking up the other bag to do the same. She would help them unpack while they took the time to talk.

"I wasn't expecting you home yet but I am glad that you both made it through the city safely." Once both bags were open, she turned to them. "You weren't met with an trouble were you? Please tell me you were safe?! If you can, I would stick hiding in the shadows until you get to where you are going to stay safe." She went back to unpacking for them, ignoring that Habren was pinned against the wall as that was pretty normal for the family to witness. It was refreshing to see a love and relationship that was as caring and active as her great-grands. She had it once before her husband vanished but it was nice to see in others. Her eyes continued to give them privacy unless they demanded her attention but they needed to get caught up on the new rules.

The Shadow would protect what family remained and that included not only her new fledglings but her great-gransires as well. Folding a few of the tops that had gotten ruffled in the bag from the travels before she placed them in a drawer. Each article of clothing was treated with care as they were placed in the drawer. It didn't take long to finish one bag as it seemed that even though they were away for awhile, they packed lightly. The city was a mess and a change needed to be made but she was the last person to know how to do that but had been reading the family history books to try and prepare her for the worst as she was sure it was right around the corner.

[Mircea]

Mircea rolled his eyes with a laugh as the frame fell and shattered; it was enough to make him wonder why they bothered replacing them and putting them up time and again when, inevitably, this sort of thing ended up happening. Still, that was a thought for another time as... They were interrupted.

An internal sigh. Another roll of eyes before they closed for a few seconds. This was, after all, part of family life, part of what they had chosen and what they had returned early for. Time was nothing that couldn’t be revisited, after all - they had plenty of it to look forward to. While Mircea composed himself, Habren spoke, providing the needed seconds before he, too, turned his head to look at their unexpected guest with a smile; it was probably as well anyway, for Mircea seldom knew quite what to say in these moments and Habren almost always did.

“We had no trouble,” he answered, his smile becoming a slight frown of concern, “should we have?” they rarely travelled in and out of the city by traditional methods and so rarely came into contact with any kind of government officials, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had been asked outright whether he had had difficulty moving through the city. It was concerning and indicative that, perhaps, Habren’s restless discomfort had been well-founded. He had learned, over the centuries, that it usually was and that it was generally wiser to heed her instincts than it was to disregard them.

He gaze shifted from Asia to Habren, confusion and concern beginning to gather across his features as the younger woman continued talking. Usually, he would have objected to her unpacking for them, but the feeling of tension as they had moved through the city, combined with Habren’s concerns and Asia’s advice that they seek to remain all but hidden all but distracted him from everything else and he found his fingers idly drumming against Habren’s hip as he considered all that they had seen, felt and heard. “Something has changed,” he said - a statement rather than question as he remembered the last time the world had felt the same as when they moved through it that night. It had been years ago. Before... Before they were hunted and slaughtered and all but lost to eternal damnation.

Was that what the world was building towards once more? More importantly: was there yet time to see the future take another path and prevent a repeat of all that had been before?

[Habren Ashe]

Habren’s gaze flickered between the myriad emotions flying across Mircea’s face, to their grandchilde, who seemed almost amused at catching the pair so… freely expressing their care for one another. A grin spread over her features even as Asia began unpacking them, about to insist she herself would see to the bags and unwilling to put any of their bloodline out on their behalf, before Asia spoke. Habren, and Mircea for that matter, were well accustomed to packing light, and relied solely upon themselves and the occasional extra hand from their pets when needed, but her protest died in her throat as Asia’s words flowed. Trouble?

“What on Earth is happening in this City? I knew I felt an unease,” she breathed out, her mood slipping from lazy hedonism to full blown concern in mere seconds. “It is why we came home sooner than planned and without word. Something felt… off. Wrong. Much like the nights of old, before it all went to Hell.” Literally, to Hell, for any realm that sought to separate her from the one she loved most, for so very long, could only be the nightmare stuff of Dante’s worst imaginings.

The tension that rippled through her male was enough to silence any further thoughts of protest as Asia finished with one bag and began on the other. There was nothing truly scandalous in either so it was of no concern aside from getting used to the idea, and Habren instead simply assumed it was to keep idle hands busy while imparting unpleasant news. “Pray tell, Asia. What has happened in our absence? Are we headed for another Holocaust?”

The witch nearly trembled at the thought. They had spoken at length about it – the next time, they would find one another and stay together – but the idea that such a thing might come to pass again was daunting at best. Knowing they had a bloodline now, in the present, was an even harder pill to swallow, but her mind caught upon and settled on the rift, a long time source of comfort - that hadn't been a factor before, and it was a game-changer, as they said, for certain.

[Asia Rae]

A frown set upon Asia's lips as she continued to unpack the second bag which clearly belonged to Habren. She was careful with the dedicates as she placed them in the top drawer but quickly finished with the rest of the bag because now that she had their attention as she noticed out of the corner of her eye that they had all but pulled away from each other, it was time to have a chat. Letting out an unneeded sigh as she put the last piece of clothing into the dresser. Her hands rested upon the now empty bags as she thought about how to proceed but she knew that the leaders of their bloodline rarely liked flowered explanations so she decided that she would be blunt while also taking the opportunity to learn history from the very people that had written a great deal of the history books that rested in the library.

Nodding her head as she grabbed the bags and placed them in the closet before she took a seat upon the bed so that she could look upon them as they spoke. Those chocolate orbs looked at them with sympathy. "I believe you are going to need a drink for this conversation. I can have my dopple bring us blood." Pausing for a moment as her eyes looked at Habren. Both asked the same question but Habren had expressed that she felt that the city felt off even from afar. "Most of the changes in the city came about when there was a return of a very ancient vampire. It's rumored to probably be the first vampire. Does the name Theodosia mean anything to you?" She wasn't sure if they knew who she was but she couldn't find any information about the woman in their books or at least she hadn't found it yet as there were so many to go through.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to her Dopple to bring blood but to make sure it was warm and in a decanter with wine glasses. Her Elders deserved the classy option to drinking then looking like a starved savage tearing into blood packs. She added to knock on the door and to not enter until she grabbed the door. Asia was often discrete to avoid attention being drawn to her. It was help in this time with the current state of the city. She would be sure to die if one of those microchips ever got implanted under her skin and she would purchase a new home to be sure they couldn't find her to implant another into her skin. Or rinse and repeat. She would endure the agony of the Shadow Realm than be a tagged dog to the humans.

Folding her hands in her lap, her eyes were empathetic to the two that stood before her. Nodding her head as Mircea mentioned something had changed. "Everything has changed..." She proceeded carefully as she didn't want to trigger anger but she would summon contractors to fix any repairs that might happen should anger get triggered anyway. As Habren asked if they were heading towards another Holocaust, her eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between the pair and shook her head. "I don't know. I have been studying your books for information about the Holocaust and how this could be reversed. We aren't there yet but it's a high possibility. The world knows about vampires now. Military has moved into the city and tagging us with microchips if they find us while giving us new ID's that state we are vampires. The Quarantine Zone has expanded to a good majority of the city. Some of the vampires are helping the military. I don't know if they feel that it will help them but the city is in an unhealthy and scary state."

Asia knew that it was a lot of information that she gave them but if anyone would know how to possibly turn this around. They needed to go in reverse. Fear set on her face as the two people that could help her had returned and she was hoping they would. They had knowledge of the past that she could only read in books. First hand knowledge so they might have ideas. It wasn't too late but if the city was allowed to head down it's current path, there would come a time that it would be too late. "I am really glad you are home."

[Mircea]

Theodosia

Mircea rolled the name around in his mind for several long moments before speaking again, a frown tugging at his mouth and furrowing his brow.

“She is a myth, is she not? A tale to warn against the dangers of isolation and solitude...” He trailed off for a moment, concerned. If a vampire proclaiming to be Theodosia had indeed risen and there were those who believed her to be old enough that rumours of being the first vampire were doing the rounds in the city, perhaps there had been, too, some truth to the tales that he had heard in his early days as a vampire and those he had, in turn, relayed to Habren thinking them naught but a fable or parable created in ages past to guide or frighten newly turned vampires or those at risk of losing control of themselves and sliding into darkness... At least those with enough humanity remaining to care about such a slide, at least. “There have been many tales of her through the centuries, but how much truth lies within them I do not know. What has she to do with all of this? She has been gone for millennia...”

“We should sit,” he suggested, almost shaking himself from the direction his thoughts were taking and gesturing to the small group of chairs in one corner of their quarters. “This feels as though it may take some time.”

There were several words and phrases in what Asia went on to say that Mircea had only a limited understanding of. In truth, he had struggled to adapt to the acceleration in technological advancement during their time trapped in the shadow realm and, though he could manage a phone and simple computer tasks like e-mails, most things more advanced or less widely used were, essentially, a foreign language to him. Tone and body language, however, were things that transcended centuries without any difficulty and, while he may not understand the intricacies of what was coming into effect within the city, it was easy enough to deduce that they were not welcome changes or ones with the best interests of vampires at heart.

“How did this happen again?” He asked, as much to himself as to the two women in the room with him as he sank down onto a seat and rubbed at a spot on the bridge of his nose in an effort to order his thoughts... Or perhaps marshall the emotions roiling within him. He wasn’t quite sure which any longer. It seemed that they had returned to naught but uncertainty and, when it came to relations between humans and vampires, he had tended to find that uncertainty did not bode well at all.

[Habren Ashe]

Normally, Habren would be all over the thought of one of the original vampiric ‘scary stories’ – legends of old, before the glitz of internet and ticktocks, shared by sires to childer and so on. It was one of many happier memories of the time before, during the long nights when Mircea would entertain her with tales that were sure to give her just the sort of fright she sought, when even the carnal distractions could not quite quell the restless, bloodthirsty beast within her head. Even now, in present day, Habren practically lived for all manner of horror stories, but nothing quite compared to the old legends designed to frighten even the most stoic of their kind. However, no matter the arcane knowledge that nearly all myth had some basis in truth, hearing that one of the fables of her fledgling years had potentially come to rise again gave the Elder pause like few other things could.

Her brow wrinkled, just so, as she considered. "Yes, please tell us more about this. She was only a myth, back in our earlier nights. She existed, I am certain, but how much of it was truth remains a mystery. I see it sort of like the Christian historians see Jesus, for frame of reference."

The witch moved at her Mircea's suggestion to take a seat in one of the cozy chairs in their quarters, slipping one of her hands into his. Despite their impromptu tryst being interrupted, Habren often found a simple touch or word could do wonders to soothe the need within until they were ensconced in privacy once again. She held onto him then, like a lifeline, and drew in a slow, deep breath, the better to center herself and think.

“We know they knew of us. We had a hand in quelling their concerns at the first, after all.” She began with the last point of solid reference she could recall; they had traveled often and had little trouble in Europe or at home, even with her shops now quite well known after the cherry-picked and worldwide press conference they had held several years ago. She almost never lacked for foot traffic or sales at either place, even when she was not around to offer readings and spells for those who sought her out. And they had moved from country to country without so much as a question, either, in the interim. So this news was quite troublesome indeed.

“What can we do, Asia? Is there anything that can be done to give them more… faith, I suppose, in our kind?”

[Asia Rae]

Myth? As far as the leaders knew, the woman was just a scary folk tale that she hadn't even heard about. This might be a harder conversation than she thought because even though she was a watcher, Asia only had some of the pieces of the large puzzle that is Harper Rock. Shaking her head as he asked about her being a Myth. She wished that she could have found anything on her in the library but it was like she was a ghost. Biting at her lower lip as she listened to Mircea. She stood up as she began to pace as she pondered. Nodding her head as the table in the corner was offered for them to sit and chat.

Only the knock at the door interrupted her pacing and she rushed over. Cracking the door to see who was intruding only to relax as she saw her dopple with the blood that was requested. Taking the tray from her as she thanked her. "Please stand outside to ensure that we aren't interrupted." Walking back over to the table, she set the tray down before she took a seat across from the pair. "This is absolutely going to take time."

Frowning as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. She wished she knew how to comfort them both as they returned at the right time when the family needed them but also a terrible time for the city. "Theodosia had recently returned but for a short period of time. I don't know all the details as I didn't get caught up in that mess but she expanded the rift to nearly the size of Harper Rock. I could be wrong but from my understanding, this is why humans have knowledge about us and military stepped up. This is where the new ID cards and the microchips come into play as they are trying to tag and track us."

Her eyes drifted to Habren and nodded. "They had their ideas of us existing due to efforts to those in the city making the humans aware. Some believed it but others didn't, now they have no choice unless they are completely naive." Asia felt bad that she want weighing them down with this burden instantly upon their arrival. It was heavy news and they had seemed to enjoy their time away. "We are no longer allowed to leave the city as they have guards at every way out and the airports."

Tapping her fingers on the table as she took a time to think on the question of the hour. What could they do? After a few moments, she shook her head. "I am not sure. I have been going through the history books in the library from when you both endured the Holocaust to see if there was anything that might give me an idea. As awful as it is...maybe it's a good thing you came back. As far as I know...you are the only ones around that have experience from what happened before."