Waking in StRaNgE Places (Shay Sylvar)

[Aviana]

Oh how the tables had turned. Aviana was venturing through the catacombs, in search of the woman she had turned not long ago. They had been in contact, and Avi had been sure Tawney had necessities to make the transition easier. The memories of her own turning had Avi doing her best to do things differently. Not that Nathaniel had been a bad sire, he had provided for her but things certainly had not started off well between the two of them. Thinking back she could still recall the fear and hatred she felt towards the man. He had pushed her. Invaded her privacy often; usually to provide a point. She came to find that he was only looking after her the only way he knew how and she was stronger because of it. It had been awhile since she had seen Nathaniel but he was a busy man and she didn't think too much into it. She just assumed he and his wife, Prudence, were off somewhere together.

It had been early in the morning hours when Avi had taken a portal from her apartment. This took her to the Mausoleum, a dark place she knew well. The area might have been quiet, but her mind, as always, was far from. She had learned early on that if she filled her own thoughts with chatter, this made it harder for outside noise to effect her as strongly. Multitasking was key. Earbuds blared music in her ears, an alternate rock station she favored. Then within thought she was holding an ongoing conversation with her thrall Zaylee. It was like a personal chat the two usually had going on. At the moment Z was going on about her holiday shopping and the things she still wanted to pick up. She was emailing Avi a stream of pictures of the holiday decorations she was putting up at Avianas apartment. She had no need for a computer or phone to view it all. Just another perk of being a telepath.

Having made it down into the catacombs Aviana still had not come across Tawney. She just wanted to touch base and be sure she was doing ok. To see with her own eyes, and not just her mind. It was only when Z would give her a reminder of the time, that she knew it was time to head back. The sun would soon be up, meaning Avi would be out. She searched for her tome, only to find she didn't have it on her. How could I have forgotten?! She had been working to make more and never kept hers with her while doing so. In the rush of heading out, she had forgotten to bring it. Z was already at the apartment, so Avi would tell her where to find the tome and hope Z could find her in time.

Only a few minutes would pass before Z came wandering through the catacombs. She would hand over the tome, in triumph. Pulling out her earbuds, she would thank Z but then would have a good look at the tome. It was the wrong one. She didn't blame Z, she could not have known. The tome was to a place she was nolonger associated with, but the one who gave it to her long ago had told her to hang onto it. It had sat for years in her lock box, but of course Z would not have realized the difference. " This is not the right tome, I can't use this… Her words were not angry, though Z's smile would quickly turn to a frown. " It's ok, you didn't know. " She did her best to assure her it was ok, that she wasn't upset. Not like this would be the first time she would fall asleep in a strange place.

"I'm so sorry…. Maybe we could make it through the sewers?" Z scrambled for ideas. Avi would only smile, and shake her head. "Trust me, sleeping in the sewers would be worse. Been there done that." Cringing at the thought. " And no I don't want you to try to carry home a sleeping me." Avi added before Z even had the chance to mention it. She had gotten good at guessing what the woman was thinking at times. " Well, I'm staying with you. " Shared as she would walk to the nearest corner and have a seat. Avi had no intention of arguing with her, as she would follow and have a seat beside her. The thought of her sires chamber in the mausoleum crossed her mind, but even that option was too late to consider.

Hooking her arm through Zaylees, Avi would rest her head against the woman's shoulder. " Your jacket feels so…." Avi had not even finished the sentence before sleep overtook her. She was out, like the flip of a switch, lost to her dreams. It would be a long day, but Z would never leave her side. She would pull out the gun Avi had given her, being sure to keep it close. On guard, she watched over Avi while watching videos on her phone; until it died. She took to watching her watch, to pass the time then. It would not be an easy task, but Z would manage to stay awake. Time felt to slow, especially as the setting of the sun grew closer. Z knew Avi would be unable to wake until the sun had gone down completely.

[Shay Sylvar]

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The sword scythed through the air and made a gut-wrenching sound as it passed through the raggedy clothing and remnants of rotting flesh and skittered across the ancient bone beneath. Two more swings and the bundle of decaying monstrosity lay upon the floor bereft of its head, which had rolled across the stone-flagged floor and disappeared into the shadows. Shay scowled and wiped the 'muck' from his blade on the partially clothed mass.

Straight away the plethora of distant voices began to re-invade his temporarily quiet head space. Who were these people? How did they get into his thoughts? He'd often tried to single a voice out and once or twice he'd had a small amount of success, the conversations however made little sense to him, out of context and distinctly one-sided, he'd come to realise they were of no use to him other than to distract him from whatever task he'd chosen that day to accomplish. He'd found that coming down here to the mausoleum helped somewhat in muffling them and actively engaging the shambling bonebags gave him momentary respite as his mind focused on the task at hand.

Today had started like many others, rise, shine and slaughter! And with that in mind he began to search the bedraggled heap for anything useful or saleable, this turned up a quite ornately handled sword that had sadly seen better days... much better days! With a resigned sigh he added it to the growing collection and moved on again.

However, something was slightly awry today! For days he'd been down here away from the intense mental clutter of the city streets and it helped but sadly not enough. Today however the volume had been at 11 for quite some time as if being amplified and he found himself fumbling around in quite the mindfog, was he going to have to find somewhere else to get some respite from the mental barrage that pervaded his every waking moment?

Occasionally today he thought he'd heard? Or maybe sensed? others down here in the 'combs and still being incredibly wary of spending time around any sentient beings, he'd paused each time and waited for the feeling to abate. Since his turning, he feared contact with people incase they figured he had been 'changed' but equally he worried that his little outburst had popped the crosshair on him from some of his peers! He hadn't meant to appear rude, the shock of becoming something else had triggered defence mechanisms in his psyche he'd found impossible to control. His main concern was staying off Ms Mortlls hitlist until his tantrum had hopefully been forgotten.

Shay had come to realise that what he had scoffed at just weeks before, was in fact reality and more than that was now HIS reality! No longer laughing at the 'stupid stories' he'd been told about this strange corner of Canada, he found himself feeling lost, lonely and more venerable than ever. Okay he'd used that cocky facade to berate the one that had 'done' this, eventually however, the realisation of his predicament sank in and this was no longer something he could laugh at or indeed shrug off.

Shay was far from home, painfully alone and being cruelly tormented every waking moment...

[Aviana]

Focused on the time, Zaylee would be startled by a sound in the distance. " Avi….. Avi wake up. I hear something." She spoke in a hushed tone, hinted with panic. " Aviana…. Wake up." Speaking a little louder, she would watch as Avi stirred, her eyes fluttering open. " Oh good, you're awake! Someone is headed this way and it didn't sound like one of those old zombies." You could hear the relief wash over Zaylees voice. " Z, it's ok. People hunt zombies down here all the time. It might even be Tawney, remember I was looking for her? Why don't you head back to the apartment, and I will see who it is. You should go though. Just head that way and you will find an entrance to the sewer. Once in the sewer just keep taking left turns and you will come to a way out." She didn't like having to send her off to the sewer, but she didn't favor the idea of the human having to cross paths with a possible dangerous stranger.

The two would look to one another. Avi could tell Z wanted to protest, but after a moment would stand, dusting off her jeans. " Ok fine. I'm going to pick up a few things, but will head back to the apartment. See you later…. Avi, be safe ok? " Only after Aviana assured her she would be fine, would Z head off. Aviana's attention would glance in the opposite direction her thrall had gone. Someone was headed her way, but Avi could not sense that it was Tawney. Standing slowly, she stretched her stiff limbs, before summoning a glowing white orb in the palm of her hand. The darkness around her vanished, as the light invaded the surrounding area. Panic told her to run in the opposite direction, but Avi told herself this was just the anxiety. I can handle anything down here. She told herself. Odd the prospect of a social interaction with a stranger fueled just as strong a reaction as facing the monsters of the city.

Walking off in the direction of the unknown, her light in hand, Avi would call out. " Hello? " Soon her light would catch, revealing a man she had never met before. Instinctively she would allow her mind to brush against his. This revealed something that had her a little more at ease. He was a vampire, a telepath like herself, and had been turned by someone she knew. Mortll had been one of the first vampires to show her kindness after she was turned. She had given Avi a job and her first weapon. " Oh, hello. " Her tone was calmer then, and the light she held would dim a little.

As Avi spoke on, she would do so straight to his mind; as she turned her music on and pushed her earbuds in her ears. The sound of a Weezer song would instantly begin playing. * Are you adverse to speaking this way? Have you seen a vampire around here named Tawney? Been looking for her. She was turned only recently. Want to make sure she's doing ok.* Her phone would buzz, but she knew it was only Zaylee letting her know she had made it out of the sewer alright. * I'm Aviana by the way, but most just call me Avi. Sorry if I startled you.* By speaking in thought, her social awkwardness was less prevalent.

[Shay Sylvar]

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Shay saw a glow emanating from around the bend and was already bracing to take flight when a voice called out a questioning 'Hello?'. He stayed his panic and headed gingerly in the direction of the light, he wasn't sure it was a good idea but curiousity had him in it's grip. The voice didn't appear threatening in anyway, in fact quite the opposite, maybe even a little fearful. He would get closer, still leaving plenty of distance between them should he feel the need to flee.

As he rounded the corner tentatively and stepped into the illuminated chamber he saw a woman holding an orb and he felt a fleeting mental connection. The lady spoke once more and this time seemed to be much calmer. 'Oh hello' as She spoke the light appeared to dim and Shay felt obliged to walk a little closer as if seeking the warmth of its aura. As he moved forward he felt that connection again, it was her, speaking straight into his brain and asking if it was okay to do this! The voices didn't normally ask to invade his thoughts and often just washed over and overwhelmed him.

She was quietly spoken and not at all intimidating, he might even say friendly sounding. Standing still now, he kept a distance before replying mentally. 'I..I...I'm not actually sure..' he paused momentarily, not even convinced the other could 'hear' him. 'Am I doing it right?' His inexperienced fledgling powers had never been tested, his initial anger at being turned had left him out of touch with others that may have been able to help and guide him and that was now showing.

Listening to her questions he waited until the figure introduced themselves before replying. 'Aviana, my name is Shay, I'm afraid to say I haven't seen Tawney but then again to be brutally honest, I've been hiding up in here and head in another direction when I think people are here, this is the only place where it gets a bit quieter, people think so loudly and so much. I wish I could turn the volume down.. even just a little!' His eyes left her face for the first time to look around and survey the chamber they were in. What was this girl doing down here amongst the ancient dead? Was She going to go running off to tell his sire where he was? He had hoped to remain hidden down here until Mortll either forgot about him... or at least forgot about his insolent tone. Shay felt sure there was an invisible target on his back after their brief exchange!

[Aviana]

As the man spoke within her mind, her head would tilt a little to the side; her eyes never leaving him. She would smile, as he asked 'Am I doing it right?' and she would give an encouraging nod, as to let him know he was doing just fine. His confidence seemed to be gaining, as he would go on to speak just fine within her thoughts. The key with control, was choosing what to be open to, and focusing on that. She felt for the man, who introduced himself as Shay; recalling a time when she felt the very same way. *The world sure has a way of being loud.* Her words were hinted with sympathy. Taking a few steps closer to him, she wanted him to know she trusted him; a hope that he would see her as someone he could trust.

*It gets better? You should be able to tell this,but you and I have something in common. Our minds are sometimes overburdened, by the unspoken world. I have yet to find a way to shut this off all the time. The only peace I truly find is while asleep.* Realizing she was not shining much hope, but would continue on. Offering insight upon a few things that had helped her. * It helps when you find a few different things to keep your mind occupied with. I paint, and enjoy spending time at a forge. Music helps me, especially when I have to be around more people.* She knew not if such things would be helpful for him. Avi had learned early on, not all vampires were created equal.

* Meditation works well for me. I train nearly every day at holding moments of silence within thought. Not everyday is a good day. Sometimes I have louder moments, so I just listen to even louder music.* She smirked with the last of her words, sent to his mind. Those were the heavy metal sort of days; today was an alternate rock one. * None can hide from the noise forever. It's not much of a life. Trust me, I know from experience. * A loud world experienced alone, had a way of being quite depressing. Things were getting better for her, since she started to open up to others again. Zaylee had been a much needed presence in her life. Tawney too was now a part of her world and Avi was working on broadening her acquaintances again. It was a slow process, but she could see the good that came with it.

[Shay Sylvar]

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It seemed that She could hear him just fine and encouraged by the gentle nod and the openess of her face he felt reassured, even as Aviana stepped towards him the urge to flee was already disapating, her demeanour allaying his fear. He hadn't been 'comfortable' around his peers thusfar so this was a major thing.

He listened intently and her mind voice, although mild, cut a swathe through the murmuring undercurrent of conciouses that had taken up residence in his head and what She said made sense, he'd already realised, accidentally, that when focussing on the beasts of the 'combs the voices seemed to hush almost as if willing him to win his battle. It was of course a much simpler explanation, his mind had something more pressing to attend to to and therefore wasted less energy on the ambient brainwaves around him.

Right there and then he began using his fledgling talent to access the internet and searched for his music apps! As he found spotify, he concentrated on opening it in his head and then began sifting his playlists, he gave her a small but satisfied grin, it only bloody worked! As the lady spoke of meditation he'd already found exactly what he was looking for and pressed an imaginary play button in his mind and the tinkling keyboard heralded the arrival of a track he'd needed to hear for a while now.

"Aviana? I know you say it's not much of a life... but before this happened," he motioned towards his head, "...the turning and the noise... and the confusion... I was always a believer of evolution." He nodded as if to emphasise what he'd just said."If vampires evolved this ability, then surely it must -REALLY- have a use... and maybe, just maybe, we have to learn -HOW- to get the use out of it?" This was spoken as half question and half statement as if almost convinced that what he said made sense!

As he thought a second on his little statement, his face went slightly red and he felt that he may have actually spoken out of turn, afterall, Aviana had probably forgotten more than he would ever learn. "Sorry. I guess I'm ever the eternal optimist, I think I'm looking for a ray of hope in this situation?" He gave a nervous smile before continuing.

" S**T! I really wish I could stomach a bourbon right now!"

[Aviana]

She listened as Shay spoke on, making mention of evolution. Agreeing with his words that followed, Avi would offer a nod or two. She swayed where she stood, shifting her weight, unable to hold too still. Thinking, If only humans could view vampires in such a way. An evolution that held potential to make the world a better place. She had seen vampires do amazing things. If she were honest with herself, she had also seen vampires do terrible things. Not to mention the monstrous offspring they could produce. Aviana had her fair share of run ins with fadebeasts. The possibility of producing such monsters was almost enough to turn her off men completely. It was frightening just to imagine such a creature ripping free, to send its host to the shadow realm while the beast went in to cause havoc.

She found it surprising, as he apologized. Waving her hand, as if to dismiss this. Her smile brightened a little, with the man's mention of bourbon. She would speak to his mind again. * Sometimes hope is all you have to hold onto. Nothing wrong with being optimistic. Never let anyone take that away from you. It's a very good quality to have. As for bourbon, you could always try some infused with blood? It took some time, but I can keep down some liquids, especially if they have a little blood added to it.* Not that she needed liquids to sustain herself, but it was nice to have a cup of coffee now and then. Eating regular food was still out of the question. Last week she tried to eat a cupcake and it had not gone well.

* If you truly believe your new powers have a use, then you should use them all the time, as much as you can. It's the only way to get a handle on them. With practice and training who knows what you could be capable of? * She could sense he had many of the same telepath abilities as her. * Have you ever tried what they call appraisal? It allows you to sense how powerful someone is. Among other interesting things about people. Like take our Mayor for instance, Wyatt Bancroft. With the use of appraisal, one can sense some very odd things about him. Like how he is under the control of a very powerful vampire. If you try this on him though, don't focus for too long. Last time I did it made me feel uneasy, not a comfortable feeling. *

Aviana had no idea why a vampire would have the Mayor make things so terrible for other vampires. * Though be aware some will sense when you do this to them. So maybe practice with people you know. Many of the magic shops around town sell a relic that lets you know when someone goes poking around in your mind.* It was helpful to know, but also a little weird when you discovered strangers poking around. Aviana had once been alone at home and sensed a strange woman using appraisal upon her. When Avaian tried to discover the woman's intentions, the stranger was quite rude. Avi never discovered what the woman's intentions were. Though she had never had another interaction with her. * I don't believe others can sense when you look into memories though. Could start with that? Feel free to try it with me anytime. I honestly have nothing to hide.* Aviana thought her life a little boring as of late, not that she was complaining. Boring was safe. Most of her excitement happened in her dreams lately.

[Shay Sylvar]

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Shay found himself smiling as Aviana seemed to be encouraging him to follow his instincts surrounding his theory of vampires having evolved telepathy for good reason and made a mental note to follow her suggestion of making time to practice as much as possible... to try to tame and harness the power then maybe actually put it to use.

She seemed to be quite the optimist herself and he quickly realised that this had so far been the most agreeable conversation he'd had since his turning, infact her suggestion of adding a little blood to his bourbon was something he certainly would have been unlikely to come up with himself and yet now the idea was suggested, it appeared that it may well be worth a shot.

The thought of using another skill that had so far remained untested, before tonight, would seem far too daunting... and yet here he was considering just that with this.. appraisal? And here was someone apparently willing to allow him to experiment with his fledgling vampiric skill, scratch that... more like coercing him to attempt its use!

Aviana's orb carried enough illumination to see fairly clearly around the particular cell of the combs they were in and he wasn't sure if it was the conversation, the concentration of his effort to mindspeak, or just the level of alertness at being in, for him, an unusual situation but it definitely seemed as if the usual very low level hubbub of chatter that ethereally accompanied a visit here, had to all intents and purposes silenced itself, allowing him to relax somewhat and realising he was by now fairly close to the centre of the room he felt comfortable enough to crouch and eventually sit, cross-legged on the floor.

Studying her face and coming to rest on a pair of patient looking green eyes as he began to flex weak mental muscles, unsure of what happened next...awareness of abilities that seemed to be so far in advance of his own they left him totally in awe. Contrary to making him feel inadequate of his own, they gave him hope of his future abilities...and an insight into just how empathic this lady was, the ability to swat his psyche like a bug and yet here She stood conversing with and convincing him to embrace the skills his creator had 'gifted' him.
Unsure if there was a 'too far' he took baby steps as he found imaginary doors, all slightly ajar. Peeping through them without pushing them open he got tiny glimpses and as mundane as they may be to Aviana they were revelations to Shay, tiny sneak peeks on another life that was far removed from his own where he scuttled around down here in almost permanent darkness. A sudden pang of guilt hit him and he found himself feeling very voyeuristic and as quickly as his journey into her memories began they came to halt and he relinquished his view of her mind.

Sitting in silence for a few moments as he processed what had just happened, the hushed burble began once more but at a far lower tone than it had been previously, he sighed and slumped his shoulders, acutely aware that even though the actions he'd just undertaken were mental they had left him physically drained, such had been the effort involved, even for such a brief glimpse.

Her face and in particular those beautifully patient eyes were still his point of focus and he found himself actually speaking verbally, afterall this was still the most natural to him right now. "I didn't mean to... I mean, I did... the appraisal thing... and then, oh.. then it just did it!" Still trying to fathom out what had gone on in those moments. "I'm sorry if I overstepped the mark..." Giving her a nervous smile he continued. "Your name?...it's Silva?...Small world eh?"

[Aviana]

Silently she stood, watching as Shay made himself comfortable on the floor. He held her focus, and she waited to sense what was coming. Her smile reassuring, knowing he could use his skills if he applied himself. The moment it happened, she knew and her smile perked up a little more. As if to tell him well done. Likely he sensed a few of her memories also, but this was something undetectable. Surprised then, when he would apologise, Avi assured him there was nothing to be sorry for. * Oh no, I asked you to do it. In no way have you overstepped. Seems you did very well! Indeed my last name is Silva. Very similar to your last name, if I have sensed correctly. Hope you didn't catch any memories of mine that were embarrassing...* Joking with him, she knew there was nothing bad he would have sensed.

With her free hand, she pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Focused on him, but for a brief moment would glance away. Having caught sight of something, but with a closer look found it was nothing. The moment of paranoia was brief, but likely noticeable. Just a feeling often had, as if something was watching her. Convinced something had followed her back from the shadow realm; years ago. This was not something shared with anyone, simply because it sounded crazy. Playing it off to an overactive imagination. Speaking to Shay then, she was curious of how he felt using such powers. * How did it feel? Was it easy? The more you use your powers, they will feel like second nature. I have yet to have found a limitation on using such powers. I could be anywhere in the city, and you should be able to read my memories if you wanted to.*

Taking in the familiar surroundings, wondering how long he had been down here. Not that she was all that different. After all she had just spent the night down here in the dark. * I don't know what your plans are for the evening, but I'm headed to my place at the Sanctuary. If you wanted to join me? My thrall, Zaylee, has the whole place decorated for the holidays. Might even have some bourbon. I always keep a blood supply too, if you were hungry.* Hoping the sincerity came across. This was no place to be alone around the holidays. Avi was curious to know more about the man, but knew Zaylee was likely to start freaking out if she didn't show up at the apartment soon.

Avi spent a lot of time around the Sanctuary apartment, but it was more of a workplace for her artwork. When she was able, Aviana liked heading to a place her sire owned in the Corvidae Flats. Simply because the place had better furnishings. The bed in the spare room was far more comfortable than the one at her place. * You don't have anything against Christmas trees do you? I'm quite sure she has gotten a tree…. Yup she just sent me a picture of it. And she wants to make her own ornaments…. My apartment will be covered in glitter after all of this, I'm sure of it!* Laughing aloud, at the thought.

[Shay Sylvar]

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Shay gave her a wan smile and shook his head."Nah...If that thing with the sheriff, the donkey and the priest doesn't embarass you...nothing will!" He began to giggle and held up his hands in a mock surrender gesture. "I'm only kidding! Don't shoot me!" Following her gaze as Aviana looked away and seeing nothing before She began asking about his experience. His reply came momentarily, as if he'd had to recollect it, in truth he was still processing what had just happened. "I'm not sure easy is the correct word.. but I suppose... yes is the short answer." He pondered for a few long seconds more. " More sort of instinctual... I thought about it and then an absolute blur as a ton of information landed squarely in my mind. It seemed to take a natural path, imaginary doorways all slightly ajar and offering a peep but nothing more."

He perked up at the mention of the invite, here was an almost total stranger that seemed to be honestly interested in his development and had actually already tossed a few tips his way... he had a feeling it could be beneficial to spend some time in her company... and anyway.. Aviana was very nice on the eye... his usual company down here didn't always have eyes let alone be this friendly. "If you're sure it won't be any trouble? I'd love to!" Thinking about her comment on glitter he gave a grin. "Nothing wrong with glitter at Xmas... in fact in my eyes it should be compulsory. Would be nice to see a well dressed tree too."

Scrambling back to his feet he nodded enthusiastically. "Lead on... Zaylee shouldn't be alone either during this festive period!"