A History of Obscurity [Open]

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

The gentle, curious smile on her face steadily turned into pursed lips, her head tilting a bit lower as her amber eyes focused more closely on him. "So you -do- remember.", she said, her eye twitching for a brief moment as a familiar voice in the back of her head impulsively began to try and turn things violent. But she wouldn't have any of that, not here - this was a place of order and control. "I knew there was something strange about you, and not merely concerning where we first met. The strange flicker of your skin, the odd noises... 'research', was it?" she paused in her speech for a moment, her thoughts racing towards possible endings of this conversation like a myriad of calculated risks, each one planned out in her mind, each word carefully chosen. "Still, I -am- curious as to your... predicament. I'm sure it's far more... tolerable... than mine. Lucky you~.", she spoke with a noteable hint of jealousy in her voice, as well as disdain. Though it felt more as if the disdain was for herself and her condition, rather than for Arun. As if one small part of a thick curtain was raised, to reveal what lies beyond. Her eyes were still fixed on Arun, still filled with curiosity, yet also cold, calculated and mildly angry. "So how -did- you get to be... so... fortunate?, she slowly spoke, each carefully uttered word bringing her ever so slightly closer to Arun, her intentions wholly unclear. The last word uttered with bile and venom, jealousy prevalently dripping with every syllable.

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

The sorcerer took a stumbled step backwards. If he could hold both hands up in peaceful surrender he would have but, more interested in keeping his balance and not wanting to fall on his ***, he held up the single hand. He meant the woman no harm or insult. He'd hoped that he'd only imagined the worst in the sewer system, that his frenzied instinct to survive had projected any ill-will upon her. Now, however, he understood that he'd imagined nothing, and assumed that had there not been Ainsley and the medical crew she'd have drained him dry. Only the witnesses had stayed her hand and, as Arun glanced around, he hoped that the scattered witnesses in the museum would keep her from harming him, now.

"It is blurry, but I remember. You will recall that I am here for answers. I do not know why it has happened to me or how, only that I do not know what I am capable of or how to control it. Please, I'm sorry," he said. And yet, despite his weakened state he kept his shoulders squared -- the well-cut suit at least made him feel as if he had some kind of upper hand. He knew what it looked like on him; it looked like he had more power than he himself was aware of.

"I will go to someone else for help. I am sorry to have bothered you," he said, taking another step backward. He was unwilling, yet, to turn his back on Maryl.

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

She gently brought a hand to her face, rubbing her forehead as the anger about her steadily began to fade and her visage becoming lightly apologetic. "I... I am sorry... this condition, it takes a heavy toll. It is... always a struggle, for me. I too know what it is like to grasp through the clouds for answers. I... didn't -ask- for this. In fact, I loathe this condition, I detest it and everyone who carelessly revels in it... -that- is why I do all this. To find a way to be rid of this monster, once and for all." She lowered her head lightly, extending a hand to the door. "Go... if you must, I will not hunt you. But before you go, I must tell you, this place... it's not a lie. It is a place of research and learning, for people like us. Though I'm not sure for how much longer..." she paused, breathing a sigh that didn't seem to give her much comfort, at all. "I do not think I am familiar with whatever powers you may possess, but I will always be prepared to trade knowledge. I have been gathering information from across the city and beyond for a while, now. To little avail... for there are no easy answers. No one will make it simple. No one either will or can tell you what you're looking for. To delve in such things always comes at a price..." Her demeanor was now incredibly melancholic and tired, and it was clear this pursuit was beginning to take it's toll on her. "I am glad she did not get you, that day. And I wish you the best on your journey... though - as cliché as it sounds - take care you do not lose yourself along the way... it is all too easy."

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

Maryl’s words were cryptic, her demeanour apologetic. She did not try to stop Arun from leaving, which was a relief – her reassurance that she would not hunt him only worried him further. It had been a possibility, then. She talked about her condition – vampirism – as if it were a disease that she could be cured of, and Arun couldn’t say yes or no. He couldn’t reassure her that she would one day find what she was looking for, nor could he point her in the right direction. He couldn’t, either, tell her that she was dreaming, and that she should just accept what had happened and move on. Because he didn’t know that either. He had not come to this city to look for answers about vampires, though he did wonder if they were the source. It was why he’d been down in those sewers to begin with.

”She?” he finally asked, though he did keep his distance. ”You know who it was that shot me? Did they do it on purpose…?” he asked. Was there a third person there that night, another one that he did not remember? He had no other questions – he heeded the warning though he did not fully understand it. It sounded as if it came from somewhere deep within her, as if she’d had personal experience. She looked like she needed a cup of tea. But could vampires drink tea? Would it be silly of him to offer? And anyway… she had to work, didn’t she? Did he really want to sit and drink tea with a vampire whom he’d just felt the urge to run from?

”I will be sure to check back from time to time,” he said, though he wondered whether he really would. This was his first true encounter with a vampire and, though she’d been friendly for the most part, he was wary of what would happen if he ever stepped a foot out of place.

[Mardvosa (DELETED 9357)]

She lightly frowned, the whole encounter beginning to become too much for her to bear as guilt entered her heart once again. Memories flashed back to horrors that her monstrous other had comitted, or that fateful night she was turned. There just didn't seem to come an end to the pain and regrets that were constantly on her mind ever since she had come to Harper Rock. She gently shook her head at Arun's questions, for the truth would say too much. "You should go...", she muttered with a voice that was breaking. Her everyday mask of humanity and order was beginning to crumble, giving way to the growing madness in her mind. "I will... keep looking..." she spoke with a weak breath as she began to turn away. "Fare well, Arun...and good luck." The first words were spoken in sadness, and the last two with a strange confidence, as if some kind of eerie, untold promise. Maryl began to ran off to a different room in the museum, as if she had someplace to go in a hurry...

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

Awkward, Arun would not have known how to help even if he had tried. Something was going on with Maryl, a sudden nervous energy that had her quickly turning and running from him. Running, as if she were running away from something – or toward something. Her wish of good luck sent a chill down his spine – a chill that told him not to follow the harried woman. If he did, what could he possibly say?

So instead of following, instead of doing anything at all, Arun turned and headed for the exit. As much as the museum intrigued him, and as much as he thought a good look at all it had to offer would be educational, for now he felt the need to leave, to get out as fast as possible. There was something about this city, as if it sat on an undercurrent of power. It was both terrifying and fascinating – and yet it offered up no answers. Arun wanted to dig down beneath the dirt and the earth to get at the source, but somehow he did not think it would be so easy.

So the cane clicked against the pavement as he re-entered the city streets, as he turned left to make his way home. Tonight, he would sleep, and tomorrow he would continue his search for answers that proved to be difficult and evasive.