Path of the Vampire forum

Mircea squeezed his fingers lightly around Habren’s hand once she settled herself in place, watching Asia for any indication about what they might do next. His thoughts turned over and over about all that had come before: Their flight from Europe to the so-called New World, promised that had been made and broken between strangers and friends, battles that seemed to never end until one day they did, swift and brutal battle followed by searing heat and then... Nothing. An eternity of nothing. They couldn’t go back to that again; if humans had found ways to determine vampire from human and to track their identity and whereabouts, there was, in his estimation, a risk that they would at some point discover a way to close the rift that had been opened before and, if Asia’s words were accurate, widened further still in their absence.

While he thought, Mircea reached for the drinks that had been brought and poured three, setting one each in front of Habren and Asia’s seats before taking a small sip from his own. “She truly did walk across the ocean, then,” he whispered, his voice caught between a strange reverence that one of the oldest, most frequently retold stories of their kind had at least an element of truth to it, and something approaching fear at the same. “What became of her?” He asked. If she was the cause of the changes in the city and neither vampire nor human knew where she yet was, any efforts they took to set things along the right path might turn out to be entirely in vain.

His fingers return to coil around Habren’s hand, the other holding onto his glass as Asia spoke and his mind turned towards the library she mentioned. “We could not write much towards the end and I suspect the little we were able to record was destroyed after we were killed,” he explained. With survival so far from guaranteed at the time, there had been precious little time, energy or thought remaining to commit their experiences to paper, though some efforts had been made, he was sure. “Since our return, there has seldom been interest in what we have to say. We are so often considered... Ah, stuffy and, what did you call it, my love, behind the times?” He added with a faint chuckle.

“She did what? Habren asked, incredulous. The rift had been suspected of widening itself from time to time from what she could recall, but to not only hear that a mythical being had actually walked about the City, but had also done what none of them so far had been able to, was almost too much to consider. Her fingers tightened around Mircea’s as she lifted her glass with her free hand and shook her head. “Such things are… well…” She trailed off with a sigh at first. “We did not have to contend with ancients older than we rising from the rift and wreaking havoc. Pray tell, where did she go? How did she do what she did? Does anyone know? For so long her stories were only meant to frighten. It was never a consideration that she might return or rise again… or widen the rift, for Nox’s sake.” This was uncharted territory as far as the witch was concerned, and it was an understatement to call it unprecedented.

She nodded at Mircea’s explanation, a grimace crossing her features. “We tried. I set quite a bit to written word, myself,” she added. “The nights we were stuck in hiding, I tried to record what we were dealing with and living through but I do not know if any of those survived. I hope they did, but it is hard to say when I have yet to locate anything of the sort.” She dashed a hand through dark locks before it returned to Mircea’s, squeezing gently for a moment as she worked to gather her thoughts. For a fleeting moment, she longed for the old times when it was just him and her, wrapped up together with nary a care in the world save one another. But a laugh left her lips, light and almost carefree if any but those who knew her mood better than that had been able to witness.

“Behind the times is correct, my Love,” she echoed with a slight shrug. The laughter in her voice might be difficult to pick up, but it was there, if simply brought about by the sheer irony. “Out of touch, unable to even so much as fathom what our young progeny might be feeling. But we know what came before and we have a better idea of how to stop it. If only they would have cared to listen…”

As Mircea poured her a class and set it in front of her, she slid the glass closer before she took a drink. Nodding her head at his question. "I assume that's true since she showed up here. I don't know if anyone knows what happened to her or if she's just hiding out." Asia placed the glass back down on the tabled and let her fingers play upon the stem of the glass. There was much that she didn't know about the woman, why she showed up, how, or even what her goals were. She hadn't had the chance to research the woman outside of checking the library. As Habren spoke, she listened carefully to her words. So only a few escaped from having to endure the Holocaust. The one that betrayed them and then this mystery woman that supposedly walked the ocean. "Maybe there is still someone around that was involved but I don't know who. I wished I had more information regarding her. I'm sorry."

It was when Habren began to speak on the history books of the Holocaust. Asia wasn't sure why she was surprised that it was Habren that had written what she could find. Smiling as she nodded. "There is a book in the library but it doesn't have much information but I'll admit, I was skimming. First hand experience of the encounters will be beneficial." Her fingers tapped on the table before she took another drink. There were so many holes that needed to be filled. "I think we should get what family still is around gathered and see if there is anything we can do and hope this woman doesn't show back up to reverse any progress that we might make."

Perking her brow as Mircea spoke about others thinking they were stuffy and behind the times. Smiling as a soft chuckle slipped from her. "There is nothing wrong with being stuffy or even possibly behind in the times. You are much older but with that comes experience. You are set in your ways with how old you are and that's perfectly fine. Let them have their opinions because many in the family at the time were selfish and didn't realize that we had the luxury of having you with us...to help us. How else would we learn? Hell, you actually tried where some sires let their young flounder." She adored the leaders of their line and was happily loyal. She looked between them both before she spoke softly. "Tell me what you would like me to do to help?"

“I do not believe that any of our kind old enough to remember Theodosia when she walked the earth the first time will have survived the Holocaust to tell of her,” he said quietly, swirling the liquid in his glass slightly before swallowing another mouthful. “Many of the oldest refused to move or change when the hunts began and were some of the first to fall.” He paused then to listen to what more Asia had to say and consider what, if anything, could be done to turn the tide and move towards a more peaceful existence between the two species.

Peace, he thought, perhaps wasn’t the correct word for it. Could the wolf and the deer consider themselves to be living in peace so long as the wolf hunted and the deer was forced to flee? Still, it was likely to be as close as predator and prey could ever come to existing in harmony and every other predatory relationship managed to find some kind of balance and equilibrium; the only reason that Mircea could think of that humans and vampires couldn’t do the same was the ego of one or both. After all, they had a distinct advantage as a pairing that other species didn’t enjoy: Humans didn’t have to die for vampires to live.

“Thank you for your kindness, Asia,” he said warmly, heartfelt in his gratitude. He had almost grown used to hearing little but that they were neither needed nor wanted that it came as a pleasant surprise to hear something of the opposite for a change - especially so soon after their return to the city. “I do not know what any of us can do to help, but there must be something...” He trailed off, looking to Habren, half in hope that she would have seen some possibility he hadn’t yet set upon and half simply because he wanted to.

Habren nodded in agreement with that, none of the stories she had ever heard with and without Mircea told of any who might yet live and know anything first hand of the legendary immortal. Unless more had risen from the rift in the interim, like the German she had heard about, but that seemed an even rarer thing. Few had managed to accomplish what they had, and she was still certain it had only been sheer, dumb luck on the part of their sworn enemy. Her brow furrowed, just so, at the thought of Cobb, the betrayer. Her literal only thought that held any semblance of kindness toward him was that his stupidity had been what allowed them, in the end, to return topside. For that alone, she supposed she could spare a shred of goodwill.

She scoffed slightly as she set her glass down, her appetite long gone and no longer able to force a few sips even for politeness’ sake. “It is refreshing to hear you say such a thing, Asia, but as you know… it is not a sentiment possessed by the majority of the lineage.” Her lips tugged up at one corner, the well-known feeling of dismay washing over her once again. “Their opinions, as far as we know, remain. You are one of few, perhaps few enough to be counted on both hands, who has ever said as much.” She left the rest of the thought, that perhaps it was a futile effort to consider, to herself, to hang between them as she folded her hands neatly in her lap. “As for help… I do not know, to be perfectly honest…”

She cleared her throat and settled in her seat again, shifting uncomfortably on the large overstuffed cushion that seemed it would swallow her whole. “Mayhaps… well. Mayhaps we can begin with a few posts on the family Crownet… to see where our line stands, and who may be willing to come together.” She sighed. “And I agree with Mircea… thank you, Asia. It means to world to us that you have been here, steadfast and keeping everything in order and under close watch.” The witch smiled softly; she meant every word, even feeling as lost as she did with everything happening seemingly all at once. “Perhaps once we start reaching out to family… staying in our corner will be immensely important. Our only intention is to hear everyone out and work together and compromise to keep the lineage safe, and whole. I anticipate it will not be an easy discussion...”

"Fair point but possibly those that might have interacted with her in her most recent visit, I'm sure that there are a few still around that could help give us information on her. At least I hope anyway. Though I wished I had access to the stories of Theodosia that were told as nightmarish fairy tales, I would have loved to read them." She continued to play at the stem of her glass as she was more interested in their conversation than indulging in the pleasantries of blood. She knew that she had mentioned a peace and given what they were, it was probably a far stretch to even accomplish but she was worried about the survival of their kind. Hell she hoped if anything, they could at least go back to having the masquerade but wasn't sure if that was even possible now that humans knew about them.

Her thoughts seemed conflicting but she wanted to come up with some plan that would keep them safe. Maybe she was going about it all wrong but that was what Mircea and Habren here for now or so she hoped. Now that they knew that they were in trouble, maybe there was something they could do. Then again, maybe she was being too hopeful and the world was already to the point that they couldn't go back. Was she ready to die after accepting the gift to live? Asia looked down at her glass for just a moment as she let a soft unneeded sigh slip from her.

Her eyes drifted back up to her great-grandsires as they spoke and nodded. "You're very welcome. You will get nothing but kindness from me. You both have deserved it, at least to me. I will always have the best intentions for the family and keep an eye out to gather information to keep us safe." Her eyes were soft as her words turned towards Habren. "They were harsh to you both and I am sorry they treated you with such unkindness, my sire being one of them with her loyalties strictly to Amara. This family is fractured but there might be opportunity to bring them together but I could be wrong." Nodding as he stated that he didn't know what they could do but he was right, there had to be something. It was just figuring out what it was that would be the current trial. Tapping her finger on the base of her glass in thought as Habren cleared her throat. "That is actually an ideal start because change would be difficult with just the three of us. You are right, it probably won't be an easy conversation but one we must start. We will be able to see who is content or wholly against the treatment that we have been getting from the humans."