Path of the Vampire forum

Thanksgiving was once her favorite holiday. Sure there was Christmas and the gifts, but she loved the smell of the cooked turkey and ham, sounds of family laughing and chatting each other up, kids running through the house, and always trying to steal bits and bites of the food while it was being prepared. This wasn't her first without her family. She had been dropped off at college and told not to return until she graduated. Three years passed and she was disowned. No more Thanksgiving with the folks, the cousins, aunts and uncles. No more laughing, running, or stealing. Just silence. Lyana shook her head. She pulled up the Crow Net with her mind, and looked around to see if anyone was making plans. She saw no posts from her lineage, nor her family. She decided to post something. A small greeting slash invite. She then set off up and out of her cubby in the sewer. She was saving up for a place, but everything was so danged expensive. She took off down to the store to do some shopping. She walked up and the doors swung open automaticly. She smiled as an alarm went off sounding her arrival. She was thankful for all nice groceries. Something she was sure a vampire probably came up with. She grabbed a basket and started wondering the aisles. She grabbed everything she needed as she passed them one by one. She couldn't eat it, but damn it she was gonna cook it. Adrian could. She had new family, and they could... She picked up a turkey first. Not huge, but just enough for what she needed. Next was a ham and a bag of potatoes and yams. Marshmallows, stuff for pumpkin pie, and finally some green beans and velveta. Lyana grabbed a baister and syringe for the turkey. Large disposable pans for the ham and turkey. She grabbed tinfoil, paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, and knives. She grabbed everything she could think of to make a Thanksgiving Dinner at Madison's. She had yet to tell Madison, but that was only cause she thought she would say no. Better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, right? Lyana took the items up to the cash register, and unloaded her bag onto the conveyor. She let the woman total up her items and answered kindly when they asked her paper or plastic. Plastic. The little boy worked quickly with her bags. When the woman gave her the total, Lyana grinned and worked her magic. She paltered herself a sizable discount, and then paid the woman. The boy helped her carry her bags out the door. He asked where her car was, and she nearly laughed. She waved away her smile, and took the bags from him. "No car. I will walk. Thank you." The boy looked at her surprised as the bags where very heavy. She took them from him, and started off as he stared after her. She knew what he was looking at, but she didn't mind. She got a few blocks from Madison's home before it bothered her. Her heart. She had been stabbed earlier, and it was still healing. Death was a *****. It drained her of some of her strength. She found a bench, and rested. When she was finally able to finish, she got up and took the last few blocks as fast as she could. Setting the bags outside her sire's door, she stopped and knocked. Tired, she sat down and waited to see if her sire would show up or open the door.

It wasn't until after she had already spent most of her energy that night breaking and entering that Cat saw the invitation on the family board to go to Madison's place and be a yankee for the night. Sounded great to her, but she had to prepare first. She shot Axel a text. Sure, her boyfriend was the one who gave Lyana her aforementioned death wound, but Catherine's friend had thus far taken a live and let live approach to the matter, so she assumed there would be no hard feelings between them. While she scrubbed the evil deeds off of herself in the shower, the pale haired vampire thought about Thanksgiving. Her mind traveled back to a simpler place.

Wee Cat was in Kindergarten, pilfering as many crayons as she could. Because you never knew when the crayons would suddenly leave you, or when you might need more crayons later out of a shortage. Such a crayon famine would never do, otherwise she couldn't get her mother's attention by drawing her Awesome Things that would make her feel better about father's recent death. Suddenly, Teacher spoke up, and everyone took their desks. Teacher went on about holidays all around the world. Cat had enjoyed talk of the Chinese New Year the most, but she would always remember the Thanksgiving lecture. About being thankful for what you had. Then Teacher had passed out some coloring sheets, and one of them was a happy looking turkey. Cat stared at it. Though she had a great wealth of crayons, it was little comfort. She wasn't thankful for what she had at all. Well maybe a little. At least mother hadn't died too. Another child tried to borrow one of Cat's crayons, and she glared at him. She was going to use them to color this turkey! Eventually. Though she refused to share her crayons, she never did color that turkey.

Now that Cat thought about it, the coloring page had been pretty grim. What, was the turkey happy that it was food? If food was really that happy to be food, the humans in Cat's life would put up less of a fight when she nabbed them. Oh well. Humming Christmas songs to herself because she didn't know any Thanksgiving songs, Cat proceeded to dry off with a towel and cheerfully donned one of her few dresses, a long black number. With a brown belt cinched below her breasts and brown boots up her leggings, Cat felt pretty confident that she was giving all those people who say never to mix brown and black the finger. She looked great. The green-eyed vampire applied some lipstick, brushed out her hair and texted Lyana that she was on her way.

Lyana was still stationed outside the door. Her phone went off, and the text filtered into her brain as she used her technokinesis. She smiled as she got the text that Cat planned on coming along with her boyfriend, Axel Rosen. She looked at the unanswered door, and suspected that Madison was not home. She shot off a text to her, and waited for a reply. Lyana sat there and waited paitently. Her memories flowing into her head. Haunting and teasing her. She fought hard not to cry. First the tears came from sadness, then anger. No more Thanksgiving with her family... Her human family. No more holidays at all. Madison had told her she could go see them since she was newly turned... But her family didn't want her. They didn't care about her. That is where the sadness turned to anger. She had been harboring thoughts.... Bad thoughts. What once would be considered evil thoughts. Murder. In cold blood. She saw red, and wanted to kill the ones that abandoned her. Confront them, and ask them if they like what they turned her into. A killer. Lyana knew that was a bit overboard in the back of her mind, but it was the front half that entertained the thought. Why not? She had new family now. Family that loved her. That helped her, and took care of her. She was trying to do something to for them... Anything. Even if it was just to get together and have fun. Lyana crossed her feet and fiddled with her jeans. Hopefully someone will have fun.

"You alright?" Simon Ward cried out with concern. A woman was outside of the door with heavy bags filled to the brim for some type of feast. His brown hair was tied back into a pony tail that caressed the back of his neck. "Need some help?" he cried out again to the woman just to be helpful.

A leather three-quarter length coat shielded him from the chilly air. A simple red shirt clung to his frame and was slightly hidden. Black jeans, slightly baggy, sat comfortable on him and hid black boots. Lately the man had been wandering about. Crissy had decided to grab Quote for a well deserved vacation. Other family members had rumors surrounding them. The Cross was a small splinter group of people that were family. Although Simon spent so much time underground lately the politics were lost on him, more so than before. Plus a lot of new faces sprung up as they always did.

So he wandered about just getting a feel for the city and in his travels he caught the bag lady that waited outside. The man was a good ten feet from her as to avoid any personal space issues. "I can leave you be if you want ma'am."

Lyana scrambled to her feet as she initially heard him. He had snuck up on her while she was lost in her thoughts. Hearing his supposed kindness, she relaxed a little. He looked good... Lyana shook her head. She looked at what her situation looked like and smiled. She turned back to him and shrugged. "Yeah. I am just waiting for my si..." Lyana stopped herself. She tried to think of the appropriate word for this situation. Madison would be a mother figure, but was no where near the age. Sister maybe? "Sister. She is gone, and I was trying to surprise her. Kinda backfired...* Lyana stayed her distance for a bit. She didn't want to be rude. Not today. Finally letting go of her worries, she stepped forward and offered her hand. "I am Lyana." She was nervous, and the pain in her chest seemed to start up again. Reminding her that not all people are here to help. She took a deep breath and forced those thoughts from her head. Today was Thanksgiving. She would cheer up if not for herself, for everyone else.

Everything about Lyanna's body language told Simon of someone that either was uncomfortable around strangers or was leery of them. Distance was maintained until she offered a hand. A smile pulled at his lips when he saw she was trying to overcome whatever caused her to keep a distance. Bowing toward the woman he took her hand then looked at her, "Simon. Nice to meet you," afterward he slipped away from her just to avoid disturbing her personal bubble. "If you just need to fish out keys to your sisters place I can hold a bag. You fish out the keys and I'll wait out here until you're ready to take the second bag back," it sounded weird but he wasn't about to invite himself into a new person's relative's house. That was just bad etiquette.

Lyana shook his hand, and smiled as he stepped back and recognised her personal space. She looked from him to the door, and back to him. She didn't have keys to Madison's home. She never asked and was never given any. She respected her sire's private space, and didn't want to burden her with taking care of Lyana. She bit her lip as she tried to decide what to tell the person. Tell Simon. She sighed and chose the truth. It was always what was best. "I don't have keys to her home. I just figured she would be here." Lyana frowned as she could smell the food was starting to unthaw. She needed a kitchen pretty quick. Elliot had offered up his kitchen, but she didn't know how to get there. Cat was on her way with her boyfriend... They had a kitchen, but their apartment was sparse. Lyana leaned back against the wall, and then frowned. She turned her head to him, and asked, "Not celebrating Thanksgiving?" The idea that he wasn't American totally escaped her head. When she realized what she just did, she closed her eyes and cursed herself inwardly. "Are you even American?" she asked as her distress of making the assumption was thick on her voice.

"Well this is Ontario and Canadian thanksgiving was about a month ago," Simon replied. People loved Harper Rock so much they forgot they were in the place that worshiped Wayne Gretzkey like a God. A finger went up and he spoke with a thick accent, "Lived in da bayou for a spell. If ya want ta know I'm a yank," he cleared his throat and spoke in his regular voice that sounded devoid of the South, "My Mom," and it was easy for Simon to refer to his sire as his mother because that was how he saw her. Sure, when Simon was in trouble and in political situations he would refer to her as sire, but all the other times she was his Mom. "She and her boyfriend kind of took off for a spell. I've been away for a while," hiding an apartment really but Lyana didn't need to know that. "I'm seeing the world again. She and a lot of my friends and family have up and moved. So, I'm just wandering about. Probably going to settle on one of those buffet places that are filled wall to wall," a shrug followed suit. The story wasn't exactly the typical, but it was honest. Again he smiled at the world, "I hear one of them has a caramel fountain now. How can you argue that?"

Lyana's mouth was gaped open as he told her about the Canadian Thanksgiving. When he used his accent, it sent chills up her spine. She waited until he finished talking and then spoke. "Jeez, I need to learn more about this country. I am from... The states too." She tried to be vague. She didn't know how much of her past life she should share. It was all new for her. The vampire thing. Keeping things secret, and having to speak in code just in case someone was pro masquerade and would send you to the Shadow Realm for breaking the laws. "Sorry to hear they aren't around. You can jo..." Lyana stopped herself. She was being overly friendly again. Back when she was human, she would have been a real ***** to someone strange just walking up. Here lately, she is all giggly and happy. Maybe it was the change? Maybe she was losing herself? She sighed and continued on. "No one should be alone for the holidays. Even if they are not of the country we are staying in. I am cooking Thanksgiving and wouldn't mind at all if you joined us." She froze at what she had just done. She didn't even know if he was human or vampire. Just that little slip could get her into a **** storm. She looked worried and then decided to try and check his memories. They didn't show any hint that he was a vampire. She tried appraising him, but didn't know what she was looking for. Her face showed signs of concern as she wondered how to get out of her invitation or find out what he was.

Lyana saw visions of Simon, from his point of view since it was from his memory, and there was a heaviness upon him. His hand reached and pulled out a straight razor. Anyone could have been easy to guess the man would have considered suicide. Visions of Cherry Worthington lingered in his mind. Past flashes where he called her "Grasshopper," followed by a scene of an older, presumably since she dressed differently, Cherry yelling at him. The heaviness ran over him followed by something deep within him gripping onto determination and hope. He knew the yelling was deserved. The straight razor did away with his long hair, something that would have needed weeks to grow back in its current state. Another odd factoid that stuck out was his reflection. Simon shaved himself in front of the mirror but the only thing that showed in the reflection were his clothes and a razor. It really looked like the invisible man was trying to shave. Even now Lyana, if she looked right, could see Simon had no reflection.

Simon stood clueless for a moment until he felt a familiar ping. While he could not stop mental attacks, Simon had received many telepathic messages, warnings and other mind assaults during his day. A thought went through his mind, -"Most strangers don't like the intrusion."- He didn't know she wasn't digging for surface thoughts so the message went unheard. Lyana's shadow grew a little darker. Eventually Simon's smile faded, "Could you at least ask before you start doing what you're doing? Most don't take kindly to that kind of tinkering. At least buy my dinner first or give me a hug before you start digging or whatever," he asked with obvious annoyance in his voice. The man had no idea she what she was looking for. However, he grew to hate mental intrusions from strangers and new acquaintances. It was a trust and privacy issue. Plus who liked someone new knowing where they ate, slept, or what their email password was without it being freely given.

Just in case this turned into a fight Simon just kept tabs on all of the shadows. No harm was meant but if needed the man would defend himself. Humans were becoming talented. Vampires already were talented. And not knowing Lyana just brought up his guard.