Path of the Vampire forum

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

‹Mircea› Mircea shivered as he stepped from the comparative warmth of the Canadian winter and into the bone deep chill of the fade, a discomfort that was unlike anything else on either side of the veil. Once there, it was no fair task to navigate the darkness, hoping to happen upon the familiar feeling spirit he sought.

<Madison> Madison stood...floated...hovered... still in one place, her mind connected to that of her former childe, Adrian. Unlike her, he had been banished to this realm instead of killed. Well at least, not this time. He didn't require the sustenance of other spirits to give him strength like she did so she used that to her advantage. She sent him scouting ahead, waiting for word that he had found something. Sometimes it seemed like ages in between and during those times, she connected to the internet with her mind as well, comforting herself with music from the living world and the occasional movie or television show.

‹Mircea› It had been tempting to bring Emilian to the fade with him to aid in the search, but the former childe wraith was terrified of the darkness and the temptation to leave him there would likely be even greater once he left for home again. Instead, he relied upon the idea of direction and scenery (if it could be called such) that Habren had given him before he departed to judge his navigation. Finally, he came upon the first floating spirit that seemed to resonate with what he knew of the blood shared in his veins and his lineage.

<Madison> Adrian stopped counting the seconds and minding the direction he was heading in as he came across.... someone. This spirit or wraith wasn't like the others, its presence reminded him of the feeling he got when he was near Madison. He had only run into one other that seemed different but no matter how hard he tried, he hadn't been able to get to that one. Using the link that Madison had opened in his mind to hers, he spoke to her, "I've found someone. A minute and a half to your left and twelve seconds what would originally have been behind you."

Adrian's ghostly head cocked to the side as he pondered the someone he had found, musing out loud, "Well you're not a normal spirit."

Upon hearing Adrian's voice in her head, Madison listened to his directions and pulled up a timer on the internet. Turning to her left she started moving at the pace they had set the day before together. It had taken some time to figure out a way to navigate the shadow realm in a way that didn't end up with them screaming into the darkness in attempts to find one another. She was glad she could at least see him in this realm.

‹Mircea› Mircea cocked his head slightly to the side and regarded the spirit before him for a few moments in silence. "I am not a spirit," he announced, deciding it was the easiest way of explaining his fadewalking presence. "I live yet; you might say I am... Ah, visiting. I am looking for someone," he said. He wasn't particularly good in social situations with new acquaintances and couldn't quite figure out the most polite way to continue on his search...

<Madison> "Oh, I see," Adrian said in reply. He wondered how this person came to be here if they weren't dead or banished. It was highly possible though that the person was crazy. Madison had warned him that the fade could play tricks on one's mind. "I have someone coming here. She should be here in roughly forty seconds or so. Perhaps we could help you look?"

Madison was a bit closer than forty seconds away but not by much. She had shaved a few seconds off her time by angling herself carefully and moving across space diagonally instead of straight. It had dawned on her while she was moving along that Adrian had said a someone and not a something, though technically all the spirits were formerly someone. The ones he referred to as somethings were generally not vampiric in nature.

‹Mircea› Someone else was coming? The notion set Mircea's teeth on edge and his hand sought out the sword he couldn't carry across the realms. Over the centuries, Mircea had come to know the dangers of the fade better than most, aside from the mental effects. There seemed now to be fewer spirits strong enough to fight back, other than those who would one night have the strength to return and form a new physical shell to contain their spirit, but there was the danger they would return... Or worse would do so, too. His eyes scanned the notion of a horizon, head turning slightly one way and then the other until he spotted the vaguely humanoid form and cocked his head once again, eyes narrowing in focus and it... She? Approached.

<Madison> The other man said nothing more to Adrian so Adrian didn't speak anymore either. He watched this curious visitor as he looked from side to side and when the visitor's gaze fixated on something in the distance, Adrian turned to look too. Off in the distance a spirit moved towards them from the direction he had left Madison. He frowned though as he noticed that she was moving a bit too far...south maybe, of them. Adrian shouted out to her, "Over here Mad! I told you to stop going diagonally!"

Madison mentally bristled when she heard Adrian's voice and realized she had gone slightly off path. Adjusting her course so that she was now heading in the direction his voice had resonated from, she continued on. His form and another were growing easier to see in the darkness as she approached. It wasn't until she got within arms reach though that she felt a presence extremely familiar to her. She looked over at Mircea's spirit though she couldn't recognize his features, "I know you."

‹Mircea›  It almost seemed that he was something of a celebrity in the fade; first it was 'not a normal spirit' and then recognition from spirits unknown. Still, there were no attacks, so perhaps they could help one another some in finding whatever they sought... And then he caught on to what the first spirit had said. Mads. Mads... Madison? Perhaps so...

"Madison?" He asked, finding that his voice sounded... Strange in this place. Almost tinny, as if traveling over a distance to reach its intended target. Or perhaps it was simply the more... Unique nature of his presence in the fade, attached but not attached to his body and not fully of the far side of the veil, that made him neither wholly dead, nor wholly alive.

<Madison> The other spirit said her name and Madison furrowed her brow, or at least she thought she did. It was always a strange sense of physical self in the realm. While she didn't have a physical body, she believed that she could still feel her limbs and self. Perhaps it was like when a person was an amputee and got phantom feelings in the appendage they had lost.

The voice was familiar and yet not, like she had heard the sound before but it was coming to her distorted by the realm they were in. There was only one person though that she had been expecting to come find her and that was the head of her line. Quickly she used her powers to check Mircea's memories, making sure that if this was indeed him that he was fadewalking and had not been killed for aiding her the month before. A sound of relief escaped her when she read nothing of any attacks from Tytonidae and spoke his name in question, "Mircea?"

‹Mircea› "Aye," he confirmed with what he intended to be a smile, a note of happiness that they had found one another, if not for the circumstances in which they had been forced to do so. "How have you been?" It was a stupid, pointless question, he knew - how could she be, all things considered? But what else was he to ask? Had she gone insane yet? Was she slipping away from them? Was she strong enough, angry enough, stubborn enough to return to them? He had come to think that there needed to be a certain... Je ne sais que about a person to survive the fade and return as anything closely resembling their normal selves.

<Madison> "How do you think I've been?" she snapped back in response to his question without thinking. Her hands flew up to her mouth as the words finished coming out of them. Ever since she'd taken a shot to the head, everything she thought seemed to flow out of her mind in the form of email, telepathy and now words. Lowering her hands slightly so that her mouth was uncovered, she apologized quickly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I've had difficulty not saying exactly what comes to mind. I'm...okay....all things considered."

Adrian listened and watched the conversation begin between the two vampire spirits. Obviously they knew one another and while he was curious about this living spirit, he felt it better to not invade their space. Using the link that was still open between his and Madison's mind, he spoke to her and told her he was going to search for more spirits. The only thing he got in response was a shift of her ghostly head that resembled a nod and then he floated off.

‹Mircea› "Quite alright," he said placidly, spreading his hands slightly to his sides, at least he imagned performing the movement, whether it translated to their reality or not. "It was a thoughtless question. I am sorry... For everything." That was the crux of being who he was, the cross he bore; even those he knew only a little pained him when they suffered and even more those who left their ranks, who betrayed them in some way or who simply... Faded away. Each time it pained him and those he knew a little better even more than most. In particular when he seem unable, for whatever reason, to prevent their loss, however temporary. "It helps... To have company," he added, vaguely nodding in the direction of the retreating spirit.

<Madison> That was now the second time someone had apologized to her, though Mircea's apology was quite a bit broader than Elliot's had been. Her mouth would have been a painted frown upon her face had it been physical. She looked in the direction that Adrian had gone when he mentioned having company and she nodded before replying, "Yes, though I'm sure he's not happy about it."

She paused before addressing her response to his apology, thinking of what it was she told Elliot so she could say it now to Mircea, "And you have nothing to apologize for. At least not to me. You and Habren helped me when few else would before. It may not have been in the past few days but I still remember. If you feel the need to apologize to anyone, it should be yourself. Any guilt you have, if justified, is because you feel you didn't do what you know you could have and only you can do something to forgive yourself for that."

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

‹Mircea› "None of us are happy to be here, I think, whatever the reason," he mused with something approaching a shrug. It was hardly a honeymoon location or the vacation dreams were made of, even without the worry of sunlight threatening the pleasure of its undead inhabitants. "We had wanted to speak with you, about what we could do to help, but... Ah, we were not quick enough," he added, explaining his apology a little, if only to himself. They had decided to hash out what help was needed and could be given on the very night that she had been taken from them, after all, though quite how they could have safely met to do so had remained somewhat uncertain. Instead, he shifted conversation a little further from his own guilt. "You said that there were things you wished to speak of?"

<Madison> "The thought is appreciated," she told him with a small smile, if he could even see it. If anything, the only thing he should be apologizing for would be part of what was to come. The majority of what she wanted to speak to him about. "There are two things. One, a minor bit of information and the latter a bit more in depth."

"The first is that my childe Lyana has informed me that Ivy intends to join Tytonidae. That may or may not be of any importance to you but it is in regards to what else I wished to discuss," Madison tapered off into silence so Mircea could say what he would. She led with that since it was debatable in its importance. Plus, his response to that may indeed give her more insight to which way he leaned for the latter portion of her thoughts.

‹Mircea› He let out a low grunt at her words, something between surprise and distaste and filed it away to discuss with Habren once he was returned. Any of their number joining Tytonidae seemed almost the same pain as losing one to the fade. It seemed to equate to one and the same once they were accepted. "Ivy? I can only imagine she seeks protection from them, considering what I have seen between she and they..." Which spoke to something, he thought, about all manner of things, if his line - however removed they might be at times - were turning to such tyrannical protectors.

<Madison> "I thought the same," agreed Madison. She had always thought her sibling, to which she made no claim, to be a manipulative and opportunistic sort. If Ivy had won the favor and trust of those in Tytonidae, it would be in the Russian's best interest to join leagues with them with how constantly she was under fire. Madison wondered if Velveteen was really that stupid to not realize that Ivy was turning them into dogs to be sicked on anyone who trifled with her.

"The other thing I wanted to talk to you about..." Madison hesitated, finding no relief in taking a breath as there was no air to breathe here. "I wanted to know your stance and opinion on the new bounty system and of Tytonidae's past and most recent actions."

‹Mircea› He would like to have thought Ivy would, in her recklessness and manipulation (most likely a trait inherited from her sire, he thought), get whatever was coming to her from Velveteen, but the leader of the Tytonidae was fool enough to allow Phoenix constant use of their apparent revolving door membership system, so perhaps it would not be the case after all. "I have never cared for the bounties, by crow or by our own kind. I do not like the thought of murder for money. We have enemies enough in the mortals without creating more amongst ourselves for something we have all the time in the world to amass. Tytonidae... Are effective." It was as close to a compliment as he could get for the group, his own history and opinions of them written in blood throughout the years since their rising. "But they are, inherently, wrong. In so much of what they do and preach."

<Madison> Madison was pleased to hear all that Mircea said. Save for the enemies being mortals part. While true, she hoped that it didn't mean that Mircea was one of those vampires that cared not for anything human and only looked at them as a means of sustenance and nothing more. That was neither here nor there though in this conversation. "I agree that they are effective, but their practices in effectiveness could easily be figured out and used for better purposes. I have to believe that back in time, before the holocaust and when death was permanent, that there were other ways to punish those who breached the masquerade?"

‹Mircea› His head tilted, at least in his mind, in just that way again and he thought back to his experiences before the holocaust. "There was no true masquerade then, not as there is now. The Code was in place, but Habren and I had little to do with other vampires most of the time, so I am not sure. Most sires had their own means of reigning in their childre, when they cared to do so, but there was no crow watching over us and reporting every... Ah, infraction. We cleaned up our own messes, you might say," he explained finally. He didn't really know how vampire kind were 'supposed' to be when he was newly turned, with no sire or elders to show him the way, he had forged his own way and written his own rules about how to live and survive in the new world he was thrust into. "Perhaps if the trapped cages some use to capture unwelcome guests could be improved, a form of... Ah, prison might be possible..."

<Madison> "I know there were a lot of names on the list, I would think that to be expected with the changes made. But the alert was still in the green when they started hunting again after a month of nothing. I honestly think they got bored. People are dying for a single failed feeding, it's absolutely ridiculous. And then there are people who aren't even on the bounty list dying. When does it end? When will the city finally stand together and say enough is enough?"

Madison didn't expect Mircea to answer her questions. In truth, she hadn't meant to go on a small little rant like that. Her mental brow furrowed again and she shook her head, trying to bring herself back on track. She needed to ask Mircea if he and Habren would discuss helping her in the endeavor she wished to embark on with Elliot, her childer and hopefully what few friends she had.

‹Mircea› Mircea had asked himself - and Habren - many of the same questions Madison voiced to him, within the safety of their home and when they were sure to be away from prying eyes and ears. "Or they perhaps were arguing within themselves about what they wished to do and began attacking when their quarrels were finished with. Or perhaps they grew bored - I do not think it would be the first time they have killed for such reasons," he agreed thoughtfully, his speech slowing slightly as he considered each word and its attached intention. "Tyranies are all the same, I find: They build and grow until they seem invincible, as Tytonidae appears now. At that point, a few will speak quietly of doing something, and then a few more... More and more until cracks begin to form, until someone within perhaps begins to see and listen to the whispers. It takes but one voice, albeit a brave one."

<Madison> "Well I am speaking now," Madison said, her voice firm and determined. She didn't consider herself necessarily brave but she knew she was sick and tired of doing nothing which was what had pushed her to do something in the first place. Even if it had led to her death and could lead to many more in the process. "I and a few others are fed up with the way things are. We want to make things different, better, even if it means that there must be violence to get what we want. But we are few in numbers, only a little more than a handful and we have little vision yet of what it is we want to work towards. We just know that the sooner we start figuring things out and finding people who feel and think like we do, the sooner we can end this tyranny rule that Tytonidae thinks themselves entitled too. I was hoping that maybe you and Habren would discuss joining me."

‹Mircea› He stayed silent while she talked, his fingers mentally drumming against his thigh while he considered what she was asking. What she was truly asking, rather than what was being said. He knew from experience that, should he and Habren take themselves to war, there were others in the line who would join them and so it was their responsibility to carefully choose their battles. A rash decision or an act in anger could cost far more than the spilling of their own blood. Still... It would not be the first time he would stand against Tytonidae and he knew from that last time that they were wary of him, at least. "I can promise to speak with Habren about it, but I cannot promise more than that yet... We have been far removed from the city for some time now..." It was, for now, the best he could offer.

<Madison> A smile, wider than she normally would give, graced her ghostly features. She didn't know whether or not she actually looked like she was smiling, but she felt like it. He hadn't turned her down right then and there and discussing it was all she had asked for. "Thank you Mircea, and thank you for coming down here to visit me. I know it's not pleasant and I won't ask it of you again. I can still check my email while here should you or Habren wish to speak with me further until I return."

‹Mircea› "You need only call, Madison, and I will come," he promised; it was far from a pleasant journey, but a handful of hours was naught compared to the centuries he had already spent within the darkness and especially not if it could provide some comfort to one of his own who had not the luxury of strength enough to return to the mortal realm, either temporarily or otherwise. "I must leave you now, though. My Habren waits and we have much to discuss. Come back to us soon, Madison. We miss you," he said with the traces of a bitter smile as he shifted his weight slightly and latched on to the feeling of his body, awaiting at the private home he shared with his wife and allowed his spirit to be pulled effortlessly back into it, awaking with a gasp where he lay upon their bed.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Madison: Spirits in the realm seemed depleted this second time around. But her memory may have been fuzzy with there being almost two years between her last forced trip into death. Try as he might, Adrian just wasn't finding more than a handful or two a day. After a somewhat successful hunt with him, Madison found another one of those windows between the realms. She sat near it and looked longingly at the grass that she could see. She didn't know where exactly she was looking at, only that she could see grass and it made her miss home.

Home. Madison's ghostly form made the motion of a sigh even though she didn't believe there any air here for her to breathe, not that she had lungs right now either. She didn't have a home anymore really. The Den was now tainted to her and she didn't trust staying there anymore. Her Beta apartment had been breached which meant that place wasn't safe either and she had rented out her West apartment to Nelle. Perhaps it was time to start looking for a new place to live. That was one more thing added to the list of things to do.

It reminded her then that she hadn't sent out any of the emails she had intended. Madison had completely forgotten about them in her hunt for spirits. Time in the realm seemed to get lost. There was no sunrise or sunset for her to keep track off. She had stopped listening to Pandora while she hunted, preferring the silence over that of music. But she couldn't let herself get lost in the void. So now that she remembered, she connected to the internet via her mind and started writing emails to people. One of them being Luffy whom she had spoken to during her first stunt against Tytonidae after he had been killed for simply speaking his mind.

Subject: Hello Luffy
To: Luffy

Luffy,

Greetings from the grave. Don't know if you saw my own obit that I posted but, well, I'm the one dead by Tytonidae's hands this time. I was hoping that once again I could infiltrate your mind and talk to you about an idea that I had that you may be interested in. Figured though that I would give you fair warning this time.

Either way, yes or no, email me in return. If yes, let me know when I can open the connection.

Thanks

~Madison Helbourne

Luffy: The cold wind whipped around the roof of Corvidae Flats. There, under the cold pale moonlight, a man stood. If anyone paused long enough to take a closer look they’d have noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt of any kind. Insane, they might have called him. Then again, no sane person would have been in the Quarantine Zone to begin with. Luffy stood there motionless as he observed the ground below him. His thumb ran across the iPod in his hand as he selected music for the night. An alert saying he had a new email popped up He read through it quickly. He sent a short reply out.

Subject: Hello Luffy
To: Madison Helbourne
Yeah, go for it.
Luffy

With the mail sent he finally settled on his song and jumped from the building. As ‘No Room in Hell’ began blasting out the small device The blonde man charged into a group of zombies with the intention of taking them down barehanded. The walking corpses surrounded him as he swung his fists and feet in all direction. This would not be a wasted night.

Madison: Her hand reached out to touch the grass that she could see but whenever she tried, something stopped her from being able to reach through. Like a completely invisible pane of glass that had no reflection or imperfections to show it was there. Madison tried pushing against it but there was no give to it at all. If anything, it felt like whatever it was pushed back at her with more force than she pushed at it. Sighing once more, she settled back down and just stared at it, watching wind ripple through the grass though she could feel none of it.

She wasn't quite sure how much time had gone by when she received the notification of a new email in her mind. The sound inside her skull startled her for a bit, causing her to look around as though she expected to see the cause of the noise. Upon realizing what it was, Madison opened the short email from Luffy and then closed it without replying. Instead she focused in on the otter man's mind, opening a connection like the one she used with Adrian while hunting.

"Luffy?"

Luffy: He drove a fist through the skull of a zombie that charged at him. He grabbed the jaw of another, tearing it free from the rotted flesh. Something inside him had changed. Where he used to fight the zombies simply to keep the QZ cleaned for those who now began to live there, tonight he was finding enjoyment in tearing down the zombies. The he heard another noise from behind. He turned as a feral vampire leapt at him. He sidestepped and brought the palm of his hand upwards. It landed squarely on the creature’s chin. The Feral’s fangs ripped through its own flesh before Luffy stepped around behind and rammed his fingers into the neck and snapped the spine.

A voice popped up into his head. ‘Must be Madison,’ he thought as he place kicked another zombie in the chest.

“Go for Luffy’s skull cave,” He said while he twisted another feral vampire’s head off its shoulders. He realized he was enjoying himself far too much.

Madison: Since their minds were connected and all it took was thought for them to hear one another, Madison heard his first thought and smiled, "Yes, this is Madison. Nice skull cave you have here Luffy."

Luffy: "I highly doubt that Madison. It's fairly well cluttered with mixed thoughts right now." He drove his foot down into the face of yet another zombie. the resounding crunch echoed through the night. "What did you want to discuss."

Madison: Madison didn't know what Luffy was doing and if she did, she would have offered to talk to him later in hopes to not be a distraction from the zombies around him. Seeing as she didn't, she started off by requesting of him his opinion, "I wanted to know what your thoughts about the current bounty system are, your thoughts on Tytonidae and how they're handling it."

Luffy: He raised an eyebrow at her request. He was about to answer her when a second feral vampire showed up. The thing charged and Luffy grabbed it by the throat. "I think the whole city is a bowl of monkey ****, don't mind any noises you hear," he replied. He proceeded to tear the vampire's arm and beat into the ground.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Madison: Madison shrugged at his description, it worked, "Yeah, **** is pretty much my line of thinking too. And I want to change that. I'm tired of watching people die for ******** reasons. I'm hoping to find people who feel the same, who want to change the way things are for the better and not just talk about it but do something to change it."

Luffy: "I had that same idea when I first arrived here. People don't want to be saved I'm afraid." It was probably a bit more blunt than he meant it to be. "I'm guessing you're asking if I want to help out?"

Madison: "Maybe it's not a matter of saving everyone, but at least making a stand to draw a line, but yes, I'm asking if you would want to help."

Luffy: "What the hell. Pretty sure I no longer have a promise to keep. Might actually be fun."

Madison: Again, Madison smiled, if one could actually call it a smile but she felt like she was smiling, "Thanks Luffy. Do you know of anyone else that may feel similarly? I've emailed Alexandrea and a few other people, but I'm being extremely careful about this. If word goes to the wrong person and it gets to Ty, we're all dead before we're able to accomplish anything."

Luffy: "Dunno, I'm not much on socializing these days too many problems with the process. you could try Kira. She'd be more than happy to put a few rounds in."

Madison: Though he couldn't see it and she was just a spirit, she nodded her head at what he was saying. She'd already planned on getting around to Kira, more than likely through Alexandrea, "I planned on that one. Keep thinking about it though? The more trustworthy people we have, the more likely we are to succeed in something."

Luffy: "I don't know many people, those I do know I don't want in harm's way if I can help it." He sat down in the middle of the blood bath and leaned up aganst the wall.

Madison: "Except we are all in harm's way, Luffy. If Tytonidae are killing people for a single instance of being spotted feeding, all it takes is getting caught once."

Luffy: "I'll do what I can to keep them safe. That's all I can promise."

Madison: "Okay," she said in reply, sure that he hadn't understood the intent of what she was saying. But getting him on board was better than not getting him on board so she took that for what it was worth, progress. "When I return from the realm, I'll be gathering everyone together if I can so we can decide as a whole how we want to go about this and what it is we actually hope to achieve."

Luffy: "Sounds like a party then. I'll certainly be there for it."

Madison: "Thank you. How have you been otherwise? Were the otters and Erik taken care of when you got back before? I had passed along the message to Serenity for you."

Luffy: "The otters were fine. It took a while but Erik has been fixed. Other than that, I think I like to forget the past few weeks ever happened."

Madison: "Hopefully I can help with that when I get back. If there's anything I can do while I'm here, feel free to shoot me an email. Even if it's just to shoot the ****. It gets....distracting down here."

Luffy: "I think I'll just kill things. That might help. I think. But I can always send mail to you."

Madison: "It's appreciated. Have fun killing things. Stab something in the heart for me would you?" Her hand reached up to where her heart would be in her chest if she had a physical body. While she could no longer feel any remnants of the wound, she remembered it.

Luffy: "Actually, I’m using my bare hands at the moment. It's been more bloody."

Madison: "If that works for you, I guess. I'll stop distracting you then and let you get back to ripping things to shreds. Be careful Luffy, and be well."

Luffy: "I need all the distracting I can get to be honest with you."

Madison: "I can stay and talk to you a bit longer then, not like I have anywhere that I need to be."

Luffy: "You need spirits though. I remember them being sparse when i was there. And don't offer to take on the pain of the Lost Ones."

Madison: "They are sparse," she thought quietly to him. Sometimes she wondered if she was just better off waiting for them to pass by her instead of going out and seeking for them in the darkness that was the shadow realm. "What do you mean the Lost Ones? Who are they?"

Luffy: "The souls of the ones who can't come back to the living world. They..scream and cry a lot."

Madison: Madison didn't know what Luffy was talking about but probably because she hadn't seen practically anyone since she'd been down there. There was Mircea, who hadn't really been dead and then the one Adrian had told her about that he couldn't get to and one other that she had passed that for some reason had reminded her of someone she knew. "I haven't heard anyone screaming or crying since being here...but I haven't really seen much of anyone at all down here. There don't seem to be as many spirits down here as there were before at all."

Luffy: "Maybe I did a better job then I thought then. If you hear anyone crying don't offer to help them. It'll stick with you."

Madison: "What did you do to help them? Do you still hear them crying?"

Luffy: "I took their pain and fear. They can't leave so I helped out that way. It stuck with me."

Madison: "That was extremely selfless of you," Madison told him with a note of admiration. There weren't many in this city that went out of their way for others, and often when they did there was ulterior motive for it. "I'm sorry that it's stuck with you though. Perhaps time will lessen the hold it has."

Luffy: "Thanks. It might, who knows. All I know is they needed help. Everyone there does."

Madison: "And yet, anyone who finds themselves here can generally barely help themselves let alone others," Madison sighed. She should probably start hunting for more spirits to help her regain what little strength she had.

Luffy: "Yeah I should let you concentrate your strength on finding spirits."

Madison: She had forgotten that anything she thought, Luffy could hear. It was nice being able to hear someone else's voice, even if she normally didn't like people talking in her head. "Yeah....I suppose I should go do that."

Luffy: "Take care, and maybe this time we'll meet before one of us dies." Now he had to figure out the hell to do with the rest his life.

Madison: "You too Luffy. Stay safe." And with those final words, Madison closed the connection between their minds.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Madison: Since Luffy had been so quick to respond to her email and get started on that discussion, it wasn't until after she disconnected from his mind and checked her email again that she realized that her email to Alexandrea was sitting in her drafts folder. She shook her ghostly head at herself, wondering what it was about this place that made her lose her thoughts at times. Opening the email back up she finished it up and sent it off.

Subject: Hey Lady Jane
To: Alexandrea

Alex,

Thank you for trying to help me the night that I died. I hope you have been safe and don't mind that I've been checking in on your memories from time to time to make sure you haven't suffered any attacks from Tytonidae.

I wanted to talk to you about them when you have a moment. Just shoot me an email when you're free and I can open up a link between our minds so that we don't have to push thoughts at each other constantly.

Miss you.

Mad Maddie May

Alexandrea: Alexandrea stared at the email's subject, confused but amused. After reading the message from Madison, she quickly wrote back a reply.

Maddie! I miss you too! And I have no problem with your checking my memories, I appreciate that you are concerned about me! Bet they've been a pretty dull read lately, lol. I'm free right now if you want to catch up and discuss things, although I don't have a lot of ideas to bring to the discussion regarding the Ty. So I'm just gona grab a cup of tea and have a seat on the sofa and wait for your mind call.

Madison: The little ding in her head went off again and Madison was so absorbed in staring at the grass that she almost didn't hear it. Her head turned her face upwards as though she was trying to look inside her own head from the outside in and failing to do so. Reading Alexandrea's email brought her back on course and she tried to shake the fuzzy feeling from her mind before she opened the connection between her high school best friend and herself.

"Alex?"

Alexandrea: "Maddie!" Alexandrea grinned and set down her tea on the coffee table. "Mental hugs!"

Madison: Madison chuckled in her mind and immediately felt herself lift higher emotionally than she had in days. Alex's upbeat personality was always one that could cheer her up on the dreariest of days. "Mental hugs to you too! How goes things in the world of the living?"

Alexandrea: "Meh. The town is a lot more dull when you're not around. Been hanging out at a friend's place just in case soem of the you know whose decide to look me up. Haven't seen any of the gang around in what seems like forever. I think most of 5C has gone awol."

Madison: If Madison's face had defined features, her lips would be set in a grimace but all she could do was make it feel like she had done so. "I guess dull is better than dying. But speaking of Fifth Column....I think I'm going to leave the faction when I return."

Alexandrea: "Really? Well, I can't say I'm shocked. It's a ship that is dead in the water. We discussed leaving before and although I can't say for sure if I'll leave? Chances are that I will. There just doesn't seem to be any organization."

Madison: "Exactly. With Killian M.I.A. and Liam moving out of the city supposedly, there's no one to lead and honestly, I don't see the point on keeping up something that holds the negative connotations that it does with the rest of the city. It's why I want to start something new, with a slightly different purpose and I was hoping I could convince you to join me," said Madison hopefully. If there was any one person she could count on besides her own childer, it was Alexandrea.

Alexandrea: "Well I must say I agree. Although I never cared much for Liam, at least when he was around things were happening. I always thought either you or Enver would have been better leaders. So yes, I'll probably join you. What would this new group's purpose be, Maddie?"

Madison: Madison grinned as much as she felt she could in her condition. That was two tonight and still there were more that she needed to speak with. Complying with Alex's question, Madison started to fill her in, "I want to get a group of people together, who all feel similarly to evaluate the bounty list in its current fashion and see how we think it's best to deal with it. I'm not saying to impose our ideas onto the whole city, that would make us no better than Tytonidae but to basically make a stand and have a say in how things are done. And if need be, stand up to Tytonidae and show that we're not going to lay down and just die because they say we should."

Alexandrea: Alex paused to take a sip of her tea. While she agreed with what her friend was thinking, she wasn't so sure that they could get the numbers to pull off such a plan. After a few moments, she replied. "Wow. Well. I like the idea but do you really think we can do it? Who else can we ask that would be willing to stand up against the Tytonidae? Their numbers just keep growing. Although I think some of the newest members may have joined just to try and avoid being made targets."

Madison: Alexandrea had a lot of points, many of which Madison had already thought about on numerous occasions. But the only way to make progress was to actually do something. Even if they failed, at least they had taken a stand for what they thought was right. "I think we can if we're smart about it, discreet enough and gather enough people to do so, we can make a difference. A positive one. I think Fifth Column struggled because they were so far out there with their ideals. They wanted to get rid of everything and to hell with the masquerade. But that was never going to work."

Alexandrea: "Yes, that is very true. I get so tired of explaining to people that just because I was anti-crow didn't mean I was anti-masq. To expose our kind to humans right now would be a disaster for both races. Never thought I'd miss the old bounty system but the way it is being run now seems to be a lot worse. We would have to be smart and discreet but if we could stick to our guns and stick together, we could make a difference. The biggest obstacle I see is recruiting. Who would be interested? Who would work well together? And most importantly... who do we trust to even ask without word getting out too soon to the wrong ears."

Madison: Madison sighed, again Alexandrea was asking questions she had asked herself. She couldn't deny any of it, only try to make it seem worthwhile. "Recruiting will be the biggest problem," she told her, "I find that trust that is true is more rare than the faeshards you see on the auction from time to time. But there has to be more than just us. I've talked to Elliot. I know that was risky in and of itself but he's very unhappy with Pi right now with her choice to join Tytonidae. He wanted me to give him time to think about it but I don't think he would tell Pi what I was doing because I'm sure he knows they would just kill me again right away once I return. I've also talked to Mircea, the head of the Grigori. He said he would discuss it with his partner Habren Ashe and he too, would get back to me. I know my Lyana is with me, as well as Luffy who I spoke to right before sending you that email. But he says he doesn't know anyone who he would be willing to bring on board."

Alexandrea: "Luffy. Hmm. He was killed for just expressing an option. I don't know him personally but isn't he in The Misfits that Serenity and Odin started? Odin might be willing to join... he was saying something recently about wanting to see some kind of organization. I can ask him next time I see him if you like. And Kira is in The Misfits as well, I bet she would join us." Alexandrea paused to pick her next words very carefully. "Elliot is a friend of mine but I can't see him willing to go against Pi or wanting to fight. What if he and her had to fight each other?" She took another sip of her now only slightly warm tea. "I don't know Mircea at all and only know Habren from the town meetings. Another thing that I don't know? What these faeshards are you mentioned. Are they important?"

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Madison: "I don't know anything about the Misfits, other than the ones Scorpia is always talking about on CrowNet about being hers. I was hoping you would talk to Kira about it too," Madison was careful with her thoughts when Kira was mentioned. While she didn't really like Kira yet and still had a grudge against the woman, she had more than once already worked with her sort of while in Fifth Column. "Elliot, no, he won't fight up against Pi but I asked him to take a more supportive role. Inspiring, blood heals and that sort of deal. Mircea and Habren helped me while I was fighting Tytonidae before which is why I asked them. And I have no clue what those faeshards do. Noticed them popping up on the auction a few months back and just assumed they were used for rituals."

Alexandrea: "We can ask Kira then, she knows Rituals. And I'll speak to her when she gets home tonight. I'll send her a message to spend the night at our place in Willow Court" Not knowing anything about how her one best friend felt about the other, Alex brushed aside the odd feeling she got when Madison brought up Kira's name. She was still getting used to her Enhanced Empathy and didn't always trust her newer perceptions. "And Odin? Shall I ask him? or not? I know we can trust him. I trust him more than anyone except you. But I don't knw if you two have ever even met, come to think of it..."

Madison: "If you trust him, I don't see why not? Though I'm not sure if I've met him or not. Is he the bald guy we met in the sewers that one night you, Kira and I had gone hunting paladins?" Madison tried to remember more details of that night but it was rather fuzzy. All she could remember about it was that they'd run into some bald vampire that knew the other two blondes and that it was before Madison had helped Anemoi kill Kira.

Alexandrea: "Yes, that's him. Tall hunky type with a wicked grin. But he isn't really bald, he just keeps his hair super short."

Madison: "Oh," was all that Madison said in reply at first. She tried to remember again what this Odin guy looked like but now that she'd been wrong in her first instance, the images that came to mind were even blurrier than before. It confused her and made her uncomfortable. "If you think he would help us though....or anyone else that you trust that might? Even if they don't want to fight per say, anyone that would provide support and help us build something better, who wouldn't turn us over to Tytonidae would be helpful."

Alexandrea: "Alrightie. Then ask him I shall. And I'll try to come up with some other possibles. What do you think about Oria and Wafa? And any possibility we could enlist the help of some trustworthy humans?"

Madison: "Oria, yes, though I don't know who Wafa is? I'm not sure enlisting any humans beyond that of thralls would be a good idea though. Many people who are pro-masquerade are still anti-human. It would be too much to try and tackle the bounty system and what that all entails and try to change people's minds about the humans. It may be safer to pick one and then deal with the other later."

Alexandrea: She nodded, too distracted to recall that Madison couldn't see it. "Yeah... one thing at a time. Too much change all at once and people start freaking out. Maybe if this works we can revisit the idea of having humans join us later on down the road but I was getting too far ahead." Another sip of the now very cold tea and Alex made a face that if Madison could have seen it would have very likely cracked her up. "Wafa, she is in the SoA. You haven't met her yet? She is also in the DTM and she used to post bounties for Leviathan on Crow Net. I don't know about asking her outright however... I'd be more likely to try and chat her up and get a better feel for how she thinks."

Madison: "I haven't really met anyone from the SoA yet. I mean, other than the people I already knew. I'm not a part of the DTM either, whatever that is. Though now that you mention Leviathan and the bounty thing, I think I know who you're talking about but I've never met her in person so I have no idea what she's like. Is Leviathan even around anymore? We might want to be careful with their members. They're very closely tied to Tytonidae. It's why I left their ranks."

Alexandrea: "I don't think they saw eye to eye at the end of the day but I don't know if they are still a group or not. As far as DTM, that's the group Kira and I started. Daughters of the Triple Moon. It's just a group of all females from all different families and factions."

Madison: "Oh, some female empowerment type crud huh?" Madison forgot that all her thoughts went through to Alex and she quickly tried to rectify it, "Sorry, that was rude."

Alexandrea: After Alex stopped laughing, she spoke again. "No, it's fine. There is truth in what you say. The group is pretty much dead anyways, never really was very active. But some of them might be good choices for us. I'll go over the members list and give it some thought. Oria is a member as well. "

Madison: She was glad to hear Alex's laughter, to know that she hadn't offended her oldest friend with what had slipped through her thoughts. "I know I don't need to tell you this but be careful Alex. Do you want to contact Oria, or should I? I haven't spoken to her since I saved her from Tytonidae that one time."

Alexandrea: "I will be careful. And why don't you contact Oria? I'll talk to Kira and Odin to start with and then get back to you when I decide who else I may contact."

Madison: "I'll do that then, probably after I go hunting for more spirits...it's been awhile since I have and I told Luffy I would."

Alexandrea: "Alrightie then, I'll let you get to doing that. How's the death wound coming along by the way?"

Madison: "Slowly," Madison sighed, "Doesn't seem to be as many spirits down here as there were before the last time I died. Not even ones that were vampires. I've barely seen anyone other than a few."

Alexandrea: "Oh? That's a drag. It's still several months until I will be strong enough to learn how to enter the Shadow Realm while still being alive otherwise I'd come by and draw spirits for you. Odin can do that. Would you like me to ask him if he would?"

Madison: She shook her head even though Alexandrea couldn't see it, "I wouldn't ask anyone to come down here for me. It's bad enough I'm in this hell-hole, why would I want to subject anyone else to it?"

Alexandrea: "Well let me know if you change your mind. If Odin is willing to join us then then that's the sort of thing that he would more than likely want to do. And if he didn't want to do it, I could... um, offer him a trade to make it worth his time." Alexandrea chuckled to herself, thinking of the last time she and Odin had sparred. It had been too long. She made a mental note to ask him to fight again soon. "And once I have the ability to, you just try getting me to stay away if your down there."

Madison: "You two have an odd relationship don't you?" Madison asked of her friend. "I'm not going to argue if he wants to come down here, but he doesn't have to and I don't expect him to. Nor you for that matter."

Alexandrea: "Let me just start with asking him about joining us and then I'll see how it goes. And I wouldn't say we have a relationship. At least not the way most people would use that word. Although to be honest? I'm not really sure? It's.. complicated, lol" What an understatement that was... Alexandrea thought to herself. "But you have some hunting to do and I have some vampires to talk to, so I'll send you a message after I have had time to discuss this with them and we can continue this conversation then?"

Madison: "Did you just think 'lol' at me?" Madison laughed and shook her head, "Yeah, I'll go hunt spirits and you spend less time texting and online. L-O-L. I hope I hear from you soon. Feel free to email or poke at me whenever though. It's too quiet down here."

Alexandrea: "K, I will. I am sorry I haven't been bugging you more. I'll make it a point to jump into your head at least three times a day." Alex grinned at the thought. And then just because she new it would give Madison a chuckle, she finished the conversation with "ttyl!"

Madison: Madison just shook her head and closed the connection between them. "T-T-YL," She said to no one but herself out loud, "People are weird."

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Madison> She had spoken to Alex and Luffy, and told them both that she was going to go hunt more spirits to bring herself back up to strength for her return to the world of the living. Yet she hadn't moved at all. Madison was still sitting next to the fade window, staring down at the grass. It seemed to be dark there now, but she could still seen the green color of the tufts that were poking through the whiteness of the snow. A woman, dressed heavily in winter gear strode through the snowbanks, completely oblivious to the fact that Madison could see her.

When she saw her, Madison got anxious and a bit confused. She got up to her knees and put her hands against the invisible barrier that separated her from the living world. She shouted at the woman she could see, "Hey! Hey you!! Lady with the ball on your hat! Can you hear me!?"

<Ivy>  Ivy had finally managed to open a window to the Shadow realm, a place she told herself she'd never return to.. but everytime she went, she came out damaged and broken, her aim was off, her speech was getting worse, there were entire days she'd spent yelling at Tiamat in Russian. Simply because she forgot English. She needed to fix the damage and a short trip wouldn't hurt too much, so she stepped through the portal and sighed, the scenery was always so bleak, it was like visiting Chernobyl.. but without the radiation.

Ivy heard the shouting and looked round, it could have come from anywhere so she decided to do the best thing she could, shout back. ''Privet? Da I hear you.. Can help you?''

<Madison> Madison heard a semi-familiar voice but mistook it for the woman she could see through the window. Not even realizing that the first word she had heard was Russian. Her hands balled into tight fists and she beat against the invisible barrier, trying to get the attention of the mortal she thought that could hear her to turn around.

"I'm over here! Turn around! I'm right behind you! Please!?"

But Madison's chest suddenly grew heavy, or at least that's how it felt when she saw the woman keep moving through the snow without turning around. She began to panic, screaming and starting to cry for the woman to come back, "No! Don't leave. I'm right here! Just turn around! Please don't leave!"

<Ivy>  Ivy followed the sounds until she was met with a peculiar sight. What looked like a spirit.. and a window into the real world, not a thing Ivy'd come across before but she was learning new things all the time. The spirit didn't hold a shape but then again, it didn't need to. The voice was all too familiar and she smiled to herself, floating there idly as she watched for a few minutes until clearing her throat, trying to once more attract Madison's attention. ''Madison. They not hear you. Can stop shouting.. might bring nasty things to us..''

<Madison> The sound of a throat being cleared confused Madison even further when she could tell it was coming from behind her now. But no one had a throat to clear in the realm...did they? She sat still at the window, staring through it glumly though her crying had stopped. A spirit couldn't cry anyways. It just felt like that in her mind. The semi-familiar voice spoke again and this time it was much closer and definitely behind her. Slowly she turned around and stared at a spirit that she could tell wasn't one that she would normally feed from.

"There's nothing nasty here besides this place itself," she told the stranger with the familiar voice, "But why are you here? And who are you?"

<Ivy> Ivy had never been here in one piece before, she was normally missing limbs.. or eyes.. or organs.. in fact, there hadn't been a time she'd entered this hellish place and not been dead. It was a bizarre experience to say the least. ''Are here to fix myself.. did not think would find you. Are ok? Is me, is Ivy.''

<Madison> Madison let out an unladylike snort, "Don't you know this is where they send people to be broken."

They meaning Tytonidae but now, knowing that the spirit before her was Ivy, Madison mentally bristled. She had very little if anything at all she had to say to her sibling. Lyana had told her about Ivy's intent to join Tytonidae. Without thinking about it really, she forced her mind's eye into Ivy's memories, checking to see if the woman had yet been entered into the faction or maybe they had killed her and that's why she was here. But there was no death in Ivy's memories or even an admittance into Tytonidae. The only thing that was there were business dealings and attacks on her from their sire, Robert Pratt.

Her words and tone displayed the displeasure of having Ivy here, "What do you want Ivy? You're not even dead."

<Ivy>  Ivy sighed mentally and shook her head, if she even had one to shake. It was clear Madison wasn't happy with her there and honestly, it wasn't her plan to go bothering her sibling but she was here now, so why not? ''Da I not dead, did learn how get here whenever want to.. not sure why want to come here.. but are here.'' She paused and shrugged a little. Floating idly round before muttering to herself in Russian, briefly translating ''You not seem broken.. They not do much good job then? Are happy see you not insane. Lyana is safe, are doing best to keep her alive.''

<Madison> Madison had just been screaming through a window between realms at a woman who couldn't hear her and yet Ivy deemed her not broken and still sane. While she kept most of her semblance of mind, it bothered her how confused she seemed to be getting while down here. It took great effort and concentration to keep on topic when talking to people lest she find herself staring blankly out that window some more.

"Maybe they'll do a better job once you join them," Madison practically hissed at her sibling. "Lyana told me about you wanting to."

<Ivy> Ivy blinks slowly then stops with her mindless floating and just hovers inches from her sibling's spirit, part of her wanted to reach out and punch the woman, the other part wanted to offer some kind of comfort but how? How could she comfort a woman who disliked and despised her so much? ''Oh? Da? She also tell you she shares bed with me? And is happy if They let me? Little bear not so happy.. but she get over it, not think they let me in anyway, are Pratt childe. Would look bad.'' She shrugged again and smiled to herself, glancing past Madison to the window, she could return whenever she wanted, she was pretty sure so could her sister. ''When are coming back?''

<Madison> The only thing that Madison heard and cared about was that Lyana was sleeping with Ivy. An unnatural growl escaped Madison's throat as she rose up and lunged at Ivy, tearing into her ghostly form with her hands and teeth, if they were teeth at all. She tore at Ivy, hoping that it would hurt her but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that it wouldn't. Not like it would if they were in the living world.

<Ivy> Ivy jumped back a little but it was too late, she didn't feel the pain of the attack but she did feel something.. She grew tired, weaker, as if being drained of something valuable.. The Soviet saw proverbial red and lashed out in return, trying to rip the spirit into pieces but only managed in regaining a little of whatever it was Madison had stolen ''What hell that for? I do favour, I look after your childe! who.. By way, is on bounty list, did forget mention that? But she still alive! They not even looking her way. Should be grateful, if not for me, she be here too.''

<Madison> "And that makes you just as much as a hypocrite as Pi is for not attacking those who they would," Madison spat at Ivy after regaining her bearings from being attacked. She glared at Ivy's spirit, feeling even weaker than she had before she'd attacked Ivy. While Ivy had taken back the energy Madison had taken from her, Ivy had done something more. Something that Madison couldn't explain but had sapped her of strength beyond that of her own attack against the Russian had gained her. "Why do their members get to pick and choose who dies and who doesn't? What makes them so god forsaken ******* special that they get to do so? Why are anyone else's childer and family and friends not important enough to be overlooked and given a chance?"

<Ivy> Ivy sighed and shook her head, she didn't want this, she didn't want to fight with Madison. ''I not know, because no one in city stand up to them?! Did try many time.. Did end up in same place you are in. So try new tactic da? Kicking door in clearly not working.'' She shrugged and did her best to regain her calm composure ''Is not the crow who put bounty up anymore.. is us. We do it. They say they not hunting for money, is why many without bounty have died. If want do something, need come back, need get group bigger, need be more ruthless, more mean. You want bring down them? You need become them first.''

<Madison> "I'd rather die again and again than roll over and give up to start kissing their asses like you have," she told Ivy with bitterness. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Had she had a physical body, she would have been digging the nails into her flesh to keep herself grounded. All she wanted to do was tear into Ivy again and again and again. But she knew that Ivy would just do the same and that she would be the one who came out worse for wear. Ivy could leave this hellhole whenever she wanted, and Madison, Madison was stuck here until her week was up.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Ivy> Ivy snapped at Madison's words, just like Pratt's. Always making her sound like she'd bow down and submit to anyone stronger. ''Is that what think?! Do think have given up? Do think would kiss their asses? Velveteen is friend. Is because of her Lyana not dead. Why do think want join them Madison? Do think have suddenly given up on idea of break them? Do think would hurt Little bear so bad?! Nyet.'' She spat the last word like her sibling had just greatly insulted her. It seemed no one in this city understood subtle tactics. ''Did sneak into Paladin Order, did trick way into battle plans, did get list of many names. Did tell many vampire about it. Is thing no one think of yet? You want win? It help to have traitor on your side da?''

<Madison> "Are you in the Order anymore Ivy? Or did you get kicked out? And what good is a traitor on your side when everything she ever touches, she's turned on? You call Velveteen your friend but you would infiltrate her group so you can tear them apart from the inside out? How is anyone supposed to believe anything you say Ivy? You're a liar and a manipulator. If you don't quit the **** and start proving yourself to someone, you're going to end up with no one. Why do you think I haven't given you a ******* chance? You think people are too stupid to see what you're doing?"

Madison couldn't stop the flow of angry words that came out of her mouth and while they were all emotionally fueled, they held truth to what she believed. She didn't trust Ivy as far as she could throw her and seeing that she hadn't bridged to the path of the killer to earn the strength that those of that path possessed, she couldn't throw Ivy very far.

<Ivy> Ivy would have gulped if she had any shame, or dignified response to Madison's words. Instead she just sort of floated there, silent. The question posed was one of truth, it was common knowledge that anything she met with, she eventually shot at. It wasn't a secret that she would lie, cheat and blackmail her way into and out of any situation. But here she was, granted not searching for her sister, but sticking around all the same even after being beaten into the ground. ''Are quite finished? Already have no one. Pratt take them all away when I open fire on him. Did kill Serendipity too, he not like that.. but I not care.'' She went silent again before whispering, her voice filled with something new to her, a sense of sadness, like she knew the weight of Madison's words. ''Did volunteer look after Lyana... because wanted new friend, wanted show you I not monster.. it get much depressing when only friend is own childe.''

<Madison> "You can't continue to blame it on Robert, Ivy." Madison couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her, "It's not always his fault. You make your own choices and you need to take charge and responsibility for them. Yeah, he may have influenced you like he did me when I first met him, but the choices you made where still yours. At least have the decency to own them."

Madison shook her head when Ivy talked about how depressing it was to only have her childe as a friend. There would be no sympathy found from Madison. While she had always had acquaintances, Madison didn't really have many friends. The people she could rely on undoubtedly she could count on one hand. "Your lack of friends is your own doing Ivy. And of course you'd look after Ly, you're ******* her aren't you? Until you get bored with her that is. Which, the day you break her heart, is the day I filet the skin and flesh from your bones. You **** with my childe and I will turn your existence into a living hell."

<Ivy> Ivy frowned and opened her mouth to protest, she found Madison's lack of faith in her ability to keep Lyana happy.. quite shocking actually. ''Fact are sleeping with her nothing to do with it. She your childe.. did think would be good way to make friend with you.. Was her who say was attracted to me! But.. was me who follow that.. she much beautiful, are lucky have her. I not want hurt her, I not get bored of her. Are surprised she not tell you herself, did tell you about much it seems.''

<Madison> "No she didn't tell me about you, though I'm not sure which is worse. You or the one she did tell me about." Madison didn't bother telling Ivy who it was, if Lyana hadn't told her, that wasn't Madison's prerogative and she wasn't quite sure she cared if she had just caused a problem between Lyana and Ivy. She probably would though if it ended up with Lyana dead, but then it'd be open season on Ivy for Madison.

<Ivy> Ivy looked confused, though Madison couldn't see it, and probably wouldn't be able to hear it in her voice either. ''What do mean, one she did tell you about?''

<Madison> "What does it matter if she's ******* you now? Last I knew she was into someone who was married. Which is why I probably didn't hear anything more about that or about you because I would have told her she was stupid for continuing to go after people who were already in relationships."

<Ivy> Ivy simply shook her head before muttering very faintly, to save another spiritual assault. ''I engaged to Tiamat.. she sleep with us both.. is dating us both..''

<Madison> Madison eyed Ivy, not sure she'd heard the Russian woman correctly, "What the **** did you just say?"

<Ivy> Ivy nods and repeats herself, louder this time but not foolish, she took a few steps backwards, now out of reach. ''Lyana date both my childe.. and me. Was her idea.''

<Madison> Madison smirked when Ivy took a few steps back from her. It was one of the few smart things the woman had ever done. Her eyes though were still glaring at Ivy. She knew full well that while she was going to tear Lyana a new asshole for not telling her and for engaging with Ivy in such a manner, she wouldn't tell her childe to leave the relationship. She wasn't Robert and even though she had an idea that Lyana would if Madison asked it of her, Madison figured it would end on its own. "You were sorely mistaken if you thought ******* my childe and joining up with the faction who killed me would bring us closer somehow."

<Ivy> ''Was her idea!'' Ivy repeated it again, and again. As if it would somehow save her from the evident oncoming storm that was, Madison out of the Shadow Realm. ''Are sorry? No.. But do feel bad.. little bit. Not know why you died, but think da? I join.. if even let me.. and can help break from inside. Is what you need!''

<Madison> "You're full of ****. You'd say anything to cover your own ***," Madison shook her head at Ivy in disgust, not that Ivy would be able to tell from her near featureless face. She fully believed even if Tytonidae let her join that more likely than not, it wouldn't be Ivy feeding Madison information that would help her but information that would lead her into another death.

<Ivy> Ivy knew it wouldn't be that easy and she'd have to damn near work herself into a permanent grave to prove herself to her sibling, but it was something she'd be willing to do. ''Still need talk to Velveteen.. she agree go for drink soon, would like if did believe me.. do want help you.''

<Madison> Madison was about to retort that it would be a cold day in hell before she believed anything that came out of Ivy's mouth in regards to Tytonidae but as far she was concerned, she was already in hell and it did sort-of, kind-of feel cold. So she went a different route instead, "I'll believe you when pigs fly and a Canadian football team wins the Super Bowl in America."

<Ivy> Ivy snorted loudly and shook her head ''Like football team from Western world win anything! Need teams from Motherland, that real football.'' She nods knowingly then, despite not understanding what it was Madison had just said. ''What can do to prove I want help? Shoot self in the face?''

<Madison> "I don't know if there's anything you can do, Ivy. Shooting yourself in the face, while enjoyable for me maybe if I got to watch, is something quick and relatively easy to do. Just do what you came here for and leave me the **** alone. I should be hunting spirits like I promised others I would do tonight...today...whatever."

Madison turned away from Ivy then and started to walk away, opening up the connection in Adrian's mind to hers to find out where he was. She hadn't spoken to him in who knows how long and hadn't told him to stay close. Hopefully he hadn't wandered too far off.

<Ivy> Ivy smirked to herself and glanced round before muttering something insulting in Russian resisted the urge to smack her sister in the back of the head. Knowing how it felt to be beaten inside this place she didn't think Madison deserved that brand of punishment, but she knew someone who did.. if they were still dead.. So with a wave that the woman clearly didn't see, and a vocalized goodbye, she left to find some poor soul to abuse and torture.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Madison> The night...day...the time that had passed since seeing Ivy had been quiet. The only thing to have interrupted the stillness of the shadow realm was the feeling of strength washing over Madison and through her form from positive vibes sent her way by Reilly and an email from Enver. She had written Enver back using her mind but hadn't heard from him since. All she had done since then was hunt spirits with Adrian and kill time hacking random businesses that she could reach from beyond the veil. No one else had emailed her or come to visit, send her words of encouragement into her mind. It helped when they did. Reminded her that she was cared about and had something worth going back to. Getting up, Madison decided to try and search for another one of those windows that she had seen, the ones that allowed her to see the living world.

<Klara> Klara was furious as she felt the pull of the darkness on her once again.  “Damn it all to hell” she screamed to the darkness.  “I ******* hate this place” she screamed wanting to punch something, anything.  Simon was, well who knew where, he needed some time alone.  Who could blame him when your family hated your fiancé for no good reason.   She began to move searching for spirits, knowing there was more to this than just a bounty.  It was too convenient, way too convenient for her own taste.  Simon’s father was one of the ones to put her back in this hell hole and if he was involved she knew his mother was involved.  She saw a person and attacked them stealing their anima and making their death wound last longer and she felt a pang of regret.  She thought it was a wraith.  She needed to find the woman and apologize to her and then prepare.

<Madison> A female voice started shouting, screaming into the quiet emptiness. Madison's head turned towards the direction she believed it to be coming from. Luffy had warned her about the screaming and crying spirits of the shadow realm but this was the first time so far that she had heard one. She didn't remember that he had told her to stay away from them though and began moving in the direction that the sound had come from. Time and distance held little meaning here, she wasn't quite sure how far she had traveled or how long it had taken her but after some time Madison could see another spirit. As she drew closer the spirit lashed out at her, much like she and Ivy had done to each other previously. Madison could do little to defend herself and instead of attacking back, she fled the area, stopping only to absorb the energy from one of the spirits she knew weren't ones that would attack her.

<Klara> Klara looked at the woman as she came upon her.  “Are you the one that I attacked earlier?” She tried to keep her anger and impatience out of her voice.  It wasn’t this woman’s fault.   She looked at her but still wondered why wraiths had to look so much like them.  She had needed the release but it wasn’t fair to this woman.  “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.  It’s just, well it doesn’t matter, nothing excuses my behavior.”  She looked down on the verge of tears and extended her hand finally looking up.  “Hi, I’m Klara.  What are you down here for?” 

<Madison> A spirit came closer to her and when Madison saw that it was the same one that had attacked her just before, she felt the need to defend herself. Preparing to lash out if need be, she eyed this other person warily. When the woman spoke and addressed her, apologizing for the attack, Madison relaxed a little bit but not completely. It wasn't until the other had introduced herself as Klara did the telepath use her powers to learn something about this person. Upon looking into the other's memories she saw that Klara was another victim of Tytonidae. She looked at the offered hand and her own rose to greet it but it was odd, trying to shake hands when you were nothing more than whatever made up a spirit. "My name is Madison," she told Klara, "And I'm here because Tytonidae don't like it when people stand up to them."

<Klara> Klara smiled at her words, someone with some spunk to them obviously.  She liked that. The Tyt were a bunch of misguided bullies in the city and she was engaged to someone who helped them.  “I think I like you.  Stand up to the Tyts did ya?  For what?  I’d love to hear this!” she encouraged the woman to tell her story, needing to take her mind off her own problems.  She made a mental note that she really needed to get more involved in the city politics.

<Madison> She hesitated as the other encouraged her to share her story. Paranoia seeped into the edges of Madison's mind. With all the plans she had started, the people she had reached out to, none of them would have leaked the information out already, would they? Madison shook her ghostly head, trying to clear the negative thoughts from it. No, none of the people she had talked to would dare spill the beans, even Elliot who was on the fence would know better than to give Pi details of what Madison intended to do. It was just as equally plausible, if not more so, that this person was just curious.

"Back in November, when they were killing people without bounties, I got fed up with it all and I started attacking them on a daily basis. Sometimes it was only my thrall who managed to get a swing off but I engaged them multiple times for a couple weeks. It was only when they started hiding in their tree and stopped hunting did I stop. Over a month later, now I'm here. Talking to you as they start killing everyone again over tiny little ********."

<Klara> Klara listened intently at her words.  “Why did you attack them?  Just because they were assholes?”  She applauded the woman for doing it.  She had balls that’s for sure and anyone that would stand up to those terrorists couldn’t be all bad in her book.  “Good for you.  About time someone did that.  I would have but my fiance’s step-father happens to be a part of them so my hands are tied for now.  I have enough issues with his mother and his father that attacking them would most lose me my fiancé.”  She stretched glad to hear there were others fed up with the Tyt and their ways.  “Will you continue when you leave here?  I won’t tell anyone, I’m just glad there is someone willing to do things.  If there is a way I can help without directly attacking I might be interested.”  She watched the woman carefully for her reaction.  She wanted to see them all in hell but she loved Simon so she had to be careful with what she did.

<Madison> "I wanted things to change and I thought that maybe they had, but I think they just wanted me to feel that way so they could break me down mentally when they finally came for me." A frown would have passed over Madison's lips as she spoke if her facial features were more defined than they were in her current form. She listened to what Klara had to say, curious to who her fiance and his family were. When the woman asked more questions, Madison simply shrugged and didn't give her any details. She didn't know this woman yet to know whether or not she could be trusted, especially if she had ties to Tytonidae of any fasion. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but I want to do something. It just seems futile if it's only me. I'll just end up right back here," she said before continuing, "I don't know if there's a way to help that won't put you in the line of fire. Anyone helping would be killed as soon as they were found out. Who is your fiance and his family?"

<Klara> Klara nodded at the truth of her words.  Anyone standing up to them would be killed and kept here.  There had to be way to stop their ruthlessness.  She hated how they hid behind the masquerade to take care of personal vendettas.  She had no proof but she had a feeling that was why she was here.  “I’m engaged to Simon Ward.  His mother is Christiana and she married to Quoth who he considers his father.”  She paused waiting to see if there was any recognition.  “Now you can see why hands are tied.”

<Madison> "Oh..." came a somewhat surprised reply. Simon Ward. That was the man that she had seen in Lyana's apartment. The one who had supposedly caused a scene at the Society of Allurist's Christmas party at the Metronome Club. And Klara was his fiance. Madison wondered why a woman would stay at Simon's side when his own sire had claimed him to be a playboy of sorts, saying that her childe had a habit of flirting with others when engaged. "That does make things a bit more difficult."

<Klara> Klara saw the recognition and surprise register on her face.  Did she know about Simon and Lyana and the flirting?  And of Crissy’s scene?  Maybe she could find out more and really get to the truth.  She smiled slightly, “By the way you say oh I’m guessing my fiance’s reputation has preceded him.  Anything you can share would be most helpful.  You see I do believe part of recent events involving my fiancé has landed me here.”  She took a gambled and decided to be direct and hope she would tell her what she knew.  If she honestly knew where she stood with Simon.  Either Simon or Crissy were lying.  Theirs didn’t match at all.  She wanted to believe Simon and he had admitted to flirting with Lyana but that nothing had happened.  She needed the truth about what all had happened.

<Madison> "Why would they have landed you here and not him?" Madison asked without thinking. She really didn't want to get involved in Klara and Simon's relationship. She'd already said something to Lyana about it when she'd read Cristiana's little blurb on the Society of Allurist CrowNet. It seemed her childe had a taste for those who had significant others already but at least with her most recent tryst, both parties of the original relationship seemed to be okay with Lyana being a third wheel.