Path of the Vampire forum

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

Shan: Shan almost broke a sweat as she pounded the metal against metal on the table, flipping the blade after a few hits and then reaching over and dipping it in a bucket of water only to turn around and shove it back into a bunch of red hot coals. The coals crackled and sparked in protest but shortly quieted down before Shan reached and wiped her brow. She had been making weapons for a couple days now, and had provided many to the people around her including Micah, Nyla and Nishaa. She pulled the sword out and repeated the process, folding the metal over and over again to make it stronger still, the quality just short of perfect as she was finally satisfied and set it to the side table for cooling.

Zelda: Zelda had stayed away from the trailer for a few nights; ever since some hunter had come in and attacked her while she slept, she'd thought it best not to bring any harm to anyone else staying there. And, well, she didn't exactly want Nyla, or anyone else for that matter, knowing that she'd got herself noticed enough to be tracked. She'd been lying low and killing things in the Quarantine Zone, and in the Catacombs; finally, she thought she might need a nice good hot shower, and thus tomed back to the trailer. She stepped out of the portal, and found herself sidetracked - drawn toward the heat of the forge, and the noises therein.

Shan: Once the blade was set on the cooling table, she moved over to check on the bludgeoner she had knotched into the lathe machine. She wasnt sure it needed a hilt - it was after all a blunt weapon that looked more like a beating stick than anything - but it was made out of pure red wood from an Oak tree - some of the worlds oldest trees. It was just about finished as she felt the air shift from the doorway, though she didnt look up to see who it was. She just assumed it was Nyla, coming in to see how she was doing in the new forge the woman had gone out and purchased and built into the basement for Shan to do her work in peace. "Its not done yet." She called over her shoulder.

Zelda: Zelda crosses her arms over her chest. Upon her feet are black skates. It's kind of fun running around the catacombs in the skates. Otherwise, she wears a pair of black tights and a tank top that was once once yellow, but which is now far too grimey to tell. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, but the strands are far from glossy and neat. She really is in dire need of a good wash. She rolls a little closer, veering over to the side a little. "It might have been done and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference," she says.

Shan: She heard the skates and the odd noise they were making against the floor, causing her to turn just enough to look at the person wearing them as if she had two heads, only because she hadnt expected it to be Zelda poking her nose in on her while she worked. Shan blinked her blood red hues, then gave a slight smirk and a roll of her shoulders. The white wife beater she was wearing rolled with the action, though its color was more a dark grey now with multiple smears and a couple burns in it from where she hadnt been too careful and accidentally burned herself. "Thats why I'm doing this, and not you. How are you Sparky?"

Zelda: Zelda takes interest. She doesn't really have any extra-curricular activities. She'd tried breaking in to the warehouses and factories, but had been caught one time too often; had killed too many guards, too many cops. She isn't sure whether she's given up that particular hobby because she needs to lay low, or whether it's because she hasn't yet become completely desensitized to killing men and women who may not deserve it. She echoes Shan's shrug. She has recovered, somewhat, from her emotional outburst days before - Elijah had bore the brunt of that. "Perky. Yourself?"

Shan: Perky. What an odd word to use, Shan thought. She herself would never use that word to describe how she was feeling, or doing. But of course, thats what made Zelda Sparky. The nickname would forever suit the fiery woman standing near her on skates. "Interesting." She looked back over to Zelda, sizing her up for a moment, and if one didnt know any better, they would think that she was checking them out. But in fact she was checking Zelda out for her weapons. "What weapons do you have on you?" She asked rather bluntly, red hues dashing in search of the instruments of torture that Zelda was using.

Zelda: Zelda arches a slender brow as Shan turns and checks her out. After the question is uttered, Zelda reaches behind her shoulder to retrieve the MZ Modified Assault Rifle; she balances the gun in one hand while retrieving the sword that has attached via scabbard to her hip. A long, shiny thing, glimmering with some kind of enchantment. She blinks. Weapons given to her by Nyla, she thinks, or which she has picked up along the way, somewhere. She can't quite remember. "Why is that interesting?" she asks, holding the weapons out for the other to inspect.

Shan: "Its interesting, because it suits you." She nodded slowly, looking over the weapons. They were good, but not as good as the ones she was making. She looked over at the Red Oak Bludgeoner and then turned the lathe off. It was close to being done, sans a dip into a clear coat and a few moments under the high heat of the forge's kiln. She pointed to the gun first, "Thats a great gun - shouldnt ever break. And the sword is good too - but I can make better. Or rather, I have. Here, try this out." She took the sword from Zelda and handed her the bludgeoner.

Zelda: Zelda accepts the explanation. Because it suits her. Yup, she is perky, most of the time. Even if, sometimes these days, she knows that the perkiness is only there to hide some deeper anxiety. But it's always an anxiety that she doesn't want to show, or admit to. So she keeps it hidden. Not now, though - the anxiety isn't rearing its ugly head. She wasn't lying, when she said she was perky. She crouches down to put the gun on the ground and, curiously, takes the bludeoner from Shan. "It's like a glorified baseball bat," she says, weighing the item in her grasp. She swings it with one hand. "Perfectly balanced," she grins. "Seems like it'll be messy - sort of...bashing people to death?" she questions, stepping back so that she can swing the thing through the air.

Shan: Shan watched carefully as Zelda flipped the stick-like weapon around, swinging through the air as it made a large 'whiff' sound. Shan took note how she held the weapon, like it was a bat, and the image of her jumping on some feral and going to town suddenly popped into her head. An odd smirk crossed her lips and she chuckled and nodded, holding out the sword that she had taken from Zelda. "Sure is. My kind of fight." She pointed to the bludgeoner, "It'd stop a sword like this, easily though too. But you can have this back, in case." She looked back to the weapon she had created. It was good, and she would finish it for her too. She pointed to the kiln then. "It still needs a clear coat and a high heat wash. Here." She held out both her hands, one with the sword in it still.

Zelda: With the grin still planted on her lips, Zelda hands back the bludgeon and takes back her sword. She sheathes it, back into its little nest. "So what do you need, to make this kind of stuff? I have a bunch of crap," Zelda says, gesturing to the canvas bag she'd left by the door. No point carting it around more than she needs to. "I could sell it, but I don't need to," she says. She'd gathered a healthy little nest egg, money that she doesn't need, and doesn't use, and which keeps gathering due to her casual work with Ariadne. "Do you want it?"

Shan: Approving of the grin, Shan gave a nod before taking the blunt weapon over to the working bench and pulling a can of lacquer out from under it. Uncapping the can she took up a foam brush and started to paint the clear thick substance over it quickly. She glanced to the mentioned bag, giving it a bit of a stare before she looked back over to Zelda and noded. "Yeah, that'd actually help a lot. Im running low on parts to modify." She finished what she was doing and moved to the kiln, opening it up and grabbing a pair of heavy duty tongs to pull out the gun that was in it, putting the new weapon inside and shutting it before setting the gun on the cooling table next to the blade that was to be Nyla's. "This gun is probably a bit better than that one, but not as... perfect." She admitted.

Zelda: Upon the nod, Zelda rolled over to the bag, picked it up, and hauled it closer to the forge. She dumps it on the ground and crouches, to pull out all the things that she had found - mostly rusty old swords, but some of them still seem strong, and still glinting in the light. Amongst the old swords are a few bits and pieces that should belong to guns, but which Zelda knows nothing about, and doesn't know what to do with. After she'd spread the wares out on the ground, she straightens and approaches the cooling table. She holds her hands behind her back, not relishing the thought of getting burned. "That's kinda cool," she says, not knowing what else to say.

Shan: She watched as Zelda laid the parts out, carefully keeping time in her head as to how long the bludgeoner was in the kiln for. Too long, and the seemingly perfect weapon could potentially turn to ash, and Shan knew that. So she kept time in her head as red hues watched Zelda remove the stuff from the bag rather abruptly by dumping it out at her feet. She smirked. There were some good things there, a few that caught her eye right away that she could use. Most of the old rusted swords she couldnt use, but there were a few worn ones that would do quite nicely to break down and reforge. And then there were the gun parts - she always liked the gun parts. She nodded. "It keeps me busy. Helps me to get my mind off of things, and I can get my aggression out on the metal."

Zelda: Zelda arches a brow, hands still clasped behind her back, as she turns moss-green hues on the other woman. She had seen Shan around, had talked to her here and there, but she can't claim that she knows the woman. She can't claim that she knows anything beyond the basics. "What have you got to be aggressive about? I mean... to take it out on something means you bottle it, right? What's got you bottling?" she asks. She doesn't mind asking the blunt questions. If Shan doesn't want to answer them, Zelda will just shrug them off.

Shan: Shan blinked over at Zelda for a second, the muscle in her jaw flexing as she thought about what it was that she bottled. Anger. Resentment. Frustration. She looked down at the gun and flipped it over on the cool marble table, letting the other side cool as she sighed and shook her head. "I think Vel forgot me. Who I am." She wasnt too sure if Vel was just playing a joke on the Andras board, or what, but it seemed all too real. That the woman clearly didnt know who she was. Shan chewed on the skin of her cheek for a second, then looked over to Zelda. "I dont know. But I like holding on to it, so it works out I guess."

Zelda: Zelda shifts. She leans against a different bench, shifting her hands to clasp in front of her, and crossing one wheeled foot over the other, toe tilted forward so as to resist rolling onto her ***. "Vel?" Zelda asks, brows furrowing. For a second or two she tries to remember the couple of gatherings she had been to. It takes her that long to put a face to the name. Vel. Velveteen. The Australian. She doesn't know what relationship Shan has to Velveteen, however. "Your sire?" she guesses. "How could she forget you?" she asks.

Shan: "Yeah, thats the one." She flipped the gun and moved it to a different spot on the table, the cool marble doing what she needed it to do. Finally, she picked the gun up and palmed it, pointing it and looking through the sights before handing it over. "I dont even know. Thats kinda why I dont really believe it, to be honest." She shrugged, shifting her weight on her feet before making her way back to the kiln. "We've been through a lot, her and I... I guess something just snapped." She shrugged again, opening the giant lid and pulling the bludgeoner out that looked crisp and clean. She took that back to the cooling table too, and began rolling it back and forth over the cooled marble.

Zelda: Zelda couldn't claim to anything about guns. She wouldn't be able to tell, looking at the weapon that Shan handed to her, whether it was the best she'd ever seen or not. It felt good in her hands, though. Weighty, like a shiny new gift that she didn't think she deserved. A gift given for no reason, except that she moved and lived and talked and was somehow related to this woman. "Thanks," she said, admiring the thing, before turning her skittering mind back to the conversation at hand. "Well I suppose the only thing you can do is talk to her, right? Get to the bottom of it," she said. It seemed a sensible option, regardless of what they had been through.

Shan: Shan nodded, though her eyes were more focused on her rolling the bludgeoner to perfection. It was a staff like object that would serve her well, allowing for the messy bashing of enemies that got too close. Shan could see it now, Zelda whacking away happily at some random hunter, turning the tables on the hunter to the hunted. Shan's nod slowed as did her rolling of the weapon, and finally her eyes swam over to Zelda though her rolling continued as the sound of it echoed gently throughout the room filled with heat.

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

Shan: "I plan to. I had thought time would heal all wounds but that is clearly a fallacy." She shrugged, directing her attention back to the weapon to pick up the pace of rolling it back and forth once more. Pace and pressure, just the right mixture of the two, and the weapon would be done.

Zelda: Zelda shrugged. She was always a silver linings kinda girl, and that scenario wasn't any different, here. "Well, you said it yourself. You've been through a lot, right? If she has forgotten you, then those wounds won't exist for her anymore, will they? So, in a way, time has healed some wounds. I suppose it's just up to you whether you want your wounds to heal," she said. Having no idea what had gone on between Shan and Velveteen, Zelda couldn't really offer any solid advice. Not that she thought she was any good at advice, really. She was too flighty, too unpredictable, and ran away from her own problems. Or, if she didn't run away, she never thought she had problems in order to address them. She had no experience to draw on in order to offer any kind of proper advice. Still: "So... you remind her who you are, but don't remind her of why you might have your differences."

Shan: Shan found it was easier for some reason to listen to others while she was doing something. Ny had talked to her while she was crafting, and now Zelda with the weapons, and it seemed her attention was more easily split than singular. She idly wondered why that was for a fleeting moment, though her thoughts were more on Zelda' words than anything. She glanced over to her, the glance sticking for a moment before her eyes went back to the work under her moving hands. Back and forth, back and forth. Smooth. "To omit such information wouldnt be fair to her, I dont think." She smirked then, "Besides. Vel is a cunning woman. I could see her asking just the right kind of questions that would reveal those truths in the end, regardless."

Zelda: Zelda's own gaze shifted to the cieling in thought, the corner of her lip twisted down in a concentrated frown. Soon enough, she offered yet another shrug. "That doesn't really matter, though. In the end. I suppose. What I'm getting at is that it's up to you how you reveal those truths. If you reveal them with anger, then those wounds'll just open back up again, right? But if you reveal them with forgiveness or... I dunno, acceptance, then they'll stay nice and healed. Yeah?" she said. She had no idea whether she was being helpful or not. She had no idea how deep these wounds might run, or how reasonable a person Velveteen was - or was not. Her gaze had slipped back to Shan, watching distractedly as the other woman worked.

Shan: Shan couldnt help the fact that she was always focusing on the wrong point that people were trying to make. Her mind slipped to the last time she had spoken with her sire, the last time she had heard the woman talk to her in what turned into an incredibly heated discussion and fast. She sighed, knowing fare well that Zelda was right, no matter how she spun it. Finally picking up the bludgeoner, she flipped it down and around once, hearing it whistle through the air skillfully before flipping it in her hand and offering Zelda the handle. "Yeah." She offered a smirk, "Got a good head on your shoulders there Sparky. I'll admit that." The weapon was held outstretched, it glistening in its glory under the dim light that shone from the cieling.

Zelda: Zelda beamed. Up to this point she had no idea how she was doing - as if this were a test that she were going to be graded for, but she had no idea whether her essay answers were going in the right direction or whether they were tangents that would be scoffed and laughed at. She'd never been very good at school. To be told she had a good head on her shoulders was a compliment of the highest degree, after feeling so unsure. She had to put the gun aside before she could take hold of the bludgeoner; she admired the handiwork in much the same way as before. "Thank you. For... well this," she said, swinging the weapon, "and for the compliment."

Shan: "You are welcome." She nodded, watching the woman admire her worksmanship of the weapon that was now hers to do with as she pleased. "I've no doubt you will make good use of it." Though she was looking at the weapon, she couldnt help but to wonder which of the two she meant by that; or both. Both, she decided silently, giving Zelda a smile that was a rare sight to see from her. Fangs shown tips that jutted into her lower lip as she smiled, the corners of her red eyes creased and tipped upwards. "You can bring it back to me for maintanaince anytime." She nodded lightly, shifting her weight and crossing her arms over her chest. "There is a bunch of extra ammo over there in that box too, for that gun, you are welcome to it." She nodded her head in the direction of the box before reaching up to scratch at her throat that was giving her the same troubles as always.

Zelda: "Thank you. Thanks...." Zelda said. She felt like she'd been given a couple of very expensive items and it wasn't even her birthday. Sure, yes, she'd offered what she had to Shan, to help her with further crafting of these kinds of things, but somehow it didn't feel like enough. Yes, she'd been given gifts throughout her childhood but her parents had never been able to afford much. She was always grateful for whatever she received. This, tonight, was far beyond anything she'd ever received. "If there's anything I can do to repay you... I mean, you sure you don't want some money for these?" she asked, dubious.

Shan: She rolled her shoulders, shaking her head. She wouldnt turn down money, normally, but this was for Zelda, someone she found that she would rather protect with her life than most others. She couldnt ask her to pay for that protection that she was able to give in the form of the weapons. They were good, they were; but they werent the best. They werent a body guard in a threatening situation. They werent robots that could save the woman from peril. "Just dont get yourself killed." She smirked, though she meant it. She cleared her throat again, shaking her head some more. "Damn thirst..." She muttered, scratching again. It was like a thousand razor blades were stuck in the middle of her throat, and no matter what she did she couldnt swallow them down.

Zelda: Zelda arched a brow. She would figure out some way to pay Shan back, whether Shan would accept it or not. It was just in Zelda's psyche - she couldn't take without giving back somehow. She hadn't been good at school, and she wasn't so grand at receiving gifts, either. Not unexpected ones like these. The change of topic was almost welcome, before she started to make things awkward. She cleared her own throat - clear and devoid of thirst - and furrowed a frown in Shan's direction. "Go... eat?" she suggested.

Shan: She laughed, a sharp laugh that was cut short in a scoff. "If only that helped for longer than ten minutes." She shrugged, reaching over and flipping the kiln off and shutting the lid to it. She moved a couple tools from the kiln's side to the marble table, grabbing a cloth and laying it down then arranging the tools on it before rolling them up in the cloth. "I do think I'll step out for a minute though. Been couped up in this room for days, honestly." She shrugged. Maybe it was time for a hunt, of sorts. A game, to her, of life and death. Yes, she would venture to find her next target for the time that it was necessary to have prey. "You're welcome to join me but it wont be very entertaining. Just a lot of stalking." She admitted, clearly unphased by her vices.

Zelda: Zelda continued to frown. If it helped for longer than ten minutes? She'd have thought that being couped up for days would be the main cause for any kind of severe thirst. But the way Shan spoke about it, it was as if the thirst was there no matter what she did to satisfy it. Zelda didn't know what she would do if she were in that kind of situation. She didn't think she'd be a very safe person to be around. "I've already eaten," she said, as if saying it like that made it less gruesome, somehow. Or, maybe she was just that accustomed that talking about feeding like it was just another dinner was common place. "I'll walk with you. Out. Though," she said. Even though she'd be rolling, more than walking. "And why is that? Why are you... always thirsty?" she asked, curious.

Shan: Placing the cloth covered tools in the top drawer of the table next to the cooling table, she reached for her coat and slung it over her shoulder as she walked towards the door. Stepping to the side and waiting for Zelda to exit the room, she flipped the light off once the woman cleared the threshold. She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders at the question she had no answer to. "Why do you always wear those skates?" She asked in reponse, though she was sure the two werent mutually exclusive, that didnt mean it wasnt a good question to know the answer to. "I dont know why I'm always thirsty. It started after I got back from my year and a half in the realm... maybe that has something to do with it." Which, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Zelda: Zelda made sure to collect her new toys before leaving the room, as well as her now much lighter bag. The bag was slung over her shoulder, while she held one weapon in each hand. She didn't take any of the ammunition - she could get that herself. She wouldn't take any more than she had to. Zelda laughed. "Because," she paused, as if that were going to be her only response. "I think as soon as I wore them the first time, it was like I'd been missing some limbs all my life and had just got them back," she shrugged. "I can't really explain it, but I just feel... more me, in the skates. Get me on two feet and I'm awkward as all ****," she said with a broad grin. She waited for Shan to lead the way out. "And the realm? I've never been there. My uhm... condolences?"

Shan: Shan's eyebrows raised at that, not entirely sure she could understand what the other woman was trying to explain in meaning what she was saying. It was one of those things that you had to yourself experience to understand, and Shan had never experienced anything like that. The only thing she couldnt imagine being without was a weapon, and well, that was clearly never going to be an issue. She headed for the fade portal on the far side of the room, reaching out and letting her fingertips drag along Nyla's shoulder whom was fast asleep on the couch there. As usual. Which didnt much bother Shan, knowing the woman was there was plenty for her content. "Yeah it sucks. Dark, dismal. Depressing. Desolate." Without meaning to, she had started to describe the place using only words that started in the letter 'd'.

Zelda: "Like death," Zelda answered in response to the long list of Ds, perhaps interrupting, but not. It just so happened that she said the word as she glanced toward the sleeping Nyla - she didn't talk much to Nyla. Sleeping there, she looked dead. Dead to the world. No breath. Just a still body. Zelda shuddered. Zelda had always feared death. It was why she lived the way she did. You never knew the kind of curve balls life might throw at you. Death could be around any corner, so you had to live every second as if it were your last. No plans. No slaving. No stress. Just live, love, have fun. That was her mantra. It's why she couldn't be angry at Nyla for what she had done. She never dwelled on the negative. Forge onwards, always onwards and ahead.

Shan: She nodded slowly, stopping just shy of the portal to the station that she had insisted Nyla put in. Pulling the jacket to in front of her, she opened it and suavely slid it on in one fluid motion, reaching up to fix the collar that had popped up on one side. Smoothing it down she gripped at the sides and pulled it taunt over her shoulders, giving her head a bit of a roll before she turned to Zelda and gave her a pretty serious stare. "Im serious. Dont get yourself killed. That place will steal things from you, things that will seemingly take a lifetime to get back." She was of course speaking from experience, her red blood stare dashing from eye to eye, her hands finding pockets and sliding comfortably into them.

Zelda: Zelda wanted to laugh but there was something in Shan's voice, in her very expression, that halted Zelda's mirth before it could bubble from her throat. Her green eyes widened and she nodded. "Yeah, sure. I gotcha. Don't die. Easy," she said. She would have held her hands up in surrender, but her hands were full. She paused to lick her lips, those eyes of hers narrowing just slightly. In that moment, she realised there was a hell of a lot that she did not know about Shan - but, at this juncture, it seemed ludicrous to get into a deep and meaningful. There were, of course, other things she could discuss with Shan - someone who was equal parts serious and silly, rather than someone like Nyla who was far too serious all of the time for anyone's wellbeing. "We'll catch up again soon, yeah?" she said.

Shan: Easy. Shan wanted to laugh and shake her head at that, but she didnt. She was growing increasingly focused on the task that she had set before her of finding the next prey for her hunt. It wasnt a normal hunt, no, this hunt provided Shan with a bit of release on a more sinister level; allowing her demons to surface and take control for what little time she allowed them. No one had ever seen that side of Shan and lived to tell of it, and she intended to keep it that way. She blinked and gave Zelda a smile, reaching out to pat the woman on the shoulder briefly with a nod. "Yeah. Soon." She returned her hand to its respective pocket and turned to the portal, giving Zelda one last glance before slipping into it entirely and allowing it to transport her to the Bullwood station.